PROM: Make Our Own Way

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

The only reason Erika was even at this stupid event was because someone had managed to screw up their dress and rip up the hem, and who else but Erika Bellefonte did they know who could actually fix it? Oh, of course; no one. Seriously, she didn't at all wish to be here. She'd much rather sit back at the manor, kick back and watch some kind of lame ass movie. But nope. Here she was, at school, in the middle of a room with people who ran around, acting as if this event really mattered. The past hour or so had been spent rolling her eyes and sticking her fingers with needles, because this girl she was helping just couldn't for the life of her stand still.

But that wasn't the worst part. Oh no. Someone had clearly found the idea of nomming her and Drew for Duchess and Duke - and somehow, they'd actually won too. Of course, Erika had tried to make a quick and easy escape, but nope. They would have none of it and she had practically been dragged onto the dance floor. And when they realized Drew wasn't present, they'd even set her up with some random college student to "fill in".

She had a feeling this was either Elsa, or Frank's idea.

So, here she was then. Standing in the middle of the dance floor with a dude she didn't even know the name of among the other winners, looking as if this was the last thing she wanted to do, and the last place she wanted to be. Heck, even her movements were stiff and awkward, and the guy just wouldn't stop staring at her boobs, which honestly, was even worse than everything else. Didn't these people ever get laid?

Maybe if she pictured being on some beach somewhere far, far, faaaar away it could make this evening a little more survivable? She doubted it. How long did this dance last, anyways? It already felt like she'd been here for hours, although it probably hadn't been more than a minute or two. She was almost tempted to ask the DJ if they'd picked out the longest song in history. "Where's SPECTRE when you need them...?" she muttered under her breath.

[Drew Conner]

Drew had never realized just how difficult it was to travel from country to country until he attempted to do so on ridiculously short notice. Sure, his family had use of a private plane (two of them, in fact), but with international laws, customs, and a whole suite of annoyances in place, it had taken far too long for the young man to finally find his way back home. His mind had settled on a singular goal the moment he hung up with Erika over a day before the plane had, at long last, touched down on American soil. The moment it had, Drew was on the phone. He had acquaintances on all levels of the Academy and, given the visibility of the prom, it was easy to discover Erika's whereabouts.

By the time Drew stepped into the dimly lit auditorium he was jet-lagged and utterly exhausted. He was at the end of his rope and had but a single nerve left that anyone ran the risk of getting on. Erika was seen at prom, that was all he knew. He moved inside, paying no mind to anything (or anyone) save his hunt for the familiar brunette. He was focused and driven, nothing could cause him to stray from his ultimate goal. And nothing could prepare him for what he found when he found her.

Drew had never been known as an angry or aggressive person. Even as a child he was always level headed and even-keeled. He hadn't expected the flare of anger that struck him as he saw Erika slowly moving about the center of the dance floor with someone who Drew was very certain was not him. Thankfully he was able to react in the way Conners were always taught to do so. He straightened his tie and broke the circle to approach the dancing couple. His hand came out to settle upon the other boy.

"I'm cutting in." Drew said sternly, the look in his brown eyes told Erika's unknown dance partner that there was no questioning this. Without waiting for a reaction, Drew stepped between them, taking Erika's hand from her impromptu partner's and squaring up in front of her. He didn't care that neither of them were dressed for this. He didn't care that they had strongly considered not even attending prom nor did he care that this was the first they'd seen of each other since the day he told her he was leaving. He was here, with her, the way it should have been all along. "I told you I'd come back." He said quietly, offering Erika s weak, yet hopeful smile as his other hand settled upon her waist. This was supposed to be their dance, after all.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

The familiar voice had Erika's head snapping to the side. Her brows furrowed as her clearly bored and less than pleased expression was replaced with an overly confused and caught off guard one. This was by far, the last thing Erika had ever expected to happen. Cautiously, her eyes followed her boyfriend's and she made no move to fight against it as she felt her hands being shifted from the idiot who she'd been dancing with over to Drew's.

Blinking the confusion away, Erika opened her mouth to speak, but the words seemed to get caught in her throat. What did you say to something like that, anyways? Her head tilted slightly as she processed the situation at hand and took a deep breath. "Wow," she spoke. "You missed your own crowning." Because obviously that was the right thing to say in this kind of situation (not). 

It was obvious that he hadn't at all liked what he'd come back to, but in a way, she could understand that. Heck, she probably hated the situation she'd found herself in more than he had. She did however offer him something of a smile, although it was still obvious she was caught off guard and still making sense of the situation.

[Drew Conner]

In an instant nothing mattered to Drew save for the girl that was standing directly in front of him. The music, the crowd around them, the embarrassed boy who was slinking away, none of it. Drew had spent the better part of 48 hours trying to get back home so he could have this moment with Erika, location or context be damned. None of it had crossed his mind even as he let out a low chuckle at Erika's response.

"I got here in time for the important part." He countered, offering a faint smile in Erika's direction. In all honesty he didn't give a damn about winning any sort of pointless title. He'd only been notified of it on his way to the campus from the airport. There was so much more at stake here than a fake crown, Drew found it hard to find the will to care about it. "Look, Erika." Drew's gaze found Erika's and held it. He'd spent far too long thinking about what he wanted (and needed) to say to her once he'd gotten home. "I accepted the opportunity to leave because I thought getting away would give me some sort of perspective on us and where we should be." He said, slowly beginning to move in time with the music. "All it did was show me that I am lost without you."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

She returned his smile. Mirrored it, even. Her free hand moved to rest upon his shoulder and she drew closer. Unlike her other dance partner, this was actually someone she didn't at all mind standing close to. In fact, she loved being close to him. She probably always would. That was the scary part. When she finally had realized just how madly in love with him she was, she was not at risk of only losing him (if it came to that, of course), but a huge part of herself as well. This was so much more than just a stupid high school fling.

Leaning in, Erika's head rested upon the boy's shoulder, her face facing his neck. "I don't blame you for going away," she said, her voice barely above that of a whisper. "I can't even hold it against you. I think it was easier to project it into sounding like it was your fault, than admitting that I was scared. Because honestly? I'm terrified." She had never been very good at expressing herself. He knew that. But that wasn't an excuse. She had snapped at him without reason, and he hadn't deserved that. "I'm sorry."

[Drew Conner]

The smile wavered but only because Drew found it hard to keep his composure in the wake of the emotional moment. He let out a soft, contented sigh as her head found his shoulder. This was far better than the tense awkwardness that had defined their last two conversations. There wasn't a trace of doubt in his mind that he had made the right choice in getting home as soon as possible. The moment he laid eyes upon Erika everything he felt about her came flooding back in full force. How he could have possibly thought there was any uncertainty in those feelings Drew would never know.

"Shh." It wasn't that Drew didn't want to hear what Erika had to say. He cared, he truly did. He wanted Erika to be able to divulge every tiny secret to him without fear but he couldn't stand her apologizing for where they had ended up. Their love was, much like the teenagers that carried it, imperfect. They both had their reservations and skeletons buried in their closets that would need to be cleared before they could hope to realize the potential they had. Now was not the time to discuss it. Drew had returned to the States with more clarity than he could have imagined. "It's okay. We're both scared." He admitted. "I'm not going to leave you. That I can promise."

Drew's hand fell to hers and he idly began to run his touch along her fingers, feeling the softness of her skin. "Erika, I love you more than I ever knew I could. You scare me because I know I'll never find something like this with anyone else. I don't want to screw it up. I don't want any stupid mistake I make to push you away. I-I'm sorry I hurt you."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika's eyes fluttered closed and she closed her mouth. There was plenty of things she wanted to say, but he was right. This wasn't the time nor the place for that. It could wait. Right now, Erika wanted to savor in the moment and enjoy as best as she could. They were two scared teenagers completely unaware of what they'd tossed themselves into. It meant so much more than Erika could even begin to fathom. It was like being hit with a ton of bricks every time she saw him. Even now, after a lot of uncertain days, the feeling she got around him was as strong as ever, unwavering. His promise didn't chase away the uncertainty she'd felt, but it did help a lot with making her feel a lot more at ease.

Her brows furrowed at his apology; He didn't have anything to apologize for. After all, they wouldn't have been in this mess had she not made the stupid mistake she had so many months ago. They wouldn't have been here had she known then, what she knew now. "I don't think you could push or chase me away even if you tried," she spoke as she lifted her head. "Come on," she said, nodding towards the exit doors. "Let's get out of here." Neither of them wanted to be here, and this was a moment she wanted for them to have alone, away from all the prying eyes.

[Drew Conner]

Erika's response was comforting, to say the least, even if he couldn't imagine a time when he would ever attempt to challenge her assertion. No, Drew had no intent on ever trying to push Erika away. He was too deep into it all to turn back now. If her leaving to the embrace of another only to find her way back into his wasn't enough to dissuade him he didn't figure anything would. Drew was in love. Hopelessly in love. Stupidly, ludicrously and utterly illogically in love. His sister had seen it and love was merely an abstract concept in her eyes. That he'd been so blind, or at least incapable of seeing the extent of it made Drew's head spin.

"Please." Drew had no desire to linger in the public eye any longer than they already were. He'd made his dramatic entrance and cut into the prom court dance that he should have been a part of from the beginning and that alone was sure to get some people talking. It wasn't that the boy cared, it was just obvious he enjoyed the time he and Erika shared alone more than anything. "The car's still waiting outside." He said as he took a step away from her, but only so he could turn and take her hand. "We have a flight to catch."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

A flight? What? "Wait, what?" she asked, her brows furrowing as she looked at him. Of course, she was in no position to at all doubt him, and to be perfectly honest, right now? Erika didn't even care. Her head was spinning, her heart was pounding and she wanted nothing more than to get out of here and just be with Drew. That was all she cared about. Everything else? The fear, the confusion, the insecurity? She could push that all away. It was crazy how easily she would have dropped everything if only he'd asked.

Interlocking their fingers, Erika gave his hand a squeeze. She didn't even bother looking around or waste any time telling anyone they were leaving. It didn't matter. None of it mattered. Nothing but what she felt right now, right here. The consuming emotion of love, adoration and hopeless surrender was all that flooded through the brunette's mind and body. She could literately feel it pump and pulsate through her veins, as if her emotions were working on high gear.

[Drew Conner]

Yes, Drew had just spent the better part of two days trying to make his way back into the country and get to Erika as quickly as possible. Yes, this had culminated in nearly 14 straight hours on a flight that landed directly in the airport in Kalispell. And, yes, Drew had been overjoyed that he'd managed to find Erika with ease and the surge of emotion that came with it was nothing short of overwhelming. He'd acted upon his heart, but his mind still played a vital role in this game. He had a plan, although it wasn't much of one.

"We're taking a weekend." He answered with a curt nod, smiling as he felt her fingers lace between his. It seemed as though neither of them needed to be prompted twice to begin walking off the dance floor. The music was still going but Drew had hardly noticed. The only thing on his mind was the warmth he felt radiating from the girl walking beside him. "I was wrong, Erika." He said quickly, his eyes shifting to glance at her as they stepped out into the cool, night air. "I didn't need to get away from you. I need to get away with you. This isn't something either of us are going to build alone. It takes two and we're going to have to work together." He knew they still had a long way to go and, for the first time, felt confident they could hurdle any obstacle placed in front of them so long as they stuck together. "So, I cleared your schedule, had a bag packed, updated your passport and we leave as soon as we get to the airport."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Was she surprised? Of course. One, she hadn't at all expected Drew to show up, and least of all with an actual plan. Erika didn't say anything. Not at first, anyways. Instead, she simply followed suit and stared at him, still obviously confused. "Wow," she said, her head shaking in almost disbelief. "You waste no time, do you?" Had the time been different, maybe she would have been more against this whole ordeal - considering how she hadn't really had much of a say in it, but quite honestly, right now, there was nothing else she really wanted.

Lifting his hand, she placed his arm over her shoulders and brought his knuckles to her lips. Brushing her bottom lip against them, Erika sighed. "Dare I ask where we're going?" Did she really care? Of course not. They could have gone to some sketchy town in the middle of nowhere and she would still have followed without as much as a single word of protest. "Well, I for one, cannot wait to work on this with you," she said as she tossed him a bit of a smirk.

And hey, she got him all to herself for an entire weekend. As if she was going to complain. 

[Drew Conner]

Drew allowed a hint of his smirk to peek out. Someone close to him and said if he felt strongly enough about something, to go out and get it. He would have to thank Eve for hammering that into his head. No, Drew wasn't about to waste anymore time. They'd already done enough of that by going around in circles the first time the got together and now trading doubts and insecurities like they were Pokemon cards for the encore. He knew what he wanted, knew where Erika stood in his life and that he would never feel right if she wasn't part of it.

As he had said, there was a black sedan sitting in the parking lot with a driver patiently waiting. Drew stopped and turned to face Erika while he answered her question. "No." He said, his head shaking faintly as he reached out to pull her into him. "I'm done wasting time. I'm through doubting the best thing that's ever happened to me." His eyes met hers, studying her features and committing every line of her face to memory. "I'm not letting you go again." He promised before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.

Once the young couple had settled into the back of the car, Drew glanced to Erika, his hand reaching out to seek hers again. "Rio." He said, smiling a bit. "There's something there I want to show you."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Allowing herself to be pulled in, the corner of Erika's lips tugged upwards into a soft, yet adoring smile. She was about to respond as she felt his lips against hers. Returning the kiss, the brunette chuckled softly, only pulling away far enough for her to be able to speak. "Good, because I'm not leaving," she replied honestly as she leaned in once more as her lips found his; exactly where they belonged. Where they should have been all along.

Her brow quirked curiously at the mention of the location they were headed to. Rio? Well, that surely didn't sound so bad. However, the last comment had her brows furrowing slightly. She wasn't going to ruin the surprise by forcing the answer out of him. After all, this was one of those instances where the brunette didn't at all mind being curious and diving head first without really knowing all of the information. She trusted him with everything she had and everything she was. "Well, color me intrigued, Mr. Conner," she mused, giving his hand a squeeze.

The previous awkward tension was fading, bit by bit. There was still some apprehension left, though, Erika suspected that came more from the lingering shock than anything else. She wasted very little time wondering about it. Leaning in, the brunette planted a chaste kiss at the corner of Drew's lips. "I'm really glad you're back."

[Drew Conner]

The moment the car door closed the snark, arrogance and calculating demeanor that was already weakened fell away. In its wake was nothing more than a teenage boy who had never been more sure, mentally or emotionally, about something in his entire life. There was no false sense of confidence or posturing for the crowd. Drew's eyes, soft and gleaming with the adoration and love he felt for the girl beside him, turned toward Erika. He was raw, exposed, no pretenses or deflection. He was Drew Conner, an eighteen year old who had found the young woman that would forever make him complete. And that scared the hell out of him.

"If I ever start doing this again you have permission to smack me upside the head." Drew said with a light chuckle. They were in this together now, for better or worse. He gazed lovingly at her, just relieved he was back in her presence again. He hadn't realized how close he'd come to losing her again until that fateful phone call that had prompted him to hurry back to Montana. "I'm glad you were still here for me to come home to." He smiled warmly as she kissed him. "If I would've lost you again, I..." He trailed off, head shaking as he refused to finish the thought.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, a grin touching her lips. The two of them still had a long way to go and this probably wouldn't be the last time they were faced with a challenge such as this. Erika was just incredibly glad that they'd managed to survive it. It made her believe that they would be fine. It would take time, of course, and sooner or later they would have to face the roaring crowd, but right now, none of it mattered. He was here. He was back. They could worry about everything else later. Right now, Erika simply wanted to enjoy the moment. "Hey, shh," she said, her brows furrowing as she reached her hand out to cup his face. "You're not going to lose me. I already told you. I'm in this for the long hold. No more running. No more leaving. Nothing."

Scooting closer, Erika rested her head on Drew's shoulder. Her hand dropping to circle around his shoulders and her eyes fluttered closed. "I love you," she whispered. "No amount of doubt is ever going to change that, and no amount of doubt is ever going to make me leave." She peeked up at him then and offered him something of a smile. "You're going to have to pull me away kicking and screaming." Not that she thought he actually could, of course. She'd fight like hell.