DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokémon.
A/N: Make this quick, okie dokie, the last one! Awww. Anyways it's short cos it's only an epilogue so read on
and I'll make a big A/N at the end.
Epilogue
So now I lie here, in me and Ash's double bed at 1.00 in the morning, looking back on it all and marveling on how
we survived everything we had to face. I still don't really know how we did it, and I probably shouldn't wonder
and just be grateful.
The outcome was something I didn't expect at all. For one thing, I didn't think it would kill my sisters' careers as
it, apparently, almost did. The fact that my father is the only member of my family still talking to me is also a huge
blow - I sort of understand why Daisy, Violet and Lily won't speak to me anymore, but I wish they would. I miss
them so much, and they did so much for Ash and I.
My life has virtually come to a standstill in terms of being a teenager. I can't be a teenager anymore. I have no
choice but to grow up, and grow up fast. Ash is going through the same thing, but he's lucky in the form of his
mother, Delia, who has been nothing short of supportive and understanding through all of this.
I smile over at Ash now, sleeping peacefully with a content look dominating his face. The sacrifices he's made
for me and the support and love he's given to me is overwhelming. I will never be able to pay him back, no
matter how hard I try.
A shrill scream pierces my thoughts and I snap my head up in a temporary panic. Ash rubs his eyes and slowly
sits up, facing me with a weary but nonetheless happy smile.
"I'll go" he offers, pecking my cheek and walking towards the door. About five seconds after he leaves I hear
Andrea calming down, her soft gurgles traveling down the hall, making me smile with an emotion I'd never felt
before now. I can picture her angelic blue eyes, her mop of light brown hair all fluffy from being roused from her
slumber.
I sigh, thinking of what I will have to tell her in years to come. The same panic invades me as I realise that when
she starts school, I'll only be 21. Some of the other mothers would probably be twice my age, and when she got
older she'd wonder why myself and Ash were so much younger than her friends' parents, and…
My thoughts are cut off as Ash walks in, Andrea in his arms as placid as could be, and my panic evaporates for
the time being to make way for the delight I always feel at the mere sight of my daughter. I can't believe I can call
her that. My daughter. Our daughter, I think, flashing a grin at Ash.
"You should've kept her in bed" I whisper as Ash sits down beside me.
"She wanted to see you" Ash whispers back.
"Oh, so you can read babies minds now huh?" I ask with a soft laugh.
"I can read this one's. And quite frankly, I don't blame her" Ash says softly, leaning over to kiss me just as
Andrea's little sobs start up again.
"Oh shhh, shush angel, it's okay" I say soothingly, taking her off Ash and sending him a teasing look. "Yeah,
she really wanted to see me."
Ash grins sheepishly. "She always wants to see you. And I love seeing her with you." This I already know. Ash
can't get over the fact that we look so similar, and neither can Delia actually. The only real separation between
us is the hair that's a mesh of both myself and Ash's shades.
"Who would've thought, huh?" I whisper, kissing Andrea's forehead as I begin giving her her midnight feed.
Yes, breastfeeding, frowned upon by some people but not me, or either of the Ketchums. So sorry if you
disapprove, but I do believe it was my choice to make.
"Who would've thought what?" Ash asks.
"If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be the mother to your child today I would've either laughed, thrown up or
done both. So who would've thought we'd be here now?" I say again, stroking Andrea's cheek with one finger.
God she's beautiful. She's going to be a heartbreaker when she grows up. If only Mom could love her as much
as I do…
Tears well up in my eyes at the thought of Andrea never meeting her maternal grandmother, or having an
unwelcome encounter with her. Those words chill me at the mere thought of them.
That child is nothing more than an illegitimate offspring of that imbecile…
"Mist? Hey Misty, what's wrong?" Ash asks, moving closer to me and placing an arm around my shoulders.
"Andrea's only ever gonna have one grandmother. The other one hates her" I say, my voice trembling as much
as my hands.
"You shouldn't worry about that, Mist. Mom loves Andrea as much as two grandmothers would" Ash points
out.
"I know" I sigh, watching Andrea's petite yet spellbinding eyes slowly closing in tired contentment. "I just wish
Mom could see what she's missing out on. She's got the most beautiful granddaughter but she refuses to see
past her hate for me and thus hates her."
"Look, your mom doesn't hate you, or Andrea. It may take years before she faces you again, but she will
eventually. And when she does, she'll kick herself for missing out on watching Andrea grow up, and Andrea
will realise how lucky she was to miss out on having such a bat of a grandmother" Ash grins.
"I guess that's true" I giggle. By now Andrea is sleeping soundly again and I hold her close, recalling Delia's
words to me when I had first moved here.
This could be a blessing in disguise.
It truly is exactly that. The road has been bumpy, windy and downright hopeless at times – but look at us now.
Although we're not legally bound by marriage, Ash and I are one whole unit, which has now expanded with
Andrea. We have battled against the greatest odds and even now are still paying some consequences – no
social life, nearly a whole family that won't face me, our public reputations…
But, handing Andrea back to her father, I know it has been worth it. All three of us will still have many
tribulations to go through in the future, and that is a scary thought. Yet I cuddle up to Ash and my worries
disappear as he starts to softly sing the lullaby he made up for Andrea after we named her.
"Andrea D, I love thee,
Stay forever here with me,
The angels frantically search around,
Knowing one of them is on earth's ground.
It is you, my fair princess,
With you my life is at its best,
I promise you forever more,
You'll be the only one I adore."
It's such a sweet rhyme, and I know Ash means it from the bottom of his heart. I've never seen him look at
anyone, even me, the way he looks at Andrea. It's a mesh of emotions I can't quite figure out, but I know that
love and pride are the dominant ones.
"The only one I adore" Ash repeats quietly, his eyes not leaving her tiny form. "With the exception of your
mother." He turns to me, love practically beaming from his face, even at one in the morning.
"I'll second that" I whisper. With that our lips meet in a mixture of love, warmth and hope. He loves me. I love
him. We love Andrea. And if love is the only thing that will keep us going, so be it.
I will just always be so grateful we survived the second time around.
A/N: The grand finale! Well, not really, but oh well. I have sooo many people to thank, namely each and every
one of you who has reviewed. God, I nearly got 200 and that is just amazing. I'm so glad you guys liked it cos
seriously, there was a time I was considering abandoning this fic. Phew, glad I didn't! I guess all I have to say
now is thank you again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! And look out for the sequel, "The River Runs Through It".
the first part is being posted tomorrow but it won't be updated as quick as this one cos it's being written on the way. Anyways,
thanks again everyone, AAML forever and ever! Yay!
A/N: Make this quick, okie dokie, the last one! Awww. Anyways it's short cos it's only an epilogue so read on
and I'll make a big A/N at the end.
Epilogue
So now I lie here, in me and Ash's double bed at 1.00 in the morning, looking back on it all and marveling on how
we survived everything we had to face. I still don't really know how we did it, and I probably shouldn't wonder
and just be grateful.
The outcome was something I didn't expect at all. For one thing, I didn't think it would kill my sisters' careers as
it, apparently, almost did. The fact that my father is the only member of my family still talking to me is also a huge
blow - I sort of understand why Daisy, Violet and Lily won't speak to me anymore, but I wish they would. I miss
them so much, and they did so much for Ash and I.
My life has virtually come to a standstill in terms of being a teenager. I can't be a teenager anymore. I have no
choice but to grow up, and grow up fast. Ash is going through the same thing, but he's lucky in the form of his
mother, Delia, who has been nothing short of supportive and understanding through all of this.
I smile over at Ash now, sleeping peacefully with a content look dominating his face. The sacrifices he's made
for me and the support and love he's given to me is overwhelming. I will never be able to pay him back, no
matter how hard I try.
A shrill scream pierces my thoughts and I snap my head up in a temporary panic. Ash rubs his eyes and slowly
sits up, facing me with a weary but nonetheless happy smile.
"I'll go" he offers, pecking my cheek and walking towards the door. About five seconds after he leaves I hear
Andrea calming down, her soft gurgles traveling down the hall, making me smile with an emotion I'd never felt
before now. I can picture her angelic blue eyes, her mop of light brown hair all fluffy from being roused from her
slumber.
I sigh, thinking of what I will have to tell her in years to come. The same panic invades me as I realise that when
she starts school, I'll only be 21. Some of the other mothers would probably be twice my age, and when she got
older she'd wonder why myself and Ash were so much younger than her friends' parents, and…
My thoughts are cut off as Ash walks in, Andrea in his arms as placid as could be, and my panic evaporates for
the time being to make way for the delight I always feel at the mere sight of my daughter. I can't believe I can call
her that. My daughter. Our daughter, I think, flashing a grin at Ash.
"You should've kept her in bed" I whisper as Ash sits down beside me.
"She wanted to see you" Ash whispers back.
"Oh, so you can read babies minds now huh?" I ask with a soft laugh.
"I can read this one's. And quite frankly, I don't blame her" Ash says softly, leaning over to kiss me just as
Andrea's little sobs start up again.
"Oh shhh, shush angel, it's okay" I say soothingly, taking her off Ash and sending him a teasing look. "Yeah,
she really wanted to see me."
Ash grins sheepishly. "She always wants to see you. And I love seeing her with you." This I already know. Ash
can't get over the fact that we look so similar, and neither can Delia actually. The only real separation between
us is the hair that's a mesh of both myself and Ash's shades.
"Who would've thought, huh?" I whisper, kissing Andrea's forehead as I begin giving her her midnight feed.
Yes, breastfeeding, frowned upon by some people but not me, or either of the Ketchums. So sorry if you
disapprove, but I do believe it was my choice to make.
"Who would've thought what?" Ash asks.
"If you'd told me a year ago that I'd be the mother to your child today I would've either laughed, thrown up or
done both. So who would've thought we'd be here now?" I say again, stroking Andrea's cheek with one finger.
God she's beautiful. She's going to be a heartbreaker when she grows up. If only Mom could love her as much
as I do…
Tears well up in my eyes at the thought of Andrea never meeting her maternal grandmother, or having an
unwelcome encounter with her. Those words chill me at the mere thought of them.
That child is nothing more than an illegitimate offspring of that imbecile…
"Mist? Hey Misty, what's wrong?" Ash asks, moving closer to me and placing an arm around my shoulders.
"Andrea's only ever gonna have one grandmother. The other one hates her" I say, my voice trembling as much
as my hands.
"You shouldn't worry about that, Mist. Mom loves Andrea as much as two grandmothers would" Ash points
out.
"I know" I sigh, watching Andrea's petite yet spellbinding eyes slowly closing in tired contentment. "I just wish
Mom could see what she's missing out on. She's got the most beautiful granddaughter but she refuses to see
past her hate for me and thus hates her."
"Look, your mom doesn't hate you, or Andrea. It may take years before she faces you again, but she will
eventually. And when she does, she'll kick herself for missing out on watching Andrea grow up, and Andrea
will realise how lucky she was to miss out on having such a bat of a grandmother" Ash grins.
"I guess that's true" I giggle. By now Andrea is sleeping soundly again and I hold her close, recalling Delia's
words to me when I had first moved here.
This could be a blessing in disguise.
It truly is exactly that. The road has been bumpy, windy and downright hopeless at times – but look at us now.
Although we're not legally bound by marriage, Ash and I are one whole unit, which has now expanded with
Andrea. We have battled against the greatest odds and even now are still paying some consequences – no
social life, nearly a whole family that won't face me, our public reputations…
But, handing Andrea back to her father, I know it has been worth it. All three of us will still have many
tribulations to go through in the future, and that is a scary thought. Yet I cuddle up to Ash and my worries
disappear as he starts to softly sing the lullaby he made up for Andrea after we named her.
"Andrea D, I love thee,
Stay forever here with me,
The angels frantically search around,
Knowing one of them is on earth's ground.
It is you, my fair princess,
With you my life is at its best,
I promise you forever more,
You'll be the only one I adore."
It's such a sweet rhyme, and I know Ash means it from the bottom of his heart. I've never seen him look at
anyone, even me, the way he looks at Andrea. It's a mesh of emotions I can't quite figure out, but I know that
love and pride are the dominant ones.
"The only one I adore" Ash repeats quietly, his eyes not leaving her tiny form. "With the exception of your
mother." He turns to me, love practically beaming from his face, even at one in the morning.
"I'll second that" I whisper. With that our lips meet in a mixture of love, warmth and hope. He loves me. I love
him. We love Andrea. And if love is the only thing that will keep us going, so be it.
I will just always be so grateful we survived the second time around.
A/N: The grand finale! Well, not really, but oh well. I have sooo many people to thank, namely each and every
one of you who has reviewed. God, I nearly got 200 and that is just amazing. I'm so glad you guys liked it cos
seriously, there was a time I was considering abandoning this fic. Phew, glad I didn't! I guess all I have to say
now is thank you again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! And look out for the sequel, "The River Runs Through It".
the first part is being posted tomorrow but it won't be updated as quick as this one cos it's being written on the way. Anyways,
thanks again everyone, AAML forever and ever! Yay!