Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek or 24. However, all other characters and the story plot are mine!

A/N: So this is going to be a LWD/24 crossover, which means that it will take on some things from both shows. However, I changed the setting because I know Denver so much better than London or Los Angeles. So anything that is different, blame it on that...Also, for you 24 fans, this isn't going to be exactly like the show (obviously). No Jack Bauer. And we are going on the assumption that CTU in Denver would work a bit differently than CTU in Los Angeles...just keep that in mind!

7:00am-8:00am – Denver, Colorado – the day of the Presidential campaign visit

Casey McDonald stepped out of the doors of Denver International Airport and rubbed her eyes. After a flight that left Toronto Pearson International Airport at 3am (which means she had to be at the airport at 1:30am), her day had already passed into the realm of horrific. All she was looking forward to now was crashing into bed and sleeping for the next 48 hours. Unfortunately, before she could do that, Casey had to track down her stepbrother and break the news to him before Lizzie and Edwin arrived later that day. She and Marti, her youngest stepsister, had been afraid that if they allowed Edwin to break the news to Derek without a little advance notice, Edwin wouldn't live long enough to experience the happy wedding day their family had been planning for months.

As Casey tiredly raised her hand to summon a taxi, Marti bounced out of the door behind her, dragging her suitcase. "C'mon Case! I am so excited about seeing Derek. It's been years!"

Casey had to laugh at Marti's exaggeration. It had really only been about thirteen months, but Casey had to admit that she was excited about seeing Derek too. As the taxi pulled up and she and Marti loaded their suitcases into the trunk and got in the backseat, Casey remembered the last time she had seen Derek – and the promises they had made in the car on the way to the airport as she said goodbye to him.

Casey sat in the front seat of her car, fiddling with her gloves. She was so nervous to be alone in the car with Derek, especially after the signals they had been sending each other all week. Unlike when they lived together in high school, their teasing had taken on a flirtatious edge as the two of them had matured, and the flirtations had become more and more serious this week until Casey was completely confused as to where Derek wanted their relationship to head. She figured that this car ride would be the perfect time to discuss it, but now that the time had arrived, the butterflies in her stomach stopped her from saying anything.

"Casey…" Derek's hesitant voice broke the silence.

Casey stared at her hands. They were trembling. "Y-yes, Derek?"

"Case, I wanted to talk to you about our…well, about our relationship." Derek glanced over at her while he spoke, trying to keep his eyes on the road at the same time he was trying to make this an intimate discussion. "I don't know how to say this, Case. So, I guess I will just come out and say it." He swallowed before continuing, this time staring straight ahead as if afraid to look at Casey.

"I really like you, Casey. I mean, I really, really like you. In fact, I could see myself falling in love with you with very little effort. I know, I know what you are going to say. You are going to bring up the fact that we live in two separate countries, the fact that you have a wonderful career here that you couldn't possibly ever leave and that I have a great job in the States, and the fact that our parents are married to each other." Derek held up his hand as Casey tried to say something.

"I know every problem and barrier that you could come up with, Case. I know them because I have run through every one of them in my head, trying to convince myself that there is no way that you are the one for me. But I keep coming back to the fact that no woman I have ever met has challenged me in every way as much as you have. I have never met another woman that sparks a desire to get closer to you at the same time I want to rile you up, if only to see the spark that lights up your eyes. There has never been another woman that I think about every spare moment my brain has, who manages to creep into my dreams and seep into my consciousness until all I want to do is talk to you and see you. I'm not asking for a commitment, or an answer today, or anything other than an indication that I am not the only one feeling this way – that maybe we could try and work this relationship out, no matter how many obstacles we face. So what do you have to say?"

Casey stayed silent, staring at the snow swirling around them. Her mind was racing with all the implications of what Derek had just said, and all the potential problems her mind could immediately focus on. But the thought that was clearest in her mind was one of utter joy. Derek likes me!

As the silence dragged on, Derek began to get really nervous. "Hey Casey, if you wanted to say something, now would be the time. Like, anytime."

Casey began to smile. "You're right, Derek," she began. "There are so many problems and issues that come up with the idea of a relationship between the two of us, not the least of which is our parents' relationship."

"But we both know that neither of us-"

Casey held up her hand. "Let me talk. Like I said, the problems facing us if we were to initiate a relationship are numerous, and that's what I should be thinking about. But for some reason the only thing that is coming to mind right now is how much I want you to kiss me."

Derek stared at her in amazement, not bothering to look at the road anymore. "R-really?" he choked out, not taking his eyes off her face.

Casey began to get really nervous. "Um, Derek, maybe you should watch where you are driving!" The last word ended on a shriek as Derek whipped his head around and saw the car coming straight for them. He swerved and managed to miss the car, which sped off, honking. Derek drove the car straight to the side of the road and parked.

"Sorry, Casey," he glanced sheepishly towards her.

Casey looked at him and smiled coyly. "So, after almost getting me killed, don't you think I deserve that kiss?"

Derek quickly moved toward her, putting his gloved hands on her face and drawing it towards him until their lips met. They stayed that way, his hands on her face, her arms around his neck, lips pressed together until a car flew past them, honking.

Derek drew back slowly, smiling into Casey's eyes. He tucked a piece of her hair that had fallen forward back behind her ear. Casey beamed at him and then turned to lean back against the car seat. Derek began to drive again, a little bit faster than normal as he was afraid he might miss his plane after their little detour.

Marti shook Casey out of her reverie as the taxi pulled up in front of a little blue house located off University Blvd. The windows were dark and there was no car parked on the street in front of the house, so Casey asked the taxi driver to wait as she ran up the front walk to ring the doorbell. She jogged in place as she waited for any sound of inhabitation within the house, but after a minute passed and there was no sign of life, she ran back to the taxi.

"Can you please take us to 1683 17th street?" The taxi driver grunted in acknowledgement and drove down the street. Marti looked questioningly at Casey.

Casey shrugged and grinned. "I figure if we can track Derek down and tell him the news before we go check in to a hotel, then we can check in and crash for about ten hours. If we go to the hotel first, then us having caught a flight six hours before Lizzie and Edwin would be completely pointless, because I would take one look at the bed and pass out."

Marti grinned back and said, "It's cool with me! I'd love to see where Derek works anyway!"

7:32am – CTU headquarters, Denver, Colorado.

Derek Venturi sat at his desk and stared at the folder in front of him. It was a list of the potential problems that could occur at every scheduled stop on the President's campaign tour in Denver. It was Derek's job to determine the ones that should be assigned top priority and then the decreasing levels of priority necessary. As the President arrived in Denver at noon today, the list should have already been submitted to his boss, and it was mostly complete, but Derek couldn't keep his mind on the task at hand. He kept glancing towards the framed picture on his desk of a laughing brown-haired young woman. After the amazing conversation and kiss thirteen months ago, Derek had hardly been able to keep her off his mind. Their phone conversations that went on for hours didn't help matters. Some days, all he wanted to do was quit and move back to London so he could be with her and see her every day – wake up next to her and go to sleep next to her.

He sighed. No matter how much he wanted to do that in the dark of the night, at the back of his mind he knew Casey would be furious with him if he were to quit his dream job just to be with her. They had talked about how to make their relationship work, but so far neither of them had come up with any way to deal with the fact that their dream jobs were almost a continent apart. And every day it became harder and harder for Derek to handle.

"Venturi! Jackson's office! Now!"

Mike Cortez's bark broke through Derek's subconscious. Derek jumped up, grabbed the folder and all of its composites and strode out of his office and up the steps to Alex Jackson's office, right behind Cortez.

"Venturi, do you have those trouble spots for me?" Jackson's brusque voice boomed out the second Derek's feet passed the threshold of his office.

"Yes sir, right here."

After looking them over, Jackson looked up at Derek. "Venturi, these aren't complete."

Derek guiltily grinned. "Sorry, sir. I was just waiting for a query about the floor plan for the Convention Center. But the biggest trouble spots have been flagged, and I have already sent them to Pearson." Pearson was the agent in charge of the field teams. He would be deploying agents and teams all throughout the city to keep the President safe as he made his stops.

Jackson sent a piercing look in Derek's direction. "Alright, Venturi, but I need the rest of this list done no later than 7:50. We have to email a copy to the Secret Service agents before the President is in the air." Jackson started talking to Cortez about the team communication and Derek took that as a signal that he was dismissed, so he scooped up his folder and jetted out of the office before Jackson could think to question him about what he had been doing while he waited for the Convention Center specs.

As he walked down the stairs, Derek's cell phone was paged. He looked at the number and was startled to see the entrance desk's number. He jogged back to his office, picked up his phone, and dialed the four-digit extension.

"This is Venturi."

"Agent Venturi, this is Philips. There are two young ladies here looking for you, and they appear to have had a long trip. They will be waiting down here for you."

Derek sighed. He had no idea what young ladies would be looking for him, and whoever they were, he was sure he didn't want to deal with it right now.

"Philips, I need to finish up this list for Jackson. I will be down in ten minutes." Derek rubbed the bridge of his nose as he listened to the security officer's response and then hung up the phone and sat down to finish the list.

7:50am – CTU headquarters, Denver, Colorado.

Casey sat in one of the hard plastic chairs in the lobby of Derek's building and tried to read her magazine while Marti paced around the room. They had paid the taxi driver for the ride and then Casey added some extra and asked him to wait while they went in to talk to Derek. She didn't want to be bothered by having to lug her's and Marti's suitcases inside the building only to have to lug them back out. Casey told the driver to go get a coffee on her, and then come back, which perked him up enough to smile at her as he left to park the taxi. But at the rate it was taking for Derek to come talk to them, the driver was going to be finished with his coffee and ready to drive away with their suitcases in the trunk before they were done.

Suddenly the elevator doors opened and Derek came striding out. Casey, at first about to call to him, hesitated. Every doubt she had about this surprise visit and their relationship and pretty much anything to do with Derek washed over her, and she was unexpectedly unable to speak. Marti was no help, as she was facing the windows at that moment.

Derek went straight to the security officer's desk. "Philips!" he barked. The officer looked at him. "I'm Derek Venturi. Where are these young ladies?"

Philips didn't need to answer. As soon as Marti heard Derek's voice, she spun and launched herself at him. Derek, unprepared for an eighteen-year-old whirlwind, barely managed to keep both of them from falling in a heap on the floor.

"Marti? What are you…I mean, how did you…why are you here?"

By this time, Casey had managed to get over her attack of shyness and stood up to walk over to the pair of siblings. "Hey, Derek."

At the sound of her voice, Derek spun around, a look of astonishment and something else Casey couldn't place appeared on his face. "C-Casey?"

When she nodded, Derek did something completely unbefitting a government agent. He whooped and grabbed Casey around the waist, spinning her around before giving her the hottest kiss she had ever received.

The two broke apart, gasping for air when Marti starting laughing. "Break it up, you two," she ordered. "We don't have time for this."

Derek turned to look at her. "I beg your pardon, Smarti. I have more than enough time to kiss the love of my life."

Casey swatted his arm. "Derek!"

Derek turned puppy eyes on her. "What? You are the love of my life. And in fact, you are the person I have been thinking about all morning." As if suddenly realizing what was going on, Derek's expression changed to one of puzzlement. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in London? Don't you have classes today?"

Casey and Marti shared a look that Derek couldn't read. "Do you think you could take a coffee break and come talk with us for a while?" Casey questioned seriously. "It's kind of important."

Derek looked puzzled, but reached over the security officer's desk and grabbed his phone. "I just need to borrow it for two seconds," he assured Philips.

Alex Jackson picked up his phone and growled, "What?"

"This is Venturi. I finished the list. Sarah should be bringing it to you any second. Do you think I could step out for a few minutes? Some of my family just showed up and they need to talk to me for a few minutes. Said it was important."

"Fine. Get your ass back in here by 8:20, got it Venturi? This is not a play day. We have the President on his way and we still need to go through the final work up."

"Alright sir."

"And don't forget your pager!"

"Yessir!" Derek hung up the phone and held out his arms. "For my two favorite ladies. Let's go to the Starbucks down the street."

7:59am

"Delta team, this is Rebel Leader. Are you in postion?"

"Rebel Leader, this is Delta Leader. We are in position and awaiting command."

"Alright. Hold position."

"Rebel Leader, this is Bravo Leader. We have a potential complication."

"What is it, Bravo leader?"

"Two bogeys in the wire, sir. What should we do with them?"

"Are they a threat?"

"No just a complication. They seem to be related to Target Two."

"Then you know what to do. If they become a threat, take them out. But keep your eyes open for ways they can be used. If they can provide additional distraction, use it."

"Roger, Rebel Leader. Bravo Leader clear."

"Rebel Leader clear."

A/N: So...what do you think? Is it worth continuing?