Tell me why I just realized it's taken me well over a year to get towards the ending with this story.


Dark clouds inch their way towards the beach. The wind has only continued to pick up, sending everyone's hair flying about in all directions. The officiant does his best to speed things along, but he can only talk so quickly. Misty ignores the ceremony, and Ash's constant glances, and instead focuses on the intense waves rolling in. White foam fights the sand to get closer and closer to the ceremony. Pretty soon everyone is going to be ankle deep in water.

"It is now that I ask if anyone objects the union of Dawn and Ash," he says. Both Dawn and the officiant look to the crowd, but Ash looks to Misty. His eyes plead for her to say something, anything. She feels a sudden prick of pain deep in her chest. She shifts uncomfortably, not enjoying the feeling or the constant staring.

Dawn glances behind her, right at Misty. The smug grin she wears makes Misty want to rip her lips right off her face. "I do." Dawn's grin drops, along with her mouth. Her head whips around to the pews where a very attractive man stands. Gasps erupt all through the crowd. Misty has to stop herself from bursting into laughter.

"Matthew, sit down!" Dawn hisses through her teeth. Ash looks between the two, a look of bewilderment carved into his face.

"No, Dawn," he starts, stepping into the aisle and taking a few steps forward, "I won't be able to live with myself if I let you go through with this."

Ash takes a step away from Dawn, Pikachu by his side, his cheeks sparking. "Who is this guy, Dawn?"

She quickly averts her attention to Ash. "No one, he is no one. Can we please continue with the ceremony?"

"No one?" Matthew says incredulously. "How many years have we been sneaking off together, huh? How many times did you promise you'd leave Ash for me?"

"This is what you've been sneaking off to do?" Ash laughs. "All those times I asked you where you were going and you made me feel guilty for not trusting you. I can't even believe this."

Misty looks between the two of them before glancing over at Gary. His mouth is parted in shock as he also looks between the bickering couple, if they can even be called that anymore.

"Ash, this is not what it looks like. Can we please just put this behind us and get married?" Dawn begs, reaching out for his hands. Pikachu lets out a spark, shocking Dawn's hands. "Ouch, quit it, you dumb rat," she barks.

"That's enough!" Ash yells, face beet red. "We're done here. I'm done with you. It was never you anyway..." he glances to Misty then back to Dawn, standing straighter. "You were never the one."

Misty sets her jaw. He has no right. She can't help but feel surprised when Dawn whips around, her eyes daggers. "This is your fault, you orange-headed bimbo!"

A bubble of laughter falls past Gary's lips and he smacks his hand to his mouth. Misty would laugh, too. Under any other circumstance she would be laughing her ass off. But right now she is in the line of sight of a angry bride. "I may be an orange-headed bimbo, or whatever, but at least I'm not a cheater."

Dawn lets out a strangled noise, her teeth clenched. "No you're just pinning after a womanizing man-whore to try and get over a guy who chose me over you."

Dawn gets the reaction she wants when Misty's body moves before she has time to think. The redhead stands across from Dawn, steam nearly pouring from her ears. "I said it before and I will not say it again. Keep Gary's name out of that filthy mouth of yours." Misty looks between Dawn and Ash. "This is who you wanted to be with. A pathetic little girl who is too selfish to let you go when she doesn't even want you anymore."

Misty turns around to see Gary standing in the aisle, hands shoved in pockets and a smile on his face. She feels a small sense of relief, but as she takes a step towards him, a hand is wrapping around the back of her dress. She is pulled backwards, and flung into the white arch. Dawn is inches from her face and is wearing a smug grin. "I know something about Gary that you don't." Rain begins to trickle down from the grey sky.

She tries to keep the curiosity from showing, but Misty's raised eyebrows and parted lips give it away. Regardless, she tries to move away. Dawn shoves her into the arch again. "Why don't you ask him about Leaf," she grins.

"Leaf?" Misty repeats, recognizing the name and the girl's face. She glances to Gary and feels a sinking in her stomach when she notices his pale and shocked face. She tries to remember where she had seen Leaf and why she would make Gary look like he'd seen a ghost. Thunder claps overhead, startling Misty more than it should.

Dawn shoves Misty one last time. "Now get out of my wedding before I-" Misty watches in slow motion as a bucket filled with white paint tumbles from the top of the arch and splashes Dawn. That man touching up the arch must have forgotten it up there. White covers the bride's entire head, face, and the majority of her exposed upper half. The paint collects at her feet. All is silent as the guests watch on in complete horror. Misty wipes a few droplets of white off of her face.

She turns to look at Ash, who is already looking at her. "Don't contact me again. We're done here." She side-steps Dawn who is stunned. It takes the bride a second to register what's happening before she is spinning on her heel, about to scream, when the wet paint causes her to lose her footing. Gasps erupt when Dawn slips and falls down.

"Get back here, you bitch! I'm not done with you!" she screams from the ground. Misty ignores her and continues to walk down the aisle. She stops next to Gary. By now the rain has picked up and is soon to be coming down in heavy waves. The guests scramble to grab their umbrellas.

Gary's face is hardened and still pale. He refuses to meet her gaze and this makes Misty laugh. "We're done, too." Here she has been spilling her heart out to him this entire week and he's been keeping secrets the whole time. What was his relationship to Leaf? And why does just the mention of her name render him completely frozen and stunned? She doesn't need this.

She doesn't need anyone.


I'm sad this story is slowly coming to an end. Already working into the next chap!