A/N: Shout-out to nyislandergirl, you were right about one thing! ;) Ready to find out the man inside the coat? Good luck on this chapter!

Chapter 6: It Was You?

"Misty, are you okay? Oh, you're soaked through to the bone! Here, let me help you with that!" Delia exclaimed, grabbing the duffel bag from Misty as soon as she walked in the door. Why would this guy bring her here? Maybe her blabbering on and on about Delia made him do it, or perhaps, he had other, more personal reasons.

"No, no, Mrs. Ketchum, I've got it," she answered, walking over to the table.

"This just won't do, Misty. Follow me, I'll get you cleaned up right away," Delia said, grabbing Misty by the hand and taking her to the master bedroom. Delia quickly began to fish through her drawers for some pajamas to give the sodden girl, and settled on a set of flannel Jigglypuff PJs. "They're kind of old, but I think they'll do just fine. The bathroom's right down the hall, though I'm sure you already knew that. Just freshen up in there, and dinner will be ready when you come out."

"Uh, thanks, Mrs. Ketchum, but—"

"Please, call me Delia. You know I always told you to anyhow."

"Oh, okay, thanks, Delia, but you don't have to do all this—"

"Nonsense," she stated, interrupting Misty once more. "I do it because I want to, not because I have to. Now go on, don't want you to catch pneumonia or freeze to death or anything." Misty nodded, walking out quietly to the bathroom. After changing into the pajamas, she noticed that the man in the coat was still standing at the door. She walked over there, still intrigued by his mysterious presence.

"Who are you?" she asked, looking straight at him, straight into his chocolate eyes. She gasped, the last puzzle piece finally popping into place. "Ash," she breathed, unable to look away from him.

"Sure took you long enough," he smirked, removing the hood to reveal his unkempt raven hair. Pikachu clambered out of his backpack, looking slightly dazed as he took in the scene before him. "Haven't changed a bit I see. Nice to see you too, Misty. Don't look so surprised; I think you knew who I was all along. Misty?"

She had dropped her wet clothes, looking at him with her mouth agape. Strangely, he was right. She had known it was him all along. Apparently her brain was too fried to take it in earlier, though her heart knew exactly who she'd been talking to. He waved his hand in front of her eyes, and when she finally blinked, he sighed in relief.

"Good, you're still responding. Thought I was dreaming there for a second. You okay?" he asked bluntly, looking at her in concern.

"Of course I'm not okay, you idiot! I practically just got kicked out of my fiancée's house, I have nowhere to go, and I'm seeing someone who pretty much ditched me six years ago for the title of Champion! I don't know about you, but I'd say I have the right to not be okay for once in my life," Misty replied, ready to stomp off into the guest room she'd be sleeping in for the night.

"Okay, okay, stupid question. I get it, jeesh. Don't gotta be so touchy." Oops. Wrong word yet again.

"'Touchy?' I'm 'touchy?'" she asked angrily.

"No, Mist, that, that isn't what I meant—"

"Sure it isn't. It never is." How could she have been so stupid? Why would she allow herself to go with him, knowing full well it would only lead to disaster? Her words struck like matches, igniting a fire in his heart he hadn't felt in years.

"Welcome back, Misty. It's good to see you after all these years." His kindness caught her off guard, and his strange smile made her wonder just what in the world he was up to now. It didn't matter though, she was mad at him, right?

"Don't play with me like that, Ash! This is serious," she exclaimed, sitting at the table with her face in her hands. She looked ready to cry, but refused to. She couldn't cry in front of Ash. Not now, not ever again.

Instead of throwing out another snappy retort, he walked over and sat beside her, waiting on her to look up again. When she finally did, a disgruntled sigh escaped her throat. "What do you want? I thought you'd left me in here. Like you left me six years ago to become Champion. But that was always your dream, right?"

"No, Mist, my dream was to become a Pokémon Master. Still haven't done that yet. I'm working on it, though. And, well, see, about that…" he trailed off, not wanting to look her in the eyes.

"Yes? Spit it out already! Before your mom comes back in here."

"Look, I have no excuse. I never called, I never visited, and it's entirely my fault." Wow, didn't expect him to say that. "The truth is, Misty, it's like I was running away from you. It isn't that I didn't want to see you; it's just every time I finally decided to go, something came up. But I still could've called; trust me, I know. I guess I'm just an oblivious guy who'll probably never learn from his mistakes. I'm sorry Misty. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have ever hurt you."

Misty was amazed by his honesty. But that still didn't change the fact that he'd basically been ignoring her all these years. "What about Brock? You still kept in touch with him. And May. Max. Dawn. Iris. Cilan. Everyone but me. Why Ash? Why?"

"Misty, I was stupid! I-I…" He trailed off, trying to think of the right words to say. "Mist, I'll never forgive myself for hurting you like this. Please, Misty, don't cry!"

He was right. Tears had inexplicably run down her face, betraying the hurt she'd felt all this time but was never willing to admit. "I'm not crying, you dork! I'm, I'm just….thinking." And without another word, she walked off, unwilling to face her old friend any longer for fear of what could happen next.

No, she had to keep pushing him away. It was for the best, since he'd leave her anyway after he found out about her unborn child. He'd be so mad, so hurt because she went behind his back like that, but there was nothing she could do to take it back, and she wasn't going to let some childhood crush control her happiness. Not anymore. The thought stung, and she realized that no matter how many times she'd just called it a 'childhood crush,' it had always been so much more than that.

Instead of contemplating all these feelings or sorting out her broken past, she decided to turn in for the night. Maybe some sleep would help her deal with the things she knew would be coming in the future.

"Why didn't you tell me about the baby, Misty?" Ash asked, a menacing bitterness to his tone she'd never heard before.

"I-I was going to tell you, Ash. I just…" she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. I just couldn't stand to see you hurt. The tables had finally turned, and the burden of her decisions weighed heavily on her heart. Why didn't she just tell him?

Yeah, he'd be hurt, but that's not as bad as making him wait until he saw the child for himself. "I don't know," she finally answered, looking up at Ash with pleading green eyes. He had finally broken her, and it hurt, more than she was willing to admit. He turned to stomp away, but she grabbed him by the shoulder so he wouldn't go. "Ash, don't leave me. Please."

He swerved toward her. His face softened, if only for a moment, but his tone was harsh as ever when he answered, "Maybe you should've thought of that before you decided to keep your baby such a secret from your best friend." The comment stung, but not near as much as the expression of contempt Ash was giving her. For some reason, she knew this wasn't about the baby anymore. His wounds went way deeper than that. But then, what was it really about?

She had no idea. She was tempted to ask, but he mysteriously disappeared right before her very eyes, replaced by the sinister darkness that had habitually followed every dream of him. She looked around, this time, no blue rose or old hat to hold on to, and for once, she could have sworn she saw a vague figure in the distance as she slowly let herself fall.

"I have to tell him!" Misty exclaimed, gasping for air as she shot out of bed. Where did that sudden outburst come from? Shaking her head in frustration, she groaned as she made her way to the kitchen, where Delia was cooking pancakes and bacon. "Ash still asleep?" she asked, sneezing. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt sick.

"Why, yes, he i—" Delia stopped when she turned and saw Misty holding her finger up and a hand to her mouth. She was paler than usual, and her breathing was raspier than it had been the night before. "Misty, are you okay?" She ran to the bathroom, and Delia could tell already she was catching something. She walked over to Misty, holding her hair for her until the nausea subsided.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, getting up and brushing herself off.

"Says the girl who just threw up in the toilet," she heard Ash call to her as he made his way down the hall.

"You mean you've been up this whole time?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at him as he came to stand by the door.

"Hm, would it really be safe to answer that question, Pikachu?" Pikachu shook its head, laughing at its trainer for his immaturity. Misty glared at him, letting him know just how much trouble he'd gotten himself into this time. "Oops, gotta run! Time to eat!" he exclaimed, making a mad dash for the kitchen.

"Oh no you don't, Ash Ketchum! You can't get away that easily!" She started to go after him, but Delia stopped her. She felt her forehead and gasped, grabbing a thermometer and throwing it in Misty's mouth.

"Misty, you need to go to the doctor! You're burning up!"

"But I'm fine, Delia, really. It's probably just…" she trailed off, breaking into a whisper so Ash wouldn't hear. "It's probably just the baby."

"I don't think so, Misty. I mean, I've heard of morning sickness, even had it myself, but you're sick. Come on, as soon as you're done eating I'll take you to the doctor."

"But—"

"No buts, Misty. You're going whether you like it or not." She took out the thermometer, and it read one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit.

"Fine," Misty relented, coughing into her hand. She followed Delia into the kitchen, where her plate had already been made. She sat in the farthest seat from Ash, still angry about what was said the night before. Delia sat between them, scolding her son for not waiting on them.

"It's like you're some kind of deprived Snorlax!" Delia exclaimed. Misty snorted in amusement, smirking at Ash with her tongue sticking out.

"Yeah, some things never change," she sighed, taking a bite of her own food.

"What was that?" Ash asked, cocking his head sideways in mock confusion.

"Oh, nothing," Misty replied, coughing again. "Is it just me, or is it kind of chilly in here?"

Delia shook her head, saying, "Here, this might help." She walked over to the coat rack and grabbed one of Ash's jackets. "It isn't much, but it should hold you off until we leave for the doctor." Misty hesitantly accepted, not really wanting to borrow anything of Ash's if she didn't have to.

"Oh, so Misty is sick?" Ash wondered, looking at her incredulously. "I thought she said she was fine."

"Must you always be such a pest?" Misty answered, giving him daggers for eyes.

"Well, I wouldn't be me if I wasn't a pest, Mist. Seriously, you should know that by now," he told her, smirking playfully. Misty rolled her eyes, feeling nauseated once again. Delia just sighed in exasperation. This was going to be a longer day than she first thought.