Chapter Thirty-six
The End
It wouldn't be until years later that Hailey would learn the truth behind Ash and Dominos origins as well as the real purpose of Team Rocket.
As a naive six and a half year old, most of what she remembered as the years went by became clouded and blurred. Most of her memories surrounding the organization hell-bent on taking over the world faded, and with proper distraction by Ash, forgotten.
However, no matter how much she forgot. How many times they moved to a new home or school, Hailey never forgot that night in the forest.
It was much like the one when Ash had rescued her from Zaffre's stronghold down in the sewers, this time however without the extra baggage of the drug lord.
It was only her and Ash with Zo leading the way through the bush.
Hailey remembered two key events which lead to her life changing moment not long after. The first and foremost would be how tired she was.
Holding onto Ashs hand, she trudged along with her head dipping every so often as sleep teased her.
The second thing would be how confused she was at the entire situation.
When Ash had flat out told her that they were leaving she had asked him where.
What he had said scared her.
"Somewhere safe. So go back to the bedroom and pack your favorite clothes and books. We leave tonight."
That had been the first time his voice, growled and angry, had frightened her.
She was smart enough to know that something had royally pissed him off.
While she had gone and packed the same suitcase which had just been unpacked only hours ago, she had asked Ash where he would be. He had simply told her, in a calm voice which eased her slightly, that he had to go speak with Domino and see about borrowing one of the bases cars.
Quite a bit happened after that.
Just as she finished packing, Ash returned to her and brought her and Zo down to the garage, acquiring a van for them to use at his request.
When she was buckled into her seat, he had told her to wait a couple of minutes for him while he ran one last errand.
30 minutes later he returned and they drove far from the base.
Without Domino.
Ash had told her that Domino had been sent off on a new assignment, and wouldn't be coming with them.
That at some point, she would find them.
Ash hadn't actually expected Domino to come after them.
But she did.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Beside him, Hailey stumbled for nearly the twelfth time, and finally he decided that she had gone far enough on her own.
Already carrying a sack of his own belongings on one shoulder, and Haileys small pink suitcase on the other, Ash knelt and stopped the small girl.
"Want me to carry you?"
She looked at him tiredly, amber eyes so close to falling shut for good, and shook her head, "I'm..." Her head dipped, "I can go on my own..."
Ash smiled as she said it, but the exhaustion she was feeling was clear as day.
She didn't resist as he picked her up, arms going around his neck and small head resting on his shoulder.
"Rest for a bit, I'll -"
"Eh? Momma!?"
Ash froze when he heard Haileys exhausted voice suddenly spark with a renewed sense of excitement. It was then he heard it, a single twig snap from behind and the sound of footsteps approaching.
Carefully he set Hailey down, as well as the suitcases and reached to his back for the handgun. Turning, raising the gun with the action, his eyes locked with Domino.
Hailey started towards her, but gently Ash gripped her hand and pulled her behind him. She noticed the gun he had pointed at the person she considered a mother in confusion, "What-"
"Stay behind me Hailey," He said quietly, "I'll explain later."
As unsure as she was, Hailey followed his orders and hid behind his leg. Head poking out so that she could see Domino and Ashs face.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
It hadn't been hard for Domino to locate them.
After learning that they had taken one of the bases vehicles she had taken her own and gone off in pursuit. Following Ashs original departure from the base when he had gone after Zaffre, she had ordered that all vehicles be fixed with a tracker on the off chance that he try something like that again.
She was glad that she had.
Ash and Hailey had left Viridian and had ditched the van they had taken about three miles out from the city on a turn off on the road behind some trees. From there, she had taken a map of the surrounding area and had looked for his presumed target destination.
There was only one place that she figured he would go, and that would be the railway which passed through the forest some two miles into the bush.
Domino had driven further ahead then where Ash and Hailey had entered the forest, to an area closer to the railroad in hopes that she could gain some time on them.
She had.
Domino wasn't phased by the fact that he held her at gunpoint.
She still refused to believe that he would shoot her.
"Ash-"
"Leave Domino," He called to her, "I wasn't joking when I said that I'd-"
"I accept."
Even if it was dark she could clearly see the confusion on his face at her words, "What-"
"Your offer," She said calmly, "I'm taking it."
He obviously didn't know what she referring to judging from the way he was restlessly looking between her and the sky trying to figure out what she meant.
"I... Don't know what your talking about – Stop! Don't come any closer!"
Domino ignored him, closing the distance between them so that they didn't have to shout at each other. As she approached, he did not shoot, and she could see the gun shaking slightly in his grip.
'He won't do it.'
Ash thumbed the safety off.
She stopped.
'Just to be safe...'
"I'm..." Domino cleared her throat, "I'm doing what you wanted."
He made a face, "No, actually you aren't. The fact that you're here-"
"I'm coming with you."
The gun lowered a fraction, "Huh?"
"You said that when you left Team Rocket with Hailey, that I should go with you. So I am."
It was then that he noticed her appearance.
Domino was not dressed in her usual Rocket attire of mini skirt and the top which exposed her midriff, or the knee high white boots she was so fond of.
No, what she wore was her casual civilian clothing. Hoodie, sneakers and cargo-jeans.
Really it didn't look as if she were here to kill him at all.
"The bag," Ash said, jerking his head at the black duffel-bag under her arm, "What's in it."
"My belongings."
The gun lowered another inch or so.
"I've..." She paused, letting the words she was about to speak sink in properly, "I've been released from Team Rocket, I don't work for them any longer."
"Team Rocket doesn't let their Elites live, there's no way that-"
Domino amended her statement, "Really, its more like a permanent assignment I've been tasked with. Until I kill you, I can't return." The gun began to raise, "So it's impossible for me to return."
Ash stared at her, behind him Hailey was looking frantically between him and Domino.
"Why?" He asked quietly, then realizing that she wouldn't have heard that he voiced louder, "Why Domino, why-"
Domino was shaking her head, "Because I love you."
"But that's -" Words failed him as what she said connected with him, "... Heh?"
The gun lowered entirely, his arm coming limp at his side.
Now Domino approached him without hesitation, standing so that she was only a foot in front of him, then, standing on the tips of her toes she kissed him.
Haileys eyes widened like saucers and an audible, "Oooooh!" came from her.
Ash was much the same, eyes wide open staring at the person who held him in lip lock.
His mind blanked.
The kiss didn't last very long, maybe three seconds at the max, but when it ended he suddenly felt like he wasn't as in control of the situation as he had been led to believe.
"W-What-"
Domino, cheeks and ears bright red, repeated, "I love you. I love Hailey. I'm coming with you both."
"W-Where is this all coming from, this... You..." Ash spoke incoherently, taking a step away from her as he tried to form a complete sentence.
"I was acting the way I was Ash because of that. I felt guilty and horrid about the fact that I had to hide the truth about your parents and Team Rocket from you. Everything about it, it hurt. T-The only reason I didn't act on these... Feelings was because of the fact that I had been lying to you."
Ash stared at her in disbelief, "All that time?"
She nodded.
"Dom-"
She shook her head, violet eyes looking into his amber, "I'm not with Team Rocket any more Ash," she said, "I'm no longerDomino. That was only a codename after all."
She was surprised by how much that had hurt her to say.
Who she was, her very identity, was gone.
He almost seemed hesitant, "E-Elizabeth?" She swallowed a lump in her throat, but nodded, "You may have left Team Rocket... But that doesn't change anything,"
She looked at him more seriously, "What... Why!?"
"You lied... About everything. What I did, no, we did. What Team Rocket really was... I can't just forgive that."
A part of her was hoping, as immature as it was, that he would.
But she knew that it couldn't end here.
"I... I know Ash. It was foolish of me to think that," Her lip quirked slightly, and she met his gaze firmly, "which is why I'll do everything to regain your trust... Well, nearly everything that is... I want to be with you and Hailey, I never lied to you about that and I never will. So..."
Ash waited for her to continue as she trailed off, but she remained silent.
Ash felt a tug on his pants and looked at Hailey, "Momma's sorry..." Hailey looked to Domino who was smiling back at her, "i-isn't that enough?"
Ash looked from Hailey to Domino, who was waiting for his answer as well.
"No," he said finally, "it isn't enough." Domino's face fell, as did Haileys, "But it's a start."
Domino's face lit into a wide grin.
For someone who usually hesitated when initiating acts of intimacy, she didn't this time as she threw her arms around him and Hailey in a hug.
"Thank you..." Whispered happily, "Truly, thank you..."
Ash merely grunted as he slipped the handgun back into his waistband, then allowed himself to put his arms around Domino.
When she finally released him, he took note of the fact that her grin was as beautiful as ever and the violet eyes he loved shone brighter then the moon.
"So," She asked kneeling down so that she could kiss Hailey on the cheek, "what now?"
Ash looked back the way they had originally been heading, "The next train should be passing through within the hour-"
Domino looked at him, "Isn't that redundant now that you no longer have to run?"
He made a face, "Then what?"
Domino hesitated, before reaching into her pocket.
Pulling out a piece of paper and a pen, she held it out to him, "Sign this first, the two lines with the star next to them."
He took them, "... What is it?"
"J-Just sign it, you offered in the first place."
He read the top of the document, "Marriage Registration... What-"
"W-What?" She asked haughtily, "You're still wearing your ring and so am I, so why not just make it official?" then as a thought struck her, she reached into her pocket again and pulled out a second document, "while we're at it we should legally make Hailey our child. Here, you just need to sign that dotted line-"
Haileys eyes lit up when she heard Dominos words, "Really!?"
Domino grinned and looked at Ash, "Well?"
Ash rolled his eyes, folded the papers and slid them into his pocket, gesturing for Domino to lead the way back to her car.
"Come on, lets go."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Domino, or Elizabeth as she now was, slept next to him in the passenger seat.
In the back of the convertible she had come after them in, Hailey was fast asleep with Zo resting on her lap.
Ash cast a quick glance away from the road and to the sleeping blond next to him.
Even if she had lied to him about Team Rocket, that didn't change the fact that he was still deeply in love with her.
Ash doubted that would change any time soon.
On their walk to where Domino, Elizabeth, had parked on the outskirts of the forest. They had more or less come up with a general idea of where to go from there.
They couldn't live in Kanto or Johto because Zaffre had a strong influence within the two regions and would no doubt put out rewards for his death once some time passed without any results from the hit he paid Giovanni for.
Sinnoh was also out of the question because he was known there.
Even if he was supposed to be dead, the look alike who had stolen the Champions Pokemon would raise more then a few eyebrows.
So, at Dom – Elizabeth's insistence, they planned to go to Kalos.
Domino had enjoyed the scenery there when they had passed through it prior to their stay at the Plasma Base, and had told him that they could buy a house there and find work.
According to her, she had enough money in the bank that she could afford a reasonably sized home, with quite a bit left remaining in her account.
She had been a double-o all her life and she rarely spent anything on luxuries.
She was well off financially.
From then on though, he didn't know what to expect.
Ash looked at her once more, made a face, then sighed as he pulled over to the side of the road.
Reaching into his pocket, he removed the two documents from his pocket and looked them over.
After a couple moments of contemplation, without any real reason for hesitation besides the fact that he didn't want to seem as if he were jumping the gun.
He signed them.
The End
Really, I think the main character of Sparks in the end, was not Ash, but Domino.
Thank you everyone who stuck by this story over these two years through the long months of inactivity it would go through and quite a few times without word of update or continuation.
So, thank you again.
And please, please, please, review Sparks one last time as it comes to an end.
You have no idea what it would mean to me to hear your thoughts on this final chapter.
And finally, this is ThatOneDwarf, signing off.