Surprise.

------

(Ash)

We parked up outside and Serena instantly got a strange feeling, like someone, was in the house.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"You'll see" I couldn't help but sound excited as we went to the door. 

I let Serena open it and instantly, the party poppers flew all over us, cheers around the whole apartment. I turned to Serena, who was soaking in the whole moment right before her eyes, with shock. I saw a tear fall and then she almost screamed, before tackling all of the girls. 

"I never thought we would all be together like this!" I heard her yell from the floor, all of the girls giggling and crying.

"Don't cry, you'll spoil the fun" Gary frowned, which made me smile.

"Good to see some people don't change," I said sarcastically.

"Tell me about it" all of the other guys replied in unison, looking at one another like a miracle had occurred. 

"Well, how have we all been? It's time to play catch-up, right?" I grabbed a drink and we all sat down on the sofas, the girls going into the kitchen for their own little conversation.

"This took ages to sort out" Kenny looked at their handy-work, but I shrugged.

"Took me no time at all" I smirked, receiving a few digs to my arm for my comment. 

"Well, how is college going?" Cilan asked, taking a sip of his drink.

I spent a few moments in thought. The scene before me felt so surreal like I was in a dream. I pinched Calem just to make sure.

"Ow!" he jumped back, holding his arm

"Okay, I am not dreaming" I grinned, before turning to Cilan. "It's 'kay, I guess" 

"It's 'kay?" Gary mocked, with a sigh. "Ashy-boy, you have to learn to describe things properly"

"Coming from the dumbest person in the room" Cilan retorted, which surprised me.

"Have you guys changed too much?" I nodded at Cilan, who was never known for being blunt or making jokes. "Do I need to leave and take a breather?"

Cilan smiled but shook his head. "Stop messing around"

"Since we are on the subject of college and whatnot, why not tell Ash about your time Cilan?" Calem spoke to Cilan and I turned to him, ready to hear his adventures.

Cilan shrugged. "It turns out Iris got into the same college and she is barely hanging in. There hasn't been anything crazy going on..."

"No, numbnuts, about you know who" Calem mouthed something and Cilan's eyes lit up.

"Oh yeah, I met Clemont again but he couldn't make it here tonight"

"Really?" I whistled and thought back to our first year, when Clemont was there.

This thought drowned out the conversations. 

The first year...a prank to start it off with a bang. A nuclear stink bomb sized bang at that. I immediately got into the group like I belonged there and I had the best first year of high school anyone could ask for. Serena was the best thing to happen to me during that time. Meeting her made me feel needed, every single second of every day I wanted to be by her side. There was plenty of times in which things escalated, such as Calem and his short downfall, Sarah entering the picture, other people like Josh. There was violence and plenty of drama to boot. Like the holiday we all had. It was possibly the best week I had, with Gary getting us banned from everywhere. The basketball players we met there, I could never forget them. We had some great moments in the space of a week.

How could I forget the school itself? The fights I had, the fights we all had. The countless tests and the repetitive, boring homework that yielded to nothing in the end.

Also, the countless hours of studying I did just to get to where I am today. Without the results I got, my relationship with Serena would have changed forever. Everything would have changed. Things DID change over the four years we all spent as one big group.

No, I wouldn't call it a group.

We are also more than just friends.

"Ash?!" Everyone shouted at me, to get my attention.

"Sorry, what?" I immediately sprung back into action.

"Thinking about things again?" Kenny asked me and I nodded.

"I was remembering all of the good times we had" 

"Like the time Gary got us kicked out of the arcade during the holiday?" Drew smirked and we all shared a laugh.

"Hey! We were too good for those losers anyway" Gary looked away but grinned a little. "Hey, Ash, remember when you kicked that guys ass in the camp we went to?" 

"Oh yeah, I remember you guys mentioning that one time" Drew nodded to confirm the story, but I shrugged. 

"What about the present you bought for Misty that one time?" Cilan scratched his chin in thought and we all laughed.

"All of the meatball sandwiches you went through, how about those?" Kenny folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at Cilan, who was more ready to reply then he had ever been in the past five years.

"I take pride in my meatball addiction but do you take pride in your Dawn addiction?" Cilan raised an eyebrow in return, watching Kenny go red.

"Kenny got the hots for Dawn, again?" Gary teased, jumping out of his seat. We all continued to laugh as Gary teased Kenny, spurring him on to ask her out already. 

"What about the time I owned a fast-food restaurant and shut you all up?" Kenny shouted jokingly, making everything go silent.

"Awkward..." Gary looked left and right, breaking the silence.

"Gary, you are the worst comedian I have ever seen" Calem shook his head.

"He is so bad, that he is worth laughing at anyway" I continued, causing a small amount of laughter.

"I am the funniest man in this room" Gary spoke proudly and I watched as everyone bursted into tears of laughter.

"He just called himself a man!" Calem clutched his stomach and continued to laugh.

"Gary, you're less funny than Misty and she isn't funny at all" Drew folded his arms and stopped laughing. 

It was almost like he summoned Misty because she was peering over Drew's shoulder in seconds. 

"What was that, pretty boy?" Misty smirked as Drew gulped.

"I said you were really funny" he laughed nervously.

Misty smiled and jumped back to her feet. "Aww, thanks!"

"That makes me funny!" Gary replied stupidly. 

"You tell yourself that, Oak tree" Cilan shook his head and sighed.

The other girls came in and the boy talk died down, the laughter died down. 

I remembered what I bought the week before and I prepared myself for the moment that everyone else was also waiting for. 

While the conversations began, I looked across to Serena, straight into her deep blue eyes. They always took me away, eyes like the ocean, shining like the rocks that reflected the sunlight that hovered over the sandy beach, waves gently flowing across the water, a beautiful sight. That's what Serena's eyes represented to me. Because she was beautiful. 

She looked back at me, staring for a moment like I did. No doubt she was thinking just like me, in her own way. I could tell, because we had been together for so long. Everything that we had done had led to this moment.

I took a step forward and poured my heart out, I repeated the thoughts I had prior to the retrospective conversation with the other guys, to Serena. I told her all about the dreams we had achieved and everything  I wanted to achieve with her by my side. 

"I love you" I chose these words as my last words, before crouching down onto one knee.

The whole room began to spin and I felt dizzy, but I somehow managed to calmly take out the small box from my pocket and open it up.

"Serena Yvonne, some say that in order to live your dreams, you must never give up on what you believe in. That's why I will never give up on you, because I love you. Will you marry me?"

I took a brief stare to my right and noticed the girls crying, the guys winking and silently supporting me and I smiled up at the love of my life, who had tears in her eyes. 

"Five years ago, I met you for the first time. You know what? I wish we could live these five years over and over again" she wiped tears from her eyes and I got up.

"Is...that a yes?" I asked awkwardly, still holding out the box. 

"Ash Ketchum, you idiot. Of course, it is" Serena continued to cry, crashing into my body with a huge hug. I looked down at the girl who had always been there, through thick and thin and I couldn't help but smile a smile that I could hold forever.

"I love you and I always will" I whispered into her ear.

It was at this time that I realized, everything was perfect. 

We all had the best five years of our lives and you know what?

I couldn't wait to live through five more.

Fin.