And here is part two.

College: Derek's POV (Derek's third year)

"What about her? She's hot," Simon said, pointing at a red head standing in front of the food counter.

I glanced over and rolled my eyes. She was wearing shorts than could have been mistaken for denim underwear and a tank top that was so tight, I could see the indent of her tiny belly button ring.

"For the last time, no," I said. "I do not need to date because I am not going."

He looked over at me and sighed. "You've got to live a little, D. We're in college! We're expected to party and get drunk and make complete asses of ourselves. So far, you haven't done any of that."

"And I have no intention of it," I said. I took a bite of my hamburger and grimaced at the taste. Mall food wasn't my favorite, but I was hungry now and I didn't want to wait until we got back to our apartment to order something. Simon dragged me to the mall hours ago so that he could ask some girl to a party. Since then, he's dragged me to every store trying to find something to wear.

"You're starting to bug me," Simon said, slumping back in his chair.

I choked on my food. "I'm bugging you? You're the one who dragged me to this god forsaken hellhole when I should be writing a term paper."

"See, that's my point," he said, sitting up and pointing at me. "With you, everything is about school. You never go to parties, you never go on dates, and you never even talk to people at school."

"I didn't pay thousands of dollars in tuition just to get dates," I said. I tossed my garbage in the garbage can behind me. "I paid to get a degree and then get a well paying job. After that's done, then I'll think about my social life."

He sighed in frustration. "I'll make you a deal. If you come with me to this one party just this once, I will leave you to your studies the rest of the semester. Okay?"

I opened my mouth to say no, but then closed it. What was one party compared to a semester of quiet solitude? And it wasn't like I had to stay for the whole thing anyway. I'd just go, stay half an hour, and leave. What's the harm in that?

"No date," I said.

"No date," he said, holding out his hand. I shook his and he stood up. "Besides, there's going to be ton of single girls there anyway."

I rolled my eyes and pushed myself up. I took a step back and hit somebody mid-turn. We both bounced back a little. I looked up to apologize when I froze. In front of me was a girl who looked to be about my age. You couldn't tell by her height, which was easily a foot shorter than my 6'2'', but she had a sense of maturity. I couldn't see her face underneath the locks of strawberry blond hair falling in her face as she leaned down to make sure she didn't have anything on her. When she looked up, there was a sense of familiarity, but I couldn't quite place where I knew her from.

"I'm so sorry," she said. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"That's alright," I said. "Neither was I."

She smiled at my comment. It reached her eyes and I noticed they were blue and again very familiar, but I just couldn't place where I had seen her before.

"It was nice, well, bumping into you," she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. She took a step over so that I could walk through. As she began walking, she turned and said, "Maybe we'll bump into each other again sometime."

"Maybe," I said and watched her walk over to a table occupied by a group of people. I recognized one of the guys from my physics class. I looked over at Simon to ask if he was ready to go when I noticed the look on his face. "What?"

"What? What? What do you mean what?" he asked, waving his arms. "How could you…she was…ugh." He slapped his forehead. "I can't believe you're my brother. You just let a totally hot girl walk away without even sounding interested."

"I'm not interested," I said. "And I told you. No date."

"That was before you slammed into a girl who was definitely giving a signal," he said.

"A signal? What the hell does that mean?" I asked.

"She was interested," he said.

"In what?" I asked.

"In you!" he said. He slapped his forehead again and mumbled to himself while walking away, "I can't believe he just let her go. A perfect opportunity to get a date and he blew it."

I rolled my eyes and followed him. It was no use arguing with him on the matter. I wasn't going to win either way. I never did when it came to the opposite sex. Before going down the escalator, I glanced over my shoulder one last time and looked at the girl I had bumped into. I knew her from somewhere, I just couldn't remember where.

…,,,…

"How long does it take to pick out a shirt?" I called to Simon from the living room of our small apartment where I was lounging on the couch. "You only bought one."

We both got into the same college, UCLA, and we jumped at the opportunity. Surprisingly, it had just what both of us were looking for. I had lived in a dorm my first year and regretted it the entire time. Our second year, we splurged and got an apartment off campus that was close enough to the college to walk to but also close enough to the mall so that Simon had an opportunity to make up for the fact that he wasn't meeting any girls in a dorm.

"It doesn't work," he called back.

I looked over at my shoulder in the direction of his room and said, "It's a shirt. What the hell is it supposed to do? Dance the mamba?"

"It doesn't create the right image," he said.

"What does it matter?" I asked. "You're only going to the party to get laid. I doubt they are going to decide based on what shirt you're wearing."

"Remember that chick I went out with last semester?" he asked. "The one that freaked out that my shirt was one hundred percent cotton and said that I was killing innocent plants?"

"And then there was the one that was pissed because you called her a chick," I said.

He walked out and held his arms out. "Well?"

"Well what?" I asked. "Do you want a reward because you can dress yourself?"

He half glared at me. "I meant what do you think?"

"I think you're slow and I'm bored," I said, standing up. He sighed and followed me to the door. I grabbed my keys and shoved them in my pocket. Simon made sure the door was locked and we left.

After ten minutes of walking, we made it to the campus and Simon took the lead because he knew where the party was. I followed behind him and looked around at the groups of people who had obviously either wandered off from the party we were going to or one similar. A lot of them were clearly drunk, while a small number of them we providing the shoulder needed to lean on to make it home safe. I had a feeling I was going to be playing that part tonight.

After walking through many hallways, I could hear music blaring way past the normal decibels and I cringed when the door opened. I resisted the urge to cover my ears and instead followed Simon inside. I knew a lot of the people, but I didn't like any of them enough to have a conversation with outside of class.

"Okay, I'll stay for half an hour and then I'm gone," I informed him.

"But you can't have fun in just half an hour," he complained. "I'll make you a deal. You stay a whole hour and I'll stop bringing home girls, okay?"

"We both know you won't keep you're end of the bargain," I said.

"Fine," he said. "Stay a whole hour and I'll stop making out with them in places where you can walk in, okay?"

"Deal," I said.

He slapped me on the back and walked off toward a group of girls. I suddenly wondered what happened to his date but dismissed the thought. It didn't really matter if he arrived with a date. He'd leave with one either way. I spotted a table overflowing with beer and I walked over. Grabbing a can, I squeezed past hordes of people reeking of alcohol and made my way to a set of double doors leading out to a small open area outside. The room the party was in normally served as a study lounge and on nice days, I studied out here where it was more peaceful.

No one was outside and I relaxed. I just had to stay out here for an hour and I could leave. Spotting my usual spot, I walked over and dropped into the chair. I leaned back and lifted my feet to rest on another chair. Pulling the tab open, I took a drink of my beer and leaned my head back.

After fifteen minutes, I could feel myself falling into a light sleep. Before I could fall the rest of the way, I felt someone bump into my shoulder. Confused, I opened my eyes and was surprised to see the girl from the mall. Her blond hair was confined into a tight ponytail and she had a mischievous look on her face.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"I told you maybe we'd bump into each other," she said, smiling. "I kept my word."

I let out a small laugh and sat up. "So that makes you true to your word."

"Well, I'm one for one," she said. I noticed she had a beer nestled in her hands and remembered my neglected one. Taking a long swig of mine and tossed the empty can into a nearby bin.

She held out her hand and said, "I'm Chloe."

I returned the gesture and said, "Derek."

"Yeah, I know. I had a professional writer's class with you last semester," she said.

Surprised, I asked, "Really?"

"Yeah, you sat in the way back by the door and I sat in the front row," she said. "I'm assuming it was so that you could escape fast."

"Probably," I said. "I think I repressed anything to do with that class."

"Well it was worthy of it," she said, smiling.

"Then why did you sit up front?" I asked.

"Because I was always one of the last ones in and the front was the only thing open," she said.

"Sounds rough," I said.

She laughed. "So what are you doing here? You don't strike me as the party kind."

"I don't?" I asked, raising as eyebrow.

"You've been here twenty minutes and you've been outside the entire time," she said, as-a-matter-of-factly.

I nodded and said. "I hate parties. My brother dragged me along."

"How big is your brother? He must be pretty big to be able to drag you here," she said.

I looked over at her and realized she was making fun of me. Smiling, I said, "Oh yeah. He's seven feet tall and can lift a semi with his pinky."

"Hmm," she said. "Someone should call the Justice League. We just found their lost superhero."

I laughed. She smiled at me before looking back at the party briefly. "Got someone waiting?"

"Kinda," she said. "Just a friend of mine who gets a little too excited when she drinks."

"Is that why you're here?" I asked.

"What? I don't seem like the partying kind?" she asked, smiling at me.

"I'm not the only one who's outside," I said.

"Touché," she said. "I don't hate parties, but I don't exactly love them either. I usually stay for half an hour and then split. Besides, free beer."

"Well consider yourself lucky. I'm stuck here a full hour," I said.

"Why? Did you sign some sort of contract on the way in?"

"I made a deal with my brother," I said.

"The superhero?" she said.

"Yeah," I said. "I made him two deals actually. I came, so he'll leave me to my studies for the rest of the semester and I'm staying an hour so he'll stop making out with girls where I can walk in out them."

"That seems like a good trade," she said. She drank the rest of her beer and attempted to throw into the bin with mine. She missed by a mile and I laughed.

"You're a suck shot," I said.

"I am not," she said. "It was the beer."

"Yeah, that's why your wobbling around and slurring," I said sarcastically.

She stuck her tongue out at me and picked up her can. She dropped it in the bin and was about to walk back over to where I was sitting when there was a crash inside. She sighed and said, "That's probably Amber."

"That's your friend?" I asked.

"Yeah. I better take her home," she said. "Maybe I'll see you sometime."

"Maybe," I said.

She walked away. Halfway to the door, she stopped and turned around. "Are you going to the party next week?"

"Where at?" I asked.

"Here," she said.

"Probably not," I said.

"Pity," she said, that mischievous look returning. She smiled and went inside.

I haven't had the best luck when it came with girls, mostly because I've never cared to start the conversation, but even with my limited experience I knew what that look meant. Leaning back, I smiled. Maybe I would make an appearance to that party.

…,,,…

"You ready?" I called to Simon.

I didn't get an answer and I sighed. Of course he would take forever. I glanced at my watch and wondered why exactly I was going to this thing anyway. Didn't I make a deal with Simon specifically so that I didn't have to do this? I could tell myself that the reason I made sure to have my work done for tonight was that I could make sure the Simon made it home safe after the party, but even I knew I was kidding myself. The only reason I was abandoning my nighttime ritual of schoolwork was to see if Chloe showed up. She made it sound like she was going. She certainly implied that she wouldn't mind seeing me there, and I definitely wouldn't mind seeing her. Since the party last week, I've been more aware of the people at college as I walked to my classes. I've seen her once or twice, but she was always with a group of her friends and I didn't want to interrupt.

"Okay, ready," Simon said, walking into the living room.

I nodded and gestured to the door. He walked out and I locked it behind me.

"So, why are you going with me?" he asked. "You hate parties."

"Something to do I guess," I lied. "And I could a beer or two."

"Good enough for me," he said. He rubbed his hands together and said, "I'm just hoping Amanda is there tonight."

"Amanda?" I asked.

"She's in my photography class," he explained. "She's definitely interested, but she won't say yes to a date."

"If she was interested, wouldn't she say yes to a date?" I asked.

"Not if she's playing hard to get," he said. "Or if she's worried that it's just a one date thing."

"Or here's a wacky thought. Maybe she isn't interested," I said.

"Oh she is," he said, smiling. I rolled my eyes and followed him silently.

Soon enough, we were back in the hallway with the blaring music. And just like last time, I swear my ears were going to bleed. Simon immediately wandered off to find his new conquest while I snatched a beer off the table and made my way back outside. Chloe wasn't there, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be later. I found my seat and got comfortable.

After my second beer, I was starting to doubt that she would show. I sighed and leaned my head back. Closing my eyes, I tried to drown out the abnormally loud music and concentrated on the breeze as it lightly brushed my skin. After a while, I was concentrating so much, I didn't notice someone walk up until they bumped my shoulder. I smiled and opened my eyes. Sitting next to me with her legs drawn up was Chloe. She smirked at me and I said,

"Go ahead. Say it."

"Say what?" she asked innocently, trying to fight a smile and failing.

I gave her a look and she laughed. "So what happened to 'I hate parties?'"

"I do hate them," I said. Smiling at her, I said, "But there's free beer."

"Always a great motive," she said. "You sure it wasn't for another reason?"

"I'm not going to say it," I said.

"You came to see if I was going to show," she accused.

"I didn't say it," I said.

"You did!" she said, grinning broadly.

"I won't admit it," I said, smiling.

"So, how long have you been waiting?" she asked.

I checked my watch and was surprised to see that I had been sitting outside for more than an hour. She saw the surprise on my face and said,

"That long?" she asked, "You must have really wanted to see me."

"Well, it was either this or sit at home in quiet solitude until my brother stumbles through the door at one in the morning," I said. "Course, now that I think about it…"

"Well, I'm glad you came," she said. "I now have an excuse to escape the drunkenness of inside."

"I'm glad I can be of service," I said. I took a swig of my beer and lowered it back down by my lap.

"So, how is the superhero?" she asked.

Confused, I asked, "Who?"

"Your brother?"

"Oh, right. Probably drunk off his gourd by now," I said.

"Maybe I should introduce my friend to him," she said. "They seem like they would be a good match."

"Is that why you're here?" I asked. "Your friend again?"

She turned her head, but I saw a blush creeping up her face. I smiled and said, "You came to see me."

"I'm not going to say it," she mimicked me. She kept her head ducked, but I knew she was smiling.

I gently used my finger on her chin so that I could see her face. I looked her in the eye and took a deep breath. "Do you want to go out with me sometime? Somewhere that doesn't involve obnoxious music and a theme of beer?"

She opened her mouth and shut it. Her face was serious, but there was a hint of humor in it. "There's something you should know about me."

"What?" I asked.

"I'm engaged," she said.

I dropped my hand and sat back. I was not expecting that. I'm sure I resembled a fish at how many times I opened my mouth to say something but then closed it when the words wouldn't come. Eventually, I turned away and looked down at my feet.

"You're not wearing a ring," I observed, not knowing what else to say.

"It doesn't really go with this outfit," she said. "Or with any of my outfits. Also, I worry about ants."

I looked at her. "Ants?"

"It's a candy ring," she explained.

"He got you a candy ring?" I sat up straight. "He couldn't at least get you something nicer. Plastic is even better."

"That's all he could afford," she said.

I looked back down. "This is going to make me sound like an ass, but why the hell did you say yes? He can't even afford to get you a ring that isn't made of candy."

"Well, most five year olds can't afford anything else," she said.

"You're engaged to a five year old?" I asked, looking up at her sharply.

"That's when he proposed," she said.

"How old were you?" I asked.

"Five," she said.

I nodded and looked back down. I heard her stand up. I felt her place a small kiss on my cheek close to the corner of my mouth and slip a piece of paper into my hand.

"Come find me when you figure it out," she said. She started walking away and I called after her, "Figure what out?"

"That would be cheating," she said before going inside.

I stared at the place she went in for a few minutes before I looked down at the piece of folded paper. I carefully opened it. She had written her phone number and an address down. I pocketed it and got up. I checked to make sure Simon wasn't making an idiot of himself and then fled.

…,,,…

Staring at the ceiling, I fingered the piece of paper in my right hand. Figure what out? What the hell was there to figure out? She was engaged and therefore I was back where I started. And home, alone in the dark. I closed my eyes and thought about what she said. She got engaged when she was five to a boy who gave her a candy ring. Like her, that seemed familiar. It was gnawing at me. I knew that it was familiar, but I could not for the life of me remember.

I heard the front door open and close and then two sets of laughter. I waited for Simon's door to close and I sighed. Another morning of waking up to find a strange girl standing in our kitchen. I turned my head and my eyes rested on my closet door. I sat up and looked at it. Standing up, I walked over and opened the door. The box I was looking for was buried underneath blankets on the high shelf. After being semi-buried, I finally found it. I carried it over to my bed and opened it. It was filled with pictures, mementos, etc. It was mostly family pictures and stuff like tickets to baseballs games I went to as a kid. As I was sifting through, I came across something that I forgot I put in there and I was confused as to why I would ever keep it. It was a candy wrapper. More specifically, it was the wrapper to a ring pop. I held it and turned it over, trying to remember why I would keep it. Something caught my eye and I reached down. It was the back of a school photo. Written in messy letters was the name CHLOE SAUNDERS.

I turned it over and smiled. A little girl with strawberry blond hair and big blue eyes smiled wide at the camera. I smiled down at it and looked over at the candy wrapper. Grinning like an idiot, I leaned back against my pillow and closed my eyes.

…,,,…

When I knocked a third time, I finally heard something on the other side of the door. The door opened and very sleepy looking Chloe looked out. She could barely keep her eyes open and was squinting through the hall light.

"Derek?" she asked, yawning. "It's three in the morning."

"I know," I said, rocking back on my heels. I leaned forward and planted a small kiss on her cheek. "I brought you something."

"It couldn't wait?" she asked.

"No," I said. "Hold out your hand."

She held out her right hand, but I gestured to her other hand. When she held it out, I gently grabbed it and slid a cheap, plastic ring on her ring finger, the kind you get out of a quarter machine. She looked down at her hand, confused.

"I figured you could use an upgrade," I said.

It took a few seconds to get through her sleepy haze, but she finally understood and smiled down at it. She looked up at me and I took a step closer. She took the hint and leaned up to meet by lips. I wrapped her in my arms and held on like I couldn't do so many years ago. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight. When we ran out of breath, I buried my face in her neck and refused to let go.

"I'll get you a new one next year," I said. "And every year until we're twenty five. And each year will be an upgrade."

"Why twenty five?" she asked.

"I figure at twenty five, I can get you a real engagement ring and then when we're twenty six…" I said, trailing off.

She smiled. "We don't have to wait that long if you want."

"We made a promise," I said, looking down at her. "And I intend to keep it. If you want thought, I can probably find a candy necklace to go with the ring."

She laughed and kissed me. "I still have it."

"I still have the wrapper," I said.

She pulled away and took a step back into her apartment. "Do you want to come in?"

"Actually, I'd really like to sleep," I said.

"I have a bed," she said.

"Sounds like a plan," I said, following her in and shutting the door behind us.

…,,,…

5 years later

"Where is that man?" Tori muttered angrily.

The window was open, so I could clearly hear her from my perch on the roof. I wasn't hiding. I just needed sometime to breathe. All day, I've been surrounded by people telling me how to walk, what to say, even the proper way to wear my cufflinks. I was probably holding up the wedding, but if I hadn't made it outside when I did, I probably would have stabbed somebody with those cufflinks.

"You're not thinking of fleeing, are you?" a teasing voice said beneath me.

I looked down and smiled and the blond standing on her balcony looking up at me. "I wouldn't dream of it. I just needed fresh air and quiet."

She held up her hand and I reached down and grabbed it. I carefully helped her up onto the roof and next to me. She breathed in and out deeply and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" I asked.

"You aren't the only one needing a break," she said. "I got scolded for wearing a hair pin an inch to high."

"Any fatalities?" I asked.

"No, but I wanted to," she said.

She looked out over the lawn of her dad's house in Buffalo, where our wedding was taking place. We would have used our own place just half an hour away, but it wouldn't have accommodated so many people. I followed her eyes and watched everybody working. For all the hard work everybody was putting into this, I felt guilty that inside I hated all of it. It was too much. When I thought of marrying Chloe, all I could think of was something simple, but special. This went way beyond it. I had specifically told Tori and Sam, Chloe's friend, that I didn't want anything too big.

"You want to run, too?" Chloe asked.

"What? No!" I said. I caught on to exactly what she said. "Too? You don't want to get married?"

"Derek," she said, cupping my cheek. "I want to marry you. But I don't want to be a centerpiece so some extravagant show."

I sighed and looked out over the lawn again. An idea struck me and I smiled. "Do you think you can find the minister and bring him to my dressing room?"

"Why?" she asked.

"I have an alternative," I said.

She looked a little unconvinced but she nodded. I helped her down to her own balcony and then escaped onto mine right next to hers. I listened to make sure that Tori was no longer inside my room and I slipped inside, where Simon was asleep on the bed. I shook him awake.

"What?" he said, sleepily.

"I need a favor," I said.

"Does it involve getting up?" he asked.

"Actually no," I said. "I need you to be a witness."

"Derek, if you're going to kill someone, it's probably best not to have a witness," he said, turning over and burying his face into the pillow.

I slapped my forehead. "I'm not going to kill anyone. I need you to be the witness while I get married."

"I thought I was already doing that," he said. "When does it start anyway?"

"It's not going to if this works," I said.

He opened his eyes and looked at me. "You're walking out on Chloe? What the hell, man!"

"Stop shouting," I said. "And no, I'm not walking out on her. I'm marrying her. Without the wedding."

"How are you going to do that?" he asked.

"If you wait here, you'll see," I said.

I walked out of the room and turned down the hall towards the stairs. I slipped down without being detected, but then ran into someone when I turned the corner. Before she could speak, I slapped a hand over Sam's mouth.

"I need a favor," I said.

She pried my hand off her mouth and said, "What in it for me?"

"A vacation to sunny California," I said.

She didn't even think it over. "Alright. What do I have to do?"

"I need you to be a witness," I said. "I'll explain upstairs."

"Why not?" she said. "The champagne isn't out for a few hours, so I have some time to kill."

I led her upstairs to my room. Chloe had found the minister and was waiting when we got there.

"The explanations can start at any time," Sam said, plopping down on the bed next to Simon.

I turned to Chloe. "You don't want an extravagant wedding and neither do I. If we go down there, we'll be whisked away and polished and shined until we meet someone else's qualifications for a wedding. But, all we need is to be married by the minister and have witnesses."

She smiled softly. "Did I ever tell you you're a genius?"

"Many times," I said. "And I'm not."

"You were smart enough to think of this," she said.

"More like desperate enough," I said. "Well, what do you think? Will you marry me?"

"Do I even need to say it?" she smiled.

…,,,…

Kit's POV

"Any sign of them?" Steve asked.

"I can't even find Simon," I said. "Maybe there's something in Derek's room."

We went in and I immediately saw a piece of paper fluttering in the breeze from the open window. It was held down by a ring box. I slid off the box and picked the paper up. I scanned it and smiled. It was a signed marriage license, complete with Derek and Chloe's signature as well as the minister's. At the bottom, Simon and Sam had signed as witnesses.

"Kudos, Derek," I said to myself.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

I handed it over and he looked it over. He threw back his head and laughed.

"Where do you suppose they are?" he asked.

"Probably on their way to California," I said. I looked out the window at all the people. "Now how to we tell over a hundred people that the wedding is off because both the bride and groom split?"

"Use them as an example," Steve said. "I hear Tino's is open until seven. Everybody should be gone by then. I'll grab Jenny and sneak the car around to the front."

"Sounds like a plan," I said. He left and I looked at the ring box still sitting on the desk. I opened it and smiled. The inside had been carved out to fit the candy ring nestled in ripped up cotton balls, something done by the hand of a child. I shut the box and set it back down.

Quietly, I repeated, "Kudos, Derek."

Okay, so I want to first apologize for the wait. I got a little distracted. I know that first part isn't exactly wedding related, but oh well.