April 15th, 2003

"Come on, Dana," Lizzi said, "We're going tonight, no matter what."

Both Natasha and Lizzi, one of Dana's newer friends, looked at her expectantly. Lizzi was more impatient with Dana asking Alex because she didn't know Alex very well, if at all. She gave Dana a push towards the door and earned a light slap on the shoulder from Natasha.

"Okay, fine," Dana sighed, "I'll go ask him."

"Good luck," Natasha grinned.

Dana rolled her eyes and opened the back door. Alex was sitting in a lawn chair with his eyes closed, hands behind his head and feet propped up on the patio railing, taking a break from studying for a science exam. Dana moved closer and glanced at the book that sat open on his lap, probably no longer open to the right page thanks to the wind.

"What?" Alex mumbled, without moving a muscle.

Dana flinched and took a half step back, she could never tell when he was sleeping or just had his eyes closed. She had hoped he was sleeping so she could have a minute longer to figure out how to phrase her question, but that wasn't the case.

"Umm…"

Alex peered at her with one eye half open.

"Would you, uh, go…to the, um…mall with me, Natasha, and Lizzi?" Dana managed.

"…Why?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, we want to, umm…go dress shopping…for prom…?"

Alex stared at her with a blank expression, trying to process what she was asking. Dana fidgeted in place as she waited for Alex to answer her.

"Why…?" he repeated.

"Because Natasha's mom and Lizzi's mom are going too," Dana replied, "To pay for their dresses and stuff…."

"So you just want me to buy you a dress…that you're only going to wear once?"

"There are places that can rent dresses or whatever for cheaper," she offered weakly, "And I won't ask for any brand new ones."

Alex set his jaw and looked out at the sky, leaving Dana to continue waiting anxiously for an answer. After a minute or two passed, Dana couldn't take it anymore. She picked up his textbook, closing it, and dropped it on the ground before climbing onto his lap.

"What the hell are you— Why do you keep doing this?" he growled.

Dana didn't reply, instead she gave him yet another puppy-dog face. Alex narrowed his eyes at her, mentally willing for her to get off before she bent his knees the wrong way. But Dana remained exactly where she was. His glares never worked on Dana; something he wished would change, at least in situations like these.

"Get off."

"Please?" she whined.

"Will you get off?"

Dana nodded.

"Fine then," he sighed.

Dana giggled excitedly and wrapped her arms around him in a tight, quick hug. She hopped off of him and skipped back inside to her friends. They had been watching from the kitchen window and guessed from her happy reaction that Alex had approved. Lizzi called her mom from her cell phone, which she was lucky enough to have, to let her know that Dana would be going with them.

"Did you tell him we're going tonight?" Natasha asked.

"…oops."

"Dana," Natasha scolded, "You have to tell him."

"I know, I know…"

Dana waved her off, promising she'd let Alex know later. She waited until shortly after the two girls left, since they weren't planning on going to the mall until after dinner. While Alex was making their dinner, Dana was thinking of a way to tell him they were going shopping tonight; she knew he hated her short-notice plans.

"Did you get all your studying done?" she asked as he set her plate in front of her.

"I guess…"

"Wanna go do something tonight?"

Alex looked at her suspiciously.

"Like…take me shopping?" she smiled.

"Dana—" Alex growled.

"We were gonna go tonight anyways and I meant to ask you sooner," Dana said quickly, "But I didn't know what you would say."

Alex glared at her, annoyance all over his face, but said nothing. Alex ate his dinner in silence and ignored the numerous glances Dana kept giving him. When they were done, Alex stalked off to his room without a word. Dana plopped down on the couch and decided to watch TV while she waited. After a half hour or so, she saw a car pulling up to her house; she knew it was Natasha and her mother coming to pick her up. But Alex didn't know that. He walked into the living room and the expression on his face was enough to tell her to explain.

"It's Natasha and her mom. They're picking us up…?" Dana trailed off, hoping he hadn't changed his mind.

"…Fine," he grumbled.

At least they wouldn't have to walk all the way to the mall and back. A car was something Alex still couldn't afford and because of that, he hadn't even bothered with trying to get a license.

Alex followed Dana outside, locking the door behind them. Dana immediately hopped in the back seat and Alex assumed he was supposed to sit in the front seat. As soon as he opened the door, he paused and looked back at Dana in confusion. She just shrugged innocently.

"Our mom got called into work," Lacey said simply, from the driver's seat.

And I was worried this was going to be uncomfortable… Alex thought with a sigh.

While the two girls chattered away in the back, there was only silence between Alex and Lacey. He didn't make eye contact with her or even look in her direction for a second. When they got to the mall, Alex tried to keep Dana and Natasha in between himself and Lacey. Although, that didn't work too well because they went running to Lizzi and her mother as soon as they saw them. Alex cursed inwardly and followed the group of girls into the mall, attempting to keep a little distance from them. He would've just given Dana money and told her to go without him, but he had no idea how much a dress would cost.

The girls darted into the first dress shop. Lizzi's mom followed them in with a smile, but Lacey hesitated when she saw Alex take a seat on the bench outside the store.

"You're not going in?" she asked.

"Nope," he answered shortly.

Lacey rolled her eyes with a faint grin, leaving Alex to sit slouched with his arms crossed outside the store. He watched them through the glass when he could see them; the store was packed with rows of dresses that they could easily hide behind. They must not have found anything because they came back out about ten minutes later and dragged him along to the next store. Again, Alex chose to sit outside and wait. They did this several times, sometimes spending longer in a store if something caught their interest or they wanted to try something on. After going through nearly half the stores in the mall, Lacey decided to take a break and sit outside with Alex.

"You know, I'm kind of surprised you came along," Lacey said.

"How else is she going to pay for a dress?" Alex shrugged.

"True…" she sighed.

Silence settled over them again.

"You're not going to get all big-brother-protective on her, are you?" Lacey asked.

"It's just a dance."

"Huh…didn't think you'd be so calm about her going with someone."

"What…?!" Alex sat up straight.

"Oooh, she didn't tell you…." Lacey murmured, shrinking into her seat.

Alex glared heatedly at Dana through the window of the store they were in. Lacey shifted uncomfortably, hoping she didn't just get Dana in trouble; though she was sure Alex would've found out one way or another. She glanced over at Alex, who was now sitting forward and resting his elbows on his knees. She could see his jaw clenching and unclenching as he waited patiently for the girls to come out of the store, almost like a predator. But Lacey knew he wouldn't hurt Dana.

The girls took a while longer in this store than the others, but when they came out, Lizzi was carrying a fluffed up looking plastic garment bag; obviously, she'd found a dress she liked. Natasha skipped up to Lacey, telling her she found she sort of liked but wanted to keep looking. Dana was going to do the same until Alex wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close. Dana knew this wasn't a hug; he never did that for no reason.

"Am I in trouble…?" she whispered.

"Depends," he whispered back, "When were you gonna tell me you're going to the dance with a date?"

"Ummm…"

"When he showed up at the door?"

"No," Dana huffed, "I was gonna tell you when we got home."

"Mm-hmm," Alex hummed sarcastically, "We're gonna talk about this later."

He let go of her and scooted her forward as he stood up. Alex intended on following them into whatever store they went into next because now it really mattered what Dana planned on wearing.

He eyed the poufy, vibrantly colored dresses with disgust, wondering who in their right mind would wear them. Both Dana and Natasha quickly found dresses they wanted to try on and ran off to the fitting rooms to see if the dresses looked as good on them as on the hangers. Alex and Lacey waited outside the fitting rooms for the two girls; she couldn't help but laugh a little at him.

"So I was right," she smiled, "You are gonna be the over protective older brother."

Alex grunted, keeping his attention on the door of the room Dana was in.

"It's okay, I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

He gave her an annoyed look.

"Still not much for conversation, I see…" she sighed.

Alex ignored her and went back to watching the door. How long does it take to put on a dress? He leaned back in his seat, catching of glimpse of their reflection in a nearby mirror. He could see the downcast expression on Lacey's face and couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He told himself he should at least try to apologize, but no words came to mind. Instead, he continued to study the reflection until he heard the fitting room door click open. Dana poked her head out sheepishly, as if she was suddenly embarrassed by the dress.

She stepped out in a knee length burgundy dress, held up by moderately thick straps that met behind her neck. The torso of the dress was a little snug, but not too much. A simple bow separated the torso from the loose flowing skirt half.

"So….?"

"Aw, Dana, it's so pretty," Lacey said sweetly.

Dana smiled and turned to Alex expectantly.

"Uh, y-yeah. It looks good," he managed.

Dana's smile practically doubled as she turned and skipped back into the fitting room to put her normal clothes back on. Lacey gave Alex an amused look which he returned with a brief glare before looking away from her.

o0o0o0o

Author: well, I thought I was gonna do this whole thing with Dana's prom in one chapter but…that's not gonna happen, gonna be another two-part chapter…
and Casey will come up in the chapter after the next for those wondering