Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: Whoa. Look at all dem reviews… in less than 24 hours, too! Awesome.

Now, I bring you… the final chapter.

X

Marti the Matchmaker
Now or Never

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A sudden and unexpected wave of emotion washed over Casey upon seeing the bane of her very existence standing there, wearing a smirk that made her want to do one of two things. A) Claw his eyes out and dump his body in a river, and B) Jump his bones. Unfortunately, the former probably wouldn't end too well on her part. She imagined it wouldn't look good on her resume. After all, what idiot would hire a girl who brutally murdered her step-brother, even if he was being an asshole? No one in their right mind - that's who.

As for the latter… after all the crap he'd put her through during the past few years of living under the same roof, and after the stunt he'd pulled earlier that day, she didn't care how hot he was or how good he looked without a shirt on - she wouldn't jump him if her life depended on it!

So, seeing as she was unable to settle on either option, she just stood there and glared up at him, waiting for him - daring him - to say something, because she certainly wasn't going to.

Alas, Derek didn't look like he was going to say anything either, and it wasn't long before the tense silence that'd dawned on the two teenagers became too much to bear. Eventually, Casey just couldn't take it anymore, and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Well?" She snapped impatiently. "What do you want?"

"To apologize." Derek answered simply, the smirk finally dropping from his face - only to be replaced with a more serious look that Casey wasn't at all familiar with. "What I did to you today was… mean. Even for me, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry."

Casey gaped at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. Was he actually serious? Was he actually trying to make amends for the cruel prank he'd pulled on her earlier that day? Was someone as selfish and immature as Derek even capable of doing such a thing? A part of Casey honestly wanted to believe it, but an even bigger part of her - the one who knew better than to believe any of the crap that spewed from Derek's lips on a daily basis - prevented her from doing so, and reminded her of all of the things he put her through every single waking moment of her life.

She scowled, clenching her fists tightly.

"What are you trying to pull?" She spat bitterly. "You must think I'm an idiot if you thought I'd actually believe a word you said."

Derek sighed.

"I knew you wouldn't." He said. "But it was worth a try."

Casey rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.

"So… tell me," she said. "Do you know why Edwin and Lizzie locked us in here?"

"Yeah." Derek replied, leaning against the shelf behind him.

His step-sister arched a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Well?" She said. "Aren't you going to tell me?"

"I'd rather not."

Casey narrowed her eyes.

"You'd better." She growled.

Derek's smirk returned in an instant.

"Or else what?" He challenged.

Casey opened her mouth to retort, but when no logical threats came to mind, she just threw her hands up in frustration.

"Does. It. Matter?" She cried. "Just tell me, already! The sooner I find out, the sooner I can get out of here, and the sooner I can get away from you when I accept my mom and George's proposal to send me to boarding school, where I'll be as far away from you as humanly possible."

Derek froze.

'So… Lizzie wasn't lying.' He thought. 'They really are sending her away!'

"You can't!" He blurted out without thinking.

Casey furrowed her brow.

"Can't what?" She asked.

'Ah, shit.' Derek mentally cursed, before sighing loudly in defeat. 'Well, it's now or never…'

"Leave." He said. "You can't leave."

"Oh really?" Casey deadpanned. "And why not?"

"Because…" Derek started, tearing his gaze away from her to stare at the floor. "I…" He trailed off, unable to say the one thing he wanted nothing more than for her to know. "I…"

"You what, Derek?" Casey asked, growing more and more impatient with each passing second.

"I think…" Derek tried again, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his fists tightly. "No… I know that…" Gathering all of the courage he could muster, he lifted his head and looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm in love with you, Casey McDonald."

X

"They're not talking anymore." Marti whispered, lifting her ear away from the door to glance over at Edwin and Lizzie. "Do you think they're kissing or something?"

Lizzie shook her head.

"No." She said. "It's too early for that. They've only been in there for fifteen minutes."

Edwin nodded in agreement, and Marti shrugged before going back to eavesdropping on the two teenagers sequestered inside the closet.

Growing rather curious himself, Edwin made a move to crawl over to the door and listen as well, but was stopped when Lizzie grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. He looked at her curiously and she smiled shyly at him, causing his stomach to do cartwheels. After sparing a brief glance at Marti, who was so consumed with trying to hear Derek and Casey that she didn't even notice them, he laced his and Lizzie's fingers together before jerking his head in the direction of Derek's room.

Lizzie grinned and nodded, and together, the two stood up and slowly crept down the hall and towards her room, shutting the door behind them with a soft click so as to not alert Marti or their parents.

"How long do you think it'll be before she notices we're gone?" She wondered out loud, sitting down on the edge of her elder step-brother's bed and smiling as Edwin sat down beside her, never once releasing her hand.

He smirked.

"Who cares?" He asked, before leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers.

X

Back in the Games Closet, time seemed to have literally stopped as the two teenagers inside stood there, staring at one another in shock. Derek for being surprised that he'd actually admitted his feelings for her in the first place, and Casey for being at the receiving end of his confession. All that could be heard was the sound of their breathing, as neither one of them could muster up the courage (or the brainpower, for that matter) to speak.

You could probably hear a pin drop, but Casey was far too stunned to think of something as ridiculous as that. She was far too busy trying to process Derek's words, which had been echoing over and over again in her mind for what seemed like eternity. In actuality, it had only been five minutes.

Then, suddenly, Derek broke the silence by clearing his throat.

"Yes, well… that's all I wanted to let you know before you leave." He said, shuffling passed Casey and reaching into his pocket for the key to get out of the closet.

Before he could retrieve it, however, Casey's voice stopped him.

"Derek, wait."

Derek sighed and reluctantly turned around to face her.

"What?"

Casey bit her lip.

"Did you mean what you just said?" She asked. "Are you really in love with me? Or is this just another one of your jokes?"

Derek smiled weakly.

"I don't joke about things like this." He said.

Casey eyed him suspiciously.

"But how do I know you're telling the truth?" She asked. "You've never done anything to indicate that you have feelings for me… all you ever do is make fun of me and treat me like dirt… how do I know you're not lying? How do I know you're not videotaping this as we speak and are planning to broadcast it on national television? How do I know that -"

"Casey." Derek cut her off. "Shut up."

Casey frowned and opened her mouth to voice her outrage, but before she could get the words out, Derek swooped forward and captured her lips with his.

Her eyes widened as soon as contact was made, and out of sheer instinct, she started to flail around and try to push him away, but Derek wouldn't let her. His arms enveloped her, pulling her closer so that their chests were touching, and he held onto her tightly and kissed her as though his very life depended it, pouring all of his feelings and emotions into it and trying to make her see that he wasn't lying to her - that he really did feel something for her. Something that he'd never felt for any other girl before.

Eventually, though against her better judgment, Casey gave into the kiss, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck. She could feel Derek smirk against her lips, but couldn't bring herself to care. It felt too good, and she wanted to savor the moment - store it in the back of her mind and remember it forever.

Then, it was over.

Derek pulled away, slowly releasing her and taking a step back in order to let her breathe, all the while admiring her flushed face and swollen lips.

"So," he said. "How's that for proof?"

Casey laughed breathlessly and shook her head in disbelief.

"I have to say, Derek…" She began. "You really know how to turn a girl's opinion around."

Derek couldn't help but smirk at that.

"Don't I know it…"

Casey sighed and fell back against the wall behind her, her lips curled into a lazy smile as she stared at the shaggy-haired boy in front of her through lidded eyes.

"Unfortunately, you're gonna have to do a lot more to prove that you meant what you said."

Derek nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "I know. Now that I know you feel the same thing, I'll start treating you like the princess you are - starting tomorrow. I promise. I'll use my power and influence to make sure no one at school ever mentions today's prank ever again; I'll stop barging into your room without knocking; I'll… I'll do anything, Casey. Under one condition."

Casey raised an eyebrow.

"And what would that be?" She asked.

"Stay here. With your family. With your friends. With…" He bit his lip. "… With me."

Casey considered both options for a minute, weighing the pros and cons of each, and secretly taking pleasure in the worried look etched across her step-brother's face as he waited for her answer. Then, after what seemed like hours, she gave him her final verdict.

"Okay. I'll stay."

X

"So… what exactly are we going to tell everyone?" Casey asked, as she and Derek exited the Games Closet and made their way towards the latter's room.

Derek shrugged.

"I dunno." He said. "But I'm sure we'll figure out something when the time comes. Or at least you will."

Casey rolled her eyes and proceeded to swat him upside the head. He chuckled and stuck his tongue out at her in a playful manner, to which she just scoffed at before opening the door to Derek's room.

Only to stop dead in her tracks at the scene she was met with.

There, sitting on the edge of Derek's bed, were Edwin and Lizzie… locked at the lips, and completely oblivious to everything around them. Until they heard Derek's laugh.

"Wow. We certainly know how to keep it in the family!"

The tweens immediately sprung apart, flushed with embarrassment as they tried to come up with explanations, but Derek just held up his hand to silence them… and then told them to get lost, which they were all too pleased to oblige. As soon as they were out of his room, though, he turned to Casey and smirked.

"So… do I get a goodnight kiss?"

Casey returned the smirk.

"Of course." She answered, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down into a kiss.

X

Marti couldn't help but grin as she watched Edwin and Lizzie race out of Derek's room and into their own, before sparing a glance at her eldest siblings, who were too busy making out to notice her standing a foot away from his doorway. She quickly stifled a giggle before turning on her heel and making her way towards her own room for bed, knowing full well that things were going to be a lot more different in their household from that point on.

And she couldn't wait.

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FIN

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Alright, so the ending sucked. I know. Don't tell me what I already know.

Hopefully you enjoyed, though.

Thanks for reading!

-Lady Azura-