Burn Amongst Humanity [D. Hale ]

|XLI|

"Not-not without help." Derek murmured and she nodded slightly, a little bit at the words. "You're wondering, what bone to break, aren't you?" He asked quietly.

"Kind of, yeah." Casey said and he looked at her. "What is it, Derek?" She asked quietly.

"You feel guilty about something, but why? What is going on with you? I am the one, who, should be feeling guilty about something. I led you all into a fight that we couldn't possibly win-"

"Derek, we left you there. I led them out of the area, I left you there. Yeah, I am feeling just a little bit more than a little bit of guilt about it." Casey said and he looked over at her.

"You did what was best, Casey... You did what was best for my whole pack, not just me." Derek murmured as she looked at him and tears started to run down her face. "I am okay, Case, I just need to heal. Don't cry, please." Derek said and she nodded a little.

"I should have gone back, I should have known that you would have the strength to get back up, I should have immediately known, that you were able to get out of there alive." Casey whispered and he looked at her. "I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"Come here." Derek murmured and she sat on the couch next to him and Casey was shaking, as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Just, just just keep talking. Okay? Just keep talking to me." He said, as Casey, she nodded quickly.

"Yeah, okay. Um, well... What did you and Laura what did you guys do when you were in New York?" Casey asked and he winced a bit.

"I got my car, the Camaro. Laura, she got a motorcycle for herself, but... but she never got a chance to use it." He said and she nodded.

"Did she take your car then, to come back to Beacon Hills, when she heard about the deer with the spiral? Did she take your car?" Casey asked and Derek was shaking his head a little as she listened.

"No. She didn't take my car, not for that trip. She took a plane ride to LA, she took a train from there to the county and then... Then-then she got a taxi." Derek said and Casey nodded a bit. "Like, like that movie with-with John Candy. What is it called?" Derek asked.

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles?" Is that the one that you are thinking of... right now?" Casey asked as Derek, he nodded. "Okay, that's awesome." She said softly and he looked at her.

"I'm gonna be okay." Derek said and she looked at him, as her tears, were spilling over once again. "Casey..." He said softly and she looked at the claw wounds, as she noted that they had at least very slightly began to heal.

"Derek... You need to heal. Just focus on healing yourself, please, I can't see another person die in front of me. I-I can't do it." Casey said and he nodded a bit as he looked at their hands, then back to her. "Why-why are you looking at me?" She asked and he laughed a bit.

"I'm looking at my original anchor before-before, it was anger that kept me in control." Derek admitted and she chuckled softly and she looked at him.

"I can't take your pain away." Casey whispered and he looked at her. "Why are you looking at me like I'm saying something wrong?" She asked softly.

"Because you are so concerned with me, despite the fact of knowing that I am able to survive this. Which is why... I love you even more for it." He said and she squeezed her small hand in his, and he looked at her. "You're going to stink up the whole house with the scent of worry." Derek said and she scoffed.

"That is the very, very least of my concerns right now, Derek. I'm more concerned about my boyfriend, who is dying on my couch." She muttered and Derek scoffed.

"Did you just call me..."

"Yeah yeah, get over it already. Just focus on healing!" She said as he was looking at her. "Or, is it better if you have something else to focus on?" She asked and he looked at her.

"What did you have in mind?" Derek asked and she shrugged a bit. "Well, I know that one thing is the same about you from high school."

"Oh, great, let's hear it." Casey murmured and he smiled a little bit at her tone of voice.

"You still, still don't know how to approach the topic of sex." Derek said and Casey groaned at the words as he was smiling a little. "It's cute, but also rather embarrassing for you, as a nearly 23 year old woman..." Casey leaned forward and she effectively shut him up, and then, she felt him smiling against her.

"Just shut up." Casey murmured and Derek looked at her, nodding a bit at the words.

"Duly noted." Derek said and he moved his arms around her and she looked at him. "You know that I love you, right?" Derek asked and Casey's nod was clear and right now, he could practically taste the worry that he had been smelling all over her. "Casey?"

"Yeah?" She asked and he looked down a bit and Casey chuckled softly as she carefully reached out, towards his chest and the wounds, they were closing. "Oh my god." Casey whispered softly and he looked over at her with a half-smile of sorts. "You just needed a distraction to heal." She murmured.

"Yeah, I did. I could use a bit more distracting though." Derek murmured and he looked up at Casey, who raised her eyebrows as he smiled. "Ideally, a human who knew who I really was..."

Casey looked at him as Derek, he was looking at her burns. "What are you..."

Casey inhaled sharply, when she felt his hand, brushing over one of many scars and he stopped as soon as he heard it. "Does it hurt?" Derek asked and he looked at her, concern about her immediately lit up his eyes red.

"N-No." Casey murmured and he looked at her, tilting his head to the side a bit.

"Nobody's ever... Wait, Casey, you never bothered to," The woman was shaking her head and Derek looked at the burns. "I won't do it, if you don't want me too."

"I-I don't care." Casey murmured softly and she rested her head on his shoulder as Derek traced the burns, one after the other one and he looked at her and Casey was silent.