A/N: I do not own Life With Derek, really. Mostly I watch it on Youtube and squee a little...Also: Captain Cardboard is one of Spike's nicknames for Riley (Buffy Summer's S4 boyfriend) on BTVS.
It was a mistake, really: the picture. Derek knew he would plead innocence if ever questioned about the fact that it ended up on the cover of the year book and really, how could he help it if the president of the yearbook club had been swayed by his scrappy good looks into letting him have his way?
But his grin when he heard Casey's gasp, shortly followed by the thump of her newly purchased yearbook falling from her hands to the concrete floor told its own story.
Last Spring*
Prom pictures at Sir John Thompson Sparrow High took place after the dance. No one knew why, really, since everyone was mostly sweaty and slightly disheveled after a night of dancing and, in many cases, drama.
While Emily had experienced her share of both, what with Sheldon's unexpected proposal and her totally predictable reaction, Casey had quite enjoyed herself after the shock of winning Prom Queen wore off.
To say she had been surprised with the outcome would have been a drastic understatement. Happy, but dazed, she enjoyed the rest of her evening dancing all the slow dances with Max and most of the fast dances with Emily, Sheldon, Max, Sam, sometimes Sally and a rather pleased-looking Derek.
Casey couldn't fathom what had him looking so pleased, she had expected him to be devastated with not winning Prom King – not that she minded, what a damper that would have put on her winning: having to dance the obligatory King/Queen dance with him would have been awkward, to say the very least.
That, Casey told herself, was why she had been holding her breath while they announced who her consort would be. No other, less appropriate reason. None at all.
Derek spent most of the night very relieved that it would never occur to Casey to wonder how an unpopular, unknown, junior of a grade-grubbing keener possibly won prom Queen over the entire school.
It really hadn't taken much to weigh the vote, and he didn't feel bad about doing it – besides considering himself consciousless he also felt he owed her one, or, you know, a few. She did stick up for him an awful lot, and tolerated his pranks – entertained him, night and day: nothing wrong with acting like a fairy-god-step-whatever. At least that's what he told himself he was doing. Fairy-god-whatever, yeah.
He mostly enjoyed Sally's company and had a great time laughing at Ralph's 'mad dancing skillz'. He noticed that Casey looked a bit dazed, but figured it was all for the best. Probably meant she wouldn't be asking any hard-to-answer questions about the evening. Questions involving a certain dress, a certain step-sibling and of course a certain nomination.
He had planned to duck out before pictures, Sally wasn't feeling like sticking around and Derek thought that maybe if they were to forgo the limo and he walked her home he might get lucky and score a goodnight kiss.
His plans were thwarted when Sally announced that she was leaving early.
"Thanks, Derek, I had a blast, really. It will make Patrick so jealous – I can't wait to tell him, but I've gotta go, we're meeting for a midnight movie. See ya at work."
Damn. He decided that a change of plan was in order and supposed he could bother Casey, maybe ruin her picture with Captain Cardboard. He took off in the direction he'd seen Emily pulling Casey moments earlier.