There hasn't been many fics on this subject matter, and I'm always looking for plot bunnies :D.

This isn't a very long one-shot, but I thought it'd be interesting to give a little insight to Lucy right after Daniel died.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Lucy pressed her forehead deeper into the smooth, hardwood top of her dresser. It smelled strongly of wood finishing. Mom must have refinished it she thought absently to herself. Even though the scent was nauseating, she couldn't bring herself to pick her head up.

Here she was, on what was once thought to be the most important night her life, shoving her face into her dresser. Shouldn't she be meticulously applying her makeup? Shouldn't she be eagerly sliding on the baby blue dress she bought months ago, that apparently made her already azure eyes stand out? Shouldn't she be jumping for joy when they announce "Lucy Carrigan, Prom Queen"…

…with Daniel smiling next to me when they announce him Prom King?

It was supposed to not only be the most important night, but the best night of her life. She was going to be a knockout in her dress and styled hair. Daniel was going to whisk her off in his white Chevy convertible to the dance. She and he, the perfect high-school couple, were going to win Prom King and Queen and dance underneath the spinning lights of the disco ball. He was going to carry her off from the dance and drive her down to the lake where they would…well, who knows what. A lot of things were going to happen, and should've happened.

But instead, she can only bring herself to curl her hair in front of her dresser before she bursts into tears. Those tears had been shed hours ago (she started getting reading around 3:00, knowing this wasn't going to be an easy process), but the weight of reality still rested heavily on her shoulders. There was no way she could bring herself to do this.

She wasn't going to go to Prom at all, but her friends begged and pleaded.

"Now that's Daniel's gone, there's no way he won't get Prom King, everyone knows he deserved it. Which means you'll be Queen for sure."

"Don't waste your beautiful dress!"

Only her friend Emily tried to coax with things that weren't ridiculously petty. "Go in honor of Daniel. He'd love that something like that."

She supposed he would love something like that, but she hoped wherever her sweet Daniel was, he would understand how unbelievably hard this was for her. There was no doubt that she and he would be Prom King and Queen; she wasn't being conceited, one of her friends on Prom Committee had secretly informed her that she and Daniel had won. But that's part of the reason she couldn't go. She and he had won, and some part of her couldn't accept the prize without him there. But really, none of that mattered. She didn't even care about winning some cheap, plastic crown.

There were three people in the world that meant everything to her; Daniel and her two siblings. Now that she had lost one of them and rarely saw another, she felt like she was slowly losing little parts of herself.

There was a soft knock on her door. Lucy managed to pick her head up and look towards the door.

"Sweetheart, can I come in?" asked her mother, her question slightly muffled by the door between them. She didn't answer, but Mrs. Carrigan walked in anyway.

"Are you alright, honey?" she inquired, going over to her and lightly stroking the long, blonde locks out of her daughter's face. "It's nearly 7. At least come down and eat something before you head off."

Lucy sniffed a little, those unwanted tears not completely going away. "I'm not sure if I'm even going to go."

"You should." Mrs. Carrigan cupped her face in her hands and tilted it upwards. "You need to get out of the house. You've been cooped up here for days. You and your friends will have a good time."

When she didn't respond, Mrs. Carrigan sighed and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Daniel wouldn't want you like this. If nothing else, go to it for him."

Her daughter turned away, looking at her red, tear-stained reflection in the mirror. "Would he really?" she started, a hint of desperation in her voice. "Would he really want me to go that badly?"

Her mother sighed, dropped her knees, and took Lucy's hand. "He would want you to have good time-"

"I'm pretty sure I'm not going to."

"Sweetheart, you won't have a good time staying in your room all night either…the only way you're going to get past this is if you try to returning to your normal life."

"So I'm just supposed to forget it even happened?" she replied, a touch of offense in her voice.

"Of course not, but getting out and seeing your friends might make you feel better, and he would certainly want that."

Her daughter didn't respond initially, but after a few moments, she exhaled slowly and nodded.

"Besides, you've been so excited for your senior prom since you were in eighth grade."

Lucy smiled faintly at the memory. "Yeah, I remember. That was the year Max went, and I was so jealous when I saw the dress Clara Hanson was wearing."

"Who was she again?"

"Max's girlfriend at the time."

"Oh, I couldn't remember. He had so many…" she replied quietly, shaking her head a little afterwards, causing her middle child to grin. "Anyway, this will be good for you. Just go, honey."

She sighed, looking wistfully at the beautiful blue dress that hung on her closet door and the white shoes beneath it, just waiting for her to slip on. "Oh…alright. I'll go."

Mrs. Carrigan smiled, kissed the top of her head, and left the room satisfied.

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It turns out that Lucy did have a good time at the dance, albeit the moment she walked into the decorated gym when people swarmed her with sympathy, and the few slow, "couples" songs they played. Not to anyone's surprise, she and Daniel were chosen as the Prom King and Queen.

As she stood on stage, the…yes, cheap, plastic crown being placed on her head, fresh tears appeared on her face, but so did a genuine smile. She was handed Daniel's crown, an even cheaper-looking one, to her amusement, and she waved to her cheering peers.

Once the dance was over, she asked her friends if they wouldn't mind driving her out to Daniel's grave, and they were happy to oblige. When they arrived, she stepped out of the car and requested a few minutes alone.

Lucy slowly walked towards the grave, her boyfriend's crown clutched tightly in her hand. Though this was the first time she had visited his grave since he was buried, she found it with no trouble. She stopped about two feet in front of it, reading the words that were etched deep into the stone. The only noise that came was the comfortable warm wind that whistled through the tress.

Daniel Harrison. 1950 – 1968. Died serving his country. A good and faithful son and friend.

Something waving in the breeze caught her eye. A small American flag had been placed next to his grave, its edges frayed from wear. She looked down at the crown one more time, her lips curving up in a sad smile, and set it right in front of the tombstone.

Only a few tears fell from her eyes this time, her smile growing.

"Congratulations, Mr. Prom King."

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Not very long, but I hoped you still enjoyed it!

Reviews would be lovely, thanks!