Life With Derek: What Happened to Happily Ever After?

o2o

-Blast to the Past-

oPromo

June 2008

After two and a half years, there was no doubt they were going to the Prom together. They were the it couple and hadn't stopped being so since they got back together. Derek's stable popularity boosted Casey's place in school, not that she cared in the least. Everybody knew who she was and who she was dating. The name 'Klutzilla' was absolutely never used, and if spoken by those who were jealous of Casey being Derek's girlfriend, those girls soon found themselves in the farthest reaches of the popularity chain. Though some might think Derek's reputation would go down, he was still considered the most popular guy in the school. Now it was solely based on his hockey skill and easy going nature, instead of how many girls he'd had.

It was the 48 hour countdown until Prom day and Casey was going absolutely crazy. Usually a very organized person, she should have her dress already. Sadly, she had been too busy with exams and getting ready for her upcoming graduation that she kept putting off her and Emily's agreed get together's to go dress hunting. Because of this, her best friend had no dress either. She, of course, was going with Michael, given they'd been together since way back when Casey introduced them. She really wanted to look her absolute best, so she wasn't entirely happy with Casey right now.

Pacing her bedroom, Casey bit down on a pencil as she stared down at her event organizer. She was supposed to study for four hours tonight, she had an exam in a week that she hadn't studied for at all. But if she didn't go dress hunting today, she wasn't going at all. The next day was completely packed and obviously the day after that was Prom, so that's far too late. Growling with frustration, she went through her events again. The Mall closed at eight and it was four now. She's supposed to start studying, well now, and then at eight she was going to take some time to relax with Derek.

"Stupid prom," she muttered. "Stupid exams, stupid studying... ugh!" Hearing laughter, she stopped and looked up. "I'm glad you're enjoying my distress," she said, glaring.

Crossing the room, Derek wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple, before she could reply he yanked her organizer out of her hands and laid down on her bed. His eyes scanned over everything. "Still no dress, huh?" he asked, nodding. "So go now, it'll take you a few hours to get that done and then you can start studying," he told her, looking up.

Sitting down on the bed beside him, she laid back and placed her head on his shoulder. Pointing at the eight o'clock slot, she shook her head. "No, see, it's all planned out, so that at eight I have some free time with you."

Turning her face to his, he kissed her deeply, causing her to relax completely. Lost in the sensation his mouth was causing through her entire body, she sighed and forgot all about her schedule. Pulling back, he kissed her once more, quickly, and stared into her eyes.

"I'm going to have you all to myself at Prom," he told her. "That is, if you get out of here and get a dress," he reminded, smiling.

Nodding, Casey stood up. "Okay, I'll call Emily," she told him, reaching for the phone.

"What else do you schedule in here?" he asked, flipping through it. He ran a hand up and down her back absently as she dialed the number. "When you write, 'Spend time with Derek,' does that mean anything specific?" he asked, smirking.

Rolling her eyes, Casey listened to the ringing on the other end. "She's not picking up."

"Maybe she's 'spending time with Michael,'" he said, chuckling.

Finally, she heard Emily pick it up, her breathing was heavy and Casey wondered for a moment if Derek was right. "Uh, hey Em, I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

Sitting up, Derek gave her a look.

Slapping him against his chest, she shook her head.

Derek grinned, standing in front of her. Turning around, he wrapped his arms around himself and started making the 'make out' motions, just to bug her. Looking back, seeing her amused expression, he turned around. Twirling a fake strand of curly hair and pressing a finger to his lip, he pretended to be Emily for a moment. Then turning around as if facing the Emily he just was, he stood tall and squared his shoulders. Pressing a finger to his temple as if in deep thought, he slowly nodded. Then starting to undress himself, going back and forth between acting like a 'shy Emily,' and a 'smart Michael,' he rid himself of his unbuttoned over shirt and lifted up his long sleeved shirt.

"Yeah, Emily, you really are seeing Derek undress in front of my window, it's not a dream," Casey said into the phone, shaking her head and laughing.

Stilling in his motions, Derek turned to the side and waved to Emily who was smiling and laughing at him through the window. Scratching the back of his head, Derek walked back to the bed and laid down behind Casey. Pulling her back so she had her head on his stomach. He ran his hands through her hair as she listened to Emily talk.

"No, I really can go tonight," she said, nodding. "I'm not just saying that. I can go shopping whenever you want to," she said, honestly. "No Derek's not naked," she said, rolling her eyes. "Yes, he does look good without his shirt on." Feeling Derek's stomach rumble as he chuckled, she turned to him. "Really? Michael looks good shirtless too, I'll have to see that for myself."

Frowning at her, Derek shook his head.

"It's only fair, you got to see Derek half naked," she said, both to Derek and Emily. "Default or not, it doesn't matter. We should all go to the beach together this summer," she told her. "No, Derek and I aren't going to Cancun until the middle of July," she said, smiling. "Derek only wears shorts at the beach. You know for someone who has a boyfriend, you sure do pay a lot of attention to mine," she said, lifting her eyebrows. "Yes, he's terribly hard not to admire," Casey said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure Michael's the same though, he looks like he has a great body." Chuckling, she nodded. "Yes, I am enjoying the look of indignation on Derek's face." Sitting up, she smiled. "Okay, I'll be over in a few minutes."

"Finally going dress shopping, I see," Derek said, sighing and rolling off the bed.

"Thanks to you," she said, nodding.

"Good, I was worried you were going to show up naked," he said, shaking his head. "Then everyone would have to die," he told her, simply. "Every guy anyway." Shaking his head, he crossed his arms as if it already happened and was terribly sad.

Laughing, she stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed him chastely. "I'll see you later," she told him. "You should get some studying done while I'm gone. We have that English exam next Tuesday!" she called out, walking towards the door.

"Like Mr. P would fail me," Derek said, shrugging and following after her. "But I'll think about this foreign thing you call studying," he promised, wrapping his arms around her waist and walking downstairs with her. "Are you taking our car or Emily's?"

"Emily's," she told him. "I figured you might need the car."

"I might go over to Sam's. He keeps bugging me about studying too," he said, shrugging. "Last time I offered to come over and actually do work, Lindsey was there so nothing got done. Well, I'm sure something got done after I left," he suggested smirking.

Chuckling, Casey slapped his chest. "Why are you so obsessed in thinking all our friends are having sex?"

Laughing, he kissed her cheek. "I just want them to have the same happiness we do," he said, dramatically. "Are Michael and Emily?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. "I keep asking Mike, but he just gets all red and tells me I need to go over my Math homework again," he said, frowning.

"I don't know," Casey said, smiling as if she was completely unaware of what Emily and Michael do on their own time. "Michael being in college is kind of stressful on their relationship, but he does spend virtually every weekend at her house," she said, pointedly.

Nodding, Derek grinned. "See, what'd I tell you? All of our friends are doing-" Looking to the side, he saw his father walking towards him with wide eyes. Clearing his throat, Derek shook his head. "Doing their homework! It's crazy, practically an epidemic. I'll be sure to stick to my own though," he said, walking backwards. Looking over at his dad, he smirked. "Wouldn't want to give you a heart attack, or anything, pops!"

Rolling her eyes, Casey waved and walked over to Emily's house. Without knocking, she simply walked inside and upstairs. Finding Emily's door open, she stuck her head in. "Hey," she called out. "I was thinking, maybe Linds could come with us too."

"Are you sure she's not as Sam's?" Emily called back, walking out of her closet with a pink top and black pants.

"I don't know," she said, shrugging. "I'll call and see." Walking over to the phone, she picked it up and leaned back on Emily's bed. Tapping her foot, she listened to the monotonous ring of the phone.

"Hello?" came a soft, female voice.

"Hey Linds," she greeted. "Do you have any plans for the next couple hours?"

"Not that I know of, why?" she asked, chuckling.

Glancing at Emily who was shifting the same pink shirt and now a light purple shirt back and forth in question, Casey pointed at the light purple one. "Do you have a dress for Prom yet?" she asked.

"Not really," she replied. "I was going to see what Sam's wearing first so we could colour coordinate."

Smiling, Casey shook her head. "How about we get you a dress, and he can coordinate with you? Derek and him are picking up their tux's tomorrow," she explained.

"Okay," Lindsey said. "Hey, do you think I'm going to have to take my beanie off? Or is there some way I can wear my hair in a pretty fashion while wearing it?" she asked.

Laughing, Casey shook her head. Ever since Sam and Lindsey had started dating, Casey had never seen her take her beanie off. It was rather funny, given that Sam never took his toque off either. They were a match made in heaven though, they had the perfect personalities and got along perfectly. Plus, Lindsey was a very sweet girl, albeit slightly shy but she became more comfortable after awhile. Last year she transferred over to public school, to be closer to her friends and Sam, and it turned out to be a great move.

"We'll figure something out, I'm sure," she said. "We'll be out to pick you up in a few minutes."

"Okay," she said. "See ya then."

After hanging up, Casey told Emily to hurry up and then left the room to walk down to the car. The drive over to Lindsey's only took ten minutes, mostly because Emily doesn't follow the speed limit. She was sitting outside on the front stoop, so there was no waiting for her to finish getting ready. While they drove over to the Mall, Emily slipped a CD in and they sang along, to the worst of their abilities of course. Laughing, they completely ruined what might've been a good song.

Finding a parking spot near the front, Emily locked up and grinned excitedly at the Mall. "You guys don't think it's too late is it," she asked, becoming worried. "What if there's nothing left but lime green taffeta and bright orange mini dresses?" Her expression turned to horrified and Casey couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sure we'll find the perfect dresses, Em, don't worry," Casey told her, even though she was becoming a little apprehensive herself. She really shouldn't have put it off for so long. When they stepped inside, the Mall was booming with people. Since school was ending soon, the Mall was in a flurry of action. From guys finding their tuxes, to girls going through make up aisles and staring dreamily at corsages.

The first four dress stores were downers, filled with everything Emily had dreaded they'd have. But when Casey saw a bridal shop, she told them it was basically their last chance. "Bride's maid dresses," she suggested. "I'm sure they're beautiful," she said, nodding.

Looking a little unconvinced, they stared at her with doubtful expressions.

Taking their hands, Casey drug them over to the store. Inside, a collection of incredible white gowns were covering hangers. Asking a nice woman at the front where they could find something more like a bride's maid dress, and explaining it was for prom, she was directed to the opposite side of the store. Her eyes widened as she searched the racks of beautiful dresses of all colours and kinds.

"Jackpot," Casey breathed, smiling.

Lindsey was the first to find her gown, a baby blue miracle. It was sleeveless, with a tight and faintly flowered bodice and a floaty bottom that brushed the floor. Matching pale blue gloves reached to the middle of her forearm came with the gown. She practically glowed as she twirled around in front of Emily and Casey, a giant grin on her face as she nodded. Checking the price, she squealed. It was the perfect amount, she couldn't help but hug Casey.

Emily found hers next, she perfect dress for her personality. A pale purple dress that wrapped around her neck with thin spaghetti straps. A low V-neck, with a tight upper half covered in faint silver swirls. The bottom was layered with different pieces running around her legs. It reached the top of her feet, which she loved because she was a fanatic about showing off her shoes.

Finally, Casey spotted it; perfection. The top, ending just below her chest, was a bright white threaded with electric blue flowers in a well spaced out pattern. held up by thin straps over her shoulders. Falling from the white top, was all electric blue. Staying tight to her upper body, down to her hips and then flaring out with white satin underneath and the blue overdress slit into a thin upside down V pattern in the front, back and on the sides, showing off both the satin white and the stunning bright blue.

After excitedly jumping around, they undressed and bought the gowns. Emily gleefully exclaimed that they needed shoes, so they ventured over to a small shoe store and scoured the aisles for the perfect heels. Emily found her shoes almost immediately, given that she spent a lot of time in shoe stores it was expected. Silver strappy heels, only about two inches high. With a cris-cross pattern over the sides of her feet and a thin strap sliding over the top of her foot before her toes.

Lindsey only wanted something simply, so she found a pair of slip on white shoes, with a small heel. The front slip over her foot looked like a small bow tie, with pale baby blue circles over them. Two straps came out from the center of the bow, connecting to the shoe and helping keep the shoe on her foot. They were absolutely adorable and, Lindsey affirmed, comfortable.

Casey found a pair of heels that would bring her eye-level with Derek. Simple white, and nothing too exciting. A thin strap ran over the front of her foot, with wide ribbon ran around her ankle, connecting to the back of the shoes, above the heel. She found she could walk easily in them, without any problems, and they were generally quite comfortable. She was pretty sure half way through the prom, she'd kick any shoe she was wearing off anyway.

After buying their shoes, they headed home. Emily had taken the liberty of setting up appointments with three fabulous hairstylists and a makeup genius for the day of the prom. Casey promised Lindsey that she'd be able to wear her beanie, they'd just have to convince the hairstylist it was vital. After dropping her off, Emily and Casey reached home around seven, and though they were both tired, they were filled with a warm excited feeling.

Waving goodbye, Casey crossed her lawn and slipped into the house. Running upstairs, she dropped her bags by the bed and plopped down for a breather. Smelling something heavenly, she looked up to see Derek walking in with a plateful of very appetizing food. Sitting down beside her, he handed it over while peeking into the bags on the floor.

"Can I get an electric blue tux?" he asked, smirking.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. "No, but a blue shirt would look great on you," she said.

Nodding Derek walked over to her desk and grabbed her book bag; dropping it on her bed, he kissed her forehead. "Bright orange tux with an electric blue shirt it is," he said, smiling. Before she could reply, he left the room so she could eat and study.

-

Derek leaned back in Sam's passenger seat, rubbing his closed eyes. "Why couldn't we go tux shopping later?" he whined.

"It's one in the afternoon, Derek," Michael reminded, shaking his head. "It's not our fault you slept in."

"Noon isn't sleeping in, it's scary really," Sam said. "How do you manage to get up for hockey practice?"

"Before or after Casey?" he wondered, opening one eye. "Before her, I set up six alarms, and then my dad woke me up when he was sick of the noise," he explained, laughing. "After, to be honest I'm not sure how she does it. But she manages to get me up," he said, shrugging.

"I bet she does," Sam mumbled, chuckling. "We shouldn't be getting tux's this late anyway. Prom is tomorrow, we're going to be stuck with something falling apart, stained, and green."

"We had to coordinate with the girls," Michael said, sighing. "Emily's wearing purple, you guys have it easy," he told them, frowning.

After laughing at Mike, Derek smiled happily, "Case is wearing electric blue and white, I'm good."

"I forget what color Linds is wearing," Sam said, shaking his head and parking the car. "On the bright side, I get to wear my toque," he said, grinning.

"You're not even taking it off for Prom?" Derek asked, stretching as he climbed out of the Mustang. "Man, that things going to be with you when you're 90 and unable to change your clothes on your own," he said, shaking his head. Yawning, he started loping towards the Mall.

"Pale blue," Sam exclaimed, nodding. "I remember because Casey warned me not to get a powder blue tux or I wasn't allowed in the limo."

Snorting, Derek shook his head and flipped the collar of his leather jacket up. After convincing them sustenance was in order, they stopped at the food court and sat down to eat. Derek stared happily at the thick burger in front of him, beside his large fries and jumbo coke. Two apple pies sat in their boxes on the side with a large chocolate chip cookie.

"You're really going to eat all of that?" Michael asked, his eyes wide.

"I'm a hockey player, I have a big appetite," he replied, licking his lips.

Michael shook his head, picking up his small cheese burger and nibbling on it. He wasn't one for fast food, being someone who loved to eat healthy. But when with Derek, he lived a little and allowed the garbage that is greasy fast food into his system.

They had all become good friends over the last couple of years, after Mike agreed to tutor Derek in Math. Plus Emily and Casey always convinced them to go on double dates, to the movies or out for dinner, whatever. Then Sam and Lindsey started joining them too, and they became one big group of six. Though Michael was heavily into school and working hard at his studies, Derek found he was actually a pretty cool guy. He was funny and enjoyed sports, after Derek made him participate in a few group games of football, basketball, and hockey with his friends.

"He actually has the appetite of two hockey players," Sam said, shaking his head. "I guess it works, since he plays as hard as two players."

Grinning through a mouthful, Derek laughed at their grossed out faces. After eating his huge meal, Derek inhaled a deep breath and finally agreed to go find a tuxedo. He loved looking great, but the idea of spending hours getting in and out of monkey suits just wasn't his bag of chips, which he was craving since walking past a small convenience store.

After looking through six men's apparel stores, they were pretty sure they were completely out of luck. Becoming worried their girlfriends were going to kill them, they became slightly frantic, checking every where for anything that resembled a suit. Right before they left the store, sure they'd be beheaded by Casey, Lindsey, and Emily, they spotted the perfect solution. Of course, they didn't know why they hadn't seen it sooner. Right beside the Bridal shop was a Groom's apparel store.

"Duh," Sam said, slapping himself in the head. "Dude, why didn't we see this while looking over the Mall directory?'

"Maybe it was that one covered in gunk," Derek suggested, pushing Michael. "I told you to chip it off," he said.

"Did you see what colour it was? It had things growing on it," he told him, nodding. "You didn't chip it off either," he reminded.

"Because it was four different colours," Derek said, as if it made more sense for him not to, rather than Michael.

Laughing, Sam walked to the store, with Derek and Michael pushing each other and following him. Stopping near the front, their eyes ran over the black suits lining the walls. Derek whistled before crossing his arms and arching his back.

"Remember what Case said, nothing that'll make you gorillas look like a rainbow burst," he quoted.

"I don't look anything like a gorilla," Michael said, acting offended.

A woman walked over to them, a measuring tape hanging over her shoulder. Her dark hair was pulled up in a bun and her thin glasses sat at the tip of her nose. Smiling, she clasped her hands together. "Groom, right," she said, staring at Derek. "And you two must be the best men," she said, smiling at them.

"What?" Derek asked, furrowing his brow. "No," he said, shaking his head.

Laughing, Sam and Michael slapped his shoulders.

"Not for a couple more years," Sam said. "Married men die in college," he said, sighing.

"We're here because we need tux's for prom," Michael explained. "Do you have anything in a high school guy's budget?"

"Technically, you're in college," Sam said, pointing at him.

"Yeah, but I make no more than you do," he replied, shrugging. "Then again, Derek makes more than both of us combined."

"What can I say, boys? Business is great," Derek told them, following the woman as she motioned behind her. "Plus Casey's been working for Mac at the Diner. Things are going good, more than good, really. We already have enough for our trip to Cancun and since both of us have scholarships to college, we don't have to worry about that. Plus we have the first few months rent saved up for our apartment," he told them, raising his eyebrows.

"And you already have a car together, from last year when sales sky rocketed for a solid six months," Sam reminded. "How much longer do you have to make payments on it?"

"I'm done in September, it'll be full paid off," he said, grinning.

"How long are you guys going to be in Cancun?" Michael asked, leafing through a rack of suits.

"Three weeks," Derek said, pulling a suit out and grimacing at it's colour. "We leave in the middle of July and we'll be back a week into August," he said. "Then we don't run into too many problems with all of the other kids heading down and we're not there too late. We already have an apartment ready for August, but we didn't want to cut our vacation short. So we agreed to move in a week late. That way we'll be set up by the time school starts."

Smiling at his findings, Sam held a tux out in front of him. "How are Nora and your dad taking it?" he asked, examining the suit thoroughly.

"Every time we bring it up, Nora cries. She says she doesn't want her little baby leaving home," he told them, rolling his eyes. "And dad just smiles, I think he's happy I'm moving out." Shrugging, he pushed the next six out of the way, since they were brown. "It all works out great though," he reminded. "I mean, Emily and Lindsey are both going to the college a half hour away from ours. Mike, your transfer was approved, right?" he asked, looking back at him.

"Yeah, I'll be joining you guys in September," he said, nodding.

"Great, and Sam you were accepted at the same college as Linds, right?" he asked, chuckling when he found an orange suit with an electric blue shirt.

"Yeah," he replied, smiling. "Linds and Em managed to get a dorm room together too," he told them.

"See," Derek said, nodding. "And you guys were scared we weren't all going to be hanging out when we went to college." He snorted, rolling his eyes, and looking away quickly.

"If I remember it right, you were the one who drank a few too many Molson Canadian's and got all sentimental on us a few weeks ago," Michael reminded. "Moaning about how we were all going to run off to different colleges and never play hockey together. Then you accused me that I was happy I didn't have to hang out with you, because I hated greasy burgers."

Laughing, Sam nodded. "Yeah, we had to call Casey. Who fought with you for a half hour over putting your jacket on and going home. She told us you were still mumbling about it when she dragged you to bed."

Rolling his eyes, Derek shook his head. "So I was a tiny bit worried when Mike said Yale had called him and you were considering moving down to Vancouver to go to SFU," he said, shrugging. "I knew Linds would go wherever you were going, and Emily would go with Mike, so then Casey would be emotional. That was it!" he said, nodding.

"You were going to miss us," Sam accused, smiling. "Admit it!"

"Only if you promise not to hug me," Derek said, frowning.

"Promise," Mike said, glancing at Sam, who nodded.

"Fine," he grumbled. "I might've missed you a very tiny, little, almost unnoticeable bit," he said, shaking his head.

Grinning, Sam and Mike opened their arms and wrapped him up in a hug, which he shouted at and scrambled out of. Laughing at him, they went back to looking for tuxedos. Sam finally decided to take the one he found, trying it on and finding it was a perfect fit. All he needed was a different shirt, because the one it had with it wouldn't match Lindsey's dress. Searching around, he found a pale blue dress shirt with cummerbund and a black bow-tie. Letting them know he was done, he went to the front to pay for it all.

"I can only find purple shirts with ruffles," Mike whined, glaring at the tux he was holding.

Laughing, Derek held out a shirt he had just found. "Ruffle-less and purple," he said, handing it to him.

Sighing, Mike thanked him before trying it all on. He found the tux itself was too small, three inches too short in the arms and legs. Upon walking out, he was greeted with loud laughter from Derek, who actually fell to the floor, gripping his stomach. Frowning, he changed. The shirt was a perfect fit, so now all he needed was the cummerbund, jacket and pants. For once, he cursed his height.

Derek managed to find a great black tux with a black Sharpei tie and electric blue, silk shirt. Trying it on, he struck gold. Grinning at his handsome self, he changed out of his suit and found a black cummerbund before taking it to the front and paying. Finding Michael was still searching for his tux, he and Sam searched around and finally hooked him up. Thanking the woman at the front, they left with their bags and ventured over to a shoe store for black dress shoes. This stop took very little time and they were finally on their way out of the Mall, but not before Derek convinced them to stop at Orange Julias for refreshments.

They drove to Derek's house first because Mike wanted to go to Emily's and Sam needed to borrow Casey's notes from one of their classes. Waving goodbye to Mike, they made their way up to Casey's bedroom. Knocking, while opening the door, Derek found Casey only half dressed and hurriedly turned around to push Sam out the door.

"Sorry," he called out, glaring at his best friend. "Sam needed to borrow some notes."

"Gimme a second," she called back. A moment later, she opened the door, wearing a pink bathrobe. "I just got out of the shower," she said, blushing.

"I didn't see anything," Sam said, shaking his head and holding his hands up innocently. "I swear!"

Cocking his eyebrow at him suspiciously, Derek sat down on the bed while Casey searched her desk for the work Sam needed. After he left, Casey curled up on her bed beside Derek. "So, tell me what your tux looks like."

"Very colourful," he said, nodding. "Red shirt, yellow coat, blue pants, pink tie, and a rainbow coloured cummerbund." Turning to her, he grinned. "I even bought brown socks, just for you!" He said, tapping the tip of her nose.

Lifting an unamused eyebrow, she waited for him to tell her what it really looked like.

Sighing, he shook his head. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to hers. "You'll just have to see tomorrow night," he told her, before rolling off the bed and walking to the door. Smirking at her disgruntled appearance, he walked down to his bedroom and tossed the bags onto his bed. Prom was going to be perfect.

-

"One more picture," Nora said, motioning for them to get closer.

A combined groan went out between the three couples. The guys stood in the back, with their arms wrapped around the waists of their girlfriends. Derek rested his head beside Casey's, smiling; they stood as the first couple on the left from Nora's view. In the middle was Sam and Lindsey, wearing their beanie and toque and looking completely perfect. The last couple was Michael and Emily, grinning happily and dressed to perfection.

Emily had her hair up, dangling in soft curls down her neck. A shimmering tiara sat around her beautiful dark hair, thanks to her favorite hair dresser. Her make-up was light, a pale purple eyeshadow and black mascara with a bit of eyeliner. Pale pink lip gloss and a shimmer of light glitter over her cheekbones, brought out her already beautiful face. For jewelry, she wore a pair of droplet shaped purple earrings, thanks to Michael, and a dark amethyst cabochon necklace held together with sterling silver. There were about twenty oval shaped cabochon's gently sweeping down her neck and reaching to the middle of her chest.

Lindsey's chestnut hair was done in tightly wound, large curls that fell to the middle of her back. Her beany covered the top of her head, but didn't interrupt her hair at all. Faint silver eyeshadow was swept over her eyes with a light coat of mascara and eyeliner. Her lips shimmered with a sparkling light lip gloss and her cheeks were rosied with a pale blush. Her ears were adorned with light blue aqua bead earrings, that hung down with four different shades of blue beads. The necklace that matched was a tightly wound creation of four various sized beads, clasped together tightly and winding around her neck loosely.

Casey had her hair half up and half down, the top was wound together tightly and speckled with white pearl pins. The bottom fell down in small curls, reaching to the small of her back elegantly. A brush of light blue eyeshadow covered her eyes, brought out more by her dark mascara. Her supple lips were touched with clear lip gloss, that she had to reapply four times already because Derek couldn't stop himself from kissing her. Around her neck was a thin gold necklace, ending with three diamonds falling in a line, a gift from Derek for the night. Her ears were adorned with tiny stud diamonds, that her mother had bought her for Christmas last year.

Marti had shouted that she wanted to dress up too, so she put on a purple dress she hadn't worn since Easter and jumped up at Derek. Holding her in his arm, he let Nora take another picture and then told her if she didn't put the camera away, he'd hide it and not let her get the film developed. Frowning, she gave in and let them leave.

Derek, Sam, and Michael had each chipped in to get a great limousine for the night, which had already been waiting outside the Venturi residence for twenty minutes. Taking each others hands, each couple made their way to the long vehicle and slipped inside. Dinner was being served at the large Hall being rented for the Prom, so even though Derek whined he was hungry, he knew he was going to be eating soon. It was a short drive to the Hall, but they enjoyed themselves. They had the ride for after the Prom too, agreeing they'd all drive around and shout out from the roof.

The limo stopped outside of the building and the driver opened the door for each of them step out. Sam and Lindsey went first, stepping onto the red carpet that led into the open doors of the busy Hall. Behind them, walked Michael and Emily, grinning excitedly and waving at a few friends standing outside talking. In the recent few years, Emily's popularity shot up too, as did Michael's, even though he no longer attended the highschool.

For that matter, since Sam was already popular, Lindsey became known around the school too. All three couples were up for Prom King and Queen, even though it was against the rules for Michael to be nominated. It was rather amusing that he was still allowed to run. Posters were put up over the school walls of each couple, asking for votes. None of the couples participated, as none of them really cared who won. Everyone was pretty sure they knew who it would be anyway.

Lastly, Casey and Derek exited the limo, only to be greeted by frantic waving and huge grins from friends and admirers. Were they not in high school, they might feel like celebrities. Derek talked to a few hockey buddies, before they made their way into the Hall, to find their friends and sit down to eat. A nice meal of chicken, roasted potatoes and salad was served to everyone. A long table ran through the Hall, covered with laughing and chatting graduating students. Sam and Lindsey sat beside Michael and Emily across from Casey and Derek.

When the meal was over, they made their way to the photo stand for couple pictures. Derek and Casey went first; he wrapped his hands around her waist while she placed her hands over his. Leaning his chin on her shoulder, he whispered into her ear causing her to grin happily, smiling with her, the flash went off. The picture turned out perfectly, though they wouldn't get it until later. It had to be sent in the mail, which Derek thought was a rip since he spent twenty-five dollars on it. Sam and Lindsey, and Michael and Emily went next, while Casey and Derek stood by the refreshments table waiting for them.

The hall wave covered in white shimmering banners and silver stars hung on wires from the roof. At the top, a net held hundreds of blown up balloons, waiting to be released. Music played loudly in the background, to the happiness of the grinding and slow dancing couples on the floor. A few teachers ran out to separate some of the couples, before things got too heated. Derek had a got laugh at their expense, and resumed talking with Mike and Sam about the prank Brent was planning for Miss. Stubbs, the mean Biology teacher that kept trying to fail him.

When a great soft song came on, Casey dragged Derek away from the guys and pulled him onto the dance floor. She laughed when she saw Emily and Lindsey do the same to Mike and Sam. Both boys looked fairly apprehensive, but gave into their girlfriends willingly. They weren't exactly suave dancers, but they made up for that being adorable.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Casey tipped her head up to look at him. Derek's hands settled around her back, holding her tightly. They swayed beautifully over the floor, their eyes locked and their ears no longer hearing the music. Leaning in, Derek pressed his lips against the side of her mouth. Moving over her jaw, he placed feather light kisses across her neck and snuggled his face into her shoulder.

Chuckling, she ran her hands through his hair.

Sighing, Derek ran his hands up her back and held her tightly. "School's almost out," he reminded. "Ya think things will be the same in college?"

"In what way?" she asked.

"In all ways; how people look at me, my grades... us," he said, quietly.

Pulling back, Casey looked up at him. "Everybody is going to love you there," she told him. "Everybody you've ever known has loved you. You have nothing to worry about." Shaking her head, she smiled. "And hopefully your grades will pick up; after all, I know you're hiding your deep intelligence somewhere." Running her hand over his face, she inhaled softly. "And us, we'll always be like this," she said. "We'll always love each other."

Hugging her tightly, he lifted her off the floor and spun her around. "Promise?" he asked.

Laughing, she nodded. "I promise."

Hours later, when their feet were in a dangerous amount of pain, the principal went to the front stage and tapped on the microphone. "If I can get all of your attention, I'd like to announce the King and Queen of 2008's 'Everlasting Love' Prom," she said, grinning.

A collection of huge and excited whooping could be heard throughout the Hall. Couples cheered and pumped their arms into the air. Smiling, Principal Harris held up an envelope and waited for everyone to quiet down. It took awhile, so Derek finally whistled loudly to shut them up. Motioning for her to do her thing, Derek wrapped his arm back around Casey.

Nodding her thanks, Mrs. Harris grinned out at everyone. "The nominees were Emily Davids and Michael Taylor, Lindsey Forsythe and Samuel James, and our very own hockey team captain Derek Venturi and Casey MacDonald," she said, cheerfully.

Derek laughed when he realized the principal was likely voting for him to win. Casey chuckled at his extra excited introduction.

Sam and Lindsey joined them up near the front, beside Michael and Emily. Slapping Derek's shoulder, Sam smiled. "Congratulations."

"She hasn't even opened the envelope," he replied, rolling his eyes.

Emily walked over and hugged Casey. "Congrats Case," she said, smiling. "We'll trade tiaras later," she said, winking.

Michael shook Derek's hand, "The best man won," he said, shrugging. "Or the groom, in your case."

Sam laughed, being the only one besides Derek who knew what happened at the Groom's apparel store.

Lindsey smiled at Casey, "I'm glad I don't have to dance in front of the entire school," she said. "Then I'd have to put my shoes back on."

Laughing, Casey shook her head and showed her bare feet to them.

"And this year's Kind and Queen are..." Opening the envelope, she beamed out at them. "Casey MacDonald and Derek Venturi!"

The crowd whooped happily for them, while they laughed and ascended the stairs to the stage. Principal Harris placed a crown on Derek's hand and clapped her hands before leaning and kissing his cheek. Trying not look disgusted, he wiped at his face and stepped away from her. Laughing at him, Casey turned back to get her small sparkling tiara. Before she could leave, Principal Harris pulled her into a hug. Staring at Derek for help, she frowned while he laughed.

Finally getting away from their Principal, they walked down to the dance floor for the ceremonious last dance. Picking up her hand and placing a hand on her hip, Derek kept her close against his body. Her free hand sat on his shoulder. Her floaty dress moved around her comfortably as she swayed with him to the music. The balloons were let loose, cascading down around everyone, along with a burst of sparkling confetti.

Leaning down, Derek kissed her below her ear. "Have I told you how incredible you look tonight?" he whispered.

Smiling, she nodded. "More times than I can count, but it never hurts to hear it again," she told him.

Twirling her around, he held her back against his front and pressed his face against hers. Seeing her smile, he grinned back and kissed her neck.

"Careful, you're causing a jealous crowd," she said, glancing at the many adoring girls watching them.

"Let them watch," he said, shrugging. "They don't matter, only you matter." Running his hands down her bare arms, he entwined his fingers with her.

Halfway through the song, other couples joined them on the floor. From the corner of his eyes, Derek could see Sam dipping Lindsey. On his other side, Michael was twirling Emily around while she laughed. As the song ended, Derek continued to sway with her for a moment, waiting for the Hall to empty out. When the last few students had left, he turned her around and kissed her deeply; sending shivers down both their backs.

Taking her hand, they walked out to the limo where Sam was standing out of the roof window with Lindsey by his side. Slapping his hand down on the roof, he pumped his arm into the air. "Let's get this party started," he called, grinning. Turning, he wrapped his arm around Lindsey and caught her mouth in an excited, passionate kiss, lasting a few minutes.

"I told you those two were doing something less than innocent," Derek whispered to Casey.

Rolling her eyes, Casey shook her head and climbed into the limo. Michael and Emily sat on the other side of the car, cuddling together. There were three open roofs, the one Sam and Linds were standing in, another in the center, and one near Michael and Emily. As the car started moving, all three couples jumped through the roofs and screamed loudly. Waving happily to their highschool friends, they shouted with glee. Ceremoniously, each guy wrapped their arms around their girlfriend and kissed them in the moment.

The night went on for hours, full of memories, shouting, and throwing things out the window as they drove around town. They stopped at the Diner to pick up some food to go, which Mac was happy to see since his regular crowd was all out at their Prom's. Waving them off, he congratulated Casey and Derek on their King and Queen win, giving them free milkshakes.

As everything wound down, Sam and Lindsey were dropped at his house, and Michael and Emily went back to his place for their own celebrations. Casey and Derek decided to use up the last few hours riding around town and holding each other in the back seat. Casey sighed as Derek ran his hand up and down her arm, his eyes closed and a smile permanently stuck on his face.

The comfortable silence was broken my Derek. "You know what would be a great memory?" he asked, quietly.

"Hmm?" she asked, turning over and looking up at him from his lap.

"Making love in a limo," he said, opening his eyes and grinning.

Laughing, she leaned up. "You're in luck," she said, before pressing her lips against his. "We happen to have a limo for another hour."

Grinning, Derek ran his hands through her hair and held her closely.

Prom would be a night to remember, as would the rest of their days. Life was coming along great for them. There were no problems, no issues. They got along with hardly any fights at all, and soon they'd be moving on with a new life. Graduation was just a few weeks away and soon they'd be in Cancun relishing in the heat of the sun and making love on the beach. After that, they'd move into their very own apartment and start college. Life with Derek and Casey was perfect.

oTBCo


A/N WOW! That's a long chapter. I had no idea it would grow to be so big. But since each even will only be in one chapter, I'm sure you understand. I hope you liked this, I really enjoyed writing it. Please review, it's greatly appreciated.