chapter 35

Chapter 1: To The Park!

It's a normal summer Sunday and ash and lillie, with the help of their best friend and neighbor lana, had finished their project of the day. Today's invention was a super-powered metal detector that locates buried metals and retrieves them upon command. That's what it was planned to do. However, they had not gotten a chance to use it because it was mysteriously vaporized by a stray beam from way off in the distance.

"Huh. I expected something like this would happen, but not before we would at least get to use it..." Said ash. Even as a boy of 11 years, he and his 12 year old step-sister lillie had created countless amounts of inventions that either defied the laws of gravity, physics, or something else that proves nothing was impossible to those with creative minds.

Of course, almost none of their inventions would've been completed without the help of the 12 year old lana. She would walk through the gate to ash and lillie's backyard and ask "watcha doin?" in a cute and somewhat flirty way. She also has a major crush on ash, who seems to be far too oblivious and/or wrapped up in his work on the daily project to notice, much to lana's disappointment. She never gives up, hoping one day he'll catch on.

Disappointed, lillie looks at ash with a questioning look, as if asking what to do next. ash goes over to him and whispers "Start drawing up some ideas for tomorrow. I have something I need to take care of." lillie nods and walks into the house, still disappointed.

As disappointed as lillie , ash slumps against the tree in the backyard and lets out a sigh. "I wonder why our inventions disappear every day? It's like something or someone just keeps blasting them every day..." He says. lana decides to sit next to him, not TOO close, and says "Yeah it's really weird. But I guess you should count yourself lucky sometimes. You would probably get in big trouble if your mom saw any of them." ash chuckles at this, causing lana to smile slightly.

"I don't see why Candace makes such a big deal out of it, it's not like we're hurting anyone." He points out. lana nods in agreement. They sit there for a few moments in a slightly awkward silence. Then ash asks "Hey you wanna go to the park or something?" As he stands up and reaches his hand out towards her. Though surprised by his sudden offer, she calmly replies "Sure, beats sitting here all day." And grabs his hand as he helps her up. As they walk towards the gate, lana notices that they're still holding hands. She blushes slightly as she notices and wonders to herself why he didnt let go yet. Not that she wanted him to, she was enjoying every second of it.

As ash was leading lana to the park, he, too, noticed that he hadn't let go. However, he wasn't wondering why. He was doing it on purpose, and glanced back to see lana smiling and blushing slightly. Her eyes met his for a second and he smirked slightly right before she looked away, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Was he... Smirking?" lana thought. "Is he planning something?"

She realized she said the last part out loud, and hoped ash didn't hear it. He did, however, and simply responded "Yes. Yes I am." and turned and smiled at her as they reached the park. Hearing him say that the way he did and seeing his smile eliminated any worries lana may have had.

Chapter 2: All This Time

The park was surprisingly empty, almost no person in sight. They stopped near a tree away from the few people that were there. ash sat down, and lana did the same. He let go of her hand, much to her dismay, and sat with his hands folded.

"You took me to the park just so we could sit under a tree?" lana asked, slightly ticked off because they could've just sat in his backyard. "Well I thought that we could sit back and enjoy the beauty around us, not being surrounded by fences and a house."He replied. lana was about to say something but decided not to. "He has a point... It is beautiful out here. " She thought to herself. "The pretty flowers, the peaceful scenery, the-" her thoughts were interrupted by an arm wrapping around her. ash' arm. He had apparently moved closer to her while she was thinking. She blushed and smiled widely, and ash, noticing, smiled too. Neither spoke a word for a few minutes.

"She seems to be enjoying this." thought ash. "I guess I was right: she DOES have a crush on me." Then he spoke out loud. "You enjoying yourself?" He said with a smile. lana nodded and whispered "Very much, yes." And her smile widened even further. And so did ash'. He then moved himself closer to her, so close that their shoulders were touching.

lana decided to make her own move and put her arm around ash. She was worried that it would be a mistake but he did nothing to stop her. He seemed content with how they were sitting. "It's also nice here because no one can bother us." She said so quietly that even ash barely heard her. He understood her though and nodded.

"lana, you like me don't you? Not just as a best friend, but more than that." ash asked after a few minutes of silence. lana was stunned. "How did..." She started to say but couldn't really put her words together. ash chuckled lightheartedly and said "Your hints were kind of obvious. I noticed how flirty you were towards me. All those flirty things you would do and say, I figured it out pretty easily. I hadn't said anything though because I didn't want to make it awkward and plus we were never really alone. That's why I took you here where no one else could bother us."

lana didnt know what to say. She was so surprised that he knew all this time. She understood why he hadnt said anything but she was still surprised. Suddenly she began to cry silently. "What's the matter lana ?" He said with a concerned look on his face. Hearing him call her lana , though it was the first time he had, made her feel a little better, but she was still crying.

"Nothing, I'm just mad at myself because I thought you were too oblivious to notice and I would always get a little mad at you whenever I thought you didn't catch on. Knowing that you've known for so long, I just-" She was cut off by ash hugging her. "It's ok lana ." He said soothingly. She hugged him back, already feeling better. "I understand how you feel because I actually like you too. A lot. And for as long as I can remember. But I was too nervous to say anything or even drop a hint." He said, his voice a little shaky.

"Really? You do...?" She asked, extremely surprised that her crush, for so long, likes her back.

Still hugging her, he whispered into her ear "Yes. Yes I do." Which causes lana to hug him even tighter as both begin to blush. She starts crying again, which worries ash. "Are you ok? Did I do something wrong?"1

"No ash. You did everything right. I'm crying because I've waited so long and dreamed for so long that this would happen and I'm just so happy..." They broke the hug and stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes, smiling.

"Hey, you wanna lay down for a bit? It's only..." ash looks at the clock on his phone. "2:15 and I'm not expected to be home until 6." "That sounds like a great idea." lana  replies. They lay down under the tree, lana head and one hand on ash' chest and one of ash' hands rests on her head, his other wrapping around her free hand. In no time, they fall asleep, each dreaming about the other.

Chapter 3: The Storm

They are awoken suddenly by the sound of thunder. It doesn't seem to have gotten much darker out, other than the clouds covering the sky. They get up and ash checks the time, relieved that it's only 3:15. "Guess we dozed off for an hour..." He says. lana  chuckles. "I guess so. I think we should start heading home though, it could start raining any minute."

As if on cue, a light drizzle begins to drip its way out of the sky. "I don't suppose you brought an umbrella?" She asks jokingly. He pulls one out, which shocks her slightly. He notices her shock and smirks, replying "Always gotta be prepared for the worst." and he winks at her. "I only have one though so I guess we'll have to share it."

"Ok." She replies as he opens the umbrella and grabs her by the shoulder, putting his arm around her to keep her close. She does the same to him. No more than 2 minutes after it started, the rain begins to pick up. Wind starts to blow as well, causing some rain to hit them from in front.

ash pushes a button on the handle of the umbrella which causes the umbrella to turn into a glass dome big enough to ensure that they stay dry. "Oh ash. You can't just settle with a normal umbrella can you?" lana  asks playfully. ash chuckles. "Like I said, always gotta be prepared for the worst." Then lana giggles.

When they finally reach their houses, they head for ash'. However, the door is locked and there's a note on the door that says "Out with lillie and your dad at my cousin's house. We'll be back by 7 or so. You can make your own dinner with whatever we have. -Mom." Disappointed, ash tries the back door. Locked. "Dang it, my keys are inside..." He says, frustrated. "And it's only... 3:30? That's 3 and a half hours..." "Or so." lana chimes in jokingly.

"We could always go to my house... My mom is out for about two weeks with some old friends of hers and I have my key with me. Plus I could kind of use the company." lana said with a smile. ash smiled back. "Ok, let's go! But first I'm going to leave a note in case my parents get home and wonder where I am."

After leaving a note under his mom's, they walk across the street. lana unlocks her front door as ash closes the umbrella. They sit on the couch, glad to be out of the rain. "So much for enjoying the beauty of the park..." ash says.

Chapter 4: Stuck Inside

"Guess we're stuck here for a few hours?" lana asks.

"Yep."

"Well it's not all bad is it?"

"Nope. At least I'm with you." lana blushes and smiles as he says this. Then he scoots close to her and hugs her. She hugs back but is surprised by the next thing he does. He kisses her on the forehead. As shocked as she is, she musters enough courage to kiss him on the cheek.

After hugging for a few minutes, lana breaks the hug but stays right by his side. "So you've known how I feel all this time?" She asks. "Yep." He responds. "I mean it WAS kind of obvious. Everyone else knows about it too." lana chuckled at this.

ash shifted his position to make it more comfortable for both of them. He laid down on the couch with lana on top of him, her head just underneath his. "Wait a second, I'll be right back." She said just as they were getting comfortable, and she hops off the couch for a minute and runs upstairs.

As she returns, ash notices she brought a pillow and a blanket with her. She also changed into her cute pink pajamas. She hands ash the pillow and he says "Nice pajamas" causing her to blush. "Thank you" she replies with a giggle. She decides to close the curtains at the front window then goes back to ash and lays down again.

After getting comfortable again, ash throws the blanket over them. They begin to drift off to sleep, but jump slightly when they hear a loud thunder crack, and the power suddenly shuts off.

lana grabs ash tightly and squeezes her eyes shut. "Something wrong, lana ?" He asks. "The thunder scared me, and I don't like the dark..." She replies, embarrassed. ash hugs her tightly. "Don't worry. I've got you." He says calmingly. They both soon fall asleep with a wide smile on their faces.

Chapter 5: Storm To Hurricane

About 45 minutes later, ash wakes up. He looks at lana, who is still sleeping on his chest. "She looks so cute when she's sleeping..." He thinks to himself. Looking at his clock, he notices it's only about 4:30. He also noticed that the power is back on. He gives her a small kiss on her head then tries to wake her up.

"lana . Hey, lana  wake up." She slowly opens her eyes, looks at him and smiles. "Hey. Watcha dooin?" She asks.

"Just woke up. Power's back on and it's only 4:30. Wanna watch some tv?"

"Sure."

They both get into a sitting position as lana turns the tv on. She changes to the weather channel to see how the weather is because she doesn't feel like getting up to look out the window. Neither does ash.

"Danville is currently experiencing one of the worst summer storms in history, and one that seemingly came out of nowhere. Heavy rain and winds of up to 80 MPH, our local meteorologists are classifying this as a class 1 hurricane. Citizens are advised to stay indoors and get comfortable, because this will likely last a week or so." The weatherman explained on the news.

lana shuts the tv off. "A whole week??" ash exclaims as lana walks over to the window and pulls back the curtains. "Um... ash you may want to come see this..." She says. He gets up and goes to the window and looks out in shock. "Wow they weren't kidding... It's raining so hard you can barely see out there!" He exclaims. "It's practically raining sideways." lana adds with a chuckle.

"I'm gonna call my mom and tell her I'm here. I'm pretty sure my note is destroyed by now." ash says as he pulls out his cell phone and proceeds to dial his mom's number.

"Hello? Mom?"

"ash? Where are you? Did you make it home safely?"

"Well, I'm at lana's house. I left my keys in the house..."

"Did you see the weather on tv by any chance? We lost power a few hours ago."

"Yeah. They said it's a class 1 hurricane and it's going to last a week or so."

"A whole week?? That's what they said?"

"Yeah I was surprised too."

"Well then I guess you're stuck at lana's house for a week then."

ash smiled to himself. "Ok we've still got power over here. I doubt it will last for long though..."

"Ok sweetie well have fun I guess. I'll call you regularly to check up on you guys. If there's an emergency you call me ok? I think lana's mom is out of town for the week or something so you guys are alone there for the week."

"Ok mom."

"And ash... Take care of her."

"I will mom. Don't worry."

"Ok ill call you later. I love you!"

"Love you too mom. Bye." And he hung up.

Chapter 6: Changing Our Lives

"So? What'd she say?" lana asked after ash finished talking to his mom. "She said I'm gonna have to stay here for the week. They don't even have power up there." He replies. "Wow." She says.

"Well, looks like we've got a week to kill..." He says. "Are you disappointed? That you're stuck here?" lana asks, even though the answer is quite obvious.

ash smiled at her and replied "You already know the answer to that, lana ." and he winks. "So what so you wanna do now?" A million ideas run through lana's mind but she shakes them away and suggests that they just sit under the blankets and talk.

"Sure, what do you wanna talk about lana ?" ash asks as they cuddle under the blanket. "Hmm... How about we ask each other questions?" She suggests with a smile. "Sounds like fun!" ash responds.

lana goes first. "Hmm... Are you ticklish?"

"Um... A little bit." He answers. lana smirks. She'll have to remember that for later. "My turn now. Are you glad that I'm here for a week?"

"Yes. Very much." She smiles at him and he smiles back.

The game continues on for 20 minutes or so, the questions getting slightly more personal over time. Now it's lana's turn.

"Hmm..." She has a question she wants to ask but she's too shy to ask. She blushes at the thought of what his response would be. She's so lost in thought that she doesn't notice ash calling her name until the third time.

"lana !" He grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her. "What's the matter? Still thinking of a question?"

"Do you love me?" She blurts out, unable to keep it in any longer. Her face reddens as she asks.

ash did NOT expect this question to come up. At least, he was HOPING it wouldn't. But he knew what to do. Hesitantly, he leaned over and kissed her. On the lips. She was so surprised that she almost retreated, but as soon as she realized that her crush was kissing her, she kissed back. They wrapped their arms around each other and enjoyed the kiss that felt like it lasted an hour. Of course, it was only about a minute.

As they pulled back, ash smiled and said "Yes. Yes I do." They both sit staring at each other for a minute or two, unable to stop smiling or blushing. Then lana reminds him that it's his turn. "Can this be the last question of the game?" ash asks. lana nods. "Ok. Here goes... Will you be my girlfriend?"

lana almost fainted. Did he really just ask her that? Is she sure she isn't dreaming? Maybe she misheard her. "C-can you r-repeat that?" She asks, her voice very shaky. He leans in so close that their foreheads are touching and he's staring into her sapphire eyes. "Will you be my girlfriend?" He whispers.

lana's eyes begin to water. He did... After all these years it's finally happening... She was speechless. However, she managed to whisper the one word that would change their lives forever. Looking deep into his eyes, she whispered "Yes." Unable to contain his excitement, ash kissed her again. She gladly returned the kiss, just as happy as he was. "I love you." They both together said as they broke the kiss.

Chapter 7: Start Of A New Life

Looking at the clock, ash notices that it's already 5:30. "Hey you wanna get something to eat?" He asks his new girlfriend. "Sure. Let's go see what we can make." lana responds happily to her new boyfriend. They get up and make themselves something to eat

After they're finished eating, that decide to go to lana's room to get some rest because dinner took up a lot of time. As of now, it's 8:30. Yes. Dinner took 3 hours. But keep in mind that this included making the dinner, eating, then cleaning up. They're only kids so they're bound to mess something up along the way. The mess happened to be in the cooking.

Anyway, they decided to go get some sleep. ash didn't have a change of clothes, so he had to sleep in what he was already wearing. lana already had her pajamas on. "I'm gonna sleep on the floor." ash said, as lana got into her bed. "You sure?" lana  said, her voice containing a little bit of disappointment.

"Yeah, unless you know anywhere else I could sleep." He said and winked at her.

lana  chuckled and scooted over. "Get in the bed, silly." And he did. A few minutes later, ash shivered. "Brr... Do you have any more blankets? It's really cold in here." He asks quietly. "I think so. Let me see. Weird that it's cold though... It's summer. Must be the hurricane." She responds as she gets up and turns the light on. She goes into her closet and pulls out two blankets and holds them both up.

"Which one would you like?" She asks. The one in her right hand is pink with small red hearts on it, and the one in her left hand is purple with pink flowers on it. They both look very fuzzy too. "Hmm... I like that one!" He points to the one in her right hand. "Excellent choice, ash." She says with a giggle. "ash... I like that." He says as she gets in bed and throws the blanket over them. She giggles again. "You feel warmer now?" She asks him, still a little chilly herself. "To be honest I'm still a little cold..." He answers.

Without hesitation, she scoots closer to him until she's right next to him and wraps her arms around him. He cuddles back. "Better?" She whispers. "Yes. Yes it is." She gives him a small kiss on the mouth. "I love you." She says.

"I love you too." And with that, they drift off to sleep, while sharing the same dream. The constant thunder and lightning do not bother them one bit.

Chapter 8: A Day To Remember

Day two of the hurricane arrives, and lana is the first to awaken. She smiles, noticing that they're still cuddling. Looking at the clock on the wall, she notices that it's 8:00. She yawns silently. Just at the same time, ash opens his eyes and looks at her.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." She says with a giggle. He kisses her on the nose and says "Good morning lana . Would you like me to cook us up some breakfast?"

"Sure. Would you like me to help?"

"No thanks. You should probably get dressed anyways."

"Ok. I'll be down in a few minutes."

And with that, ash rushes downstairs while lana gets dressed. Not more than 2 minutes later, lana is dressed and goes down to the kitchen. To her surprise, there are two plates with 3 pancakes on each one, perfectly buttered with syrup poured on them.

"Well someone's a fast cooker." She says with a little surprise in her voice.

"It's a secret technique my family taught lillie and me."

"Think you could teach me some of that?"

"Sorry lana . Family secret." He says. "Maybe in a few years..." He whispers to himself. lana, having heard it, decided not to mention that she had.

"Ok." Is all she says.

After they eat and clean up, ash walks into the living room and looks out the window. "Doesn't look like the rain is gonna slow down anytime soon..." ash remarks as he looks at the seemingly endless downpour.

"You wanna play some video games, ash?" lana asks.

"Sure. Whatcha got?"

"I have an Xbox upstairs."

"Really? Then what're we doing sitting down here? Lets go!" He exclaims as he grabs her hand and almost drags her upstairs.

They sit together and play about 6 different games, which, to ash' shock, lana wins every time. Even at the games that ash himself is really good at.

"Woo! 6 games in a row!"

ash chuckles. "Beginner's luck." He says jokingly.

"Nuh uh! Admit it, I'm better at games than you!" She mocks with a teasing smile.

"I'm not admitting anything. You only got lucky." He says with another chuckle. Suddenly, lana tackles him and starts tickling him.

"Admit it ash! Admit that I'm better at video games than you!"

"Ahahaha! No! Ahahahahaha!"

"I won't stop until you admit it!" And she starts tickling even faster and harder.

"AHH! NO! HAHAHAHA! STOP IT! OK OK I ADMIT IT! Ok you're better! AHH! STOP! HAHAHA!"

She stops as ash tries to catch his breath.

"Hah... Hah... That was cruel, you know." He says jokingly.

lana giggles. "I know. But you asked for it."

"I guess so." Suddenly he pins her down and starts tickling her mercilessly. They continue tickling each other for an hour or two, taking occasional small breaks to just sit and rest for a minute, with some kissing too of course.

They both lay on the floor, exhausted from their tickle war. "That was fun..." lana says between gasps.

"Yes. Yes it was." ash says, breathing heavily. Then he gets up. "Come on, let's go sit on the couch and watch some tv."

"I don't think I can move after all that tickling." She responds while chucking.

"I'll carry you down then." He bends down and picks her up bridal style and brings her downstairs. He sits on the couch, still holding her, and he props her head against a pillow on the arm of the couch as he releases his grip. Handing lana the remote, he gives her a quick kiss on the nose, which is quickly returned by a big kiss from her.

"Thanks sweetie." She says lovingly, causing ash to blush. "You're welcome." He says.

She turns on the tv and scrolls through the channels.

She sighs disappointedly. "There's nothing good on!" Then she starts thinking. "You wanna put on a horror movie?" She asks.

"You think you can handle one?" ash asks with a little concern.

"I'll be fine." She says with a giggle. "Don't worry."

"Are you SURE?" He asks.

"Yeah, I've watched some before. Of course, they gave me nightmares for a week but I still watched them."

"Ok... Go grab one then. Not one that's too scary though, horror films aren't my favorite." He says, chuckling.

lana pulls out one neither of them have seen before and pops it in the DVD player. It's about an hour and a half long but after about 45 minutes lana just can't watch anymore. She's grabbing ash' arm and holding it tightly. She looks at him with a terrified look on her face and he turns off the movie, just as scared as she is.

"Maybe we're a little too young for horror movies..." lana  says.

"Yeah..." He wraps his arms around her as she begins to sob. "Shhh... It's ok. It was only a movie. You're ok." She hugs back.

"I know it's just I get scared really easily... I thought I'd be more brave with you around but I guess-" she's cut off by ash kissing her.

"It's ok lana . Calm down. Don't get so worked up over it. I won't let anything hurt you as long as I'm around."

She smiles. "Thanks ash. *sniff* I feel better now." And she hugs him tighter.

"What else do you wanna do baby?" He asks.

"C-can we just sit here and cuddle for a while?"

"Of course."

After laying in a comfortable spot, ash pulls lana closer to him. She lays on his chest and grabs his hand, locking their fingers together. ash rests his other hand on her head, gently stroking her beautiful raven-colored hair. lana's free hand wraps around ash' body.

"This was an amazing day." lana remarks.

"Certainly a day to remember. But the day isn't over yet. It's only 6. Speaking of which, do you want something to eat?"

She shakes her head. "Too comfy." She responds with a smile. "Not really hungry anyway. Plus-- *Yawn* --too tired..."

"Then you should get some rest. *Yawn* I think I might do the same." He kisses her on the head. "Good night lana . I love you." He says to her. But she's already fast asleep, and he soon joins her. "I love you too." She whispers in her sleep.

Chapter 9: Nightmares

ash awoke with a start in the middle of the night. He had a rather unpleasant dream... He was quickly recalling it in his mind. "Me and lana were walking through the woods and then something came out and grabbed her and ran away and I chased after whatever it was but then..." He shook the thoughts away. He did not want to relive the nightmare. He looked over at lana who for some reason was sitting up on the other side of the couch staring straight forward with a blank expression. He could see a little bit if fear in her eyes however.

"You had a nightmare too?" She asked, not turning her head towards him.1

"Yeah..."

"You wanna talk about it? I think I need to clear my head too..." She said, turning towards him and scooting closer.

As ash told her about his dream, lana listened carefully, picturing it in her head. "Wow that sounds pretty bad... You alright?" She asked, noticing the tears in his eyes.

"Yeah... I just hope that nothing like that ever happens to you..." He said with a shaky voice and hugs her tightly. "I'll always be here ash. Don't worry." She assures him.

Then lana decides to tell him about her dream. "Remember that demon-thing from the movie?"

"Yeah?"

"Well we were being chased by it in like some abandoned prison or something. Every time we would turn a corner, it would always be right there. It was terrifying..." She explains.

They both share a hug for a minute, followed by a kiss. Getting back into their cuddling position, they lay back down. This time, they're holding each other tighter so they stay together. Talking about their nightmares actually did help them a lot. Now that their heads are clear they can go back to sleep.

ash was the first to fall asleep, while lana was stroking his red hair. She soon fell asleep as well after giving him a small kiss on his lips. This time, there are no nightmares. In fact, they share a dream about the events that happened recently between them.

Chapter 10: Back To Normal. Sorta.

It's Sunday again, a sunny Sunday  The hurricane was now over, the  family was able to return to their own house, Perry was feeling better, everything was perfect today.

"Almost..." Thought ash. He glanced occasionally at the gate to the backyard. Suddenly, a pair of hands covered his eyes. "Guess who?" A familiar joking voice said behind him. "Hey lana . Watcha dooin?" ash asked.

"Just stopping by to ask you guys the same thing. And if I'm correct, you guys haven't come up with anything yet?"

"Actually we're waiting for a delivery. You wanna wait here with us?"

"Actually I'd love to but my mom came back today, earlier than I thought. I need to go to the store with her. Sorry, I'll catch up with you guys later." She says and gives ash a kiss on the cheek. "See ya!" He says as she walks out towards her house.

lillie stared at ash with a baffled look. Noticing this, ash puts his hands behind his head, sits back, and says "A lot can happen in a week, lillie. And just so you know, I knew about how she felt. I knew all along."

lillie became even more confused now, as shown by his face. ash chuckled. "I'm not as oblivious as you guys think I am." lillie was no longer confused but he had one more question.

Before he could even speak a word, however, ash knew what he wanted to ask. There tends to be an unspoken communication between the ash and lillie ."No, lillie. Having a girlfriend won't affect our daily projects. Negatively, anyway." And with that, they hear the sound of a group of large trucks pulling into the driveway. "Looks like our stuff is here. C'mon lillie let's go do what we're gonna to today