Oh my god, this is it, guys! The final chapter (queue the music to the final countdown) haha.

I hope you like it. Enjoy the cheesiness, and read the author's note at the bottom for a few words about the story and future stories to come.

The next day, Derek awoke early to see Sam eating cereal at their island. Casey was still in bed, so he took the opportunity to chew his friend out for the display he'd seen the night before on the couch.

"So, you and Case again, huh?" Derek grumbled as he pulled out his own bowl. Sam chuckled, and shook his head.

"Always assuming thing, eh, D?" he took a bite out of his cereal. "You know what happens when you assume things, right?" he cocked an eyebrow up at him.

"What?"

"You make an ass out of you and me."

"Nice." Derek shook his head. "So, seriously? I saw you two. What's up?"

"Why is it so important?" Sam asked, because he wasn't going to tell him anything. He wanted Derek to be the one to tell him.

"It's not." He shrugged. He took a bite of his cereal as well, and kept quiet.

It really drove Sam mad when Derek did things like this. He was going to get him to talk no matter what. Obviously he wasn't taking the bait, either. Guess he was going to do it the hard way.

"She told me everything, you know." Sam tried to say nonchalantly.

"Everything, as in?"

"As in everything. About your relationship that you started on a bet." And now Sam was glaring at his friend, because yeah, this really pissed him off that he could do such a thing to Casey McDonald. She was by far the kindest person he'd ever known and to know somebody hurt her over a stupid bet really pissed him off. Especially someone that was supposed to care for her.

"Sam…" Derek started.

"No, dude. Seriously, you're lucky that she hasn't left this apartment by now. What were you thinking?" he bit out at him. Derek sighed, because obviously his friend was upset with him, and he still had no idea how he was going to redeem himself.

"I wasn't thinking…and I really didn't want to do it, but—"

"Derek Venturi never steps down from a bet?" Sam finished for him. It wasn't what Derek was going to say, but it was what was going through his mind at the time of the bet.

"I just want to take it back…" he shook his head, and rubbed his palms over his face. It was too early for this talk.

"Did you even love her?"

"Of course I do!" Derek said it without thinking, and sort of surprised himself, because other than Sally and Mark, he hadn't told anyone, not even Casey.

"Do?" Sam cocked an eyebrow up at him, because he didn't use the past tense of the word.

"Well…well yeah…" he said uneasily, because feelings weren't his thing. Especially with his best friend.

"Why did you have Sally here, then?"

"I didn't invite her. That wasn't my fault." Derek defended himself. "She went crazy…like…total nuclear." He shook his head.

"It was a matter of time. She was too perfect to be true." Sam grinned. "I never really liked her."

"She was a little less transparent in high school, though. I can see right through her now." He shook his head. "She was a little too desperate for dominance and it really showed more than usual this time around."

"Let's not change the subject." Sam shook his head, pointing his spoon at Derek. "Casey."

Casey heard her name as she opened her bedroom door. She stilled, and closed it, leaving it cracked so she could hear the conversation from the dining room down the hall.

"I obviously still love her, Sam. How am I supposed to come back after everything that's happened?" he pushed his bowl away.

"You'll think of something…Casey is a lot simpler to please than a lot of girls you've dated, D…she's not as high maintenance as she likes to say she is." Sam shrugged, because it was true. Casey held back a giggle. In all reality, she really wasn't as high maintenance as she said she was, because the simplest things made her happy. Her expectations were just expectations, not exactly wishes or anything.

"I know, Sam. I just hate that I've hurt her so much already, you know? I don't want to hurt her anymore…because I wouldn't be able to live with myself…I can barely live with this guilt now."

Casey got a lump in her throat. Both from happiness and sorrow. Happiness, because she was glad to see that he did feel bad for everything he'd done to her. He needed to feel that guilt. Sorrow, because she loved Derek, and would do anything to keep him from feeling like this.

"So do something about it, D…I know you well enough that you'll pull something off." Sam encouraged his friend.

"I kind of have an idea…I don't know if it will work, but…it has to…I love her, man…" he shook his head.

"It's so weird to hear you talking about your feelings like this." Sam shook his head.

"It's weird to hear me talk about my feelings, but not weird that I'm in love with my step sister?"

"Nah, we all saw that one coming."

And that was the end of that conversation. Casey made sure to make noise as she left her room for the shower.

Honestly, she didn't know what to think. She loved him and he loved her. It still didn't fix anything that he'd done, but he sure did seem sorry enough. She should probably run up to him and fling her arms around him and never let go, but she really wanted to see what he had up his sleeve to get her back, so unfortunately, she had to wait.

Derek didn't explain much to her about what happened with Sally, only that it just wasn't working out. She could only smile and nod her head to hide the excitement she felt for the girl to be gone.

Sam left late that afternoon. She gave him the tightest hug that she could, and he gave her a soft smile when they released one another.

"He'll come around, Case…he still loves you." He'd whispered in her ear and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Casey only smiled and nodded at him. And he was gone.

Casey waited and waited impatiently for his big show. Perhaps he was going to take her out to dinner and ask her out? He was really capable of anything. But even a couple weeks later during finals, it never came. Soon enough, they'd both be heading home for the summer, and then they'd have to face the awkwardness of their past relationship around family.

During the two weeks before finals, though, they were getting closer and closer. When he wasn't away doing what he did, whatever that was, they would stay up after dinner and not watch movies while they talked casually. He started teasing her again, and that brought the familiar stars back in her eyes that Derek loved so much. They were slowly getting back into their pattern of flirtation that was there during the relationship. She was now waking up every morning with a smile on her face, because she couldn't wait to see him every morning.

But now on the last day of finals, she sighed because as she woke up, she found that the apartment was empty. Not even one last breakfast alone with him before they went back home.

"Figures." She mumbled, and fixed herself a quick breakfast before she got ready for her day.

During her final exam, she caught a few people glancing at her, and whispering to the people they were sitting near. They wouldn't stop looking either. Weird.

"What?" she asked them, touching her face. Maybe she'd accidently marked her face with eyeliner and didn't realize it. They just shook their heads, and kept to themselves.

It got weirder, because when she walked towards the quad after her test to have a last lunch with Molly, Whitney, and Martha, even more people were looking at her and whispering.

"What is going on here?" she asked them. They looked at her with confused faces, because they didn't see anything different from their daily routines.

"What are you talking about?" Whitney asked between bites of her chicken salad.

"Everyone's looking at me weird…do I have something on my face?" she asked them. She reached around in her bag to pull out her small compact mirror, and found no flaws that would draw attention. She even checked her teeth to be sure there were no traces of cereal in them.

"You're just paranoid, Case. Relax. You're done with finals." Molly grinned at her friend. Casey nodded. She usually was over paranoid after tests anyways.

"You excited to go home?" Martha asked her. They were all done for the day, after all and they wanted to chat as much as possible before their two month break away from each other.

"I guess…it sucks having to drive the long way with Derek, though…" she shrugged. She looked around, because she hadn't seen him all day. Where was he?

"I thought you said that things were getting a lot better with the two of you…" Molly chimed in. She had finally told all her friends about what happened with the bet and everything, and at first they hated him until she told the rest of the story. In reality, they wanted the two together, because even they saw that Derek truly loved Casey to pieces.

"I thought so, too…but…I guess not. I thought he would've made a move by now…" she shook her head sadly and took a bite of her turkey sandwich.

"Maybe he's waiting for the right moment?" Martha asked.

"Maybe I heard him wrong when he was talking to Sam…" Casey shook her head.

"Perhaps you should make a move, Case?" Whitney asked her.

"I thought he was going to make a move, though…he said he had something up his sleeve…it's just been so long…" Casey shrugged. It was all really depressing how she was waiting around for him. Why should she have to wait, after all? He should get his butt up and do something about all this. She knew she heard him right. He said he still loved her. But was it enough to want to take her back?

And she was broken from her thoughts from the sudden silence all around her. She looked up and everyone was standing still, as if someone had pressed pause in a movie. Even her three friends she was sitting with were all paused mid bite of their lunches. She looked all around her, and the scene was played out the same.

"What's going—"

"You're just too good to be true…"

The voice was too familiar, and Casey gasped a little. She stood up after realizing what happening, and looked for him.

"Can't take my eyes off of you…You'd be like heaven to touch…" he continued. Casey was on the verge of tears, because she couldn't find him "I wanna hold you so much."

That's when she saw him standing at the top of the wide stairs of the quad not too far off looking right at her, wearing a shirt with her face and underneath, it said 'I love this girl'. She was breathing heavily, because oh my god, he's really doing this!

"At long last love has arrived. And I thank God I'm alive…" he put his palms together and looked up at the sky as he sang the last sentence. "You're just too good to be true…can't take my eyes off of you…" he pointed towards her, making her giggle uncontrollably.

That was when he clapped his hands as a countdown for what was to come. Suddenly, a whole marching band was surrounding him, leaving a small pathway for him to walk while they played Can't Take My Eyes Off of You for her. Then everyone around her, including her friends were dancing in sync with one another.

She burst out laughing, because, what else was she supposed to do? She looked around at everyone dancing around her. This looked like half of the school!

"I love you baby, and if it's quite alright, I need you baby!" Derek was dancing just like Heath Ledger now, although more theatrical, and much more perfect. She couldn't control the tears as he danced his way over to her, and slung an arm around her shoulder as he led her to the top of the stairs above the band and everyone else dancing all the while singing, "To warm a lonely night I love you, baby." He now just held her hand and sang to her. She glanced around her quickly to see everyone still dancing wildly as the song was still building.

"Trust in me when I say…" he continued, "Oh, pretty baby, don't bring me down, I pray. Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay…"

And now it was just the two of them. Like it always had been this whole time. No stupid bets, no stupid ex-girlfriends, and meaningless kisses with ex-boyfriends. It was Derek and Casey. Just the two of them. She stared into his eyes as he finished the final lines.

"And let me love you, baby. Let me love you." He finished strongly on his final note.

And everyone stopped dancing, all in the same pose, waiting for her to respond to him, because he was still holding her hand, staring straight at her. She turned to him, and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You…" she shook her head, because had he really done this all for her?

"I love you, Casey." He nodded at her, wiping her tears from her cheeks. "I know I was an ass. I was an uber ass…"

"Captain of the asses…" she laughed. He grinned, and held both of her hands.

"I was…but now…I want you to know, that everything I felt for you was real. It still is." He nodded. "And I don't want to every be with anyone else but you, Casey McDonald. Please take me back so that I could treat you like the princess that you truly are…" he squeezed her hand.

She realized she was being silent for too long when he cleared his throat, shifting his feet awkwardly.

"So…what do you say?" he asked nervously. She thought for a while.

"I say…it's going to take more than a flash mob to get me going…" she checked his face for reaction, and realized that his smile dropped, and his mouth dropped open.

"Ca—" he started, but she put her finger to his lips, and closed the distance between their bodies.

"But it's a great start." she pressed her lips to his, and the crowd cheered, finishing off the melody of the song while the cheering continued. He kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her body, and lifting her up so her legs could wrap around his body.

"You know…" he said against her lips, pressing them to hers again. "I got the rest of this whole surprise back at the apartment, if you know what I mean." He winked at her, because he can be suggestive now.

"De-rek!" she shrieked, kissing him again, because God, it had been so long, and she missed him so much.

"So how did you get everyone in on all of this?" she asked him a few hours later, getting comfortable in his comforter. They were planning on leaving that afternoon, but called their parents to say that they needed the extra night of "rest".

"I talked to Molly and Whitney. After they chewed me out for breaking your heart, they heard me out, and we got your dance team to help with the flash mob thing." He leaned on one elbow, and faced her placing a hand on her hip, because he needed to touch her.

"So that's what you've been doing this whole time you weren't home these past two weeks." She smiled, and faced him as well, pressing their bodies together through the sheets. She wrapped an arm around him and rubbed his bare back with her fingers.

"It was pretty hard fitting all the choreography in with the band, but…" he kissed her. "I think it was all worth it."

"You're amazing, Der…" she whispered against his lips. "Just please…" she said uneasily.

"What is it, Case?" he brought his finger to her chin, and had her face him. She bit her lip.

"Don't hurt me again, Der…" she whispered.

"I won't, Case…" he pulled her into a hug, and held her. After holding her for a few seconds, she pulled back and smiled at him.

"I love you, Derek…" she whispered against him.

"I love you, too, Case…but don't let it go to your head or anything." He couldn't control the small smile on his lips. After a while a small grin appeared on her face again. "What?"

"You realize the fun part comes next, don't you?" her grin was infectious and goofy.

"What is that?" he cocked an eyebrow up at her.

"Telling the family, of course!" she beamed. He rolled his eyes, and backed away from her.

"Way to kill the mood, Spacey!" he grumbled, and lay on his back.

She laughed, and sat up, unashamed of her assets being clearly shown to him, because he had just finished caressing every inch of her. She straddled his hips.

"Well let me bring the mood back to life, eh?" she whispered against his lips. And just like that, he forgot what had killed the mood in the first place as he held the beautiful woman on top of him against his body as he rolled them over so he could be on top.

Life is so good.

It's over! Just so everyone knows, I don't own LWD, or Ten things i hate about you.

I hope you liked that huge reference to the movie during the whole "show". someone from the reviews caught that from the previous chapter. it was kind of foreshadowing to this moment, but it really wasn't obvious haha.i realized a little late into the story that it kind of had a ten things i hate about you vibe to it in it's own way(sorta), so why not end it like this, right?

Aww, i hope you guys liked the ending. maybe i'll make a second story to it, idk. if inspiration hits.

I'm currently in the midst of a new chapter story. It won't be anything like this. It'll be...different. but good. Dasey, though so don't worry.

there's also a one-shot i have up my sleeve, that i might get working on pretty soon:). i do have a lot of time on my hands until the summer, so I'll try and get as many stories out here as I can until then.

Thanks again to all of my AMAZING reviewers. I hope y'all stick with me for my other stories as well...I love you all so much:).