New Beginning (Pearlshipping-AshxDawn)

Chapter Thirteen

It was the morning after the Christmas ball. Sunlight was streaming into the room of Salvia's palace that Ash and Dawn were sharing. Dawn had just woken up, woken up with the memories of Ash and Serena from the previous night still fresh in her mind. She hadn't told Ash about her concerns regarding Serena after the ball because Dawn didn't want to spoil her special night with Ash.

She sat up in the bed and put her head in her hands. Signs of stress were visible in her eyes and face.

Is this all just in my head and I'm just paranoid? No, this wouldn't all just be in my head if I didn't feel this strongly about Ash. If I knew that there was really no need to worry about what would happen, I wouldn't be stressed like this. Dawn thought to herself.

Although, last night she had had a terrible nightmare. She had dreamed that Ash had told her that he loved Serena and wanted to be with her instead of Dawn. He had taken Alex with him and had left her and Julia alone and heartbroken, just like they had been when she was divorced. As Ash and Serena left, Serena had looked at Dawn with a smug smile of satisfaction on her face, having won the battle for Ash's heart. Serena then kissed Ash passionately. Dawn had woken up from the dream with tears in her eyes.

What if my nightmare and the one Ash had about Twinleaf Town being destroyed are connected somehow? It felt so real, just like his dream.

Ash then began to wake up and his arm moved and met the empty space in the bed where Dawn had been sleeping. He opened his eyes and saw that Dawn was sitting up. He sat up beside her and looked at her, seeing that she looked upset.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Dawn replied, not looking at him.

"There's no need to worry. I'm here for you and you can talk to me about anything. I love you and would do anything to help you."

Dawn turned so that she was facing her husband and looked at him.

"I trust you, Ash. And I know that nothing would happen between you and Serena. In a relationship, trust is very important, and the last time that trust had been broken between us, when you saw me kissing Kenny, our relationship had nearly been destroyed. But although I trust you, I don't trust Serena. I don't know what her intentions are. I know that you would never let anything happen, but Serena might try.

"Ash...I saw the way that Serena looked at you when she was dancing with you last night. I saw the longing in her eyes, how it seemed like she wished that she could be the one woman in your life. At the Twinleaf Festival, you told me that all of her flirting with you is just for fun, but after seeing how serious she seemed about wanting you at the ball, I'm not sure if it's just fun after all.

"I...I'm afraid of what might happen to our relationship if Serena decides to pursue you and what lengths she'll go to to have you..." Dawn concluded.

Ash was quiet for a few minutes, thinking about everything that Dawn had just said. Finally, he looked at her and said, "I did notice Serena's recent behavior towards me. For years, I felt like her flirting was just teasing, even when she saw me when I was still married to Misty. But right now, it feels like she's seriously in love with me and wants to be with me.

"I noticed it last night, the way that she looked into my eyes as we were dancing, but I didn't say anything to her or call her out on her recent behavior towards me because I didn't want to ruin the night for her. She's still my friend, after all, and I wanted to be polite."

Dawn felt a little bit better, now knowing that she wasn't imagining things. Ash was seeing it, too. It wasn't all in her head.

Ash hugged Dawn and held her close to him. He kissed her forehead and stroked her hair, wanting to comfort her. "Dawn, you're the only woman that I'll ever love. Other women may try to get my attention, but I only have eyes for you. Remember what I said when I proposed to you? I told you that you healed my heart and stole it. That's still true, my heart belongs to you and you alone." Ash said, looking into her eyes.