Burn Amongst Humanity [D. Hale ]

|XXIV|

"Is that why you gave me this back?" He held up the envelope with the necklace in it and Casey snorted.

"Go back to your pack, Derek." She stated and Derek looked at her, before he opened the door and got out of the car.

~~~~~~~~~

"He certainly won't be alone against the Argents on the full moon." Tye called out and at the words, Isaac and Erica jumped in surprise.

"Is Casey outside?" Derek asked.

"Nope, she's at work. You know, at her actual job where she puts away criminals for a living. Like Isaac." Tye said coldly.

"I'm not a criminal..."

"According to the rest of the Sheriff's department, you are." Casey interrupted and Tye looked over at her. "I got bored of waiting in the car." Casey said as she was walking down toward the werewolves. "Ah, the full moon security devices. I remember those." Casey said.

"I thought you said that you were going to be at work." Tye said and Casey shrugged a bit.

"I'm on my lunch break." Casey said and she walked over to the box of restraining equipment. "Good thing Tye doesn't need these anymore, that was always awkward." Casey said.

"Didn't you have to chain up Derek once too?" Tye asked.

"Tye..." Derek said with a meaningful glance at his little brother, who appeared to be enjoying the discomfort that his older brother was feeling. For once.

"Yup and only a few hours after he nearly tore my head off." Casey remarked as she dropped the chains. "Good luck and goodbye." Casey said. "Tye, call me when you need a ride from school." She said.

~~~~~

Casey drove quickly off with Scott, Stiles and Erica in the backseat of her car and now, right with Tye in the front seat. "Derek!" Casey shouted as she pulled up and the door was flung open, and Derek stood in the doorway.

Tye carried Erica down the stairs and Derek took the seizing werewolf from him and Casey crouched across from Derek, as Erica was seizing. "Erica, hey, just stay calm." Casey said and she looked at Derek, who was shaking his head and he looked at Tye.

"Hold her still. The both of you." He said and Casey and Tye, they both moved to do as he was saying. Derek broke Erica's arm to trigger her healing. "I still gotta get the venom out. This is where it's really gonna hurt." Derek's claws sunk into Erica's arm and Erica started to scream in terrible pain, as Tye focused and he began to take her pain away.

"Tye, watch it." Casey said and Tye let go of Erica's arm, as he just blacked out soon after the amount of pain that had been taken. "Tye." Casey said and another hand caught her, before she could move over to him. Casey looked at Derek, whose hand was bloody.

Casey recognized the look on his face as she nodded grimly. "Stiles, and Scott, just watch out for Tye." She said and they nodded. Casey walked back outside and Derek followed her. "She could have died just then, Derek." Casey said and he nodded at the words.

"I know, Casey, I know that." Derek said and Casey shook her head at him. "What, what have I done now?" He asked.

"You drew battle lines with these teenagers, Derek. You brought Isaac, Erica and Boyd into this without any sort of expectation or experience." Casey said as Derek sighed. "You let the power go directly to your head, Derek, I warned you not to let it happen, but you did it anyways and now, there are people dying." Casey said and Derek's eyes flashed. "You remember what my day job is, right?"

"You're a sheriff's deputy." Derek murmured as he looked at her. "You're cracking, aren't you now? You are finally now cracking apart, from carrying all of this weight." He said.

"I am a sheriff's deputy, who freaking lives in a large town where the supernatural is just as common as a cold is, in the season for it. I have to pretend that I don't know shit about any of this!" Casey's voice cracked with pain and she was shaking her head. "I don't know how my parents dealt with this."

"They weren't sheriff deputies." Derek pointed out quietly as Casey took a shaky breath in and out, and she looked at her hands, which were trembling from pain. "You aren't responsible for the weight of the world, Casey. You don't have to hold it all up."

"If I don't, then who will?" Casey asked and Derek didn't have an answer for that as she clenched her fists, willing them to stop shaking. Casey opened her hands again and they were still. "I have a foot in both worlds, Derek, that is something that none of you can claim. I'm a human, a hunter who knows about all of this and who willingly time and time again, has walked right into it. I work for human law enforcement and by night, I help you all. I fight for both sides and sooner or later, a side is going to have to give." Casey said and Derek shook his head.

"You don't deserve to have this be happening to you." Derek said and Casey shrugged at the words and she wiped her eyes quickly.

"Nobody ever does." Casey said and she looked at the tattoo silently on the inside of her right arm. The words of the hunter's code ran through her mind and she pulled her sleeve down over the code, hiding the words.

"What can I do?" Derek asked and Casey took a shaky breath and she was shaking her head.

"Find the Kanima master, before I have to find another body in town." Casey whispered very quietly and he nodded slightly.

"I'm working on it." Derek said and she looked down at the ground, as she felt her entire body shaking as she got more and more upset, losing her composure. "Hey, just breathe." He said and she squeezed her eyes shut as strangled breathing came from her throat. "Come here, come here." Derek moved his arms around her and Casey buried her face in his shoulder and Derek sighed. "Casey, this is not on you. It isn't your fault, none of this, none of it has anything to do with you." Derek whispered.

"It really feels like it does." Casey whispered and Derek shook his head at the words.

Casey shook a shuddering breath in and out, fighting hard to compose herself and Derek reached out a hand to take hers. "It might feel like it does, but it doesn't have anything to do with you." Derek murmured and Casey sighed.

"Why the hell did I have to be born into a hunting family?" Casey whispered and he let out a quiet chuckle.

"Because this is Beacon Hills." Derek whispered and she nodded a little. "You want me to drive you home?" He asked.

"No. I have somewhere else to be and so do you." Casey said as his eyebrows were raised. "The Animal Clinic." She said and he sighed. "And I'm driving." Casey said.