Last chapter…

Heading back to college came right on time. A week after christmas was just long enough for Derek and Casey to reconnect again. Before they left Casey made Derek bring her to the shop where he bought the necklace from.

At the sound of the door chime an elderly lady's voice was heard. "Be right there!"

Derek knew in an instant that it was the same lady's voice. He maneuvered Casey in front of him. The elderly lady appeared… well… her bottom half appeared in the doorway. The lady felt her way around and moved towards them. "Hello!" She called out.

Derek and Casey both replied with a hello. When she finally made it to the counter she turn around to face away from them. Derek knew what was coming but he still looked away. As the old lady turned around Casey let out a large gasp. Yup, the elderly lady sure did have bug eyes when she put those glasses on. Derek gave Casey's arm a pinch. It was a small gesture to tell her 'I told you so.' "How can I help you two?" The old lady asked.

Derek stepped beside Casey. "Do you remember me? You sold me this emerald teardrop necklace." Derek motioned towards Casey's neck.

The lady's face scrunched up into a frown. "Is there anything wrong with it?"

Casey stepped forward. "No, no, there's nothing wrong. I was just wondering the story behind this necklace."

The bug eyed lady stepped closer and pushed her glasses up her nose. She leaned on her tiptoes to get a better look. "Oh! Why that's mine!" Derek just about swallowed his tongue when she cried out. He was just about to start insisting that she had been the one to sell him this item. But then the lady looked up at Derek, "Oh, I remember you." She smiled sweetly and rested back on her heels. "And you," she looked at Casey. "You are lovely."

"Thank you," Casey replied back.

"Well, I guess I can tell you both now that it's sold. That necklace used to be mine. My husband, Eric, gave it to me for our first Christmas. He was stationed in France during the war when he saw it. He said it was in a shop window. The family who owned sold it before the war to get out of Europe to escape. And the man who owned the shop was struggling. So Eric bought the necklace for more than what the shop owner was asking. He said that he had seen too many skinny people in France due to the war. The shop owner thanked him and told him that his family would eat in his honor. He even invited Eric back to his home!

My husband declined their invitation. Later the next morning he found out that the shop as well as the apartment housed above it was bombed that very night. When he came home for Christmas in 1946 he hesitated to give it to me. He had it wrapped and presented it to me. As I was unwrapping it he told the story and asked if I still wanted to keep it. I told him, "Of course I do! This necklace shows who you are. You helped a family in their hour of need. Even if it was their last moments you showed mercy to a family that was struggling. How could I give this up?" I didn't wear it often simply because I think it held a dark memory for him. But whenever he was away on business trips or for something else, I'd wear it. It reminded me of who he was as a man, a good man.

When he died in '98 he made me promise to give up the necklace. He wanted the necklace to see a happy life. So after he died I wore it for a couple of months then put it for sale in our shop." The lady stopped speaking then. She looked toward Derek and Casey. "You two are young." She looked at Casey, "You have a good man." She looked at Derek, "You have a good woman. You both are what I've been looking for. A couple to show the necklace a new happy life. Of course there will be struggles but I think you guys are in for the long haul."

When the lady finished telling the story she ask how they met. They spent the next two hours telling her how they met. They exchanged goodbyes and headed out holding hands.

DASEY

Casey and Derek made it back to campus around 9PM. They quickly unloaded the car, luckily they could just park in front of Casey dorm and walk their stuff in. Once Casey's stuff was in her room they left the dorm and headed towards Derek apartment.

Derek and Casey walked up their stairs with his things. Thirty minutes later, huffing and puffing from the walkup, Derek and Casey parked themselves on the sofa. After a few moments Casey got up to get some water. She grabbed another just in case Derek wanted any.

Once seated back on the sofa Derek spoke, "You should just spend the night. It's almost midnight and I don't think I can open my eyes to drive you back to your dorm."

Casey chuckled, "I had planned on it. I'm so tired I don't think I can move. Who knew walking up a couple of flights would tire you out so quickly."

Derek stuck his stomach out. "Coach is gonna kill me when he sees my stomach." Derek could already feel his anxiety level rising. He should've worked out more over break. He could even recall coach yelling at them to do at least an hour of cardio everyday. He knew that college boys going home meant going home to home cooked meals.

Casey saw the concern on Derek's face. A wicked idea came to Casey. She down her glass. "Well, I guess we'll have to rebuild that stamina."

Derek didn't catch on. "I have practice tomorrow. I don't think it's going to come back that soon."

Casey mentally rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to relay that we're not at our parents house anymore." She wiggled her eyebrows just for good measure.

Derek finally got the picture. He then flexed his arm muscles. "Well, let's get to this workout."

Casey couldn't help but laugh. Derek wrapped his arm around her shoulders and his other under her knees. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom kissing her neck along the way. Casey moaned and tilted her head to the side more to give him better access. Derek set her gently on his bed and followed her down. Casey opened her legs to cradle him. Derek kissed his way up and towards her mouth. When he finally reached there Casey took way too much pleasure in the fact that he tasted like the starburst candy he had been eating. In between heated kisses Casey realized that she wanted this everyday. Not only did she want Derek touching her and hold her… she wanted his laugh and smile in her life. She wanted to eventually come home and either wait for him or have him waiting for her. She wanted to fucking jump in his arms every time he held his arms open. That is where she felt most comfortable. In his arms, in his embrace is where she felt safe.

Casey felt immensely stupid for just now realizing this. When she had been away from him during break she honestly felt lost. They may not have been together for a long time but losing him to confide in was extremely difficult. He had quite quickly become her best friend… save for Kennedy.

Casey pulled back from his kiss. "Stop," she breathed. Derek stopped everything. He got up from her to sit back on his knees. This only made her love him that much more. She knew he would never really push to into something she was uncomfortable with… this was just the proof. "Sorry… I… Well, I was thinking-"

"At a time like this?" Derek interrupted her.

She laughed but then paused. "I think we should get married."

And there it was. Both Casey's and Derek's eyes bugged out. It was a statement that neither of them thought Casey would say. Derek didn't give her time to fully panic though. He attacked her. He fell on top of her and kissed her hard. Casey responded. Her lips would be bruised tomorrow. He practically fisted his left hand in her hair and the other in wrapped fiercely around her waist. It was the most dominate thing he had ever done.

Derek was flying high on Casey vibes. He was losing control of his wants. He pulled back just far enough from her lips to speak. "I know you weren't ready to say that. Hell, I saw it on your face." Casey opened her mouth to protest even though she knew he was right. Derek swooped down and kissed her again. Once he was certain that she wasn't going to speak he pulled back again. "The fact that you said it first is something…" he thought for a moment. "Well, I'll probably hold it over you forever. But, the fact that you said it first lets me know how you really feel about me. We are not getting married until we graduate. I already promised my dad."

Case wanted to open her mouth again. But again Derek kissed her quiet. "We are going to be husband and wife… one day." He demanded as he wiggled his finger at her. He paused again and thought for a moment. "So you wanna wait until the wedding day to go all the way or are we gonna be bad?"

Casey tried to hold in her laugh but ended up busting out. Her whole body shook as she laughed. Derek joined her.

When she finally stopped laughing Casey placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss. "I guess we can be bad," she whispered.

A/N: I know it was a short last chapter but it just kind of felt right to end it there. I really hope you all have enjoyed this story. I'm honestly really proud of it. Thank you for hanging with me until the end. *Shameless Plug*- If you are interested in Twilight fanfic- I'm currently working on another. Save me to your favorites and be on the lookout for more from me! Thank you, again!