Ashe's journey reaches its conclusion.

Day Seven

When I woke up, Grant was still asleep. My top was still somewhere I didn’t really know, and I was still wrapped up with his arms. It was exactly as I’d fallen asleep, as if nothing had happened between when Grant and I were cuddling in front of the TV and now, at… Six thirty in the morning. The couch was still kinda sticky, the house was still a trashy mess, and so far as I could tell, Larry was still asleep up in his bedroom.

But I remembered everything.

I slid out from under Grant’s arms and realized, much like when I got up in the middle of the night, that I desperately had to pee. I laughed inwardly at the stupidity of that, of needing to pee being the thing that connected waking up and finding out a goddess had changed my life and waking up in that changed life. It was ridiculous, and yet strangely fitting.

After finishing up in the bathroom, I walked upstairs and changed from my messy day old clothes into a denim skirt and a pink tee-shirt with a cleavage window. I slid my feet into a cute pair of sandals and was just about to go downstairs and wake Grant up when I spotted my notebook.

Sitting on my desk where I'd left it Friday night, the blue notebook was opened to the most recent page I'd been writing on. After the movie, Grant and I had pretty much plotted to what we thought should be the end, giving us a definite stopping point rather than carrying on with minimal plot development for hundreds and hundreds of pages like some webcomics. We settled on a happy ending, naturally, one where Brenda and Joey pretty much end up in a life long relationship. It was sappy and cliche, I know, but I couldn’t deny it was the ending I fell in love with.

And I couldn’t deny that it was an ending I wanted in real life, too.

Reading what I’d written made me laugh just a bit. The scene I’d been writing was a single page scene, Brenda and hugging Joey because she’d just decided rather be Brenda, rather be with him the rest of her life, instead of finding a way to change back. We hadn’t even decided what the cause for the change was yet, just that Brenda didn’t care anymore and wanted to be who she was.

Almost exactly like what happened last night. God, the irony was just insane. I wondered if Grant would object to me introducing a character based on a mythological goddess in one of the last few chapters and claiming she was behind it all. He’d probably ask me where I got the inspiration for that from, and I’d just laugh it off as something that hit me in the middle of the night.

I flipped through the notebook and found the drawing from last night, of me and the old me standing back to back. I took it out and traced my finger along the outline of the old me, the guy I used to love being. He had a promising future as an author, a great run as a football player and… Not much else, at the moment. Sure, I could have eventually met someone, had kids, had a great life, there was nothing that said I would have been miserable as Ash.

Then I traced my finger around the new me. She had all the same potential as Ash did, maybe not the football player part but it’s not like I’d even tried playing since this happened. I remembered playing once in elementary school, but that wasn’t exactly the same game as when you played it in high school. Besides, Larry roped me into it and I was perfectly fine just sitting on the swing reading like a normal dork. He made me rip my dress that day and Mom was furious about it.

I smiled. Ashe and Ash. Two sides of me, and since I remembered both of them, I could almost mix and match who I wanted to be. Luckily, the two lives were almost the same, the main difference being whether I was a boy or a girl.

Last night, I was almost worried that I was making the wrong choice by keeping my memories as Ash. That I was trading away a simple, oblivious life like the one Larry was living for a life of potential mental problems trying to resolve two separate lives.

But, really, would remembering these two lives be that much of a problem? As time went on, the only life that would go on would be Ashe’s. Ash would probably fade away at some point, becoming distant. Maybe after a while, I wouldn’t even remember Ash. I didn’t really know if that’s how it would work, but maybe.

I opened my desk drawer and slipped the drawing inside. I didn’t want Grant asking about it, though I did have a lie worked out for that. I shut the notebook and left my room. I took a quick peek in at Larry and Chrissie, both asleep on his couch and both wearing clothes. I guess he didn’t have sex with her after all. Good, that mystery was gonna drive me nuts.

I walked downstairs and found Grant still sleeping on the couch, holding onto the top I’d been wearing yesterday. I almost wanted to let him keep it as a trophy of the night he almost got in my pants. Eventually, if things worked out, he may get the chance to do it for real. I gently slipped it out of his hands and threw it over my shoulder. It was time to wake him up.

I lightly tapped him on the shoulder, rousing him from his slumber. When he saw me, his face lit up and then he seemed to remember where he was. “Hey, beautiful,” he said, groggily. “What time is it?”

“About eight. You’re a really heavy sleeper.”

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He looked around at the living room. “Wow, we dodged a minefield of trash last night, didn’t we?”

“And it’s gonna take all four of us -- you, me, Larry and Chrissie -- to clean it up.”

He stood up and kissed me on the cheek. “I bet the two of us could get it done while they’re still asleep.”

I blushed, for whatever reason. “You think so?”

He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me close. “Of course we can. Let’s get started, and then I’ll treat you to breakfast.”

“Ooh, you and me going out to breakfast?”

He put on a nervous smile. “I mean, it’d be McDonald’s, since my folks are a little late on my allowance, but I’ve got enough for today.”

I smiled. “It’s a date, lover boy.”

Later…

“I dunno why you two thought I didn’t know about the party,” Dad said when he got home. Larry was sitting at the kitchen table on his fifth cup of coffee to get over his hangover. Apparently, he’d left some bottles of beer for him and Chrissie in hopes that something a little more exciting would happen after the game, but all that had happened was the two of them getting so knock out drunk it literally knocked them out while they were watching TV. “Hell, Coach Brandt called me up and told me after that Hyun kid told him, but I’d already figured it out before that.”

“How?” Larry asked, with a hint of annoyance or something like it in his voice. Probably just the hangover still talking. “We were careful about this.”

Dad took the coffee mug away from him and took a drink of it. “If you think I didn’t do this kind of shit when I was your age, you’re wrong.” He set the cup down on the counter and filled it up again, then handed it back to Larry. “I met your mother at one of my parties.”

“You met Mom at a party?” I asked, almost surprised. Granted, I hadn’t met Grant at a party, but it kinda felt similar. “How did that work out?”

“Very simply, and then a month and a half after a party, she told me she was pregnant.”

Larry spit his coffee out. “What?! We were conceived at a high school party?!”

Dad laughed. “No, dumbass, it was a frat party. I never said which party it was we had sex.”

I giggled. Yeah, that seemed like something Dad would do. “Wow, Dad, that’s some tale of romance there,” I said.

He sat down at the kitchen table. “Yep. Your mother and I made out on Debbie Kessler's couch that first night. It didn't get past kissing, though, much as I tried. And then I passed out drunk in the middle of it and fell off the couch, almost takin' her dress with me." He reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of soda. "We didn't talk for about a week after that, seems she was afraid of me, until she found out I was just drunk."

Larry groaned and rubbed at his forehead. "Right now, that just makes me feel a little better about how last night went, but I swear to God I'm staying away from alcohol for a good long time."

Dad patted him on the shoulder. "Good. Just remember that the next party you go to, which I hear is tonight."

"Huh?"

I said, "Coach called earlier, there's a party tonight to celebrate how badly you guys trounced the other team last night. It's at the school at about seven."

Larry rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess I'm staying away from the punch tonight."

I laughed. "Please, you barely put enough in yesterday's punch to get me buzzed, and I'm terrible with alcohol."

"Now that is just a waste of good beer," Dad said. He took a long drink, then added, "But I guess at least you," he pointed at me, "weren't drunk enough to have sex with that boyfriend of yours. I'm not old enough to be a grandfather yet."

I blushed. "I wouldn't… C'mon, Dad, have more faith in me than that."

He just smirked.

Later…

I was just finishing getting into my dress when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" I nearly yelled, for some reason. Probably because I was busy adjusting my dress and making sure I avoided any wardrobe malfunctions, like last Christmas when Uncle Floyd was at the house. Hilariously, that did not happen to Laurie and Ash didn't have a corresponding memory, so Ashe alone had to bear the embarrassment of exposing her boobs to the uncle who had a disgusting habit of leering at his nieces.

Larry walked in on me picking my earrings. “Jeez, sis, what the hell?”

“What?”

“It’s not fucking prom or anything.”

I glared at his reflection in the mirror. It’s not like I was wearing some fancy thing. My dress was a simple yellow one that barely even showed anything. I’d wear this around the house, for chrissakes. “And this isn’t a prom dress. Now, whaddya want?”

He leaned against the wall after shutting the door. “I gotta ask you something. It’s… Kinda weird, honestly, but… Did we go to the school for something last night?”

I spun my chair around. “Uh, yeah, your football game, remember?”

He shook his head. “No, after. I just… I have this weird memory of going to school for something late last night.”

I smirked. “Are you sure it wasn’t just some drunken dream?”

He shrugged. “It might have been, but it felt realer than that.”

I tried to put on a look of incredulity, like I didn’t think he was saying anything of importance. In reality, I was almost scared shitless. He remembered? Ceridwen said he wouldn’t remember anything. What the hell did that mean? Would he remember being Laurie? “I… Uh… I just think you had a weird dream.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “You’re probably right, it’s just some weird nagging feeling about it, y’know.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Just think about other stuff. Like, oh I dunno, what you and Chrissie are gonna do after the party."

He laughed. "If you think we're gonna gave sex, you're wrong. You and Grant, though. That's who Dad should be worried about."

I glared at him. "What are you implying?"

“I’m implying that you two barely kept your clothes on last night. I wouldn’t be surprised if one thing leads to another and almost a year from now I’ve got a little niece or nephew calling me Uncle Larry.”

I folded my arms under my breasts. “Even if we did have sex tonight, I happen to keep condoms in my purse.”

He smiled. “See, I told ya the odds were good.”

“Get out now before I stuff a stiletto heel in your cheek.”

He just laughed and shut the door behind him. I smirked and set to work trying to find the right pair of heels.

Later…

Chrissie, Kristie, Kat and I all met up just outside the school, which was already filling up with dozens of people. I assumed everybody who learned about the party texted their friends and they then texted their friends, and so forth and so on, leading to pretty much the entire school and then some showing up for a party that was supposed to just be the football team and whoever they decided to bring with them.

Not like the coach or any of the other teachers chaperoning the whole thing cared. There was plenty of room for everybody in the gym, though it very quickly became almost as crowded as the house was yesterday. It wasn’t quite shoulder-to-shoulder, thankfully, so nobody was accidentally (or purposefully) fondling me. Well, not that nobody was. I know Jeremy Brennen actually did accidentally grab my boob. Tim Hyun shoved him into me as a joke. The impressive part was that he managed to keep his drink from spilling.

I walked over to the punch bowl and ladled myself something to drink. More alcohol than yesterday’s punch, but still not enough to cause any problems. That was good, because I didn’t want to combine being drunk and wearing four inch heels. I didn’t want to force Grant to carry me home or anything like that. Not that I wouldn’t want that, or anything…

Maybe I could convince him to carry me home…

I put that thought out of my head and waited for one handsome Grant Harrison to show up and take me for a nice dance once the slow music started playing. With any luck, he’d be ready for a nice date night afterward. I kinda wanted to make out with him in private, after all. Not to mention certain… Other things. Not sex, though. Noooooo-ho-ho, not sex. No matter what Larry said, I was not about to let my first time be the aftermath of a high school party.

Luckily, Grant showed up just in time to kiss me and take my mind off that possibility. "Hey, sweetheart," he said, loud enough that I could hear him over the music, but not too loud.

I smiled and kissed him again. "Hi there, baby. You cleaned up pretty nice after you left." I wasn't lying either. The both of us had been raggy messes after we finished cleaning up all the trash, but he'd obviously gone home, showered and got ready to make an impression on me. I mean, I’d done the same for him, but still, he was impressing me something fierce. He almost looked…

Like a different person.

I sighed. “Hey, babe, I hate to leave you like this, but I need to go to the little girl’s room. One cup of booze punch is trying to go straight through me.”

He kissed me. “No problem. I’ll wait here.”

“Thanks.”

I made my way through the gym toward the door to the classrooms. The rest of the school was pretty much dark, which wasn’t a surprise, since school wasn’t in session on a Sunday. I rushed upstairs (as much as the heels would allow) and made my way toward Ceridwen’s classroom. The door was unlocked, but there was no one there.

I stood there for a moment, hoping that she’d just show up, but nothing happened. Once I was there for a good five minutes (more than I wanted to leave Grant for), I finally slammed my fist on her desk and shouted, “I know you’re here!” Not that I actually did know she was there, but still.

Another minute longer and she appeared from somewhere, using whatever magic she had to turn on the lights at the same time. “Well, I didn’t expect this.”

I tried to put some fury into my voice. “Did you change Grant now?”

She snapped her fingers and a painting of Grant down in the gym appeared on the board behind her desk. “On the contrary, Ms. Johnson, I did nothing to your wonderful boyfriend. What you see is his attempt at trying to charm you on an occasion he finds a bit more special than a teenage party at his girlfriend's house." She rubbed at her chin. "He really does clean up nicely, though."

I folded my arms under my breasts. "You didn't do anything to him? Nothing at all?"

She shook her head. "Not. One. Thing. He's exactly the same boy you fell in love with years ago when you started to realize you really did like boys.”

I still didn’t feel completely relieved. “You’re really not doing anything? I mean, last night you seemed pretty into the whole changing people thing."

She smiled. "Oh, I am, and I've already picked my next work of art. Not that you'll notice, as your memories will be affected, same as everyone else's, but trust me, it's not Mr. Harrison." She patted me on the shoulder. "Just go back down there and have a good time, young Ashe. Tonight will be your lucky night, if you know what I mean."

I didn't really, but I had plenty of guesses. “Okay, I guess I’ll believe you. There’s just one more thing, though. Larry just barely remembers coming here last night.”

“And why shouldn’t he? He doesn’t remember anything about what happened, merely that the two of you came here. In time, those ‘memories’ will pass and he’ll simply believe them to have been a dream.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. I was kinda worried.”

She squeezed my shoulder. “You have nothing to be afraid of. Now go back down to the gym, enjoy your dance with your boyfriend and then enjoy your wonderful date afterward. Just remember to take things naturally and let the night go where it goes.”

I couldn’t help but think of what she was trying to imply. If she thought I was gonna have sex with Grant tonight, I was gonna surprise her.

Epilogue

“Kristie Deckard!” the principal called into the microphone. Kristie, her purple lipstick smile almost as bright as the lights in the auditorium. It matched the dress she was wearing under her robe, as well as the tattoo she got during Spring Break when we went down to Cancun. She was proud of that tattoo, for whatever reason. I was kind of annoyed with mine, but hers did turn out much better than mine did.

I stood there in line with everybody else graduating. Larry was beside me, picking his nose like a disgusting pig. He yawned after a second, then put on a smile for whoever's camera happened to be panning past him at that moment. After that, he nudged me with his elbow and started waving to somebody.

It took me a second to realize Dad was helping little Laurie wave at us. That just made me feel a warmth that I hadn’t expected. Granted, it had only been maybe two hours since we’d left the house, but still. I was glad Dad brought her along. Then when she was all grown up on her graduation day, I could tell her we were both there for each other.

I looked just a few people away from me and saw Grant waving to her, to. He was such a good dad to her that I almost worried she'd grow up a spoiled daddy's girl, but that was kinda how I grew up, so I couldn't really say anything. I'd just need to keep everything in check.

"Grant Harrison!" the principal called up next. He flashed me a quick smirk and then walked over to get his diploma. I smiled back at him, proud that he'd decided to take the athletic scholarship he'd considered turning down. He was planning on majoring in art, though. Shame he hadn't gotten a scholarship for it.

Just two people later, the principal called, "Ashley Johnson!" and I stepped out of line to thousands of cheers, shook the principal's hand and took my diploma. I was swiftly followed by Larry, who managed to make his as much a spectacle as possible. He even pretended to 'pass' the diploma off to Wheeler, who was just after us in line, which got him a big round of applause.

After the group photo of the graduating class with our diplomas out and big smiles all around, I immediately latched onto Grant and gave him what I considered probably our most intense kiss ever. It definitely got a lot of "ooh" and "ahh" and other sorts of noises from everybody around us. I honestly had no idea everybody could go so gaga over one measly kiss, even if it was the best one I ever had.

After getting home, getting little Laurie into bed and getting out of my stupid graduation robe, I changed into a comfortable pair of black shorts and an orange tank top. Once I came downstairs, I was greeted by the wonderful sight of Grant, who had similarly changed into a plain blue shirt dark blue jeans.

"Hey, Daddy," I said, teasingly, as I almost fell into his arms.

"Don't call me that, Mommy." He smirked, then kissed me. "Whaddya say while the baby girl's asleep, we get to doing what we do best?"

From upstairs, Dad shouted, "Not while I'm in the house!"

I rolled my eyes. "Not even remotely what he meant, Dad!"

"Or while I'm here!" Larry added.

"Bite it, doofus!"

Grant just laughed. "Is that all they think we do?"

I shrugged. "You have one measly kid in high school and everybody assumes the worst." I kissed him. "So, how many pages you got done?"

"About forty, maybe a little less. Upwards of thirty, though."

I took his hand in mine and dropped onto the couch. "Good, because I have this great idea for Brenda and Joey to open up a restaurant."

He raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? A restaurant? Why?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, but it came to me when I was thinking about our next comic. Remember way back in page… Fifty-six, when Joey surprised Brian by revealing he liked to cook?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but he also likes to do programming, remember?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but he chose not to go to college, while Brenda's going for business classes. Besides, he can use his programming skills for website design." I kissed him on the cheek. "Like you do."

Grant sighed. "Okay, I guess. But what does this havta do with the next comic?"

I picked up my notebook, which had been sitting on the coffee table. "Simple, a place for Felix to work after he becomes Felicia."

"A waitress? Isn't that kinda cliche?"

I rubbed at my chin. "I suppose, but it's also good grounds for character interaction. Putting a gender bended character in a situation that's kind of cliche, like making her a waitress, or a cheerleader. Plus, it lets us explore Brenda and Joey after they've settled into life."

He sighed. "I guess since you've put all this thought into it."

I rolled on top of him. "Oh, and what did you have in mind?"

"Race car driver."

"Race car driver?"

"Yup."

"Like in Misfile? The comic we're so desperately trying not to be compared to?"

"Y'know, sometimes, that's not a bad thing. Especially if we do it better. Besides, I had this idea where Felicia discovers her love for driving after the change, not that it's something that carries through."

I had to admit, it sounded at least a tiny bit interesting. "Okay, so say we do this, do we have her street racing? Or do we get her on like an amateur circuit and really racing?"

He shrugged. "We can figure that out. Hell, we can even do both ideas, have her racing and waitressing. It's not like it's impossible, though that kinda slips us into street racing territory."

Okay, actually, the street racing angle was starting to get more and more interesting the more he talked about it. I shouldn't have been that dismissive, anyway. This was his comic, too, after all. "Alright, I like this."

He smiled. "Good."

I flicked him on the nose. "Oh, you knew I'd come around, didn't you?"

"It was a fifty-fifty thing."

"Butthead."

From up in my room, Laurie started to cry. Grant just gave me another kiss and said, "Sounds like baby girl needs Mommy."

I smacked him on the chest. "Don't call me Mommy. I'll be back down in a minute, then we can stop making out and actually get to work."

I hurried upstairs and into my bedroom. One quick feeding later, and Laurie was just about ready to drift back off to sleep. I just leaned over her crib and tucked her in. She looked so beautiful there.

Grant had said all through the pregnancy that he hopes our baby would look more like me than him, though he had no reason to say that. He was just plain gorgeous, after all. Still, lucky him we had a daughter that he could dote on. Her sandy blonde hair was a nice trade off from my blonde and Grant's brown, and her bright green eyes were just the most precious thing about her.

"I wish you could have met your aunt Laurie, though I guess if you still had an aunt Laurie, you wouldn't be here now. Still, you woulda loved her. She'd be the 'cool aunt', the one you'd confide in whenever I caught you doing something wrong. She’d probably sneak you out to R-rated movies or buy you alcohol when you’re underage.

“You’re named after the best sister that nobody remembers. The only thing I miss from a life where I wouldn’t have you. You’re the best of both worlds, baby girl, and I always want you to know that. The best of both of my lives, and the best of your dad and me. You have the whole world ahead of you, baby girl."

By the time I was done talking, she'd closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She snored about as much as her dad. I just smiled and gently kissed her forehead.

"Telling her about aunt Laurie again?" Grant asked from the doorway.

"Yeah."

His arms wrapped around me. "She woulda loved her."

I felt a tear slip down my cheek. “Yeah…”

"Honestly, I think I did, too."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, you did not. You maybe asked her out one time to Homecoming and then the only times you talked to her were here at the house."

He kissed my cheek. "Yeah, but I just wanted to make you feel jealous. Everybody knows you were always the girl for me, even back when you were a guy."

I lightly smacked one of his hands. "Hey! That was only true in this life. Ash was never into guys."

He squeezed me tighter. "Honestly, even though I know you were him, I don't think your life as Ash was ever real. You're just so much more right this way, and we have this beautiful baby daughter here. How could it have ever been any different?"

“Simple, a Welsh goddess decided to have a little fun.”

He sighed. “Maybe. Or maybe she just made us think she did, and came up with a story that never happened and made us think it did.” He kissed me again. “Makes things easier.”

I shrugged. “Even if that was all it was, it doesn’t matter. My life is this now. It’s so much better than my old life, and I never want to go back to that one again.” I spun around in his arms. “I love having you, I love our daughter, I love everything about what my life has become."

He smiled. "Thank you, babe," he said as he kissed me again. "So, there's actually a reason I followed you in here, and as much as I love seeing you with your shirt pushed up feeding Laurie, it wasn't the reason."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, what was the reason?"

He reached into his pocket and took out a folded up piece of paper. “I wanted to give you this.”

I took the paper and immediately that it was heavier than it looked like it should have been. When I opened it, I realized exactly why it felt so heavy, and when I had it all opened, I nearly had a heart attack. The paper itself was a drawing, of Grant and of me. I was standing there, my hands to my mouth as if to keep myself from screaming, holding a piece of paper. Grant was in front of me, down on one knee, holding something that he obviously just picked up from the floor.

The something that was currently in my hand.

A ring.

I was in so much shock that I dropped it, reflexively putting my hands to my mouth to keep myself from screaming and waking little Laurie up. Grant quickly caught it just after it hit the carpet, then held it up.

"Ashley Johnson, will you marry me?"

If I have to tell you that I said "Yes!" then you obviously haven't been paying attention.