DISCLAIMER: Neither of the authors writing this story own Pokemon.
A/N: THE EPILOGUE!!! The final chapter in this brilliant story! *sniff* I'll hold back a tear because there is exciting news to be told once you've read this! Enjoy it guys!
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
Misty lazily ambled around her house, swinging her arms, kicking the carpet, ANYTHING to get this overdue baby moving. Her back was constantly in pain and her stomach had gotten considerably larger over the last couple of months.
She didn't hear a knock at the door as she was walking around. "Misty! Get the door, will ya!" Ash half-yelled, half-laughed from the kitchen. Misty was becoming famous for her frequent daydreaming.
"Sorry hun!" Misty yelled back to her husband as she slowly walked to the door. Her child furiously kicked inside her, as though it wanted out but couldn't intiate it.
Misty smiled at the sensation and opened the door, revealing her expected guests. Brock and Suzie, who had recently become engaged, both bestowed hugs on her huge figure and moved into the kitchen to greet Ash.
Misty was about to close the door when she saw two figures breathlessly running towards the house and let out a squeal of surprise. Jessie and James reached the front door and returned the hugs Misty gave them.
"Guys, you made it! I didn't know if you would or not!" she said in excitement. Jessie and James were also now engaged, their wedding scheduled for the weekend after Brock and Suzie's, and Jessie was wearing her impressive sapphiere and diamond engagement ring.
The whole gang was back together. Of course, they had all kept in touch, but not since the whole ordeal had ended had they all been back together as a group. It had been eight months that had haunted them all with nightmares and bad memories, and they all hoped that this little get together would restore bad memories of the group with good ones.
Misty showed the two into the kitchen, where Ash was babbling away to Brock and Suzie while he cooked a huge pasta dish. His cooking skills had impressed Misty to no end, he certainly hadn't cooked when they were living at the gym. They had been living in their present house for the last 6 months, after returning to Pallet, restoring Ash's old house and then selling it. Neither of them could bear to live there permanantly.
"Hey guys!" Ash exclaimed with a wide grin as Jessie and James entered. "I'd hug ya or something but the pasta is priority at the moment" he explained hurridly as he stirred, added ingrediants and ran about the kitchen grabbing various appliances.
They all laughed at the scene. "Ash, slow down! You're gonna have a hernia!" Misty giggled, amused by his frazzled state.
Ash groaned but continued to work over the stove. "It's nearly done! I just need to pour the sauce and we'll be set for pasta, a la Ash Ketchum!"
"So...who's gonna be first to risk their life with, I mean, TRY Ash's wonderful dish?" Brock asked mischeviously.
"Brock, don't be mean" Suzie playfully scolded, sitting on his lap and not taking her eyes of his.
Misty smiled. Things had turned out better than anyone could've imagined eight months ago. It was at this point that Misty felt a strange sensation in her stomach, running through to her legs. She looked down and saw a puddle of water below her.
She gasped in surprise. This was it. The others, except Ash, had noticed too but didn't say anything. Ash was obviously going to freak out, he was so worried for Misty's life. She still had the 40% chance of not surviving her labour, and it scared him more than Giovanni ever had.
"Uh, Ash..." Misty said quietly, tugging at his sleeve.
"Yeah Mist?" Ash asked, eyes not moving from the pot before him.
Misty grinned and pointed at the floor. Ash briefly looked down and shrugged. "A leaky pipe somewhere, I'll get it looked at later."
Misty laughed. "Ash, I'm the leaky pipe and I think I'll be needing to be looked at pretty soon."
"Huh? WHAT?!" Ash whirled around when he realised what she meant. "Your water's broken already?" he asked in what seemed to be a panic.
"Well Ash, this baby is overdue" Misty reminded him.
"Oh God...okay, um..." Ash was forgetting everything they had planned months ago for when this situation would arise. His panic was overtaking his common sense.
Misty raised an eyebrow. "Ash? Do you mind packing me an overnight bag for a start?" she asked.
Ash nodded. "Right, overnight bag...sit down, and for God's sake be careful" he commanded, and shot down to their bedroom, totally forgetting about the pasta.
Misty sat down, laughing with the others. "What a calm and collective husband you've got on your hands" Jessie commented lightly.
"I know, aren't I lucky?" Misty grinned. Suddenly her grin faded and her face went pale. She doubled over, clutching her stomach and breathing deeply.
"Shit, Misty what's wrong?" James asked as they all started to feel the panic Ash was going through.
Misty finally sat back and took a deep breath. "That was contraction number one, perfectly normal, nothing to worry about" she reassured them. "I shouldn't have another one for a while, thank God. That was a killer" she muttered, still overwhelmed by the pain that had shot through her so suddenly.
Ash emerged two minutes later. Misty seemed to be acting pretty normal for someone who had just started labour. Then another contraction took hold of her and she gritted her teeth, trying to bear out the pain.
Ash grabbed her hand when it finished. "Right, c'mon Misty, hospital, now." He helped her up and lead her out to the car as the others followed. "Are you guys coming?" he asked hopefully.
"Sure man, it's what we've been waiting for all these months!" Brock said. The others nodded and piled into their cars.
Ash started the car when Misty suddenly remembered something. "Ash, did you turn off the oven?"
"Screw it" Ash muttered, readying himself to slam on the accelerator, when Misty pulled the keys out of the ignition.
"Ash, I don't wanna bring this child back to a burned down house! Go and turn the oven off!" she yelled, holding the keys in her hand.
Ash sighed and shot back up again. The others, waiting in excitement in their cars, became puzzled as to why Ash ran into the house and came out 10 seconds later.
"Right, this time" Ash said, snatching the keys off Misty. She smiled, and then found herself lost in another contraction. This only made Ash drive faster to the hospital, nearly running every red light along the way.
By the time they arrived, Misty was sweating and gasping for breath.
"Dammit, the doctor...he told me...it wouldn't be this quick...holy crap!" she exclaimed, clutching her stomach as she got out of the car. Ash hurridly but gently guided her into the hospital.
"My wife is in labour!" Ash shouted, his panic not willing to cease. Misty was deathly pale and obviously in a lot of pain as they wheeled her to the delivery room.
The other 4 had taken much more caution in getting to the hospital, and followed directions from nurses who had seen them wheel Misty in when they arrived 5 minutes later.
Ash was pacing the hallway, and the others embraced him in a group hug. "Ash is gonna be a daddy!" James exclaimed, as the others squealed and cooed.
Ash sighed. "I might end up as a single parent. God, what am I gonna do if she doesn't make it?"
The group went quiet. "Ash, don't talk like that. She's got a much better rate of surival then she has of not making it" Jessie pointed out.
"Has she said anything to you about it?" Brock asked.
Ash smiled. "Nope. The last thing she yelled at me was, 'Why did you do this to me, Ash Ketchum?!'" He laughed at the memory. "So I told her it took two to tango." They all laughed with him, when the door swung open and the doctor slowly walked out.
Ash's heart fell to the floor. He didn't look happy. The room had suddenly gone silent after he had heard Misty screaming for so long. He collapsed on a chair and buried his face in his hands, tears threatning to fall. He knew it. Misty hadn't made it. He should've stopped her from having the kid, but she was so damn stubborn...
"Mr. Ketchum? Your wife wants to see you." The doctor broke into a grin when Ash's head snapped up at the sentance. "She wants to show you your daughter."
Rose. Ash instantly thought of the name they had picked for her so many months ago. He leapt out of his chair, quickly promising the others that they could see her soon. He quietly walked into the room, not liking the silence that surrounded him.
"Ash, is that you?" A quiet voice called out from the other voice of the room and Ash ran over to Misty's bedside, grasping her hand and letting his tears run freely down his face.
"Of course it's me. Are you okay?" he asked worridly.
Misty nodded, then sighed. "I wanted you there. It was awful. It was sooo painful, I couldn't bear it." She softly squeezed his hand. "But it was worth it. We have a daughter" she smiled.
"I know, where is she?" Ash asked eagerly.
Misty pointed to a small incubator that was to be Rose's bed for the night. Ash timidly walked over and caught his first glimpse of his daughter. She was sleeping soundly, after putting her parents through such an ordeal.
"You can hold her if you want" Misty told him.
"I don't wanna wake her" Ash whispered.
Misty shook her head. "You won't wake her. And if you do, well, then you can see that she has her father's eyes."
Ash smiled and gently lifted his daughter into his arms. He could only stare at her with all the love, pride and amazement in the world. She had no idea what she had been through to get here, that she had nearly died alongside her parents in a fight to stop evil.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked in bewilderment for the first time at her father. She had the eyes of Ash, and a small tuft of dark hair was lopsided on her head. Her face was as delicate and smooth as Misty's, and Ash couldn't hold back any tears as he looked at her.
"She's beautiful" he said, bringing her over to Misty, who smiled at the two of them.
"I know. She's still Rose, isn't she?" she asked hopefully. Ash nodded, sat down next to his wife and kissed her tenderly. They had what they had been striving for for so long. A family, a right to settle down without any diabolical plans getting in their way, and a love stronger than any evil force.
"I love you, Misty." The words were few and simple, but they were all Misty wanted to hear, as she and her husband shared a kiss, while their new daughter drifted off to sleep in her father's arms.
A/N: Awww, cute! :) Anyways, we wanna take the time to thank all the people who have read this story, there are many, many people who have read and reviewed this! Thankyou so much! And...there is a sequel! It will be starting to be posted within the next week! Look out for it! :)
A/N: THE EPILOGUE!!! The final chapter in this brilliant story! *sniff* I'll hold back a tear because there is exciting news to be told once you've read this! Enjoy it guys!
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
Misty lazily ambled around her house, swinging her arms, kicking the carpet, ANYTHING to get this overdue baby moving. Her back was constantly in pain and her stomach had gotten considerably larger over the last couple of months.
She didn't hear a knock at the door as she was walking around. "Misty! Get the door, will ya!" Ash half-yelled, half-laughed from the kitchen. Misty was becoming famous for her frequent daydreaming.
"Sorry hun!" Misty yelled back to her husband as she slowly walked to the door. Her child furiously kicked inside her, as though it wanted out but couldn't intiate it.
Misty smiled at the sensation and opened the door, revealing her expected guests. Brock and Suzie, who had recently become engaged, both bestowed hugs on her huge figure and moved into the kitchen to greet Ash.
Misty was about to close the door when she saw two figures breathlessly running towards the house and let out a squeal of surprise. Jessie and James reached the front door and returned the hugs Misty gave them.
"Guys, you made it! I didn't know if you would or not!" she said in excitement. Jessie and James were also now engaged, their wedding scheduled for the weekend after Brock and Suzie's, and Jessie was wearing her impressive sapphiere and diamond engagement ring.
The whole gang was back together. Of course, they had all kept in touch, but not since the whole ordeal had ended had they all been back together as a group. It had been eight months that had haunted them all with nightmares and bad memories, and they all hoped that this little get together would restore bad memories of the group with good ones.
Misty showed the two into the kitchen, where Ash was babbling away to Brock and Suzie while he cooked a huge pasta dish. His cooking skills had impressed Misty to no end, he certainly hadn't cooked when they were living at the gym. They had been living in their present house for the last 6 months, after returning to Pallet, restoring Ash's old house and then selling it. Neither of them could bear to live there permanantly.
"Hey guys!" Ash exclaimed with a wide grin as Jessie and James entered. "I'd hug ya or something but the pasta is priority at the moment" he explained hurridly as he stirred, added ingrediants and ran about the kitchen grabbing various appliances.
They all laughed at the scene. "Ash, slow down! You're gonna have a hernia!" Misty giggled, amused by his frazzled state.
Ash groaned but continued to work over the stove. "It's nearly done! I just need to pour the sauce and we'll be set for pasta, a la Ash Ketchum!"
"So...who's gonna be first to risk their life with, I mean, TRY Ash's wonderful dish?" Brock asked mischeviously.
"Brock, don't be mean" Suzie playfully scolded, sitting on his lap and not taking her eyes of his.
Misty smiled. Things had turned out better than anyone could've imagined eight months ago. It was at this point that Misty felt a strange sensation in her stomach, running through to her legs. She looked down and saw a puddle of water below her.
She gasped in surprise. This was it. The others, except Ash, had noticed too but didn't say anything. Ash was obviously going to freak out, he was so worried for Misty's life. She still had the 40% chance of not surviving her labour, and it scared him more than Giovanni ever had.
"Uh, Ash..." Misty said quietly, tugging at his sleeve.
"Yeah Mist?" Ash asked, eyes not moving from the pot before him.
Misty grinned and pointed at the floor. Ash briefly looked down and shrugged. "A leaky pipe somewhere, I'll get it looked at later."
Misty laughed. "Ash, I'm the leaky pipe and I think I'll be needing to be looked at pretty soon."
"Huh? WHAT?!" Ash whirled around when he realised what she meant. "Your water's broken already?" he asked in what seemed to be a panic.
"Well Ash, this baby is overdue" Misty reminded him.
"Oh God...okay, um..." Ash was forgetting everything they had planned months ago for when this situation would arise. His panic was overtaking his common sense.
Misty raised an eyebrow. "Ash? Do you mind packing me an overnight bag for a start?" she asked.
Ash nodded. "Right, overnight bag...sit down, and for God's sake be careful" he commanded, and shot down to their bedroom, totally forgetting about the pasta.
Misty sat down, laughing with the others. "What a calm and collective husband you've got on your hands" Jessie commented lightly.
"I know, aren't I lucky?" Misty grinned. Suddenly her grin faded and her face went pale. She doubled over, clutching her stomach and breathing deeply.
"Shit, Misty what's wrong?" James asked as they all started to feel the panic Ash was going through.
Misty finally sat back and took a deep breath. "That was contraction number one, perfectly normal, nothing to worry about" she reassured them. "I shouldn't have another one for a while, thank God. That was a killer" she muttered, still overwhelmed by the pain that had shot through her so suddenly.
Ash emerged two minutes later. Misty seemed to be acting pretty normal for someone who had just started labour. Then another contraction took hold of her and she gritted her teeth, trying to bear out the pain.
Ash grabbed her hand when it finished. "Right, c'mon Misty, hospital, now." He helped her up and lead her out to the car as the others followed. "Are you guys coming?" he asked hopefully.
"Sure man, it's what we've been waiting for all these months!" Brock said. The others nodded and piled into their cars.
Ash started the car when Misty suddenly remembered something. "Ash, did you turn off the oven?"
"Screw it" Ash muttered, readying himself to slam on the accelerator, when Misty pulled the keys out of the ignition.
"Ash, I don't wanna bring this child back to a burned down house! Go and turn the oven off!" she yelled, holding the keys in her hand.
Ash sighed and shot back up again. The others, waiting in excitement in their cars, became puzzled as to why Ash ran into the house and came out 10 seconds later.
"Right, this time" Ash said, snatching the keys off Misty. She smiled, and then found herself lost in another contraction. This only made Ash drive faster to the hospital, nearly running every red light along the way.
By the time they arrived, Misty was sweating and gasping for breath.
"Dammit, the doctor...he told me...it wouldn't be this quick...holy crap!" she exclaimed, clutching her stomach as she got out of the car. Ash hurridly but gently guided her into the hospital.
"My wife is in labour!" Ash shouted, his panic not willing to cease. Misty was deathly pale and obviously in a lot of pain as they wheeled her to the delivery room.
The other 4 had taken much more caution in getting to the hospital, and followed directions from nurses who had seen them wheel Misty in when they arrived 5 minutes later.
Ash was pacing the hallway, and the others embraced him in a group hug. "Ash is gonna be a daddy!" James exclaimed, as the others squealed and cooed.
Ash sighed. "I might end up as a single parent. God, what am I gonna do if she doesn't make it?"
The group went quiet. "Ash, don't talk like that. She's got a much better rate of surival then she has of not making it" Jessie pointed out.
"Has she said anything to you about it?" Brock asked.
Ash smiled. "Nope. The last thing she yelled at me was, 'Why did you do this to me, Ash Ketchum?!'" He laughed at the memory. "So I told her it took two to tango." They all laughed with him, when the door swung open and the doctor slowly walked out.
Ash's heart fell to the floor. He didn't look happy. The room had suddenly gone silent after he had heard Misty screaming for so long. He collapsed on a chair and buried his face in his hands, tears threatning to fall. He knew it. Misty hadn't made it. He should've stopped her from having the kid, but she was so damn stubborn...
"Mr. Ketchum? Your wife wants to see you." The doctor broke into a grin when Ash's head snapped up at the sentance. "She wants to show you your daughter."
Rose. Ash instantly thought of the name they had picked for her so many months ago. He leapt out of his chair, quickly promising the others that they could see her soon. He quietly walked into the room, not liking the silence that surrounded him.
"Ash, is that you?" A quiet voice called out from the other voice of the room and Ash ran over to Misty's bedside, grasping her hand and letting his tears run freely down his face.
"Of course it's me. Are you okay?" he asked worridly.
Misty nodded, then sighed. "I wanted you there. It was awful. It was sooo painful, I couldn't bear it." She softly squeezed his hand. "But it was worth it. We have a daughter" she smiled.
"I know, where is she?" Ash asked eagerly.
Misty pointed to a small incubator that was to be Rose's bed for the night. Ash timidly walked over and caught his first glimpse of his daughter. She was sleeping soundly, after putting her parents through such an ordeal.
"You can hold her if you want" Misty told him.
"I don't wanna wake her" Ash whispered.
Misty shook her head. "You won't wake her. And if you do, well, then you can see that she has her father's eyes."
Ash smiled and gently lifted his daughter into his arms. He could only stare at her with all the love, pride and amazement in the world. She had no idea what she had been through to get here, that she had nearly died alongside her parents in a fight to stop evil.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked in bewilderment for the first time at her father. She had the eyes of Ash, and a small tuft of dark hair was lopsided on her head. Her face was as delicate and smooth as Misty's, and Ash couldn't hold back any tears as he looked at her.
"She's beautiful" he said, bringing her over to Misty, who smiled at the two of them.
"I know. She's still Rose, isn't she?" she asked hopefully. Ash nodded, sat down next to his wife and kissed her tenderly. They had what they had been striving for for so long. A family, a right to settle down without any diabolical plans getting in their way, and a love stronger than any evil force.
"I love you, Misty." The words were few and simple, but they were all Misty wanted to hear, as she and her husband shared a kiss, while their new daughter drifted off to sleep in her father's arms.
A/N: Awww, cute! :) Anyways, we wanna take the time to thank all the people who have read this story, there are many, many people who have read and reviewed this! Thankyou so much! And...there is a sequel! It will be starting to be posted within the next week! Look out for it! :)