Birthday Surprise

Casey ran around the house, making sure everything was nice and tidy for Colton's birthday, although her little toddler scrambled behind her taking his toys back out again to play with. Amber and Chase would be coming over soon for a little get together and the annual gifts, which Chase always delivered personally, and she wanted everything to be presentable. Finally, when she locked away his toys for awhile, she sat down cradling the crying boy because he couldn't play with his toys and told him that Aunty Amber and Uncle Chase would be there soon to play with.

He soon fell asleep, exhausted from his little tantrum and she stayed there holding him to her chest. She was excited for Derek's letter, as always, and couldn't wait to read it.

When the doorbell rang, she stood up with Colton in her arms and went to open it. Amber and Chase stood there with huge grins on their faces, hiding a special secret with barely contained excitement. Casey looked at them confused and waited for them to say something.

"Casey. We have a surprise for you," Amber said as she clasped her friend's shoulders tightly.

Before Casey could react, Derek stepped into the doorway and smiled dazzlingly at her. She gasped and without thinking, threw herself into his arms while heeding the little boy between them still. "Derek..." she whispered softly and she held him to her, she wanted to make sure he was really there, really real, and standing right in front of her.

"Hey sweetheart," his deep voice rumbled in her ear as he hugged her tightly to him and pressed a kiss to her head. She breathed him in deeply and leaned back to look at his face. The lines looked a little deeper and he looked tired and haggard, but otherwise unharmed and the smile on his face just screamed at the happiness at seeing her as much as she probably looked like as well.

"Come inside," she said quickly, pulling him in while everyone else followed. She lay Colton down on the couch since he was still sleeping soundly and turned to hug Derek again, burying her face in his chest and holding him tightly to her. "I missed you," she said softly. Amber and Chase retreated to her kitchen to set down the food they had brought and to give them some privacy while they talked.

Derek held Casey close to him and basked in the warmth and comfort of her embrace. He was happy he had came, he needed this, needed to see her after so long. He leaned back and lifted her chin up so he could kiss her tenderly. She had been beautiful before when they'd met, and then more so when she had had their son, but now she looked refined and absolutely captivating. The years had been kind to her. She melted into his kiss, savoring the feel of his lips against hers. When they finally pulled away, he cupped her cheek and smiled, "I've missed you too. How have you been?"

She smiled as she looked up at him, she forgot how tall he was but she hadn't forgotten how handsome he was. The years hadn't been kind to him but he still looked as amazing as ever. She could see the stress and exhaustion in the dark depths of his eyes, even as they twinkled down at her with delight.

"I've been good. Your son is a rascal," she giggled up at him as her eyes sought out their sleeping child on the couch. He could see her face softening, making her look even more beautiful as she gazed at the boy with adoration. He looked at Colton as well and felt his heart swell. The little boy was as beautiful to him as his mother was and he felt some of the darkness melt away from his mind a little bit more.

"I'm sure he is," he chuckled softly and moved to kneel down next to his son. He ran his fingertips over the chubby little cheek lightly and his smile was gentle for a moment before he turned to look at her and it turned mischievous, "Just wait until he's older. He'll be as smooth as his old man."

Casey full on laughed in surprise at his words and realized that she was going to be in trouble when that happened. Derek was dangerously sexy and their son already had his good looks, she could only imagine when those features became more defined later on.

"I only hope to put that off as long as possible," she teased him back and went to kneel beside him on the floor. "But I do hope that he takes after your protectiveness and sense of honor," she leaned into him and kissed his rough cheek.

"Don't worry," Derek smiled and put his arm around her, "I'll make sure he treats his mother right." Casey chuckled softly and looked up as Amber and Chase finally walked back in with smiles on their faces.

They moved to the other room to get dinner ready while Colton napped. Chatting happily as they worked to get the table set, they caught up on what was new in their lives. Casey and Derek stayed close together as much as possible to make up for the distance they had been forced into as much as they possibly could.

When Colton toddled in in search of his mother, everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard his little voice call to her. Casey snapped to attention and walked over to her boy as he rubbed his sleepy eyes and she picked him up and brought him over to Derek. He looked a little nervous to actually meet his son, but when she sent him a comforting smile he relaxed. "Colton, this is your daddy," she said softly and slowly so he would understand her.

Colton looked curiously up at Derek, not really understanding the situation but knew that this was a new face to him. His toddler nature had him holding his arms out for Derek to take him and he said an excited, "Daddy!" Taking both parents and their friends by surprise for a moment. Casey handed the curious toddler over to Derek, who gathered the boy into his arms carefully as if he was afraid he would crush him with his strength.

They all watched as Colton wrapped his little arms around Derek's neck and hugged him tightly as if he had known him for longer than two minutes. Derek was stunned silent and couldn't do anything but hug his son back for the first time in five years. His eyes met Casey's and he saw the love in her eyes at the sight of the two finally meeting and he pulled her into their hug. His family was complete again, for however long it lasted and he would never forget this moment for the rest of his life.

Amber secretly snapped a photo of the trio for the photo album that they kept as a testimony of their crazy and unimaginable lives and smiled. Chase held her close and looked on at his friends, he only wished that one day all of them would be together like this with no worries for the unknown or the dangers lurking around every corner anymore. He and Derek had been working hard towards that life and they were adament that it would come to them soon.

After Amber and Chase had left, Derek helped Casey put their son to bed. Colton had been estatic the entire evening and had stuck by Derek's side almost the whole time, showing him his toys or asking him questions only a five year old would ask. Derek had gladly answered each and every one of them, and showed the boy the toys he had sent over the years. After all the excitement had died down, Colton had fallen asleep while sitting between his parents as it was way past his bedtime.

"You've done really well with him Casey," Derek told her as they left the room and cracked the door open so they could hear if he needed them.

She smiled up at him and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, "Thank you. Your gifts and letters helped keep me going and Amber and Chase have been a big help. I probably wouldn't be this far without any of it," she replied honestly.

He grabbed her hand and rested it against his chest so she could feel his heart beating, "You could've done it either way. You're so strong, and just knowing that you two are safe and happy has kept me going all these years."

She sighed, wishing this night would never end or that he could finally stay with her and they could get on with their lives and future together. "How much longer until it's over?"

Derek pulled her close and cupped her cheeks in his hands, running his thumb over her full lips softly, "I've made some headway and the next step will be made as soon as I get back." He watched as she closed her eyes, hiding those bright irises from his view. He made up his mind that he would stay with her for the night so he could spend some quality time reconnecting with her and get a good night's rest before he took his army and put them to the test when he returned to his father's estate.

He leaned down and touched his lips to hers in a feather light kiss that quickly went deeper and more passionate as they continued. He lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist and carried her down the hall to her room.

He set her down on her feet and she tilted her head to the side at his insistence so he could trail kisses down her neck as she hastily unbuttoned his shirt. His grip tightened on her hips when her fingers traced over the hem of his jeans, sending ripples over his skin at her slight touch. It had been too long for both of them, but even as they tried to go slow and savor this precious moment of being reunited, their urges pushed their control away and soon there was nothing between them as they moved passionately on the bed.

Casey's breathing was ragged as she ran her hands along the sharp planes of his chest and abdomen and around to his back to dig her fingernails into his skin as he nipped and sucked on her skin, causing a hickey to surface on the tender skin on the inside of her breast. His hands roamed along her body as well, finding those places that brought out different sounds and reactions from her. He circled her nub softly at first, making her moan and lift her hips to meet his, and then harder to make her bite her lip on a scream and her legs tremble uncontrollably.

He had thought to bring a condom this time, as he wasn't sure if Casey had protected herself or not, and had already slipped it on before he entered her suddenly. Even though he wouldn't mind giving her another child, he didn't want to add more stress on her, plus he wanted them to be living together so he could share the responsibility of raising more children with her. Now wasn't the time for that though. Their bodies came together in sync, shifting and moving in a dance that only the two of them knew. It was like their own personal tango, their movements both sharp and soft, its own rythym altogether, the sounds of their breathing and naked flesh the background music to their own symphony.

And as they reached their crescendo, they fell together on the bed blissfully dazed and happy. Their needs fulfilled for the time being and their deepest wishes met in that moment.

Derek pulled Casey into his chest, wrapping the blankets around them and twining their limbs together in anyway possible to continue this closeness that they both desperately needed, and kissed her forehead. Her head on his chest and her arm around his stomach, Casey felt completely sated and she couldn't help but try and get closer to Derek and hoping to somehow become one person with him.

They both knew that tomorrow he had to leave again for who knows how long, but tonight they had each other. Derek traced patterns on her bare skin with his fingertips as she listened to his heartbeat. Both content in their comfortable silence. Derek couldn't help it anymore though, he had to tell Casey that he wanted her to marry him one day, but before he could say anything, she spoke.

"Derek...I love you. Please come back to us safe," her soft voice broke at the thought of losing him for real this time to the dangers of his world that he so painstakingly kept her from entering. He lifted her face up to his and kissed her sweetly.

"I will come back to you when it's all over, and when I do, I want you to marry me. While my life will always be entertwined with danger, it will never be as bad as it is with my father in charge. No one would dare touch you or Colton under my rule then."

Casey nodded, her heart nearly bursting out of happiness. She would be his wife and they would finally be together the way they always wanted and talked about. "I would love that," she told him with absolute certainty.

His smile dazzled her with it's brilliance, such a carefree and amazing look as it brightened his entire face. "Good. Because I love you too." He nuzzled her nose with his and kissed her one more time before they closed their eyes in tandem and fell fast asleep.

The next morning came too quickly for Derek's taste, but when he opened his eyes and still felt Casey pressed against him, he smiled and put his arm around her. She curled into him and sighed before opening her eyes and smiling up at him. He couldn't wait to get used to this feeling of waking up next to her in the mornings.

"Morning sweetheart," he murmured before leaning down to kiss her.

"Mmm. Morning Derek," she said back after their lips had parted. She glanced at the clock by her bedside and noticed that it was only 6:10 in the morning. The sun had woke them up instead of her little boy, who liked to crawl into bed with her and blow slobbery raspberries all over her face. He should be getting up soon as well, he hardly ever slept past six anyway. "We should probably put some clothes on," she suggested as she untangled herself from him and pulled away to get up. "Colton will be up soon and his first stop is in here," she grinned at him.

Derek nodded and got up to pull his clothes on, but continued to watch as Casey put on her clothing. She was still incredibly slim and small in structure, as if she barely ate anything, but she looked healthy enough and much like she did when they had first met. Still, he couldn't help but ask her, "You've been feeding yourself properly, right?"

Her eyes snapped up to his at the question, confused as to what he was talking about. He had to have seen her eat the dinner on her plate last night, right? She even had had two helpings! "Of course Derek, I promised I would take care of myself while you were away. I just have a fast metabolism and I've always been small."

He smiled and walked over to her, "I just wanted to make sure. I've hated leaving you alone all this time, without being absolutely positive that you were keeping healthy or if you had enough money for everything. I want to be able to take care of you in any way possible." He tugged her closer and kissed her forehead.

Casey smiled as he held her, it felt good being with him again, even if it was just for a little while. She liked how protective he was over her, but wasn't overly so. She had agreed to wait for him, no matter how long it took, and was sticking to her promise.

"Momma! Wake up! It's bweakfast time!" Colton yelled behind her closed door, startling them and making them spring apart in surprise. She laughed and headed for the door, Derek trailing behind her. She opened it to reveal their son, still in his batman PJs, looking up at them with a wide eyes grin.

"Come on baby, let's go feed you," she picked him up and led the way to the kitchen. Colton had his eyes on Derek the whole way, and was giggling profusely at his father's many goofy faces as they walked.

She sat him in his high chair and gave him some cereal before she started cutting some banana slices for him and poured some orange juice. Derek leaned against the counter and watched quietly, learning their daily lifestyle so he could know how to step in when he was able to.

Once she was finished with Colton's breakfast, she started cooking theirs. She had the bacon, eggs, and french toast all going at the same time and in minutes had their plates filled and at the table. Derek admired her speed and grace the whole time, wondering how he'd gotten so lucky with them. He also began planning buying her the ring and their future as he ate. They talked about the light subjects, knowing that he had to be leaving soon, but procrastinating the reality for just a little while longer.

When the time came for him to take his leave, they were reluctant to part as he stood at her doorstep drinking in her appearance greedily.

"I love you, Casey, I'll be back soon." He kissed her and then planted a kiss on Colton's head as well.

"Stay safe, Derek, we love you too," she replied softly.

With one last look, he stepped away and made his way to his car, while discreetly watching his surroundings to make sure there was no danger with his sharp eyes.

After Derek drove away, Casey took Colton back inside, locking the door, murmuring reassurances to herself and her son that Derek would be back for them.