ATTENTION: If you normally skip author's notes (reasonable), then I highly suggest you read the one at the end of this chapter, as it will contain info on my next story, as well as another special surprise. Thank you for your time.

I can't believe I'm typing the last chapter of this story. It's both sad and exciting. I don't have much else to say, except thank you to everyone who was a part of this. You made it extra great for me as I wrote this, and I'm very grateful to all of you; whether you were an active reviewer, a follower/favoriter, or even merely a reader.

Let's finish it up, guys :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.

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"Why did they leave?" Dawn whispered into Paul's shoulder. They'd opted to go to the boys' hotel room, where they were currently laying on one of the beds together.

"Everything's going to be okay, Troublesome. They're going to come back."

"And what if you're wrong?" Dawn challenged. "Don't you think it's possible that two of the world's upcoming geniuses might be able to run away without being followed successfully?"

"No. I don't."

"I don't like to underestimate people," Dawn sighed. "I think it's all too possible that they've gotten away for good."

"Relax, will you? It's Gary and Leaf. Even if they did manage to cover their tracks well enough, they'd end up hating each other in a few months and come home anyways."

"Do you ever worry about anything?"

"Not really."

"Lucky."

They lied there in silence for a little while, listening to each other breathe. Eventually, Paul let out a heavy sigh.

"I guess I am a little worried, Troublesome. I hide my worry with disinterest and bad jokes. Gary's my friend, you know? It scares me that he just vanished like that. It's like someone who you care about can just leave you at any time."

Dawn let his words hang in the air for a little while. She knew what he was implying.

"I'm never going to leave you, Paul." She'd said it with confidence and certainty. "I love you."

"You can't mean that when you're in love with someone else. Whatever this thing we have going here is, he's still the one you're going to be going back to tonight. He's the one you love, isn't he?"

"I've been asking myself the same question a lot lately," Dawn admitted.

"You have?" Paul pulled away from her a little so that he could look into her eyes. "Dawn, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I love you."

"You already said that. And if that's all you have to say, then I think we know that there's no point in pursuing this. People need more than 'I love you', Dawn. People need action, because actions speak louder than words."

"Paul..."

"No, Dawn. If you're going to love me, I want you to be sure that it's what you feel. Right now, you're telling me that you can't decide between me and your boyfriend."

"I can decide. I have decided; I just didn't know it yet."

Paul gazed deeply into her cerulean eyes. "And...?" he prompted.

"I want you, Paul. Because you're the one I love. You make me feel so much more than Kenny ever has. You're the clear winner, and my decision is final." Dawn was sure of it. This was the right choice to make. Paul had become her everything on this vacation. If she were to give up everything for nothing, she'd be at a terrible loss. Loving Kenny was safe. It was comfortable. He would even be the more logical decision, and so many people were jealous of their "perfect" relationship. Loving Paul was dangerous. It wasn't logical, safe, or comfortable; but it was a constant stream of electricity that made her feel alive, like she would never sleep again because she was too busy feeling this way.

Paul put his hand into the small of Dawn's back and leaned his face into hers, pressing his lips to her own. As they kissed, his hand dipped under her shirt and moved up to rest on her bare back. He traced her spine, causing her to shiver. Kenny had never done anything like that. He'd always been careful with his kisses, never pushing for anything more than lip contact. The way Paul kissed was exciting - even a little nerve-wracking, because she didn't know what to expect next.

Eventually their kiss broke, and Dawn suddenly realized just how much she needed to breathe. They must've been making out for a long time.

"What's your boyfriend going to say when you tell him you just kissed a man one thousand times sexier than him?" Paul asked jokingly.

"I don't know," Dawn answered, but she knew that whatever Kenny said, it wasn't going to be pretty. She decided to push those thoughts out of her mind.

For a while, they just lied together, their legs and arms interlocked. Dawn could feel warmth coursing through herself at each point of contact, like there was energy flowing between them.

"I don't want to go back home," Paul said eventually.

"I know," Dawn said, pressing the side of her face into his chest. "It'll be okay, Paul."

"You can't promise me that."

"I know I can't, but I'm going to anyway. Sometimes you just have to break the rules in life."

Paul smiled at that. "Only you could be stubborn enough to defy the ways of this world," he said, shaking his head. "One more year, Dawn. One more year and I'll be out of that house. I won't have to live under this barrier of fear. If I can just hold on one more year..."

Dawn took his hand. "We'll hold on together. And by the way, you just called me Dawn."

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On the flight back home, Dawn was sitting alone. It felt so strange to have a whole seat to herself. Leaf should've been there sitting next to her. It just felt so wrong.

What on earth are we going to tell her parents?

She would've considered herself lucky if that was the dominant thought in her head right now, but instead her thoughts were preoccupied by a bigger worry.

What on earth am I going to tell Kenny?

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"Thank god Leaf's parents weren't going to meet her here at the airport," Misty said. "I really don't want to deal with that right now."

"We'll be getting phone calls tonight," May reminded her. "Tomorrow morning at the latest."

Misty sighed heavily. "And so it begins."

Dawn listened to them sadly as they were retrieving their luggage. These next few weeks were going to be h*ell for all of them. Thank you, Leaf. Deep down inside, under all of the anger and worry and frustration Dawn felt over Leaf, she hoped that she and Gary wouldn't be found. She wanted her friend to be happy, and Leaf had seemed more like a normal girl with Gary than she ever had at any other time.

May dropped Dawn off at her house. Misty drove Leaf's car home from the airport. Their friend had left her car keys for them. When they pulled into Dawn's driveway, Kenny was waiting on her porch, smiling excitedly.

"Best of luck to you with that," May said. Dawn had told the other girls about her relationship with Paul, and they'd both been surprised - unlike she and Misty had been when May announced that she and Drew were dating.

"If only he wasn't such a nice guy," Dawn sighed. "It would make this a heck of a lot easier." Kenny ran up to the car and helped Dawn unload her luggage, and then they both waved as May drove off for her own house.

Kenny embraced Dawn tightly. "I missed you so much, Dawn. I'm so excited that you're home!"

"Thanks," Dawn replied. She was stiff in his arms, not hugging him back.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, pulling away from her. His face was shadowed with worry. He eyed her warily, as though he knew what was coming next.

"We need to talk. I -"

"Really, Dawn? I didn't think you of all people would be low enough to break up with me after a summer apart."

"You're going to want to break up anyways. I saw someone else while I was on vacation. The Paul guy. I love him, Kenny, and... I don't love you anymore. I'm sorry. He just seems to fit me better."

"From what you told me, he's a cold, arrogant b*astard. So that's the kind of guy who's a perfect match for you, Dawn? Really?"

"I don't know how to explain it! We just got really close as we spent more time together, and I really care about him. He makes me feel different than you do. It's just -"

"Oh, so as long as it's different! You don't want him because you love him, you're just bored with me and want someone different!"

"That's not true!"

"Just shut up, Dawn. I can't believe you're doing this to me. I thought you were better than that." With that, he stormed off, kicking her mailbox as he left.

Dawn took out her Pokegear and called Paul.

"Well, I told him."

"How'd he take it?"

"Not well. He kicked my mailbox. Stop laughing, Paul! It isn't funny!"

"Sorry."

"Are you home too then?"

"Yeah."

"You okay?"

"I'm okay as long as I have you."

"This is going to be a crazy year."

"Yeah. It is. But I think it's going to be the best year of my life."

"Mine too."

"I love you, Dawn."

"I love you too, Paul."

"Think we're going to get to see each other sometime?"

"Only time will tell."

"Well, if we don't see each other in like, three months, I'm totally going to swim across the ocean just to see you."

"I think you'd drown, Paul."

"Don't underestimate me."

"Will we talk again later?"

"You bet."

They said good-bye and hung up, promising to talk later that night. Dawn couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. In the midst of all this tragedy, they'd managed to find happiness in each other, and that was something truly special.

THE END

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BUT WAIT! WHAT HAPPENS TO LEAF AND GARY DO THEY BECOME FAMOUS AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LEAF'S PARENTS FIND OUT AND WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE ARE THEY GOING TO SURVIVE THE LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS?! Don't worry, readers! All of this, and more will be revealed, when I start writing the sequel to this story! Yep! You heard it here, folks! There will be a sequel. I will post chapters of it once in a while as I work on my next story. So keep an eye out for "Miles Away", the sequel to "My Summer Away". First chapter won't be up for quite some time. It's going to be something I work on when I get writer's block on my next story.

Speaking of my next story, let's talk about that. The poll had a clear winner, guys. My next story will be "Nevermore", a Medieval fantasy type story. It will have the same shippings as this story, and I'm really excited to be writing it. Sorry to all of you who voted for "Transgressions", but don't worry. It will get written in time as well.

Thank you to everyone! I'm so glad that I wrote this. I hope to see lots of you come back and read my next stories, and I hope the news about the sequel is very exciting for all of you :)