AN: Forgive me for the shortness of a chapter again. It would've been too long if I added it to the next. :)

Disclaimer: Nothing owned.

Casey got up and called, "Derek?!" She ran down to the beach where they shared their first kiss. She ran into the water as she looked across it, "Derek?!" he wasn't there. She ran back into the jungle where they had their clothing changing moments. The place where she peeked and she believed he peeked at her. "Derek?!" and he wasn't there. She started to freak out due to the fact that he wouldn't even consider letting her out of his sight. How many times has she offered to stay behind or asked him to let her go change on her own and he wouldn't have it. Casey paced quickly over to the other side where Ed and most of the other survivors were settled. She quickly went over to Ed, "Ed, have you seen Derek?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm sorry. I haven't."

Casey was about to rush off but she instantly saw how hurt Ed still was over his son. Casey saw him still sitting in front of the sand. She started to well up at the sight of him. Then Casey started to think about how Charlie tried to save them all and how it could have been Derek. How Derek could have easily been the one that she could've witness blood dripping from. How it could've been him who lost pulse and hour after he was brought back to the beach. How it could've easily been him who just died.

She had realization come ahead and quickly remembered what she heard before she slept the night before. "I'll get us home…I promise," she said quietly to herself. She looked at Ed, "I think I know where Derek is. I have to hurry." Casey quickly got up and ran as fast as she could toward the jungle.

"Good luck!" He called out as she ran.

"Thanks!" She called back to him as she continued her run in search for Derek. She knew it almost took them half an hour to find that cockpit and she only hoped Derek wasn't up on that tree.

Her legs were growing tired but it wouldn't stop her. The injury that she had gotten from the crash was still throbbing as she ran on her way to find him. But she wouldn't think about it. All she could think about was Derek. How she had to find Derek and how she had to stop him from having the same outcome as Charlie. Casey wasn't going to let that happen. He meant too much to her to play the hero in all this. 15 minutes of over thinking and she made it to the tree and there she saw him standing in front; looking up at the piece of the plane that could get them off this island. "Derek!" She panted with her hands on her knees.

Derek walked over to her, "What are you doing here, Casey?" He held her up, "Did you run here?" She nodded, "You're leg is still pretty bad, dummy. Are you hurt? Is your leg still hurt?"

"Derek! Don't worry about me right now!" she snapped at him because it was the only thing she could think of.

"Well sorry. I was just making sur--"

She groaned, "I don't care. I don't care about me right now," evening her breaths as she looked at him seriously and her signature punch to his shoulder came, "What are you thinking?! You're not going up there!"

He nodded with such stubbornness that is radiated off on Casey, "I have to get us home, Casey. I can't stay here any longer. I know you can't either. If I can get up there we can contact help."

Casey shook her head, "No. You're not going up there, Derek. It was unsuccessful before and I'm not willing to risk it."

"Casey, I've figured this out--"

She threw him a snort, "What? Don't die?"

Derek rolled his eyes at her, "No, I looked up at where the branch broke on Charlie. He put too much weight on that branch and if he didn't do that he would've made it up to the plane. It's like a video game."

"Except in games if you die you can just play again. No dying. No losing your life. You're all new," she scoffed at him. "Derek, no, I really don't want you to go up there."

"Casey!" He groaned, "I can do it!" Derek brought his hands on her shoulders and got close to her face, "Casey, I can. I will be careful. I know I have to shift my weight at certain times so the branches don't break. I will be fine, Case."

She looked down and shook her head. Casey kept running scenarios in her head and kept imagining if Derek would fall and she'd see him bleeding and he wouldn't wake up and then he would die then she'd be all alone on this godforsaken island with strangers she doesn't want to get to know because it just made it all the more real. It all flashed as she heard his voice try to persuade her to let him do this. She couldn't survive on this island without him. Casey knew it would just be too hard to even grieve. Still shaking her head; she looked up and into his eyes, "No."

Derek was clearly frustrated when he turned away from her and paced back and forth, "Casey, I want to go home. I want to live normally. I want to be home with you, Casey." He stopped his pacing and looked at her, "Why are you trying to take that away from me?!"

"If you fall off that damn tree Derek there will be no life to live at home!" She snapped at him once more and tears started to fall in her eyes.

He walked over to her and held her, "Shh…Casey," he rubbed her back to calm her down, "if I don't try we'll be stuck here. No one else out there is trying. They are all scared because of what happened to Charlie. I want to do this, Casey. I need to." Derek expressed quietly against her.

Casey heard the desperation in his voice and pulled back to look at him, "Derek," she stared into his eyes and saw he really wanted to get off this island. He wanted to be home just as bad as she did and knew he was the only one willing to take that risk and save these people. Then she remembered his strategies and what to do and where to have the lesser weight. Then a crazy idea came in her head. He looked at her as if awaiting the okay to go up there and bring them home. Instead what she told him was, "I'll go."

Derek immediately arched his eyebrows with a hint of a laugh, "You go up there? You're kidding…" she shook her head and didn't laugh. "Wait, you're not kidding." The laugh immediately dissolved off his face, "Absolutely not. No, you're not going up there."

Casey quickly scoffed at him, "But it's okay if I let you go up there?" He nodded rapidly. "Derek, you said yourself that the weight had to be less on those branches and I'm way lighter than you or Charlie. I can get up there just as good as you can." He was still shaking his head. "Derek, let me go. I have a better chance at getting up to that plane because I'm less heavy. Come on." She pleaded and once Casey set her mind on something she was going to whine until she did it.

"Casey," he said a bit nervous, "I don't want yo--" She covered his mouth with her hand to shut him up. He did and she walked over to stand in front of the tree. She looked up and saw how high it really was from where she was standing. How high that nose of the plane was. How high that branch that ended Charlie's life was. Deep down she was already nervous but she was going to do this. She had a feeling that luck would be on her side. She was going to get them home. Casey continued to look up and Derek joined her, "Casey," he sighed, "You have to be careful, please." He begged.

Casey looked at him and smiled happily, "So I can go up there?!" He nodded reluctantly and she immediately gave him a hug, "I'll get up there and we'll be home, Derek."

"Just please be careful, Casey." He whispered as he hugged her tighter, "Please Casey." He pulled back and gave her a kiss. A kiss she felt gave off how terrified Derek really was about this idea of hers, "Please…" he mumbled pleadingly against her lips.

Casey nodded and gave him one more kiss. A kiss that could either be just one of their many kisses or one that could be their last. She pulled back, "I will."

"Alright."

"I'll be fine." Casey assured him. "I've climbed trees before. I'll be okay." He nodded reluctantly once more and let her go. Casey put a hand on one of the many roots that hung down from the Islands trees. She grabbed it and got a stable hold and began to pull her weight to bring her to the lowest branch of this enormous Island tree.

I'm starting to think I should just change my name to cliffhanger...cuz it seems I do it TOO often. lol