I know I know I never update I seriously suck.

"Yes mom," Casey said rolling her eyes at Derek who smiled down at her. "Mom, I'm fine. Yes, I'm fine. Mom, mom, I have to go now. I'll talk to you soon." She paused for a moment and then handed the phone to Derek, "she wants to speak with you."

"Hi Nora!" Derek greeted his step mother.

"Please just look after Casey, please!" Nora pleaded of her step son. "I want her to be able to dance again." Nora admitted this against her attempts not to. Derek nodded even though he knew Nora couldn't see.

"Casey will be fine, I promise you I will not let anything happen to her." Derek promised. His voice was serious as he added, "so do I." Nora was almost sure she wasn't supposed to hear that. "We've got to go now though, I have to take her home and getting her into the Prince is a two person job. We'll talk soon." The dial tone was what Nora heard. She turned to her husband.

"We're entrusting my oldest daughter's well being to Derek, your son, Derek." She told him, the fear slipping into her voice. Nora went over the previous phone conversation in her head. George smiled at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I couldn't think of a person who would take better care of her." George smirked. Nora put her head in her hands.

"I know, that's what I'm afraid of."

XXXX

"In you get Casey!" He lifted her up and when he did he was shocked by how light she felt. He attributed it to the crappy hospital food they had been giving her.

"What are we going to do about the whole separate rooming thing?" Casey asked as Derek started the car to drive back to campus.

"We're married now Case," Derek teased. Then his expression turned slightly serious, "I won't force you to move out of your dorm if you don't want to but it would be a little easier if we could move onto the campus housing for couples, just so I could keep a closer eye on you." Derek pointedly kept his eyes n the road rather than look at her.

Casey did not dare acknowledge the little flip her stomach did when he suggested that. No, she would pointedly ignore that and refuse to note that it even happened. She chewed on her lip in thought as her mind weighed the pros and cons 'logically.' Casey also refused to acknowledge that the answer had been decided the moment the question left his lips. "No, I don't think that's a good idea." Casey told him.

Derek bit his frown back and worked very hard to keep driving safely. "And why not?"

"Derek we lived together once and that didn't work out so well. I'll be fine on my own, Michelle is always around to help out if I need her." Casey offered chewing on her lip not looking at him.

"Except when she wasn't." Derek bit out. Casey turned now and her eyes squinted at him in anger.

"It's not her fault she's allowed to go home on weekends or go out!" Casey shouted.

"Of course she's allowed but are you going to entrust your health to some girl who goes home all the time?!" Derek shouted back. This was good, this was how things were supposed to be, this made Casey relax even though they were still shouting at one another.

"I'm not entrusting my health to anyone! I can take care of myself!" Casey insisted.

"If that were true I wouldn't have had to come running to you on a Friday night!"

"No one said you had to!"

"I believe your phone call basically trumps your previous statement. Shut up and let me think for a minute." Derek snapped, his body racing with adrenaline and a little bit of real anger. Casey detected that although she didn't really understand that reason behind it.

"Don't tell me to shut up Derek." Casey quipped.

"I need a key." He said finally.

XXXXXX

"You're what?!" Michelle shouted as Casey on her crutches sat on her bed.

"Giving Derek a key to the place, yes, as much as I hate to admit this I may need him at some point and it would be easier if I didn't have to unlock the door when I do." Casey admitted. Michelle was a sporty girl. She had frizzy red hair that was always in a pony tail, brown eyes, and a smart mouth. Casey and her got on very well even if they were slightly different. For one, Michelle wasn't blonde which made her fantastic in Casey's book.

"You know I won't mind helping you out Case," Michelle sighed sitting next to her friend gently. Casey gave her a half smile.

"I know 'chelle I know, but you have track and Derek's almost always around, besides hockey season so maybe you guys can trade." Casey waited for a laugh that didn't come. "I might need him and he's around. If it were up to me I wouldn't depend on anyone."

"Okay, fine." Michelle's lips were pursed. "So tell me exactly what happened." Casey let out a small peal of laughter. Michelle was pre-med at Queens, of course she would want to know. So Casey told her the horrifyingly embarrassing tale of her fall but Michelle didn't light up the way Casey expected her to. Instead her eyes became stormy.

"And now I'm here waiting for Derek who is taking-"

"Taking what klutzilla?" Derek asked as he walked through the doorway and took in the two girls. "Hey Michelle," he added as he carried Casey's bag in with him. Michelle smiled at Derek and then moved away.

"I'm going to run to the library, there's something I need to look up, I'll see you when I get back Case, and I'll see you around Derek," she pulled on her sneakers and took off.

"I guess I'm stuck here until she gets back." Derek sat down in the space Michelle had previously vacated.

"No one is forcing you to stay." Casey argued. Derek grabbed her hand firmly in his own.

"Listen to me Casey, I promised your mother I would not let anything happen to you. So I know your disdain is merely you hiding your elation over the idea of me being around all the time, but I need you to get it through that pretty little head of yours, that I am going to be here until you get better. Got it?" Brown eyes met her blue ones and she blinked slowly.

"Okay." She swallowed audibly and Derek smirked.

"So you got any board games or something, Princess?"