AN: My god. I am so utterly sorry. My Internet decided to die for some unknown reason and I just never bothered to even turn my computer on. I was, though, brainstorming on how to set up my next chapter and this being the product, I hope I fulfilled my thoughts. So once again, I am completely in disgust of myself for neglecting this fanfiction, like a child to me, for so long. Forgive me?

Disclaimer: I know. You know. No need to keep rubbing it in.

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Derek rolled his eyes at his father's blatant snoring. He heard the plane ride would be long. But he really didn't figure it to be this long. Letting his eyes droop, he snapped his eyes open as he remembered something.

Leaning down to rummage through his black backpack underneath the seat in front of him, he smiled as he pulled out the item that had been thrust into his hands before he left.

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Casey felt her bottom lip trembling as her mother continued to tidy up her lone dorm room. Boxes still littered the floor around her bed but she knew it would take still a long while to get them out of here.

"Mom..you'll come visit, right?"

"Oh, Case," Nora, surprised at the cracking and hoarse sound of her daughter's voice, turned around and saw the tears that were threatening to fall, "I'll visit and call all the time. There is no denying that. I am so proud of you. Look at where you are! You should be happy! This is a new life for you. This is really all you ever wanted. You'll find that you won't need me as much as you think you do." Nora smiled, wrapping her arm around Casey's shoulders.

"I know but… I don't know. I'm just being stupid. You're right. This is what I've dreamed about. I should be out there, making new friends, meeting new boys, setting up a steady study group, and figuring out ways to organize all this mess." Casey realized, beaming brightly.

She stood up and walked over to one of the open, half-empty boxes and pulled out picture frame after picture frame, setting them on desks, dressers, hanging them on hooks around the room. Her mother sat on the bed and watched her, knowing that this will be a good thing for the both of them.

She watched her daughter abruptly stop as she sifted through the 4 or so frames in her hands.

"Mom, where did these come from?" Casey asked quietly, her back still facing her mom. She was shocked. She didn't know where these had come from. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

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Derek remembered, and kept, her promise. He knew she wanted him to wait to open it, so he did. The anticipation danced along in his fingers as he picked at the paper enclosing whatever it was she held so dear. He could just picture her sprawled out on her bed with wrapping paper and ribbons and tape making a messy blanket. He had only seen a glimpse of it. Found it on his bedroom floor and could only look at the shape of it before she had yanked it out of his hand. She had reprimanded him for even picking it up when it was on his floor. He smiled at the memory of that morning.

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It was as though, for the first time in their lives, they were really waking up with the feel of refreshing vibes running through their bodies. And it was all due to the person who owned the body laying next to them.


They had woken up early and just lain in bed for hours, talking, cuddling, and feeling the other's body against theirs for what could have been their last tender moment together in solitude. When they heard quiet movements from the first story, Casey crept out of Derek's room, with much regret, and to her own- where she did nothing but sit on the end of her bed and hold the album in her hands.


She had made a speech for him. For when she was going to give it to him. But after their talk, she realized she should do it differently. Waiting until she thought her whole family was up and knew they wouldn't look at her suspiciously for being up so early, she climbed down both sets of stairs into her parents bedroom to gather some materials.

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Watching Casey tiptoe out of his bedroom made a smile play on his lips. He knew though, with sadness, that that would be their first, and only, night to lay and sleep together. To be wrapped in eachother's arms. To be able to trace the other's face with the tenderness and love that flowed freely out of their fingertips. But he still loved every single second of it. Even with the pain, he knew he would never forget this and he would never find another moment in time that could be better than this.


He heard someone shuffling up the stairs and then her bedroom door softly click closed. And he knew it was safe to do what he needed. To talk to her mom.

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"Casey, honey, I'll tell you. But please, don't be angry or upset or anything like that. Remember, this is happy, this is freedom." Nora spoke, trying to gather all her thoughts. She hadn't imagined she'd have to be the one to explain it to her daughter. And she knew exactly who she was going to have a talk with as soon as she knew he was in.

Casey huffed and folded her arms, picture frames still in her hands. "Go on, then."

"Sweetie, I know all about it. Derek had talked to me about it, to both George and me. He had asked for permission to continue loving you, without feeling guilty or wrong. And we understand, Casey. We don't judge either of you! We both think it's fabulous, a little hard for others, I'm sure, to understand, but we support you both." Nora spoke, quickly and assuredly.

Casey's eyes widened. Derek..told...my mother. Without me even there... All on his own.. How could he?I mean, I thought they both kind of knew, but for when we made it official, I would have liked to have been there.. She tried to slow down and block her thoughts, to not let any emotions play out on her face for her mother to read. Too late.

"He did it for you. He didn't want to hide it around us. Honey, he asked me for help. He wanted to leave you with something, memories that could last forever. He wanted to give you those." Nora pointed to the objects in Casey's hands. Casey closed her eyes slowly. Once again, trying to blink back the tears and it made it harder yet to breathe for her.

Casey placed the frames back in the box and went to another box, forcing a smile to grace her lips. "Wanna help me finish? We don't have much longer before you need to head back to the airport. Why bother talking about this stuff?"

And her mother, watching uneasily as her mother began unpacking other boxes, dropped the subject and went to work.

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He grinned as he flipped page after page, reading all the little notes and captions she carefully had written under each picture that she had included in what she called, "The Set Up to Our Lives." He had traced the title that she had cursively written on the front of the album, above the picture of the two at graduation, for minutes. And he realized that what she wrote on the front of the wrapping paper took on a whole new meaning.

Just then, the stewardess came by with the trashbag, offering it out to anyone who needed to discard anything. She smiled sweetly at Derek as he looked up at her and smirked. Throwing his cup in the bag, he began balling up the wrapping paper. And before he knew what was happening, before he could even react to it, the last thing he saw before the passengers in front of him poured the remaining contents of their cups into the trash, was, in silver paint pen- written in bold block letters he knew took Casey forever to write, the words:

OUR CONNECTION TO HOME