Derek Venturi was a free man.

For two days at least. The final bell rang not five minutes ago and he was already at his locker, packing up to go home. It was Friday and when you were on the hockey team, Fridays meant parties, girls and acting goofy right up until Monday Morning. He was free to do whatever he pleased- and hopefully not get caught doing it. Casey would probably be spending her weekend doing one of two things, either making out with Truman or studying.

Not that he, you know, cared or anything because that would have been wrong.

So wrong.

He was literally a foot from the door with Sam and Ralph when he heard a strangled cry that made him stop dead in his tracks. Casey hardly ever got herself into any serious trouble that make her cry out like she was doing now.

"Guys, go ahead, I'll catch up." Derek had already turned and was sprinting down the hall before either of them could get a word in.

He sprinted down the hallway- nearly tripping over his untied shoelaces- to her locker and stopped dead at the sight that met his brown eyes. He had found where the cry come from and he had also found the cause- given that cause was about to be nothing more than a Truman shaped hole in the ground- he had found the cause.

"Truman, let me go!" Casey pushed against Truman with her entire body, begging for him to let her go.

He held her wrists in a tight grip and had her pinned to the locker with his body, obviously trying to push her into something she didn't want. He barely had time think about it before had rushed over and grabbed Truman's throat, body slamming him into the lockers across the hall.

"You son of a-!" Derek reached him in one long stride and pinned him to the locker by his throat. "What were you going to do? Break her until she gave in or just go ahead and take her in the hallway?"

"She asked for it!" Truman croaked, pulling at Derek's hand.

"She asked for it?" Derek spat tightening his hold on Truman's throat, "Yea and you asked for this!"

"She wanted it!" Truman insisted, turning a rather nasty shade of blue from the lack of oxygen. "She wanted it, she was begging for it!"

"No Truman, she was begging for you to let her go!" Derek growled dangerously, reluctantly releasing his hold on Truman's throat. "You couldn't seem to take the hint! She didn't want it and I know for a fact she didn't ask for it!"

"How do you know?" Truman gasped for air before looking up at Derek with a cocky smirk. "It's not like you care about her."

"You don't know that." Derek spat, sparing a glance over his shoulder at Casey. "I care about her when it seems like her boyfriend was trying assault her in the hallway of the school. I care about her a lot when that happens."

"You don't even like her!" Truman crowed, taunting him, egging him on. He obviously didn't care how close to death he was.

"I don't care. That doesn't mean I won't protect her when she needs it!" Derek spat at him, "I can't believe you would do that to her! Casey isn't someone who just gives in that easily."

"Case, please! Tell him you wanted it." Truman begged with the small brunette huddled against her locker. "Case-"

"No," Derek cut him off venomously, shoving him against the lockers harder. "You don't get to call her Case anymore. You lost that right a few minutes ago!"

"Oh that's right, only her precious Derek can call her Case!" Truman mocked him, obviously unwilling to go down without taking someone with him and he was making perfectly clear that it would be one, if not both of them and that he had no preference.

"You don't know what I am to her and what I can call her." Derek spat, shoving him one last time. "At least I don't try to take something from her that shouldn't have to be taken."

"Always protecting your 'Princess' aren't you, D?" Truman teased him, ignoring the deadly glint in Derek's eye that was almost guaranteed to leave him wishing he hadn't of pushed it this far.

"As a matter of fact I am." Derek growled dangerously, "And now if you'll excuse me, she needs me because you aren't worth anymore of my time."

He turned to find Casey still huddled against the lockers with her arms crossed over her stomach protectively and tears streaming down her face. He paid no attention to Truman, who was now scampering down the hallway, and turned his attention back to Casey, visibly softening at the sight of her.

"Case," Derek called softly, not wanting to scare her. "Hey Princess, let's go home."

He held out a leather clad arm to her and watched with a soft smile as she rushed over to him and burrowed into his side. He wrapped his arm around her and started out of the school. Sam and Ralph didn't ask any questions when their friend came out of the school, Casey McDonald huddled protectively under his arm. Nobody asked questions when Truman French didn't show up the next day or when Derek walked in with his arm around Casey. They didn't have to ask. They already knew.

Nobody messed with Derek Venturi's Princess.