A/N: This is a quick little one shot for LWD. It's kind of short and kind of strange. It's a little different than the other things I've written, but I like how it turned out. It's not great, but I wanted to get something out. Thanks a bunches! R&R! -Mac

Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek.

Running From Lions

Fear. That was all Casey could think of when she was with him. She was so scared.

Fear. It pressed in on her, surrounding her. It overwhelmed her. It made her feel as if she couldn't breathe, like she was drowning. Flailing in the water without a lifeline and no hope of being pulled to safety.

Fear. She was afraid he would break her heart. It would be so easy for him to do it. He held her heart in the palm of his hand. All he had to do was squeeze a little too tight or handle it a little too roughly and it would shatter. She would be left to pick up the pieces and put herself back together. She wasn't sure if she would be able to do that. Fear.

So she ran. She ran from him. She ran from everything they had been. Everything they were. She ran from everything she had given him. She ran from everything he had given her. She ran.

She ran. She ran hard and fast. It wasn't a normal kind of run--a jog or a sprint. It was a desperat, panting-for-breath kind of run. It was a terrified, I-have-to-get-out-of-here kind of run.

She ran. It was like running from lions. No matter how fast she ran, no matter how far she got...it was never fast enough, never far enough. He was always there just an arm's length away. It didn't matter what she did, she couldn't escape him.

Escape. It's unattainable. He had the strangest way of pulling her back in--whether she wanted it or not. She couldn't get away. He made it impossible. He blocked her path.

Escape. She tried to run, he chased her. She slowed even slightly, he caught her. She let her guard down even a little and he was there playing off of her vulnerability. He never let her go.

Escape. She was weak. She gave up on trying. She surrendered to the feeling that overcame her. She surrendered.

Surrender. She always did. He exploited that fact. She wasn't strong enough to hold out, to stay away. She couldn't do it, and he knew it. He knew it all too well.

Surrender. She struggled. She tried. She tried hard. She was afraid of how he made her feel. The way he made her hold on when she should have been running in the opposite direction.

Surrender. She tried with all her might. She ran as hard and as long as she could. It just wasn't enough. She tripped, stumbled, fell...and he won.

He won. She gave in to him. She gave in to the power he had over her. She let him pull her back in, take her over. She surrendered to his touch, his kiss. She let the fear melt away in her weakest moment, as she gave in to him. For that moment he was everything she wanted him to be, everything he should be. And she had no reason to be afraid.

He won. Before she even tried to turn away, he knew he would. It was their process. They were together for awhile, she got scared, she ran and then when it got too hard she came back. He won. He always won.

He always won. She was predictable. She always gave in. Always. She always gave in first, before he had to beg for her to come back. Before it got too hard for him to be without her. He knew she would come back--it was too hard for her to be without him. He knew she would be back, and that helped to quell his fear of her breaking his heart. He knew she could. She didn't know, but she could. She had a grip on his heart, and one wrong move and it would break. She didn't know, but she could. If he lost, he would be broken. But he didn't have to worry. She always came back. She always gave in. He always won.

He always won. After all, what Derek wants, Derek gets.