That One Fateful Night

I'm Sorry

And another three little words had changed Misty's life forever.

"You're a mother. You're a mother." It all kept replaying over and over inside her head. How could Ash and she have been so stupid?

"I….I have to tell Ash. No matter how hard it will be, he has to know he's a father." The thought of Ash hearing he was a father frightened Misty greatly.

"Thank you doctor….for…all your help." She handed the doctor a written up check.

"Well I'm glad you came to me when you did. The earlier a pregnancy is found out, the more time you have to act on it."

"What does that mean?"

"Well…seeing as you just became an adult, there ARE a couple options you can take if you are unable to keep the child. You can put the baby up for adoption, or…like many mothers your age do…have an abortion."

"An abortion?" thought Misty. "How can I….how can I just end a life? But if there's no other way…."

"But then there is also the option of keeping the child. This option isn't chosen by many women at your age because without a husband, it is hard to keep a steady income going. But I would be glad to introduce you to many organizations that can help you raise your child, and even give you a chance to meet some moms who were in the same position you're in."

"Thank you doctor. I'll…..I'll have to think this over a lot. This isn't a decision that should be taken lightly."

"No it shouldn't. Come back to me when you've made up your mind. I'm just a phone call away."

"I'm only here another month, but I will consider it. Goodbye Doctor Wilson."

"Good luck Misty."

Misty was unable to hear that last comment as she headed out the door.

"I'm pregnant." She said it softly to herself, but with disgust. She looked at her slightly bulging stomach, and she felt dirty.

She ran back to the hotel room and buried herself in the covers.

And then she cried.

Misty only cried when no one could see her, so she wouldn't seem weak. And this time, boy did she cry.

Years of pain, love, anguish, all pouring out onto her pillow in the form of soft, silent tears.

She then heard a small noise as the door to the hotel room opened.

Ash sauntered in, looking very full and content.

She quickly dried her eyes, and tried to put on her best smile.

"Hey Mist." He wrapped her up in his arms, and kissed her. He might as well been better off not kissing her at all, due to how quickly she broke off.

She felt foul kissing Ash. It was all because of her wanting him that she now bore a life in her womb.

"What's wrong Mist?" He then lifted a finger to her cheek, and wiped away a single remaining tear.

She then began to cry again. Silently crying in front of the one she loved. Ash would be the first to see Misty really cry.

She buried her face in his chest, and cried her eyes out.

This only made Ash embrace her tightly, and he gave her a soft kiss.

"Misty….please….tell me what's wrong."

"Alright. But remember, you promised not to leave me."

"What are you talking about Misty? I know that. So why would you bring it up now?"

"Ash……" She pointed to her stomach. "I'm pregnant."

"Preg…..preg…nant?" Ash was dumbstruck.

He had gotten Misty pregnant. His child was now in the womb of the one he loved. He was 18 years old. How on earth could he raise a child?

No matter what option Misty took now, he knew he had ruined her life.

So Ash broke his promise, and did the most cowardly thing a guy could do in his situation.

He ran.

He ran out of the hotel room, tears streaming from his eyes.

He just wanted to run away from it all, pretend it was all a dream. It was dream he had fallen in love. Misty loving him back was a dream. He being a father was a dream.

It was all just a bad dream, and he would wake up soon.

Ash ran to the most deserted part of the beach and collapsed in the sand, as the waves gently rolled in over his legs. He sat back and watched the setting sun. His hope and happiness sinking into the dark just like the sun.

Misty stood shocked in the room. It had been 10 minutes since Ash bolted out of the room, and she had barely moved from her spot.

You would have thought she had died standing up if not for the tears that were gently rolling down her cheek.

Brock, May, and Tracey walked by Ash and Misty's room, to see if Ash had made it back ok.

But when they saw Misty, Brock instantly ran over to see what was wrong.

"Misty, what's the matter?" Brock had a look of deep concern in his eyes. (If you call those slits eyes.)

But Misty grew eerily silent, as May, Brock, and Tracey waited for her reply.

"I'm pregnant." was all she could say.

"You are?!?! Who did this to you?" Tracey and May were outraged, but Brock was silent, for he knew who's child Misty was carrying.

"Tracey, May, calm down." Brock tried as hard as he could to make the situation easier for Misty.

"It was……Ash." Misty said meekly.

"Ash?!?!"

"May, Tracey, please calm down!!! Misty, where is he now?"

"I….I'm not sure. I told him I was pregnant…..and he just ran……"

"He WHAT?!?!?!?!" Now it was Brock's turn to freak out.

By that time, May and Tracey had all they could take, and headed off to their respective rooms. Brock knew Misty much better then they did, and he could help her out the most.

"Misty, he ran away?!?!"

"Yes…" She was barely able to speak an answer, as she choked back tears.

"I can understand he'd be shocked, but this is unacceptable!!"

"Brock…..it's ok. I don't…..I don't need Ash……"

"Yes you do. That baby deserves to know who its real father is, and I'll be damned before I stand by and watch Ash run out on you!!!"

Brock burst out of the room, and ran out of the hotel. He knew Ash even better than Misty, so he knew Ash would go to the most out of reach place in the area to hide.

Brock scanned the now darkening beach, when a shot of red caught his eye. A red cap was resting on the head of someone sitting on a log far down the beach.

Ash lay against a log, his feet in the sand.

"I've gotten Misty pregnant. What can I do now? I'm not old enough to take care of a child. Ash you idiot!!"

"You got that right." Brock came up to him, and punched him right across the face.

"Ow what the….?" Ash massaged the spot where Brock viciously assaulted him.

"How dare you just abandon Misty like that!!!!" He grabbed Ash by the collar of his shirt, and picked him up so Ash and he were at eye level.

But Ash just stared down into the sand. "I was scared. I didn't know what to do or say, I just got nervous and ran

"You're scared?!?! How do you think Misty is feeling right now?!?! She's a mother at 18!! Do you know how much this will affect her life?!?! She told you because 1) you need to know and 2) she was looking for your help and support!! But no, you go and leave her high and dry!!!!" Brock took a deep breath, finally finishing his tirade.

"I….I know all that. The last thing I want to do is leave Misty alone."

"So why did you run?" Brock was finally starting to calm down.

"I didn't know what to do. I needed time to think."

"Well you seriously need to go apologize to Misty. Like right now."

"Your right Brock. Thanks for snapping me back into reality. See you later at the hotel!!" Ash raced off back to the hotel, with new found hope in his heart.

Misty lay on her bed, silently crying. Ash had left. Now who could she turn to? How could this child grow up without a father…..if she chose for it to grow up at all?

A soft knock came on the door.

"M….M…Misty?" Ash slowly opened the door and walked in.

"Ash….I thought you left for good!!!" She jumped out of bed and embraced him, so glad that he came back to her.

"Misty….I promised I'd never leave you, and I intend to keep that promise. I'm sorry I ran. It's just…..I needed some time to think about all this. And well let's just say Brock helped speed things up."

Misty ran a finger along the bruise on Ash's check, and he winced.

"Yeah, Brock is very convincing." Misty let out a laugh. Weak, but still a laugh.

"Misty….I'm sorry for putting you through all that. I WILL keep my promise. I will always be with you, and never leave your side."

"You….promise?"

"I promise, that until the day I die, I will always be with you."

Tears were silently streaming down both their cheeks, as they wrapped themselves in each other's arms and shared a much needed and very passionate kiss.

And so Ash kept his promise. But soon the end of the month came, and the summer vacation had ended. Ash and Misty had both decided that it would be best to let their parents know of the incident, and then with Ash's Pokemon League money, take up residence in Viridian.

(Little did Misty know of Ash's plans for the future. But we'll get to that in a later chapter.)

So Ash and company departed from the hotel. They all gave their goodbyes, and promised to do something like this again in the near future.

But when Ash and Misty boarded the Pokemon League jet (Hey, a champ has gotta travel in style.) they were met by members of the Indigo Plateau Council.

"Mr. Ketchum, we would like to have a word with you regarding your contract with the Pokemon League." said the man in the black suit.

"So I guess I'll go now." said Misty as she slowly began to walk towards the back of the plane.

"No it is quite alright for you to remain here Ms. Waterflower, as some of the matters which must be discussed pertain to you." he said in a matter-of-factly kind of voice.

"Alright, if you say so."

The man motioned for both Misty and Ash to sit in the squishy chairs situated behind a business desk.

"Now let me just get straight to the point. It has already come to my attention that Ms. Waterflower is bearing your child Mr. Ketchum, if I'm not mistaken?" Misty was amazed at how easily he had said something so life altering.

"No you hit pretty much hit the nail on the head." Ash responded calmly.

"Yes well, this little fact can seriously hurt the image of not only the Pokemon League, but your title itself as well as the reputation of the Sensational Cerulean Sisters."

"Wow I didn't know you guys cared so much about your image." Anger was slowly growing inside Ash.

"Image is important Mr. Ketchum. If the people see you have a child out of wed-lock, you will lose the respect that your title demands."

"So your basically saying that I have to ignore the fact Misty is pregnant?!?! What the hell is wrong with you?!?!?! I can't ignore my own child!!!! Because no matter what the media says, Misty and I are going to be parents!!!"

Misty just sat back in awe at what Ash had just said. He was so confident in the child. He wanted to keep it; he wanted to be a father. And she wanted to be a mother. But the League official was right about one thing. A child born out of wed-lock would not do. But would Ash propose to her?

"Only in my dreams…." thought Misty.

"I guess we can discuss this at a later date. But there is another important issue. The League Tournament is starting soon, a two month process in all. You must be present for all ceremonies and for an exhibition match as well."

"Wait…you mean I have to be in Indigo Plateau for two months? But I need to be with Misty!!"

"Yes I can tell. But when you signed the contract as being the Pokemon Master, you were then required to participate in League events. But the choice is entirely up to you."

The captain came on, saying the plane will be landing in Cerulean in ten minutes.

"Well Mr. Ketchum, now is the time for you to make your decision. You can either get off this plane when it lands, and forfeit your title as Pokemon Master."

But Misty was thinking, "How can Ash give up his title, for me? How can they make him choose something like that?" But her heart was saying, "Ash, this should be the easiest decision of your life. The title or me?"

"Or, you can stay on this plane, retain your title, and continue to be a part of the Pokemon League."

"When would I have to return from the Tournament?"

Ash was already thinking of his title. Misty's head dropped at the comment.

"Oh well it's not just one tournament. The League will be on the World Cup Tour shortly thereafter, where The Kanto league will be competing head to head against all the other leagues across the globe."

"When will that end?"

"Oh it takes a good long while. About eight months."

"Eight months?!?!?! I can't be away from home for eight months!!! And Misty is already three months pregnant….."

"Ash…its ok. I'll be here when you get back. If anyone deserves the title of Pokemon Master, its you. I'd hate it to see all the hard work you and your pokemon go to waste."

"Misty…..are you…..are you sure?"

"Yes Ash. I am." But little did Ash know that Misty sure as hell did not want him to leave. She was just giving him the option to leave to see if he really would. One of those crazy girls mind games. But so far, Ash was losing the game.

Misty could feel the plane slowly descending, and she hoped Ash would make the right decision. But when she stepped off the plane into the hugger, (That big tunnel thing) Ash's hand wasn't holding hers, and he wasn't by her side.

"Misty….I love you." He wrapped her in a warm embrace, and gave her a soft and tender kiss.

"Ash….I'll miss you. Come home soon."

"Home? My home's in Pallet. But don't worry; I'll be sure to visit you."

Misty thought to herself, "Boy Ash, for an 18 year old you sure can be pretty dense sometimes. Your home….as long as your with….me."

Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Misty. Remember, I promised I'd never leave your side."

He took her hand, and slipped a small silver ring onto her ring finger.

"What is this?" Misty looked puzzled.

"A promise ring. Just a little sign to remind you that I'm coming back soon."

"Thank you….Ash." She gave him one last hug and kiss. "I have to go now……goodbye."

She waved goodbye as she wiped a few tears from her eyes.

"Goodbye Misty," Ash said softly, "and…..I'm sorry."

Well wasn't that good? As always please review. They help me so much. And I'm on Christmas break, so review a lot, and I might just get in a new chapter as a New Year's gift for all you people. Just to let you know, I am a guy, just in case the content of the story confused you. Go on, review. Its that little button on the left.