So this chapter introduces a really big point in the story. If I say anything more I'll spoil it...so enjoy!

Misty sat at the edge of the Cerulean gym outdoor pool, making circles with her foot in the water. It was a warm, humid late evening in June, and she welcomed the chilly feeling of the cool liquid. She could hear few noises, but she was buried deep in thought anyway.

It was two days before her wedding day. She was marrying Ash Ketchum, her love, the man she'd known since they were ten years old. The boy who had wanted to badly to be a Pokemon master, who had stopped at nothing until he reached his goal. Recently he had put it all aside for her, and she loved that. They spent few moments apart anymore.

Gradually she thought beyond their wedding. Their honeymoon. Their return home, where they would be greeted with a new house as a wedding present from Brock. What would happen afterwards? Would life simply return to normal? They had been planning their wedding day for months. It had become a part of their normal life. What would they do to fill the empty space it left? Misty knew. She knew what she wanted. She didn't know if Ash would agree. He'd want to focus on her and his Pokemon. What if he disagreed with her? They'd talked about it before. How great it would be, someday. But empty days were ahead of them. Misty wanted them filled. And she knew what she wanted to fill them with.

She never even heard the footsteps behind her as her fiancé walked up and sat beside her. He startled her, but she didn't jump. She just kept making circles with her foot in the cool water. Her foot was growing cold.

"Hey, baby." he greeted her softly. "What's on your mind? You've been out here for a long time." Misty sighed deeply.

"I... don't really know how to... talk about this, how to... bring this up, so..." Ash rested a hand on her shoulder. He knew Misty had a hard time voicing her emotions. He started to rub her back gently. She seemed to relax.

"I want to have children, Ash."

He stopped mid-rub. Almost mid-breath. Slowly he started again. Misty tucked both legs up under her chin, resting her head on her knees. Ash scooted in closer to her.

"I know you do, Misty." He said carefully. "And we will. Someday. Don't worry."

"You don't understand." she muttered. He prayed she wouldn't say it, wouldn't tell him, but she did. "I want them now." Tenderly he slipped his arms around her. It was a long time before he spoke.

"We're young, Misty. We have a lot of life left that doesn't need to include children."

Suddenly she broke free of his loving grasp, her eyes brimming with tears. "Are you saying you don't want children with me, Ash? You're never even going to give me a chance to give you a baby?" With this, the tears spilled over. She had been expecting resistance, and she felt hurt by his slow response.

"No, no, no, sweetheart, honey, that doesn't...that isn't what I meant at all!" He leaned in closer to his fiancée. "I want you to be the mother of my children, Misty. I want that as much as I want to see you walk down the aisle towards me in that pretty dress you picked out. But we don't have to rush it. We can wait a couple years. Can we wait just one year? One year, just one, and then. Then we'll try for a baby. I promise you, Misty. We'll have a baby. Just wait one year for me."

Misty, who had stopped crying during his small speech, now crouched before him, fiery-lock hidden eyes on the poolside tile, with a shaky lower lip and damp cheeks. She thought. It seemed like an eternity before she looked up at Ash.

"All right, Ash. I'll wait a year. Just one, remember, you promised me." She sat up, straight, and he offered his arms to her. She took them readily. He grasped her tightly, breathing in her scent and absorbing her warmth.

Out of nowhere they were hit with a giant wave of water. Misty screamed, Ash shouted, and they looked across the pool. A Vaporeon stood there, paw in the water, eyes squinting smugly. She had thought it would be fun to soak her master and her fiancé.

"Vaporeon, return!" Misty called, holding out a Pokeball. The water Pokemon was surrounded by a bright red light and was gone. Misty read fixed the Pokeball to her belt.

"Oh, yes, Misty," Ash chuckled, wiping her red hair out of her eyes, "I'll always remember that promise."

Their room was silent, except for the slow breathing of a sleeping Pokemon on a chair in the corner. Neither Ash nor Misty could sleep, and understandably so. The next day was their wedding day. The thought was enough to make Misty break out into a cold sweat, and her feet were freezing. Not that she regretted her promise; it was a day she'd been looking forward to for years. The thoughts that raced through her mind were almost all ecstatically positive. But the thoughts dashed and sped back and forth, mixing with doubts. Doubts that it would all go well. Doubts that there wouldn't be some disaster to ruin it all. Doubts that she wouldn't simply become overwhelmed; that she wouldn't go sit in a corner and cry. These thoughts jumped and scrambled around in Misty's mind until she wanted to scream.

Instead she grabbed Ash, pulled herself closer to the man she loved. He held her, wrapped her in his arms. She started to sob. The doubts were too strong. He sat up and pulled her into his lap, one arm holding her body close, the other caressing her long fire-colored hair. She grasped his shirt tightly, burying her face in his chest and sobbing, crying, the effort shaking her petite body.

Ash just held her. He didn't ask, didn't mutter a word, didn't even make a sound. He just held her, rocking her gently back and forth. He had a good idea what was going on.

For the past few days, Misty had seemed extremely stressed. She had been moody, reserved, even crying sometimes. She cried more often than he knew she ever had in her life. He was worried about her. He'd even asked his mother what he could do.

"Not a lot, Ash. She's going to be this way for a while. I was, when I married your father. Your lives are about to change in a big way. She's nervous. Don't question. Just support her."

So that was what he tried to do. Just support her. Show her his love would be there no matter what.

But there was more to it that Delia didn't know about. 'The Baby Thing', as Ash called it in his mind, had been a thought in Misty's head since the night before. Several times during the day Misty had yelled at him about it, tried to get him to change his mind. But Ash, though he warmed up to the idea more and more as he thought about it, held his ground. Wait a year. He would not forget his promise.

Suddenly Ash, running through this in his mind, realized Misty had stopped crying. He caressed her damp cheek. Her eyes were closed. She was asleep. Cried herself to sleep. He laid her gently back down on the bed, but she stirred.

"Ash?" she sat up again. "I'm so sorry. Crying like that...and on the night before our wedding!" Another tear slipped down her cheek.

"Misty, baby, don't cry. Don't worry. You've been stressed. I understand. Please don't cry. I love you."

"I'm just so worried...that something will go wrong."

"Nothing will go wrong. It'll be just as we planned. And this time tomorrow, we'll be headed to the islands on our honeymoon." He wrapped his arms around her again. This time he took her hand in his, playing with the ring on her finger. "And you know, don't you, Misty, that I'll always love you? No matter what? That's what this ring means. Our promise to love each other forever."

Misty pulled back and smiled sweetly at her fiancé. "I know, Ash. You've told me nothing but these past few days. I know." She slipped back down into the bed and closed her eyes. "I love you too, Ash Ketchum. Forever."

Ash lay back down as well, reaching an arm across her and pulling her close until his chest hugged her back. Misty lay a hand on top of his.

"Goodnight, baby."

I hate making Misty so emotional D= It's not in her character. But she's also hot-headed so...I figured she'd be the one to jump to conclusions.

By the way, nobody reads any of the chapter titles, right? Good, because mine are pretty lame.

Now that I say that, you're going to read every single chapter title...sigh.

Oh well.