…

Misty swallowed nervously as Ash dropped her hand, did she invite herself in? Did she wait until Ash asked? Did she even want to go in?

It was overly presumptuous of her to not book a hotel, the thought of spending five minutes with Ash was daunting enough. Let alone a whole night!

Misty could practically feel May's eyes flitting between the two of them, she knew her best friend would be struggling to stay quiet through this whole moment. She would have so many questions for Ash, all rushing around in her head that when she was finally given the chance to speak they'd probably all be unleashed in one go.

"Right." Ash announced, grabbing the suitcase by Misty's feet. "Let's get you inside before you burn, I'm not spending another night rubbing aloe on your shoulders."

Misty frowned at the easy way he joked, as if the past eight years hadn't even happened. She knew Ash was easy going, but surely even he would be a little cross to have his estranged wife show up on his doorstep after all this time.

"That was easy." May commented as Ash crossed the threshold with Misty's bag as hostage.

"Too easy." She replied. As much as she'd hoped this would go smoothly, she had been sure that wasn't possible.

May just offered her a non-plussed look before following Ash inside, leaving Misty stood outside alone.

Was it really going to be this simple? Just show up with divorce papers to be signed, complete with a smile and pat on the back before sending her back to New York? Part of her had actually wanted Ash to be angry with her, it had been a while since she'd had an honest to god argument.

Sure, there were little spats and disagreements with Rudy but never a major argument. When her and Ash fought, it was an all-out war. It was big, it was explosive, it was messy and it always ended in the best make up sex.

Slowly, Misty made her way up the stairs. It was surreal being here, back in her home town, back with the man that had sent her running in the first place. As she stepped inside, she felt an overwhelming sense of warmth, almost as if she was coming home. Which was strange considering she'd never stepped foot in this house before.

But when ever she thought of home she didn't think of her family, didn't think of the extravagant house with the pool she shared with her sisters. She always thought of the rundown flat she rented with Ash, it may have been brief but it made been some of the happiest memories she had.

Misty was about to follow the sound of voices she heard in the kitchen when something on the wall caught her eye.

She ran her finger along a picture hanging in the hall, Ash with that signature smirk had his arm wrapped around his Mum, god how she'd missed Delia. She'd been like the mother Misty had always wanted, always there for her no matter what she did. Though, Delia probably wouldn't even give her the time of day now.

There was an unknown blunette girl with the pair, her whole body wrapped around Ash's arm. Misty begrudged the jealousy she felt at the intimate gesture, if she had a fiancé then Ash was allowed have a girlfriend.

"Hey, would you mind taking your shoes off?" Ash asked, sticking his head round the kitchen door. "The wife drilled that into me and I can't shift the habit."

With a wink, he vanished leaving her mystified once again. How was he so relaxed about all this?

She took her shoes off and placed them next to Ash's on instinct, the old and naïve Misty used to find it so romantic to have them lined up like that. But now it was just a reminder of how much they'd changed and that they weren't the people they once were. Misty's Louboutin's sat next to Ash's work boots just showed how different their worlds were.

"Do you still take two sugars in your coffee?" Ash asked as flicked on the kettle. "Or have you outgrown your sweet tooth?"

"As if!" May replied as Misty sat next to her at the kitchen table. "The girl would forgo the coffee and spoon sugar straight into her mouth if she could."

"Thanks May." She muttered.

"So, I have to ask." Ash started as he came to sit down at the table with their drinks. "Where have you been living these past eight years?"

Misty bit her lip, she knew she couldn't avoid the topic forever but the slight normalcy had been quite nice while it had lasted.

"We live in New York." May answered for her. "We started out in a bedsit which you can only imagine how grim that was. But we worked hard and now we live in a pent house suite. Well, for now, Misty will probably want somewhere bigger and better now that she's…"

"Yes, thank you May." She growled.

"You didn't leave me for her, did you?" Ash asked, eyes flicking between the two of them. Again, before Misty could even respond May unleashed her own personal brand of word vomit.

"She wishes!" May boomed with a laugh. "No, I'm just a friend. It was really quite serendipitous that we met when we did, and now we're practically sisters. I'm also the only person outside of the state of Florida that even knows you exist."

"Are you now?" He smiled, casually blowing on his coffee.

"I mean, I know the bare minimum." May continued. "This one has been pretty tight lipped about the whole thing and there's only so much you can find out on the internet but I've done pretty well. And can I just say your Facebook picture doesn't do you justice?"

"Thanks, I think?" Ash laughed. "So, what have you got planned for your stay in sunny Florida?"

"Disney World." May shouted at the same time as Misty finally spoke up.

"Why are you being so blasé about this? I literally turn up out of the blue after eight years and you're asking what I'm doing with my holiday time?" She rubbed her temple.

"Sorry sweetie, but we have company and I have a little more tact than to divulge into our failed marriage." He smiled, and for the first time Misty noticed it was fake. It had all been fake. Every joke, every smile, every wink had been a cover.

"May, could you go to the living room please?" Misty said with an equally fake smile.

"Yeah, sure." May nodded, picking up her coffee and heading into the other room.

"And shut the door." She called after her retreating form.

"Ugh! Yes mum!" She snapped, slamming the door.

The pair sat in silence for a moment, the only sound was Misty's nails tapping impatiently against the table.

"Just say something!" She called out.

"What exactly do you want me to say?" He rose an eyebrow.

"Anything!"

Ash rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"Fine, not sure why I have to be the bigger person considering I'm not the one who pissed off without leaving so much as a note." He sipped his coffee. "You obviously haven't come back here out of the goodness of you heart, so why bother?"

"I'm getting married." Misty admitted, she decided there wasn't really any point in beating around the bush. She may as well be direct.

"Of course, you are." He crossed his arms. "And how does this new man feel about marrying damaged goods?"

"Hey, that's not fair!" She protested.

"No, you're right. To be damaged you would have had to have cared in the first place." He quipped.

"I did care! Jesus Ash, I loved you so much, I just…" She trailed off, she just what? Was there any point in trying to justify what she did? Even she knew it was bad form.

"You loved me? Don't make me laugh." Ash chuckled bitterly. "That's why you ran off without even having one fucking conversation with me about our relationship."

"I was young and stupid, I know what I did was wrong but we all make mistakes in the past." She pleaded.

"I get that you were young, but what about when you grew up? You never came back, you never tried to make it right." He said.

Misty opened and closed her mouth uselessly, how could she respond when Ash had shut her down so spectacularly? She'd always justified it by saying she was young, she'd made a mistake. But not once had she even thought about fixing it, about righting her wrong.

"Exactly." Ash said, grabbing the cups and heading over to the sink.

"What do you want me say?" Misty asked.

"What do I want you to say?" He asked, spinning around to face her again. "I want you to fucking apologise! I want you to say sorry for breaking my heart. I came home and you were just gone Misty, do you realise how hard that was for me?"

"I… I'm sorry Ash, I'm so, so sorry. I know what I did was the coward's way out and I've regretted it ever since. But even you have to admit we were having relationship problems." She said.

"Of course, I know that, I could have easily given up as well but surprisingly I stuck it out. Thought we were both ready to figure out what our problems were and work on them, then low and behold you'd run off."

"Look, I'm really trying here. I said I'm sorry!"

"Funnily enough, after eight years 'I'm sorry' doesn't really seem satisfactory enough. You might have just run off and forgot us but I didn't." He scoffed.

"I didn't forget, don't you dare accuse me of that! I was always thinking about you." Misty said, worrying about you was added as a silent after thought.

"Just long enough to jump down the aisle with the first man who looked your way?" He asked.

"Oh please." She rolled her eyes. "And you've been a monk all these years?"

"Well, your little friend out there isn't the only one who noticed I've aged like a fine wine." He winked.

But Misty refused to let them fall back into banter, because once Ash put on the joking façade again it would be difficult for her to get him back again. It was one of the things that drove her insane about him, the way he'd try to end arguments with jokes and pretend they had never happened. As if they could just pause all their anger and go back to the playful teasing.

It might have worked when she was a teenager but she wasn't letting it slide now she was more mature. They were finishing what they started whether he wanted to or not.

"Look, I didn't come here to argue. I came for closure, for both of us." Misty reassured him after Ash rolled his eyes at her.

"Okay, and how are we going to get that exactly?"

Without a word, Misty pulled out the divorce papers from her bag and handed them to Ash. She didn't have to say what they were; it didn't take a genius to work it out and all the sign here tabs were a dead giveaway.

"We need to draw a line in the sand, finish what we started." She said, holding a pen out.

But Ash didn't take it, instead he tossed the papers in the bin. Misty was very tempted to pull them out again and hit him over the head with them but she forced herself to be calm.

"So, what? I'm just supposed to sign them so you can toddle back to New York and marry your little lover boy?" He frowned.

"Well, yes." She bit her lip, it didn't sound so great when he said it like that.

"Can I ask what makes you think after all these years I owe you anything?" He laughed.

"You'd get your freedom back as well." She walked over to him, ready to get down on her knees and beg if she had to.

"I've been pretty free without the divorce." He shrugged.

"But what if you want to get married one day? We'd have to go through all this again but with you flying to New York." She attempted to reason with him, but the way he just rose an eyebrow at her she knew she as talking to a brick wall. "Let's save the air fare and sort it now.

"Funnily enough, after our experience I'm not exactly running to the alter." He poked her nose, reminding Misty just how close she'd got. Even in anger she found herself getting dragged into him.

"Just sign the god damn papers." She pleaded.

"Or what? You'll leave me, too late you already did." He smirked.

Misty hated that already she'd fallen right back into the same old trap with Ash, the fighting, the frustration, the way her heart beat quicker with every heated word. She hated that it was the most alive she had felt in years. She was lost, she didn't know what else to do so she did what she always did when Ash drove her to the edge of anything.

She screamed.

"Jesus Christ Misty!" Ash shouted, covering his ears.

"You irritate me Ash Ketchum!" She complained, extenuating each word with a poke to his chest.

"You love it." He teased.

"Is everyone okay? I heard screaming?" May asked, sticking her head through the door and causing Misty to jump a foot back as if she'd been stung.

"We're fine." Misty muttered, grabbing the papers out the bin. "This isn't over Ketchum, I'm not leaving until I get these papers signed."

"Then you're going to be stuck with me for a very long time." He ruffled her hair and walked over to his fridge. "Won't you ladies stay for dinner, I wasn't expecting company but I'm sure I can rustle something up."

"We really should be going." May said, awkwardly pointing towards the door. Not that they had anywhere to go but she could sense the tension was thick in the room.

"Nonsense, you must be tired from the flight. Let me cook for you. It's the least I can do." Ash pouted slightly at the thought of May leaving and gave her his best pleading look, and Misty knew from experience it was impossible to say no.

"I suppose a little food wouldn't hurt." May relented.

"Great." He winked. "Mist, you still like stuffed peppers?"

"Don't even think about it." She warned.

"I wouldn't dare."

…

It was civilised, strangely so considering the history her and Ash shared. But just like Misty had predicted, he'd acted like the argument never happened, the last eight years never happened and was his usual charming self. Misty was sure May was enjoying being wined and dined so much she'd be begging Ash to sign the papers herself in a minute.

But as May moved onto her sixth glass of wine and Misty's own eyes were feeling surprisingly heavy, she knew it was time to make a move.

"We should probably head to a hotel before they shut reception." Misty said, casting a nervous eye at the clock, they would probably be dangerously close to not getting anywhere to stay.

"Just stay here." Ash offered, as if they were old friends.

"No, we can't do that." Misty frantically shook her head.

"Now, what kind of husband would I be if I left you to pay for a hotel room?" He frowned, as if the idea of the girls leaving was preposterous.

"A good one?" She suggested, earning a loud, drunk laugh from May.

"I've had too much to drink to drive you to a decent hotel and it's too late to get a taxi on your own. You're staying."

"And they say chivalry is dead." Misty rolled her eyes.

"I've got a spare room and a double bed. You decided which one you want and I'll be waiting for one of you lucky ladies in my room." He teased.

"Wouldn't a good husband offer us the double and take the spare himself?" She shouted after him as he walked up the stairs.

"I'm not that good." He chuckled.

"I'll share with him." May bit her lip as she watched his tight, jean covered ass ascend the stairs.

"No you will not." Misty shook her head. "You're drunk."

"And? You don't think he'd take advantage of me, do you?" She gasped, but her smile showed that she would love nothing more.

"No, I think it would probably be the other way around." She laughed, pulling May off the sofa and dragging her too the stairs.

"Hey Misty?"

"Hm?"

"He seems nice, why did you leave him?" May frowned, as if niceness was the only thing a relationship needed to survive.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I'm not the nice one?" She asked with a teasing smile, dropping May onto the spare bed.

"Never! You're my best friend and I'm an excellent judge of character." She smiled, grabbing Misty around the neck to kiss her head. "Night night."

"Night night May." Misty laughed softly before heading towards the door.

"Wait!" May bolted up in bed. "If I'm in the spare where are you going to sleep?"

"With Ash."

"You can't! You're married." She slapped her hands against her cheeks in outrage.

"Yeah, too Ash."

"Oh yeah! Then it's fine then." She smiled, satisfied with this solution.

Before Misty was even out the door May was flopped back on her back, obviously had no intention to change out her clothes from the day or even get under the covers.

Misty walked across the landing before freezing outside what she assumed was Ash's room, her heart beating in double time at the thought of what lay beyond the door.

It felt weird to know she'd be getting back in a bed with Ash, Misty felt almost as nervous as the first time. Not their first-time having sex, that had embarrassingly been in the back of Ash's beat-up Peugeot 106 with the broken heaters so they'd had to wipe the windows clean of condensation afterwards. The first they'd just spooned and Misty realised she'd fallen in love, what she'd planned to be something fun before passing her exams, going to university and getting out of this town had turned into something serious. And, at the time, that had terrified her. She'd almost ran then too, but seeing Ash's warm eyes smiling up at her she just couldn't do it. Deep down she knew that's why she had snuck out on their relationship, because she'd never be able to look Ash in the eye and go. Those brown eyes always made her weak and they'd have made it impossible to leave.

"I have to admit, I'm glad it's you and not your little follower." He smirked when Misty finally opened the door.

"I may not be your biggest fan right now but even then, I wouldn't subject you to sharing a bed with a drunk May." She laughed, noticing her suitcase open on the floor.

Obviously, Ash had already decided who he would be spending the night with. She walked over to her suitcase and purposely ignored the way the cover slipped down his chest as he sat up. How could she forget Ash slept in nothing but boxers?

And he wasn't a scrappy teenager anymore, his hard labouring job obviously paid off because those pecs were enough to make any woman leave her knickers at the door. Not Misty of course, she was stronger than that.

Least she hoped.

"I meant what I said Ash." Misty started riffling through her suitcase to find her pyjamas, wishing she'd packed more than a silk cami and short set. "I'm not leaving without those papers signed."

"And I meant when I said I don't owe you anything." He shrugged.

"You're not doing it for me." She groaned.

"No, I'm refusing on behalf of your husband to be, he could do without the heartache of the runaway bride." He half smiled.

"How generous of you." She scoffed before placing her clothes on the bed.

She reached down for the bottom of her top and pulled it up her waist, only to freeze when she realised Ash had no intention of averting his eyes. Instead he seemed quite content to watch her rather closely.

"At least look away while I change." She frowned.

"Please Misty, I took your virginity I don't think you have to worry about getting changed in front of me." He laughed through his nose.

"That doesn't mean you're allowed to see me naked whenever you feel like!" She scolded him, grabbing a pillow and throwing it in his face.

"If I can remind you." He started, moving the pillow away from his face. "Of an evening we spent together with a polaroid camera, you had no shame then."

"That was different, we were married then!" She protested, almost forgetting they'd even done that. They'd both assumed it would be sexy to take photos as they fooled around but it certainly killed the mood when you had to sit and shake between each shot.

"We still are."

"Regardless, you can't see it now."

"Fine, I can just look at the pictures if I'm desperate." He teased with a smirk.

"You still have them?" She shrieked.

"Yeah, they got me through many lonely nights." He winked.

"God, you disgust me!" She gave him a look before grabbing her clothes off the bed. "I'm changing in the bathroom."

She stomped across the landing to the bathroom, trying to ignore Ash's laughter that was floating after her. How was it possible to be eight years older and still be the same, immature person?

But that's why she'd always liked Ash, that boyish charm had always been what attracted her in the first place. The carefree innocence he managed to cling to was what she had fallen in love with in the first place so she could hardly be angry that he was still that person.

She was the one who had left and changed, she'd become distant and cold compared to the naïve, romantic she had once been. Younger Misty would be shocked at who she became but everyone has to grow up sometime.

With a deep breath she headed back to the room, it was only for one night. She could handle that.

"What's this?" Ash asked, spinning a slip of material around his finger.

"A sleep mask." She made a grab for it but Ash moved it out her reach.

"Of course it is, you've become so high maintenance in my absence." He shook his head

"Look, I'm not in the mood for these games. Just give me the mask so I can sleep." She held her hand out.

"Nah."

Misty inhaled sharply through her nose, why did Ash insist in riling her up? And if his smile was anything to go by, he was loving every minute of it. But she wouldn't get angry, she wouldn't shout. May was asleep in the next room and she was getting the mask back in a calm manner.

"Let me have my mask or I will take it from you." Misty reasoned, quite proud of how level her voice sounded.

"I'd like to see you try." He challenged.

Without thinking Misty launched herself at the bed but, just to prove how well he knew her, Ash predicted the movement. He quickly crawled to the other end of the bed, mask still held high above his head.

"Come on Mist, you're going to have to do better than that." He shook his head in mock disappointment.

"I'm just getting started." She said, scurrying across the bed.

She knew to an outsider this would look ridiculous, the two of them crawling around a bed all for a sleep mask and the rational part of her mind begged her to give up and sleep without it. But she realised this wasn't an argument, another petty need to one up each other. It was a game.

God, how long had it been since she had been playful? The last time she had messed around for the sake of having fun? She and Rudy never played like this, she always thought that was what came with a grown-up relationship. Yet, here were her and Ash, two adults laughing loudly and enjoying the game.

Once she was finally close enough, she jumped onto Ash until she was straddling his lap and momentarily forgetting how little clothing they were each wearing. He'd obviously upgraded from loose fitting boxers to boxer briefs, they were sinfully tight and left nothing to the imagination. And she could feel every inch of this new, improved Ash against her body.

She had to force down a shiver at being this close to him in so long, like a siren song she didn't even realise was calling her she'd missed his warmth. She'd missed his touch, there was a familiarity here that she hadn't yet got with Rudy.

"Now what?" Ash licked his lips.

"Give it to me." She whispered, as if telling him a great secret.

"Make me."

"The walls are thin, keep it in your pants until I fall asleep!" May unceremoniously shouted from her bedroom.

And suddenly Misty was hit with reality, the real reason she had come. She was here to end her marriage to Ash not jump his bones the first opportunity she got. Using his momentary distraction to her advantage, Misty grabbed the eye mask and rolled onto her side of the bed.

"Well, good night." She said, turning her back to him.

"G'night princess." He laughed, flicking the bedside light off and drowning the room in darkness.

All too quickly, Misty heard the familiar sounds of Ash's heavy breathing – he always did fall asleep easily. But for her it was more of a struggle, she shouldn't be here. She should be at a hotel, saying good night to her fiancé who she hadn't even spoken to since she arrived bar a text to say she'd landed.

Instead she was in bed with another man, who made her heartbeat faster than it had in years.

…

Very dialogue heavy, oops! Also not sure I'm happy with how I portrayed Ash :/ but what's done is done