Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter eleven of "Not Here III: Going Around." Kai, Brittany, and An-Mei will be introduced in the next chapter or so. Stay tuned for chapter twelve.

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Chapter 11: Road to the Surf Spot

Ashton drove the van down the street ten minutes later. He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening briefly as he stopped at a red light in the turning lane. He pushed the blinker bar down, the left blinker flashing. He made a left turn once the turn signal came on. He pushed the bar up, and the blinker ceased its flashing. Anna looked at the rearview mirror. She blinked three times before clearing her throat.

Andros and Ashley shifted their positions a tiny bit in the backseat. Their graduation caps rested on the seat between them, tassels dangling like little victories. The red leather diploma folders sat on their laps, the dragon emblems glinting faintly in the shifting light. She leaned her head against the window as she stared out at the passing storefronts. Her hands rested gently on her swollen stomach, fingers splayed as if to cradle the twins within.

Suddenly, the twins kicked against Ashley's hands. They began moving around somewhat. She smiled faintly, but she sighed heavily and resumed looking out the window. Andros heard her, his expression becoming quite concerned. He turned from watching the road ahead. He reached over to touch her shoulder. He gave it a gentle rub.

"Hey, Ash," Andros said, his voice low and steady. "Are you okay?"

Ashley exhaled slowly and swallowed hard. She traced circles into her stomach while pressing her lips together.

"I will be," Ashley admitted, her voice showing a mix of exhaustion and disbelief. She shifted her attention to him. She sniffled while wiping a tear from her eye. "I just… I still can't believe Grandma embarrassed us like that in front of everyone on our day."

"What's done is done, Ashley," Andros said in a low yet firm way. "There's nothing we can do to change it now. She made her choice, and we've made ours." He took her hand into his to give it a gentle squeeze. "Don't let it keep weighing you down. Let's leave it behind us, okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. You're right. I'll try not to worry about it anymore."

"That's my girl," Andros said, smiling and bringing her hand to his lips. He kissed the back of it. "She's also my mother-to-be."

"You're my guy," Ashley commented. "You are also my father-to-be."

He chuckled. "That I am."

Ashley looked out the window. She saw three girls rollerblading down the sidewalk. Their laughter filled the air, especially when it came to the first girl as she twirled around. Ashton cleared his throat, causing her and her fiancé to look toward him.

"I have to tell you," Ashton said, looking very proud. "I've been to a lot of graduations in my time, but yours takes the cake. You two gave the best speeches in the history of Angel Grove High hands down."

Anna turned toward her husband. She formed a big smile on her face before looking toward Andros and Ashley.

"He's not wrong," Anna agreed, a soft exhale coming from her. "I mean, I'm biased, but those speeches were something else. You had the whole auditorium hanging on every word—well, after you-know-who decided to interrupt Andros."

"Unfortunately," Ashton grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Hammond," Andros said with a soft chuckle. "It means a lot hearing that from you both."

"Yeah, thank you," Ashley said very gratefully. She rubbed her eyes a bit. "I was so nervous up there, but once I got going, it felt… right. It was as if we were meant to share that."

Ashton increased the car's speed somewhat. He, Anna, Andros, and Ashley spotted three teens listening to music on headphones. They observed them twirling around and listened to them singing somewhat off-key. They shifted their attention to the road. Anna leaned forward, her hands going to the dashboard. She whispered inaudible words.

"So, what's on the menu at the Surf Spot tonight? I heard Adelle's pulling out all the stops for you graduates—punch, sliders, those little cheesy breadsticks you love, Ashley," Anna said delightfully.

"Oh, punch sounds amazing," Ashley said, perking up again as she rubbed her stomach again. "And the food? I might just eat it all. Twins are hungry, you know." She smiled mischievously. "Yep, yep, yep."

Andros looked toward her with a big smile on his face. "There's the Ashley I know. She is happy, smiling, and ready to devour everything in sight. I was starting to miss her."

Anna laughed. "Just don't eat too much, honey You'll make yourself sick, and then we'll have to roll you out of there like a beach ball."

"Some moms get their morning sickness back later in pregnancy, you know," Ashley pointed out, her voice showing mock-seriousness. "I could be one of them. Eating too much might just be an excuse."

"It could happen," he said. "Twins might decide they want a rematch with your stomach, but you've been pretty solid so far."

Ashton chuckled as he glanced at them in the rearview mirror. "It's unlikely, I'd say. You've been a trooper, Ash but who knows? Twins are unpredictable. They could be plotting a food rebellion in there as we speak."

The quartet sang nonsense and moved in their seats slightly. They became quiet and still after ten seconds. Ashley straightened up a bit, her hands still on her stomach as she emitted a sharp exhale.

"You know what I was thinking? We should tell the twins they can't imitate everything they see on TV like Looney Tunes. I love Bugs Bunny as much as the next person, but I don't want them thinking they can drop anvils on each other," Ashley suggested.

"Yeah, or shoot each other with guns and just end up with a face full of smoke," Andros commented and made a funny noise. "'Sorry, kid, that's not how it works in real life.'"

Anna nodded as she turned to look at the couple. "Oh, absolutely. I grew up on those cartoons, but we had to have that talk with you, Ashley. Remember when you tried to rig a pulley system like Wile E. Coyote?"

"It nearly took out the garage door," Ashton added, a big smirk forming on his face.

"It sure did," Anna agreed.

Ashley groaned, covering her face with her hands as she laughed. "Don't remind me! I thought I was a genius. However, we'll need to set some ground rules. There will be no charring people with guns, no stunning with anvils—just good old-fashioned playtime."

Ashton smiled while tapping the wheel as he made a right turn. "I can see it now—two little rascals running around, trying to outsmart each other like Bugs and Daffy. We'll have our hands full keeping them grounded."

"At least Mom and I will be at home taking care of them," Ashley commented, a giggle leaving her mouth. "Aunt Raylene said that she will be taking several weeks off and move in to help us. Her assistant manager will watch her store. She plans to sleep on the couch."

"This will be a big family get-together," Ashton said in much delight. "Yep, yep, yep."

Ashton spotted the Surf Spot coming into view. He turned right into the parking lot. He parked in a spot not far from the entrance. He turned off the engine. He, Anna, Andros, and Ashley unbuckled their seatbelts and got out. They proceeded to go toward the crowd.

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Julian drove his car down the street. He moved his hands to the top of the steering wheel. He tightened his grip somewhat. Tracy was flipping through a stack of pictures from the ceremony. She sang nonsense as she looked at one of Ashley going across the stage to get her diploma. She tried not to smile, but she couldn't help herself.

Kinwon and Tykwa watched two teens munch on breadsticks as they walked down the sidewalk through the latter's window. They could see them talking with their mouths full. They shook their heads in disbelief. They had seen KO-35 civilians act in a similar manner. They were hoping they didn't have to deal with that on Earth, but they found that was not to be the case.

Julian moved his hands to the sides of the wheel. He tapped his fingers against it. He eyed Tracy, who placed the pictures in an envelope. She opened the glove compartment to place them inside. She slammed the compartment shut with a loud bang. He looked in the rearview mirror. He cleared his throat, causing his guests to look toward him.

"So, Kinwon, Tykwa, what'd you think of your first high school graduation?" Julian asked with much curiosity. He tried not to smile, but he was unable to. "Quite the spectacle, huh?"

Kinwon shifted in his seat, his broad frame making the backrest creak slightly. He ran a hand through his short, silver-streaked hair, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow.

"It was… amazing, honestly," Kinwon admitted, a small chuckle leaving his mouth. "All those kids, all that energy. We never got to do anything like that ourselves. Schooling on KO-35 stopped early for us. I'll tell you what annoyed me. It was those two clowns dancing across the stage like it was a talent show."

Tykwa formed a big smirk on her face. She learned her head against the window. She tapped her finger on it.

"Oh, yeah, that was ridiculous," Tykwa agreed, her voice sounding dry yet playful. "I mean, I get it. It is a big day with lots of excitement, come on. Mr. Kaplan was right to hold their diplomas. They looked like they were auditioning for a circus, not graduating."

"You couldn't hear them from where we were, but you could tell they were pissed when he snatched those folders back. Lips were moving a mile a minute. They were probably mumbling every curse word they knew," Tracy explained.

Julian smiled. "Oh, they were mad, all right. It reminds me of when I slipped up as a kid. I said 'damn' once, and my dad had me over the sink with a bar of soap faster than you can say 'Bugs Bunny.' It tasted awful, but I learned quick."

Tracy laughed, nudging him with her elbow. "That happened to me too, but it was Mom for me. She caught me saying 'hell' when I stubbed my toe. Next thing I know, I'm gargling Ivory like it's mouthwash. I never did it again, though I thought about it plenty."

"That reminds me of when Kinwon and I watched A Christmas Story for the first time. Earth movies are wild, by the way. Ralphie says the f-word. His mom's got him parked on the bathroom toilet with a Lifebuoy soap in his mouth. Mrs. Parker was furious, but she didn't scream once. It was just calm, cold anger. It's kind of impressive," Tykwa explained with a big smirk on her face.

Kinwon nodded, a chuckle coming from him. "Yeah, she handled it like a pro. That kid looked miserable, though. Soap's no picnic. Back on KO-35, we didn't have that kind of punishment. If you messed up, you just got a lecture or extra training drills."

"The f-word was the big one back in the '40s, you know. It was thing you could say," Julian commented and suppressed a yawn. "My granddad used to tell me stories. People would gasp like you'd stabbed someone if it slipped out in polite company."

Tykwa cringed. "Yikes."

Tracy nodded in agreement. She stretched her arms above her head and scratched her neck. She let out a long yawn and smacked her lips together twice.

"It's not the worst anymore, though," Tracy pointed out. "Now it's 'cunt.' It is usually tied to, uh, female parts, but it's morphed into this all-purpose insult. It packs a hell of a punch."

Kinwon winced visibly, his nose wrinkling a bit. "Ugh, that's a rough one. It sounds like it'd start a fight just saying it."

"Yeah, nasty word. Someone ought to wash your mouth out with soap if you say that, Tracy," Tykwa teased, leaning forward to poke Tracy's shoulder.

Julian laughed in mock annoyance. "Oh, I'd be happy to volunteer for that job. I got a bar of Dial in the glovebox. You say it again, and we'll test it out right here."

"You wish! I'd make you eat it first, mister. It's funny how words change. What's a big deal one day is nothing the next," Tykwa commented honestly.

Kinwon leaned back, crossing his left ankle over his right one. He emitted a soft sigh before clearing his throat.

"Earth's got a lot of rules we never had to deal with. We have no graduations and no soap punishments. It is just survival and training. It makes me wonder what we missed out on," Kinwon whispered.

"Yeah, seeing Andros and the others up there," Tykwa said. "It's not our story, but it's nice to be part of it for a bit, even with the dancing idiots."

"Those idiots will probably remember that dance for the rest of their lives," Tracy murmured.

"Most likely," Tykwa agreed.

Julian saw the Surf Spot come into view. He made a right turn into the parking lot. He parked three spaces down from Ashley's van. He switched off the engine. He, Tracy, Kinwon, and Tykwa undid their seatbelts and got out. They proceeded to head for the entrance.