Omg, I actually managed to get another chapter out as my spring break is gonna end soon. That, my readers, is dedication :D This one is much longer and much more satisfying, believe me ;)

So, here it goes, hope you guys enjoy (which I know you will) :p

Ash kept rubbing soothing, comforting circles on my back while my tears spilled on his shirt. He didn't seem to mind, though, and held me tighter. My vigorous crying eventually ceased, and I opened me eyes, stepping back a little and out of his warm embrace. I had already begun to miss the warmth feeling of our bodies together. I was going to comment about the giant tear puddle on his shirt, but he spoke first.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes not leaving mines.

I sighed contentedly. I looked at Kenny's lifeless body next to us, then faced him. "I am now," I said, and his lips stretched into a smile, as if he was relieved. It was then that I realized something very important. Ash had saved me, yes, but how did he end up here?

"Ash, how'd you find me?"

He blinked a couple of times as if to process the question and then put a hand behind his head sheepishly. "I may have followed you two when you were meeting Kenny by the school gate," he admitted. "I know it sounds kinda stalkerish but I was really suspicious about Kenny, especially when I saw what happened in the cafeteria. I didn't listen to your conversation but even a blind man could know he was acting weird. I was gonna head home after school, but I saw you two by our school gate…I just had a gut feeling that something was wrong," he said.

If anything, my heart warmed. No guy had ever made this effort for my safety. Ash was so concerned about me, and if anything, it made me like him even more, if that was even possible. "I don't know what I would've done if it weren't for you. If you hadn't followed me, then who knows-"

"Don't," he cut me off. "Don't think about that. Just be glad that you're safe now and that asshole is out of the way now," he said.

I slowly nodded. "Thank you, Ash. You saved my life."

"Getting mushy now eh?" he winked playfully and surprisingly, I laughed. I guess I was in too good of a mood to be resentful to Ash's flirting, but it wasn't as if I wanted him to stop anyway. "Anyway, we should get out of here," he said.

"What about Kenny? Are we going to leave him here?" I pointed out.

Ash laughed. "You beat him up to a pulp, Dawn. He's out cold. We're not going to drag him out of here, and besides he deserves to stay here anyway." I nodded, agreeing with him. "But its not good enough."

"What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "Dawn, he tried to rape you. He's forced himself on you, and I'm pretty sure he's physically abused you too," he said. I frowned, then looked down at the floor in shame. He lifted my face by pushing a finger over my chin, our eyes meeting. "This is serious, Dawn. You're not going to let him get away with this, right?"

I already knew the answer to that. As I looked at Kenny's lifeless self on the floor, I sighed. In that moment, it felt like I won. It felt like I won a huge battle. But I knew the battle wasn't over yet. Kenny was only going to remain unconscious for maybe a day or two, but after he wakes up, there's no telling what he could do. There were countless possibilities, and it was likely he'd want vengeance for what Ash and I did to him.

"I'm scared," I finally told him.

Ash frowned. "I know," he said and then intertwined our fingers together. "But I'll be there with you. And you won't be as scared as you think," he said.

I shook my head. "It's not that simple, Ash."

"Look at what happened earlier. You think I saved you, but you saved yourself. I came to rescue you but when Kenny and I were at each other's throats, you grabbed a stick and beat him to a pulp. If that's not bravery, I don't what bravery is," he said, chuckling a bit.

"I had to do something," I said, shrugging. "He was choking you and…I didn't want to lose you. You could've been killed," I said, my cheeks warming.

Ash said nothing but instead caressed my cheeks, my breath hitching at his warm touch. "You saved me, Dawn. You saved both of us," he said. "And I know it's not going to be easy. But I'm willing to help you, but that's only if you're in with me."

I looked at him, suddenly wondering when he had gotten so wise. So selfless and pure. He wasn't acting as the cocky Ash I know. But leaving those thoughts behind, I whispered, "Okay."

"So…what are we gonna do?" I asked, sitting in the car seat, while Ash was in the driver's seat. A catchy song was playing on the radio, it was a song I was familiar with.

"Well, we could file a police report," he suggested. "The Unova police is pretty strict so they'd be able to help us out. Then if all works out, Kenny will rot in jail and you'll be free," he smiled. But I frowned. Getting in contact with the police would likely mean they'd ask for my parent's contact information, and my mom would find out.

"No. We can't," I suddenly said, causing Ash to look at me with a weird expression.

"Why not?"

"Ash, my mom will find out! Do you know how pissed she'll be once she finds out that I was dating somebody without her approval? Not only that, but she'll be even more pissed if she finds out that I was nearly raped and physically abused!" I exclaimed in fear. I couldn't take the risk.

"So…you're willing to take the risk of Kenny coming back to your life?" he asked. I just shook my head in proof. "Dawn, we have proof, I took pictures and I'm a witness. Kenny will destroy our lives if we don't act now. Are you really willing to take that risk just because you don't want your mom to find out?"

I looked at him, but his eyes were on the road. "No…but…you don't understand! My mom is so strict with me. She'll never forgive me," I said.

"She's your mother, Dawn. Granted, she'll be mad, but she's not going to throw you out of the house. She'll understand eventually," he said. I could only sigh in response. Ash then parked beside a nearby police station, but I was hesitant to move.

"I know you're scared," Ash said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "But it'll be worth it in the end. I promise," he said.

I exhaled. "Okay," I said, my voice barely audible.

After taking a few deep breaths, we eventually walked into the police station. I took slow, careful steps while considering the fact that this was the first time I ever set foot into a police station. I noticed we were in the waiting area, but we skipped past it and instead went to the front desk. An average looking guy with glasses was sitting there and he looked at us expectantly and then smiled.

"Good day, what can I help you two with?"

I looked at Ash hesitantly, and then he urged me to go on. I bit my lip. "I'd like to file a police report."

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Ash asked me, once we were seated in his car again.

I bit my lip worriedly. "No, but I had to give my mom's contact information."

"Hey, stop worrying about that. You should be glad, because there's a high chance that Kenny will go to jail. We gave the officer proof with the pictures and me being the witness. And now they're gonna bring a search party to that abandoned house he took you and hopefully put him behind bars," Ash said, recalling what Officer David had told us.

I sighed. "I hope so," I said.

Ash frowned, as he started the car. When we were on the road, he turned to me and asked, "So…tomorrow's Saturday. Will I be seeing you at my birthday party?" he asked, a small hopeful smile on his face.

A wide grin was spread onto my features. I had nearly forgotten about Ash's birthday. "I wouldn't miss it," I said. "Is the party at your place?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, Serena's planning it. Glow in the dark is the theme for the party," he told me. "So make sure you wear something extra pretty," he winked.

I rolled my eyes, but my cheeks reddened a little as we pulled into the driveway into our neighborhood. We looked at each other, and Ash spoke. "So, I'll see you later," he said.

I don't know what drove me to do it. Maybe it was because Ash had been nothing but nice to me today, or maybe it was because I knew I had these intense feelings for him or maybe it was a way for me to thank him for everything, but I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. When I pulled back, he genuinely looked a bit shocked, and I didn't know what to say. Cursing under my breath, I awkwardly opened the car door and ran up to the porch of my house. I hurriedly reached into the plant for the keys and tried to open the door, but I was so embarrassed that the key fell from my hands. When the door finally opened, I then closed it behind me, catching my breath.

That was so embarrassing! What the hell was I thinking?

I took a look outside the window, and I could clearly see Ash stepping out of his car. He stood there for a while, before he suddenly turned his direction to my house. In just a split second, he made eye contact with me before I panicked and moved away from the window, my heart on overdrive. I had been the one to kiss him, but I was the one blushing crazily. It briefly reminded me of when Ash had first kissed me on the cheek the first night of our dance competition.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts away, I quickly grabbed something to eat and went to bed as early as 7pm. Mom hadn't returned from work yet and I was tired from a long day of stress. Besides, I had to wake up early the next day to do some shopping for Ash's gift.

"Thanks for tagging along with me, May," I told May, as we entered the shopping mall. It was currently 10am on Saturday and I had gotten up early, determined to look for a suitable present for Ash for his party this evening. Ash deserved a good gift, especially after everything he's done for me.

The shopping mall was crowded and we tried to not bump into people. "Oh, no problem, Dawn." May replied, "After all, I need to buy a gift for Ash too, since we're not allowed at the party without a gift," my brunette friend said.

We looked around the men's section. "So, what do you think Ash would like?" I asked, looking at some shirts.

May shrugged. "I don't really know…last year I got him a watch. And the year before that, I got him a shirt and a pair of shoes. What more can a guy ask for?" she exclaimed. "Besides, he already has everything, doesn't he?"

I frowned. Turns out gift shopping for a guy was harder than it seemed. "Yeah, but I still want to get him something. Ash has been really nice to me these past few days and he deserves something from me," I said. May looked at me expectantly.

"What exactly did Ash do? Because, as far as I know, you hate him," she pointed out.

"I don't hate him, May. Sure, he may be egoistical and unbearable at times, but he's not that bad of a guy," I said. May raised an eyebrow suspiciously, then shrugged.

"Okay," she said nonchalantly. "Hey, Dawn, since we're having trouble with picking out gifts, we should ask an expert," she suggested.

"Okay, who?"

"Drew, of course! They're great friends, I'm pretty sure Drew'd know what Ash would want for his birthday," she said, pulling out her phone to dial him.

"May, you're a genius!" I exclaimed and she grinned as she handed the phone over to me. It was still ringing till I heard Drew's voice on the other line.

"Hey, babe. Did I ever tell you how gorgeous you look today? I know I can't see you, but I'm pretty sure you are," Drew said, cheekily.

I giggled. "Aww, thanks Drew, but I'm pretty sure May would get jealous if she figures out you unintentionally flirted with me," I said. I could tell Drew had flinched, because I heard a couple of coughs across the line. May ushered for me to put it on speaker.

"Sorry, Dawn, I thought it would me May, since this is her number," he said sheepishly.

May rolled her eyes. "You're lucky this time, Drew," she said.

Drew chuckled embarrassingly. "So, what's up?"

"We're trying to get a gift for Ash, but I have no idea what to get him. At this point, I think he gets the same type of gift almost every year. I want to get him something unique," I said. "And you're his friend, so…what do you think would be a good gift for Ash?"

"Oh," Drew chuckled. "That's easy. Get the guy a condom and he'll be good for the rest of the year," he said.

"Drew!" We both exclaimed in unison. I rolled my eyes. Boys.

He laughed. "I'm kidding, relax. Honestly…I don't really think Ash cares about gifts anyway, I just know he wants to have a good time," he said.

I sighed dramatically. "Drew, you're no help," I said.

"I bet you don't even know what Ash would want for a gift," May said, giggling a bit.

"Well hey, it's not so easy, especially with a guy who has everything already. He has a house, clothes, video games a car, money and a girlfriend, what more could he want?" he asked. I rolled my eyes. While that was true, I would think that Drew would know something a bit more about Ash's likes and dislikes.

"Well, a bitchy girlfriend anyway," May muttered under her breath, resulting in me escaping a small laugh.

"Come on, Drew, there has to be something that Ash would want. I don't know anything about Ash. What does he like to do?" I asked.

He sighed. "Okay, let's see…uhh…well I know he loves watching sports, especially basketball. The Spurs are his favorite team." I smiled, as I continued to listen. "He loves hamburgers, and well…food in general," he laughed. "His favorite band is 'the Raichus'…and yeah, that's pretty much it. Oh, and he really loves any type of expensive cologne, for some really weird reason."

We nodded, getting the facts together. "Great, thanks Drew, this really helped us."

"No problem, so I'll see you two at the party I assume?"

"Well, I hope so mister, you're picking me up after work," May demanded.

"Oh, but of course, your majesty," he said jokingly. I laughed, imagining Drew bowing just to boost his ego.

"Yeah, we'll be there. See you soon," I said. Drew bid goodbye and I handed May's phone back to her.

"So…you have any idea what you're gonna get him?" May asked me.

I nodded before I grabbed May and headed to the men's section. I was pretty excited for Ash's party tonight and after what I would get for his birthday gift, I hoped he'd see how thankful I was for him helping me.

After an hour or so, I went back home and immediately started getting ready. It was currently after 4, and the party would start in the evening at 6. Since the theme of the party was 'glow in the dark', I figured a hot pink sleeveless blouse, with a silver gray jacket on top would be suitable for the theme. It wasn't too flashy, especially with my blue ripped jeans, but I didn't want to draw too much attention to myself.

After about twenty minutes, I spent another half hour doing my hair and my makeup. I had never dressed up myself to this extent before, but this was going to be my first high school party, and I wanted to let loose, have fun, and not have to worry about anyone or anything else.

When I was done, I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled satisfactorily. My hair was now curled, with the exception of my bangs. My lips were smeared with my mom's pink lipstick, and I could see the eyeliner on my eyes. If I had to comment, I'd say I looked pretty hot.

It was now five, and there was still another hour before the party started. I went outside in the living room and peeped outside the window, where I could see a clear vision of Ash's house across the street. I couldn't see much, except for a huge stereo system being set up. I closed the drapes before I saw my phone ringing. It was my mom. I really hoped she didn't get the information about me and Kenny. I took a breath and decided to act natural.

"Hey, mom, how was work?" I asked.

"Hey, sweetie, work's going great. We still have a lot of customers wanting to get their hair done, so I'll be back home late."

"Okay…mom, you remember when I got almost all A's on my mid semester report card and you said that I could ask for whatever I want, whenever I want?" I grinned hopefully and heard mom sighing.

"Yes, I do," she said, chuckling a bit. "What do you want, Dawn?"

"I want to go to Ash's birthday party at 6 today. Mom, before you interrupt me, I swear that nothing bad will happen and I'm already dressed for it so-"

"You can go."

…"What?" I asked, a bit shocked. Did she say what I think she said?

"You can go, Dawn. Go have fun and live a little. Besides, Ash is our neighbor and I'm sure he's a good person at heart. Plus Mrs. Ketchum surely be there," she said.

I nearly facepalmed. Why would an adult be at a teen's party? Ash would never allow his mother to be present at his party, which was a bit ironic. "Yeah…" I said.

"Great, have fun, Dawn. You deserve it," she said.

I smiled. "Thanks, mom. Love you," I said.

"Oh and I need to tell you something-"

"Yeah, tell me later, mom, the party's gonna start soon, byeee!" I said and then hung up the phone. I took one final look in the mirror and smiled before exiting the house and going across the street to Ash's place.

Even before I opened the door, I could hear the music blaring and the lights blinking. Dozens of cars were in the driveway and part of the street. This wasn't anything like a birthday party, but more of a subtle club. The whole house was swarmed and packed with students from our school, some I didn't even recognize. The room was dark but a disco was able to light the room up a bit. I could see a few people drinking, what I hopefully assumed was soda (but that was unlikely), and a few other people already making out.

"Dawn, you came!" May exclaimed a few feet away from me. She was wearing a red dress that seemed to envelope her body, and matching black strappy sandals. I smiled lightly and had to avoid myself from bumping into people to get near her.

"Hey," I said. "You look hot!" I exclaimed. She giggled.

"Thanks, so do you," she winked.

I looked around and noticed more and more people coming in. "Is the whole school here?!"

"Nah. If the whole school were here, we'd probably be at a real club."

"Won't the police stop this party because of the loud music?"

She shrugged. "Beats me. Come on, Dawn, live a little. Here," she said, handing me a drink. I looked at the plastic cup in her hand containing the black liquid. I cringed, due to the memory of getting drugged by Kenny. "Relax," she giggled. "It's just coke, it's not alcohol."

I sheepishly laughed. "Of course," I said, taking the cup from her. "I knew that," I said, before taking a sip. I then noticed Drew and Gary coming over to us.

"Sup ladies? Isn't this party legit?" Gary commented.

"Yeah…well, this is my first party.." I sheepishly admitted and took another sip.

"You've never been to a party?" Drew asked me in astonishment.

"Not a high school party, no." I shook my head.

"Well this should be memorable then," Gary smiled. "Ash's 17th birthday party. Man, I remember when we were all freshman. It only seemed like yesterday. Good times, good times."

While the group was conversing with each other, I looked around, hopelessly looking for Ash. It was his birthday party, and yet he wasn't to be seen. I was really hoping to hand him my gift to him in person instead of just placing it on the gift table.

I noticed a familiar blonde in the midst of the crowd, and she was apparently clinging on to someone, while holding a drink in her hand. The person was a guy, and he had a head of blonde hair as well. My fingers gripped the plastic cup tightly once I realized who it was.

"Why would Serena bring Clemont to Ash's birthday party?!" I exclaimed in anger. She was the one who planned this party. The least she could do for Ash was try to support him. Of course, she'd bring her new boyfriend, not caring about her other 'boyfriend's' party.

"Serena's a sick bitch." May commented.

"Just forget it," Drew shrugged. "May, wanna dance?" he looked at May, who smiled before taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor.

I don't know why but I was truly disgusted with Serena. In fact, I was wincing the entire time and didn't even notice Gary snapping his fingers at me. "Huh? What?"

Gary chuckled. "You seemed lost for a sec there. Are you having fun?"

"No, not really." I sighed. "Where's Ash? It's his birthday party and he's not here. Isn't that a bit weird?"

Gary raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, I've been texting him for the past half hour. No reply. A bit strange."

"I'm gonna go look for him," I decided. Gary nodded.

I had to skip past a couple of horny teenagers and ignore a few weird scents building up in Ash's house. The music seemed to fade away as I went upstairs. There were about four rooms and I hesitated to knock on a door. Before I decided I would knock, the door opened, revealing none other than Ash. He seemed a bit shocked while I stood there probably looking like an idiot. He was dressed in a black shirt with blue ripped jeans.

He could not have looked more handsome in such an average looking outfit.

"Wow, as soon as I open the door, I see you," he says, and I was sure he noticed my blushing cheeks.

"Where were you?" I asked instead.

"What? Did you miss me?" he asked, his lips forming into a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "No," I lied. "It was just weird that you weren't present at your own birthday party."

Ash rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well unbelievably I fell asleep. Serena and I had our usual fight again. I'm really sick and tired of her, but I can't do anything about it. She was at my place for the whole day, and planned everything for the party. I had gotten ready an hour ago but then fell asleep cuz I was unusually tired."

"Oh," I said. I really wanted to help Ash, but he wasn't willing to tell me anything about Serena. I really wish he would open up to me. He had done so much for me and I wanted to return the favor. "Well, maybe this can brighten up your day. Happy birthday," I said, before handing him the gift.

He looked at it before smiling at me, then took the gift from my hands. "I'm gonna open it up right now," he said. I bit my lip to contain my excitement.

"I hope you like it. I used my mom's credit card, and trust me, I only use my mom's credit card for emergencies." I smiled.

He laughed, before slowly unwrapping the gift. "Buying a gift for me is an emergency?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, I didn't know what exactly to get and I was running out of time," I giggled.

He opened it and his eyes widened a bit before taking out a black t-shirt with his favorite team logo imprinted on the shirt. His smile widened and then he exclaimed, "No way." I grinned, unable to contain my excitement. "You fucking didn't…you got me tickets to go see the Raichus live?"

"Yup." I continued to grin. "Drew helped me get the tickets, so you should thank him too. Apparently he knows someone," I shrugged.

He looked at me, his eyes darkening before he looked at the tickets. "They're my favorite band. I've been waiting so long to see them in concert but I never had the chance. Thank you." He said. "This is the best gift I've ever gotten."

I didn't do anything but smile, and Ash suddenly grabbed my waist, pulling me against him. My smile faltered as my heart beat quickened when he caressed my right cheek, making my breath hitch. The ticket fell from his hand, but we didn't seem to care less. I was only focusing on Ash, and was immensely entranced by him. He looked in my eyes probably to see if I wanted this, and when he got his answer, he started to lean in slowly.

No guy had ever made me feel this way. I was falling head over heels for him.

Our lips were centimeters apart, before he slightly widened his eyes and stepped back a little. In seconds, he was apart from me. I felt my heart dropping. "I'm sorry," he spoke, "I don't know what I was thinking…"

Now any emotion I had was currently on of anger. I was furious. It was like he led me on, and played me. "Really, Ash? That's all you're gonna say?!"

"…I'm sorry. It was just…a spur in the moment thing," he said.

"Cut the crap, Ash," I said, effectively managing to make Ash look at me again. Honestly, I didn't think I could be this bold. "Why'd you back away?"

"Because…it isn't right."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you kidding me?!"

He exhaled, not taking his eyes off of me. "Look, I can't do this…especially when Serena's here. I can't do that to you," he said.

"That is the most ridiculous bullshit I've ever heard. Serena is down there, probably doing the deed with Clemont, at your birthday party! You don't care about her and neither does she care about you! I'm sick and tired of Serena getting in the way of us!" I yelled, surprise at the choice of my own words here. Was there even as us? "Don't you get it, Ash?! Don't you understand how I feel about you? I've been giving so many clues, but you're so concentrated about Serena!" I continued, and Ash stared at me with an appalled look on his face.

"Trust me, Dawn…I feel the same way," he said, stepping closer. "I'm extremely attracted to you," he admitted. "Ever since I met you, I knew that you were different. Good different. I don't know what it is about you, but ever since you came to Unova High, I find myself not being able to take you out of my head," he said, interlocking our fingers together.

"You're…cute, beautiful, smart, sassy…that's everything I like about you," he said, and my cheeks were probably a tomato red by now. "The way you dance and really show how much you love dancing…the way you get annoyed every time I tease you…the way you smile," he said, his voice a bit husky and low.

We were staring at each other, while I was still having trouble believing that Ash likes me back. He actually reciprocated my feelings. I felt truly elated and wanted to jump in joy.

"You have no idea how much I wanna kiss you right now," he mumbled. My breath hitched and I closed my eyes.

"Why don't you then?"

It took him a few seconds before he said, "I don't want you to regret things later on. It's not going to be easy." I opened my eyes.

"It doesn't have to be easy, Ash. I just want there to be an us. This is our moment," I whispered. "And trust me, I won't regret this, not in a lifetime. Whatever comes in the way, we'll fight back," I said.

Ash was going to respond, but briefly looked at my lips, then glanced at my eyes, before closing the distance and kissing me on the lips. His lips moved softly against mines, and he pulled me closer and wrapped his arm around my waist. My heart was racing as he deepened the kiss.

In that moment, it was just us two and I had never felt happier in my life.

Alrighty! So, this took days to type up and I really took my time out to type this. So you guys better appreciate it :p

Looks like all is good for Ash and Dawn…or is it? You guys probably know the answer to that. Anyways, lemme analyse how much chapter this is probably gonna have. There's still a lot to be done, and a lot to share, so this story should have at least…30-to maybe 35 chapters. Yeah. One of the longest fics I'll ever write. But at the rate I'm updating, this story will probably be finished in 2020 lol…well hopefully not….

Next update will definitely not be in the next two weeks or even next month. The latest will probably be in June or July. I have a life people. :p

Thank you guys for reading, for those people who are sticking with this story up until today and for those who aren't giving up on me. It means a lot.

And with that said, see you guys next time!