Before I begin, I'd just like to say that school is raping both my motivation and my creativity. There's no excuse for my long pause other than a big writer's block, so I apologize for that. This fic was inspired by the picture that Atlus sent you if you did their survey. In addition to this story, I also made an image at DeviantArt illustrating an aspect of this story. It's my first attempt at fluff, so pardon me if I'm not such a romantic sap. :)

Calendar

The year 2022 had seen a massive fundraising push to help those who had been diagnosed and treated of PGS patients. Galas, donations, marathons had all been used, and yet Caduceus was still short of its monetary goal, needing just one final push to reach it. Many ideas had been postulated, but none of them were creative, practical, or in Tyler's case, legal enough to be done. Derek and Angie pondered out loud, throwing ideas back and forth, but nothing seemed to work. After the end of their shift, they went home, perplexed as ever.

It was Derek's time to cook dinner. Although the only thing he could make was spaghetti, he cooked it pretty darn well, and none of them complained. Angie was a great cook, but sometimes she purposely made Derek cook just to seem him grovel in that adorable way.

As usual, the kitchen was a mess, with empty sauce jars, cardboard noodle boxes, and salt scattered all over the counter. Sauce and water had also spattered all over the countertop, coating it with reddish stuff. On the stoves two pots boiled, one with the noodles, and one with the sauce, and like two volcanoes they sputtered and belched steam. Derek wiped the sweat off his forehead, turning the fire to the "low" setting. He decided to get out of the kitchen and cool down.

Entering the living room, he saw Angie on the couch, scrutinizing a photo album. Derek plopped down on the couch, making himself comfortable beside her and sharing in the memories. She turned the page to a picture of her that elicited a laugh from Derek.

"What's so funny?" she asked Derek, slightly annoyed.

"Ha, I remember what happened when we took that picture! I still have the scars from when you slapped me in the shoulder after that!"

"That picture was hideous! And you didn't even let me delete it!"

They had a little husband-wife catfight moment that ended up with both of them laughing instead of hurting each other. And they remembered…

Santa Monica, California. With its cool ocean breeze and its world-famous pier, it was a place where Derek had many memories. Ever since he was a toddler to when he was a college student, it remained one of his haunts, a place where he could relax. It was on this September day that Derek chose to share a memory with the girl of his dreams.

They sat on a bench, looking out at the billowing sea, forever churning and splashing on the dock. The ocean zephyrs played with Derek and Angie's hair, not wildly tossing it like the storms that blow across in the gloomy months. The sun shone, but its typical warmth was negated by the misty air that swirled invisible around them. And although there were throngs of people, the couple sitting on the bench seemed to be in their own little world. It didn't matter at all what they said or did. Just the fact that they were together in this dreamy world was reassurance enough.

The astute might have noticed that they were sometimes talking and sometimes listening to music on their MP3 players. Although Derek had the typical earbuds, Angie hated sticking those things into her ears, complaining that they hurt. Instead, she wore the large traditional headphones, which she felt more comfortable and more immersive. She had to be the only one who wore them, but she liked them. She had never seen any real need to share her music with anyone; Derek didn't like most of her songs anyway.

As their latest random conversation came to a close, Derek abruptly got up and announced that he needed to go to the bathroom. Angie watched him go off, walking into the crowd until he blended in and she could see him no more. The personal bubble that they had shared closed again, and Angie immersed herself into her own little world again, music filling her ears, wind teasing her hair, sea undulating slowly.

Derek returned from his bathroom break to find Angie sitting on the bench, staring off into space, listening to her music. The sight of her was breathtaking. He had never seen her before from a distance or really concentrated on the full form of her beauty, so the sight surprised him. Taking a digital camera out of his pocket, he sneaked up until he was only a few yards away from Angie. Seeing that she still didn't notice that he was around, he shouted: "Hey Angie!"

Angie turned her head to the source of the sound, reflexively raising her hands to take her headphones off and better perceive the person calling her. Her green eyes were wide with an inquisitive look, her mouth slightly open in a questioning sort of mood. The breeze had subsided a little, but still breathed on the locks of her hair. The moment was captured in time with a flash.

Angie immediately realized what was up. Her inquisitive look changed to one of annoyance that he hadn't allowed her to prepare for the picture. If anything, she hated people taking "surprise pictures" of her, which always ended up with her looking like a lunatic. She ran at Derek, who turned the camera around to let her see the picture.

"Oh my God! I look hideous!" exclaimed Angie as she tried to grab the camera from Derek. Unfortunately, Derek was taller and stronger than her, and he was winning this game of keep-away. Raising the camera above her head, he laughed at her childish attempts to wrest the camera away from him. Eventually, of course, he gave her the camera, but not until he had taken out the memory card and put it in his pocket. When she turned the camera on, she found, to her dismay, that the memory card had been taken out. And although she begged him for it, he wouldn't give it, so she contented herself with the satisfaction of revenge, administered to a massive slap on the back.

The contents were downloaded onto his computer, and Derek had somehow managed to protect the pictures from deletion with his computer skills. He eventually ordered a print of that photo and put it triumphantly in their photo album, but not before Angie gave him another slap on exactly the same spot on his back. If Angie couldn't get what she wanted, it seemed, a good payment of pain was her choice currency for compensation.

The two chuckled softly, a little out of breath, looking at the picture.

"I think it's the best picture we have. No kissing up to the camera…"

"Oh please. Just shut up already. Just because you don't care about your personal appearance doesn't mean I have to follow your bad example."

Angie wasn't as loud about it as she usually would be. Perhaps she was finally, unofficially conceding the fact that it was her most genuine contribution to the camera. But Angie was not one to change her mind easily, or at least admit the change. Just as Derek was going to press in further, the phone rang. It brought all the responsibility of the world back with it, as he remembered the spaghetti he was making, and as she went to pick it up.

Straining the spaghetti with a colander, Derek could catch bits and snatches from Angie's conversation: "Oh. Okay. January 5th? Four o'clock should be okay."

There is no idea more satisfying or inspirational than that which suddenly appears as a revelation to the mind. It was at this point that Derek suddenly had an idea that just might work…

"5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!"

The year 2023 had finally come after the plan had been acted upon. Now it was time to initiate the final step.

In the office in which they worked, Derek took down the old calendar, which had scenes of Hawaii on it. That was a happy memory, certainly, but it was not the only one he had experienced. He put it on his desk, which was for once devoid of paperwork. The replacement was coming up. Carefully, Derek took it and hung it on the nail in the wall. It was a fresh start, but that wasn't what made him smile. It was the woman that stood by his side that did.

"Since when did I become a pinup girl?" Angie inquired sarcastically.

"When you agreed to it."

"If this wasn't for a good cause, maybe I wouldn't have gone through with it."

"You are so beautiful…how could I not suggest it?"

"You are such a romantic sap." Angie embraced him, hugging him close to her. "But that's what I like about you."

"I love you too, Angie."

And the night wound down with a deep kiss.