Hi guys! I'm sorry for the late update once again but I've just been so busy and I've been battling being sick. With that being side I wanted to say I love you all SO much. You reviews make my day. Please review it really does make it easier to right when I know people care.

I make no promises about my updating but I want to let you know I do plan on finishing the FF. I will not just leave the FF out to dry, on that I can't grantee I just don't know ehn the updates will come. But they WILL come.

Disclaimer: I don't now nor will I ever own any of this.


8. Chapter 7

After yelling her name Derek ran in the direction of the scream he knew so well. As he reached the edge of the forest a giant fiery branch fell from the sky. Derek shelled his eyes from the sparks that shot out from the branch on impacted.

Derek tried to see through the fire but couldn't so he screamed her name another time, "Casey!"

But this time there was no answer. It was like time slowed for Derek waiting to hear her voice again. Hoping for some sign that he… Again he couldn't bring himself to even think it.

"Help!" Came a voice from beyond the fire that Derek didn't know.

"Help!" There it was again. It came from Derek's left beyond the fire. Derek quickly made his way around the fiery trees.

"Ca-" Derek was about to scream her name once again but that's when he saw a woman, unknown to Derek, clothed in tattered rags. She was kneeling by someone who was pinned under a fallen branch.

Derek ran to them with Ralph close behind.

Once Derek was almost upon them he slid to the side of the person under the branch.

"Casey." He said gently picking her head up with his right hand.

Ralph realized what was going on and ran over to the branch trying to lift it up with no success.

"Here, I'll pull her out while you guys lift the branch." The unknown woman said to Derek.

Derek hesitated for a moment but agreed realizing it was the only way with the fire spreading rapidly there was no time to waist.

Derek quickly switched positions with the woman and ran toward the left end of the branch.

Ralph counted off, "1 2 3!" As he said three they both, in one accord, lifted the branch off of Casey.

They walked it back a few feet and placed it down. As the branch left his hands Derek runs back to Casey's side.

"We have to get her out of here!" Derek said the woman. As the woman was about to respond a sudden sound of horses naahing took their attention.

It was Ralph with the horses; he dismounted to helped Derek place Casey securely on Derek's horse.

Derek was finally on his horse and looked beside him to see Ralph and the unnamed woman on the other horse.

Derek made eye contacted with Ralph asking him wordlessly if they were ready. Ralph responded with a single nod and they were off.

They raced at high speeds through the forest trying to make it out of the fire.

Flying faster and faster they were almost to the edge of the fiery part of the wood when another branch fell down right in their path. Though Derek didn't let that stop him, he leaned forward and rode his horse harder and jumped right over the fiery loge.

He had to get her back to the castle. He knew the longer they were out there the more of a chance he had of losing her and couldn't let that happen again.

He kept riding harder and faster, wholly consumed with the urgency of Casey.

After what seemed like hours to Derek they finally cleared the forest and the castle was in sight, though still a long ways off.

When Derek saw the castle, instantly he drove his horse even harder than before. When Ralph saw this he tried his hardest to keep up even though Derek was one of the best riders in the world and is almost impossible to catch.

Derek eyes never left his target, except once when he would look down and see Casey's motionless face. This sight hurt him greatly tears tried to make it through but he suppressed them away and pushed all thought away, other than his destination.

Finally after what seemed like days to Derek and the other two, they made it to the castle courtyard.

As they approached the head of the castle guard came running to meet them.

Derek dismounted then picked Casey up of the horse holding her bridle style saying, "She needs a doctor. Find one, now!"

The guard only responded with a nod and was off to find a doctor.

Derek carried her in side.

"Derek! Where have you been? It's-" His mother, Abby said until she saw her son with a young girl in his arms.

"Oh my God! What's happened?" Derek didn't respond, he just headed straight to Casey's room.

While walking away he could hear Ralph's voice recapping the whole event to his mother.

As Derek walked down the long hallway all he could do was pray.

'God, please don't take her away. I can't live without her. Please don't let that happen. God, please!'

He reached her room and walked in, placing her on the bed then kneeling beside her. He gently took her hand in his and softly moved her hair off her face. It was at this moment he saw two black eyes. At the sight of this anger and rage filled him.

He sigh; it was filled with everything he had been feeling since the last time he saw Casey. Angry, sadness, regret, feeling like this was all his fault.

"Casey," Derek said softly placing a gentle hand on her right check. "can you hear me?" When these words left him he couldn't the tears back any longer.

"I'm so sorry, Case. This is all my fault." At that very moment the room became filled with people.

As Derek looked around he saw his mother, Ralph, the women whose name he did not know and a man he assumed was the doctor.

Derek was still kneeling by Casey's bedside when Abby came and took his arm gently saying, "Come on son, we need to leave her and the doctor alone. Come."

Derek very reluctantly agreed. He waited outside the door forever pacing back and forth, his body never resting for a moment. He couldn't rest until he knew she was alright.

After what seemed like an eternity the doctor finally came out of the room.

"Is she ok? Can I see her?" Derek said almost trying to look passed the doctor to see for himself.

The doctor placed a firm hand on Derek's chest to stop him and said, "Well, she's awake now but I'm afraid something has happened. She cannot remember anything of her life. She doesn't even know her own name."

Derek's worst nightmare has come true.

"No! I don't believe you." He said with complete discontent.

Derek pushed passed the doctor and slowly walked into the room where his beloved was.

As the door opened he saw her sitting up and looking around as if she had no idea where she was and why she was there.

"Casey?" Derek side in the softest tone he could.

She snapped out of her gaze around the room and looked at Derek with questioning and scared eyes.

He could tell that she was very frightened of him and had no idea who he was.

He grew closer to her never losing eye contact. The closer he got the more it seemed Casey moved away. She was cowering away ever so slightly but just enough to make Derek feel as if he was dying inside. Derek sat on the side of Casey's bed.

"It's me Case. It's Derek." He said reaching out a hand and placing it on her own. Though when they touched she immediately pulled away.

"I don't know you. Where am I? I want know what's going on!"

As these words left Casey mouth, Derek's world shattered into a million pieces. He thought he was going to make everything right again. That he would find Casey and they would have the ending they were meant to have, but all that had changed now. Derek's heart was at this moment, truly broken.


Well, that's it for the chapter. PLEASE review! =D