Sorry this took so long! I rewrote it so many times and I'm still a little iffy but I couldn't not post it...if that makes sense.

When Ash sent no RSVP, I assumed if he wasn't going, Misty wouldn't go either. Okay, so that was a damn idiotic assumption to make. Since when does Misty care about what others do?

Still, for some reason, I hadn't prepared myself to see her tonight. It took a while to get use to the fact that she was gone and seeing her, looking beautiful, set me back. I could tell by her mischievous grin that she knew it had been a surprise.

"Gary, it's nice to see you," Misty put out her hand for me to shake, even though it felt far too formal for our relationship.

"And you, Misty. I am eager to hear about your adventures with Ash since our communication was…terminated." My voice was strained as I forced to talk in an equally formal tone.

Misty gave me a sad stare and bit her lip, this was hard for her too, "Look, Gary..."

"No need for apologies, I am not going to be bitter about you never contacting me," I cut her off, allowing some of the stored up anger to be released.

She closed her eyes in frustration for a couple seconds before taking in a big sigh, "Can we go somewhere to talk? Alone?"

Even though my mind told me not to, I nodded. A "talk" could mean many different things. We walked out onto the balcony in the crisp autumn air. Misty clutched her arms and leaned on the railing.

"I'm sorry, Gary, I really am. I…never should have left." She whispered, barely audible. Her sea green eyes were filled with regret and hurt, the same look she had when I mentioned Ash at the lake.

"It's not the same, he's not the same. I was an idiot to think it would be like before," It was obvious she was biting back tears and trying not to look at me.

It was now that I realized just how much I missed her. I missed our talks, the jokes, the fights, "You are not an idiot, Mist, don't say that. Has Ash ever…hurt you?" I put a hand on her shoulder.

Without looking up, she shook her head, "No, not really. It's just, I feel like his pretty little canary that he keeps in a cage to show off. And when I tried to escape, he tried to clip my wings," Resentment was dripping from her words, "But I bit him before he could."

My words defied me. I, Gary Oak, didn't know how to make it all better for one. I screwed it all up, if I just told her not to go, she would still be with me. None of this would've happened.

Gathering up my courage, I turned Misty around, "I shouldn't have let you go, Misty," For a second I felt like stopping there but now my mouth was all too eager to speak, "I lied, I needed you. No one has ever listened to me like you do. I never had to explain myself because you already knew. We were two empty shells of what used to be. You brought the excitement back into my life but I was too stupid to tell you!"

My voice was getting louder and louder as I got more riled up. Misty just stared at me, which made me even more nervous, "I don't know what to do! I've never…felt like this. And I've ruined everything, Misty, all of it!" I ran my hands through my hair and paced around the balcony.

This time, Misty stopped me, "You lost me at 'I was too stupid to tell you', Oak." She had a slight smile but I could tell she knew exactly what I meant. I was so tempted to just take her into my arms but I remembered Leaf.

"Misty, I didn't come to this party alone," I started slowly and saw her eyebrows crinkle, "I have a date, Leaf, we've been seeing each other for a little bit." Misty paused for a second before giving a trying sincere expression.

"Gary, I know! I heard some girls talking about it before," Her nervous laugh made me not so sure, "We are just friends, alright? I'll be back in Unova in a couple days, tomorrow maybe…"

I grabbed Misty's hand, "Misty, you cannot go back to Ash. You aren't happy and wasn't that the whole point of leaving? I know, even though you said you hated being a gym leader, you loved getting to use your pokemon everyday and help all those new trainers achieve their dreams. Don't put yourself back in that cage."

"Let's talk about that later, now, let's try to enjoy this party."

Misty POV

Inside, people were calling for a speech, which meant Gary had to go in. I stayed on the balcony though, to regain my composure.

May already told me that Ash had been in love with me since the very beginning and just now, Gary had implied his feelings for me. But implied what exactly? That he loved me? Do I love him…?

What's worse was that he was dating Leaf and I had lied about knowing about it. What was I supposed to say? I mean, did I expect anything less? He was Gary Oak, most eligible bachelor…blah..blah…

While talking to Gary, something clicked in my mind. It's like all the conversation I've had with him and all the information I have gained, meshed. Gary once told me about how he feels like everyone expects him to be in the middle of attention or in some kind of drama. It got him used to company but after we became friends, he realized that the company he had been keeping was not much of anything.

Posers, fan girls, fakes, anyone who wished to have their 15 minutes of fame.

That's why he always felt lonely and I suppose when I left, he had to go back to his previous life. When Leaf appeared on his doorstep, his original instincts came back.

How could I blame Gary when I practically abandoned him?

"He did tell you that he didn't need you…" I whispered to myself. What did that mean? Maybe, all this time I thought Gary had opened up to me but really, his guard is still up. He doesn't trust me or anyone with his feelings. Yes, he has told me some deep dark secrets but, they aren't his darkest or deepest at all.

The cold was starting to get to me and my arms were covered in goosebumps. I got up to go inside while making a promise to myself.

I will get Gary's trust and I will fix this.

Hope you liked it! Finally, they meet again and there are so many FEELS! Please, feel free to review with what you think is going to happen and what you like/dislike! Much appreciated:D

(I changed the story name and chapter names. Check my profile page for ...daily/weekly updates from me and explanations.)