Author's Note: Just a little random oneshot with a Demily break-up. Contains spoilers for the end of the series.

Disclaimer: I don't own LwD or anything.

What the Heart Hides

Derek was sitting in his favorite chair watching hockey, like usual, that summer evening in June. Normally, he'd call up his girlfriend, Emily, and they'd hang out at Smelly Nellie's or watch a movie together. Today, however, he was relaxing after pulling the best trick on Casey.

Lizzie was watching the high school soccer team play their last game with Edwin. She was ecstatic for the upcoming year while Edwin was anxious. He was already suspended for the first few days of school. Maybe living up to Derek's reputation wasn't exactly the best idea he had.

Casey, after washing the gunk Derek had put in her shampoo out, had taken Marti for her dance class. Afterward, she was to meet up with Emily because she had finally forgiven her friend for kissing Derek in the game closet and then going out with him later on.

That seemed to have been canceled, for some reason, because just as Derek began relaxing, Casey had walked in and slammed the front door, tears streaming down her cheeks. Derek groaned at the moment he saw her. He hated seeing anybody cry, of course, but Casey always had that special effect on him so that it bothered him more than usual. He wanted to hurt anybody who brought those tears to her eyes this time. It wasn't even the big-brother-instinct-of-protection like he felt for Lizzie or Marti... It was like he was deeper.

Derek sat up from his seat, "Casey? More Niagara Falls tears?"

Casey was breathing heavily and nodded. Then, as if to cover up her mistake, she sucked in her lips to keep from crying. This always made her feel like passing out, though, so she soon had to let go. "I-I s-s-saw E-Em-mily w-with T-Truman at t-the m-mall an-d t-they wer-e k-k-ki---" She couldn't finish the sentence. It was almost like that party in Toronto all over again.

Derek then walked over to his step-sister and took her over to the side, "What were they doing?"

She forced herself to spit it out, "They were k-kissing!"

Derek felt his jaw tighten as he wrapped his arms around Casey completely. He then felt her stiffen but then relax in his arms. "Are you sure it was Emily?" He was okay if a girl were to cheat on him, even if it were Emily, but if that girl was cheating on him with Casey's boyfriend... That's when Derek got a little bit mean.

He felt Casey nod against his shoulder and he scooted back from her to kiss her cheek. Casey smiled lightly, only to cry a little bit more.

"I'll call Emily," Derek told her. Casey whimpered and walked up the stairs. Derek assumed she went to her bedroom like she normally did but he didn't hear a door close.

Twenty minutes had passed after Derek called Emily when she showed up. She smiled at him and opened her arms for a hug when he opened the door. He turned around and told her to have a seat. She frowned, closed the door behind her, and followed him to the couch. He stood in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest. Neither of them noticed Casey watching them from the top of the stairs.

"What's up, Der?" Emily asked nervously, feeling the soft flutter of wings in her heart. She didn't get butterflies from being around him, like usual, though. She got them from the fear that Casey had caught her kissing Truman and had told Derek. She was right to have that fear.

"Casey caught you kissing Truman at the mall." Derek told her, his voice even and not showing any emotion except, possibly, anger and betrayal.

He watched as Emily's face fell and arched a brow, waiting for her to answer him. She didn't disappoint him, "I did kiss Truman."

"After you told Casey he was scum, it's kind of hard to believe that you're the one who went out to prove that theory a second time." Derek retorted, thinking back to the party he had taken Casey and Vicky to. That was the first time the theory was proved.

"I know..." Emily felt guilty and foolish. She sounded like a little girl that had been tempted to take a lollypop behind her mother's back and had gotten caught.

"Why?" Derek inquired.

Emily diverted her eyes, suddenly finding the designs on the couch interesting. "Ever stop to think about what your heart is hiding from you?"

Derek frowned, wondering where the question had come from. "Um... No?"

"Well, I did. Last night. Except, I wasn't pondering what my heart was hiding from me. I was wondering about Casey's heart and yours, as well." Emily explained, leaving Derek even more confused than before.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Derek questioned the girl he thought he was in love with.

Casey, peeking through the banister, was narrowing her eyes, whispering to herself. "What?"

"I think there's something going on with you and Casey." Emily said, her voice was surprisingly cheerful; like she had been waiting for it all along.

This time, Derek and Casey said it in unison, "What?" Casey's voice was still unheard from upstairs, though.

"Face it, Derek, you love her." She said quietly, searching his soft brown eyes for the answer she wanted, though she knew all too well that she'd get a different answer; the answer she absolutely loathed. "The teasing, the pranks, the mean words... It always meant something and it wasn't just sibling rivalry. Especially with those sweet little moments you have with her. You're in love with her and something tells me she's in love with you, too." Casey swallowed the gasp that was etching its way to her mouth.

Derek sighed with regret, "More than you, or she, will ever know. I'm so sorry, Em." He kissed her cheek lightly as tears sprang into her eyes.

"It's okay," Emily responded, sniffing. "I'm the one who cheated on both of you. I just wanted a way to get the truth out. Granted, it wasn't the best way... I hope you tell Casey how you really feel, Derek. Because you're such an amazing guy, especially for her."

Derek scoffed, "We're complete opposites, Em."

"Opposites attract, D." Was all Emily said before getting up from the seat and leaving the McDonald-Venturi residence.

Derek felt himself turn his gaze to the staircase, where he caught Casey listening in. Casey couldn't hold back her gasp this time and just smiled at Derek. She couldn't understand how she brought her voice to such a lucid level of sound, but she did. "Are you really in love me, Derek?"

Derek smirked, "Depends..."

Casey rolled her eyes, "On what?"

Derek walked to the stairs and got himself eye-level with her, "On if you love me too."

Casey grinned for the first time in an hour and couldn't deny the group of butterflies flying in her stomach or the electricity shooting through her entire body. "I do."

Author's Note: Review? Please? Thanks!

God bless!
Rose