I bet you weren't expecting to hear from me again so soon:D
I literally wrote this in a day, so it is rather rushed. It's based on the song by Tim McGraw, called 'Don't Take the Girl.' It's really a very beautiful song. I'd be happy to send it to anyone if you'd leave me your email. This was written for the satokasucastle's Music Challenge at livejournal. If you're interested in this challenge, please don't hesitate to join! There are literally two fanfiction entries, and you can't have much of a contest with that! There's a link on my profile if you want to know more!
Disclaimer: Pokemon isn't mine. I wish it were, but it isn't. I also don't own the movie 27 Dresses, though I love it with all my heart.
Summary: Don't take her with us. Don't take her from me. Don't take her from this world. A few quick glances into the lives of Ash and Misty. (Pokeshipping.)
Notes: I'm really not too sure about the quality of this story. Depending on the feedback I get, I may delete it in the near future.
- X - X - X -
Don't Take the Girl
By: Tohsaka-Rin91
- X - X - X -
"Dad, does she have to come?"
Ash's father knelt down and looked his son in the eyes. "Yes, she does have to come. No matter how many times you ask me that question; the answer is still going to be the same. Ash, she is coming."
"But fishing is for boys only!" Eight-year old Ash Ketchum protested. "She's going to complain about how icky the worms are the whole time! We won't have any fun!"
Mr. Ketchum chuckled. "You know that's not true, son. Lots of girls go fishing."
"Why can't we take Tracey instead?"
"Tracey is with his family on the Orange Islands right now, remember? They're going to a wedding tomorrow night."
"How about Brock?"
"His family is having a game night."
Ash was getting desperate now. "How about Gary?"
"Listen, Ash." Mr. Ketchum planted both his hands on his son's small shoulders. "I know you really don't want her to come, but I promised Misty's mom and dad that she could come play with us today. Misty has gone fishing with her own dad before and she helped catch plenty of them!"
"Then why can't her own dad take her?"
"I know that it's going to be hard for you to understand because you don't have any brothers or sisters... But sometimes siblings have really bad arguments and they need to spend some time away from each other to calm down."
"She could stay here with Mom!" Ash suggested. "They can make cookies and stuff."
"We can't leave her behind, Ash. She's looking forward to seeing all the Magikarp and Goldeen."
"But... but... She's always hitting me!" Mr. Ketchum sighed.
"Ash, please be nice to her today. She had a very big disagreement with her sisters and I'm sure she doesn't want to fight anymore. I promise she won't hit you if you are at least civil to her today. Can you at least try to get along today?"
"Fine." The eight-year-old begrudgingly said. "I'll try."
"Great!" Ash's father exclaimed, standing up. In the distance, Ash could see Misty and her father standing by the gate. Mr. Ketchum noticed them as well, and began to walk towards them. However, he paused mid-stride, looking back over his shoulder at his son. Winking, he said,
"You never know, son. Someday you'll change your mind. Someday you might really want Misty to come fishing with you."
Ash crossed his arms and huffed.
His father resumed his trek towards their guests, hearing his boy muttering angrily behind his back.
"I never want that girl to go anywhere with me. Never!"
- X - X - X -
"That was a great movie!" Misty sighed contentedly, curling her arm around Ash's and resting her head on his shoulder.
"Misty that was the worst movie I've ever seen in my entire life!" The eighteen-year old Pokemon Master exclaimed. "Who would pay money to see a film in which a woman gets married twenty-seven times?"
"She was a bridesmaid twenty-seven times. She gets married once." Misty corrected. "And come on, it wasn't that bad."
"It was a total chick flick!"
"Well, the title '27 Dresses' doesn't exactly depict lots of blood and action, does it?"
Ash laughed a bit, and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. "I guess not."
The two walked down the dark, empty street in a comfortable silence.
"We really have come a long way this past decade, haven't we?"
"Yeah... I wonder how things would've turned out if your dad hadn't taken us fishing that one day." Misty smiled a bit. "Let's not think about that. All that matters is where we are today, Ash. We're together and we're happy."
They continued walking, not noticing the shadowy figure that was trailing them until it was too late.
The hooded man forced the couple apart, shoving Ash roughly against a nearby wall. He grabbed Misty's arm, and pulled her flush against him, pressing a gun against her temple. All color drained from the redhead's face, her blue-green eyes widened in shock. Her lower lip quivered, but she chose to remain silent.
As Ash straightened and turned around, the look on his face expressed as much fear as Misty's held.
"If you do what I say, there won't be any harm done to the lady." The man said, his voice, low and gravelly. Ash nodded in understanding as he pressed the gun harder against the young woman's head.
"P-please, sir... Don't s-shoot. I'll g-give you w-whatever you want. Money, my credit cards, the k-key to my car... If you name it, I'll give it to you." Ash paused for a breath.
"Please," his voice was desperate." Just don't take her away from me."
The man ordered Ash to get his wallet. With shaking fingers, the Pokemon Master did so, holding it out for the thief to take. His eyes darted between Ash's wallet and the spot where his weapon met Misty's head several times before he took action. Within the time span of a few seconds, he threw Misty to the ground, grabbed the wallet from Ash's outstretched fingers and took off sprinting in the opposite direction.
As if they could no longer support his weight, Ash's legs gave way and his knees collided painfully with the ground. He was trembling all over; breathing had never seemed like such a hard task to complete. Misty crawled over to him; tears were sliding down her cheeks and were landing steadily on the cement. She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and held on for dear life.
It was in that instant that Ash realized how close he had come to losing her forever.
He tightened his arms around her slim frame, silently vowing to never let her go again.
- X - X - X -
Ash was sitting in the living room, filling out paperwork for the League when he heard it.
The loud crash startled him, but it was the silence that followed that caused his heart to twist with fear.
"Misty?" He called out.
"Ash! Ash! Come here quick!" The man of twenty-three years leapt up from his spot on the couch, immediately running towards the kitchen.
The sight that met his eyes caused them to widen in surprise. A number of pots and pans were scattered on the ground, but what worried him most was the state of his wife. She was sitting in the middle of the mess, holding on to her swollen stomach with both hands. There was a rather large puddle of water on the floor next to her, and her breathing was labored.
"Misty! Are you okay? Is something wrong?" He was at her side instantly.
"Ash!" She managed to force out between her breaths. "W-we have t-to go!"
"Go? Go where?" Panic was evident in his voice.
"To the h-hospital! The b-baby is coming!"
- X - X - X -
Despite the fact that all the windows were open, the room was stiflingly hot.
Sweat was pouring down the sides of Misty's head, plastering several strands of hair against her face. Her eyes were scrunched together in pain and she held her husband's hand in an intense death grip.
"I know you are exhausted, but keep pushing! Mrs. Ketchum, you're almost there! I can see the head!" The doctor's voice encouraged.
Misty did as she was told, and approximately three minutes later, she gave birth to a healthy baby.
"It's a boy!"
Misty's grip on Ash's arm loosened considerably, and the Pokemon Master let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The doctor handed their child to the nurse and ordered her to get him cleaned up. Ash turned to give his wife a gigantic hug, but froze when his gaze landed on her. She was wincing, and could not keep her head elevated. The intense pain was still evident on her face... but the worst of it was over... wasn't it?
The doctor converted back to his former position, and a panicked look crossed his face.
"Nurse!" He called. "NURSE!" She immediately returned to his side. Ash watched as in turn, the nurse's eyes widened as well.
"What is it?" Ash asked, his voice was weak. "What's wrong?"
Ash was instantly forced out of the room. Medical personnel were rushing past him. Into Misty's room, out of Misty's room. An unnamed fear gripped Ash's insides. He grabbed one of the nurses' arms and demanded to know what was going on.
"Mr. Ketchum, your baby is fine! But, your wife is in critical condition! She is losing too much blood and if you don't let me go this instant, we might not be able to save her!" The nurse exclaimed, her voice was shrill with worry.
Ash immediately relinquished his grip on her arm, and she bolted back into Misty's room.
The Pokemon Master struggled to remember a time in which he felt more fear than he did at that very second.
- X - X - X -
The face of Ash's watch read 3:36AM. He could not believe that it had only been thirteen hours since he had found Misty on the floor of their kitchen, screaming that she was now in labor. Ash felt as though he had aged ten years since then.
He suddenly found himself in the small chapel set aside for the hospital patients. He walked silently up the aisle; the pews were unsurprisingly devoid of people. The serene silence shot Ash's emotions into overdrive. He hit his knees, angry and shaking. Ash could not comprehend how the atmosphere in the chapel could be so peaceful and calm when the means of his very own life was hanging in the balance not too far away.
Ash's breathing eventually steadied, and then he prayed harder than he ever had in his life.
"God, please. Don't let Misty die. If you'll let me, I'd gladly take her place. Take the breath from my lungs; please just take my life instead. Don't let her hurt any more; she's already hurt so much. Please, let her live."
- X - X - X -
"Ash?" The eight-year old raised his moody stare from his shoes to see his father standing before him, with a small red haired girl not even a foot behind. His arms remained crossed as he replied.
"Yes, Dad?"
"Misty has something she wants to ask you, don't you dear?" The little girl nodded wordlessly, but kept her line of vision connected to the ground.
"Go on, sweetie." Mr. Ketchum encouraged, giving her a gentle push.
Misty stepped forward, and raised her gaze. Her blue-green eyes were puffy, indicating that she had obviously been crying very recently. Her sad look shocked Ash, and his heart went out to her.
"If I promise to be really good today, can I please come fishing with you?" Never had Ash heard her speak so softly and politely.
He smiled widely at her. "Of course you can come! We're going to have lots of fun today, aren't we, Dad?"
Mr. Ketchum laughed.
"Definitely." He said, eyes twinkling. "Today is going to be a day we'll never forget!"
- X - X - X -
"Is everything ready, Dad?" Ash smiled at his young son, while quickly checking the supplies.
"Just a few more minutes. We need to make sure everything is perfect for when we get out there. We don't want to have to row all the way back to shore because we need more worms, do we?"
The young boy shook his head. "I just can't wait to see all the Magikarp! Do they really evolve into those big, scary Gyrados?"
"They do, indeed."
Ash took a moment to survey his son. If he hadn't known better, Ash could have sworn that he was staring down his eight-year-old self. His son could have passed for his double, with the exception of his eyes.
He had ocean-tinted orbs.
"Okay, sport!" Ash exclaimed, helping his son into the boat. "I think we're ready to head out now!"
As Ash took the oars, he heard a voice call out his name. A figure came darting at him, and punched him lightly in the arm when she reached his side. Placing her hands on her knees, she slouched forward, trying to catch her breath. A picnic basket was dangling from her right arm; her flame hair was messy from her run.
"I know you don't like to take girls fishing, honey, but tough!" Her teal eyes were glowing. "I'm your wife, and I wouldn't miss watching our son catch his very first Magikarp for all the Pokemon in the world!"
With that said, she settled herself next to the eight-year-old boy. She threw an arm around their son's thin shoulders, and pulled him against her. She began to speak very excitedly about all the fantastic Water Pokemon she was going to teach him about. The young boy was staring intently at his mother, looking for the entire world like he was hanging on to her every word.
Ash watched as the two most important people in his life shared an intimate moment, before picking up the oars again.
'Oh, Misty. You have no idea how much I wanted you to come fishing with us today.' He thought, and he began to row.
- X - X - X -
Notes: When listening to the song, I didn't think I should have put that last scene in, but I just couldn't leave the ending open like the song does.
Not my best work, but click that little button and let me know what you thought!