A/N: Well ... it's the last chapter. And I know it's fast, but I started working on the third fic in the series, and I can't post that until I post this one! So, prezzie for you, you get another chapter really quickly. There's probably some errors, since I didn't have a chance to proof it properly, so if you find them, please let me know. Otherwise, enjoy!

The McDonald-Venturi kids erupted with cheers, hugs, and high-fives in the hallway of the Labor and Delivery Ward. Derek reached out to shake his father's hand in congratulations, followed by a hug from Casey, a handshake and a hug from Edwin, and hugs from Lizzie and Marti.

"OK, kids, who wants to go meet their new brother?" George asked.

"Me!" Marti yelled exuberantly.

"Yeah, me too," said Lizzie.

"OK, let's go," George said, waving everyone down the hallway.

Derek squeezed Casey's hand surreptitiously, but quickly let go when he saw Lizzie eyeing them in disapproval. What the hell, Liz? Derek though savagely. Get over it. I'm dating your sister. He scowled in her direction, and she glanced at the floor, kicking the tile with the toe of her shoe.

The kids followed George down the hallway. When they arrived at Nora's room in the Recovery Ward, George knocked gently and waited for a response.

"Come in," said Nora softly.

Derek, Casey, Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti filed in after George, arranging themselves in a semi-circle around the bed. Nora lay back, pale and worn, but grinning widely. In her arms, she held a small, tightly-swaddled bundle topped with a blue knit hat. The newborn's pink face was slightly smushed, and his eyes were squeezed shut tightly; his chest fell with small, shallow breaths.

"Kids, meet Gavin Donald Venturi," Nora said, shifting him in her arms so that everyone could get a better look.

Derek peered at his little brother in amazement. Look at that, he thought, he's so tiny! And good-looking too—he's clearly a Venturi. I wonder if our baby will look like that.

At that thought, Derek mentally slapped himself. Wait, babies with Casey?! Well … maybe. We're not ready for that. Yet. But we could be, someday. And she's already admitted to wanting mine, so … yes! Give it a few years, man, and I'm going to marry Casey McDonald!

"Derek, what are you smiling about?" George asked, looking at his son strangely.

"Oh, nothing dad, just what a good-looking kid this is. Clearly, he takes after me. How did you guys come up with the name?"

"Well, Gavin, because we liked it, and Donald after Nora's grandfather."

"Nora, your granddaddy was Donald McDonald?" Marti asked.

"No, sweetie, he was Donald Masen. He was my father's father. McDonald was from my first marriage."

"Oh, right. Never mind."

"So, do you guys want to hold him?" Nora asked the group.

She was met with resounding cries of "yeah!" so she duly passed Gavin to Edwin. As he made his way around the circle, George whispered into Derek's ear, "We need to speak with you and Casey. Alone. As soon as the nurse comes to take Gavin back to the nursery. Do you understand me?"

Derek nodded once and looked over George's shoulder at Casey. She was eyeing the exchange warily, trying to extract the conversation from his facial expression. Derek watched as Nora reached out for Casey's hand and gave it a tug, pulling her down to the bed and whispering something to her. Nora must be telling Casey the same thing, he thought.

The nurse came in to collect Gavin just as Casey was handing him back to Nora. George whispered something to the nurse, and she nodded briefly before preparing the rolling bassinet. After she got him settled, she turned to the younger children and said, "We're going to give Gavin his first bath. Would you like to watch?"

"Sure," Edwin said, turning to follow the nurse.

"I will," said Lizzie, moving to stand next to Edwin.

"I want to stay here with Daddy and Nora," Marti said, wrapping herself around George's waist.

"Oh, Marti, but it's his first bath! Don't you want to see how they bathe a baby?" Nora coaxed.

"Well …" Marti trailed off. She then caught the look that her father was giving her and finished, "… sure." She fell in line with Edwin and Lizzie.

George watched them leave, then shut the door and moved to stand next to Nora. He laced her hand into his and looked gravely at Derek and Casey. Derek looked at Casey with a mix of confusion and fear. Whatever this is, he thought, it's not good.

"Derek, Casey," George began, "Nora and I have a couple of things for you. First, Nora will be coming home tomorrow with Gavin, so you need to have the house ready for him. It needs to be cleaned, and we need one of you to set up the bassinet in our room. Derek, I think you should be able to handle that. We also need you guys to make sure that Christmas goes off without a hitch for the younger kids, including dinner. Casey, we think you can be responsible for that.

"Second, we had a chance to discuss your relationship this morning after Gavin's birth. To be honest, we're not happy about it, especially after reading some of Casey's journal entries.

"Which"—he continued, cutting Casey off before she had a chance to protest—"was an accident. Nora was cleaning your room, and she accidentally knocked your journal off your desk. It fell open, and a very, um … descriptive entry caught her eye. That alone gave us reason to worry, but when that was coupled with doodles of 'Mrs. Derek Venturi,' well, you can see how we put two and two together."

Casey blushed and looked at the floor. Derek felt his face flush too, although more in anger than embarrassment. He could see where this was going, and he was already prepared for rebuttal.

"So here's what's going to happen," George said, gripping Nora's hand more tightly, "you may go to New York together, but that's it. After your winter break is over, Casey, you're moving into an all-girls' residence. Derek, we will continue to pay for Casey's portion of the rent until you find a new, male roommate. You two will not see each other anymore, not like this. You are brother and sister, whether you like it or not, and you now have a brother in common. Do I make myself clear?"

"Casey, honey, I know this seems severe, but you'll thank us in the future," Nora said soothingly. "You have big things ahead of you, and you don't want the stigma of being intimately involved with your brother to follow you into your professional life."

"STEP brother, Mom, STEP!" Casey exploded, staring her mother down with fire in her eyes.

"Yeah, Dad, this is a little harsh, don't you think?" Derek asked, glaring at George.

"No, we don't. Derek, Casey, your relationship is effectively over. No argument. Now go home and do what we asked."

Derek and Casey filed out into the hallway and closed the door behind them. Casey looked at Derek with tears rolling down her cheeks; he felt close to tears himself. He reached over, cradled her hand in his, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Then, he gently cupped her face in his hands, gave her the briefest of kisses, and looked deeply, intensely into her eyes.

"We'll make it work, Casey. Someday, we'll be together. I promise."

A/N: Aww ... so the initial Dasey is no more. I know, it's a sad ending, and I feel like I'm going to be beaten to death by the hardcore Dasey-shippers. But you enjoyed the story, right? Maybe?

So ... since this is my FINAL A/N for this fic, I had a question for you: would you like a spin-off/interlude from this story concerning Lizzie and why she so vehemently opposes Dasey? She has her reasons, trust me, but I won't write it if there's no interest. Well, I might, but I won't write it as soon as I would :-)

Also, I'm going to propose something that I never thought I would ... does anyone have any requests? Like I've said before, I love to write, and while I definitely prefer writing my own stuff, I think it's really important to learn to write on assignment (or request) as well. So, if there are any requests, let me know and I'll consider it. I'm thinking maybe three fics ... maybe 1- or 2-shots ... I don't know. Let's see, shall we?