SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

JamForever (Ch 25): Thanks. I'm glad you're liking it. I don't know if I'll ever have Sam and Casey meet, maybe not. Certainly not in this fic as the whole point of the fic is the letters.

LindaBee: Hey, new reviewer! Welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic.

White Collar Black Wolf: Thanks.

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Flashpoint belongs to Ava Mar, Media Bell, Mark Ellis, and Pink Sky. Life with Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. I only own the plot.

Casey let out a sigh as she rolled over in the bed. Don't know what to do, she thought to herself as she let out a sneeze. She hated being sick. She always got really bored. Well, she did have a letter from Sam she could read. She reached over to where the letter was resting and grabbed it. Wonder what's going on with him, she mused. It had been a while since she had gotten a letter so the fact she had gotten this one was reassuring. But she hadn't been able to read it yet. Well…now she had all the time in the world while she rode this cold out. And that was gonna be a bear, she just knew it. With a sigh, she made herself more comfortable and began reading

Hey Stage Girl, sorry I haven't written to you in a while. We've been pretty busy over here. Sounds like things are going well for you guys…relatively speaking. I can't even imagine what you're feeling right now. My parents have been married for years and as far as I know, they've never had problems or wanted to separate. All I can say is Matt and I are here for you, no matter what you need.

At this, Casey smiled. He's always there for me, she thought. How'd she get so lucky to get him as a pen-pal? Most people would've given up on something like this by now. But not Sam. No, Sam was still writing to her. And she even sometimes got stuff from Matt, which was kinda cool.

My best advice for you is to tell your mom how you're feeling. After all, you're important to her and she'd want to know your and Lizzie's thoughts on everything. Just remember that she loves you and wouldn't want you to be hurt by anything.

Her smile grew. He's absolutely right, she mused to herself. Mom wouldn't do anything if she or Lizzie weren't on board with it, which was a way that they were extremely lucky. And Mom would absolutely want to know if they were feeling nervous about something. Still…she didn't want to disappoint her.

Oh, I haven't told you about what Matt did now. Well, you know how he always likes dares and crap? It kinda backfired on him. He bet our sergeant that he could parallel park a tank.

Okay, how did that go wrong? Casey wondered. One thing she had learned over the years is that even though most of the time, Matt came out on top with one of his pranks or bets, once in a while, it would blow up in his face rather spectacularly. And from the tone in the letter, this had been one of those times.

The sergeant took him up on the bet and insisted on riding with him as he parked. Well they parked just fine…unfortunately, Matt didn't take in account of the fact that there was a sand trap and they ended up getting stuck.

After reading this, Casey started laughing, unable to help herself. Oh no….it could only happen to Matt, she thought to herself. Seriously, how did he get himself into the craziest situations? It was uncanny. But at least it was always good for a laugh. And right now, she needed a laugh. Stuck in a sand trap? Damn, it could only happen to Matt. The laugh turned into a cough and she sneezed again. I hate being sick, she thought to herself. She couldn't even fully enjoy a letter. But at least it was passing some time for her. She then refocused on the letter.

As you can imagine, the Sergeant wasn't too happy with Matt, but it wasn't like he could reprimand him since he had taken the bet and was just as culpable. He was happier once they got out, though there was a lot of yelling and swearing. It was sorta hilarious and a lot of the guys couldn't stop laughing.

I bet, she thought to herself, letting out her own chuckle. Well, it was good for a laugh and that was all that mattered. Love getting letters like this, she thought to herself. They really did make her feel better. So glad I have these two, she mused. She really had no idea what she'd do without them and hopefully, she would never have to find out. She let out another sneeze as she grabbed a tissue and then let out a groan of exasperation. So over this stupid cold, she thought to herself. She wanted to be well. Why was it hanging on so strongly? She didn't like it, not one little bit.

Other than Matt's prank, not a whole lot has been going on with us. Mostly just the same old, same old, and even though I can't tell you what we do, just know that I'm as careful as I can be.

Casey smiled at this. Good to know that he's being careful, she thought. She worried about him and Matt and they knew it, which was why a lot of the time their letters were filled with their shenanigans: they wanted to reassure her that they were okay. She just hoped that they wouldn't stop being careful. She worried about them, even when they assured her that they were okay. They were her friends and she worried. Don't want them getting hurt, she thought to herself. Of course, it was inevitable that one of them would as what they did was pretty dangerous, but it didn't mean that she liked it. No, she would rather both of them remained safe and unharmed.

You stated in your last letter that your mother was thinking about getting back in the dating scene and that you weren't sure how you felt about it. Even though I can't understand how you're feeling regarding this, I do know that your mother would want you to talk to her about any concerns you might have and that what you're feeling-however that is at the moment-is perfectly normal.

Casey smiled at this. He always knows exactly what to say, she mused. She wasn't sure how she had gotten so lucky in getting a friend like him, but she was grateful for it.

Again, I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I'll try not to take so long again. For now, though, I gotta get some shut eye. Will write to you again soon.

She sighed. So lucky to have him as a friend, she thought before sneezing again. Okay, this was ridiculous. She needed rest. Making a quick decision, she put the letter aside, took some medicine, and then closed her eyes. Maybe she'd be able to get some sleep and just ride the rest of the cold that way. Probably wouldn't work but, hey, she could hope…