And I promised myself I would sleep tonight. This is a oneshot for lleidane, who requested a Lizzie/Edwin fic.

Disclaimer: I have as much affiliation with the show as I have a life outside my stories and computer.

"You drive a hard bargain," Edwin stated, more for the point of haggling than for any other reason.

"Do you accept the terms?" Lizzie asked, all calm business.

Edwin stopped for a moment, pondering. "My client accepts," he said finally, evenly, and Lizzie flashed a grin of triumph. Negotiations seemed to be going her way of late. They nodded at each other before simultaneously exiting the games closet, walking in opposite directions down the hall.

As he walked in the direction of Derek's room, Edwin briefly wondered when it was that the middle children had surpassed the elder in maturity. He would say it had always been that way, but that would be stretching the truth. Before Casey, Derek ruled the household with an iron fist, never once doubting himself; and until Lizzie had coaxed out his backbone, Edwin had been Derek's faithful lackey. Not that he still wasn't, to some degree; but he had the feeling that Derek and Casey had come to rely on him and Lizzie for guidance during their complex emotional struggles. Denial often had negative effects on one's ability to cope with certain situations.

Despite his mixed feelings of fear, irritation and respect for his brother, pity had slipped in somewhere as well. Edwin could appreciate the tension; the odd looks; the countless excuses and endless distractions Derek felt were necessary in the presence of their stepsisters. He felt it too; the brothers were alike in that one respect, at least. They just handled it in different ways. Whereas Derek relied on wit and insults, Edwin used the dependable method of friendship. Not the most rewarding of results, true; but at least this way he could have open contact rather than sharing intense glances and admiring from behind a shield of indifference. Somewhere in his perceptive mind, he knew he was the better of the two. He had learned to handle his thoughts, to confront his feelings right out; that was something Derek would never discover. He would rely on Edwin as he did things the hard way, and Edwin would enjoy negotiations and dismiss the distracting nature of her presence in the confined space.

Upon reaching the door, Edwin turned to glance behind him, watching through the cracked door as Lizzie paced, her back to him. Casey sat in front of her, eyes darting surreptitiously around her sister to the wall beside Edwin, intermittently looking triumphant and longing, and seeming as if she could make the door disappear with mere concentration. Sighing and half-heartedly rolling his eyes, Edwin placed his hand on the knob. Watching as Lizzie stopped to stand determinedly, Edwin twisted the knob and entered the room with a small smile and quite a bit of trepidation. Derek would not be pleased. A hard bargain indeed.

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Well, there you have it. I'm more into Dasey myself, so I'm not sure how this turned out. This plot may be overdone for all I know. Lleidane, if you wanted something less introspective and more plot oriented, PM me and I'll see what I can do. It may have turned out more Dasey than Lizwin anyway—or even sort of a brother bonding thing—, so sorry about that. It was late and I was procrastinating, which either combine wonderfully or horribly, depending on the day.