Hey guys!

Here's my little Christmas two shot, reuploaded!

Enjoy

xxx

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Pokémon (but secretly wish I did).

Christmas was always the best time of year in the Kanto region. Snow would fall, people would sing and the streets would be filled with cheerful pokémon; each just as ecstatic to be a part of the celebrations as the humans around them. But no one loved Christmas more than Pallet Town's very own- Delia Ketchum. For the last 10 years she had thrown the biggest and best Christmas bashes; many had suspected this was to distract her from the fact that her son wasn't home with her on such a special holiday… and they were absolutely correct. Ash had been off travelling the great, big Pokémon world and was often too far away to make it back in time for Christmas. Delia didn't mind though, she was proud of her little pumpkin for following his dreams though she couldn't help but miss him, especially during the holidays. So, every Christmas, the Ketchum house would be decorated with the most extravagant decorations, the comforting aroma of gingerbread cookies wafting through the living room as guest after guest piled in to take part in the festivities. Every resident of the town of Pallet was welcome; Delia's tradition becoming one guests looked forward to for months before hand.

Although every gathering was special to the hostess, this one would top the lot. Because, after 11 years apart, her baby would finally be joining her for Christmas; meaning this season's annual get together would have to be the very best, like no year before ever was. It was only this morning, in an exuberant 11am phone call that Delia was left trembling with excitement. She was a little concerned that things wouldn't turn out as fantastic as planned, due to her son's poor timing (it was Christmas Eve for heaven's sake); but after Ash had explained to his mother that he missed her terribly and that after waving off Bonnie, Clemont and Serena he had decided that home was where he and Pikachu were needed this Christmas, Mrs Ketchum let her thoughts shift from her mental plan of this evening's bash. The cute, yellow pokémon on the raven-headed boy's shoulder chirped in approval as Delia cried with joy. "Oh honey! I'm so happy, when will you be back?! Christmas is tomorrow, you know." Ash beamed vibrantly. "Actually mom, we'll be back in a few hours. But only if we hurry," he giggled, telling her he loved her and hanging up the phone.

Still crying with tears of happiness, Delia jumped out of her chair and flew around the house, dragging an overeager Mr Mime with her as she attempted to tidy things up for her Ashy's long awaited return. "C'mon Mimey, we need this house in tip top shape! Not only is our party tonight, but my baby's coming home!"

"Mime, Mr Mime!" the pokémon enthused, following her commands.

"Ohhhh! I can't wait!" Delia exclaimed as she ran around the home. It was rather impressive and equally as surprising that she had somehow still managed to find things to dust or wipe etcetera; especially considering she had been doing this for the past two hours… When Mr Mime had taken over in the cleanliness department, Mrs Ketchum had directed her attention to the kitchen. The room was in immaculate form, though it wouldn't be staying that way after she pulled out her list of planned meals (matched with an array of colour-coded recipe cut outs). She had a whopping 150 guests to feed, but the number of add-ons usually tended to grow with each year.

However, luckily for her, Ash's close friend ('and hopefully more') Misty had insisted on splitting the list down the middle. Delia tried to talk her out of it, when the two had met up for their weekly coffee catch up yesterday; but it wasn't of any use when the stubborn red-head refused to take no for an answer. Delia didn't have the heart to tell Misty her cooking was rather… well terrible; but she had flicked Tracey a message begging him to subtly enlist his fiancé, Misty's older sister Daisy to help her with the meal preparations. Misty had grown into such a beautiful girl. She was so warm and kind-hearted but still possessed that fiery attitude she had as the 10-year-old girl, Delia first met her as. Ash's mother always loved the red head; and although they both denied it, Delia was sure Ash and Misty had deeper feelings than friendship bubbling within themselves too. Despite their arguments and teasing there was no way anyone could ignore the blushes that somehow always made their way onto the pairs cheeks when they'd accidentally brush limbs, or the giggles they'd share when they'd flirt with each other nonchalantly. Misty hadn't seen Ash in a good year and a half; and phone calls really didn't cut it for the best friends. To Misty this was a constant subject on her agenda when she'd meet Delia every week, or when she'd drop by Pallet for a chat or a visit. Delia was so incredibly excited to see the couple reunite at tonight's party. All of his friends would be here, they always were, but Misty was more than a friend; the host was certain of it.

Giggling to herself, Mrs Ketchum had just finished placing her final dish into the fridge, ready for the night's celebration. During all the rushing about she had also managed to whip up a couple of welcome home goodies for her baby boy. At 20 years of age, Ash's appetite had grown at a speed even his mother herself hadn't been able to understand. He'd basically inhale everything at the dinner table and still be able to fit double servings of dessert. With such a love for eating, one would assume Ash to be on the larger side of the scale, if you get the drift. But for his sake, this was quite the opposite; obviously the young man had inherited his mother's metabolism. He was very fit nowadays; a pair of toned biceps, a chiselled jawline and a slight six-pack all adding a little something to his tanned figure that would drive girls crazy. Nevertheless, to his mother, Ash was still her little pumpkin… only now he was slightly (more like greatly) taller than her. With such a muscular figure, Delia was determined to make sure he would regain all his strength lost on the long journey home, by preparing a smorgasbord of his favourite meals.

She would have kept going too if a knock at the door hadn't stopped her still in her tracks.

"Mime Mime! Mr Mime!" the psychic type called from the hall. Delia dusted her hands on her apron before pacing towards the door. She was so overwhelmed with happiness, that tears had started to cloud her brown eyes. Nodding towards her pokémon friend, Delia opened the door; a tall raven-haired boy and his loyal pikachu (perched on the boy's shoulder, of course) meeting her gaze.

"Hey Mo- mom? Choking, dying, c-ca- can't breathe," Ash spluttered, as his mother pulled him into a warm, but bone crushing hug. "I'm sorry honey!" she blubbered, "I-I just missed you so much! I'm so glad you're home."

"Pika! Pikachu?" Pikachu piped up, causing Delia to giggle. "I missed you too Pikachu!" She assured the electric mouse, holding her arms out for him to jump into.

"We missed you too mom but- uhh is there anything to eat? I'm starving!" Ash smiled sheepishly, following his mother into their now unfamiliarly winter-wonderland themed home. "Of course sweetie! I made all of your favourites!" Delia announced proudly, gesturing to the dishes on the kitchen counter. Mr Mime had already tended to the mess which meant she could sit and chat with her Ash while he ate. Eyes wide in admiration Ash dug in. "Aughhh- you're the best mom!" he declared between mouthfuls, his mother smiling in accomplishment.

"I'm so happy you finally get to be here for one of my Christmas parties! Everyone will be so excited to see you!" Delia beamed, Ash nodding enthusiastically in agreement.

"So um, who's coming anyway?" Ash enquired, taking a break from eating momentarily. He was excited to see everyone of course… but after being away from Pallet town (and the entire Kanto region itself), he had a particular red head on his mind. He tried to hide this; but a slight smirk from his mother demonstrated his failure to do so.

"Well lets see, there's a bunch of people from town, my friends from my tour group- umm oh! Of course there's Brock, Professor Oak and Gary, Tracey, Daisy, Lily and Violet, May and Max… Dawn and Drew and Paul and well basically everyone from Pallet." Delia watched Ash's face fall. "Oh- that's all? Awesome," he muttered, a half-hearted smile on his face. Pikachu rubbed Ash's arm comfortingly.

"Oh! And how could I forget! Misty's coming too," Delia grinned brightly. Ash wasn't used to his mother being such a stirrer, but he knew she wouldn't let the whole Misty thing go now… he didn't mind though, returning her grin before getting stuck back into his food.

But even his mother's amazing cooking couldn't stop the thoughts of a familiar red head from dancing around in his mind.

Night fall couldn't come soon enough.

…

After hours upon hours of preparation, it was finally time for Delia to get her show on the road. In a lovely, red, long sleeved dress which just hit her knees, Mrs Ketchum fluffed her hair (adding a Santa hat, of course) and applied the last touches of her makeup before the doorbell sounded. Slipping her stockinged feet into a pair of black heeled shoes, she made her way down the stairs gracefully; inviting the large group of townspeople into her home.

Unlike his mother, Ash was still in his bedroom. A towel clung to his waist as he ruffled through his closet in search for an appropriate outfit.

Okay. It's important to note that on any normal day, Ash wouldn't think twice about his choice of clothing. However, it is just as important to consider that this was not any normal day… or evening rather. He needed to make a good impression. In other words, he was trying to find something that would get Misty all hot and bothered; and right now he was failing miserably.

"Looks like this will do, Pikachu," Ash sighed, reaching into his wardrobe and pulling out a pair of slim fitting, navy blue chinos; a long sleeved, white dress shirt and a pair of tan dress shoes. There was way too much 'dressiness' in one outfit combination for Ash's liking. Nonetheless, when he added his own little tweaks to it; like rolling the pants to reveal his ankles and proudly displaying his forearms by pulling the shirt to his elbows, he was satisfied. Running a hand through his dark hair, the young man turned to his loyal pikachu.

"So buddy. How do I look?" he asked, genuinely interested in the electric mouse's opinion. "Pikapi! Pika pi pi pikachupi!" Pikachu exclaimed, causing Ash to laugh. Yep, he looked okay. When the sound of the doorbell grew more frequent, Ash decided to make his grand entrance; Pikachu staying put on the comfortable bed.

None of his friends knew he was home; besides Bonnie, Clemont and Serena, but that was only because he'd left them yesterday. He was kinda nervous to see everyone… Especially considering he'd been away so long. Taking a deep breath, he descended down the steps, the smell of his mother's famous Christmas roast filling his nostrils, the warmth of the fireplace hitting his skin and the sounds of carols ringing gleefully in his ears. Searching around the room he saw them all. Well, everyone besides her. Even Daisy, Lily and Violet had joined the party. Where was she? A deep shriek of excitement pulled him from that thought.

"ASH!?" A tanned man called from across the living room, the area fell silent. "Surprise?" Ash chuckled lightly, a sheepish small crawling onto his face. "How are ya, Brocko?" His question went unnoticed by the pokémon breeder who engulfed his younger friend into a brotherly hug. The room of guests, some unfamiliar to Ash, had continued blabbering away to one another, when Brock's voice rang out again. "When did you get back?! I can't believe it- you- we- I haven't seen you in over a year," the boy ranted, his arms flying around in a fluster. Ash continued to chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got back today. I actually got some time off, I'm thinking of rechallenging the Indigo League… but we'll see. I missed you buddy," Ash smiled, patting the beaming ex-gym leader on the shoulder before their conversation was interrupted by an even older man.

"Ash, my boy! Welcome home. I'm sure you've got plenty to tell us," Professor Oak prompted, clearly intrigued by Ash's experiences throughout the Kalos region.

Ash nodded, "Thanks Professor, glad to be back. I sure do! But, that can wait until later… How are you? How's the lab? How's Ga-"

"Gary? Aww, you actually care about me do ya, Ashy boy," the brunette smirked, reaching over to shake his ex rival's hand. Gary Oak and Ash Ketchum had managed to actually become good friends over the last two years. With Gary moving back to Pallet and all, the two weren't exactly active rivals and this left room for a seed of friendship to blossom once again. Ash laughed, returning the handshake before making his way around the circle that his bunch of friends had now formed around him.

He started by pecking May, Dawn and Iris on the cheek, greeting their partners Drew, Paul and Cilan with firm handshakes before chatting with Max and Tracey respectively. However, he felt his heart ache when he reached the sensational sisters, under Tracey's guide. Daisy pulled Ash into a warm hug, before linking arms with her fiancé, Tracey (Ash had completely forgotten the two were even dating… sheesh he'd been away for a while); her sister's Violet and Lily doing the same, all three sharing the same cheeky grin. The raven haired boy excused himself, making his way towards his mother in the kitchen a slight frown on his face.

"What's up, sweetie?" Delia asked gently. Ash shrugged. "Oh, nah- nothing mom. I'm all good." He tried his best at faking a smile, but his mother could see right through it. "Ash? What's wrong?" She pressed, the doorbell pausing their discussion. "I'm sorry honey! Hold that thought and stay right here, I'll be back in a sec!" Ash sighed loudly, sitting on a stool by the kitchen counter and letting his chin fall into his palm.

Delia walked towards the door, a warm smile, decorating her kind face. Pulling the door open she was met with a flustered red head, who's face was hidden behind a pile of large oven dishes. "I'm sooooo sorry I'm late, Mrs K! The stupid oven took so long, augh, I basically sped all the way over," she cried, rolling her eyes. Delia giggled. "That's okay dear! Let me help you."

"No, no, I'm all good!" Misty enthused, "Please just lead me to the kitchen," she laughed slightly behind the stack of crockery in her arms. Delia nodded, grabbing her arm and guiding her through the crowded living room and towards the kitchen counter. The redhead hadn't noticed the boy (her best friend) sitting there and Ash didn't bother looking up assuming his mother had returned to hear him whinge about how much he missed the girl he obviously had feelings for (though if she'd asked, he'd say no of course).

"There we go! Are you okay dear?" Delia spoke sweetly.

"Yeah I-" Ash and Misty both spoke in unison. Ash's head flew up from his palm, Misty turning to face the raven-haired boy with wide eyes. "Misty?! Hey- uhh- I umm, hi!" Ash jumped from his chair, a befuddled look paving the way for a bright smile to become visible on his face. Misty stood frozen before him, her lips pressed into a straight line. Ash cocked his head to the side, blinking a few times as a confused expression came over his features.

Misty marched over to him, her eyebrows furrowed together in annoyance. Ash had no time to react as she sent her fist flying into his left arm. "Umm? Ow! Jeez Mist! What was that for?" he shrieked, their group of friends had entered the kitchen giggles leaving their mouths.

"Oh! I don't know? Maybe because you," Slap, "decided you'd go- hmm how long was it? Oh wait!" Slap, "A WHOLE YEAR AND HALF WITHOUT A VISIT OR ANYTHING!" She slapped his arm again, fortunately for Ash he managed to catch her wrist, before she made contact. He chuckled slightly, she was pretty cute when she was mad. Years ago, not so much, but now (maybe because of how small she was compared to him), he found it so incredibly adorable.

"It's not funny Ash!" She whined, "Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?" Her tone was softer now as she avoided his eyes and stared at the ground.

Ash smiled, taking in her appearance. She was wearing a strapless dress, which was tight around her bust and up to her mid torso. It then flowed down, ending just above her knees; the (almost) suede fabric, a deep maroon colour. Her long legs were covered by a pair of sheer stockings, feet hidden in duo of tall nude heels. She looked breathtaking, her auburn hair was in it's natural waves and fell half way down her back, a Christmas hat placed on her head thoughtfully ensuring her hair kept its styled form.

"Can't be as much as I've missed you that's for sure." She frowned at his response, causing him to laugh again. "Come here," he pulled her into his arms, Misty sighing in defeat as she closed her eyes, nuzzling her face into his chest. Delia clasped her hands together silently; a giddy grin on her face as she shooed everyone out of the room, so the pair could have a moment of privacy.

"When did you get here?" Misty whispered against his chest. Ash rubbed small circles into her back.

"Only this afternoon. I wanted to surprise you," he grinned, although his best friend (hopefully more), couldn't see him. Misty giggled. "Well you did a great job Ketchum. You wanna go get something to eat?" She asked, pulling away from him and meeting his brown orbs with her blue ones. Ash nodded eagerly, "As if you need to ask me!"

Grabbing his hand casually, Misty dragged him out into the living room, the pair piling up their plates before taking a seat in a more secluded area of the large space. "So! How's the gym leader life treating you Mist?" Ash questioned, flashing his friend a charming smile. Misty let out a deep breath, "Well… it's great! But tiring I guess. I need a holiday I think," Ash nodded, shovelling food into his mouth at rapid speed. Misty laughed, rolling her eyes jokingly; "All you do is eat Ketchum!"

Ash scoffed, ensuring he had swallowed his pasta first. "I do not! I'm done now anyway look!" He gestured to his empty plate, placing it on the table in front of them.

Her eyes flickered with amuse, and Misty found herself biting her lip; obviously she had got the reaction she wanted.

Gosh he missed her. Ash stared at her for a few seconds, her cerulean eyes were lit with joy, adding to a beauty he'd always found so very attractive. It was so hard to tear his gaze from her face, her eyes particularly. "What?" she whispered, clearly embarrassed. "No, nothing! Just looking at you… Almost forgot what you looked like Mist," he blushed.

With a smile, Misty rolled her eyes again, something above them catching her attention. Looking up slightly, her gaze was met with a bunch of white plant clippings, tied together with a thick, red ribbon. The plant hung from the ceiling and sat directly above them.

"Mistletoe?" she muttered under her breath, Ash straining his ears to hear her voice.

"What is it?" he retorted, interested in what he'd missed. Her eyes were still fixated above them, Ash's heart pounding when he noticed it too. "Mistletoe." He smiled, taking her hand back in his. He was so incredibly nervous, but somehow a wave of confidence washed over him in attempt to counteract any unnecessary fears. Misty's breath hitched in the back of her throat, her lips parted slightly, when she finally met his eyes. They were filled with something Misty couldn't comprehend… it almost looked like love. But that was ridiculous. Right? Shaking the thought from her brain, she brought herself to concentrate on his pools of chocolate brown as he inched closer to her face. Closer… Her eyes closed, ready for the gap to become non existent between their lips. Clos-

"Hey guys!" Brock interrupted. God damn it. Ash and Misty jolted apart, their hands detaching from one another as they shuffled further away, Ash coughing awkwardly. "Wait did I interrupt something?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow. Misty shook her head, "No, not at all… What's up, Brock?" she spoke through gritted teeth. The older man was completely oblivious to what the two were about to do, much to the dismay of an irritated Ash. "Oh! Delia was hoping to get your help Misty… and Ash- the Professor is looking for you. What are you guys doing all the way over here anyway?" He raised the same eyebrow once more, Misty rolling her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time this evening. "Yep, I'm on it," the red haired woman stood up, shooting Ash a disappointed glance before moving into the kitchen. He groaned as Brock filled her now empty seat. As if the breeder couldn't see what was happening. They were about to… kiss. Their first ever kiss. Ash had fantasised how it would occur for years and under the mistletoe seemed a scenario too perfect to be true.

Obviously something was bound to wreck the moment.

And that something's name was Brock.

There we have it guys- Part one of two!

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