chapter 20

Harper was now ateenager, thirteen years old. For his birthday he decided to go on another ski trip with his family and friends. He was determined to start his teen years with less cowardice, and figured that a good place to start would be to practice skiing.

They went to the same place they did before, the mountain resort. It was fun at first, they all went skiing played their Five Corners game, had a snowball fight, and various other activities. Well except for Angelica obviously, she stuck with the spa and other related recreations. This went on for a few days. About two days before it was time to leave, the gang got a new idea.

"How about tonight we go outside and observe nocturnal animals?" lana suggested.

"Sure, if it's okay with our parents." mallow  agreed.

"Count me in. You want to come to Harper  ?" Ash said.

"Well normally I'd refuse but I am trying to be braver so sure." Harper   said, a little nervous but willing to join his friends. "I mean the dark can't hurt you."

"Right, and we'll take flashlights anyway so it should be fun." lana smiled.

"I'm game." Sarah  nodded.

They went to their parents, who were all relaxing in the resort's dining area. Angelica and Susie were there too, along with bonnie . He wasn't at home sick because technically they were out on a birthday celebration, not a vacation.

"Mom, is it okay if we go out to observe nocturnal animals?" Ash asked. "We'll bring flashlights."

"Well...I don't know, even with flashlights you could get lost." Didi hesitated. "And there are coyotes and other predators out there..."

"Come on Deed our pups know how to take care of themselves." Betty said.

"How about Susie joins them? That is, if she wants to go." Lucy, Susie's mom, suggested.

"Sure, sounds like fun." Susie smiled.

"Well, okay then." Didi agreed.

"Great, come on!" Lana said excitedly, leaving the room.

Susie and the other Rugrats followed. They all went to their rooms to grab flashlights, bundled up in jackets, mittens/gloves, and hats, and headed outside.

It was a lot of fun, even though they didn't see many nocturnal animals. Most of them were scared off either by the glow of the flashlights or by hearing them coming. However, they were able to spot some owls, raccoons, and a colony of bats. They continued for another hour, but then Sarah  shivered.

"*Whew*, it's getting really cold out." He put his arms around himself to warm up.

"No kidding, we are at a ski resort." mallow  smirked.

"Still, Sarah  has a point. We should head back before our moms start panicking about us catching pneumonia." Ash jokes.

The others chuckled and started to head back, when Harper   stopped.

"Did you guys hear that?" He asked.

The others stopped.

"Hear what?" Susie asked.

"I thought I heard something move over there." Harper   pointed diagonally behind them.

"It was probably just another nocturnal animal." Lana shrugged.

But then, they all saw a dark figure starting to walk towards them.

"Looks more like a person to me." mallow  said. "Maybe it's a traveler who got lost and needs a warm place to stay."

Just then, the dark figure picked up a really heavy branch and stepped into the moonlight. Susie and the Rugrats gasped, this guy was wide-eyed and had a crazy frown on his face! He also had messy hair and torn clothing.

"Kids..." He said in an abnormal voice. "I HATE KIDS!"

He charged at them with the heavy branch over his head like it was a club!

"That's no lost traveler that's a lunatic!" Susie gasped.

"Run!" Ash ordered.

They all started to run back towards the resort, the lunatic following them and shouting random bad things about kids.

"For your information the two of us are teenagers!" Harper   called back, pointing at himself and at Susie.

The lunatic showed no sign of hearing Harper  .

"I don't think he has enough sense left to understand that." Sarah  muttered.

Meanwhile, back at the resort Angelica and the adults were now in the lounge drinking hot cocoa. Bonnie  was already in bed. The radio was playing classical music, the kind that wasn't too energetic yet also didn't put you to sleep right away. Suddenly, the music stopped.

"We interrupt this program to bring you an urgent message." The voice on the radio said. "A kid-hating lunatic has escaped from NutBox Asylum. He was last seen near Holm Oak Mountain. Parents please keep their kids locked inside at night. If you see a crazy looking guy call the authorities right away."

"Holm Oak Mountain!" Chaz gasped. "That's where we are!"

"THE KIDS!" All the adults cried out before rushing outside; Angelica followed.

Susie, and the Rugrats had a great head-start, and it looked as if they were going to make it back to the resort in time. Unfortunately, Lana suddenly tripped! Her cry of pain alerted the others.

"lana !" Harper   gasped.

The lunatic stopped and raised his branch at lana ! Harper   tried to run to Lana's rescue, but Ash beat him to it...by actually pouncing on the lunatic with an angry cry! and a gun in his hand and said you are under arrest Harper   stopped and he, Susie, sarah , and mallow  stared, beyond shocked. Ash was actually fighting the lunatic, trying to take his branch away! They had never seen Ash act like that before.he ssid Harper   get lana out of here 

Around the same time, the adults reached where Susie and the Rugrats were. They saw Ash fighting for lana safety, and also stared at the scene. Chaz, Kira, and Harper   then went over to Lana and helped her up.

"Are you okay lana?" Kira asked.

"I believe so, except I think I sprained my ankle." lana said, resting her injured leg by only standing on the toes part.

For a moment, it looked as if Ash was going to win, but then the lunatic tossed Ash off! Ash hit his head on a rock and fell to the ground unconscious! Susie, Angelica, the adults, and the other Rugrats gasped! The lunatic was now going to hit Ash with the branch! But then, Lana suddenly rushed towards Ash and the lunatic and knocked him out with a different branch that she picked up nearby! Lana then collapsed to the ground; she was so determined to save Ash that she temporarily forgot about her ankle.

Everyone rushed to them. Didi and Stu picked up Ash and carried him towards the resort. Chaz and Kira supported Lana so that she could get medical treatment at the resort too. Harper   followed them. Lucy, Randall, Howard, and Drew walked Sarah , Mallow , Angelica, and Susie back while Charlotte called the authorities on her cellphone. Betty stayed, holding the two branches in her hand just in case the lunatic might wake up. He didn't, he stayed knocked out until the authorities arrived. They put the lunatic in a straightjacket and transported him back to the Asylum. Charlotte and Betty then headed back to the resort.

Ash didn't have that bad a bump, so he was just put into his bed with an ice pack on his head. Lana had to get her ankle put in a slight cast. Other than that, there were no casualties

The next day, Ash continued sleeping for most of the day. Stu, Didi, Harper   and Bonnie  took turns spoon-feeding Ash broth so that he could keep his strength up.

Lana rested on her bed, and at one point mallow  and Susie came in to check on her.

"Are you feeling any better?" Susie asked.

"A little, except I'm so worried about Ash." Lana said, putting down the magazine she was reading.

"Oh I'm sure he's fine, the doctor who bandaged you did say that Ash should be awake sometime today." mallow  said comfortingly.

"Even so...girls, I have to tell you the truth."

"What is it?" Susie asked.

"I...I'm still in love with Ash. I lied when I said that I liked him for 'a second'. Actually, I've been in love with him all this time, but never admitted it for fear that it would harm our friendship. And then when Harper   reacted like that back when you all found out that I carved those initials on the basement wall..."

"I had a feeling you still had feelings for him." mallow  smirked. "No one has a crush for just 'a second'."

"Wait what?" Susie said, confused.

Lana and Mallow  told her the story of the TP and KF incident. Lana then added that she had mostly 'forgotten' about her feelings for Ash on purpose back when she first fell in love with him, but the TP and KF incident 'reminded' her.

"Girl this is great! You should tell Ash the first chance you get!" Susie smiled.

"But what about Harper  ?" Lana pointed out.

"Don't worry, I'll keep him occupied and convince him that it's a good thing." Mallow  smiled. "I did have a slight feeling that you two would make a great couple."

"Thanks mallow ." lana smiled.

Later in the afternoon, Ash woke up with a slight headache. Harper  , who was taking his turn to give Ash broth, found out first.

"Hey Ash, how are you feeling?" He asked, pulling up a chair to the bed.

"I've felt better." Ash chuckled. "How's lana"

"Lana's fine, except for a sprained ankle and worrying about you. Of course she would be worse off if she hadn't saved you after you got knocked out. Everyone else is worried too actually. Do you want me to get them?"

"Not yet, I need to talk to you first."

"What is it?" Harper   asked.

"You're probably wondering why I attacked that lunatic like that last night."

"Well, I do have to admit it was unlike you." Harper   agreed.

"It was-it was because of lana . Seeing her in danger like that...I just snapped." Ash admitted. "You see I...I love her."

Harper   looked surprised, but not angry. Even so Ash quickly spoke up:

"But if you don't approve I'll back off, I remember how you freaked out during that TP and KF incident so..."

Harper   raised a hand, smiling.

"No Ash, actually this is great." He said.

"Really?" Ash said, surprised.

"Yeah, listen during the TP and KF thing I overreacted big time. Instead of being jealous I should've been happy with the idea. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, at least it worked out in the end. Wait a minute, 'happy of the idea'?"

"Yeah, you see if any guy is going to end up with Lana it should be you. You're the best guy for her. Plus, I wouldn't mind having you for a brother-in-law." Harper   grinned.

Ash, annoyed and amused, took the extra pillow off his bed and flung it at Harper  .

"Hey watch the glasses!" Harper   laughed.

"Well watch what you say, come on Chuck we're not even in high school yet." Ash chuckled back.

"Still, the way we've gotten along together...remember back when we believed Angelica's ridiculous story about family trees and thought that we came from the same tree?" Harper   chuckled.

"Yeah, though it was understandable that we believed her. We still had a lot to learn about expressions and such back then."

"True." Harper   nodded. "So, anyway, you should tell lana your feelings when you're ready. I think she might've lied back when she said that she only liked you for 'a second'...I've learned that if she says things whenever she's annoyed or angry she usually doesn't mean them."

"Okay, when I'm feeling better and the two of us are alone I'll tell her. You can bring everyone else in now."

Harper   did. Stu, Didi, Bonnie , and Lana were very relieved to see him awake. So were the others, but not as much comparatively speaking.

"Bro it was awesome how you saved Lana, you must've been like an action hero!" bonnie  smiled.

"Nah, just a good friend who didn't want to see her hurt." Ash chuckled.

"We are proud of you for saving lana but please be more careful next time." Didi added.

"Come on Deed, Ash did a selfless thing back there let's not scold him for it." Stu said.

"Stu is right, Kira and I really owe you for saving Lana's life." Chaz agreed.

"Same here." lana said.

"You? Nah, Harper   told me you saved me after I got knocked out. We're even." Ash smiled.

The others expressed their praise for Ash's actions. They hung out with Ash for a while, talking about what to do next. They first decided to stay until Ash was better. However, Angelica then mentioned about a dance that she wanted to participate in. Even though it was taking place about a couple of days later everyone agreed.

The next day, Lana went outside for a breath of fresh air. She couldn't go far due to her ankle still being sprained, so she just hobbled over to the walkway on the first story of the resort. She leaned on a balcony and gazed at the view. Ash was now well enough to go outside too, so he went out onto the walkway and saw lanathere. He gazed at her for a moment, then went over to her.

"Hi." He smiled.

"Hi." Lana smiled back.

They enjoyed the scenery for a while, both of them working up the courage to admit their feelings.

Meanwhile, Harper   was inside when he saw Ash and Lana through a window. Mallow , Sarah , Bonnie , Angelica, and Susie saw Harper   seeing Ash and Lana . Mallow  and Susie immediately went over to him.

"Now Harper   I know that you were against Ash and Lana ending up together before but..." Mallow  began.

"Relax guys, I'm a supporter now. I was being stupid last time." Harper   smiled.

Angelica and Bonnie  hadn't heard of the TP and KF incident, so they were confused. Everyone else told them the story, and then Mallow  told them that Lana still loved Ash. Harper   added that Ash had feelings for Lana and was glad that Lana returned them. They all then watched the window.

Ash and Lana finally got the courage to admit their feelings...at the same time.

"There's something I have to tell you." They both said together.

They then looked at each other, stunned, and burst out laughing.

"Wha-what did you want to tell me?" Ash gasped, still trying to stop laughing.

"You go first." Lana was still laughing a little.

"Nah, ladies first."

"But a gentleman can go before a lady if the lady allows it." lana retorted.

"Okay fine, if you want to be like that." Ash pretended to be insulted.

"Hey you started it." Lana retorted good-naturedly.

"Actually we both did." Ash corrected her.

"Oh yeah."

They laughed again, though not as hard as before, and took a few moments to calm down.

"Okay, how about you go first this time and I'll go first next time?" Ash suggested. "We'll do it alphabetically."

"Works for me." Lana smiled; then she became serious. "Ash, back during the TP and KF incident...when I said that I liked you for only 'a second' I lied."

"You did?" Ash was surprised; then he remembered what Harper   believed about that moment and stopped being surprised.

"Yes, actually I loved you three years ago, I continued loving you...and I still love you." Lana admitted.

Ash smiled.

"I love you too." He said.

Lana smiled back.

"Really?" She said.

"Yeah, after that incident, when we all went out Trick-or-Treating together, I realized that I had developed feelings for you." Ash explained. "But I was still dating Rachel at the time, so I decided to 'forget' about my feelings for you and stick with being friends. Ended up working better than I thought, I completely forgot about my feelings for real until I saw you in danger. Seeing the lunatic about to seriously harm you...I snapped. During my fight with him I started questioning my actions, and that's when I remembered my love for you. I realized that I'd rather be dead then see you hurt. If you had gotten seriously hurt it would've broken my heart."

lanagazed at him, she was so touched that tears started to form in her eyes. Ash noticed.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, a little concerned.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine." Lana wiped her eyes. "It's just that...that was beautiful. Truthfully I felt the same way when I saw you knocked out, I even forgot about the pain in my ankle until the lunatic collapsed onto the ground unconscious."

Ash was now really touched, and had to wipe his eyes. Then he looked like he had just thought of something

"You know, I think my feelings for you was why I wasn't hurt when Rachel moved away." Ash realized. "I subconsciously must've thought that I finally had a chance with you. But then when she dumped me for real, it was mostly her words and not her dumping me in general that really hurt me."

"Yeah...sorry about the misunderstanding." lanasaid. "I really did feel bad when you were hurt for real."

"It's okay, and I am sorry for hurting you and our other friends when I lied beforehand." Ash said.

"It's cool."

They hugged. They continued hugging for a while, enjoying each other's warmth. They then gazed at each other...and kissed. Ash was overwhelmed, this was more powerful than any kiss he had gotten from Rachel. He then realized that Lana was the one, the one he would be spending the rest of his life with. Lana realized it too after she got used to the power of Ash's love.

Inside the resort, Harper   and most of the others pumped fists or high-fived with quiet cheers. Angelica was indifferent, mostly because she was jealous that Ash had two girlfriends before she could have even one boyfriend. Bonnie  didn't join in the cheers, but he did smile proudly.

"Way to go bro." He said.

Eventually the adults found out and they all supported the couple. Chaz was especially relieved, he was hoping Lana would find somebody trustworthy and sincere. Even though her friend Z turned out to be a really great guy the whole thing did have an impact on Chaz... he said i have to go see your mother and ask her something he went and asked if she could make a kimono for him for the dance she said yes and did 

The dance was an evening dance, combined with dinner. Everyone dressed in their best. Ash wore his kimono and sarah , Harper  , and bonnie  didn't wear tuxedos, it wasn't that formal, but they did wear their best shirts and pants. mallow , lana Susie, and Angelica of course dressed up. Angelica wore a pink gown, Susie wore a green one, and mallow  wore blue. It was Lana who really stood out though, she wore a kimono with lotus flowers on it. She also had her mom style her hair in a simple Japanese bun. lana didn't wear the makeup though, she just stuck with her natural look.she saw Ash in a kimono and said is that what you asked my mother about he said yes 

Everyone enjoyed the dance, but no one more than Ash and Lana . Ash's breath was taken away by lana beauty, and they danced almost all the dances. Especially the slow ones.

Harper   didn't dance that many dances, as he couldn't gain the courage to ask the girls there. That was the one thing he wanted to work on the most: his fear of girls. Then at the last dance...well, it was the slow dance. Ash and Lana and the other couples there danced it of course, but poor Harper   was off to the side. He hadn't felt this lonely since the mommy and kid dance during the reception of Lou and Lulu's wedding. He watched Ash and Lana dance, happy for them but also really sad. However, he wasn't the only one not dancing. Sarah  wasn't dancing either, but by his own choice. And then Mallow  came up to Harper  ...

"You okay?" mallow  asked.

"Huh? Oh hi mallow ." Harper   said, distracted. "Yeah I'm fine, I just want to join them in the dance, but I'm too scared to ask a girl to dance with me."

"What if a girl asked you to dance with her?" mallow  suggested.

"Yeah, that'll be the day." Harper   scoffed.

"Well there's a girl who's asking you right now." mallow  smiled hintingly.

"Who...?" Harper   turned to mallow . "Wait a minute, are you saying that you...? Is this a pity invitation?"

"No." Mallow  shyly looked away. "It's a sincere invitation."

Harper   was beyond stunned. Mallow  understood why, and led Harper   out onto the dance floor. Ash, Lana and Sarah  noticed and watched Harper   and mallow  with surprise. Mallow  helped Harper   find his rhythm, and they started to dance. Soon, Harper   got used to it and found himself enjoying it. Then when he looked at mallow , it was like he was seeing something new.

"So...you like me?" Harper   wanted to make sure.

"No...I love you." mallow  admitted.

They had just danced passed Sarah  when Mallow  said that, so Sarah  overheard. Sarah  dropped his mouth open, but then closed it, smiled, and shook his head. Harper   was surprised too, though he didn't recover as quickly as Sarah  did. Ash and Lana overheard too and smiled. They were glad that Harper   finally found a girl who loved him, and they were amused that it ended up being a girl they had known for about twelve years. Heh, irony.

"Really?" Harper   found his voice.

mallow  nodded.

"I just...always found myself connected to you, but it wasn't until last year that I realized that I had fallen in love with you." She explained.

Harper   smiled.

"Weird...I had always found myself kinda connected to you as well but never even thought of the idea of us becoming a couple. I guess it's because we're friends and all." Harper   chuckled.

"Yeah." Mallow  smiled. "Hey, remember the time Angelica 'married' us when we were babies?"

"Yeah, even though it has its downsides it was fun. I actually liked being married to you...even if it was just for the day." Harper   smiled.

"Downsides?" Mallow  frowned as if she was thinking. "Oh yeah, Angelica saying that we couldn't play with Ash and Sarah  anymore. That definitely was the worst part of the whole thing."

"Yup, but fortunately we were able to get around that."

Harper   and mallow  continued talking, and Harper   realized that he had fallen in love with mallow . Eventually, they kissed.

After the dance was over, the couples and Sarah  walked back to their rooms.

"So sarah , you cool about me and mallow ?" Harper   asked.

"Sure dude, I'm not like mallow  who ruins a relationship just because she's jealous." Sarah  smiled.

"Hey!" mallow  protested. "Come on, I already apologized for that! Besides, that was months ago."

"Well if I ever get back together with Wally..." Sarah  said.

"Don't worry, I'll let you two date without interfering." mallow  cut in; then she froze. "Wait a minute..."

"Whoa, you still love Wally?" Ash said.

"Yeah, and I think she might still love me back, I'm not sure." Sarah  smiled. "Wally and I only stuck with being friends so that we can be three friends instead of a couple and a sister."

Mallow  hugged him.

"Ew, sister germs!" Sarah  gently pushed her off.

mallow  just laughed.

"What you did, with Wally, was really selfless." She said. "You know Sarah , you may be gross and immature, but you do have a good heart."

"mallow 's right, that was cool of you to put her feelings before your feelings for Wally." lanasmiled.

"Eh, what can I say." Sarah  shrugged proudly. "If there's one subject I can make good decisions in, it's the subject of friendship."

Everyone else just smiled and continued walking to their rooms.

The next day they prepared to go home.

Time passed, and the two couples continued to date. Most of the time they double dated. It wasn't long before it became triple dating, because Sarah  got back together with Wally.

"Hey Wally." He said to her one day before soccer practice.

"Hey sarah , it's been a while." Wally smiled. "Say, I've noticed that mallow  and Harper   are dating."

"Yup, same with Ash and lana ." Sarah  nodded.

"I hope that doesn't make you lonely." Wally said, a little concerned.

"Me? Nah." Sarah  shook his head, smiling. "Actually I was thinking that we could get back together. mallow 's cool with it now and...I still love you."

Wally smiled.

"I still love you too." She said.

They hugged.

The first triple date was a blast, and at the end of it Sarah  and Wally had their first kiss. mallow  chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Sarah  asked.

"Nothing's funny, that was just a happy laugh." mallow  said. "You see any girl who can handle kissing a guy who likes gross things has to be the one for him. Meaning..."

Sarah  and Wally blushed.

"You mean sarah  and I might...?" Wally hesitated.

"Now obviously not, but in the future who knows?" Mallow  shrugged, smiling. "I will tell you this: I would like to have Wally for a sister."

Sarah  and Wally shyly looked at each other, still blushing, and smiled.

The three couples continued dating all the way into high school. It wasn't always triple dates, sometimes a couple wanted to go on a date alone or one or more of the group couldn't make it, but either way they all had fun.

Eventually they all graduated. Ash of course still wanted to become a director, but had trouble landing a job. Sarah  became a scientist in the field of mold. Mallow  continued soccer, but not as a player. She wanted to stay in town with the others so she became the new soccer coach for their old middle school. Harper   joined the police force, as the only major talent he had ever shown was mystery solving. Lana decided to become a stunt person, this way she could get in a lot of action without being away from Ash and her other friends too often. Angelica became a reporter for a fashion magazine, while Susie obviously became a famous singer. After Bonnie  graduated he became a marine biologist, specializing in dolphins.

One evening, Harper   took Mallow  to a park. They sat near some flowers (fortunately Harper  's sinuses had improved by that time). Harper   then kneeled and took a ring out of his pocket.

"Mallow , ever since I was two I had hoped of finding the right girl. But it amazingly took me eleven years to realize that you were the right one the whole time." He said. "Now that I know that you are the right one, I don't ever want to lose you." He held the ring up. "mallow , will you marry me?"

"Yes, of course I will." Mallow  smiled. "You know this time we're going to have a real wedding."

"Yeah...I hope I can memorize the vows. They seemed simpler back when we were babies..." Harper   joked, putting the ring on mallow 's finger.

"You'll do fine." mallow  chuckled. "Besides, we don't have to be that traditional, we can write our own vows."

"True, but I'd prefer the traditional ones since you don't have to worry about picking the wrong words." Harper   smiled. "We can just say the 'have and hold' and all that and skip the 'I dos'."

"That's a good idea, we already said the 'I dos' when we were babies so saying them again would feel redundant." mallow  agreed.

They had a grand wedding. Their parents split the cost and chores of the wedding. Howard handled the catering, while Betty booked the church, reception site, and a few other things that needed to be ordered (trust me, you do not want to get on her bad side). Mallow  and Kira took care of what the decorations should look like, but let Harper   and Chaz have second opinions on their choices. Harper   and Chaz also took care of the invitations. For the honeymoon Harper   and Mallow  picked Florida, where they could relax on the beach but also have adventures in the swamps.

However, they were planning to have their honeymoon much later, since they wanted to be at their friends/families weddings. Actually, the group decided to take all their honeymoons at the same time, even if they were at different locations. That way they can share their adventures and photos online through e-mail and web videos instead of boring each other later at home with home movies. And also, that way no one would be home wishing they were on an adventure while the others were. After all, they had always shared their adventures before and even if they couldn't be together they weren't going to let that stop them now.

Ash and Lana married next, since Ash wanted to get a job as a director first. Fortunately, after many tries he finally got a job at a studio where he could work his way up to head director. Everyone went out to celebrate, since they knew how frustrated Ash was about not finding a job before. They went to one of the fanciest restaurants in town, and had a lot of fun eating and talking. They then toasted Ash and his new job.

"May Ash become the most famous director ever!" Harper   said, raising his glass

"Hear hear!" Everyone else chorused.

Ash then stood up.

"Thank you everyone, this is one of the best nights of my life." He said. "But it won't be the last, I hope."

He took a small box out of his pocket and turned to Lana who was sitting on his left. He dragged his chair away so that he could kneel onto the ground.

"lana the years we've been together have been more wonderful than I ever could have imagined, and I don't want it to end." Ash opened the box, revealing a ring. "So, will you marry me?"

A few of the adults, like Chaz and Howard, started crying with joy.

"Of course I will." Lana smiled, trying not to cry.

Ash slipped the ring on her finger, got up, and they kissed.

Later, Ash and Lana discussed what kind of wedding to have. They decided on an American wedding, except Lana the maid of honor (her mom of course) and the bridesmaids would all wear kimonos. and ash said he was paying for the wedding However, Ash had a plan to surprise Lana and for this he needed Kira.

The day of the wedding, Ash was getting ready when Harper   and Sarah  knocked on his door.

"Come in!" Ash said.

They opened the door, only to be surprised: Ash was wearing a black mens' kimono!

"Ash, I...wow." Harper   was touched that Ash would do this for Lana .

"Whoa, you actually look good in a kimono." Sarah  was surprised. "And here I thought they were only for girls."

"Thanks." Ash grinned. "Kira helped me pick out the right one. She's keeping it a secret though, I want to surprise Lana at the altar."

"And boy will she be surprised!" Harper   said. "In a good way I mean."

"Come on men, time to get Ash to the altar so he can tie the knot and hang." Sarah  joked.

"sarah , come on, we know you're thinking of marrying Wally." Ash smirked. "No more 'ball and chain' jokes okay?"

"Okay, geez, can't a bachelor have his last few days of fun before he marries the one he loves?" Sarah  retorted good-naturedly.

The three of them chuckled as they entered the altar. Once there Ash surprised all the guests (except for Kira obviously) with the outfit he picked. The wedding march started, and Lana started to walk down the aisle in Chaz's arms.  Lana and Chaz were happily surprised upon seeing Ash's outfit. Tears almost formed in lanaeyes, and she smiled at him with love once she reached the altar. Chaz took his seat next to Kira, and the ceremony began.

For Ash and Lana's honeymoon, they went to Paris, France. After all, if Ash's dad hadn't been called to Paris about his robot Reptar and if lanamom hadn't been working for that company, Ash and Lana might have never met. And this time, Ash and Lana planned to enjoy Paris and Euro Reptarland without a bossy evil lady ruining things.

Sarah  and Wally married next. Sarah  wasn't the traditionalist when it came to romance, instead he kept it simple. He did add his own touch though, instead of taking the ring out of his pocket he pretended to take it out of Wally's ear. After that no words were needed, Wally knew what he was asking and accepted his unique proposal.

Their wedding was traditional, except a lot simpler. Sarah  and Wally only said 'I do', none of the rest of the vows. And their reception was a real bash, people popped crackers and snakes-in-a-can and only one dance was a slow dance. That dance was for couples only. Sarah  and Wally later had fun feeding each other cake - with their hands. Their honeymoon also took place at a swamp in Florida, except it was a different part of Florida.

Years passed, and the couples had kids. Ash and Lana had a son named Jerry, Harper   and Mallow  had twins (Mallow  became very sympathetic to her mom because of that) named Max and May, and Sarah  and Wally had a daughter named Penny Their kids became the new Rugrats

It started raining lightly outside and beside a shocked Ash was her, his love, his beautiful. lana Sarah  was right, she did return to him but she was in a state that he didn't like. She was all bruised and beaten and she was crying.

lana W-what happened? I thought you went with Z and his friends" he said.

"Ash I'm so sorry" she sobbed "You were right I did make the biggest mistake of my life for leaving you for Z. Please forgive me, if you don't I understand…" Ash knew he couldn't be mad at her right now and he pulled her in for a hug and then looked at her.

"What happened, what's with the bruises?" he asked, rubbing her face softly.

"Z has been beating me, I try not to make him mad but he just wails on me for no reason. The main reason why he does this to me was because I wouldn't… have sex with him…" she explained "Now I don't know if any of my family or friends will accept me back…" she cried.

Ash smiled "You know Harper   missed you very much."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, him, Sarah , and Bonnie  are at the mall; Come on, let me take you to them." He said and the two of them walked away to the mall.

Meanwhile Sarah , Bonnie , and Harper   were at the food court having themselves a bit of a snack. Harper   got some KFC, Bonnie  got a hot dog and Sarah  got some McDonalds. All three of them were chatting and enjoying their meals when Harper  's phone rang.

"Hello? Oh, hey T."

"What?"

"Ok, yeah I'll wait. Bye"

Harper   hung up the phone and put it back into his pocket.

"What'd he want?" asked Sarah .

"Ash says he has a surprise for us or something but he wouldn't tell me what it was." Said the redheaded teen.

Just then Ash came into the mall with Lana who had her hood back up. He looked around for the guys and saw them sitting at a table "Yo guys!" he yelled to them waving. They saw him and waved back and got up to walk over to him and the hooded lana .

They noticed the mysterious hooded stranger "Who's that Ash?" asked Harper  .

"It's your guys' surprise," he said.

"Who is it T?" asked his brother Bonnie . Then lanatook down her hood and revealed herself to them. Sarah  and Bonnie  were shocked and Harper  's eyes bugged out as he dropped his bucket of chicken onto the floor.

Lana said Harper   with tears forming into his eyes, he almost had a heart attack. "Where have you been all this time? You worried us all!" he said as he hugged his sister.

"Chuck I'm so sorry for leaving all of you, forgive me please." She asked sadly.

"Don't worry sis we all forgive you, we're just glad that you're safe and away from that green-haired bastard and his friends." She smiled at him along with Sarah  and Bonnie  and they smiled back.

Just then mallow  suddenly came up with her 'friends', lana saw her and was surprised of how much she changed but she ran up to her anyway "mallow !" she yelled happily. Mallow  was shocked to see the long lost purple haired woman in front of her, but instead of being happy she gave her an angry look.

"How dare you!" she said with venom in her tone which surprised lana . "How dare you betray us and leave with a person you don't even love? I mean if you thought Z and his friends were better than the people you've known most of your life then you're wrong. You're dead to me lana !" Lana was shocked by what Mallow  had just said and looked down in shame.

Then Ash, Sarah , Bonnie , and Harper   stepped in "Don't you ever talk to her like that again you hypocritical bitch!" Ash yelled.

"Yeah mallow  and to be honest I'd rather have lana back than you!" bonnie  yelled

"And you're the one talking about betrayal." Sarah  said "Remember after Lana left you got with T only to just flake out on him a month later? You're the one who should be ashamed!"

Next it was Harper's turn to be mad "And that whole thing of lana leaving to be with other people? Look at you, all you ever do with these girls is blab on about nonsense and bullshit!"

"Yeah mallow  if you would've been a true girlfriend then you wouldn't have turned out like this. If you say I'm dead to you then you're dead to me!" lanayelled.

mallow  wasn't going to have any of this, she just turned around in a huff and walked off with her 'friends'.

"Guys what happened to her?" Lana asked Sarah .

"Ever since you left she changed for the worst and ever since Angelica left school she also became the new popular girl. All she ever does with a group of so called friends is talk about clothes, shitty music, and Brad Pitt." He said with his arms crossed.

"Hey, you gotta be starving. Do you want me to get you any food?" Asked Ash.

Lana smiled "Thank you Ash" she said and hugged him. It felt great for her to be back in the group. After talking and eating they all got up and decided to do some shopping because lana needed some new clothes.

After shopping for an hour they all decided to leave. "Harper   can I stay with Ash for a little while, I don't feel ready to be reunited with Mom and Dad…"

Harper   smiled "Sure sis you can stay with him. 

They all said their goodbyes to each other and parted ways.

"Ash how come you and Harper   haven't been talking for a while?" lana asked.

Ash sighed "It's your parents" he explained "They thought I was useless and thought I just let you go off with Z and didn't do anything to stop it. Because of that, they wouldn't let me talk to Harper   and he was pretty upset too." Lana was horrified by what she had done but she was trying not to think it was his entire fault.

It had started to pour down and the only thing they had to shield them from the rain was Ash's jacket. Ash, Bonnie , and Lana finally reached the Pickles house and got inside to dry off.

"Mom we're home!" bonnie  called. Didi walked out of the kitchen to greet her sons but was shocked to see the third person standing with them.

"Lana," she said astonished.

"Hey Mrs. Pickles,``Lana nervously said.

"Stu come up here quick!" Didi shouted in the basement.

Stu came up with a screwdriver in his hands and nearly finished the new toy he was working on "What is it Deed? I'm almost finished with the…" before he finished he saw lana with Ash and bonnie . lana he said "W-what? H-how?" he asked in total shock.

"Lana came to her senses dad and left Z to come back home to us, she feels guilty about the whole runaway thing." Ash said.

"How ironic" said Didi "Today was the day she left and now she's back home." Lana blushed a little knowing that they still loved her and she went up to hug Stu and Didi.

"Lana you must be filthy, how about you go up and take a shower?" said Stu and lananodded with a smile. After her shower she put on the new set of pajamas that were lying on the couch.

"Thanks for letting me stay here Ash," she said happily.

Ash smiled at her "Anything for you babe" he said and kissed her on the cheek. Stu and Didi were secretly watching them in the other room.

"What a great couple." Said Didi

"Yeah. Remember when we did that in front of our parents and it started the feud between my dad and your dad" Stu laughed.

Didi giggled back "Yes Darling" she said and continued to watch the two lovers spend time with each other.

Later on that night lanawas sleeping on the fold out bed from the couch that Stu put out for her. Ash crept quietly down the stairs and walked over to lanabed, he got next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Ash is that you? She asked.

"Yeah, couldn't sleep in my room sorry if I woke you up." He whispered.

"It's alright I'm really enjoying your company right now" she whispered back and the couple went to sleep.

The next morning

Ash woke up before everyone else and went into the kitchen to make breakfast for lanaand himself. By then Lana woke up and went into the kitchen to see Ash cooking breakfast for her which was scrambled eggs, toast, and OJ.

"Breakfast m'lady?" asked Ash.

lana giggled "Why yes, thank you sir." Ash gave lanaher breakfast and poured himself a bowl of cereal. They both took their breakfast to the living room and turned on the TV to the Dummy Bears show.

"Ain't you guys too old for this crap?" laughed bonnie .

Ash blushed "Shut the hell up bonnie !" he said which made lanalaugh too.

Later that afternoon

Ash and Lana were in the backyard screwing around with each other while having a laugh. Then they climbed into the tree house that the gang made back in the old days after their parents took TV from them.

"I remember when we first built this thing, remember when bonnie  accidentally got his shirt caught on the zip line and he swung down into the pool when it was unfinished?" he laughed. "Yeah, it's a good thing he didn't break his neck." lana laughed. After the two got into the tree house they laid on the floor and enjoyed the peaceful silence.

"lana can I ask you something?" Ash later said breaking the silence.

"Yes Ash?"

"What exactly happened between you and Z?" He asked curiously.

"Ummm, I… I don't really want to talk about it Ash" she quivered.

"But lana I really need to know. If you keep hiding it in like this then it's going to kill you." He said.

"NO! NO! NO! I CAN'T TELL YOU!" she panicked and rushed back into the house with Ash chasing after her.

"lana WAIT!" he called but she ran up to the bathroom and locked the door.

"Lana, please open up I'm sorry!" he shouted.

"Go away!" she shouted back.

Ash just sighed and admitted defeat. He then went down to the living room and turned on the TV. When he couldn't find anything good he just laid his head back in the chair and fell asleep.

Later on he was awakened by someone shaking him softly. Ash opened his eyes and saw lana .

"Oh, hey…" he said sadly.

"Ash I'm sorry about earlier I…" but she was interrupted by Ash.

"No lana, I'm sorry I shouldn't have kept pushing you to talk about it when you didn't want to. You can tell me when you're ready." He said and they hugged.

"Ash it's ok and you're right if I keep it bottled up inside then it's gonna kill me" Ash nodded his head and Lana started telling the story.

August 15th, 2011 (One week earlier)

Lana Z, and his friends Kameron, Daniel, and David were hanging around a campfire in the woods and things were going to turn ugly because Z was wasted.

"Yo Kam pass the scotch." This would've been Z's tenth scotch and he became very, very drunk.

He then turned to lanaand said "Hey boot girl ya want some?" he said with his drunken tone.

"No thanks Z, I don't drink." she said and for some reason it pissed Z off so much and he went up and slapped her across the face. Everyone except Kameron laughed at her. Lana was so scared she just wanted to run away.

"How about you and me go to the back of the van and do it?" he said seductively. He was about to grab her until she kicked him in the groin and ran for her dear life. Z was groaning in pain as Lana ran into the forest. She just kept running and running until she was out of sight. Right there she sat down in the middle of the forest and started crying until Kameron walked up. He was the only nice one to her.

"Hey lana you alright?" he asked.

"What the hell do you want? Shouldn't you be with Z and the other two?" she said with darkness in her voice.

"I should be but I just wanted to check up on ya, that was pretty impressive what you did. I've been really wanting to do that to him for a long time because of the shit he used to give me." He said and noticed that she was crying.

"What's with the tears?" he asked.

"It was a huge coming out here on this trip!" She sobbed "I just thought I was ready to set out on my own but I was wrong. I broke up with the best boyfriend I ever had and now I know he probably hates me along with my family and friends."

Kameron thought for a second and got out his wallet "Here take this, I got a hundred bucks and it should be enough to get a train ride back to LA"

She looked at the hundred dollar bill "Oh Kam I can't, what will Z think?" she sacredly asked.

"Z won't think shit, I'll just tell him I lost my wallet in the forest." He said winking at her. "No dumbass friend of mine is gonna let your life go into ruins." He said. Lana smiled and hugged him.

"Thank you Kameron, I'll never forget you. If I find the cops I'll tell them to let you free and escape Z." She said and Kameron gave her a kiss on the cheek for good luck.

"The train station should be further that way." He said pointing north. "Get back home safe hon." He whispered to her.

Lana nodded and raced away to the nearest train station.

Today

"And so five days later I'm home." She said, finishing her story.

By then Ash was feeling angry, sad, and shocked for Lana and all the things Z did to her. "Well" he said "Now you're safe here with me and there's nothing that'll hurt you now. If I see that Kameron guy I'm gonna thank him for what he did to help you." And then Ash hugged her and hummed "Let it be" from the Beatles to comfort her.

The day had finally come for Lana to be reunited with Chaz and Kira again. Harper   was pretty happy when he heard the news from Ash that his family was going to be whole again.

"This is great!" he said cheering to himself "lana is finally coming home!" Ash smiled at his friend. Later that evening Stu and Didi had invited Chaz and Kira, Lana was nervous because this is her first time seeing her parents in two years. Ash noticed this.

"Hey, don't worry I'll always be here if things go south." He said smiling.

Lana smiled back "Thanks Ash, you're the best." She said and gave him a kiss.

Soon Harper   and Lana's parents arrived and Stu and Didi let them in. Kira was very anxious to finally see her only daughter, she thought she had been gone for good.

"lana  are you here?" She called me "Mom?" Lana said behind her and Kira spun around to see her long lost daughter in front of her alive and well. she started to yell at her then lana started to cry Ash got in front of her and said don't you dare yell at her again 

Tears started forming in Chaz and Kira's eyes 

"Mom, Dad I'm so sorry please forgive me."

"It's alright honey, you're home and you're safe which is all that matters"

"Oh lana what happened these past few years?" Chaz asked with tears in his eyes and lana told everyone the whole story about her leaving with Z, the countless times he and his friends cause trouble, him beating lana 

all the time, and her escaping with the help of Kameron. After she was done Chaz, Kira, Stu, and Didi all had shocked looks on their faces.

"Oh lord that's horrible, I knew there was something wrong about that boy!" Chaz said.

"Whatever happened to 'don't judge a book by its cover' dad?" Harper   asked in a smartass tone which everyone laughed at.

"Thank you Ash for bringing her back to us and we're sorry for blaming you, there really wasn't much you could've done." Said Kira giving Ash a hug.

"Ash, you have my permission to date my daughter again and hang out with Harper   too." Chaz said, smiling and giving Ash a handshake.

"Thank you Chaz and Kira, and don't worry I'll treat both of them good" everyone smiled at Ash. lanawas back with her family.

September 2nd, 2011 (Three days later)

Everyone was at the Pickles house for a BBQ to celebrate the last night of summer before School Officially starts tomorrow. Bonnie  still had one more year to go before he could be a senior. The only seniors are Ash, Lana Harper  , Sarah , and Mallow . Mallow  obviously wasn't at the party; she was hanging around with her other 'friends' instead of being at the party with everyone, much to Betty and Howard's disappointment. The reason why lanawasn't being held back was because she secretly had access to the internet with the use of a laptop without Z knowing and did all of her classes online.

Besides that, the gang was having a good time even without mallow . They were up in the tree house they built and started jamming to "Paradise City" from Guns n Roses with Ash and Lana singing, Harper   playing his acoustic guitar, Sarah  playing her acoustic bass, and Bonnie  playing her bongos.

EVERYONE: Take me down to the paradise city. Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Oh won't you please take me home. (x2)

Ash: Just an urchin living' under the street. I'm a hard case that's tough to beat. I'm your charity case so buy me something to eat. I'll pay you at another time. Take it to the end of the line.

Lana: Rags to riches or so they say. Ya gotta keep pushin' for the fortune and fame. You know it's all a gamble when it's just a game. Ya treat it like a capital crime. Everybody's doin' the time.

EVERYONE: Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Oh won't you please take me home, yeah yeah. Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Take. Me. Home.

Ash: Strapped in the chair of the city's gas chamber. Why I'm here I can't quite remember. The surgeon general says it's hazardous to breathe. I'd have another cigarette but I can't see. Tell me who you're gonna believe.

EVERYONE: Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take. Me. Home, yeah yeah. Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Oh won't you please take me home, yeah

GUITAR SOLO

Ash & lana: So far away. So far away. So far away. So far away.

Lana: Captain America's been torn apart. Now he's a court jester with a broken heart. He said "turn me around and take me back to the start". I must be losing my mind "are you blind?" I've seen it all a million times.

EVERYONE: Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Take. Me. Home, yeah yeah. Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Oh won't you please take me home.

Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Take. Me. Home, yeah yeah. Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty. Oh won't you please take me home, home.

As soon as the song was over it was dinner time "Kids the burgers are ready!" Stu called and they climbed down from the treehouse and headed straight for the dinner table. While they were eating, Ash and Lana looked at the sun setting in the sky.

"Oh man, that's beautiful." She said.

"Yeah" said Ash.

Lana then looked at Ash and blushed a bit. "Ash do you think we'll grow old together?" She asked and Ash stroked her hair.

"Of course, I'll be here for you and love you always no matter what the consequences are" he said and she smiled. "And I know tomorrow might be a little rough but again I'll be there for you." He said and they both shared a small kiss.

September 3rd, 2011 (the next day)

Lana got changed and decided to leave her hair down instead of putting it in her usual pigtails. She was pretty nervous about the first day but remembered what Ash said the other night which boosted her confidence.

Later on, Lana grabbed her bag and walked downstairs and outside where Harper   was waiting in his 1969 Volkswagen Bus. She got in and sat in the back so Ash could be next to her. Harper   then drove off to pick up Ash, Bonnie , and Sarah . Again, it was obvious that mallow  was with her other 'friends'.

They pulled up to the school and collected their new schedules and headed into the auditorium for the first day of school ceremony. They all hated it but since it was their last year they didn't care. All except for bonnie  that is.

"Good morning everyone and welcome back to school, I hope you all had a great summer!" announced Principal Vendor. Lana was relieved "Damn, he looks a lot better than Pangborn." She whispered to the others and laughed quietly. "Ok, here are the announcements for today, first, the new schedules were handed out and if you haven't got yours yet then please do after the assembly. Second, we have some new teachers and a new vice principal this year. For Math, Mr. Pickles, for music Mrs.  and for gym, English, and science, Mr. Pickles, Mrs. Pickles, and Mrs. Palmore." Ash, Lana and Harper   looked at each other shocked, why the hell were their parents working at school?

"Oh God please nothing else bad" said Ash angrily.

"And now for our new vice principal, please welcome Mr. Pangborn." Ash, Lana Harper  , Sarah , and Bonnie 's eyes bugged out. "No!" they all thought.

"That is all from me, and now I'll leave a few words for Mr. Pangborn." He said.

"Thank you Mr. Vendor" said Pangborn "Hello kids, I am your new vice principal and I…" he soon went on and until the first bell rang. Ash looked at his schedule and saw that he had Math with his Grandpa Lou first.

"Please Grandpa don't notice me…" Ash said to himself. At least Lana was with him in the first class.

"Good morning class I'm your new math teacher Louis Pickles, and I am the grandfather of Ash Pickles. Everyone laughed at Ash and he blushed red with embarrassment. After math ash and Lana were walking through the hall when suddenly ash saw a spitballs coming at lana he pushed her out of the way and took the spitballs for her They both hugged and ash went to take the spitballs out of his hair 

When Ash was changed he went into the gym with the other students and then he saw who the teacher was. "Oh God, why me?" he thought to himself.

"Morning class welcome to your first day of gym, I'm Stu Pickles, Ash's father." Some snickered at this as Ash hid himself behind a taller student. An hour after gym it was recess time (and yes, high schools can have recess too), Ash was glad to get away from his family for a bit to hang out with his friends in the commons. Both Ash and Lana were having a bit of a bad day so far.

"So where did those spitballs come from?" asked Sarah .

"I dunno, probably from some stupid dickhead." Ash said as Lana put her arm around him. Just then from out of nowhere a rotten tomato came at Lana's head. Ash pushed her out of the way and got hit so hard in the chest it knocked him to the ground. Lana and the others helped Ash up.

"Ash are you alright?" she asked.

"Ugh, I guess" he said and sniffed himself. "Oh fuck, this is my favorite shirt!" he said angrily "WHO THREW IT?" Ash shouted which put the whole cafeteria in dead silence.

"Me" said a familiar voice.

"mallow" all five of them said at the same time.

"Oh yeah that's right Ash Pickles, I did it because that bitch of yours deserved it!" she said angrily. But the five of them were angry at her, she saw the looks on their faces and backed out of the lunch room.

"Yeah that's right, just walk away!" shouted bonnie. Ash said no and grabbed a bucket of garbage and ran after her the others did not want to miss it so they followed him and saw he had her trapped he raised the bucket and said this is for the spitball and tomato pranks and dumped the garbage on her and said do not let me see you being mean to lana again or next time it will be horse shit that gets dumped on you

Then the bell rang and the rugrats went to their next class, Ash and Lana were happy that Sarah  and Harper   had music with them. As they walked down the hallway lana kissed Ash happily.

"Wow lana what's the occasion?" he asked.

"For saving me from that tomato" she said and hugged him.

When they got into music Harper   and Lana were shocked to see their mother was the teacher, at least Ash wasn't the only one.

"Hello class, my name is Kira Wattanabe Finster, I'm Harper   and Lana mother." She said. Ash, Lana Harper  , and Sarah  sat next to each other and today they learned about Japanese music. she said thank you for being my daughter's protector he said it was nothing he had enough of her he said the next time anyone throws a spitball or tomato at her they get horse shit dumped on them

Soon it was time for fourth period science with Mrs. Palmore. No one minded her because she wasn't related to any of the students. Science was pretty ok for the most part, at least they got a break this time but they probably were not going to look forward to their next class.

Next was fifth period English with a teacher that Ash and Bonnie  were probably going to dread the most. "Hello there, class , welcome to your first day of English. I'm Mrs. Pickles and I am Ash and Bonnie 's mother. Luckily no one laughed this time since most of Ash and Bonnie 's classmates were people they knew from middle school.

After school

After two more classes it was time for school to end and everyone couldn't have waited any longer for it to end. The 5 rugrats were back in Harper's van and decided to hang out at Ash and Bonnie's house.

"Man that day couldn't have ended any faster," said Bonnie .

"You said it man" Sarah  agreed.

"Hey shut up man, you're lucky you don't have any of your relatives as your teachers!" said Harper.

sarah  smiled "Yeah I know

it was the next day ash and lana were in in math ash saw a spitball come from outside the room and got in front of lana and took the spitball and asked can i go get the person who did this his grandfather said yes you can the others did not want to miss it so they followed him they saw he had her trapped and took out the bucket  from his bag and dumped it on her and said that the next time you threw a spitball or tomato you will not like it  the next day she threw a tomato at her and ash pushed her out of the way and took the tomato  he caught her and carried her out to the flagpole and said this is what you get she said no i well be nice he said i don't trust you and  Hooked her panties to the flag ropes and hoisted her to the top of the flagpole he said in 1 hour i will let you down but if you do it again you will be up there for a hole day