The first time Derek saw her he thought he was imagining things. Surely she was a ghost of the past. Surely she did not actually exist here and now. But he blinked slowly, body frozen in time, and she remained. She wandered through the house slowly, long auburn braid dangling over her left shoulder as she went. Much as Derek wanted to inform her that someone still lived here and she was on private property he didn't. He remained on the second floor, looking down and listening to the creaking floorboards beneath her feet.

He'd scare her away he knew.

Eventually she set her book bag down with a resigned thunk and he could just barely make out her shifting her too large sweatshirt so that it was once again on both shoulders. He was hypnotized by her. What was she doing here? Who was she? What was she looking for? She pulled something from her pocket and for the first time he realized she was listening to music. It grew louder and she replaced the rectangular object before sliding her feet in the dust along the floor. Derek leaned his arms on the railing, hands falling together as he looked down at her. Lost in her own world, she danced.

Derek was shocked again. After a few moments she spun in a nearly perfect circle, hands weaving above her head as her braid swung out. Her feet moved smoothly, fluid as water, her hands fell on the railing of the staircase and Derek couldn't tell if she'd meant to stop at it or not. It didn't matter. Her hands slid down the banisters and her graceful fingers wrapped around them before she leaned to the side, one leg lifting into the air. Her head nearly touched the leg still holding her up and her entire body twisted again before she pushed herself up and spun away.

Derek had to move then, his own bare feet dancing across the floor to keep her in sight. He was vulnerable he knew, if she looked up he'd be seen. But he had to keep watching.

This house hadn't held something beautiful for years.

She continued, uninterrupted, her hands held aloft a few inches on either side of her waist. She twirled around what used to be the living room and it took Derek a while to realize that her eyes were closed and she was using her hands to try and sense when she got too close to something that would stop her. He became that much more entranced by her then. His breath caught several times as she drifted dangerously near a wall or table, once the old loveseat, and had to pause before shying away.

He couldn't be sure how long it lasted, losing track of how many songs had played and the sun arcing across the sky. But it had to end. The music cut off, only to be replaced by a buzzing. She jerked to a stop, sliding what must have been her phone out of her pocket and touching the screen.
"Hello?" she questioned, a bit breathless as she shifted some stray hairs out of her face.
"Where are you?" another voice returned. Derek rounded the stairs, moving silently back to his room. He didn't let himself think about how perfectly soft her voice was. He stood in the shadow of his doorway, arms crossed as he waited for her to leave.

It didn't take long. When the door swung shut behind her he moved to the top of the stairs and watched her go, the sun shining down on her just before surrendering to the horizon. Derek descended the stairs slowly as she moved further and further away. Only when she was gone from sight did he let himself wander into the space that she'd so briefly occupied. The room was different now. Less somehow. Derek blew out a low sigh before shaking his head to himself. After a few more minutes he drifted back upstairs.

He wondered if she'd be back.

…

A/N: I don't even know where this came from. Possibly my Derek obsession. I'm tempted to apologize…