That invisibility allows him the opportunity to watch Ellie undetected, his eyes moving up her body slowly. He's always careful around Ellie, making sure he stays out of her way, off her radar. She's dangerous in ways Chuck and Fulcrum and the rest of the world aren't. She's dangerous to him. She waves to one of the other neighbors before she turns to look at him. "John! Hi."

He lifts a hand in greeting, trying to ignore the tightening in his groin as she comes over to him. One of the things Casey has always prided himself on is staying out of any romantic entanglements, especially with civilians. The rules haven't changed just because Ellie's related to the intersect and keeping her safe keeps Chuck in line, no matter how much he sometimes wishes that were the case. Not that he does, and not that he allows himself to think otherwise. Other women are off limits to Casey right now. Ellie is…Ellie is confidential, eyes only, need to know and Casey doesn't come anywhere close to making the cut.

Casey's eyebrows go up as she comes over and sinks down on the low concrete wall beside him, stretching her legs out so that her thick-soled shoes brush against the leather sandals he's wearing. Chuck and Walker are off at a training session, and, unless a major catastrophe occurs - which he's actually expecting given that Chuck is involved - he's actually got the entire day off. "Nice day."

He's no good at small talk so he just nods. Ellie smiles and leans forward. Her fingers are threaded together, barely brushing Casey's knee.

"Devon's on night shift. Chuck's away for the weekend. I don't suppose you'd want to split a pizza and watch a movie?"

"Me?"

Ellie laughs, her eyes bright with amusement. "Well, it's either you or Morgan, and given the choice…"

"Coming in ahead of Morgan isn't a huge accomplishment. Unless you happen to be Chuck."

"Well," Ellie's still smiling and Casey feels his mouth curve in response. "I'm definitely not Chuck."

"Definitely not." Casey feels heat threatening as Ellie laughs, and he clenches his hands on the arms of his chair.

"So. Dinner." Ellie stands up and turns toward her apartment. "Eight o'clock?"

The pizza is half gone and the movie is well on its way to making Casey want to rip out the eyeballs and larynx of whoever was responsible for it to make sure they don't perpetrate another abomination when he sees the movement outside the window. He's careful not to let Ellie notice, not that he thinks she would, but he stops watching the vapid blonde on the screen and starts watching the potted plant outside.

When he realizes it's Morgan, Casey gives himself a very stern talking to. No matter how much pleasure he would get from making the monkey scream and jump around like something out of a science experiment from the fifties, he knows better than to use Ellie that way. Of course, what Ellie doesn't know can't hurt her.

Casey slides his hand along the back of the couch slowly, a move he perfected in seventh grade with Becky Turnblad, and again when he used it to sink a knife into the neck of Elliott Switzelweiss when he tried to blow up the Nobel Prize nominee dinner. Becky had approved. Elliott, not so much.

Ellie doesn't seem to mind, if she notices, which John isn't sure she does. She must not, because he knows she's pretty much in love with Devon and she'd probably break his wrist just for thinking about what he's doing, even if it is for her own good. Seriously, Morgan? Not that Casey thinks Ellie's fooled by Morgan's constant puppy looks and desperation. She's far too put together to let anything that easy get past her.

"This is nice."

Casey nearly jumps, so intent on not touching her that he's lost himself in looking at her, his eyes no longer on Morgan in the window, his thoughts not even anywhere near Chuck and Sarah. "Yeah. Nice."

"I mean, I don't get to spend much time with you, John."

"No. No. The Buy More keeps me pretty busy. And you're a doctor." He sounds like an idiot, or worse, like Chuck, and he realizes Morgan's no longer at the window. He should go. Now. Before he does something stupid. "But this was nice."

"Was?" Ellie asks softly and Casey can't quite keep his fingers from grazing her shoulder, feeling the heat of her skin as he brushes the collar of her shirt. Ellie doesn't move from his touch and it takes a minute for him to remember that he knows seventy-two ways he could kill her right now. A sure sign it's time to go.

"I have an early shift tomorrow. Christmas rush, you know."

"Yeah. I guess electronics wait for no man." She turns her head and looks at him, and if John Casey weren't a man who prides himself on his willpower, he would kiss her right then. As it is, it takes all of his willpower not to. "Goodnight, John."

He nods, his eyes watching her mouth, and then stands. "Thanks for the pizza."

"Sorry the movie was awful."

He shakes his head and smiles at her, and he knows it's past time to go, because there's nothing he wants more than to stay. "Was it? I didn't even notice."

Ellie's smile is worth the lie. "Liar."

"Goodnight, Ellie."

She stands up on tiptoe and kisses his cheek. "Go on now. I need my beauty sleep."

Casey doesn't laugh as he closes his eyes and feels the kiss, resisting the urge to return it. "No. That's definitely one thing you don't need."

Ellie laughs as she escorts him to the door. "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Casey waits until the door has closed behind him, until he's closed his own apartment door and leans against it, closing his eyes and exhaling loudly. "If only that were true."