Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Been a bit busy. Anyway, here you go.
Chapter 16
After returning to the house, the marsupials sat down on the couch and rested in each other's arms. Crash was thinking about what the couple could do today. He wanted to make it special, but he knew he couldn't plan some sort of party in a few hours. No, he would have to do something different. It would only be Pasadena and him, and...well, he figured it would be just them two. But what to do? A question that seemed very difficult to answer for the bandicoot. Just as all hope seemed lost, an idea popped into his head.
Pasadena had fallen asleep, and Crash took the time to go to the backyard and plan a little party just for the two of them. After a few hours, Crash smiled at his work. He had set up a few string of lights, brought out a radio, and even set a nice centerpiece on the picnic table outside. Admiring his work, the hero walked back inside and decided to wake the sleeping possum. Now, the time wasn't right, so the bandicoot figured that he would take her out until it was close to sunset.
"Hey, Pas. Wake up," Crash whispered softly. Slowly, Pasadena woke up and smiled at the hero. "Hey you," she said, before giving Crash a kiss."Listen, about earlier-" Hushing his angel by kissing her, the bandicoot said, "There's no need to worry about it. It's our last day, and I want to make it special for both of us." Pasadena then hugged the hero and whispered, "I know." It did seem difficult for both marsupials, but they had stayed strong. Hearing the possum's stomach growl which reminded him of his own, Crash chuckled and said, "Come on. Let's get something to eat." Now, I just have to keep her busy for a bit, the hero thought to himself.
Driving back to town, the bandicoot thought of a nice lunch at the Backstage. Suprising, the place sold food, and Crash figured some burgers would keep him and Pasadena full until later tonight. They enjoyed their meal along with a few topics to discuss. After leaving, Crash thought of an idea. "Hey, there's something I want to show you." Pasadena then said, "Ok." Driving for what seemed like hours, Pasadena got curious and asked, "Where are we going?" Smiling, Crash said, "Don't worry. We're almost there."
After Crash pulled up to a stop in what it seemed like the middle of the jungle, Pasadena was about to ask until the hero said, "Close your eyes. Trust me." Taking his hand, the possum only wished to know what the hero had in plan for her. A few minutes later of stumbling and almost tripping, the racer was about to just open her eyes until the bandicoot gave the order. "Ok, open." Opening her eyes, Pasadena couldn't believe what she saw.
It was an oasis. There was a waterfall that seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Wild flowers that grew on the rock, which supported the waterfall, showed off their bright colors. Other than the sounds of the falling water hitting the pond to which it poured into, the tropical birds chirping as they flew overhead, and the natural wildlife made their noises in the background, it was complete silence. The racer was amazed at what her eyes were looking at. Crash had found a hidden paradise that was kept away from the rest of the world.
"Crash...this place is beautiful. How did you find this?" Expecting a response, Pasadena waited, then she looked to see that the bandicoot was nowhere in sight. She only spent a few minutes looking until she called for him. "Crash? Where are you?" Sure enough, he responded with a whistle. Looking to see the source of the whistle, the possum looked until she saw the infamous hero standing on the top of the waterfall, wearing only his briefs. "Hey, Pas," the hero shouted. "Crash, what are you doing up there," she asked in a worried tone, afraid of what he was going to do. "Well, what does it look like? I'm going for a swim. Care to join," Crash had asked the racer. In a happy and joking tone, Pasadena replied, "You're crazy." With a laugh, Crash had responded, "Crazy is just half of who I am, Pas. Come on, I'm not doing this without you."
Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow realized what you gotta do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do
About you now
Scoffing at first, Pasadena looked down. Crash noticed her actions and said, "Come on, babe. I'm not leaving this rock unless you come up here." Giggling to herself, the possum then said, "Ok, fine." She then started to take off her clothes, save for her underwear. Getting an idea, Pasadena began to slowly remove her clothes, in hopes of teasing Crash for making her go to the waterfall. Unfortunately, the bandicoot saw and knew what she was doing and said, "Oh, that's evil." The racer laughed at the hero's words. Finally, she slipped out of her jeans and began to walk over to the rock.
Backbeat the word was on the street that the fire in your heart is out
I'm sure you've heard it all before but you never really had a doubt
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do
About you now
"How did you get up there," Pasadena asked. "Just keep going, you'll see some steps that will lead you up here," Crash said in response. The possum kept walking until she saw the steps the bandicoot mentioned. The steps looked manmade, but they were actually naturally formed to look like stairs. Walking up the stairs, Pasadena kept walking until she saw Crash, who was folding his arms and looked liked he had been waiting for a long time. "Took you long enough," he joked. "Shut up," she said as she walked over to him.
And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I
Would like to say to you I but I don't know how
The racer wasn't sure if the bandicoot was absolutely serious about going for a swim. What she was afraid of was that Crash was going to jump from the rock into the water. "So, now what," Pasadena asked the hero. "I think you know what I'm planning," Crash said with a smile as he looked down at the water. Pasadena looked down and swore that the drop was at least more than 30 feet. "There's no way you're making me jump," she said in a resisting tone. The bandicoot simply smiled. "Oh, I think the opposite, Pas. Because the way I see it, there's only one way to go down. And it's that way," Crash replied as he pointed towards the water.
Because maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You're my wonderwall
"No, I think I'll stay right here," Pasadena said. "Yeah, I think you're not," Crash replied as he grabbed the possum's hand and began to drag her to the edge. "Crash! What are you doing? Oh no. Don't even think about it!" Unfortunately, the bandicoot ignored the racer's protests and kept dragging her to her "doom."
Today was gonna be the day but they'll never throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow realized what you're not to do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do
About you now
Well, time to convince her, Crash thought as his guest kept resisting. He then brought her closer and engaged Pasadena in a passionate kiss. The female marsupial was shocked at first, but she gave in and returned the hero's kiss. After a while, they broke apart, but Crash whispered, "Trust me. You'll be fine. After all, you got me." Now convinced, she whispered, "Don't let me go, ok?" With another kiss, Crash said, "I never will."
And all the roads that lead to you were winding
And all the lights that light the way are blinding
There are many things that I
Would like to say to you I but I don't know how
The marsupials took in a deep breath, looked at each other, and held hands. Together, they counted, "3...2...1...Now!" Crash and Pasadena jumped and began thier fall into the water. Still holding each other's hand, both of them rolled up and performed a cannonball as they hit the water, making a loud splash.
I said maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You're my wonderwall
After spending a few seconds underwater, both Crash and Pasadena swam back into the surface. As they reached the surface, both took in another breath for oxygen. After their breather, they began to laugh as they swam back to land. When they began to walk back on the grass, Crash wrapped his arms around his girl and kissed her again. Pasadena returned the favor by kissing back. Taking a short break, both said, "I love you," to one another.
I said maybe
You're gonna be the one who saves me
And after all
You're my wonderwall
Said maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You're gonna be the one that saves me
You're gonna be the one that saves me
When the couple broke away, they spent a few minutes holding each other before Crash said, "We should go. It's beginning to get dark." In a sad tone, Pasadena said, "Ok." After getting their clothes back on, the marsupials headed for the car and began the drive home. As they drove home, Pasadena moved closer to Crash and rested her head on his shoulder. The bandicoot wanted to rest his head against hers, but he had to stay focused if they were gonna get back home.
Arriving home and as they got back inside, Pasadena walked to the hallway. "I'm gonna take a shower." Turning his head, Crash said, "Ok. I think I forgot something in the car. I'll be back." Nodding her head, the possum left for the bathroom, and as she left, the hero made his way to the backyard. Just before he stepped outside, he flipped the switch which turned the lights on outside. Crash figured that she would look for him and the orange marsupial figured he could wait outside.
Half an hour later, Crash sighed and said to himself, "What the hell's taking her so long?" As he finished his sentence, Pasadena came outside. "Oh, so this is where you've been hiding," she said in a faux anger tone. The bandicoot simply smiled as she walked her way over to him. The racer sat on his lap and hugged her man. The hero responded by wrapping his arms around his girl once more. "Crash, this is the best day in my entire life. And it's all because I spent it with you," Pasadena said to the bandicoot. "The day's not over just yet. There's something else I had planned," Crash had responded. Signaling her to get up, Crash walked over to where he set the radio earlier today. He pressed the play button and walked back to the possum, offering his hand as he got back. "May I have this dance," he asked her. Smiling, Pasadena got up, took the hero's hand and said, "Yes, you may." Placing his hands on her hips and setting her arms around his neck, both marsupials began to move and dance to the music.
Do you remember when we were just kids
And cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss
Schoolyard conversations taken to heart
And laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not
As they moved to the music, the couple's hearts began to beat faster as they dance. They both seemed a bit nervous at first, but their shyness withered away as they began to feel more and more comfortable with one another. The warmth of their bodies felt so welcoming, and in their hearts they felt as if there could never be another warmth like theirs.
I wanna break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)
For the rest of our lives
Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now
Crash really did feel like breaking every clock. If he could stop time, Crash would never wanted this moment, this night, this day to never end. He wanted to spend eternity dancing with the girl he loved. He didn't care if his feet hurt. The bandicoot wanted to spend every second with his angel. Pasadena felt the very same. Until time would begin to function again, the possum just wanted to spend every second being held by Crash. She would spend time holding the hero, and she knew she would not tire of holding the guy she loved with all her heart.
I wanna be your last, first kiss
That you'll ever have
I wanna be your last, first kiss
As they continued to dance, the bandicoot held the possum closer. Pasadena didn't hesitate as she brought herself closer to Crash. Tears that wanted to come out began to sting her eyes. She didn't want Crash to see her cry, and so she buried her face in his chest as she closed her eyes. The hero didn't see her tears, but he noticed her actions, and so he brought up his hand to caress her head. Crash then rested his head against hers and began to feel the same sting in his eyes.
Amazing how life turns out the way that it does
We end up hurting the worst, the only ones we really love
Letting out a sigh of defeat, Pasadena could not hold back her tears any longer. The water droplets made their way down her cheeks, and soon Crash felt his chest becoming wet. The bandicoot sighed as well, and he took in the sweet scent the racer had. The smell of wild cherries fill his nostrils, and the hero felt as if he discovered something rare. Using his hand, he cupped the possum's chin with one finger and tilted her head towards his. Seeing her watery eyes, Crash moved foward and kissed her tears away. Pasadena closed her eyes as her love's lips took the droplets away. Each peck helped her feel completely better, and as the last tear was wept away, the possum whispered, "Thank you." In response, he whispered, "Anything for you."
I wanna break every clock
The hands of time could never move again
We could stay in this moment (stay in this moment)
For the rest of our lives
Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now
She shook her head and said, "I don't want anything the world has to offer. I just want you, Crash." Hearing her words, Crash tried but failed as one tear escaped him. In regards to his actions, Pasadena kissed the bandicoot's single tear away. He hated himself for crying, but he loved that Pasadena did what she did. "The world has so much better things to offer. You could do better than me." Hearing his words, she looked at him and said, "Don't ever say that. You're all I want in this world. You're the best thing in the world, and I don't want to lose you." Crash sighed and said, "I want you, too. But with the life, the purpose I have...You can be easily taken away from me, and I don't want that to happen to you."
I wanna be your last, first kiss
That you'll ever have
I wanna be your last, first kiss
"I know you'll never let that happen to me," Pasadena argued. "How do you know," Crash asked in return. "Because you love me just as much as I love you." Deep down in his heart, Crash knew she was right. It was because of his love for her that he would always save her, he would always protect her, and he will never stop loving her. "Prove it," he said. She replied, "You'll prove it for me." Again, she was right.
Is it over now hey, hey, is it over now
Is it over how hey, hey, it's not over now
"You're not gonna give up on me, are you," the bandicoot asked the possum. With a smile, Pasadena said, "A couple of days ago, you said that you would never give up on me. I plan on not giving up on you either." Crash laughed, remembering that day he held Pasadena close for what he assumed was the first time he ever truly held her close. "That was the same day I realized that I was in love with you. Deep down, I think I've always loved you, but I never really figured it out," Crash said in response. Giggling, Pasadena said, "Well, have you figured it out now?" Smiling, the bandicoot replied, "Yeah, I did."
I wanna be your last, first kiss
That you'll ever have (that you'll ever have)
I wanna be your last, first love (that you'll ever have)
The words spoke the truth of how both marsupials felt toward another. They were each other's first kiss, and they hoped to be the last one to kiss the other.
Till you're lying here beside me with arms and eyes open wide
I wanna be your last, first kiss for all time
Crash moved his head in and Pasadena did the same. They kissed passionately, holding each other in their arms. Their kiss lasted for a while before they broke to say the three words that meant the most to them, especially if they came from the other marsupial. "I love you." As the song ended, the couple walked back inside. Crash turned off the radio and the lights. The marsupials walked to the hero's room, where they spent their few hours sleeping, holding each other in the other's arms.
Author's Note: Well, there's chapter 16 for you. The songs are "Wonderwall" by Oasis and "Inevitable" by Anberlin. As much as I hate to say it, but the next chapter is the final one. Sorry. :( Anyways, I hoped you've enjoyed the story so far, but it's not over yet.