A/N: Thank you for your support! Here is the next chapter for you guys! Warning: mentions of suicide.

To Duvarishka: Thanks a lot as always for your elaborate review! I'm glad that you liked the chapter with May and Drew and that you thought that the Ash and Misty bit was believable. Thank you!

Days

The day at the cemetery

Dawn

Wednesday, February 19th

"So, yeah, I suppose I get my artistic talent from my Dad," Dawn said, slowly leafing through a fashion magazine. Paul sat opposite her in a quiet corner of the Pokémon Center, as they waited for their Pokémon to heal after their training session for today. "He's been living in Johto since the divorce, so I didn't see him very often, but we called a lot."

Paul 'hmm'ed in response, which Dawn took as a sign of mild interest. She really was just making idle conversation to kill the time. The fashion magazine couldn't hold her attention right now; her outfit for the Final of the Grand Festival tomorrow was already picked out.

"During the holidays I went over to Johto, and I remember really liking his art shop, he always let me play with everything," Dawn said. Something fluttered down in her stomach and that would the food, just the food.

"Hm," Paul said. He seemed distracted, even during training today. She supposed it was natural, his first match with Aaron of the Elite Four was coming up, but it felt strange to see Paul distracted.

It helped her decision not to distract him further with her secret.

The silence between them stretched on, while around them the chattering of people and Pokémon visiting the Center sounded.

Surprisingly, it was Paul who spoke up. "My Dad was also a bit like that."

Dawn felt her head snap up in surprise at his words, though halfway through the movement she tried to correct it to make it look natural.

"Oh?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to scare him off.

"Reggie is like him. Very upbeat, very... social," Paul spoke slowly, almost as if saying the words were painful to him. For some reason Dawn had always imagined that Paul would take after his father, though that had been a completely unfounded idea.

"And you are more like your mother?" she asked gently, hoping for more information.

He nodded and was silent, and Dawn thought that that would be all.

There was another strange sensation in her lower stomach and she couldn't help but wonder if someday, many years later, this baby would be having a similar conversation, if they were more like their social mother or their silent father.

She pushed the thought away.

"He was never the same after Mom died." Paul was looking at a faraway point out of the window, and Dawn held her breath, hoping he would continue. "He... got depressed. Badly."

So few words, and yet Dawn felt tears stinging in her eyes at his tone of voice.

Paul swallowed. "Today is thirteen years ago since he died." His tone got harder. "He committed suicide."

"I..." Dawn started, though she didn't know what to say. "I'm so sorry. That must have been… difficult for you."

What a stupid thing to say! Of course, it had been difficult! She was just pointing out the obvious! Dawn felt like disappearing into the ground.

"It... was," Paul said, almost thoughtful. "And it wasn't."

She waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't, and the silence stretched again.

"Is he buried somewhere? Would you... would you go want to visit his grave today?" The idea had come to her suddenly and she had spoken it aloud before she thought about it.

Paul looked at her, his eyebrows subtly creased. Dawn felt her face start to grow hot. He looked away again, staring into nothingness.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

But as Paul continued to be silent, Dawn felt her flush start to recede. Just when she thought he wouldn't answer her, but unsure how to continue or end this conversation, he finally spoke up again.

"Yes."

Dawn blinked in surprise when Paul stood up and put on his coat. He looked at her expectantly, and she jumped up, hurrying to put on her coat.

The Poké Center doors slid open and the freezing air met them as they walked outside. While the streets were mostly clean, there was still more than enough snow remaining. Dawn followed Paul in silence as they walked further from the city center.

The silence gave her too much time to think, and the strange feeling in her stomach was not helping. She would tell him. After he had beaten Cynthia, she would tell him. She really would. She didn't want to break this fragile and wonderful peace they had now found.

Veilstone City's cemetery was large, yet Paul walked to the grave without hesitation. His parents were buried together, Dawn noticed, with six years between their deaths. The snow on the grave was wiped away and there were fresh flowers.

"Reggie came here today," Paul said, at the same time as Dawn drew that conclusion herself. She hummed in response, before falling in a respectful silence.

After a few minutes, Paul said, "I haven't been here in a while."

"...no?" She didn't know if she could ask for an explanation.

"No." He said, straightening a bit. "Mom's death... The period after was difficult. Dad dying... was also difficult. But then we could finally move on."

At the drawn, downcast look on his face, Dawn swallowed her questions and instead grabbed his hand without further thought.

Paul didn't pull back.

A/N: Thank you for reading! This chapter practically wrote itself, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Please let me know what you thought about it!

Thank you!