This was written for the LiveJournal community fanfic100 'Ultimate Fanfic Challenge'.

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The dress hung on the girl's closet door, its garment bag carefully removed in preparation for the big night to come.

It was a beautiful dress, a pale pink in color. It had slender spaghetti straps attached to the delicately patterned floral bodice and a full, floor-length skirt, overlaid with fragile netting. A pair of pink sandals were positioned just so underneath it.

The dress had been selected with love and affection by the young girl; one who was looking forward to spending a special evening with her best friend.

Her senior prom. The night promised to be one that stayed in her memories forever.

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Daphne fidgeted slightly on her dressing table stool as her mother finished the last touch to her hair. She looked into the mirror, meeting her mom's eyes. "Thanks, Mom, for helping me get dressed." Tilting her head from one side to the other, Daphne inspected her mom's handiwork. "You did a great job, Mom."

Mrs. Chanders reached over and picked up the dainty necklace Daphne had decided to wear, then fastened it around her daughter's slender neck. She leaned down and brushed her lips against Daphne's cheek. "I had a beautiful model to work on."

Giggling, Daphne jumped up and walked over to where her prom dress was hanging. She carefully slid the spaghetti straps off the hanger then undid the zipper.

"Here, let me help you with that." Mrs. Chanders gathered up the skirt and slowly eased it over Daphne's head, taking care not to muss her hair. The yards of fabric fell softly against Daphne's slim body as Mrs. Chanders zipped up the fastener, then adjusted the straps on her shoulders. She stooped down and fixed the hem where it had folded strangely in the back before circling her daughter, making sure everything was just so. She nodded finally, satisfied.

Daphne was slipping on her sandals when they heard the doorbell ring. "Oh, that must be Justin." She picked up a bottle off her table and spritzed on some perfume. The fragrance filled the room with a light, flowery scent.

Taking one last glance into the mirror, Daphne turned to her mother and said, "I guess I'm ready." She opened her bedroom door, and carefully holding her skirts up off the floor, walked down the hallway to the steps.

Both Justin and Mr. Chanders looked up. Mrs. Chanders hovered behind Daphne, brushing her skirt down in the back. Daphne stood at the head of the steps, grinning at her dad and Justin.

"Wow, Daph, you look beautiful!" Justin exclaimed as Daphne slowly descended the stairs.

Blushing, she pirouetted in front of him, holding her skirts out to her side. "Mom helped me pick it out." She dropped the fabric and grinned at him. "So, you don't look too bad yourself, Justin." Her fingertips ran lightly down the narrow lapel of his tux.

Justin's cheeks flushed slightly. "You're a goof, Daph."

"Okay, kids, we want to get some pictures." Mr. Chanders held up a camera and motioned for Justin and Daphne to pose. Justin wrapped his arm around Daphne's waist, pulling her close to his side. They both smiled as Mr. Chanders snapped off several photos.

Justin offered his arm to Daphne. "Are you ready to go?" She nodded and took the proffered arm as he escorted her to the door.

Mr. and Mrs. Chanders followed them out into the front yard. "You two have fun tonight," Mrs. Chanders called out as Justin helped Daphne arrange her skirt in the front seat of his mother's car. They both waved after Justin climbed into the vehicle and started the engine.

Daphne grinned and waved back as Justin backed the car out of the driveway.

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The hotel lobby where St. James Academy was holding their prom was crowded with the juniors and seniors who were waiting to enter. Daphne smiled and waved at several of her friends as Justin handed their tickets to the door attendant.

She grabbed Justin's hand, tugging him in through the ballroom doorway then stopped. "Wow, this is great!" Blue, red and yellow lights danced across the floor and music filled the room with a throbbing rhythm.

"Let's dance!" Justin pulled her onto the floor, and they quickly began swaying in time with the music. They were both good dancers, and thanks to years of practice together, they moved in synchronicity without the need for words.

One song faded into another as Justin and Daphne stayed on the dance floor, enjoying one of the last remaining rituals of their high school years. Occasionally they would switch off with one friend or another, but they eventually made their way back to each other.

After an hour or so, a slow song came on over the speakers, and Justin drew her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, nestling her head in the crook of his neck. One of Justin's hands pressed gently against the small of her back, the other caressed the skin of her shoulder. Their feet barely moved as they swayed to the music.

Lifting her head, Daphne whispered, "I'm so happy we're friends again."

Justin smiled down at her. "Me too. I'm glad we worked out all the weirdness of us sleeping together." He raised his hand and cupped her cheek. "I missed you these past few weeks, you know."

Daphne nodded. "I guess it was a dumb idea."

He leaned forward, touching their foreheads together. "Forget about it. I have my best friend back, and that's all that matters to me."

Daphne smiled, a little sadly. "Me too." Tilting her head to one side, she quietly said, "I'm sorry Brian didn't want to come with you. You two would look hot together in your tuxes."

Justin shrugged one shoulder. He replied, "I asked – that was all I could do. I'm just glad he's decided not to move to New York." His eyes twinkled suddenly. "At least this way, I don't have to steal his credit card to buy a plane ticket to go see him."

Hitting him gently on his arm, Daphne snarked, "You little shit! You're just lucky he came looking for you when you ran away."

"Yeah, but the sex was pretty hot!"

Daphne rolled her eyes at him and laid her head back down against his shoulder. She breathed in, enjoying the comfort of Justin's arms. They might not be boyfriend and girlfriend, like she thought she'd wanted at one time, but they were friends, and that was pretty damned good.

The tempo of the song changed; the pulse of the music became fast, upbeat. They moved apart and began gyrating to the music.

Daphne glanced toward the ballroom entrance and gasped as Brian hesitated in the doorway, looking around the room for them. She tapped on Justin's arm and pointed. "Hey, Brian's here!" She watched Justin's face as Brian approached them, her heart breaking just a little at the sight of his glowing expression.

Brian looked sharp in his black tuxedo and black shirt. He had a white silk scarf draped around his neck, which his hand played with as he came nearer.

After Brian kissed her cheek, he pulled Justin out onto the dance floor. She moved to the side, awed by the graceful way they moved together. She giggled as Justin slowly removed Brian's tuxedo jacket and tossed it to her. She was happy for her friend; she really was, especially when she saw the look on Brian's face as he kissed Justin in the middle of the floor.

Justin was loved, whether Brian wanted to admit it or not.

When the song ended, Daphne followed the two men out into the lobby. Justin broke away from Brian's kiss with a laugh and turned to her. "I'm going to walk Brian out to the Jeep and then come back to get you, okay?"

Daphne grinned and nodded as she handed Brian back his jacket. "I'll see you in a few minutes." She noticed Justin now had Brian's scarf around his own neck as they disappeared in the direction of the elevators then went in search of the bathroom.

As she exited, she overheard several of the other attendees talking in loud voices.

"…my God, did you see all the blood?"

"Somebody called 911…"

"…Hobbs was attacked by that older guy that danced with him."

Daphne gasped, instantly making the connection to Brian and Justin. She grabbed up her skirts and began running through the lobby. Ignoring the elevators, she flew down the stairs and into the parking garage.

She halted for a second when she saw them, her hand pressed to her throat as she tried to catch her breath. Brian was kneeling on the concrete floor, cradling Justin's prone figure close to his chest. Daphne ran over and fell to her knees beside them. "Oh God, is he…" her words trailed off as she frantically looked up at Brian.

His face streaked with tears, Brian merely shook his head, his voice failing him.

Daphne ran her trembling fingers through Justin's blond hair, silently praying to herself, "Please, let him be okay… please… please, let him be all right…"

Minutes, or maybe years later, Daphne heard the wailing of sirens getting closer. An ambulance rounded the corner of the garage, pulling to a stop near them. Several EMTs jumped out, rushing over with their bags and a gurney to where Justin lay. They pushed her and Brian away so they could work on Justin's injuries.

After bandaging his head wound and bracing his neck, the EMTs secured Justin onto the gurney and loaded it into the ambulance. She stood nearby, shivering, with her arms wrapped around her waist.

Brian looked at her as he stepped closer to the ambulance. "Can you get home, Daphne?" He glanced into the back of the ambulance, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before opening his eyes again. He turned back to her and stuttered. "I… I have to go… with him."

Daphne nodded. "Yeah, he'd want you there." She smiled shakily as she said, "You go on; I'll get my dad to come pick me up."

Brian quickly squeezed her arm then climbed into the ambulance, a bloodied white scarf clutched tightly in one hand. The last thing Daphne saw as the EMTs closed the back doors was Brian sitting beside Justin, holding his hand and stroking it gently.

Daphne bit back a sob as the ambulance drove away, its lights flashing brightly in the parking garage. She turned and stumbled toward the stairs, intent on finding a phone to call her parents.

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The dress lay crumpled in the corner of the girl's bedroom, forgotten. The floral pattern on the bodice and the delicate skirts were brown and stiff, stained with her best friend's blood.

The night would live up to its promise. It would stay in her memories forever.

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