She spent the entire journey home pondering. She lay awake and conscious in Gary's arms, but she couldn't move. Every muscle within her was tensed, every bone stiff, and every inch of movement sent her heart racing. She focused on breathing steadily, and ignoring the fact that it was Gary's strong arms holding her, while Ash talked with Misty on the other side of the road.

She mostly thought about him. She barely spared a thought for her freedom. It hadn't quite sunk in for May that they were finally free, and that she had won. She had finally mastered her powers fully. So, she thought of Ash. She thought of how he'd saved her, but also how he had chosen not to say goodbye to her when he thought they wouldn't see each other for a very long time, if ever. He was going to leave her without saying anything. In that moment, she'd told herself that it had been his last chance. After that, she'd surrendered to the fact that he would never be hers, and he never loved her the way she loved him. She told herself that she would get over him, but could she keep her own promise? She glanced up as Misty laughed at something he said, and placed her hand on his arm, his real best friend. She closed her eyes tight and found herself curling up in Gary's arms, her heart numb.

She woke to the sound of the giant gates sliding open upon their arrival. Her mother hurried them all inside. May knew she'd disappear again as soon as they were inside, and wished she could go to help Caroline sort out the mess she had created. Just as expected, the gates closed again the moment they were inside, leaving her mother standing on the other side, waving towards her. May could only smile weakly in her direction.

Having rested a little, May lay fully conscious, and the weight of her scars and bruises bore down on her, the wave of pain making her visibly cringe. A relentless cold wind whipped around her making her tense to hold back her shivers. Her loose blonde hair blew with it. Gary continued to carry her until they were in the house, when she asked him to set her down and claimed she was okay to walk on her own from there.

She didn't know what would happen now that they were back, but she knew one thing for certain- Ash would be going home. She also found herself believing that if he didn't say goodbye last time, he wouldn't care to say it this time. Her legs screamed in agony as she started to climb the stairs, but she wouldn't go back and ask for Gary's help now. She didn't stop until she reached her room and collapsed onto her bed, the exhaustion almost too much for her. She'd sleep, and when she woke up she didn't expect to see Ash. Her heart ached as she thought of him returning home with Misty, her arm still on his as they shared jokes she wouldn't understand. She forced herself to close her eyes and let the sleep take over, too exhausted to cry.

She woke to the sound of her door closing. She bolted upright in the dark, ready to jump up despite the pain, but the light flicked on to reveal Gary standing by the door. She relaxed, glancing out of the window- it had to be at least midnight for it to be so dark and so quiet. She lay back in her bed as he walked over, but didn't sit.

"You can sit, you know," she said weakly with a smile. He returned her smile but said nothing, sitting himself on the side of the bed beside her. She didn't feel nervous, only curious to know why he'd decided to come and talk to her so late at night. She waited.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better," she lied. "I mean, it still hurts, but…" She was desperate to ask him. To ask him whether Ash was sleeping in his room or whether he'd gone home, but she didn't dare. She was to marry Gary, and although she didn't love him, he didn't deserve to get hurt. "Did you really come here so late just to check on me?"

He winced, and she worried if the question had seemed rude, but then he straightened up. "No, I wanted to talk to you. To get something off my mind. I'm gonna ask you something, and I don't want you to be worried about telling me the truth. I won't be hurt at all."

Her heart quickened a little, but she gave a nod.

"You love Ash, right?"

Her heart seemed to stop altogether. She fumbled around for the right words to say, but she wasn't sure what those were. Gary continued to watch her stutter but held up his hand.

"It's alright, May. I've known for a while. It's not hard to tell."

She dropped her head, suddenly ashamed. She'd kissed Ash when she'd been promised to Gary, and it hadn't even been worth it, now that she'd found out Ash was probably just experimenting. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I didn't come here for an apology." May looked up again. "I came to tell you that I want you to feel like you can be with him if you want. I'll even tell your Mom that we're getting along great and you can tell all your friends the same, and we can keep it as our secret, and figure out how we'll sort it out along the way."

May could only blink, Gary's words bouncing around in her mind. They meant a lot, but they would have meant a lot more if she thought there was a chance she could be with Ash. Though, as she sat there, she felt a flicker of hope in her chest.

"Thank you, Gary." She reached out and took his hands in hers, pushing back the tears that threatened to fall. "That really means a lot to me."

Once she dropped his hands, Gary stood. She thanked him again as he left, but he only laughed at her, saying she didn't need to thank him as he hadn't done anything at all. Once the door shut, she lay for a while, staring at the wall opposite her. The more she thought about it, the more her heart quickened. One obstacle was out of the way. Perhaps there was some hope, especially if her meeting with Giovanni went well…

She found herself swinging her legs over the side of the bed, and slowly pushed herself up. She winced at the pain, but stood nonetheless. She wore her sleep shorts, revealing the bruises and cuts from the glass that littered her legs. She scowled at them as she headed for the door and slid it open, checking that Gary had left. He had. She took a deep breath and quickly walked towards Ash's room. This was it- one last chance. If he was there, if he hadn't left her and had chose to stay with her while others went home, then there was a chance still. She paused before his door, nervous and praying that she'd find him sleeping there. Please, please, please.

She pushed down the handle and slowly inched the door open in silence. The light from the corridor slowly filtered into his room as the door opened wider, and her breath caught in her throat. Ash was lying there, his face peaceful in his sleep, holding a pillow from her own bed. He'd been in her room while she was asleep, but probably hadn't wanted to wake her, and… he'd taken a pillow from the other side of her bed to help him sleep? May resisted the urge to jump on him and kiss him for the rest of the night. Instead, she smiled wide and watched him for a second. Yes, there was still a chance, and May went to bed that night and slept better than she ever had before.

Once she made it downstairs in the morning, still in her pyjamas and rubbing her eyes, she was greeted by arms around her neck. She hugged her friend back, giggling though the pain spread across her whole body.

"Dawn, you'll hurt her," Drew scolded, though he wore a smile on his face still. She smiled over at him as Dawn pulled away, and he gave her a friendly wink. Dawn had been cooking breakfast.

"Your mom hasn't come back yet," Dawn started, taking May's hand to lead her to the kitchen. "So I thought I'd make some food and we can have a day off."

She didn't know if Dawn had ever cooked before, and worried about the outcome, but even the gesture warmed May's heart. She was about to thank her friend when they crossed into the dining room, and she spotted Ash sitting at the bar, talking to Serena. He turned as they entered, and his eyes met hers. He didn't break the eye contact until he looked down at her damaged legs, and she suddenly wished she'd taken the time to change into pants. Although she was ashamed, she kept watching Ash, and could have sworn she saw a blush spread lightly across his cheeks. Dawn kept speaking for the next hour, running around the kitchen as she tried her best to organise all the food she was making for everyone. Everyone kept May so busy that she didn't get a single moment to speak to Ash. They shared a few glances, and every time Ash would seem somewhat flustered.

Once the food was ready, Dawn spread the plates of it across the table. Although some of it seemed a little overcooked or messy, it tasted good, and she let herself let go, and spent the time laughing with her friends. They spent the next two hours there, talking amongst themselves and eating. May found herself feeling much better at the end of it, though she still winced as she jumped down from her stool. She thanked Dawn for the food and hurried back upstairs, aware of Ash's eyes on her back as she left early. She hurried as fast as her pained legs could manage to her room. She pulled a red jumped over her head and slipped on a pair of black jeans, covering her legs. She brushed her blonde hair, which now touched her shoulders. She would have tied it back, but it was cold. She silently wished for her brown hair to hurry back as she brushed through it and headed back downstairs. Everyone still sat in the dining room, minus Ash.

"Where's Ash?" She asked, staying by the door. Gary gave her a quick wink, which she ignored, but smiled slightly towards him.

"He went out for a walk in the gardens, I think," Dawn answered. Before she could say anything else, May slipped away from door and headed into the huge hallway towards the door. There were still guards posted outside, but noticeable less than last time she'd left these doors. They let her slip past into the gardens, which were slightly cold, but not unbearable. She decided she would go to the swing chair that she and Gary had first talked properly on, as the walk there covered a lot of the gardens anyway, and it would be hard to miss Ash. After last night, she didn't even know what she would say. She was still mad at him for leaving her without saying goodbye, but she could forget that for now. Now, she just needed to check he was okay after what she'd witnessed in the Arena.

She passed countless rosebushes and fountains, several pathways that branched off into even more, but kept on the main pathway that circled the building until she reached the back, where she turned to head to the chair, and spotted Ash heading back up that same pathway towards her. He seemed to falter as he noticed her, but kept approaching her, despite the fact that she had stopped in her tracks, her throat turning dry, any words she might have wanted to say catching in her throat.

"Hey, May."

"Hey,"she croaked, giving him a shaky smile. He didn't say anything, so she spoke again. "You wanna sit?" She gestured to the swing chair in the direction he'd just come.

"Sure." He turned, walking off, his hands stuck in his pockets. She followed a step behind him, breathing heavily. It had been quite a while since they'd last spoken, and there was so much she needed to say and needed to know. Was it going to be awkward now that they hadn't spoken properly as friends in days? She sat herself on the cold wooden chair with a fair distance between herself and Ash.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, gesturing towards her legs.

"They hurt, but it's not that bad. Are you?"

He looked a lot better after his night of decent sleep, and though his hair was messy, it fell around his face in such a handsome manner that she was glad it was. "Yeah, a lot better now that we're out." He gave her a sheepish grin, and she held back her blush as well as she could.

"It doesn't even feel real," she breathed, looking out across the gardens. He nodded. She thought about bringing up the day he left, but she was too afraid of creating a rift between them, so she kept her mouth shut as they sat in silence for a few moments.

"You stayed."

Ash tensed a little before he spoke. "Yeah."

She turned to him again, her eyes glowing. "Why?"

"I had to make sure you were okay, and… I didn't want to just leave again. I want to stay here a while with you. I've missed my best friend, more than you know." He muttered the last part, almost as if he didn't actually want her to hear it. Her smile was a sad one, but her heart raced in excitement.

"I'm glad you stayed." She paused, considering her next words, and before she could stop herself, spurted them out. "You took a pillow from my room last night."

May had suspected Ash of blushing many times, but had never actually been able to tell if he was. Now, for the first time, the red spread across his cheeks so brightly and quickly that she almost blushed herself. He had tensed up and looked away from her. She hoped she hadn't crossed a line.

"Sorry," he spoke, looking as far away from her as he could. She chuckled a little.

"It's alright, I wasn't telling you off, I was just commenting." She wrung her hands together in her lap, staring down at them with a smile. "Why did you take it?"

She thought he might not answer the question, but to her surprise his answer came quickly. "It helped me to sleep. I'll put it back."

The answer came so calmly and out of the blue that May's heart skipped a beat and she kept her head down so he wouldn't notice her eyes widening at his response. It helped him sleep better… as if I was there? Is that what he means?

"I'm sorry for giving up in there."

May looked up at him then. "Don't be sorry. I shouldn't have been angry at you for it, after everything you went through. You must have been terrified. I'm just sorry I couldn't do anything about it."

"You did do something about it." He smiled, and she smiled back at him. They fell into a comfortable silence for a few seconds. "You look cold."

She nodded and crossed her arms. "It's going to be winter soon."

Before she could say anything else, he'd slid himself across the bench towards her, and slipped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his chest to warm her up. Her heart soared. She fought to control her racing heart and butterflies.

"How long will you stay?" She asked as she lay her head on his chest. She held her breath until his answer came.

"I'll have a few weeks before my mom forces me home, I think," he answered, rubbing her arm, sending shivers down her. She breathed again. A few weeks. That was plenty of time to figure out something. He wouldn't be leaving her again. She closed her eyes, enjoying his warmth, as he kept rubbing her arm. "You'll be 18 soon, and then they'll start planning your wedding."

The words struck May. She wanted to explain to him everything that Gary had said to her the night before, but that would be a confession, and would scare him off, so instead she said, "He doesn't agree with the marriage, like me, so we're going to work something out."

She expected him to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he seemed to grip her tighter and she felt him lean towards her, pause for a second, then kiss the back of her head gently. Her face burned. What was this, whatever they were? They sat, entwined with one another, in silence, as the question burned into her mind- what are we? She couldn't ask him, she knew she wouldn't be able to, but she wished she knew. For now, though, she'd be more than happy to sneak around with him doing whatever. She was happier than she'd ever been. After a while, Ash squeezed her gently, and she lifted her head to him.

"I think we should go back inside, or they'll start to get suspicious."

"Alright," she agreed, resenting the cold that spread across her as soon as he removed his arm from her shoulder. She stood first, brushing off her legs and began to head back down the pavement.

"May."

She stopped, turning on her heels and waited for him to approach her, her heart in her throat. He walked right up to her, so close she could feel his breath upon her face when he looked down at her. She froze, waiting for him to say whatever he needed to say before they went back inside, but he said nothing. She almost melted when he moved his hand to her face, placing it on her cheek. He looked confused, and somewhat scared, and she knew her own expression mirrored his. Her breath caught in her throat when he started to lean in, and kissed her again. She leaned into it, unable to hold herself back, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing one hand in his hair. She could no longer feel her heart beating against her chest, as if it had stopped, as if the world had stopped around her. A warmth spread across her that she had never felt before, that made her want more, that made her want things that she'd never wanted before, and she would have shuddered had she not been so involved with the kiss, that carried on for a few seconds, Ash's hand on her waist. She found herself wishing his hand would move elsewhere, but pushed the thought back, almost scared of it.

He pulled away from her then, keeping his hand on her waist. All their shared glances, the time they'd slept next to each other, and the kisses they'd shared, had led to this. She knew there was a silent confession of attraction, and her heart soared inside her. Her whole body had melted in happiness, and she wanted to throw her arms around him and never let go. They continued to watch each other for a moment, not exchanging a word, before May leaned up quickly and kissed him again. His hand rested on the small of her back, and she shivered as it moved ever so slightly down, but stayed on her back. She wished she could tell him that she wanted his hands on her, but she knew she didn't need to say a word as they continued to kiss each other hungrily, until she broke away, and caught Ash glancing at the back door. She looked to the door, then back up at him. She knew they could easily sneak through the back door and up the stairs without their friends seeing, and the thought alone almost send her mad, but she knew she shouldn't, knew it would be too much, but… Ash was looking at her in a way he never had before and had looked at the door again, as if he were thinking.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he pulled her in for a third and final kiss. This time, his hand slipped lower than her back, and she moaned slightly, gripping his hair. The kiss was quick, and once she moved away, she took hold of his hand and quickly headed down the path. It seemed like mere seconds until they were sneaking through the door, May giggling slightly as they slipped through the halls, checking their friends were still occupied, and began to climb the stairs, her hand still in his.

They hurried, May desperate for his hands to be on her again, and thought about nothing but her love for Ash. They reached her door in seconds, and began to kiss again, May fumbling behind her for the handle and they stumbled back into the room. Without breaking away, as Ash's hands roamed, she turned the lock on her door and moved towards the bed. As they approached, Ash pulled away, and looked towards herself and the bed, silently asking her if she was sure. She nodded. Lips crashing against each other, they fell down onto the bed, May crawling on top of him, her waist on top of his, and moaned quietly as she began to move, still kissing him. She pulled the jumper over her head quickly, scrambling to remove her jeans too as she tried to maintain the kiss. She shook from nerves and love and ecstasy as Ash removed his own pants and began to kiss her neck gently, slowly moving down to her chest. She bit back her moan, digging her nails into his bare back as he slowly lowered her onto him, unable to wait any longer, but let it slip as she felt him push inside her. As Ash slowly began to move, she pulled the covers up over them, still moaning, and gave him her everything.

She woke slowly, reaching out to stretch her arms, and sat up slowly. Her clothes lay in a pile on the floor, and though the covers covered her, she shuddered. A smile had been on her face the whole time. She'd never thought of the kind of intimacy she'd just shared with Ash until the heat of the moment, but it had been so good, and May's heart was filled with joy. She had been wrong, though he hadn't said it yet. Ash surely had feelings for her.

She knew he must have left while she was sleeping, but didn't blame him. He had to be seen downstairs, or their friends would start to wonder where they'd gone to, and they couldn't know what they'd done, not yet. So she slipped out of the bed and pulled her clothes back on. She wished he could have stayed, so when she woke up she could have lay her head on his chest and stayed there the rest of the day. She brushed her hair quickly in the mirror after noticing the mess it had become, and left her room, hurrying down the stairs. She could hear her friends in the living room.

May entered the living room. Her friends looked up at her, including Ash. To her surprise, he didn't blush or look away. Instead they shared a secret, silent word with one another and she barely concealed her smile. Yes, for now, this would do just fine.

She and her friends spent the rest of the night huddled up on the sofas in the living room watching whatever they could find on the TV. It was a luxury they hadn't enjoyed for a while, and May would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy every second of it. She'd sat in the only free position next to Dawn on the end of the sofa, across the room from Ash, meaning they still hadn't spoken since their silent- or not so silent- confession earlier when they began to go to bed. May chose not to confront him, as her friends would notice and she was worried they would find out what she'd done.

Once she'd entered her room and thrown off her clothes again she threw herself back onto the bed, arms spread wide, and stared at the ceiling. What would she even say to Ash now? Were there any words to express herself fully, to do her feelings justice? Deep inside her, May stressed that Ash was merely physically attracted to her, and thought they were just having fun. She shuddered, suddenly hating the fact that she was naked, and walked to her wardrobe to grab a pair of pyjamas that completely covered her.

She planned on sleeping. The thought of the conversation between her and Ash frightened her too greatly to send her to his room now, despite the fact that most of their friends would be fast asleep. But sleep didn't come easy. She lay in the dark, the covers pulled up to her chest and her knees tucked there too. She listened to the silence, terrified. If Giovanni was out there, would he come for her? Was she stupid for letting him get away for her own selfish gain? Ash hadn't had the chance to ask her about it yet, but she knew he would eventually.

Too many questions swirled around in her mind, threatening to drive her insane. Questions- she had too many questions to ask him. Sighing, she slipped out of her bed again and walked quickly to the door before she could stop herself.

By the time she reached Ash's room, she had cold feet. She stood before his door, her arms crossed to shield her from the cold of the open air. She closed her eyes tight, telling herself it was only Ash, when the sound of the door opening made her open them wide again.

Ash looked down upon her, his hand still resting on the handle, his mouth now slightly open in surprise. May's heart jolted in her chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but before the words could come, his lips were upon hers again. Feeling his hand rest on the small of his back and the warmth of his skin, she leaned into him, and he gently eased them back into his room, until he could push the door closed with his foot, being careful to be as quiet as possible. A chill went down May's spine. There was something strangely exciting about the secrecy of it all, and it only led her to press further into him, her lips caressing his slowly but roughly- meaningfully. He continued to lead her back until they fell back onto his bed, and the questions clouding her mind disappeared completely.

And May decided that no matter what this was between them, she never wanted it to stop.

So, just as many people voted for no lemon/only suggestive parts as for lemon itself. So I went for the in-between option and began to write it, but not in full. If anyone is interested in the full thing, I could perhaps write one and post it as a separate chapter so those who don't want to read it don't have to.

Sorry about the delay again!