A/N: Final Chapter! I'm so sad it's over. I'm actually acting like Ashley right now. I put my feelings into her since it was supposed to be...well me. It was a good story. Funny and drama-packed. Sequel will be up sometime before the first, i promise! XD Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you thought!
Chapter Twelve
(Ashley POV)
Once Tori uttered the word "fine", Ashley was grinning ear to ear. She let go of Jimmy's hand and walked over to the door. She shut it and heard Preston ask, "What's going on?"
"Um…" Tori looked to find the right words as Ashley waved her hands at her. "What?"
"I'll just show them," she said. Tori sighed and sat down on her bed. Ashley dropped the grin and looked at Jimmy and Preston with a serious look. "Can you two keep a secret?"
"Course I can Ash," Jimmy said almost right away.
Preston seemed to hesitate. He looked over at Tori and sighed. He gave a nod and Ashley beamed.
"Great!" She jumped behind Jimmy and swiped his hat off his head.
"H-How'd you do that?" Preston stuttered.
Jimmy turned around slowly, looking at Ashley oddly. "You were just over there though…"
Ashley sat down on the bed. "I know. Keep it secret. I'm what's called a Jumper. I can teleport. That's how we got here."
Preston was still in utter shock and Jimmy looked fairly calm. "Where're ya from then?" Jimmy asked.
'He's calmer than Preston. Weird.' Ashley bit her lip nervously. "Uh…Tori? Care to answer this one?" She looked over at Tori with a confused look.
---
(Tori POV)
'Great. Leave me with the big question.' Tori sighed and rested her hands on the back of the chair. "If you wanna get technical, we're from the future."
Preston looked as if his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He took off his glasses and wiped them off, shaking his head all the while. "This is crazy…"
Jimmy sat down next to Ashley. "Preston, we saw a giant ape and dinosaurs and stuff. This isn't that crazy," he said as he took the hat from Ashley's head. She stuck her lower lip out in a pout and he gave it back with a smile.
Preston put his glasses back on with a sigh. "You're right. So how did this happen? Were you born able to do that?" he asked Ashley.
She shrugged. "I'm thinkin' yes. Unless it's 'cause I feel down the steps as a baby…" Tori shot her a glare. "Okay, okay. I've been doing it since I was like, five." She looked at Tori with slight surprise. "And she can sense them. She's a sensitive," Ashley told them in a spooky voice.
Jimmy and Preston looked over at her. "You can't do it?" Jimmy asked, sounding disappointed.
Tori shook her head. "Nope. I get headaches from just going with her when she jumps."
Jimmy looked over at Ashley with a surprised look. "You can take people with you?"
Ashley nodded with a very nonchalant look. "I wanna take you two to our apartment. Tori said only for a little though." She looked over at Tori and stuck out her tongue.
"I have a damn good point," Tori said, pointing at Ashley. Ashley just shrugged. "Can we go now?"
Tori got up and gave a nod. "Wanna try to take us all or…?"
Ashley looked from Tori to Preston to Jimmy, then back to Tori. "I'll take you and Preston first."
Tori nodded and took ahold of Preston's hand. "You'll need to take a deep breath."
Preston looked back and forth between the two. "I…uh, okay?" He took a deep breath and Ashley latched onto Tori's elbow, jumping them back to the apartment.
"We're home!" Ashley shouted loudly. She grinned and disappeared, going back for Jimmy.
Tori shook away the haze and saw Preston sitting on the floor, looking very pale. "You okay?" she asked him, kneeling down next to him.
He waved a hand. "It's just…a weird feeling."
Tori snorted. "I get those all the time." She looked over at the television and saw Ashley, helping Jimmy to his feet. "Same reaction, eh?"
Ashley nodded as Jimmy got his bearings back. Tori looked at Preston, who seemed quite comfortable on the floor. "Happens to the first timers," she grinned. Tori noticed she was wearing Jimmy's hat and pointed to her head. Ashley tried looking up at it. She laughed and nodded as they shared a laugh over their silent joke.
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(Ashley POV)
She was in the process of explaining one of her favorite books to Jimmy when there was a knock at the door. "Yes?" Ashley called.
The door opened and Tori poked her head in. "Preston's ready to leave," she frowned.
Ashley sighed and returned the book to its spot on her bookshelf. "Does Jimmy have to leave too?" Tori gave her a nod and Jimmy looked at Ashley with a somber expression. Tori pulled back and shut the door, obviously giving the two a chance to say their goodbyes. "This isn't fair," she groaned as she threw herself face first onto her bed.
She felt a shift in the bed and rolled into a sitting position. Jimmy sat, looking at her with concern. "Aren't you coming back?"
Ashley shook her head slowly. "Tori said we shouldn't stay anymore. Could mess up the times and everything." She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply. Ashley crawled towards him and hugged him. 'I hate goodbyes. They suck!' She bit her tongue to prevent herself from crying.
Jimmy held tight to her, rubbing her hair to comfort her. She pulled away and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She felt a tear roll down her cheek as she pulled back and quickly wiped it away. "Hey," he said. "You can visit, right?" Ashley nodded a few times. "Good, then we'll still see each other."
She inhaled deeply and let it out just as fast. "We'd better go out there." He stood up and helped her up. Ashley felt weak in the knees and as if she wanted to throw up right then and there. 'Pull yourself together. You knew this would happen eventually.' She breathed deeply again and followed Jimmy out into the living room. She saw Tori and Preston standing by the couch, caught up in a hug. She smiled and wiped another stray tear. "C'mon Preston, time ta go home."
Preston and Tori pulled apart with a quick kiss. Tori had a small smile across her lips as Preston left her side. Ashley took Jimmy's hand and held her other to Preston. He took it and waved to Tori. "Deep breath," Tori said with a smile and thumbs up to him. Ashley heard the two men inhale and jumped them back to Tori's cabin on the Venture. Preston stumbled into the vanity and Jimmy held onto the edge of the bed for support. Ashley helped Preston up. "It's been fun Presty," she said as he regained his balance. He smiled and held out a hand. Ashley shook her head and hugged him.
Once she pulled away, he said, "It was nice to meet you Ashley. And Tori told me the cover story for the captain."
She gave him a slight nod. "I figured as much." Preston gave her a final wave and exited the room, leaving Ashley and Jimmy.
When she turned, Jimmy was sitting on the bed and wringing his hat in his hands. She sat down next to him. "You okay? Did the dizziness wear off?" she asked with concern.
He gave a nod and pulled her into a hug. "Stay Ash. Please?" he whispered into her ear.
Ashley hugged him tighter, but soon pulled away gently. "I wish I could Jim," she said.
He held out his hat towards her. "Here." Jimmy pushed the hat into her hands. "Take it. Keep it as something to remember me by. I know how much you love it," he said as he smiled at her.
Ashley held the hat in her hands, looking at it. 'His hat…' She looked up at him, feeling her eyes water. "Jimmy," she mumbled before he crashed his lips into hers. She pushed back, not caring if Englehorn walked in this time or not. When she pulled away a minute later, his eyes were full of sadness. "I'm sorry, Jimmy. Here," she noticed the black coat and pulled out Tori's diary and pen. She wrote a small note with her name and handed the book to Jimmy. "I want you to remember me."
He nodded and gave her a softer kiss. "I won't." She smiled at him one last time before jumping back to the living room.
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(Tori POV)
She sensed the jump and hurried into Ashley's room. Tori found her on the floor, sobbing with her head in her hands as she held tight to something black. "C'mon. It'll be alright," Tori said as she gave Ashley a hug. "Everything'll be fine," she cooed, trying to calm Ashley.
Ashley pulled away and breathed deeply. When the black thing and hands were out of her face, Tori noticed she had no tears. Ashley held out the black thing and said, "He gave me his hat," she grinned weakly. "Wasn't that sweet?"
Tori gave her a soft smile. "It was. Take care of it and when we visit, you can show him how nice it still is." Ashley nodded vigorously with a smile growing on her face.
