As promised, here's the newest installment of the Pokemon gang! I have been inspired once more and chapter 8 will hopefully come out soon. We are down to our final 3 days, so things are going to start to get more heated. We have an arrival of an unexpected guest (again) and we get to see a little bit of Ash in this chapter. I'm going to keep the author's note short this time, but thanks so very much for sticking with me through the year. I can't believe it's been over 1 year since this story was published and I honestly can't wait to share my other Pokemon fics with you guys. I love you as always!

Now enough of my insistent rambling, and let's get on with this long awaited chapter!

~Deepika

Chapter 7- Day 4

The next day, Misty woke up with a smile on her face. She was in a particular good mood since her ex-boyfriend Ash hadn't been trying to pull anything weird these past few days. She groaned a little but couldn't help but smile when she heard the peaceful snores of her fiancé. Reluctantly stopping herself from staring at him, Misty got up quietly and pulled on her bathing suit and headed out to the giant pool to do some laps. Before she left, she had grabbed a couple of her pokemon to come and train with her.

"All right Poliwhirl, let's see if you still got it," Misty muttered and released the navy blue tadpole pokemon with a swirl on its body. It called its name in response as Misty let out Vaporeon. "All right guys, it's time for laps!" Misty called gleefully and the three jumped into the pool and instantly started swimming.

It was like heaven. The water lapping on her skin was like little droplets of joy with every stroke she made. Her adrenaline was pumping and she loved watching her pokemon get just as riled up as she did. Little did she know, someone was enjoying the view as well. He smiled as he watched her do what he remembered she had been doing for almost ten years now. Though she got older, her determination and passion for water had never faltered nor diminished. It was what had attracted him to her in the first place. He knew he should have never left. Letting her get into the hands of some douche bag was the worst move he could have ever made. But he was finally back and he was going to get his Misty back; one way or another.

"You just going to stand there and watch her?" a voice called and the man turned around. "Yes Ash, I'm talking to you. I'm really sorry about this, but I'm going to tell it to you straight; plain and simple. Misty's over you. She is madly and deeply in love with Gary Oak and there's nothing that can change this fact. No matter how many fights they had, no matter how many harsh words have been spoken to each other, neither of those two are turning back on their relationship. So please Ash, for me, for Misty, hell, for all of us; just stop trying to win Misty back," she rolled her eyes.

"How do you know? I've known Misty far longer than Gary has. I was her first love. I was her everything; in fact, I know I'm still her everything. We've been through so much together, who are you to tell me that Misty and I aren't perfect for each other?" Ash snapped his retort. The woman rolled her eyes.

"My name is Elizabeth Hayden and I'm Drew's cousin. He and I are extremely close, as well as May and I, and I've talked to the two of them about Misty and Gary. May said that it was like fate; one moment Misty was heartbroken because of you, the next, Gary was comforting her," Elizabeth spoke in a clear, hard voice. "After that, the two just got closer; of course they had their occasional fights and arguments, but they always made up somehow. And I, myself, have seen them these past four days. They're as close as two lovers can be, and they have this spark, this aura, to them, that is unmatchable. So I, Elizabeth Hayden, am saying for you to stay away from them. Because in all honesty, pining over someone who is engaged is totally not worth it. Just think about it, Ketchum, and hopefully you'll make the right choice," she finished her speech and turned to walk away, leaving Ash to ponder of what she said.

Dawn walked around the Hayden mansion as she tried to look for some inspiration. She was bored out of her mind and the only way to cure boredom, in her opinion, was to draw. Dawn sighed as she sat underneath the large oak tree that was looming in the mini park that May and Drew had built. Those two were too rich for their own good. Her mind wandered as she picked up her sketchbook and started to randomly doodle circles. Eventually, the picture she had drawn was a ring. Blushing wildly, Dawn prepared to rip the paper out and throw it away, when she saw a shadow form on the top of the sketchbook, meaning someone was standing in front of her. The bluenette looked up in shock to see Pokemon Master Ash Ketchum standing over her. Unable to think of anything to say, the navy haired girl nodded meekly as a greeting.

"I see you're drawing now," Ash stated and Dawn nodded, smiling slightly. "Can I see?" he suddenly asked, and it sounded so much like the Ash Dawn had once traveled with, that the bluenette simply couldn't resist. Before she knew it, the book of all her drawings, including the ring, were in Ash's hands.

"I, uh," Dawn trailed off, wincing slightly at his amused face. It was mock amusement, she suddenly realized. He's seen something he likes, and is going to make fun of me for it, she suddenly realized. Dawn got up and prepared herself to take the book out of her former crush's hands when his voice rang loud and clear through the silent air.

"Nice drawing of the ring. Too bad it's as close as you'll get," he said and Dawn swallowed, forcing her eyes to roll instead of shed the tears that were threatening to fall. "Do you really think that Paul is going to propose to you? Let me tell it you straight and to the point. Pining over Paul is like dating a rock. There's no emotion, no love coming from it- I mean him," Ash chuckled. Dawn rolled her eyes once more. "Paul's never going to propose Dawn. So just do us all a favor and stop following him like a sick puppy," he added and the bluenette growled.

"Paul has changed, Ashton Satoshi Ketchum. God knows how long it's been since you've last really seen him, but he's changed; for the better. I know, because I spend almost every minute of my day with him. And I couldn't have been prouder. You know how he started out as an anti social douche? Well, now he's not. And I've seen proof of this," As she said this, Dawn smirked, remembering how he was when she and Ash traveled together and how he was now. "So don't go around insulting him, when you haven't really seen him for over seven years. Paul is a good man now. He actually talks to people, and smiles more, and even tells jokes. Hell, the old Paul wouldn't have even given anyone the time of day. But the fact that he's my boyfriend, and the fact that he's able to say that he loves me is amazing. Even when it's only once in a while, I know that it's still proof that he's changed.

"And about him proposing to me? It's every girl's dream for the one they love to get down on one knee and pull out a beautiful ring and wait for them to say the magical words 'Would you marry me?'. Me? I'm not that different; I've been wanting it forever. But it doesn't matter if Paul doesn't do it anytime soon. And you want to know why? It's because I know he loves me. It's because I know that one day, he will get the courage to tell me that he wants to start his own family and will ask me the question. So you can go around saying horrible and mean things about Paul Shinji, but just know that no one will believe you," the bluenette spat the last sentence before grabbing the book out of his hands and stomping away.

Paul Shinji watched in amazement as he heard Dawn's passionate speech that left Ash, well, speechless. He had arrived and had heard Ash talking about him proposing to Dawn. As the purple haired man listened on, he was shocked to hear Dawn's confession. He had no idea how much Dawn had wanted to get married to him. And the fact that the bluenette had so much faith in him, and loved him so much, actually touched him. Sighing, he reached inside his buttoned up jacket and fingered the velvet box he had bought a couple of months ago. Never having the courage to ask her, he had kept it with him for a while now, not realizing how hurt Dawn had felt. At one point, she had probably thought he didn't love her. Quite the opposite, Paul chuckled inside his head. He loved Dawn to no end and was more than ready to start a family with her and to marry her. Now if only he could get the courage...

It was about two in the afternoon and everyone was seated around the large table. At one head was May and Drew, who had pushed two arms chairs next to each other. On the right of them was Soledad and Harley and on the left was Dawn and Paul. Next to Soledad and Harley were Misty and Gary. Next to Dawn Paul were Elizabeth and James, and then Brock and Suzy, and then finally Ash, who everyone was glaring at. May cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable.

"So...guys..." she trailed off, slightly cringing at the thick tension. Drew squeezed her hand and she cleared her throat once more. Ash was glaring at Gary, who was glaring right back. "Smithie! Bring the food!" May cried and everyone looked at her strangely as she glared at them. "If you're not going to talk, then I'm going to eat," she rolled her eyes as Smithie hurriedly brought the food, sensing the undertone of anger in his boss's words.

"Hem, here you are Madam. The food you asked for, and dessert will be ready soon," Smithie rushed and May smiled lightly at his words.

"Thanks Smithie. I'm just a bit frazzled, is all. And by the way, tell Penelope it looks absolutely delicious," May nodded to the butler and he nodded curtly, rushing back to the kitchen. With that, everyone started to eat, and eventually started talking with another. All except Ash, who was still glaring at everyone.

"So when's the big day for you guys?" Drew asked Misty and Gary, and the whole table suddenly got quiet, anticipating their answer. Misty smiled brightly as Gary clasped her hand, squeezing it tightly. The smile faltered, however, when she saw his piercing gaze. Misty blinked a few times before turning to her friends.

"Well, it isn't really set...but I was hoping for a summer wedding; somewhere on the beach or hopefully near water!" Misty replied happily, shooting a glance at her fiancé who rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"Only the best for the soon-to-be-Oak," he smirked, though there was an undertone of love and the genuine passion behind his smirk made everyone awe. Misty stuck her tongue out, her whole face flushing, and looked at her plate, hating how everyone was looking at her and Gary.

"Haha, oh my gosh, look at Misty's face!" May giggled and Misty rolled her eyes, shooting a glare at the gorgeous brunette hostess.

"Oh, so if you want to laugh at me, I guess you don't want to be my brides' matron then?" Misty asked, quirking her eyebrows in a way that immediately shut May up. "Oh gosh you guys, let's just eat and then do something fun. We have four more days until the actual event so let's make it worthwhile!" she exclaimed and everyone nodded.

"So what should we do after this?" Dawn asked, taking a bite out of her steak and looked around. "Ok, so if no one's coming up with anything, then how about this? We'll have a girls' day and do what we girls want and you boys have a boys' day and do what you guys want. I'm sure that we girls are getting a bit tired of some of the guys around here," Dawn smiled innocently, though five icy glares were shot at a certain Pokemon Master, who glared right back at her mouthing 'hopeless bitch'. Her fork clattered to her plate and she stood up angrily. "I'm done, so please, excuse me," she snarled and walked around the table, passing Ash and giving him a good kick while no one was looking.

After Dawn had walked away Ash smirked to himself. His mind was whirling with all the possibilities of making Misty his, and only his, again. The thought of Gary and Misty boggled his mind and made his heart constrict with rage. His stomach was churning and his eyes were burning with the fire of determination he once had when he was training his pokemon. Excusing himself as well, Ash sauntered over to his room and plotted. He was furious; people just somehow managed to make a fool of him, and he didn't even do anything. All he was doing was trying to win the heart of his one true love. He was desperate, Ash would admit that. But he wasn't some dick that people were making him out to be. He spoke his mind and swore to people that he would tell everyone the truth. Misty was the only one who had supported him since the beginning and she was the only one he truly loved. The eleven years he had spent with Misty Waterflower were the best years of his life.

Stroking Pikachu lightly, he let his mind drift to the past. Traveling with the fire goddess, dating her, asking Misty to be his girlfriend...and most of all, proposing to her. He loved the water princess with his whole heart and soul. Misty was the one who made him laugh and smile and made his heart flutter. She made his stomach churn and she didn't demand perfection. She understood his stomach and she understood his passion to be the Pokemon Master; something he had recently achieved. She understood his obsession with pokemon and she understood his forgetfulness and his goofiness. Misty was the epitome of perfection and was, in Ash's opinion, his soulmate. They were truly made for each other. As Pikachu let out a sigh of contentment, Ash fingered his belt and let out his Unova pokemon that included: Snivy, Oshawott, Pidove, Tepig, and Scraggy. They all cooed and surrounded him, making Ash smile genuinely.

"Is it wrong for me to still love her?" he asked, cradling his head in his hands and Pikachu snuggled close to him. "I love her, and I want to fight for her. I just want her back on my side and next to me, but everyone just sides with fucking Gary. He's a douche, and anyone can see that...can't they?" he asked no one and groaned and let his head hit the pillow and winced as he flexed his bruised shin. Damn you Dawn, Ash bitterly thought as he grabbed another pillow and held it close to him. Right now, the pillow was his only friend.

Dawn, May, Misty, Soledad, Suzy, and Elizabeth all sat in the parlor laughing about stories from their traveling days. Soledad twisted her peach hair in thought and May looked at her close friend. "What's wrong Soledad?" May asked and the peach lady looked at everyone.

"You guys promise not to tell anyone, especially Harley?" she asked and May and the others nodded, looking at their friend intently. "All right well...I'm pregnant," she said and the corners of her mouth curled in happiness as the other girls squealed.

"Soledad, congratulations!" May laughed as she got up to hug her friend. They embraced each other and immediately thought of all the times that Soledad had comforted her after Harley or Drew did something to her. "Who would have thought that the man who bullied me for a part of my career would end up being the father of your baby?" she smiled brightly as Soledad laughed as well. Elizabeth looked at the people in the parlor in fascination. She barely knew them, but she could tell that they were a close knit family.

"So...are we just going to sit here and do nothing? Though I'm happy for Soledad, we should take advantage of our girl time," Dawn piped up and the other girls stared at her. "What? We always hang out with our guys...let's have some fun of our own!" Dawn laughed and Misty rolled her eyes. "Ok, ok...how about we do a little game of confess? Take a pair of die and if you roll a sum of an even number, you have to tell an embarrassing secret. If you roll an odd sum, you have to do something stressful," Dawn grinned and May looked at her in surprise.

"Where did you learn that game?" she asked, giggling. Dawn smiled cheekily.

"Oh, here and there," she laughed and got up, starting to search the drawers for dice. Misty looked around at the room.

"We're not seriously going to play this are we?" she asked, a worried look passing her face. Soledad noted this and slid closer to her on the couch.

"Don't worry, nothing too embarrassing," Soledad assured and Misty nodded, a small smile making its way to her face. However, there was just one more part of the game that Dawn had failed to mention.

"We can't forget the tequila shots!" Dawn smiled but May shook her head. "What, why?" Dawn whined and May shot Dawn a pointed glance that shifted from Soledad back to the bluenette. "Oh right...pregnant people and no alcohol...so how about lemon juice shots. That ought to make it fun. If you refuse to do the task at hand, you have to take a lemon juice shot. Last one standing wins," Dawn grinned and May rolled her eyes, but took out the shot glasses nonetheless.

"Ok...so how about hostess goes first," Soledad suggested, and May returned with the lemon juice and a smile appeared on her face, eyes burning with determination.

"Oh, you are so on Sol. Hand me the die," she smirked, a Drew Hayden trademark, and once she had finished pouring all the shot glasses with lemon juice, she took the die that was held in Dawn's palm. "All right then, let's get this show on the road. Even number, please, please, please be an even number," May muttered as she rolled the die and ended up with a four on one and a two on the other. "Yes! No stressful task for me," she smiled and then it faltered when she remembered what an even number meant. "Ok...lay it on me," she cringed, mentally preparing herself for what Dawn was going to ask her.

"Who's the best guy you've ever banged with, other than Drew?" Dawn asked and May blushed, knowing who it was, but didn't want to say. "Ooh, she knows! There is someone! Who is it, who is it?" Dawn squealed, and now all the girls' eyes were focused on her.

"Oh alright...so you know that party that I went to after I became Grand Festival champion for the second time?" The other nodded, intrigued. "Well...I got kind of drunk and I uh...slept with uh...Brawly," May looked down, mortified as the other girls gawked.

"Brawly? As in, one of your best friends Brawly?" Misty gasped as she burst into a fit of giggles and May just continued to stare down, red faced. "Wow May, you must have been really drunk," Misty laughed.

"Brawly understood, though. He said that he had been fighting feelings, but after...you know...he said that he didn't have any feelings except friendship," May recalled, a wistful smile appearing on her face. "He's still one of my best friends, helping me through a lot of tough times," May nodded and everyone grew somber, remembering when the famous Caroline Maple had gotten cancer, but had miraculously overpowered it through Brawly's help of his therapeutic water techniques.

"Well, now it's your turn Dawn!" Suzy exclaimed, trying to distract everyone from their mood. Dawn visibly paled but picked up the dice nonetheless and rolled it.

"You seem so scared Dawn, wasn't it your idea to play the game?" Elizabeth smirked and Dawn glared at her as she threw the dice on to the floor. It rolled a two and a two. "Lucky break, just an embarrassing secret," she giggled and Dawn pouted.

"Now, now, Dawn. No need to pout. Hmm, oh I got one. When was the first time you got drunk?" Misty asked, smiling a bit deviously. Dawn glared at Misty, since Misty already knew the answer to that question. "Come on Dawn, or else it's lemon juice shot for you,"

Dawn shook her head. "I'm going to kill you for this Misty. Ugh, fine, I got drunk when my parents left my in our cabin when I was thirteen and I found their secret liquor stash. Happy now?" Dawn pouted and Misty grinned, while Suzy looked a bit shocked, Elizabeth smirked slightly, and May and Soledad just rolled their eyes, as if to say 'only Dawn,' "God...I'm so going to get you for that, Mist," Dawn whined and everyone just laughed.

"Ok, it's Soledad's turn!" May squealed and everyone turned to the peach haired lady, who now had a slightly panicked expression on her face. "Roll the die," May grinned and Soledad quietly took the die, hoping she wouldn't roll a- damn. It was too late, Soledad realized, as she had just rolled a 5 and a 2.

"Yay, finally, a dare!" Suzy grinned and Soledad groaned and brought her hands to her head as if bracing herself.

"Oh, all right. What do you guys want me to do?" she sighed, knowing that all the girls wanted to do was to just get their devious part of them out of their system. Elizabeth, who was next to Soledad, smiled reassuringly at the peach haired coordinator.

"Oh, nothing much...except doing the chicken dance in front of the whole manor so everyone can see your lovely moves," the black haired girl grinned cheekily and Soledad glared at her. "Oh come on...it's really not that bad, compared to what I have planned for the others," Elizabeth defended herself, but Soledad was apparently not reassured.

"I am not going to chicken dance in front of the whole mansion!" Soledad protested, having suddenly gotten a vision of her doing that, and every single person in the vicinity staring at her. Elizabeth glanced at Soledad longingly. "No, and that's the final answer," Soledad answered firmly. The black haired lady sighed heavily.

"Fine," she gasped dramatically. "Now take a lemon juice shot," she said, and Soledad took a deep breath and chugged the little glass of sour liquid down, while making a slight face. Misty, who was next to Elizabeth, looked at Elizabeth, a smile dancing on her lips.

"Since Soledad refused to do it, the dare should now go to Elizabeth, don't you guys think?" Misty asked and everyone nodded eagerly. Elizabeth just looked around and shrugged, appearing cool and calm. Her eyes were full of mischief, and everyone knew that she was just itching to go do it. May sighed, a knowing look forming on her face.

"Oh, just go do it Liz," May giggled and Elizabeth practically jumped up like a cartoon and ran out the door. The others followed at a slower pace and stood outside the door as the black haired girl ran to the center of the giant walkway and screamed at the top of her lungs;

"My name is Elizabeth Hayden and I am not ashamed to do the chicken dance!" she cried, and even then, her voice was melodious and playful. Suddenly, the girls could hear the annoying tune of the chicken dance that they used to do at children's birthday party. From their point of view, all they could see was a black figure dancing and wiggling her body as she danced to the childish tune.

The girls laughed hysterically as they all went inside. None of them had felt so free in a while, and the stress of Ash's presence was weighing down on them. He hadn't acted up in a while, something that confused them, but they decided to do nothing about it, for now. They would just sit back and watch how the dice rolled themselves, and hopefully, everything would work out for the best. Misty sucked in a deep breath as they all took a seat on the couch.

Everyone was pretty much afraid to do anything after Elizabeth's little episode, so they just decided to sit down and talk. Misty and Suzy took the couch while Elizabeth took the single chair lounger and Dawn and May took the loveseat couch. They were trying to catch their breaths, and trying hard not to burst into a fit of giggles like little five year olds. Dawn was the first one to speak, since the girls were quite bored and unsure of what to do next.

"So what are you girls all wearing to the reunion?" she asked and May perked up, obviously loving anything to do with fashion. May smiled and breathed in serenely, ready to unveil one of the secrets she had been keeping from the girls.

"Recently, I've begun to dabble in some fashion and I designed my own dress. I decided to unveil it at the gala and knock the socks out of everyone," she laughed brightly and everyone looked at the rich woman. She could coordinate, sing- as seen on television when she hosted a Christmas special- and even dance. "What? You guys, stop staring at me!" May whined and she ducked down, her face becoming a vibrant beet red. Soledad looked at May fondly.

"Is there anything you can't do?" the peach haired lady smiled passively and May blushed once more. "Now, how about May gets us some non alcoholic drinks and we just talk?" Soledad suggested and May nodded, getting up to retrieve the requested beverages.

By the time the girls had finished their conversation, admitting things that no one else had ever heard, it was late in the evening. Everyone was regrouping for dinner and Misty's stomach swirled in anticipation. She was happy to be with Gary again, but at the same time, she really wanted to avoid Ash. If anything about the evening had taught her, it was that Ash was seriously planning something and it wasn't going to be anything good. Gary was planning to announce their engagement publicly and Misty was truly and honestly excited, if not a bit terrified of what Ash would do. He had been so angry when he caught them kissing and she had shown him her ring, but to think of what he would do once the whole world knew that she would become the newest addition to the Oak family.

Misty was dressed in a three-quarters sleeved cranberry colored dress that looked formal yet felt extremely comfortable. There were only three more days until the actual reunion and things were starting to boil down. May was getting the things ready and event planners and chefs from the most prestigious places were coming to the mansion. The girls had spent a good portion of the evening picking out designs and plating for the event. The ginger reached the dining hall and was pleasantly surprised to see that she was one of the first ones there. Only May and Drew were there, along with Soledad and Harley, who were all talking and laughing. A smile reached Misty's lips as she recalled how those four were the most tight-knit family of nonrelated people. They had traveled many regions together, knowing each other for a little more than a decade. She hoped that one day, her strained relationship with Ash would be patched up and they could be as close as the four she was seeing.

A pair of well toned arms enveloped her waist as she felt a puff of warm breath mingle with the tiny hairs on her necks, sending chills down her spine and goosebumps to form everywhere. Even after five years of dating, Gary Oak still had the effect of a teenage girl and her first crush. He excited her in ways she could never think possible and she always felt this giddy feeling whenever he was within a two foot radius of her. Misty dipped her head back, placing a chaste kiss on the side of the brunette's mouth. Their breaths mingled and suddenly, Misty felt as if they were surrounded in a bubble, where they were the only two people who were alive. So caught up in each other, they didn't even notice the playful smiles they got as the others had started coming in. Misty was the first to look up and blush a gorgeous scarlet red, stuffing her face in Gary's polo shirt.

May was the first one to stop laughing as she saw that everyone was finally there. "So is everyone ready to eat?" she asked, her voice sounding official and confident, something the brunette had never really had when she was younger. A calloused hand grabbed her soft porcelain one and May glance over at Drew from her peripheral vision. May felt a wave of contentment wash over her as she glanced around the whole room. Everyone was together, and was either in love, engaged, or already married. It warmed her heart to be surrounded by such a powerful wall of love and May couldn't help the giggled that escaped her curled up lips. Drew gave her a questioning glance, but May shook her head, and shuffled a bit closer to Drew. The green haired man felt his breath hitch in his throat as she came super close to him, attempting to be connected to him in every way possible. He couldn't help but love this woman, and he knew that she was the one he would be spending the rest of his life with. A shrill tone was the mood-killer that broke the silence and content. One of their butlers came in, an apologetic expression on his face.

"Madam Hayden, it's for you," he said and May nodded, reluctantly pulling away from Drew. She exhaled a sigh as she slipped into the foyer where their telephone was. Ash was the last to enter the room and when he did, his heart constricted in his chest. Everyone there was wrapped up in their significant other except for him. His eyes naturally drew to the ginger haired beauty who was perhaps the most engrossed in her counterpart. Gary Oak, whom Ash had truly loved as a brother, had his arms around her petite waist, caressing her in a way she had never allowed him to. His forest green eyes were solely trained on her, drinking in every curve and aspect that made Misty who she was. Misty's jade eyes were looking into his, her lips curved up into a smile as her body was closely pressed against his, her arms loosely wrapped around his neck.

Ash's expression turned into one of complete fury as he obnoxiously cleared his throat, feeling a bit guilty for spoiling the scene in the back of his mind. Everyone's gaze was turned on him and he felt himself shrink under all their glares. At that precise moment, May came in, a huge smile on her face that immediately drooped once she saw all of her friends' eyes on Ash. May cleared her throat softly

"Guys, you can all sit down. Smithie will be bringing in the appetizers soon. Dawn, Misty?" May called for her best friends. The two obediently got up and walked over to her, where they proceeded to travel to the parlor where they couldn't be heard. Dawn and Misty looked at each other in confusion as a perplexed expression had taken over May's usually mirth face.

"What's wrong May?" Misty asked, assuming the worst. May smile reassuringly to the ginger and bluenette, waving her hand in a nonchalant way.

"It's nothing...just that..." The brunette trailed off, not really knowing if her two closest friends would be irritated or not. Dawn looked at May, smiling.

"Oh just spit it out girl," Dawn grinned and May rolled her eyes, her lips curving upwards nonetheless.

"A special someone wants to join us for dinner, and I was wondering if it was ok with you guys," she finally admitted and then laughed, cradling her forehead.

"Who, may we ask, wants to join this funhouse?" Dawn asked, earning a smack from May. The brunette leaned towards her friend and leaned over, whispering in each of their ears.

"I think we would be delighted to have this special someone join us. We can be the fearsome four once more!" Misty grinned mischievously and Dawn giggled, wrapping her arm around May's free shoulder.

"Oh my gosh, that would be so awesome! When she someone coming?" Dawn asked and May sheepishly grinned, ducking and escaping her friends.

"In about half an hour?" May asked and Misty rolled her eyes. "What? She just called me! Not my fault!" May laughed and the three girls walked back into the room where food had already been served. The sweet aroma of the Hayden chefs' cooking filled the room and May's stomach growled with anticipation. Misty tried to repress her snort and failed.

"May's stomach is on the rampage. Take cover guys," the ginger smirked and May rolled her eyes and sat down, starting to eat almost immediately. Around fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang and May looked up, a smile appearing on her face. A few moments later, a beautiful long haired brunette walked in, her eyes, which she was righteously named after, surveying the place. Ash's breath hitched in his throat and he couldn't help but stare at her and realize how long it had been.

"Leaf?"

So there you have it. Leaf is the unexpected arrival I mentioned in the beginning of the chapter, and I hope you guys made it down here. Sorry if they chapter got awkward or mushy...I wrote this in the span of like...20 weeks. Please excuse any mistakes and please review like always!

~Deepika