It has been 2 months since the wedding. Like any newlyweds, Brock and Holly barely leave their house as they are too busy spending so much time together when neither of them have to go to work. Ash, Serena, Lillie and all of their other friends barely get to see the married couple anymore much less hang out with him which for Ash is fine for him as it means less uncomfortable moments with his best friend and his new wife. Ash and Serena have been continuing to hang out whenever they both have the time and it seems like things are back to normal apart from Brock and Holly's marriage and the fact that Calem is still all the way in Kanto. As the days go by, Ash is starting to feel more sure that he really is in love with Serena, while Serena herself is growing more frustrated in on easy or the fact that her boyfriend is far away and she still has to wait another 3 months to see him again.

It is currently the afternoon and Serena was working on another animation project when her boss, Palermo asked her to come over to her office for a personal discussion.

'It's a complete disaster!" Palermo berates. "Practically everything in Sinnoh is going down the tubes and it's all thanks to Alain. Our partners constantly report that he's been nothing short of a jerk who keeps coming up late to meetings and criticizes their animators. It's a total embarrassment. On the plus side sarcastically speaking, he's making out with every Sinnoh woman he comes across as I so I guess he shall soon win the gold medal for biggest jackass in the business."

Serena winces at her boss words.

"Palermo, I'm sorry. I can't believe he would do that," she says.

"Yeah, well that's what I get for giving the well-deserved credit to someone who doesn't even deserve the title. I make one little mistake and everyone wants my head because I broke all their hearts," Palermo grumbles. "I need someone on Sinnoh full-time to clean up Alain's mess and I want it to be you, I mean you are the real heart of our business, and this whole thing was your idea from the very beginning. If you had just said yes to being project manager from the start, we'd have saved a lot of time and money."

Serena frowns uneasily and she bites her lip.

"Yeah, I'm still not sure I'm ready to do that," she says.

"Why not?" Palermo asks unamused. "You will get a car, and apartments, obviously a raise, and your artwork will be shown into entire regions once the whole thing is done. I need an answer for you by the end of the month. And to be clear, Serena, this is the last time I'm going to offer you a promotion."

Serena winces again friends keeping before she robotically nods and understanding Palermo waves her hand as if to bluntly say that is all and she nods again before walking back to her desk. She goes back to drawing, but her mind is only half interested in the picture she's making as her mind is on Palermo's proposition. On the one hand, she thinks that she may as well take this job since it really was her idea from the very beginning and it's not like staying here will make Calem come back anytime soon, but on the other hand she still would be away a whole year from Lily and Brock and Holly and Ash.

... Ash.

For some odd reason that she can't explain how just thinking of the name of this shy guy has been giving her such a warm feeling in a way that's different and unique compared to how she feels about anyone, even Calem. She has considered how the two of them have been getting a little closer by the day and he has proven to be the one person she can wholeheartedly come to talk when Lillie or any of her other friends are not around. The more she thinks about him, the more clear it is that he's really become the best thing that's been going on in her life ever since Calem left. But she doesn't know what it means. If anything it confuses her that she feels that way about her best guy friend.

Suddenly, she hears a ding from her computer and she discovers she has a new email message from Ash.

To:

From:

How's it going, Serena?

So Brock and Holly came to visit me at work today. Yes, they are in fact alive. What a miracle. LOL. And making to tell me that they're going to hang out at Holly's uncle's cabin this weekend while he is away and they were wondering if you and I would like to join them. It's a three-bedroom cabin out in the mountains so we would have our own rooms while we go skating or skiing in the snowy mountains. Frankly, has odd as it is that they suggest that we go to some snowy mountains in the middle of summer, I think it sounds like a nice little get together. What do you think? Are you in?

Let either me or Brock and Holly know by Thursday if you want to come.

Ttyl,

Ash

Serena reads the message a couple of times before she starts thinking about it. On the one hand she agrees with Ash that it is ridiculous to go to those snowy mountains in the middle of summer, but on the other hand, it sounds like a nice time to unwind and spend some time away from civilization and think a little bit about Palermo's proposal. Also, the more she thinks about it, maybe this would be a nice opportunity to think about why she seems to be so fond of spending time with Ash. Finally, she sighs and decides to reply right away.

To:

From:

Ash,

Heck yeah, that sounds great. Do I need to bring anything in particular apart from very warm winter clothes?

Serena

Serena Smiles, satisfy with her reply. She's about to start drawing again when Ash suddenly replies.

To:

From:

Serena,

Actually yes. Holly said to bring your swimsuit because there are some hot tubs inside the cabin.

Ash

********************************************************************************

It is the weekend and as soon as work ended on Friday Brock, Holly, Ash, and Serena all got together to meet up at Brock and Holly's house and drove to the mountains. It was several hours until late at night that's they reach the cabin. Serena was giddy and excited as she saw how nice and cozy the cabin is from the inside and how Holly let her sleep in one of the beds that connects to a balcony where one of the two hot tubs is.

The group stays for the night as soon as they had unpacked and early the next morning they got ready for activities. They first went skiing and skateboarding at a resort 15 minutes away from the cabin by car. Holly and Ash decided to ski while Brock and Serena decided to snowboard. A struggle to connect his feet into the pads several times before he eventually needed help from Serena and she had to help him figure out how to ski properly. After a while, Ash begins to get the hang of it but was amazed to see Serena snowboard in style. She would make zigzaggy turns and jump off of hills and do a couple of tricks in mid-air. It amazed Ash so much that he almost ran into a tree as he gazed at the honey blonde woman that he's in love with.

Later in the afternoon, the group decides to go skating. Brock and Holly skate together hand-in-hand in perfect unison while Serena tries to teach a nervous Ash how to stand on his two feet trying hard not to laugh as he whimpers and struggles to not slip and fall every half a minute. Later that evening, the group gets together and starts a brief snow fight outside of the cabin before going back inside for dinner. Afterward, Brock starts a fire in the fireplace and they all get together to enjoy the warmth of the fire while having hot cocoa. They all smile warmly as they enjoy the warmth of the fire and quietly sip their drinks before Holly gets an idea.

"Hey, let's play a game," she says. "Think of the strangest place you have ever made out with someone."

Ash frowns at the idea while Brock and Serena grin and nod in agreement.

"Do we really have to?" He whines.

"All right, Mr. Ketchum," Serena says with a teasing smirk. "If that's your attitude, then you go first."

"Yeah, little buddy, give us a good one," Brock says with a grin.

Ash groans uncomfortably as all eyes are turned to him. Eventually, he sighs and starts his tale.

"I would have to say it was back when I was working at a bakery at a night shift," he says. "There is this tall, muscular, no-nonsense girl name Britney who had a major thing for me. One night, it was just the two of us and the manager had to leave early and since there was no one around and I was just there baking for the morning rush, she made a move and before I knew it she had her arms around me, practically crushing my spine and smashing her lips together with mine. Long story short, we started to date for a couple of weeks after that before she got fired and went to Johto, but at the end of the day, I will never feel comfortable eating a cupcake again."

"A no-nonsense woman who takes what she wants no ifs, ands, or buts? I think I would have liked to be friends with her," Serena says with a smug grin. "All right, Holly your turn. And it has to be someone before Brock. Same goes for you with your turn, Brock."

"Well okay, but it's going to be hard to think of one that isn't with Brock," Holly says before she starts scratching her chin and thought. "I would have to say at the back of a truck with this guy named Adam. We were dating back in high school and it was the first time he was going to kiss a girl and he was so nervous that he almost missed my lips. As soon as our lives connected he became more confident and that's when we started getting at it for a good 10 minutes."

"Not bad, not bad," Serena says. "How about you, Brock?"

"I would have to say inside a janitor's closet in a hospital," Brock says. "I was visiting my then-girlfriend, Joy who transferred from Floaroma Town. "She had just finished her shift and wanted to kiss me right away. I suggested an empty hospital room that no one was going to go in for a while, but she was impatient and just shoved me inside this closet that was so small that we could barely move and then she just started kissing me regardless of how cramped it was. Of course, it wasn't long before she suddenly decided to ditch me and go back to Floaroma Town to marry some dorky electrician and have a couple of kids."

"Well, her loss is my gain," Holly says with a coquettish look before she scoots closer to Brock and starts kissing his neck before Ash clears his throat to end the moment.

"Right, uh...what about you, Serena?" he asks.

Serena thinks hard before she says, "I'd go with the ferris wheel at the top with nothing to see for miles around and Calem and I are just kissing on the floor as the cart swings back and forth."

Ash frowns at the image of Calem and Serena kissing, while Brock and Holly are smirking.

"We have a winner," Holly announces.

Serena gives the couple a smug and proud look. But then her smile weakens as her mind drifts to Calem and Palermo's offer. Before she can think further about it, Brock and Holly put down their mugs and stand up.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but we're gonna go check out the hot tub in our room," Brock says as he picks Holly up bridal style, making her squeal and giggle as he carries her away from the room.

Ash and Serena sit in silence as Ash quietly sips his cocoa. Serena bites her lips as she debates on whether or not to make a similar suggestion.

"Ash," she finally says. "Would you... like to try out the hot tub in my room with me?"

Ash almost chokes on his cocoa, startled before turning to Serena. He blushes lightly and says, "S-s-sure. I'll go grab my swim trunks."

Serena nods in agreement and the two of them put down their mugs and head to their rooms. Ash changes to his swimming trunks and mentally tells himself it's just hanging out in the hot tub before he heads to Serena's room. By the time he gets inside, he sees through the glass door to the balcony that Serena is already in the hot tub. He takes a deep breath and walks outside to see her back facing him as she looks at the great view of the mountains from the balcony. As Ash quietly gets in the hot tub, trying not to whimper from how incredibly hot it is, he sees a small tattoo on screen is back of a butterfly and the name Michael above it.

"That tattoo, is that butterfly meant to be your dad?" He asks. "Is that his name?"

For a moment, Serena still has her back turned to Ash. Then she turns around with the calm look on her face and nods.

"Michael Yvonne," she says. "I got the tattoo after graduating high school after thinking about how much I wished he was there to see me graduate."

"What was he like?" Ash asks.

Serena takes a moment before she says, "He was a very sweet man. My mother is very snarky like me, but he always found a way to make her smile every day. Despite working two jobs, he still found the energy to play with me whenever he came home. And then..."

"And then he passed away," Ash says finishing her sentence.

"Yeah," Serena says sadly. "I guess I picked a butterfly because it was one of the first things I ever drew and it was around the time that he thought I should find a career out of drawing. Now that I'm older, I know he was trying to be a cheery dad when he said it back then like a normal parent watching their kid do something new, but I still took it to heart. I guess animation is just one of the few things I have to keep his memory alive even if he's been dead and cremated for over twenty years. All the same, I wanted the tattoo on my back for good measure so that he is still near me whether I'm drawing or not. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, it does," Ash says sincerely.

Serena gives Ash a small but sincere smile before she lays her back against the wall and lays her head with her eyes closed back to continue enjoying the hot water. Ash decides to do the same from his side of the tub and the two of them sit in silence until Ash hears Serena's voice again.

"Wow, look at the stars," she says softly.

Ash opens his eyes to look at the sky. Sure enough, countless stars are surrounding the night sky. Ash smiles in amazement and looks over at Serena to see her watching the sky with a serene smile.

"Oh, look! Shooting stars!" she calls out pointing at the sky.

Ash looks up just in time to see several shooting stars zoom across the sky within a blink of an eye. He stares in awe as he's never seen such a spectacle before.

"Makes you wish we could see the sky like this every night at home, huh?" Serena says with a smile.

"Sure, but then it wouldn't be as special as it is now," Ash says.

"Good point, Mr. Ketchum. Good point," Serena says.

The two of them continue to look at the night sky for several minutes. Then, Serena starts shivering and rubs her shoulders.

"Man, I'm still a little cold," she complains. "Aren't you a little cold? Cause I'm starting to wonder why they built this cabin with a hot tub out in the middle of the always-snowy mountain."

"Uh...yeah, I'm a little cold," Ash lies.

Serena whimpers as she slouches further into the hot water but still feels unsatisfied. Then she gets an idea that makes her uncomfortable at first but the more she thinks about it, the more she wants to do it.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?" Ash asks.

"Maybe a little body heat will warm me up better," Serena suggests.

If it wasn't for the fact that it's so dark out and the light hanging next to the glass door was barely bright enough to show his face, Serena would have seen Ash blushing like mad. He sits on his side of the tub, freaking out mentally as he is unsure about whether or not Serena really means what she said. Serena sighs and gets straight to the point.

"Ash?"

"Y-yeah?" Ash responds nervously.

"I'll snuggle if you snuggle back."

Ash's whole body freezes as if the hot water turned into a giant ice cube.

"Oh...okay," he manages to say.

With that, Serena moves over to Ash's side of the tub, wraps her arms around him and rests her head on his right shoulder. Ash takes a moment to keep his cool before he wraps his arms around Serena and rests his head against hers. Without even realizing it, Serena lets out a serene sigh as she closes her eyes and enjoys the comfort of resting her head on Ash's shoulder and the feeling of his arms around her. Likewise, Ash closes his eyes and he smiles in a state of bliss as he feels Serena holding him tightly and her head rested on his shoulder. As the two of them hug closely, one thought is simultaneously on their minds.

I don't know how or why, but this might be the happiest time of my life.

******************************************************************************************

For another 10 minutes, Ash and Serena held each other close until they decide it was time to get off and get ready for bed. On the inside, Ash felt okay with this, but on the inside, he felt like he lost a part of himself when Serena let go of him and got out of the hot tub. As Serena grabs two towels that were lying next to the tub, she feels a strange pain on her chest as if without realizing it she was feeling something similar, like she also just lost a part of her by separating herself from Ash. Regardless, Ash soon gets out of the tub and they both wrap themselves around in towels before going back inside Serena's room. They silently enjoy the inside warmth until Serena notices something strange.

"Where are my clothes and backpack?" she asks.

"What?" Ash asks in confusion.

"I left my backpack next to the bed and laid my clothes next to it after I changed into my swimsuit," she explains. "You didn't touch them when you came in, did you?"

"No, I didn't even notice them," Ash answers honestly.

Serena frowns and looks around the room, but can't find her clothes or backpack anywhere.

"Ugh, where could they be? I want to change to my pajamas," She complains. "Maybe Holly has a spare pair. It'll be too big for me but I'll have to -"

But when she turns the knob on her bedroom door, it doesn't open. Serena grows annoyed as she tries to yank the door open.

"For heaven's sake, what is going on?"

Ash stands where he is confused with what is going on. Then suddenly, it starts to hit him. He looks down noticing that he's only in his swimming trunks and Serena is in her swimsuit with none of her other clothes in her bedroom. It's just the two of them barely wearing anything at all. Brock and Holly are trying to use this as a means to somehow get him and Serena to hook up by trapping them in this small, one single-sized bedroom.

"Serena," He finally says, grabbing the honey blonde woman's attention. "They took your stuff and locked us here."

Serena turns to the raven-haired man in disbelief until the pieces come together in her mind. Her shock turns to anger as she starts banging on the door violently.

"BROCK! HOLLY! OPEN THE DOOR AND GIVE ME BACK MY STUFF!" she barks. "I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!"

"They know, they just don't care," Ash says. "If I know Brock, he'll see this through to the end and Holly probably encouraged it."

Serena growls in disbelief as she bangs the door one last time. Then she walks over and sits on her bed.

"I'm going to remove their heads from their shoulders for this," she snarls.

"At this point, you have my blessing," Ash says feeling bitter for his best friend. "Meanwhile, I guess you should get ready for bed and I'll think of a way to use my towel as a blanket or something while sleeping on the floor.

"No, I don't want you to do that," Serena says. "You shouldn't have to sleep on the floor like an almost naked homeless guy."

"Yeah, well, you shouldn't be a part of my stupid best friend's ridiculous prank, yet here we are," Ash grumbles.

Serena frowns disapprovingly.

"Don't be a jackass," she rebukes.

Ash turns to Serena with a look of disbelief.

"I'm not being a jackass," he says.

"Yes, you are," Serena counters. "You're treating this like it's just a childish prank when they crossed a line that they clearly should not have crossed."

At this point, Ash suddenly grows angry at Serena's accusation and snaps.

"I'm not treating this like a childish prank, and I am not being a jackass," he barks. "Brock is being a jackass, Holly is being a jackass, head frankly you are acting like a jackass right now. Me? I'm standing here with my body barely covered with these stupid swimming trunks and a wet towel while you have your nice warm bed. How in the world does that make me a jackass?"

Serena sits there shocked to see her shy friend act this way. But then her shock turns to a bitter frown.

"Fine," she snarls.

"Fine?" Ash asks, still angry. "What does fine mean?"

"It means we'll share the bed," Serena answers. "So quit your bickering and get in."

And any other time, Ash would be blushing uncontrollably at Serena's command to sleep in the same bed as her. But because of his frustration against Brock, Holly and even the honey blonde woman he loves, he does nothing but wave his arms that's a way of saying, "whatever," before he walks over and gets under the covers on the opposite side of the bed from Serena. Without saying any more words, Serena gets under the covers on her side of the bed and they lie down with their backs facing each other barely not touching each other. The two of them remain in silence as they struggle to fall asleep.

******************************************************************************************

The next morning, Ash slowly wakes up first. He sits up and checks his surroundings when he notices Serena's backpack and her clothes nicely folded right next to the bedroom door. He turns to the sleeping honey blonde woman and nudges her arm gently. She groans in annoyance as she slowly wakes up and turns to her raven-haired friend.

"They brought your stuff back," Ash says plainly.

Serena sits up to indeed see her backpack and clothes lying next to the door. She gets out of bed and walks over to the door, turns the knob and finds it open like nothing happened. Her face is unfazed as she turns to Ash.

"Get out and get changed," she orders.

Ash frowns as he gets out of bed and walks out of the room to get changed. Within 10 minutes, both of them leave their rooms wearing their normal clothes and carrying their backpacks. They exit the cabin to find Holly and Brock standing in front of the car and waiting for them with playful grins on their faces.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Holly calls out to Serena teasingly.

"You had a nice nap, little buddy?" Brock asks Ash who gives the taller man an angry glare.

"You're a jackass, Brock," he says bluntly before he and Serena get in the car on opposite sides. Brock and Holly turn to each other and shrug before they get in the car with Holly driving and they begin the long drive back to Vaniville Town.