Norman pulled into Ash's driveway early the next morning. A call to the hospital revealed to him that Ash had actually spent a considerable time at May's bedside once he had left and did not head home himself until nearly two in the morning. She additionally commented that they looked very cute as a couple.

He sighed, setting the vehicle in park and exiting.

The day was beautiful with sun shining and the temperature just slightly chilly. Thankfully Hoenn's close location to the equator brought out light jackets for the coldest days. The quiet neighborhood was broken by the sound of crashing waves from the ocean just behind the homes. People paid a lot just for a home in this area and they cost even more with the water in their backyard.

Ash's house looked very neat, with a nice cream coloring covered by a dark brown slate roof. The trim was dark gray and the front door had a small place for a garden beside the smooth pebbled walkway. It was still bare, although he could see signs of May's work in trying to plant berry trees in their front.

Inside his home, Ash examined his face in the mirror as he guided the hand razor gently over his jawline. The tool easily removed his beard and cut clean lines through the foamy white shaving cream.

His coffee maker in his kitchen had finished pouring a cup and he finished shaving, washing his face again and drying it with a clean facial towel. Once he was done with a quick breakfast, he was headed out to Odale again to pick up May if she was successfully discharged.

The doorbell rang and he unlocked his phone. Accessing one of the apps on it allowed him to view a security camera he had newly installed that allowed for a view of anyone approaching his front door. It was conveniently hidden from sight, so nobody would suspect they were being watched. What he liked best about it was the fact that he could access it anytime.

So it was a complete surprise when he saw Norman Maple waiting outside.

Even opening the door, he was unable to hide his surprise. Clearly it had caught him off guard, but it was quickly replaced by a defensive attitude to prepare for the inevitable rant that was going to follow.

"What can I do for you Norman?" Ash was having a pretty good morning, despite sleeping on the couch and being away from May. Her father's sudden appearance almost sickened him to think that his day was already going to be ruined. The undertone of resentment was ever so present in Ash's voice, but he made an effort to make it as neutral and warm as he could.

"Is that coffee?" Norman asked, "Johto dark roast?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah."

"May I have some?" At that question, Ash gave him a quizzical look. It was almost as if Norman was an alien and spoke some gibberish language.

Norman anticipated that coaxing Ash into a civil discussion was going to take some effort and frankly didn't blame him at all. "Son, I know I'm probably not welcome here and I understand that. Just if I can take some of your time and coffee to talk things over, I would really appreciate it."

The Commando was still trying to get over the fact that they had spoken to one another for a minute now and nothing hostile had been said. Still, he opened the door, knowing it would be rude to suspend the dialogue, "Sure, come on in."

"Thank you." Stepping inside the house, he was amazed at Ash's house. There were no fancy paintings on the walls or flashy decorations. All the furniture was antique, yet it seemed the older style accented the crisp wooden floors. Further into the kitchen were light brown tiles and the stove was a gas stainless steel that gave it a complete different contemporary look. For some reason it just screamed home to anyone who entered. A place where he found solace from the stresses of everyday life and could truly just unwind. He saw some moving boxes stacked close to the walls. Ash still had some unpacking to do.

"Have a seat," Ash gestured to the main island, where he was in the middle of installing a cutting board inside the table and sitting opposite it were three tall chairs that resembled bar stools.

Norman looked around again, "This is a really nice place you have."

"Thanks," Ash set another mug inside his coffee machine, "Cream and sugar?"

"One of each please."

He filled the mug up and slid it over. Ash remained standing as they both sipped their beverages for a moment in silence.

"You are probably wondering why I'm here Lieutenant."

"Considering I almost got your daughter killed less than twenty four hours ago, I'm surprised you even want to speak to me."

"Unfortunate," He dismissed it, knowing he fully deserved the subtle venomous comment, "But, that's not it. I'm not here to berate you." He sighed, "Listen, I have to apologize for my actions last night and well…most of our time talking to one another. I initially saw you as an enemy to May, but it turns out that I was that enemy. I even allowed it into May's life."

"Mister Maple," Ash began.

"Please, call me Norman."

"Norman," He corrected himself, "You couldn't have predicted what Harley and his men were going to do."

"No, but feel ashamed for the things I said unjustly to you and to May in trying to keep the two of you apart. I fear that she might never forgive me for what I did."

"You know your daughter," Ash said, "She'll come around to it."

"I hope so. The two of you complement one another very much. I fully believe you will make an excellent husband when the time comes."

Those words suddenly restored all the confidence he had. "Thank you. Coming from you, it means a lot to me."

"I wish I would be able to get a second chance with my own wife. At first, things were good between us, but I never allowed her to live the life she had wanted for her, May or Max. I see how you would be with May and realize I was stopping that from happening. That will not happen again." The last part was said very sincerely. "Make sure she seeks out the life she wants to live and give her all the encouragement you can muster. Don't let anyone or anything stop her."

"I will do that and I appreciate we were able to see eye to eye on this."

"Me too. Must have been awkward for you?"

"I am more concerned about May though. At least she has a chance to reconcile with her father."

"What do you mean Lieu- Ash?"

He sipped his coffee, "I grew up in Pallet without a father. My mother died recently, so knowing that May still has two parents that love her very much is a blessing to me."

Norman was vastly surprised. This Ash was completely different from the one he was used to seeing and he found himself quite fond of the easygoing nature.

He flashed a rare smile, "You don't like holding grudges do you?"

"Takes too much effort," He had caught on to the more casual part of the conversation, "Now I am quite protective of those close to me so anyone who wishes me, May or any of my other friends and family harm better be begging for mercy because nothing is going to stop me from hunting them down."

There was much fury in those words, yet Norman actually relaxed. He knew it was not directed at him.

"Then what's going to happen to Harley?"

"My team's questioning him now. Hopefully they'll have an ID on who paid him for the hit on both May and Caroline. Once that's done, he and his co conspirator are going to spend the rest of their lives in a cell."

"Good." His face brightened, "Speaking of which, have you proposed to May?"

Ash nodded.

"As father of the bride, I would like to cover all expenses. Just send me a list of all the things, the place and I'll make sure it happens."

"I can't ask you to do that,"

"I'm not taking no for an answer," Norman chuckled, "I have enough money to pay for your entire team's wedding and still have a thousand times left."

"May wanted somewhere low-key, just a place where we didn't have far to get to where we'd live."

Both their gazes drifted to the beach in the backyard.

"If the sun sets over the horizon," Norman noted, "Than it would be a picturesque wedding. I think it's perfect."

"I agree. It's fine by me if it suits May."

"You're starting to talk like a husband now. She's happy then so is everyone else!" The chuckle from both men escalated into laughter. The ringing of Ash's cell quieted them once more.

"Excuse me," When the older man nodded, he picked up the phone, "Lieutenant Ketchum."

"We just finished interrogating Harley," Zack's voice came from the other side, "We have an ID on our guy. He was willing to cooperate in exchange for a sentence reduction."

"Sentence reduction?" Ash growled, "How much?"

Zack laughed on his end, "From one-hundred and fifty to ninety years. Of course we never told him."

Ash couldn't help but smile, "So who's our guy?"

He proceeded to fill him in on the details.

"Okay. Have the team meet me there. Call the Odale Hospital and tell them to put security on May's room. Deny access to all except the registered nurses, doctors or any one of us."

"I'm on it." The line clicked dead.

"What was that?" Norman asked.

"We've got an ID on who paid Harley to attack May and Caroline. My team is assembling to raid his place."

"I'm coming with you,"

Ash held out a hand, "Absolutely not. Our suspect may be armed and it could be potentially dangerous."

He really couldn't argue against that but it didn't stop another protest, "I want to be there to look at the person who tried to kill my daughter and my wife."

Ash looked him in the eye, "Head to our office. We're going to bring him in and I promise you that you will be able to look at him in the eye."

So Ash and Norman declare their hostility towards one another are at an end. Really enjoyed writing this one.

There is only one or two more chapters left, so my time in writing this story is coming to a close. Hope everyone enjoyed this ride reading it as much as I did writing.

Thanks for reading and reviewing, you give my writing purpose.