In My Heart: Live For Today
By: TheFifthCharmedOne
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Third and final part of In My Heart trilogy. The road of love never did run smooth, but it seems things may finally be going the way they were meant to go. Though as the old saying goes, everything is not what it seems. Poke and Contest ships.
-X-X-X-
Chapter 7: Make a Promise
Together we'll make a promise
To never forget it all
We've only scratched the surface
Of worlds we'll come to know
Together moving forward
Even though we're far apart
So safe and sound inside our hearts
We keep our word until we are together once again
And if you hear me in a raindrop
I'm not that far away
You can see in your reflection
Another side of me
And even though we say goodbye, goodbye
We'll never be alone
No we're not alone...
Together We'll Make a Promise, Cori Yarckin. [As heard in Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea]
-X-X-X-
MISTY POV
As Ash and I walked down the road toward home, I told him about my plans for the gym. He thought it was a great idea, and I felt whole again. Having Ash around made me feel complete; as cheesy as it sounds, whenever he's gone, I feel like a small part of myself has gone with him, and whenever he comes back, I feel whole again. It's the best feeling.
"Misty," the way he said my name made me both excited and apprehensive. "We need to talk."
"We are talking." I replied. He looked at me as though I was a little kid, not understanding what he meant. That pricked at my temper slightly, but I fought to keep it under control.
"You know what I mean." he said stubbornly, and I suddenly had a flashback of the pouting Ash from our Kanto days. Mew, we were so immature and stupid.
"Later." I said, and I leaned down to take Jake into my arms. Ash was still holding Alex. "Right now let's just focus on Christmas, and the holidays, okay?"
He sighed and eventually nodded, smiling at Alex, who laughed and cuddled into him. I get the feeling she's going to be a daddy's girl. That brought a smile to my face.
-X-X-X-
December 20th.
The birthday I shared with the twins. I would be twenty, and the twins would be four. Aunt Caroline insisted on a party for my twentieth birthday, and now we were out shopping for dresses. As much as I hate wearing them, May and Aunt Caroline won the debate. I said it was my birthday; I could dress how I wanted. They said you only turn twenty once and they wanted me to impress Ash. Of course that shouldn't have been important to me, but it was. I hadn't seen him in a long time, and now we were together again. I wanted to make an impression, so that if we ever get separated again, he'll have a good memory of me.
Ugh, May must be rubbing off on me.
"Misty! Come here!" May was practically squealing with excitement as she yanked me over to the dresses she and her mother had been looking at. The twins were with Ash, and as much as I love them, I was glad for the break. Plus, it gave Ash a little chance to get to know them better. I felt kind of guilty for not letting it happen sooner, but what's done is done, and unfortunately, I can't change the past.
May had pulled me over to a large manikin that was wearing a teal dress with embroidered diamonds across the front. It was a beautiful dress; perfect for…
"No way." I said, my eyes widening. May nodded. "You've picked a date?" She nodded, and I squealed, hugging her. Aunt Caroline watched us and smiled. "When?"
"July 14th." May said with a smile, touching the dress. "I've decided on teals and blues for the color of my bridesmaids' dresses. Speaking of which, you're still my Maid of Honor right?"
"Of course," I smiled. She smiled back.
"This is the bridesmaid's dress," May said, pointing to the dress she had brought me to. "I already have yours at home."
"Am I allowed to see it?" I asked. She shook her head.
"I want to surprise you." she said mysteriously, and skipped off to find me and her birthday dresses.
Oh boy, this is going to be fun.
-X-X-X-
We came home and Drew was cooking something in the kitchen. The whole house smelled like tomatoes, and the Pokemon were eagerly munching on Pokemon food.
Wait a minute. Drew's almost as bad at cooking as May or me…so that means…
"Misty! Guess who showed up!" Ash said excitedly, and I saw the twins seated in their highchairs with snacks. They must have been getting hungry, so Ash gave them something to eat.
"Who?" I asked, and just then, Brock appeared in the kitchen. "Brock!"
"Hi there Misty, long time no see. You're looking well." The former Gym Leader of the Pewter City Gym said to me. I walked over and hugged him. He was wearing a 'Kiss the Chef' apron (Ew) and holding a spatula. He was taller and definitely looked older.
"Yeah, you too. You decided to come visit for the holidays?"
"I couldn't miss your twentieth birthday now could I?" he said with a friendly grin. I rolled my eyes.
"Ash invited you, didn't he?" I asked.
"Actually, it was May. She called me a few days ago." the Breeder replied. "My brothers and sisters are all on their journeys, believe it or not, and my parents went away on vacation to spend some quality time together. So I came here with Elena."
"Elena?"
"My girlfriend." he said with a loving smile. I smiled, it was about time he settled down and got a girlfriend.
So it was Brock that was making the food. Drew had been watching, which was what led me to believe he had been cooking.
As I looked around at all my family, May, Drew, Ash, Brock, Aunt Caroline, Uncle Norman, Max, and most importantly Jake and Alex, I felt happy. Really, truly happy.
-X-X-X-
Reality came crashing down on the actual day of mine and the twins' birth, when everyone I'd ever known, including some friends from my childhood in Cerulean and my sisters, showed up at my house. May had called everyone. How had she known who to call?
My dress was amazing. It was a rich lavender color that surprisingly didn't clash with my orange hair. It was a wintery dress, perfect for this time of year, but not too formal or too girly. May really knew me well.
That wasn't really important, because I had a blast. The party was awesome. The food was great, as expected from Brock, and everything was perfect. It lasted well into the night, and people were still partying after midnight. The twins had fallen asleep and were in their room now, and I had been mingling with other people.
"Come upstairs with me?" Ash whispered in my ear. It was a question, not a demand or something I had to do. I could say yes or no. It didn't take much to decide on yes. I sighed; I knew this would come, I couldn't avoid it anymore. I followed him up to my room and when we were up there, he closed the door for privacy and I sat on my bed. He started to pace. I crossed my arms over my chest and he looked at me.
"I don't want to talk." I said, and suddenly all the unexpressed emotions I'd felt for him welled inside my chest like lava in a volcano. They became tears in my eyes and I closed my eyes to keep them from coming, but they came anyway.
"I'm….not sure what I want." I said. He sighed, and then brought his hand up to my face, and curled a piece of my hair behind my ear. Another shiver raked its way through my spine.
"How about I help you figure it out?" he said softly, with a slight husky edge. It made my heart beat ten times faster. He stood at his full height and pulled me up, flush against him. "Dance with me." he said in my ear.
"Th-There's no music." I said, getting nervous. He smiled at my reaction.
"We don't need any." he replied, and we slowly started to sway against some invisible tune. I felt comfortable in his arms, it felt right. He led and I followed, moving around the room with grace I didn't even know I had. He twirled me and held me close, and while we danced, I came to my conclusion.
I want him. I want to be with him. No one else, I want him.
"I want you," I said softly, and when he pulled me back into his arms, I felt his smile on my head. "I love you."
"I love you too." he said, and by the tone of his voice, I knew it was true.
"Do you forgive me?" I said. "For lying?"
"Yes. I understand why you did it now, even if I didn't at first. But let's make a promise right now Mist," I shivered when he said my nickname. "We'll never lie to each other again."
"I promise." I said, and he kissed me, and all of the feelings that I'd been repressing exploded like a fireworks show inside that kiss. I didn't see anything but the two of us, and that was all that mattered.
"So do I. I promise to love you for the rest of my life Misty Rose Waterflower." he said. "From now until the end of time."
"I promise to love you for the rest of my life, Ashton Satoshi Ketchum." I said. "From the day we met, I've loved you. And I'll keep loving you, for as long as we are together."
"Forever." he said, leaning his head against mine. I smiled and he hugged my body closer to his, kissing me again.
Together we made a promise.
-X-X-X-
A/N: Recommended song: Together We Make a Promise, Cori Yarckin/Pokemon.
So, there's part one of my Christmas chapters. I'm going to split Christmas into three parts, the DAML wedding (finally) into three parts, and then hopefully have the story done before midnight on New Years Eve. =D Whew, this chapter felt like it took forever to get done! But I finally did, so…
Please review!
P.S. Did you choke on the fluff-balls? XD
Also, a little side note. Petals and Thorns: Second Time Around is now ON HOLD. I'm going to work on it, I promise, but I think I want to wait until 2011 to really get back into it. Sorry for the wait!
~Charmed