Cazzie Oneshots

My Home Is Your Home

                        By: DisguisedasInnocent
"That's... odd." Casey said with tilt of her head and a frown. "Did you move the mat Mum?"

"The mat?" Elsa asked with a quirk of her eyebrow and a shake of her head. "No, why?"

"It's all crooked." Casey replied as she nudged the mat back into place with her foot.

"Huh," Elsa's shoulders rose and fell in a slow shrug, "maybe it was the UPS man, he always seems to be in an awful rush."

"Nah," the dark-haired girl snickered, "I doubt it. Judging from the way most of my parcels arrive he just tosses them up from the drive and prays that they land on the porch."

"Casey!" Elsa exclaimed in surprise. "That's rude."

"Maybe," Casey admitted, "but true."

"Perhaps," Elsa shook her head as she hitched a grocery bag higher on her hip, "maybe it was your Dad? You know what he's like with his keys, and we do keep the spare key under the mat."

"I swear he could lose them even if they're attached to them." Casey said with an amused shake of her head.

"He has," Elsa murmured, "thankfully only in the car, but still, they came off that keychain and disappeared into the cab for three days. Now, can you open the door sweetheart? These bags are not getting any lighter."

"Oh," Casey blinked in slow surprise before she slid her key into the lock and opened the door, "right, sorry."

"Thank you Darling," Elsa murmured as she stepped through the door, "if you could just—Casey, come here."

"I was just going to get the rest of the—oh." Casey paused in the doorway for half a second as her mind took in the sight of Izzie's small frame curled up on the couch in the living room. "Oh no."

"This wasn't planned?" Elsa asked with a quirk of her eyebrow and an inquiring tilt of her head.

"No." Casey replied with a soft sigh. "I thought... I thought she was going to be at home tonight."

"Oh." Elsa whispered. "Right, well, I'll... I'll get the rest of the bags Honey, why don't you... She probably needs you."

"Thank you." Casey murmured, her eyes flickering away from Izzie's crumpled form for half a second to meet her Mother's eyes, before she strode across the room to kneel beside the couch.

The dark-haired girl reached out to brush her fingers across Izzie's forehead, to brush the tangled strands of deep brown and black hair away from her cheeks, as she waited for Izzie's eyes to flutter open. Casey let her gaze roam across Izzie's face—down the soft slope of her nose, across the gentle expanse of her cheeks, and along the defined ridge of her jawline—as she searched for any hint as to why the girl had ended up on her couch.

"Hey," Izzie croaked out quietly, her voice rough and raw, as her eyes fluttered open to meet Casey's gaze.

"Hi." Casey replied with a soft smile as she leant forward to press a kiss to the corner of Izzie's mouth. "What are you doing here Baby?"

"I..." Izzie's chest rose, paused, and then fell as she exhaled a long breath. "My Mum, she... She disappeared again—like she does—and I... I didn't want to wrangle the kids by myself. I... My Grandma told me to bring them to her for the night at the least."

"Oh Izzie." Casey's heart ached sadly in her chest. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Izzie replied with a small shrug of her shoulders and a half smile.

Casey reached out to cradle Izzie's cheek in her palm, "Are you OK?"

"I..." Izzie frowned. "Not really?"

"OK." Casey murmured before she rose to her feet and held her hand out for Izzie to take. "Come on. There's no way both of us are fitting on that couch and I think snuggles are in order."

"Thank you." Izzie murmured as she reached out to curl her fingers around Casey's hand and allowed the taller girl to pull her up onto her feet.

"Mum!" Casey yelled in the direction of the kitchen. "Izzie's staying for the night, OK?"

"The door remains open Casey!" Elsa called out in reply. "And dinner is in half an hour so no funny business!"

"I wouldn't even dream of it, Mum," Casey groaned in response as she grinned at Izzie and rolled her eyes.