A/N: Sooooo sorry it took me so long to post you guys! Honestly, I've been a bit nervous about it, but the story must go on. Plus finals kind of prevented me from getting on here earlier anyway -_- anyways, enjoy the next chapter! Love you guys!

Chapter 8: Early Arrivals, Alarming Surprises

"Dawn, hey there," Misty said, clicking her tongue in amusement. "It's been too long."

"Misty!" she exclaimed, her mouth flinging open. "I always knew you and Ash would end up together!"

"Piplup!" her water Pokémon Piplup nodded as it hung on to her white winter cap.

"What?" What in the world is she talking about?

"I think she's talking about the baby," Delia whispered, walking over to help Kenny set the presents under the tree.

"Oh, no, this isn't—"

"Speaking of Ash, where did he run off to?"

"He ran to the store with Brock," Delia answered, hugging Dawn's neck.

"Figures."

"The twins have gotten so big, Dawn! How old are they now?" Misty asked, trying to strike up a conversation other than about the biological father of her baby.

"Oh, they're two now. Dana, Kyle, do you guys remember Misty?" Kyle just gave her a confused look, but Dana nodded sweetly.

"Misty!" she shouted, mimicking her mother as she ran over to hug her.

"Hey there Dana. You sure do look pretty," Misty remarked, looking into the girl's big blue eyes. Both twins shared their mother's eye color, but they had their dad's reddish brown hair. Dana was wearing a dark green dress with a small red and green headband to pull back her Shirley Temple curls.

"Thank you, Misty! You do too!"

"Uh, thanks. Dawn, you might want to keep them away from me. I kind of managed to get myself sick, and I'm pretty sure it's contagious."

"Oh," Dawn replied, her face falling slightly. "Sorry to hear that. Stinks to be sick around the holidays."

"That's an understatement," Misty heard Ash as she felt two arms wrap around her waist. A bright red flush quickly washed over her face. Why did he always seem to listen in on her conversations?

She swerved to face him, saying snidely, "See you and Brock made it back in one piece? And just how long have you been here exactly?"

"Would I be standing right here if we didn't? And long enough to find out that's my baby," he retorted, winking at Misty playfully with his arms crossed. He just had to hear that part too, didn't he? Pikachu raised an eye at its trainer, wondering where he was going with this.

"Nice to see you too, Ash," smirked Dawn, running over to high five her old friend. "It's only been forever!"

"Yeah, it has been a while, hasn't it? And the munchkins have arrived! Dana and Kyle, right?" Dawn nodded, walking back over to stand by her husband. "Kenny, it's been too long!" Ash exclaimed, waving.

"Uh, sure it has."

"Well, what are we standing here for? Come in, take a seat. There's plenty of room, as you both know," said Delia, gesturing toward the living room. Taking Delia up on the offer, the couple and their two children took up the whole couch, leaving Delia with the rocking chair and Ash and Misty with the loveseat.

Misty begrudgingly took the last seat, which Ash quickly tried to take advantage of. He draped his arm over her neck, smiling at her quirkily. Why was he being such a pesky flirt today?! He's never like this! She sighed, pulling his arm back over her head as she said, "Not today, Ashy Boy. Not today." He smirked at the old nickname, but she could tell she'd unintentionally struck a nerve.

"Way to use Gary's old nickname for me," he answered sourly. What had she heard in his voice? It sounded kind of like hurt, but she knew better than to merely scratch the surface of Ash's feelings. No, she heard betrayal, with just a slight hint of regret. What was going on in that big head of his that she didn't know about?

It made her so mad she wanted to scream, but before she could say anything, the phone started ringing. "Uh, I'll get it for you, Delia," she said, but Brock had beat her to the punch, considering he was already in the kitchen anyhow.

"I got it!" he screamed, picking up the video phone. "It's May!" May? Oh yeah, that reminds me…I never asked Ash about that paper. She looked over at him, but he was too busy staring off into space to even notice her questioning glance.

"I thought you and May were…together?" she asked, making nearly everyone in the room face-palm.

"So you saw the paper from the other day, eh?" replied Ash, glancing in her direction. "Nah, it isn't what you think at all. I just went to visit her, since she'd been in Celadon a few days ago. Her baby was with her." She pursed her lips, feeling so stupid once again for jumping to conclusions. "Drew's the father, if you're wondering," he quickly added, answering the question he knew she'd ask eventually.

While it's true that she'd been coming to the party those past few years, Drew had never actually come with May, so Misty didn't even know they were together. So many questions swirled through her mind, but she couldn't seem to sort them out long enough to ask anymore. "Oh yeah, reminding me, did she tell you when the wedding was, by any chance?" asked Dawn, flashing a smile as Dana crawled over to sit in her lap. Wedding? Misty had never heard anything about a wedding. Then again, since when did Misty hear about anything these days?

"She said sometime in January. Around the fifth I think," Ash answered, looking up as if the ceiling had the answer he was looking for. "Oh, and the baby's name is Mine."

"Oh, I just can't wait to see her!" gushed Dawn, clasping her hands together and smiling happily. "I bet she's absolutely adorable!"

"Lup piplup!" Piplup agreed, nodding excitedly.

"Well, May and Drew are in Viridian now, so they shouldn't be too much longer. Gee, now that everyone knows Ash is home, people are coming in like crazy!" Brock exclaimed, walking into the living room. "Strange that Cilan hasn't shown up yet, since he's supposed to be helping me cook."

"Did someone say my name?" A voice asked from the front door.

"Yew, Axew!" a little Pokémon called out, mimicking the connoisseur.

"If it isn't Iris and Cilan!" Delia said, walking over to help with the presents. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Yeah, Cilan. I was just talking about you," Brock mumbled, walking over to greet the connoisseur.

"I heard. Hello everyone," he waved, crossing over to stand by the couch. "Hey, Champ. It's been quite a while."

"Don't call me that," Ash sighed, face-palming. "And yeah, it has. How've you guys been?"

"And if it isn't the little kid himself," smirked Iris, walking over to stand by Cilan, who just so happened to be her boyfriend. Pikachu laughed, greeting the two with a big smile.

"Nice to see you too, Iris. Did you hear? This kid you keep going on about is finally having a kid of his own," he replied, winking at Misty.

"But Ash, you know—"

"Ash Ketchum, the biggest kid I know, having his own kid? Now that's something I'd have to see to believe," Iris answered, glowering down at him. As soon as she glanced over at Misty though, her expression changed. "Wow. I never would've thought—"

"Ash, how could you do this?! You know just as well as I do that this is not your—"

"Calm down, Mist. No need to get so worked up about it. It's fine."

"No, it's not, Ash. They deserve to know the truth. This isn't the way it looks, well, not at all really. Ash isn't about to be a father; Gary is, okay?! Sheesh, why would you want to make out like it's your child, Ash? Aside from yesterday, we haven't spoken in six years. There's no reason to hide it, so why would you?"

Truthfully, he had no idea why he kept trying to cover it up, to make them think that he and Misty were finally together. But like he was going to tell her that. So he smoothly changed the subject to one they equally dreaded bringing up: Why haven't they spoken all those years? "Well, excuse me for not talking to you. You know, a phone works both ways, right?" he snapped, and instead of her usual retorts, she just sighed in defeat.

"You're right, Ash. But you were the one who never bothered to give me the number." Why were they even talking about this? They were supposed to be arguing about the baby! At least she could've won that battle. Now she wasn't so sure.

"You could've gotten it from Mom," he bit back, not willing to let it go.

"Yeah? You could've too," she frowned, getting up to walk away. All eyes were on them now, aside from Delia's, Cilan's, and Brock's, who had snuck into the kitchen during the fight. Dawn looked over at Misty in shock, while Kenny and Iris just looked at the two in amusement. The two children glanced up every once in a while, but resumed playing when they found it much more exciting than the scene unfolding before them.

"Misty, wait," Ash said, grabbing her by the hand and making her face hotter than any fever she could've imagined.

"No, Ash, just…forget I said anything," answered Misty, strolling into the kitchen with the delusional cook, the quirky connoisseur, and the delightful host.

"You're still such a kid sometimes, you know that Ash?"

"Yeah, Iris. Thanks for the reminder," he replied as he shook his head in frustration. "What in the world is wrong with me?!"

"Who knows? You never were one to keep your cool. But obviously somebody went just a bit too far this time," Dawn muttered, picking up her kids as she headed for the door. "Tell Mrs. Ketchum we'll be back tomorrow for the party. We have to get settled into the room Professor Oak has for us in the lab before it gets too late. It was nice seeing you guys again!"

"Piplup lup!" Piplup nodded, waving goodbye.

"Come on, Kenny," Dawn mumbled, taking his hand and walking out the door.

"'Bye you guys. See you tomorrow," answered Ash halfheartedly as he got up to head toward the kitchen.

"Pika pi pi!" Pikachu exclaimed, waving at them.

"Not so fast, big shot. Do you really think Misty wants to see you right now, especially after what just happened?" Iris asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He thought about it a moment, then shook his head dejectedly.

"No, not really. I'd be surprised if she ever wanted to see me again," he finally replied, instead deciding to head for his room. Iris rolled her eyes, thinking, he's such a kid! She wanted to follow him, but knew it'd be best to leave him alone, so she walked into the kitchen with the others. When she realized Misty wasn't in there, she decided to try the guest room, and found her sprawled across the bed staring up at the empty ceiling.

"You okay, Misty?" she asked, seeing the troubled expression on the redhead's face. She was normally so full of life, but today it looked like it was a struggle to even lift her head up long enough to nod at Iris. "If it's about what Ash did, I'm sorry for him. He's still such a kid! I doubt he even realizes what he did wasn't right, trying to make out like that baby was his all along. Still, I wonder why he did it. I bet you do too. Do you…know why he tried to keep it such a secret?"

Misty shook her head, looking over at Iris for the first time. Her pale complexion matched a ghost's at that moment, her face flushed not only from embarrassment, but from the sickness she'd woken up with. "I really don't know why he did it, Iris. To tell the truth, I don't think he knows why he did it. He knew it was wrong though. I could tell by the look in his eyes. Those stupid, chocolate-y, open book eyes!" she exclaimed, throwing her pillow at the person standing in her doorway.

Why was she acting like this? And just why did he have to make her so mad?! "Whoa, easy there, Misty. I know you're mad, but wouldn't it be easier not to try throwing the pillow at me?" Why was he there?!

"Ash! I told you not to do this!" Iris shouted, pushing him out the door and locking it behind him.

"I was just coming to check on Misty! She's sick you know!" he yelled through the door. "Can't I at least come in to check her temperature?! Mom sent me to do it!" Iris looked at Misty as if to ask, "Can I let him in?" Misty reluctantly nodded, not trusting herself to speak, since she knew it'd only lead to blowing up at Ash again.

"Fine, but make it quick!" Iris told him, slowly opening the door and letting him inside. "What an excuse. Coming to check her temperature? Yeah, that's believable," Iris mumbled, going back over to sit by Misty, who looked even paler than before, if that was even possible.

"You okay, Mist? You don't look so good," Ash said, looking at her worriedly as he handed her the thermometer.

"Pika pi," Pikachu agreed, nodding its head.

"I'm fine," she muttered, unable to look him in the eyes as she took her temperature.

"You sure?" She wanted to tell him the truth, that she wasn't okay, but she just wasn't ready to cry in front of him. Not yet, anyway. She nodded, trying to hand the thermometer back.

"See? Not even a low-grade fever," she answered, catching his eyes for the first time. He stared over at her, not even realizing she was trying to give it back to him, just seemingly lost in space somewhere.

"I'm sorry, Mist," he apologized, catching her completely off guard. "I'm so sorry for what I did. It wasn't right at all, and I know you're probably so mad at me you want to scream. Just please, hear me out—"

"No, Ash. Just…no," Misty replied, looking away from him so he wouldn't see the tears forming in her eyes.

"But, please—"

"You heard the girl! Outta here, kid! You only came to check her temperature, remember?" Iris growled, pulling his arm and dragging him toward the door.

"Iris! Can't I just say something?! I don't know why I did what I did, Misty, and you know it! I, I heard Dawn mention it, and just…well, I did it. I'd never meant to let it go that far though! Don't you understand? I was stupid! Just like I always am," he finished right as Iris shoved him out the door and locked it behind him.

"You can't make me leave, Iris!" He screamed through the door at her. "I'll be waiting right here," he said, slumping down against the wall.

"Persistent little kid, I'll give him that," Iris muttered, rolling her eyes and walking over to Misty. She was crying, this time unashamed of the tears since Ash wasn't in the room any longer. Iris wasn't a bit surprised and hugged her as the tears soaked through her cream t-shirt.

"I-I should go talk to him," Misty finally said, backing away from the embrace.

"You don't have to, you know."

"Well, there's the thing. I do have to. Thanks, Iris. Thanks for everything," Misty smiled, sniffling as she walked toward the door and unlocked it. "Hope I don't get you sick."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Iris replied, following her out the door to find Ash and Pikachu leaning against the wall to their left. "You better not try anything stupid, kid."

"You won't have to worry about me, Iris. You're one to talk though. If anyone will always be a kid, it's you," Ash smirked, watching Iris glare at him with daggers for eyes and stomp away.

"Are you sure you want to make her so mad?" Misty asked, raising an eyebrow at Ash as she strolled over to sit beside him.

Instead of answering her question, he glanced over at her and asked, "You've been crying? Is that why you made me leave?"

"Well, I was, but it's not why Iris shoved you out the door. Anyway, why did you stay? I figured you'd have left for the kitchen as soon as you smelled Brock and Cilan's cooking," she nudged him in the shoulder, urging him to head for the sweet scent coming from the kitchen.

"No, I stayed to talk to you. Besides, Mom wouldn't let me near the food if I went in there anyhow. I just wanted to tell you—"

"Save it, Ash. I already know what you're about to say, and it's fine. I know you said you didn't know why you did it, but you and I both know that's a lie straight from the devil. You wanted the others to think we were finally together, so don't bother trying to hide it. Why would you want them to think that, Ash?"

He froze, silently pondering the question over and over in his head. He honestly couldn't come up with a reason why he wanted them to think he and Misty were together. Other than the answer he didn't want to admit. "I guess I wanted them to think that because I…wanted it to be true," he finally replied, standing up and walking toward the back door. She immediately had the desire to go after him, to question it further, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Besides, she still needed time to think about what he'd just said before prodding him about anything else. She slowly clambered to her feet and went back into the guest room, crashing on the bed and falling asleep almost immediately.

There was a figure looming in the distance, a figure she couldn't quite recognize because of the fog surrounding them. Her first instinct was to make a run for it, but her curiosity quickly got the better of it. She began to walk toward it, stretching out her arms to keep from bumping into anything. The fog kept getting thicker and thicker, and she felt as though it was about to swallow her whole. She pressed on, unwilling to give in to its suffocating hold.

"Who are you?" she wanted to ask, but her voice was nowhere to be found. She walked and walked and walked, but no matter how far she went, the figure never got any closer. She broke out into a sprint, trying desperately to catch up with it, but this time it only seemed to grow further and further away with every step. She stopped, trying to catch her breath, when the figure appeared before her, standing tall and covered in shadows, making it near impossible to tell who it was.

But Misty knew the moment she laid eyes on him. Ash, she thought, looking into the boy's eyes. But somehow he seemed different. There was no spark, no light that usually filled the chocolate orbs she loved gazing into. "Misty, you're hurt," he spoke, glancing down at her bloodied shirt.

She looked down, noticing the blood gushing out her chest. Her heart. It was bleeding? How was that even possible? She looked back up at him and gave him a look that seemed to explain everything. "I'm sorry," she mouthed, fainting straight into his arms as the darkness closed in on her once again.

A/N: As a last note, the idea for the nightmare (er, the heart bleeding at least) came from a book called Sweep. :)