Make sure to read the AN at the bottom!

We were currently in my house seated on the dinner table. David had told my mom what had happened at Ash's place a while ago and while she had been shocked, she was glad to see Ash had been innocent the whole time. She was even more shocked about Kenny and Serena having a secret relationship.

My mom and David were in the kitchen while Ash and I were seated across from each other. I could see him looking at the table in deep thought, as he had an expressionless face plastered on his features. "Ash? Is something wrong?" I asked him. Honestly, I thought everything would be peaches and cream especially after Serena and Kenny were put in jail.

Speaking of Kenny, I couldn't believe he would stoop that low. Sure, after attempting to misbehave with me, he had crossed the line, but I assumed he still had a bit of good left in him. Never would I have thought I was horribly wrong. I was relieved to be rid of him.

Even still, he was the one to confess. If it weren't for him, Ash would be in jail right now. I guessed he realized the error of his ways.

"Sorry, I'm still thinking of what happened," Ash said, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Me too." I admitted.

Ash blinked and looked the other way. "This is all my fault," he said softly, and I widened my eyes. How could he think that? After all what had happened, how could he blame himself?

I looked at him incredulously. "No it's not, Ash. Why are you-"

"Because," he cut me off, "I wasn't brave enough to tell anyone; not even my own mom. I could have told Gary, Drew or someone and they could have helped me out. But, I didn't 'cause I was afraid. If I had told someone, I would have been out of this mess a long time ago," he said, sighing to himself.

I kept my gaze on him and gave him a soft smile. "I know how you feel, Ash. Remember when Kenny…" I said, trailing off, but Ash nodded indicating he understood me. "I didn't want to tell anyone either. I was so afraid. My fear was holding me back," I explained. "But that doesn't mean you should blame yourself. I don't blame you because I can understand where you're coming from. And you shouldn't blame yourself either. It's not easy telling someone."

Ash gave me a long sigh. "I suppose you're right," he said. "Who did you first tell about Kenny?" he asked.

"My mom," I admitted. "And it was really scary. But I felt so relieved afterwards. And David helped me a lot too…and so did you, Ash," I said, giving him a grin.

Ash smiled before my mom and David finally returned to the dining table with a platter of food. He looked at the food as if he was falling in love and I giggled. I quickly saw him shaking his head as he stood up from the table. "Ms Berlitz, I'm sorry, but I have something important to do," he said.

My mom looked at him. "Oh," she said disappointedly. "And I made extra just for you, Ash," she said, gesturing to the pasta.

He frowned. "I know, I'm really sorry. I'll join for dinner another time, but…I have to go home," he decided, wavering his eyes a bit.

My mind instantly clicked. I had a suspicious thought of what he was about to do. "Are you…?"

He nodded. "If you can tell your mom about Kenny, I can tell my mom about Serena," he said.

I grinned, rising up from my seat. "I'll come with you," I said. Ash looked at me in confusion. "You were there for me when Kenny tried to force himself on me. Now, it's my turn," I said.

Ash smiled. "Thank you."

"So…does that mean we can finish the pasta?" David asked jokingly as he grabbed a plate.

I laughed. "No way, David. You better leave some for me," I said before he just smiled in response. I looked at my mom, who gestured for me to leave with Ash. I was really happy she was so supportive of my relationship with him. And I was especially happier that she was being less strict and was allowing me to be free.

Ash unlocked the door to his house before he entered. "You didn't have to come," he said before closing the door behind him. It was pitch dark until he turned the lights on, enlightening what looked like was the living room. He then removed his shoes and set it aside.

I looked at him. "I know. But I wanted to. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't support you?" I asked rhetorically, placing my hands on my hips dramatically.

Ash's lips tugged upwards at my words. "You'd still be a great one," he said cheekily, as I grinned in response.

We then looked towards the kitchen where Ms Ketchum was currently. She didn't notice or hear us come in and before I could register what was happening, Ash took a shaky breath and walked into the kitchen, with me following from behind.

"Mom?" Ash looked towards her and Ms Ketchum looked towards his son with concern. "Can I talk to you for a few? It's important," he confessed.

Her eyes softened, and she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Of course, honey, what's the matter?" she asked before noticing that I was behind them, probably looking a bit awkward. "Dawn?"

I cleared my throat. "I just want to be here for Ash right now…I hope you don't mind, Ms Ketchum," I said and all she did was give me a warm smile, showing how understanding she was. I had a feeling Ash confessing his struggles was going to be easier than he would assume.

Ash's chocolate eyes wavered again before he sighed. "You remember Serena, right?"

I saw Ms Ketchum slightly roll her eyes. "Of course I do. I still remember when she used to come over. She was not the nicest of girls and to be honest…I never really liked her," she confessed.

Ash nodded. "You told me you had a feeling she wasn't the right girl for me, remember?" She nodded in response. "Well, she really wasn't and…I knew that from the start," he confessed after hesitating for a bit. I could tell he was a bit scared because his body had stiffened. I placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

Ms Ketchum looked utterly confused and she raised an eyebrow in the process. "What do you mean?" she asked, emphasising for him to be a bit clearer with his words.

I squeezed his shoulder, hinting for him to continue. He exhaled. "She'd been threatening me," he finally said.

Ms Ketchum's eyes widened as big as dinner plates. Worry could clearly be seen across her features. "What?! And you never bothered to tell me, Ash? Why not?"

Ash closed his eyes tightly and shook his head a few more times before he continued, opening his eyes again. "I was scared, mom. I didn't tell anyone because I was scared."

Her eyes softened immediately and her voice broke as I saw tears beginning to form in her eyes. "What did that girl do that made you so scared? I thought she was bad but I never thought she was that bad…" she said. "That's why I always let you make your own choices, especially with Serena," she said.

"I know," he said. "I should have told you. But I was too damn scared," he said before forming his hand into a tight fist and clenching his teeth in regret. "But long story short; Serena made me think that I slept with her while I was drunk and she convinced me she was pregnant. But she had a miscarriage. That's the reason I was always forced to be with her. She kept threatening me with that dumb pregnancy report," he said after escaping a long sigh.

His mom just looked really overwhelmed with all this information. I couldn't really blame her though. It looked as if she didn't how to react. "Oh Ash," she said softly, reaching out to give him a hug, which was probably what he needed. I smiled at the warm affection. "You should have come to me. We could have figured something out."

"I know," he mumbled. "I'm sorry."

They broke the hug and suddenly I could see a feeling of regret wash over her features. "This is my fault too," she said. "I'm always working; I should have been there to-"

"No mom," he cut her off, "it's my fault. Don't blame yourself," he said.

She gave him a sad smile. "How did you get past this then?" she asked.

I decided to reply this time, "Well, this guy I was dating happened to be the real person who got Serena pregnant," I explained. "His name was Kenny." I added. "He confessed to his crime and both him and Serena were arrested."

I saw her sigh a breath of relief as she shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe all this has been happening right under my nose!" she exclaimed, blaming herself again. She looked towards Ash again. "Ash, you have no idea how lucky you are. But please, if anyone is threatening you for something, then please tell me. You may have escaped this time, but there's no telling what would happen the next time if you don't tell someone and allow them to help you. I can't risk losing my only son," she said, the tears finally falling down to her cheeks.

Ash nodded in response. "I promise, mom. And I'm sorry," he said before the two embraced each other again in warm, blissful hug.

I grinned. I was so happy that Ash had finally had the courage to confess. I knew exactly how he felt at this moment and to be honest, I was immensely proud of him.

"Mom," he said after they released. "Meet Dawn," he said, looking towards me with a small smile, "the one who I always had feelings for even while I was dating Serena," he said, causing my cheeks to be dusted with a crimson red.

Ms Ketchum smiled at me. "I always knew Johanna's daughter and you had a much better connection than you and Serena," she confessed, laughing a bit. "Dawn, do you have any idea of how much Ash talked to me about you?" she asked, causing Ash let out an embarrassing groan.

I giggled. "Really?" I waggled my eyebrows in suggestion towards Ash, teasing him. "Like what?"

"Oh, just how cute and understanding you are…and something about how much of a good dancer you are," she said. I noticed Ash bury his face in his palms, clearly mortified by the whole situation.

My lips curled into a smirk. "Oh. Is that so?" Ash noticed the teasing tone in my voice and looked at his mom with a glare, indicating for her to stop.

She rolled her eyes when she got the hint. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. Dawn, if you want, you can stay for dinner?" she offered.

When I grinned in response, she took that as an answer and left her alone with me and Ash.

I faced towards him and smiled, placing my arms around him embracing him in a warm hug. He buried his head into my shoulder and sighed. "I'm really happy for you," I said.

"Thanks for being here with me," he mumbled against my shoulder.

I had texted my mom that I would be having dinner with Ash and his mom. She had offered to come over, but I declined because I knew she wanted to spend quality time with David as well. Over the past few weeks, I could really tell that she liked him a lot and I was really happy for her to find someone as great as David. Their relationship was beginning to become serious and I had little to no problem with that.

During the dinner, I had learned that Ms Ketchum was actually a doctor, which explained her absence most of the time. Ash had confessed that he usually spent time here alone because his mom was always busy with work. Despite not being there for Ash though, I could clearly see that Ash loved his mom a lot.

It reminded me of my relationship with my mom. Though things were shaky at the beginning, it had undoubtedly improved for the better, and I was glad I could share my thoughts with her without being worried of whether or not she'd actually being in favour of it or not.

While we were currently clearing up, Ash's mom had gotten a call and from what I could tell, it was an emergency, which resulted in her leaving and promising she'd be back later.

I stood there awkwardly now with the sudden realization that I was alone in Ash's house again, but this time there were no barriers or baggage upon our shoulders. We were free. It felt abnormal, but it was definitely a feeling of relief and contentment.

"You're not gonna leave right now, right?" Ash asked. I could see a hopeful glint in his eye.

I shook my head in response. "No, I actually want to stay," I admitted. "Plus, my mom is spending time with David," I added.

He smiled, nodded in understanding before I walked into the kitchen and noticed there were a lot of dirty dishes piled up in the kitchen sink. "Hey how 'bout we do the dishes? It's the least we could do for your mom," I said.

Ash shrugged. "Sure," he said before he walked to the sink.

While we did the dishes, my mind drifted to the words Ash's mom said and my lips curved into a smirk yet again. "So you talk about me to your mom often?" I asked, waggling my eyebrows again.

Ash rolled his eyes, groaning in the process. "Would you stop being such a tease?" he said, shaking his head and his eyes filled with a bit of amusement.

I faked gasped. "Oh, so you can tease me, but I can't? I see how it is," I said, and all Ash did was chuckle in response. I was having fun; too much fun. When he wasn't looking, I grabbed a handful of water from the tap and splashed it onto his face.

Ash moved backwards faster than lightning, his jaw dropping in the process while I stood there, laughing in the process, clutching against my stomach. "Oh, you think that's funny huh?" he said while I continued to giggle, covering my mouth with my palm.

I realized what he was about to do when I saw his hand reach for the kitchen tap and I instantaneously sprinted out of the kitchen, with him chasing after me. "Come back here Berlitz!" he exclaimed, with a devilish grin on his face.

"Never!"

He was suddenly gaining momentum as I ran across the living room, but then I decided to make it for the door to exit outside of his place. I ran outside, with a victorious smile on his face and turned around to see Ash by the porch, a few feet away from where I was.

I was about to claim victory when I saw a small smirk form on his lips. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. What was he up-

"Ahhhh!" I yelled when the sprinklers were turned on, trickles of water spilling on me in the process. I could see Ash laughing from where he was standing. "Turn it off! I swear, Ash Ketchum, if you don't turn it off this instant-"

"Or else what, Berlitz?" he challenged, stepping off the porch and walking towards me, with amusement in his eyes again. His hair and clothes were beginning to get soaked. "Face it, you can't beat me," he said.

"I hate you!" I whined immaturely as I pouted.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said sarcastically before stepping right in front of me, invading my personal space.

Before I could come up with a retort, he had grabbed me tightly by the hips and pulled me flush against him, closing his lips against mine. His tongue immediately scooted its way in and he quickly rendered me to feel like warm jelly. My knees gave at the feeling coursing through me and he held me tighter, deepening the kiss, if that was even possible. I didn't even realize I let out a groan while I leaned back a bit. I twined one of my arms around the base of his neck, letting my fingers slide through the base of his neck.

By this point in time, we were completely soaked, but I don't think we cared any less.

I slipped out of the bathroom, drying my hair with a towel in the process.

Ash and I ended up having to clean the entire kitchen and some other parts of the house as well and afterwards, we were completely reeking of sweat. So Ash insisted I take a shower to get cleaned up and offered for me to wear one of his shirts.

I glanced at myself in the mirror. I was currently wearing one of Ash's shirts with small boy shirts. The shirt was big and fell just a tad bit lower to my knees, so it ended up looking somewhat like a dress.

There was a knock against the bedroom door. I flinched in response. I was suddenly a lot nervous than before. "Come in," I said softly, knowing who it was.

Ash closed the door behind him. He was now dressed in a plain red shirt and some long black PJ's. I scowled. I would have felt a lot better if I had worn those long pants instead of boy shirts.

He looked at me from head to toe, drinking me in, escalating my nervousness. Maybe I was being ridiculous, but I was also in his bedroom. "You look good in my shirt," he said, his voice suddenly low and a bit husky.

I looked at him, realizing his eyes had darkened a bit. I couldn't manage to utter a response, but I could tell he had noticed how he was making me feel. "Do I make you nervous, Dawn?" he asked, with a full smirk on his lips.

"N-no," I stuttered, and then silently cursed myself for doing so. My heart was racing when he raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Okay, fine! I'm nervous, alright?" I confessed, letting out a few breaths.

He laughed. "Relax, I'm not going to do anything, especially something you don't want," he said.

I widened my eyes. I was never meaning to insinuate that Ash would sleep with me. It appeared he got it all wrong. "No…I mean…" I trailed off, unsure of how to continue my response. His eyebrow raised, indicating for me to continue. "I never meant that. I just…ugh!" He chuckled at my lack of explanation.

"You make me nervous almost all the time, Ash!" I blurted. Ash let out a breathy laugh. "A good nervous," I added. "Not only that, you make my heart flutter and heart race and-"

"Me too, Dawn," he said, cutting me off. "Like I said before, I was attracted to you from the very beginning," he said, walking closer to me and taking my hand, intertwining our fingers together. And right there was when I felt our heartbeats.

We didn't say anything for a while and I let my head rest on his shoulder, escaping a sigh. I loved Ash a lot. I loved how nervous he made me feel. I loved how he made my heart race. I loved how he was so caring and genuine.

"Dawn?" he whispered against my ear.

I hummed a response.

"Would…would you go out with me?" I raised my head in response to his question and his eyes searched my face for an answer. "We haven't officially been out on a date yet."

I smiled. "Of course," I said, before kissing him lightly on the cheek.

Ash chuckled as he sighed with relief. "I'm so glad that Serena and Kenny are out of the way," he said, rubbing his arms lightly on my shoulders.

"Me too, Ash. Me too."

This chapter is for all the pearlshippers out there, myself included. I can't believe we're here already and trust me, I know you've all been wanting a chapter like this so here you go! I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing this.

Oh and even though none of you guys asked, I'm willing to spill all the hints you could have caught throughout the story.

The first major hint was in chapter 12, where Kenny was talking to Serena. The next hint was right in the next chapter, where both Kenny and Serena had exited out of the movie theatre at around the same time. Then there was a small hint in chapter 15 where Kenny had disappeared during the middle of the dancing competition, claiming he had 'family problems' but nope xD that wasn't the case. Also in that chapter (chapter 15), the text WAS from Kenny, but Ash didn't know Serena was cheating on him with Kenny. Ash knew Serena was also cheating on him with Clemont as well, so he assumed it was Clemont and not Kenny.

Those were all the major hints that you guys could have caught and some readers did and boy you guys are smart, so many congratulations for figuring it out lol.

With that said, I am saddened to say that there are only a few chapters left before this fic ends. I can practically hear you guys groan but remember all good things have to come to an end eventually. So if you want, tell me in the reviews, what was your favorite part throughout the story so far and why. Or just tell me anything you liked in general.

Anyways this is really long xD. I hope to update sometime in the next year of 2019 so with that, Merry Early Christmas and happy early new year!

See you next time!