Author's Note: A sort of short chapter... I may post another (longer) one later if I am encouraged with enough reviews... hint hint... ;-)


Emily hadn't changed much—if at all. Even though they had not spoken in quite a long time, it felt like they had never lost touch. In no time the two were giggling and joking like the old times.

"So, you brought a Halloween costume, right?" Emily asked as she rummaged through her closet for hers. She had been invited to the Venturi-MacDonald party, too.

"Uh, no," Casey shook her head. She didn't have time or money to spend on frivolous things what with little Brianna in the picture. All of her money went to Pull Ups and food for her daughter. She rarely bought anything for herself anymore. And those plane tickets to get here and back to Vancouver cost her a lot of money that she didn't have.

"Oh, Case, you've GOT to get a costume!" Emily immediately grabbed her car keys. "We can get to the mall fast. Hopefully everything's not—"

"Em, I can't," Casey stopped her old best-friend before she spontaneously combusted or something. "I don't have the money for that." She didn't want to go into detail about having a child who came with expenses. She didn't want anybody to know about it.

"Then it's on me," Emily insisted. "Come on, you've got to. It's Halloween."

"Em—" Casey began to protest.

"I insist," Emily grinned, pulling Casey up from her bed, which she had been sitting on.

Casey sighed at Emily's persistence and then finally gave her a slow nod. "Alright, alright. Let me just use your bathroom quick first, 'kay?"

"Yup," Emily smirked, pleased with herself. "You remember where it is, right?"

Casey nodded and took her purse with her down the hall and into the bathroom, where she shut the door and whipped out her cell phone. Dialling the number she knew better than her own, she called up her closest friend in Vancouver.

"Hello?" Kylie answered on the second ring.

"Hey Ky," Casey immediately smiled at her friend's voice, feeling a twinge of homesickness. "How's Brianna?"

"A little angel, as always," Kylie replied. "Hey, Brianna, you wanna talk to Mama?"

Casey smiled as she heard a tentative, "Mama?"

"Hey, baby," Casey's homesickness only grew as she heard the voice of the most important person in her life. "You being a good girl?"

"Yeah," the childish voice replied indignantly.

"Alright, you listen to Auntie Kylie, okay?"

"'Kay."

"I love you, honey."

"Wuv you, Mama!"

Kylie came back on. "How's the family?"

"Good," Casey smiled. She was glad to see how excited her family got when she showed up.

But, of course, the old house reminded her of so many things. That's why she had to get out of there and went over to Emily's.

"Thanks again for taking Brianna for the long weekend, Ky," Casey said to her friend.

"Hey, it's no problem. Matthew loves her company." Matthew was Kylie's one year-old son, who seemed to look up to Brianna like an idol or something.

When Casey hung up from her phone call, she went back over to Emily's room.

"Ready?" Emily grinned, fluffing out her curly dark hair. Before Casey could even reply, Emily was rushing her down the stairs and into the car.

"We gotta make sure we get there before all that's left is like… ugly monster masks and witch hats," Emily wrinkled her nose at the mere thought as she started up her car.

Casey felt herself relax for the first time in a long time as she sat back on the ride to the mall she had practically spent all four years of her high school experience in—well, the times she wasn't in school or studying. Feeling like she was a teenager again, she lowered the window down, letting the air blow through her long chestnut hair, and turned on the radio.

when the conversation turns to you,

I get caught in the "you were the only one for me" kinda thought,

And your face is all that I see

I know I can't go back, but I still go back.

And there we are, parked down by the riverside

And I'm in your arms, about to make love for the first time

And that's all it takes, and I'm in that place

Everytime I hear your name…

Stop thinking about the words I left unsaid

(Everytime I hear your name)

Stop trying to change the things that I can change

(Everytime I hear your name)

In my heart I know you're gone, but in my head...

I feel rain falling right out of the blue sky

And it's the 5th of May, and I'm right there staring in your eyes.

That's all it takes, and I'm in that place…

And there we are, parked down by the riverside

And I'm in your arms, about to make love for the first time.

And I can't explain, but I'm in that place

Everytime I hear your name

Everytime I hear your name

Everytime I hear your name…

Casey's sudden burst of childish glee suddenly darkened as her thoughts turned back to Derek. She knew she would have to see him again someday, sooner or later.

But, for now, all Casey could hope for was later. The later, the better.

She didn't think she could deal with seeing those teasing brown eyes and that taunting smirk.

Which Brianna had inherited both of.

"Case… you okay?" Emily's voice pulled her out of her thoughts as she put the car into park. "We're at the mall…"

Casey tried her best to put on a fake smile, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Let's do some shopping!"