"Wow," Derek laughs, genuinely amused. "I mean if you didn't get in enough trouble for sneaking out then I guess I can see the appeal of prioritizing that way, but wow, Lucy. Wow." He's laughing, though, and he thinks that's cute, too. Everything about Lucy is cute. Some part of him is pretty sure that the whole reason he's still hanging out in Alabama of all places is because he wants to keep her.

"Oh okay, good," he says sagely, feigning seriousness. People who know Derek back home would never recognize him when he's with Lucy. She makes him feel safe; his true self comes out when Derek feels safe. Back home, he's always on the defense. He's always cold and closed off, and angry. Back home, he's also always tired because he doesn't sleep well and then it seems like every other day, they're fighting for their lives. Derek is another person entirely here in Alabama and with Lucy. He likes this version of himself an awful lot more than the one with whom McCall's pack is familiar.

Once she's in the car, Derek shuts the door and rounds the front of the car to get into the driver's seat, looking over at her as he puts the keys in the ignition and turns them to bring the engine to life. "All right, I'm trusting you here," he teases, "where'm I going?"