Hello friends! If there are indeed any of you still out there reading these stories. I hope there are and I hope this little drabble brings you a little bit of joy in a trying time for many. This little scene had been wracking around my brain forever and I've finally gotten it down in words, so here you go.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"It'd just be for a little while. A couple of months at most. Just until she finds other arrangements. It's a temporary thing. And, in the meantime, you can keep searching for a new roommate. It works out perfectly for you both when you think about it really."

What was the saying? You couldn't bullshit a bullshitter?

"Dad. I don't know if you remember what it was like living with Casey but I'm pretty sure you remember what it was like living with me and Casey living together," Derek said wryly into the phone he held to his ear.

"Vividly, in fact," was his father's equally dry response. "I had thought though as you're both mature adults now" Derek rolled his eyes at the pointed jab "it wouldn't be such a problem. And, while we're on the subject, Der," his father went on, "may I remind you that it was really Casey who suffered the most during that time. So, really, if you take into account all the pranks, all the fights, the insults, the put-downs, don't you think you actually owe your sister this small favor?"

"Step-sister," Derek corrected him flatly, unfazed by the cajoling.

His father sighed. Loudly.

"Derek," he tried again, "it's been two years. You and Casey have barely seen each other in that amount of time. You've done some growing up - or at least, I thought you had - and so has she. I would hope you were at the point in life where you could just let bygones be bygones."

And what a blissful two years that had been. With Casey a whole country away, in New York. No one had expected her to be gone for that long. Derek certainly hadn't dared hope.

Wasn't there also some saying about all good things having to come to an end?

"So," said Derek, slowly, thinking, "If I were to do this - let Casey crash with me - I'd be doing her a favor...?"

"In a manner of speaking," his father agreed carefully.

"Which means she would, in turn, owe me back. Now that is an appealing thought..."

Say what he might about Casey, Derek would not deny she did have somethings going for her he wouldn't mind having at his disposal. Somehow Casey had always managed to get the laundry just the right balance of soft and fluffy. He'd even liked how his socks smelt all flowery after she'd done a load, though he'd never admitted it. He also remembered her being something of a decent cook whenever she wasn't serving up that tasteless health food junk.

"You know what," his father backtracked hastily, "Forget I mentioned it. No one owes anyone anything. That's not what this is about -"

"Oh, but Dad-"

"I misspoke," Derek's father cut him off firmly. "This is about family," he said, launching into a new angle of guilt-tripping, "And family take of each other. Especially in times of need. Such as when one family member can't find an adequate place to live and another family member, such as yourself, has the means of taking them in, for a time, they do. And by they, I mean you again."

Now it was Derek's turn to sigh.

"And what if the family member in need of this adequate place to live is unwilling to be taken in by this family member who has the means of doing it?" he asked.

"Meaning...?" his father prompted.

"Did you or Nora even talk to Casey about this?" Derek asked blunted.

"Of course we did. You think I'm having this conversation with you just for the fun of it? She's on board."

"Casey's on board with this?" Derek repeated incredulously. "She's ok staying here? With me?"

"Yes."

"Why isn't she the one groveling then?"

"No one is groveling. And because," his father added after a brief pause, "she's not the problem here, you are."

"You know," Derek noted, "so far you've done nothing but insult me. That's not really the best way to go about this, is it, Dad?"

"Derek," his father intoned warningly, signaling his patience wearing thin.

Derek dropped his head back and stared up at the ceiling. Several moments of silence passed between them.

"Fine," Derek ground out finally.

"Fine, what?" his father asked cautiously, as though prepared for a joke.

"Fine she can stay here," Derek grumbled, "Until she makes her other 'arrangements' or whatever."

There was a short pause while his father seemed to digest this agreement.

"Well, good. Good. Alright." He was unsuccessfully hiding the pleasant surprise from his voice. "And, just so we're clear, we're clear about that no owing thing right?" he double-checked.

"You mean the fact that there isn't any?" Derek responded dryly.

"Right. Exactly. This is merely out of the goodness of your heart-"

Derek laughed without humor.

"Is it? And here I was thinking it was a product of you wearing me down with a series of guilt trips slash lectures."

"That too."

"Great," said Derek sarcastically, "Now that's all sorted then, I'm going to go-"

"You know, I gotta say," his father chuckled, not listening, "this went better than I was expecting. You caved way quicker than I thought you would. I had a whole bunch of other material I prepared-"

"Glad I spared myself that, then."

"You're getting soft, Der," his father teased smugly.

"Out of practice you mean," Derek corrected, scowling, "I am not -"

"I guess, Casey and I'll see you on Wednesday then to start moving in her things," his father interrupted, dropping back into serious mode, "Say around ten?"

"Dad, I am not -!"

"Alright, see you then!"

"-going soft - Dad? Dad!"

His father had ended the call.

Derek dropped his phone onto his lap and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.

Ten o'clock on Wednesday morning, three days from now, Casey McDonald would be moving into his apartment. His bachelor pad. Casey. And him. Together. Again.

What had his father gotten him into?

Stay safe. And stay tuned. I may add more.

xo GoddessoftheMaan