"Guys," George called out as he reached the top of the second floor. All the kids gathered around him in the hallway with wondering expressions on their face.

"What is it George?" Casey asked when it seemed no one else was going to.

"Well, there is some good news and some bad news," he said, laughing nervously. "Well, the good news is that Aunt Madge should be here soon!"

All the children were a mixture of happy and frightened. They had enjoyed their last Christmas with Aunt Madge a couple years ago, but her penchant for pitching their cheeks still made them all cringe.

"And the bad news?" Edwin asked.

"Oh, well, it seems the airports are all closed, due to the storm outside," George continued, raking his fingers through his blond hair nervously, waiting for the mayhem to start.

This year Marti, Edwin, and Derek were going to fly out to Spain to spend the holiday with Abby. Casey and Lizzie were due to stay home, but their father was supposed to fly in so he could spend time with them on Christmas.

"WHAT?!" they all seemed to shout at once.

"Great! Another year I don't get to see my Dad," Casey muttered. She shook her head sadly before scurrying back to her room, shutting her door firmly.

"Casey!" Lizzie lightly let out, running after her sister.

"We don't get to see Mommy?" Marti asked sadly, frowning.

"Doesn't look like it, Marti," George told his youngest regrettably. He pulled her into a hug, knowing she'd want the comfort.

"Good thing I didn't pack, eh?" Derek said, trying to lighten up the mood, but it was a weak effort.

"I'M HERE!" a voice yelled from down the steps. The Venturi clan all knew it was Aunt Madge.

"I guess we should all go down to greet her," George said, nodding his head towards the steps. Each of them complied, marching down the stairs one after another.

"Ooh! Hello!" Aunt Madge said excitedly. She went over to the entire group, kissing them all sloppily on the cheeks before pinching them.

They all forced wide smiles on their faces, while trying not to wince from the pinches.

"Where are the girls?" Aunt Madge then asked, noticing their absence.

"Casey's being a drama queen," Derek supplied.

"She took it hard, didn't she?" Nora said, wincing. "I should go see if she is alright," she continued, getting up from the couch. She passed off Simon, the 1-year old Venturi boy, to Derek before heading up the stairs.

"And this must be the newest edition?" Aunt Madge said, coming along side Derek to peer at the baby. "He sure is a handsome little fella!" she continued, lightly pinching Simon's fatty little cheek.

"Of course he is. He's a Venturi," Derek said simply, smirking. Aunt Madge laughed.

"So what's the matter with Casey?" she wondered.

Derek sighed. Although he had called Casey a drama queen a mere minute before, he actually felt that her reaction was quite warranted. It was him that had to hear her non-stop chattering about it all month long. (It was hard not to when they shared an apartment together at Queen's.) So, he knew she was really looking forwards to seeing her Dad, especially since she hadn't seen Dennis since the disastrous dinner incident years back.

"She's not going to be able to see her dad this year."

"Oh, that poor dear," Aunt Madge sympathized. "So what are you going to do?"

Derek looked at the older woman baffled. "W-what do you mean? Why would I do anything?"

"Please, honey. From the few days I spent here last Derekus, I could tell you would do anything for that girl," she admitted, lightly teasing.

Derek felt his face heat up, but didn't try denying the notion. Aunt Madge would see through any of his lies any way. "What do you think I should do?" he asked, because right now he was blanking.

Aunt Madge patted him kindly on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll think of something. You always do." With that, she whisked Simon from his arms and left him to figure out what to do next.

…

Nora finally walked back down the stairs with Lizzie lagging behind. "She refuses to leave her room," Nora told everyone, sighing sadly.

Aunt Madge sent Derek a knowing look, and after much deliberation, Derek rose from his seat. "Alright, let's just get this celebration thing going. Nora: can you start making dinner? Ed, Liz, and Marti: Start decorating this place up. Dad…just do something productive. I'm gonna see if I can get Spacey down here."

With nods, everyone went off to do their designated jobs.

Derek jogged up the stairs and to Casey's door. Taking a needed breath, he opened the door to find Casey sitting on her bed, surrounded by a sea of used tissues. She was currently dabbing her eyes with another one to add to the mix.

Derek flinched. "Case…" he let out weakly, walking slowly over to her bed.

"Not now, Derek," she feebly warned.

"They started decorating the tree. Why don't you come down?" Derek told her, sitting down next to her.

Casey laughed bitterly. "Do I really look like I'm in the condition to do that?" she questioned him. "I don't want to bring everyone down with my miserable mood."

"But they're miserable knowing you're up here miserable. Just come down and try to enjoy the holiday," he said, trying to coax her down.

"I can't, Derek!" she yelled. "I. Wanted. To. See. My. Dad!" she continued, punching him in the chest after each word before freely crying.

Instinctively, Derek pulled her to him. He placed her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. "I know," he whispered to her over and over again until she quietened down.

"I know you were looking forward to seeing your dad and I know you've missed him a lot," Derek started. "But remember, you aren't the only one not seeing a parent this Christmas. Lizzie isn't seeing your dad either. Edwin, Marti, and I aren't seeing our mom…but we'll get over it, together."

Casey was quiet against him, trying to digest what Derek had just told her. She then wrapped her arms around him. "Is this a Christmas miracle or are we actually hugging?" she asked, soggily laughing. Because, yes, even after all these years, Derek had yet to let her hug him properly.

"More like a Derekus miracle," he responded, chuckling.

Casey groaned against his neck. "Not Derekus again."

Derek's stomach clenched at the sensation very pleasantly. "You know you love it," he said smirking. He then detached himself from Casey to stand up. "Come on, Princess. Come down," he asked, sticking his hand out for her to take.

Something in Casey prompted her to do just that. Derek helped her up and out of her bed. "Time to get this Derekus celebration under way!" he exclaimed, dragging her out of her room and down the stairs.

…

The evening ensued. They helped decorate the Christmas (erm, Derekus) Tree, laughing and arguing over ornament placements. They then ate in typical McDonald-Venturi fashion with food eventually flying on both sides. And by the time Derek whisked Casey on her feet to dance to some silly Christmas tune, she had forgotten about how upset she was a few hours before.

"You having a good time, Case," Derek asked, twirling her around.

She smiled happily. "Yes. Thank you, Derek."

Derek broadly smiled back. "Don't thank me yet," he said winking.

Just then a knock was heard at the front door. Derek pushed Casey to go answer it.

Giving her step-brother a peculiar glance, Casey opened the door. "Dad?" she choked out, happy tears starting to glide down her face. She immediately latched herself on the man as she hugged him tightly. Lizzie soon joined them.

Dennis kissed the top of both his daughter's heads fondly as he continued to hold them against him. "I missed you guys. I'm sorry it's been so long."

After a few more moments, the girls allowed Dennis to step into the home where he was greeted warmly by the rest of the household.

"Dad, I thought the airports were all closed…?" Casey said, her tone full of wonder.

"They are, but with some help I was able to get where I needed to be," Dennis explained, and Casey saw her father look over her shoulder at her step-brother.

"Derek did all of this?" she asked her father. Dennis smiled down at her softly, nodding his head.

Casey turned around and looked at Derek. "How?" she questioned.

Derek smirked proudly, but it was hard to conceal the smile twitching underneath. "I know some people who know some people," was how he answered.

Casey then rushed up to Derek, cupping his face as she leaned up to kiss him. Derek quickly steadied himself from the unexpectedness of it by holding onto her waist. He kissed desperately back, not knowing if this was just a moment of passion driving her to these actions or not.

"Thank you," Casey whispered against his lips when they finally broke apart. "Thank you for everything."

Derek smiled down at her. "It's just another Derekus miracle."

A/N: So...this is it! The last one! I had so much fun writing these for you guys! Please let me know how you liked this one-shot in a review! Also, what was your favorite of the whole series?

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Merry Derekus to everyone! Thanks for reading! Hope you all have a Happy New Year too. :) :)