A/N: I am so sorry this has taken so long to post! I haven't had any Internet whatsoever the past few weeks, and to be quite honest, I've been very nervous about posting this chapter…I felt like it was a bit rushed, but after some lovely ideas and help from my good friend FionnualaO'Bryan, I feel almost satisfied. But a writer should never be totally satisfied, right? *sigh* anyway, enjoy this next chapter, and I promise to get 11 up as soon as I can (No promises on how soon though!) I look forward to each and every one of your opinions! :D

And for those of you who might get a bit confused like one of my friends did, the italics toward the end refer to a flashback of Chapter 9 when Misty admitted Ash was in her dreams.

Chapter 10: Confrontations

"You," he hissed lowly as he glared at the trainer. "You've got some nerve to show your face here after what you did." Ash was more than ready to make him regret what he'd done, but contained it for the moment, not totally sure why. Gary walked inside, shutting the door noisily behind him, confused greatly by what he was hearing. He came for the party his grandfather had invited him to, so he couldn't understand why Ash was so angry with him.

"What are you talking abou—"

"You know good and well what I'm talking about you no good cheater!" he screamed, coming across way louder than he'd originally intended. Apparently the others heard him, because Brock, Pikachu, and Misty soon ambled into the living room. Gary gasped in disbelief when he saw Misty out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh. That's why you're so worked up, Ashy Boy?" he teased, knowing full well how badly that nickname bugged his rival. "You're the one who left her six years ago to become Kanto's Champion. How does it feel to be on top now, eh? You lost her, and I'm surprised she came crawling back to you as easily as she did. I thought she would've fought you harder than this, shown a little more of that backbone she has. After all, you're the reason she cries, the reason she refuses to sleep at night, the reason she gives up training, not to mention the reason she wakes up from heart-crushing nightmares every single time she goes to bed. Can you even begin to imagine the pain you've put her through? And I'm the bad guy here. Ha," he scoffed, but before he could say anymore, Ash landed a blow straight to the jaw, and had him pinned to the wall.

"Sure, I may not have made the right choice, or went about anything like I should have, but you were the one who got her knocked up and then plotted to kick her out all along while cheating on her behind her back. I don't think you have any room to talk," Ash angrily retorted, giving him daggers for eyes as he tried to decide what should happen next. He looked over at Misty, who seemed incredibly dazed, but he could plainly tell the brokenness she was feeling deep inside over it all.

"He's right, you know," she mumbled, looking away. "I-I think you should…you should go now." That's when Ash realized that no matter how badly Gary had messed with her mind or tormented her heart, Misty still loved him, in a way. She hated seeing Ash do this to her ex-fiancée, and wanted to end it before anyone ended up getting hurt. This realization made him loosen his grip, dropping his arm as he absentmindedly reached for Misty's hand.

She tugged away, watching Gary closely as he turned to leave, rubbing his bloodied jaw. "You think this is the end, Ketchum? You haven't seen the last of me," he snorted loudly, breaking the dreamlike trance. He made for the door, allowing an alarmed brunette inside before he slammed it shut.

"Good grief, Gary's a mess! What in the world did I miss?" Umiko asked, raising an eyebrow at the three standing in front of her. They were all quite a bit taller than her, so she felt rather like an ant awaiting its untimely death as she faced each of them.

"Who invited her?" Misty questioned, already knowing the answer as she glowered over at Ash. He weakly smiled back, his lousy attempt of feigning innocence.

"Who else, silly? Ash invited me, if that's okay," Umiko answered, her face falling slightly. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"No. Of course not," Misty muttered through clenched teeth. Of course you are! Misty didn't need to wonder why she felt so harshly toward the girl. Sweet as she may be, she was interfering with the only people Misty truly felt she had left.

And though she would never have freely admitted it, she was a very jealous person, and didn't fathom the idea of Umiko and Ash becoming friends. "Oh, you must be the sun! Because you've lit up my world!" Brock exclaimed, kneeling down to kiss a blushing Umiko's hand.

"Brock, that's enough," Misty muttered, pulling his ear and dragging him back into the dining room. She sighed. "Some things never change."

"You got that right," Ash chuckled, scratching the back of his head and face-palming. "That's Brock. Or, the Ladies Man, as we like to call him."

"Oh, well then. Does he...say things like that to every girl he sees?"

"Nah, just the ones he likes. Which is about every Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny in the entire Pokémon World! And don't forget all the girls we've met on our journeys," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, I guess you should come meet everybody. And trust me, they aren't all lovesick lunatics like he is."

Umiko nodded, smiling faintly. "Oh, okay!" She followed Ash and Pikachu quietly, anxious to meet the others. He came to an abrupt halt, stopping just short of the entryway, which made Umiko run straight into him. "Oops, I'm sorry," she whispered, rubbing her nose.

"You're fine. Hey you guys, there's somebody I'd like you to meet. She's a friend of mine and Misty's. Come on out," he gestured, nudging her to the front. Everyone looked up, curious about the new girl.

"Uh, hi there, I'm Umiko. It's really nice to meet you all," she said, glancing over each face she saw. Misty glared at her indifferently; Brock had hearts in his eyes and wedding bells in his ears. Iris glanced over at Misty, and with one look she knew that whoever this girl was, she definitely wasn't a friend of hers. The others smiled warmly, greeting their new guest excitedly.

"How splendid! A new flavor to add to our already delectable mixture of friends!" Cilan exclaimed, clasping his hands together. Iris gave him a meaningful look. "I'm Cilan, by the way," he added, grimacing slightly as her elbow connected with his side.

"I'm Delia, Ash's mom. Would you like something to eat?" Ms. Ketchum asked, getting up to go find another chair.

"Oh no, Mrs. Ketchum, I couldn't impose! Besides, I kind of ate with my family before I came here," Umiko replied, glancing over at the table full of empty plates and cups.

"Alright then. Please, don't be afraid to ask if you'd like anything though." Umiko nodded, already loving Ash's kindhearted mother.

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't have to introduce myself," the Professor remarked, coughing lightly. Umiko shook her head.

"Everybody should know who the Pokémon Professor is," Umiko said, wondering just how much Gary's grandfather knew of the whole affair. Before she could ask, however, she was interrupted by a loud squeal of anticipation.

"Mommy, can't we please please please go open presents now?!" Dana cried, tugging on Dawn's red holiday dress.

"As long as everyone's done eating, honey," she answered, setting the girl in her lap. "I'm Dawn, and this is my daughter Dana, my son Kyle, and my husband Kenny!" She beamed brightly at Umiko, unfazed by the baleful glances she was receiving from Iris and, to a lesser extent, Misty.

"Wonderful to meet you Dawn," she smiled back, waving.

"The name's Drew. This is my fiancée May, and our daughter Mine." He gestured toward the two, giving May a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, and a pleasant surprise, Ash. Never knew you'd gotten a girlfriend. After all these years," Drew chuckled, making May glower over at him.

He knew just as well as she did that Misty and Ash had feelings for each other! This wasn't turning out the way it was planned by any means. "She's not his girlfriend, Drew!" Misty snapped.

"She's not, eh? Then why are you being so touchy about it?"

"Here we go again with the whole 'touchy' thing," Ash muttered, face-palming.

"Touchy? Oh, I'm being touchy alright! If only you knew," Misty retorted, standing to her feet. "Well, what are we waiting for? The kids want to open their presents, right?"

"Yay!" the two screamed in unison, racing each other into the living room.

"Wait up, you guys! Don't open them yet!" Dawn exclaimed, chasing her two screaming children with Kenny trailing behind. The others quickly followed suit, giving Max an opportune moment to introduce himself as well.

"Hello there, Umiko. I'm Max, May's little brother. I, uh, run the Petalburg City Gym over in Hoenn," he told her, biting his lips nervously.

"Well, nice to meet you, Max," Umiko replied, smiling. Max opened his mouth, but nothing would come out for some odd, asinine reason. Since when did he have so much trouble thinking of something else he could say? He couldn't understand how he suddenly went from a chatterbox of a Chatot one minute to a flailing Magikarp the next.

Before he could find the bravery to speak up though, Dana interjected with a squeak of delight. "Oh, Mommy, thank you thank you thank you so much! I always wanted one of these!" she cried, holding up a plush Piplup and swinging it back and forth. Pikachu looked relieved to find out it was no longer her play toy. Kyle also happily squealed when he found a box of Fire-type figurines underneath his wrapping paper.

"Daddy, look what I got! It's an Infernape! And a Chimchar too!" he screamed, clanging them together like they were about to battle.

"What wonderful presents, Dawn!" May gushed, clasping her hands together. "I can't wait for Mine to be old enough to get her something like that! But we did get her this," she said, pulling out a tiny plush Beautifly and setting it in the waking Mine's stroller.

"And this," Drew added, twining a thorn-less red rose around the stroller's edge.

"You and your red roses," May muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you, darling," he replied, handing her a box covered in bright red rose petals with a single thorn-less rose on top. Inside laid the golden ring he'd been hinting at, engraved with their names on the sides.

"Oh, Drew, it's beautiful," whispered May, hugging his neck. "Here, I know it isn't much, but I'd like you to have it." She handed him an elaborately designed box, and inside it he found a gold encrusted watch with shining red roses on the sides.

"Lovely, dear," he replied, smiling. "Love you."

"Love you too!" Dawn jumped when she saw May's present, abruptly remembering something.

"Here's your present, Kenny!" She handed him a small red box with a gold bow on top.

"Yours too, Dawn, so we can open them together," he answered, handing her a Piplup covered bag. She nodded, and both immediately tore open the presents. He got a bottle of Empoleon-themed cologne, and she got a new red and green holiday dress. "As if you don't already have enough of them," he mumbled, unsatisfied with his present to her.

"Oh, Kenny, I love it! Most of all because it came from you!" she exclaimed, kissing his cheek and beaming a smile straight at him. He blushed, unable to think of anything to say. Brock and Max exchanged presents, since neither had come with a date, and Brock managed to ferret out a small orange box for the lonely Umiko.

"For you, Umiko," he smiled, handing it to her.

"You didn't have to, Brock. But how did you…?" She opened the box and found a simple golden heart necklace. How did he get her something when he didn't even know she was coming?

As if to answer her, he replied, "Ash's mother found out you were coming, so she put me in charge of giving it to you. I hope you like it."

"Oh, well, it's beautiful, Brock, I love it," she told him, smiling wanly. She hugged his neck, and soon her eyes caught Max, who'd apparently been watching from afar. "Thank you." She walked off, going to check on the boy who seemed to be getting a crush on her. "I hear you're the brainiac of the bunch."

He smiled, catching her jest. "Yeah, I do know a bit about Pokémon," he replied, pushing his glasses up his nose out of habit.

"A bit? I'm sure you know a lot more than a bit." He rolled his eyes, realizing her attempt at conversation. At least he wasn't quite as dense as the person he looked up to most in this world.

"Well, I guess I do know more than a bit," he answered, laughing.

"Hm, then you must know everything there is to know about Pokémon, right?"

"Uh, I wouldn't say—"

"Because that would be the coolest thing ever!" While he knew how much trouble he could get into for lying, he honestly couldn't pass up the moment.

"Well, sure then!"

"Great! I want to learn more about this Pokémon of mine. It's a Bellossom. Would you mind teaching me?" With an actual topic to talk about, there was no telling how long the little brainiac would ramble on. He was more than willing to share his plethora of information with the petite brunette.

She eagerly listened, seeming entranced by his words, almost as if he were a connoisseur of sorts. Speaking of connoisseurs… "Iris, I found something splendid that I believe you'll just love," Cilan exclaimed, giving her a small green bag.

"Cilan, I told you that you didn't have to get me anything! But Axew was right; apparently you don't like to listen."

"Not at all! Just look at it, will you?" he pleaded, smiling down at her.

"Oh, alright," she sighed, pulling out the paper to reveal a Dragon Tamer pendant. "Cilan, how in the world did you get ahold of something like this?"

"Let's just say I came across it one day and knew I couldn't leave without it!"

"Oh, well, here's yours," she mumbled, feeling as though her present paled in comparison to the beautiful red pendant. It was a brand new sleuthing cap and magnifying glass, complete with the coat and all a soft earthy brown.

"Practical, but thoughtful, Iris. I love it, but how'd you know that I lost my last cap and magnifying glass?"

"Uh…" Truthfully, she'd taken them so she could replace them with this. The cap and magnifying glass he was referring to were both so old and battered that she couldn't stand to see him use them one more time. "A little Pidgey told me?"

"Ah," he nodded, seemingly convinced by her vague explanation. She began to wonder how he shrugged it off so easily, but figured it was probably for the best not to ask. Instead she decided to go find Misty. As she rounded the corner toward the balcony, she stopped short, noticing the redhead and the shadow of a person she recognized as Ash.

"So, uh, Misty, how do you like the party so far?" Ash asked, looking over at the redhead pointedly as they stood on the balcony outside.

"It's great, Ash. Your mother did such a wonderful job with everything," she answered, still feeling awkward about earlier that day. The silence afterward didn't help much, either.

"It was you," she told him. "It really was you."

"Oh," he replied. "It was me." The silence was deafening as he took in what she'd just told him. Both wanted to break it, but neither were quite sure how. Finally, Delia broke the silence by walking in to check on Misty again. Seeing Ash there, she wasn't very pleased.

"What are you doing in here, honey?" she wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"I came to check on Misty," he told her, looking over at the petrified girl. "I, uh, guess I'll be going now." And so he practically made a run for the door, not daring to look back at the person who'd just confessed her undying love for him.

"Well, I got you a present," he finally stated, breaking the awkward air that had come between the two.

"Oh, Ash, you shouldn't have. I didn't get you anything though," she replied wanly.

"I know, Mist. You deserve it though. It's something I should've given you a long time ago." Unsure of what he was referring to, she nodded blankly. He handed her a simple white box with a silver bow tied around it.

She tentatively pulled the bow apart, quite nervous about what lay inside. Pulling off the top, she was surprised to find a golden white ring, with diamonds scattered around to form tiny shooting stars and under the sunlight she could see the words Marry me? flash knowingly across the inside of it. She dropped the box, going into shock over what he'd just asked, however indirectly he went about it. "Oh, Ash," she breathed, her mind so mangled she couldn't remember any other words she could possibly think to say. She even pinched herself, so as to make sure this wasn't one of her crazy dreams and she wasn't about to fall into an abyss of total darkness.

Seeing her face fall slightly, he could tell this wasn't going to end very happily. "Is that a no?" he asked, shutting his eyes as he expected the blow of a lifetime.

"Yes, I mean, no, it's not a no! I just, well, I didn't expect it. And this is the first week in six years that we've actually spent together. I'm just not totally sure, Ash. You know how much I want to say yes, that I will marry you, but…" she trailed off, feeling the tears form that would defiantly betray her emotions.

Ash's expression dropped slightly. "But what…? It's not like I want us to get married tonight, Mist. We can wait as long as you want…I'll do whatever it takes. I just can't stand the thought of losing you again." And that's when she broke.

"Oh, Ash," she cried, hugging him tight. "Of course I'll marry you, Ash. Don't you know how many years I've waited to hear you say this? And here I am, trying to muddle everything up! I must be a mess, aren't I?"

"No," he lied unconvincingly. "I love you, Misty." Her breath caught in her throat. Since when had he become so hopelessly infatuated with her? It all seemed too good to be true.

"I love you too, Ash," she whispered anyway in his ear as the rain started to fall down on them. And they just stood there, holding each other tight, unwilling to let go of the dream that finally seemed to be coming true.

"He proposed? Oh Lord, and you said yes? Wait till May and Dawn hear about this!" Iris squealed, hopping up onto the bed.

"You wouldn't," Misty face-palmed.

"I believe I would," Iris answered, grabbing the cordless house phone and dialing Dawn's number.

"Iris!" She put a finger to Misty's mouth as the receiver picked up.

"Hello?" Dawn mumbled groggily. Apparently she'd just been asleep.

"Iris, stop it!" Misty snatched the phone, pressing the off button before the Dragon Tamer could react.

"What is wrong with you, Misty? Don't you want the others to know?"

"Well, I do, but not like this. They're all trying to sleep. And I kind of wanted to surprise them with it myself. Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Iris thought for a minute, trying to decide how to answer.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she muttered, not as excited as she had been originally.

"Look at it this way: at least you're the first to know about it. I doubt even Delia knows about it yet." This made her eyes grow about as big as billiard balls.

"I know who I'm going to tell then." And before Misty could make another move, Iris was out the door, racing down the hallway straight for Delia's room.

"Tell me she's joking," Delia said, eyeing her rash son warily.

"Eh, somehow I don't think that'd be a good idea. You were the one that taught me not to lie," he replied, looking down at his feet.

"What were you thinking? I mean, I knew it would happen eventually, but right now? She's about to have someone else's child, and you decide it would be a genius idea to propose to her two whole days after you'd seen her for the first time in six years? What made you do this, Ash?" He couldn't lie to his mom.

Not when it was a situation like this. "I just, well, I should've done it years ago, Mom. But I didn't. She said yes, and my mind has been made up for a while now! Besides, after what she told me yesterday, I'm surprised she'll even meet my eyes for more than two seconds."

"What did she tell you yesterday, honey?" she wondered, raising a worried eyebrow.

"Mom, I'm the reason she has all these nightmares. I'm in every single one of them, and it's entirely my fault. In a way, I feel like I should've been the one tortured all these years, not her. That should be retribution for what I failed to say all those years ago." He put his face in his hands, unable to look at his loving mother any longer.

Her face softened, touched by her son's frailty, and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I love you, son. I know it hurts, Ash. I've had those nightmares myself. But unlike your father, you came back, and I'm proud of you for that. Make her happy dear, if that's what you really want. I'm so sorry for overreacting like I did."

"It's fine, Mom. I'm sure I would've done the same thing if my son had decided to propose to a sick, pregnant twenty-two year old," he laughed a bit, amazed at how absurd it sounded.

"I'm sure," she muttered, turning to walk away. "Good night, honey."

"Night, Mom. See you in the morning."

A/N: First, I'd like to ask, if you review, was the proposal a bit too quick? It'll be explained in Chapter 11 a bit further as to how he had the ring (not to mention how long he had it!), but still, thanks again to FionnualaO'Bryan for the quirky little "Marry me" Idea that I instantly fell in love with!