Back To You ~ (Cazzie Fanfic)

Is This Friendship?

Thanks for all the comments and encouragement! I really love hearing your thoughts. xoxo

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Izzie turns off the car and rests her head back against the headrest. For a moment she just closes her eyes and breathes, letting all the tension of the day bleed out of her. Her phone vibrates with a text message and she glances down to read it.

Casey: Hey how was your first day?

She smiles. Casey had her first day of training with her new coach today too. They'd realized they were both having firsts on the same day the night Casey came over for dinner. They'd been sitting at the table with all her siblings eating and talking. Chloe was telling everyone about a princess bicycle she'd seen at Target that she reeeaally wanted for her birthday (which wasn't for 9 more months) and Dylan was talking over her telling her she just had a birthday and Izzie was telling Dylan to be quiet and let her finish.

Gabby, who had been watching Casey from across the table with her characteristically unreadable face, said, "So... Casey, what brings you back to Connecticut?" with a voice that cut through all the commotion.

Dylan and Chloe stopped talking, suddenly much more interested in this conversation. It was bullshit of course. Gabby knew exactly what Casey was doing here.

Casey had smiled, good naturedly, and said, "Oh, I hired an independent trainer here, to help me transition to professional track. I actually start next Monday."

"Hey!" Izzie said, "I start my new job Monday."

Casey turned with a smile and began to say something but Gabby interjected.

"Wow," she said, as if Izzie hadn't spoken, "Professional. That's impressive."

"Thanks," Casey said, taking a bite of her green beans.

There was a quiet moment where Gabby took a sip of her sparkling apple cider and then swallowed it. Dylan and Chloe seemed to be waiting for something.

Izzie was just opening her mouth to change the subject when Gabby continued, casually, "Amazing that you ended up back here. I mean... there must be coaches all over the place."

Izzie had tried to catch her eye, to shoot her a look that said: knock it off. What was she getting at anyway?

Casey had just smiled and said lightly, "Well, my family's here, so..."

"Right," Gabby said with a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes, "Family's everything."

Then she took a bite of her pork.

Casey had regarded her for a moment and said, "This is really good by the way."

"Thanks."

Gabby actually had gone all out for the meal, trying out a new recipe she'd seen on a cooking show for the entree along with several tried and true dishes that everyone loved. She put both Dylan and Chloe to work preparing the ingredients and setting the table.

Gabby had been resistant and suspicious when Izzie first suggested the dinner. Izzie saw in her eyes that she missed Casey, and would love to see her, but only because she knew Gabby extremely well.

She'd stared at Izzie over the pile of books and notebooks she had scattered across the table and deadpanned, "So you wanna have your ex-girlfriend, who sent you into therapy not two months ago, over for a big family dinner."

Izzie had stared at her.

"And you want me to cook."

"Gab," Izzie had sighed. "Com'on don't give me a hard time... it's Casey. We've been talking and it's been good."