It had been almost an hour. They finished their coffees and Austin went to the kitchen to do the dishes, which was really just piling them in a machine and pressing a button, remember that this is the future. Ally stilled looked at the photo album. It almost seemed as if she looked at every individual picture for over ten minutes. She felt her mind becoming a blank space. At first she couldn't remember dates or what she had for dinner. Now she can't remember certain song lyrics or certain people that she had met before, but wasn't quite familiar with. She never thought that this would affect her. She thought it would affect Trish or even Austin, or anyone else who had a bit of a lazy time and didn't take the effort to remember certain things. She remembered everything, and anyone could contest to that. She did the remembering for everyone else. She remembered when Trish would start and end her shifts, she remembered Dez's highest score every time they went mini golfing, and she remembered many names of the fans that they had. She never wanted to forget.

It was 2071 now. Technology had come a long way and Austin and Ally had gone to the doctor and discussed options that would cure her or at least stop the process from getting worse. There was an new invention that had been on the market for the last ten years. They were called memory implants, and it was the idea that if a microchip is activated in a certain way and implanted into the brain, that it can prevent memory loss and actually help reverse the process. The memory implants have seen a success rate but Ally was terrified of having to get a chip implanted in her brain. Austin was worried too, and they weren't sure if they were willing to risk it. So instead, the doctor had recommended that Ally should remind herself to do certain tasks everyday to develop a routine so it would help her remember.

Ava had called and Austin answered it, talking to their only daughter in the other room. Ally came across a group photo of her friends and family. Her parents, Trish and Chuck, Dez and Carrie, and her in Austin were all there. It looked like it was set in a restaurant. She was mildly confused and she found it hard to remember when this photo was taken. She knew it was when they were in their twenties. They were mature, but they didn't look that old and Trish and Chuck were a couple. She looked at the caption above it.

(left to right)

back: Lester, Penny, Austin, Dez

front: Chuck, Trish, Ally, Carrie

Petit Cafe Carré

Paris, France

November 29th, 2020

Her eyes widened. They'd taken this photo on the day of her 23rd birthday. They were in Paris on their international tour. That was the same night that Austin had proposed to her.

x.x

Austin had a hard time sleeping. He seemed to easily ease into sleep four hours ago when he climbed into bed and cuddled a very tired Ally. He woke up soon later for a drink, only to realize that once he was up he would stay that way.

Ally still peacefully slept. She was curled into a little ball like a cat and her head rested on his chest. He was still laying down, staring at the ceiling. It was almost like staring into oblivion as the dotted patterned tiles swirled. He was going to do it. After a few weeks of thinking and planning, he was going to make tomorrow special for her. He knew that they had only been back to together for nearly a year, but he also knew, from the moment he first told her that he loved her, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

He had done a lot of secret planning over the past few weeks and it was time to put it into action, he just hoped that nothing would get messed up. He had realized that only Dez knew what he was about to do. Trish didn't know, Carrie didn't know, Ally's parents didn't know, and Ally certainly didn't know. A surprise that Trish had for Ally was that she was flying out her parents to spend the day with her, because she hadn't seen either of them in a couple of months. Austin wanted to find a time where he could get her parents alone and ask for their blessing. He knew without a doubt that they would give it to him, but he wanted to be respectful and make sure. He planned on telling Trish as well. He wanted everything to be… perfect.

He slowly tried to maneuver out of bed. Ally's head still rested on his chest and he didn't want to wake her for two reasons. One, she needed her rest and he would feel guilty. Two, he was setting plans in action for tomorrow and he didn't want to spoil them. He fluffed out the pillow that he had been sleeping on and gently transitioned her head from him to the pillow. He sat up and Ally, even though asleep, felt his warmth leave her arms.

"A-Austin..." Her eyes were half lidded and her words were slurred.

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "It's okay Ally. Go back to sleep."

She nodded in response and curled in that adorable little ball again. He smiled and went over to the desk in the other room and turned on the lamp. He had a lot to do.

x.x

It was precisely eight in the morning when Ally's eyes fluttered due to the vibrant rising sun peeking through the curtains. She sat up at her own pace, because she hated getting headrush. She then realized that Austin wasn't beside her.

"Austin?" She called out from bed. She vaguely recalled him leaving in the early hours of the morning. Was he okay? Did he leave a note? Was it an emergency? Was Dez in trouble?

"Happy birthday Ally!" Her worries suddenly vanished as her boyfriend came around the corner, carrying a tasty tray of breakfast treats. She suddenly felt guilty for rambling. He set the tray on her lap and she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Austin…" She smiled at him in awe. "You made me breakfast in bed?"

He nodded, remembering the time on the tour bus where she had surprised him with pancakes. He wanted to return the favor, and with Dez's help and the Internet, he was just able to do it. "Yup! It was a lot more work than I thought. Eggs are hard to cook without them being runny and banana bread from scratch was pretty confusing too. And I couldn't find any pickles! So I went to the nearest twenty four hour convenience store and-"

Austin's rambling stop as Ally pulled his collar and kissed him sweetly. They pulled back smiling. "Thank you Austin. This is so romantic! Here," She patted the spot next to her. "Come share with me!"

He grinned. "Well, if you insist." He sat next to her and he was very proud of all the cooking he had done. He'd made Dez's grandma's famous banana bread, over hard eggs, crispy bacon, his mom's famous berry pancakes, and it was complete with a cold glass of orange juice.

And there were three pickle spears as well. He couldn't forget the pickles.

Ally was beaming. She always knew Austin was a cheesy romantic but she hadn't expected this. She wondered if he had a date planned for tonight, because it was their day off and they were in Paris after all. She began eating the eggs, amazed at how Austin was able to keep them from being runny, just how she liked it. She saw him eyeing the pancakes and she rolled her eyes and smiled. She took the plate off and set it on his lap.

"Here." She laughed. "You deserve a reward for all of this hard work."

His grinned widened and he devoured the pancakes, they didn't taste as fluffy and delicious as his mom's but it was pretty close and he was proud of himself.

They enjoyed breakfast in delight and laid back on the bed in contentment when they finished.

Ally sighed in happiness. "So, anything else planned for today Mr. I'm Full of Surprises?"

"I may have a few tricks up my sleeve," He admitted and smiled slyly. "But you will just have to wait and see!"

"Well you know what the best part is now?" Ally asked and he shook his head. "We get time alone.." She leaned in to kiss him and their lips were barely centimeters apart when her loud ringtone startled them and they jumped away.

Austin groaned. "Seriously? We are adults now and we still get interrupted…"

Ally giggled at his childish tone and glanced at her phone. "Oh, it's Trish! She says for us all to meet in the lobby at ten. She has a surprise as well!"

"Well what do ya know…" He tried to act nonchalantly, even though he knew what Trish's plans were.

Ally was very excited now. She jumped from the bed and paced around the room. "What could it be? Should I get ready now? I'll only have an hour to curl my hair. Should I wear a pretty dress? Is the dress code formal or casual? Should I bring my-"

"Ally." Austin laughed. "Don't worry about it! Lets just go with the flow!" He was very spontaneous and that was his motto. "We still have an hour before we're even supposed to be down there. you know what that means, right?" He sent her a flirty look and waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah…" Ally realized and smiled. "I do know what that means…"

Austin leaned in, getting the hint.

"It means a have a whole hour to finish the next chapter in my World Music Theories book!"

Austin huffed and whined. "Ally…."

x.x

Roughly an hour later, Austin and Ally were down in the lobby to meet everyone. Ally did finish the chapter of her book, and managed to get ready in a short amount of time. Austin was pretty cool about it, because he knew that he would have plenty of time later with Ally.

"You look pretty. I told you the yellow one was the best choice!" He studied her short stature and admired the way her laced yellow sundress flowed and complemented her white belt and flats.

"Are you just saying that because yellow is one of your favorite colors?" She looked at him knowingly and he scoffed sarcastically.

"Pfft no…. okay maybe… but to be fair, you look pretty all the time."

She laughed at his comeback and kissed his cheek. "Thank you. You look handsome as well, if I do say so myself."

He smiled. "Yeah, I know."

Ally rolled her eyes at his inflated ego. Before she could reply, she heard a call from the other side of the lobby.

"Hey Ally!" Trish waved them over by the lounge area that they were resting in. The hotel was one of the best in Paris. It had beautiful marble floors, incredible architecture, and gorgeous crystal chandeliers. Trish ran over and hugged her best friend. "Happy birthday!"

Ally returned the hug. "Thanks Trish, you are so sweet! What did you get me?" She paused. "I'm sorry that was rude…. Okay what did you get me?!"

Trish chuckled. "Guess who flew out your parents to Paris?"

On cue, Lester and Penny walked through the entrance of the hotel. They ran over to their daughter and wrapped her in a huge hug. Ally felt like she was on cloud nine. Now she can spend her birthday with everyone she loved.

"Mom! Dad!" She hugged them tightly and hugged Trish again. "Thank you for doing this Trish.. it means a lot to me…"

"You don't have to thank me!" Trish replied. "Just buy me an expensive souvenir later and we'll call it even!"

Penny hugged her daughter again. It has been over eight months since they last saw each other in person. "Oh honey, I've missed you so much! You look so beautiful!"

Lester patted Ally's back. "Happy birthday sweetheart. Lets all go out somewhere and celebrate together! My treat!"

Everyone looked at Lester with wide eyes. Trish spoke up.

"Austin and Ally are celebrities, therefore I scored us free lunch at a nice restaurant."

Lester held his chest and audibly sighed. "Oh thank goodness…"

Everyone chuckled. That was more like it.

x.x

They found themselves at a beautiful and quaint Parisian cafe called Petit Cafe Carré, which had translated to Small Square Cafe, and they could see why. The patio was constructed of square cobblestones and the building was made of square brick. The marble stoned walls on the inside were all formed in the square shape as well.

They had a great time enjoying lunch and just being together. Ally loved touring because she could experience so many different cultures, and the food was just one of the things that she was enjoying. Everyone had gone out of their comfort zone and ordered french food, except for Austin who of course ordered crepes. Ally managed to get Austin to share some escargot with her. She wouldn't tell him that he had eaten snails until later.

Trish stood up and clinked her glass to make a toast. "I'd like to thank everyone who is here to celebrate Ally's twenty third birthday, and I would also like to congratulate Dez and Carrie, who are going to get married in the Spring!"

Everyone clapped and cheered. Dez, who wanted to pitch in and say something, stood up and clinked his glass with his knife a little too violently and it shattered. Everyone gasped and he laughed nervously. ""You know what, nevermind…" He sat down next to his fiancee, who kissed him on the cheek and told him he would make a great public speaker.

Austin thought about Dez and Carrie getting married, and he knew he wanted the same future with Ally. He wanted to find time to talk to her parents, but first he would have to tell Trish so she could distract Ally. He knew Dez was bursting at the seams to tell Ally, so he would have to do it soon.

"And now, it's time for gifts!" Trish exclaimed and turned to Ally. "Well, part of your gift was flying your parents out here, but I also have someone back at the hotel to do our nails and hair!"

Ally smiled. "Trish, that's awesome!" She hugged her tightly. "Thank you."

Dez cleared his throat. "Well, Carrie and I got you something even cooler! It's a toaster, microwave, and mini fridge all in one!"

Carrie added. "It's called a fricroaster! We thought it would come in handy on the tour bus! And when you and Austin get-,"

"Okay! My turn!" Austin interrupted quite loudly and glared at Dez who shrugged and sent an apologetic glance. He turned towards Ally and pulled a decent size rectangular package from inside his jacket. "Happy birthday!"

She smiled and opened it, she looked at what was inside and tears came to her eyes. She lifted it up so everyone could see. It was a leather bound brown songbook. Embroidered on the front was Austin and Ally. His name was in yellow and hers was in red.

"I had your songbook for so long, and I read through it and realized many memories were in there. I thought we could start over and make our own memories as a musical duo. So I got us our very own songbook."

"Awe, this is so sweet! I love it, thank you!" She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. He returned the tight embrace and buried his nose into her shoulder.

Everybody cooed. The young couple was definitely in love, and there were no doubts about it. Dez wondered when Austin was finally going to ask.

Chuck saw the book and took an interest in the leather that covered it. He wondered if it was the same material that his cowboy boots were made out of. "Hey! Is that real leather?" He reached out the feel it but Austin and Ally both pulled it back.

"Don't touch our book!"

That made everyone laugh, including the couple themselves. Lester spoke up. "Ally, your mother and I got you a gift as well. It's pretty big so it's a joint gift."

Penny handed her a small box and whispered birthday wishes in her ear. Ally opened it and saw a silver key. She held it up and looked at it closely. "A key?"

"Oh yes. And there is also this." Penny gave her a stack of paperwork. "All you have to do is fill out this form and sign!"

Ally looked through the paperwork and gasped. "No way!"

The day Ally came home, before she got back together with Austin on the Helen Show, she had discussed with her parents the possibility of getting her own apartment. She had looked at a few, but she fell in love with a cottage-like condo that was in a neighborhood about three minutes away from the mall and music factory. She wanted to get it, but she immediately left on two tours with Austin and she hadn't had the time to talk or think about it. Now, it was all hers.

Lester smiled at his daughter's happiness. "We put down a down payment and the first six months rent. After that, it is your responsibility."

Ally could not wipe the grin off her face. "I can't believe this! This is incredible!" She ran to the other side of the table and wrapped her parents in huge hugs. "Thank you so so much…."

"You deserve it, honey!" Penny said.

"Your mother and I split up the payment equally." Lester added. "I know you all think I'm just cheap because I'm cheap, but I do it to save money for situations like these."

"That means a lot dad." Ally hugged them both again, feeling over the moon.

"Let's take a group picture!" Dez suggested. "It'll be the perfect way to capture the perfect moment."

So Dez handed his camera to a waiter and they captured the perfect picture. Ally couldn't stop smiling, and she didn't think it could better than this.

x.x

They explored Paris for the remainder of the afternoon. Ally was especially interested in the art museums. Dez took Carrie on a boat ride, and Ally bought Trish some expensive crystal earrings to thank her for setting everything up.

They all got back to the hotel at about four. Ally knew that Austin was taking her out on a date night, so she decided to go upstairs and look to see what she should wear.

"Trish! Are you coming?"

"Actually, I have to talk to Trish for a moment." Austin said. "About traveling arrangements and stuff."

Trish looked confused but looked over to Ally. "I'll be right up, and then afterwards we can make good use of our spa treatment."

Ally nodded and hurried upstairs. Austin took Trish to one of the private lounge rooms, where Ally's parents were waiting.

They all sat down. Trish was the first to speak. "Austin, what's going on?"

He took a deep breath and cursed himself for feeling so nervous. Trish was one of his best friends and he had known Ally's parents for almost nine years. They all considered him family, so why would they deny that he would actually become family.

"Well," His voice was a bit shaky and he was worried that if he couldn't do this in front of them, then how can they do this in front of Ally? "There is something really important that I have to discuss with you guys."

Lester sat on the edge of his seat. Penny folded her hands and listened, something that Ally often did as well. Trish fidgeted impatiently. "Just tell us already!" She urged.

Penny had a concerned look on her face. "Is this about Ally? Is something wrong?"

"N-No! Well, yes…. Yes it's about Ally, but no, nothing's wrong." He cleared up and whispered under his breath. "I hope…"

"Austin. What's going on?" Trish repeated.

"I just, I wanted you all to know how important Ally is to me, and I know she is old fashioned, so I came to ask for your blessing…"

Trish started to grin, "So you're saying…."

"Yup." Austin continued. "I'm planning on asking her to marry me… tonight."

Trish and Penny looked so happy, that it was gleaming in their eyes. Lester, however, looked like he was going to be sick. That made Austin feel like he was going to be sick.

"M-Mr. Dawson?" He asked nervously with a glint of hope.

Lester took a deep breath and smiled at Austin. "Call me dad."

x.x

It was now almost seven. Ally and Trish had taken full advantage of Trish's present and now she was helping Ally get ready. Austin had gotten Ally's parents' and Trish's blessing. Trish really wanted to tell Ally, but she knew that this surprise would make the moment for special for her.

"Almost done…" Trish applied a sparkle eye shadow to accentuate Ally's eyes. The hairstylist curled Ally's hair loosely, but pulled it half up with a simple beret. She wore simple winged eyeliner and shimmer lip gloss coated her lips. She decided on a scarlet dress. It was a simple dress that had off the shoulder sleeves and flowed down to her knees. Her nails and toes matched the color.

Ally looked at herself in the mirror, feeling like a princess. "Wow Trish, thank you… I don't know why you did all this for me though. It's just a regular date night."

Trish smiled. "Ally, you deserved to be treated like the princess you are! And I know that Austin will do that, whether it's a regular date night or not."

Meanwhile, in Dez's room, Austin was going through the same thing. He looked dashing in his suit with the blue undershirt and tie. It was very similar to the one he wore to Trish's Quinceanera, only it looked more mature. Very much like Ally's dress, which was the same color and style but it was a little more mature. Austin was trying not to freak out, and he didn't know why he was suddenly getting cold feet. He knew what he wanted and it hadn't made him nervous before. Dez was trying to give him a pep talk, because he'd been in the same situation.

"Austin, calm down. " He placed his hands on Austin's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "You love the girl yes?"

"Of course I do Dez, you knew that already…"

"Oh yeah… then just go for it! This is Ally we're talking about! She would probably be won over if you just read a passage from Romeo and Juliet or something... "

"That's true… but she actually prefers Macbeth because of the symbols of greed and self consciousness overpowering the-"

Dez shot him a look. "See? You've spent so much time with her that you are turning into her. C'mon man. she loves you and I'm sure she feels the same way… you got this…"

Austin smiled and hugged his best friend. "Thanks, buddy."

Carrie was watching the whole scene from the couch and spoke up. "And if it doesn't work out and she dumps you, then you have millions of fans as a possibility of a backup

girlfriend.

x.x

He was stunned when he went to go get her. She was beautiful all the time in his eyes of course, but tonight, she was absolutely glowing. He was speechless but managed to compose himself. He cleared his throat and held out his arm. "M'lady?"

She linked arms with him. "Thank you, kind sir."

It wasn't until they got out of the hotel and were walking on city sidewalk that they made conversation.

"You look… beautiful…"

She blushed and looked into his starry eyes. She wondered if hers looked the same. "Thank you. For some reason, Trish was really pushing me into dressing all fancy. It's not like we are going anywhere that needs a dress code," She looked up at him again. "Right?"

He chuckled. "No. We don't need to be fancy, but you know Trish. She wants to spoil you. Remember the one time you went to the spa?"

"You mean in Miami when I had green teeth, puffy hair, pink skin, and wax stuck to my hands?" She laughed and shook her head. "How could I ever forget that?"

"Yeah… we always get ourselves in the weirdest situations…" He held her hand. "C'mon, there's somewhere I want to go."

They walked down the streets of Paris. The city of love was just as romantic as Ally thought it would be. It wasn't too cold, even though it was November. All of the buildings of the city were lit up, but it didn't drown out the gleaming of the stars and the full moon that was overhead. She could smell the aroma of delicious cooked meals, which were made by some of the most famous cooks ever. It was everything she could ever dream of.

After three minutes of walking, they reached their destination. It was a beautiful bridge that crossed over the river. The bridge had millions of locks hooked on every possible surface.

"Do you know where we are?" Austin asked.

Ally shook her head. "No, I can't say that I do."

"This," Austin gestured to the bridge, "Is Pont Des Arts bridge. One of the most romantic places in Paris. in my opinion."

"So, what are all the locks for?" She looked closely and examined a few. They were all different colors and branded with initials.

"The locks symbolize everlasting love." Austin answered. "A couple comes here and brings a lock with them. The lock is marked in some form with their initials, you know, kind of like carvings on a tree. They lock it somewhere on the bridge, and it shows that their love will forever remain. Then, they throw away the key into the river, to show that their love will never be unbreakable."

"Awe!" Ally looked at the millions of locks. "That's amazing! How sweet!"

Austin took a lock out from his pocket. it was a red lock and he had drawn music notes all over it. "Ally, would you do me the honor of locking our love to this bridge?" He paused, "Wait, that didn't sound right…. Ally would you-"

She pulled him into a gentle kiss, and even in her high heels she had to step on her tiptoes. She pulled back grinning. "Yes."

Austin then pulled out a sharpie, so they could mark their names. "Maybe, you should do it. We both know that you have the better handwriting."

"Well, I am a writer!" She took the lock and wrote their names on it carefully, then, she tried to look for an available spot to lock in.

"I have the key!" Austin announced and pulled out a key chain with over six keys. "Wait… now which one was it…"

"Hmm… maybe that one?" Ally pointed at the smallest one. It looked pretty old fashioned.

"Probably." He took it off and held out his hand. She held his hand tightly as the key rested between their palms. Then, they reached out and threw it in the river, showing that their love was unbreakable.

After a small dinner, they found themselves on top of the Eiffel tower. Ally swore that she could see the whole city. Every horizon was lit up. The moon was bright and perfectly round, and the stars looked so close that you could hold them in your hand.

But this was Austin and Ally, and they were slow dancing on top of the Eiffel tower. Ally was a bit hesitant at first, because they were so high up and there was no music. but she sufficed when Austin said he would hold her close and sing to her.

He gently spun her as he sang out loud. " See I will fly you to Paris. I'll even learn the language. Vous avez de très beaux yeux, oh so beautiful. Climb the Eiffel Tower. Touch the moon and call it ours yeah. 'Cause it'd never shine as bright as you."

She giggled and held him closer. She loved hearing him sing. After he finished the song, they returned to the edge to look at the city again. She couldn't help but to stare at the moon and the stars as well. It was all too perfect.

"You know, the moon is a symbol of love too." She commented.

He looked at her. "Is Austin Moon a symbol of love?"

"He is to me." She replied and sighed. "This has been an amazing birthday Austin.. thank you so much…"

"You're welcome." He replied. "But it's not over yet."

She looked at him in surprise and he held her hands. "Ally, I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am to have you in my life."

She looked deep into his eyes. "I'm thankful for you too…"

He took a deep breath and continued. "I didn't know it at the time, but the day I walked into the music store was the greatest day of my life, because it was the day that I met you."

Ally could feel herself blushing but never broke eye contact with him. He squeezed her hands. "There is so much about the future that I don't know." He admitted. "But the one thing I'm sure of, is that there's no way I can make it without you."

She blushed harder and was slightly confused. That is, until he kneeled down and held out a beautiful yet simple diamond ring.

"Ally Dawson, will you make me the happiest man alive and… marry me?"

x.x

I'm sorry for this awful mess of a chapter…

I had to keep the original lines when he proposed. It was too cute. The Pont Des Arts bridge is a real place, but I guess the weight of the locks caused part of it to collapse so they had to take the locks off, but for the sake of the story, it still remains.

I've decided to make this a multi-chapter, otherwise my chapters would be insanely long. I wrote thirteen pages and it covers the span of a day.

Next chapter will include important details in engaged life and Dez and Carrie's wedding.

I'll upload soon!

-Evelyn