Hi all!

Here is the first chapter of my 3rd Pokémon fic. They all belong together, so I suggest that you read 'Spring Party' and 'Back to Pallet Town' first, if you haven't already done so ;)

This story starts one day after the end of 'Back to Pallet Town'

Pairings:

Ash x Gary

Misty x Tracey

Others might show up ;)

…

Ash and Gary didn't show up for breakfast that morning. Delia had knocked at the door of Ash's room at 10a.m., but received no answer. When she tried to enter the room, she found it locked. After that she decided to let them be and that they would come downstairs at some time, at latest when her son became hungry, which normally proved to be on a very regular basis. When the boys finally entered the dining room, it was already 1p.m., lunch time. Delia, Misty and Tracey, who was invited over for lunch by Delia, had just sat down to start eating. Pikachu was sitting on the floor with a new bottle of ketchup. "Good morning!" a really cheerful, but tired looking Ash exclaimed. Gary just smiled at everyone, also looking strangely happy. "I was about time!" Misty stated dryly. "Sorry, guys! We couldn't make it earlier, after having just a few hours of sleep," Gary apologized. They all looked at the two boys in awe. "What do you mean by only a few hours of sleep?" Tracey asked them confused, but just a few seconds later it struck him what Gary was implying and he blushed deeply. Misty looked flushed, too. Only Ash's mother didn't get it, the denseness must run in the family. However, Ash was glad she didn't. "You poor guys couldn't sleep after those events yesterday?" she asked concerned. All the others sweatdropped. "Yeah, it must be connected with the 'events' yesterday." Gary smirked and winked at Ash, who was now deeply blushing. Delia didn't notice that, too, and gave her son a sympathetic look. "Why don't you two sit down and then we can all start eating?" she asked them smiling. Tracey was almost giggling now and he really had to suppress his laughter. "Or does anyone need an extra pillow on his chair?" he couldn't prevent himself from asking. Misty elbowed him for that remark and Gary shot him a glare. "Don't worry, we are fine!" he stated. Then he sat down and almost jumped up again, while trying his best to make a straight face. "Is everything ok, Gary?" Delia asked concerned. She was so not getting what was going on. Gary just nodded with a deep blush on his face. Now Tracey wasn't able to restrain himself and he burst out into laughter. Misty pulled his ear for that and Delia was still wondering what the hell was going on. In the meantime, no one looked at Ash, who used the time and quickly snatched a pillow from the sofa, put it on his chair and sat down, smiling broadly, because he was able to prevent to embarrass himself like his boyfriend had before. This also earned him a glare from said boyfriend. Ash just put his hand on Gary's and smiled reassuringly at him. Gary smiled back at him, because Ash's smiles were simple irresistible.

After they had eaten, Gary and Ash decided to go for a walk through Pallet Town. As they strolled down the streets, holding hands like they always did, they noticed that they were immediately the centre of attention everywhere. The reactions of the people were divided. Some said nothing and just starred at them, others made comments. When they passed a group of three girls, they could hear them talking. "Look at those two cuties! I really can't decide who is hotter!" he first girl exclaimed. One of her friends smiled at her. "No need to decide, Lynn, they wouldn't be interested in us anyways! Look at their linked hands!" Ash smiled at them, when passing by. "Such a waste, all the hotties seem to be gay!" the last girl stated, but smiled back at Ash.

The boys continued walking and tried not to care about the looks people gave them. "Gary!" someone suddenly called from behind. They both turned around and saw two boys running towards them. They stopped in front of Ash and Gary. One had brown hair and the other was blonde. "Steven!" Gary greeted the brown haired one, "and John! I haven't seen you for years! How are you doing?" Steven smiled at Gary. When he saw that the boys were holding hand, he frowned a little, looking them up and down. "Well, nothing which compares with what you are doing… but no offence. I'm just really surprised that you and … Ash was the name, right?" Ash nodded. He remembered Steven and John. They were best friends with Gary in their first year of kindergarten. Ash started one year later, because he was almost two years younger than Gary and three than Steven and John. After Gary had met Ash in the kindergarten, they were inseparable and Gary neglected the other two a little, but they stayed friends with him. Now the boys were talking for some time, telling each other what happened during the years in which they hadn't seen each other and of course Gary and Ash had to tell them the story how their relationship changed from rivalry into being lovers. However, they left some details out which they were sure about their straight friends wouldn't want to hear.

Then John suddenly changed the topic. "Have you guys ever heard about the haunted house?" he asked them. Ash looked at him in surprise, but Gary nodded. "Yes, but when I asked my grandpa about it many years ago, he said that everything about it were just rumours, which children told each other. They sometimes even go into that house to prove that they are brave, but no one ever succeeded in spending a complete night in it. All have run away screaming after less than an hour." Ash listened closely to his boyfriend. "Why have I never heard about that? Where is that house anyways?" he asked the others. "It's in a town about 30 minutes away by bike from here. It's called Grey Town," Steven explained. "The legend says that a happily married couple once lived in that house. They only lived there for about a month, so they haven't got into much contact with the other people in the town. That's the reason why no one remembers their names. Then one day, about 17 years ago, the man died in the house, while his wife was not at home," he continued. "How did he die? Was he murdered?" Ash asked quietly. John nodded. "He was shot straight into the heart. They never found out who did it. When his wife came home, she found his dead body on the floor. She blamed herself that she wasn't at home and she thought that maybe she would have been able to save him if she had been there. As soon as the police interrogation had ended, she moved out and sold the house. She wasn't able to stay in the house where the love of her life has been murdered..." John trailed off in a low and scary voice. Gary instinctively inched a bit closer to Ash, who protectively put an arm around his boyfriend. "Don't worry, Gary! I'll protect you!" Ash exclaimed, grinning broadly. Gary shot him a glare. "I'm not scared at all! What makes you think that?" he retorted, while pulling away from Ash. 'Yeah, right...,' Ash thought, grinning to himself. He replied nothing, because he knew that Gary wanted to be considered as the always cool guy. "Short after she had moved out, a young family moved into the house, but they didn't even stay there for one night. Right after sunset, strange things started to happen. Plates flew through the room, doors opened and shot themselves. However, the scariest thing was the male voice they heard. It called after his wife and his unborn child. His wife had told him the day before he was murdered that she was pregnant. That was enough for the family to leave the house immediately. This incident has started all of the rumours about the haunted house. Some time later a couple moved in. They came from a town far away and didn't believe the rumours about ghosts. However, they also left in the first night and later they said that they had experienced similar incidents like the family before them. Since then the house has been empty. No one has been able to spend a complete night in the house and the man can't find redemption until he meets his child and is able to say goodbye to his wife," Steven finished. All stayed quiet for a moment. "This is so sad! Has no one ever tried to find the woman and her child?" Ash asked. "The police kept her name secret, because they thought she might have been also in danger and no one really admitted that they believed a ghost story like that, even though most of the citizens of Grey Town secretly did," John explained.

"Have you ever tried to stay a night in that house?" Gary asked his childhood friends, but both shocked their heads. "No, I have to admit that we have never brought up enough courage," Steve admitted. "There must be someone really brave to do that!" Ash had been listening carefully. 'That would be a really good opportunity to impress Gary!' he thought. "I'll do it!" Ash exclaimed and all gazes where suddenly on him.

…

End of Chapter 1! I hope you liked it! I'll do my best to put Chapter 2 up in a few days!