6 Months Later

A lot had happened in six months for Dawn. Her and Paul were stronger than ever, despite their lack of 'labels' on their relationship.

She was currently shopping with her mum for Ash and Misty's wedding reception.

"Okay, what do you think of this one?" Johanna asked, as she came out wearing a knee length black dress that fell slightly off her shoulder.

"Mum! You look so hot!" Dawn said seriously, making her mum sheepishly swat her comments away with her hands.

"Oh Dawn, you're embarrassing me!" Johanna laughed.

"No really, you should get it. I'm going to have to watch out; Paul might start to prefer you over me!"

Johanna's expression turned solemn, "Dawn, you know Paul won't talk to me."

Paul had avoided Johanna at all costs since Dawn's birthday, and she just couldn't figure out what she had done to make him push her away. It made her sad to think that her future son-in-law did not want to communicate with her in any way shape or form. She sighed as she turned to take off the dress.

"That's not true he's just…not good with new people. It takes time, you know?" Dawn was well aware of the increasing gap between two of the most important people in her life. Truth be told, it worried her a lot more than she was letting on, but Paul would avoid the subject like the plague.

Dawn had just finished trying on her own dress, a pastel pink strapless dress contrasted with her hair colour perfectly. She was even splurging on a new pair or Christian Louboutin's, a white pair of peep-toe pumps.

Johanna had decided not to reply to Dawn's encouragement and had moved to purchase her dress, taking Dawn's with her.

After buying shoes, they decided to take a break and have some coffee.

"It was so nice of Ash and Misty to invite me to their wedding," Johanna said dreamily. Much like her daughter, she was easily excited about wedding dresses and cake.

"Yeah, it was good of them, at least then I can have a few dances with my dearest mother!" Dawn laughed while putting on a posh accent.

Johanna giggled and the two decided to go shopping for 'back up dresses' because apparently they both wanted an excuse to buy more clothes.

Paul put down his book when he heard a knock at his door. Walking over to open it, he realised a grinning Reggie was barging past him into his apartment.

"Hey little bro!"

"Hi…I didn't know you were coming over?" Paul said unsurely, it was rare that Reggie came to his apartment without calling and he wondered what had made him do so today.

"Yeah I just thought I'd pop in, say hello, see how you were doing and what not," Reggie said, rubbing his hands together in front of him.

"I'm fine."

"How's Dawn?"

Paul sighed, "Yep she's fine too." Reggie gave him a knowing look, raising a brow and Paul rolled his eyes, "okay, she's great," he mumbled."

Reggie smiled brightly, "that's great, I'm happy for you."

There was a pause and both brothers stared at each other until Paul narrowed his eyes, "you want something."

Reggie nodded at his observation, "Paul, I just want to check on you. I've been keeping in touch with Johanna since we met at Dawn's birthday and well, I'm a bit worried about you."

Paul turned his back to Reggie, getting a drink out of his fridge and completely ignoring him in the process.

"Paul?"

"What?"

"Well?" Reggie questioned further.

"Well what?"

Reggie sighed, running a hand through his long purple hair, "Paul I'm just worried that you are still have trouble with mum's death."

Paul visibly tensed, "I'm fine."

Reggie's gaze softened, "Paul, it's okay to miss her. And it's okay to think about her. But it's not okay to let her death stop you from moving on. It's been a long time Paul."

"I know. It's just…hard," Paul admitted. This whole thing with Dawn had made talking about things much easier for him. The effect she had on him was amazing.

"I know. But I want you to know that although we don't have our mum around, Dawn still does, and it's important to her that her 'boyfriend' can be in the same room as her mother."

Paul pursed his lips, had Dawn said something to Reggie?

He must have sensed what Paul was thinking because he continued, "I was talking to Johanna and she is worried that if you don't want to talk to her for whatever reason, it might affect her relationship with Dawn in the long run."

"But I don't want that. I just can't be around her."

"Why? What happened?" Reggie asked.

"She's just like mum. Happy and girly….but mostly…she said…penny for your thoughts." Paul had crossed his arms at this point, and was leaning against the kitchen counter, staring at the floor.

"Oh," Reggie said quietly.

"Yeah."

"Paul, did you ever think that maybe this was a second chance for you to have someone in your life who could love you like a son? Let's face it, one day, you and Dawn could get married, and if that happens don't you think you and Johanna will have to get along?"

"Wow Reggie no one said anything about marriage."

"It's not the point, Paul. I think that it would be good for both you and Dawn if you could make an effort to get along with Johanna."

Paul looked to be deep in thought.

Reggie let him process for a minute before continuing, "She's really lonely Paul, because her husband passed away. Now just think for a minute, if our mum was still here, would you want her to feel alone and sad?"

After a long pause, Paul replied, "No."

"Me neither." Reggie stated before squeezing Paul's shoulder gently before letting himself out.

Paul had a lot of thinking to do.

"Hi," May said cheekily to Drew as she saw him in the hallway of the Wedding Venue.

"Hi, don't you look beautiful," Drew said smoothly as he casually pulled May in to slow Dance with him.

"Dancing? But there's no music!" May laughed.

"So?" Drew said as he spun her around then proceeded to keep dancing with her in a small and informal waltz.

"Good point. You're a very good dancer," May complemented, "And you look very good in a suit I might add."

"Yeah, I know," Drew replied, flicking his hair while continuing to move her around the hallway.

"Ugh, you're so full of yourself. Way to ruin the moment," she pouted but Drew knew she was just messing with him.

"Yeah, but the moments not over."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're my girlfriend now and I wanted to make this moment romantic. You know, special."

"I'm confused," May said slowly, they were still dancing. It was surprising how good a leader Drew was, because he managed to keep May's clumsy feet in check while maintaining a normal conversation.

"And I'm in love with you," at that point May's mouth fell open but before she could reply he leant her over in his arms, and swept down to kiss her gently.

After a few moments he gently stood her back up but held his arms around her lower back, no longer dancing.

She was silent for a few moments as she seemed to be processing what he had just said. After opening and closing her mouth a few times she settled on, "Are you sure?"

He laughed, which was a rare sight, coming from Drew, "I'm sure."

"But….why?"

He laughed once more, "this. This is why, May. You don't even realise how amazing you are. It's one of the many reasons why I fell in love with you. You challenge me. You are one of the only people on this planet that can make me laugh. And I'm sure you're the only woman who can make me happy."

May was blushing at the beautiful comments, "Wow. That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"I'm glad."

They were staring into each other eyes for what seemed like forever until Drew coughed awkwardly.

"Huh?" May began before her eyes widened, "Oh! Drew, I love you too!"

He had looked away from her at the point where he had thought she didn't feel the same way, so she used her hand to gently pull his face in to hers for a passionate kiss.

The moment was slow and romantic, intimate even. That is, until Drew snorted, "Trust you to forget to say it back."

May's facial expression changed to that of anger, "I didn't forget!" She yelled.

He laughed as she shut her up by kissing her once more. They were so in the moment that they didn't hear approaching footsteps.

"Ahem."

May and Drew broke apart but remained close together, the two were often found holding hands or something small yet intimate.

"Well look at you two being cute," Dawn said cheekily with a wink. She felt slightly jealous when she saw their hands intertwined, she just saw it as such a romantic gesture. But she knew that Paul was never going to be that kind of guy and she guessed it was something she'd have to accept. Most of the time she was fine with it, it was just times like these when it got to her.

"Yeah, yeah," Drew said as he smirked.

"Have you guys seen Ash or Misty yet?" Dawn asked.

"No, we were just about to split up to find them," May replied, "If you want we can find Misty together. Drew might need to go remind Ash about the whole, 'groom can't see the bride yet' thing."

May felt Drew squeeze her hand as he kissed her on the cheek and ruffled Dawn's hair before walking off in the opposite direction.

Dawn huffed, "seriously? My hair took ages to do."

When the two finally reached Misty's dressing room they found a very pale looking Misty next to a worried Leaf.

Leaf jumped up when they walked in, "finally," she whispered, "she's freaking out."

Dawn placed her clutch bag down on the dresser and walked to sit beside Misty, "hey Mist, how you doing?"

The red head glared at her, "I think I'm going to throw up."

Dawn laughed as she rubbed her friends back, wondering how the boys were going with Ash.

The boys were fairing a lot better than the girls, which was surprising to everyone.

"And you're fine?" Gary asked disbelievingly

"Yep," Ash said confidently.

"Dude, how are you this sure?" Gary asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Because I love her more than anything."

Gary couldn't bag Ash for that, so he simply gave him a firm pat on the shoulder and proceeded to sit down next to Paul, who had been sitting their quietly, reading a book.

At this point Drew arrived, smirking as he got a text from May, "hey guys, Ash, looking good. So apparently Misty is not doing so well."

Ash's face dropped, "is she okay? What happened? I have to see her," He proceeded to walk towards the door but was held back by Drew and Gary.

"Dude you can't, girls have rules about this remember?"

"Well…what do I do then?" Ash asked,looking sad.

"How about we send Paul instead?"

Paul looked up from his book and sighed when all three guys were looking at him expectantly, "fine."

As Paul walked out, Delia came in.

"Oh, Ash my baby!" She said as she cried, giving him a deathly hug.

"Muuuummmmmm," he groaned.

Paul smirked as he heard the exchange before he closed the door.

He was wearing a suit that Dawn had bought for him, and he had to admit, it fit him pretty well. He walked with his hands in his pockets towards the girls' room, wondering what would happen next in the book he was reading.

"Really. I think I'm going to throw up. Oh god. I'm going to ruin this stupid dress. I can't do this, I cant." Misty was practically hyperventilating at this point, and May and Leaf were frantically searching for a bucket and some water.

Dawn took a deep breath before taking charge, "Misty, breathe, it's going to be okay."

After instructing her to take some deep breaths with her prompting, Misty started to calm down.

"How do you know it's going to be okay, Dawn?"

"Because I've never seen two people more in love than you and Ash. I look at the two of you and feel so, so happy because it's like you were destined to be together."

"But…how am I supposed to know if I'm making the right decision?" Misty whispered.

Dawn appeared deep in thought after this question, as she looked at her hands. A small smile graced her lips as she began to speak "he makes you feel alive. He makes you want to scream loudly and smile like an idiot even when you're by yourself. He infuriates you sometimes, but it just makes you love him more. And you get to that point where he does something that makes you realise that you'd be perfectly happy doing this – your relationship – with him for the rest of your life."

Misty was watching intently. She had calmed down now, to the relief of Dawn, May and Leaf.

"Is that how you feel about Paul?" Misty questioned.

Dawn paused for a minute, looking back at her hands before answering softly, "yeah…yeah it is."

Misty smiled, "I'm ready."

Leaf grabbed her hands to help her stand, "you look beautiful. Ash is a very lucky man."

The four girls giggled until Misty paled once more, and quickly moved to the bucket that Leaf had brought close by, and then proceeded to empty all of the contents of her stomach.

A knock at the door got their attention, and Paul answered, looking confused at the vomiting Misty.

"Is she okay?" He asked the group, but his eyes were looking intently at Dawn for some reason.

"Um, I think so. She'll probably feel better after this."

Dawn went to Paul and led him out to the hall, to give Misty some privacy.

She leaned up and kissed him briefly, knowing that hated kissing her in public. She was pleasantly surprised however when he pushed her against the wall and deepened the kiss.

When he pulled away, he kept a hand resting on her waist, the other on the wall above her head, supporting himself.

"You look really nice," he said quietly.

Dawn beamed, "you look pretty sexy yourself." She busied her hands by fiddling with his tie, ensuring it was straight and sitting properly.

Paul stood up straight, pulling away, "I should get back…"

"Yeah. Me too…save me a dance later?" She asked hopefully.

"Maybe." He smirked before walking off. He hated dancing, but maybe just this once he'd make an exception.

When he rounded the corner out her vision he stopped and leant against the wall. She could see herself spending the rest of her life with him? It was a big thing to say. She wasn't even his girlfriend. Was she? He wasn't all that sure anymore.

Paul wasn't very good at being 'deep', and now he had a lot to think about. How did he feel about her? She had said she loved him. Not exactly but she had certainly implied it. Did he love her? What did all of this mean?

He figured his thinking would have to wait as he ran a hand through his hair and walked back the Ash's room to tell him his future wife was fine…he didn't want Ash to know that Misty was this worried about marrying him, he was sure she was just nervous or something anyway.

Dawn closed the door behind her with a smile on her face, before she remembered that Misty was still sick.

May and Leaf were running off lists of possible reasons why she could be sick, with Misty checking them off as they went.

"It could just be nerves?" May suggested.

"Or something you ate. Did you eat anything that might have disagreed with you?" Leaf asked.

Misty shook her head; she hadn't eaten anything out of the ordinary in the last few days.

"Stomach bug? Maybe you caught something?"

Misty once again shook her head; surely the universe wouldn't be that cruel to her.

"There's got to be another reason, are you feeling any better yet?" May was pacing now, worried about her friend.

"Misty," Dawn said sharply, attracting the attention of the other three girls instantly.

"Yeah?" She groaned, her head still leaning into the bucket in front of her.

"Well…it's just a thought but could you be pregnant?"

They stared. After a few moments of silence Dawn continued, "Well it was just a thought."

"Wait a minute," Misty said quietly as she looked to be doing some sort of calculations in her head.

They all watched, May had moved to sit next to Misty and trace her fingers lightly over her back in an effort to comfort her.

"Maybe? I don't know…but it would explain a lot lately."

The three girls nodded whilst Leaf grabbed her car keys, ready to run to the store.

Dawn, May and Leaf were all fidgeting constantly as they waited outside the bathroom for Misty to take a couple of tests, to try and get an accurate reading.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the lock clicked and a very calm Misty walked out.

They all looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"So?" Leaf prompted.

"Well…looks like Ash and I are going to be parents."

The three girls screamed and hugged Misty affectionately.

"Are you excited?" May asked.

"Well I don't know…this is just so much to process, and I haven't even told Ash yet…."

Leaf had grabbed three glasses of champagne for the girls, handing one to Dawn and May.

"Where's mine?" Misty asked, annoyed that she forgot the bride's drink.

"Misty, you can't drink anymore."

"Oh…yeah…I guess I can't….wow I didn't even think of that." Misty admitted sheepishly.

It wasn't long before Gary had come to the door, telling the girls that it was time to begin the wedding.

"Hey Dawn, could I talk to you for a sec?" Misty had approached Dawn quickly, while she was talking to Paul.

Paul nodded at Dawn and watched her walk off to the balcony with Misty before taking a sip of his beer. The wedding had been pretty quick, for which Paul was grateful, and even he had to admit he'd never seen two people happier than Ash and Misty.

Now, they were at the reception, and people were dancing and having fun, whilst others were drinking and talking. Paul was merely standing on his own now that Dawn had left and he was busy surveying the surroundings.

He noticed his brother talking to Johanna, before Maylene walked over to sweep Reggie up on the dance floor. At first Paul rolled his eyes. But then his eyes looked over Johanna, to see that she looked to be almost in tears. Paul wasn't sure because he was standing over the other side of the room.

Then, it hit him. "She's really lonely Paul, because her husband passed away. Now just think for a minute, if our mum was still here, would you want her to feel alone and sad?"

Reggie's words echoed over and over in his mind. If that was his mum he wouldn't want her to feel that way, and he'd do everything in his power to make her feel less lonely. Before he could think his feet began moving over to her at a rapid pace.

"Johanna."

The woman looked up from underneath her blue hair and her eyes widened – she wasn't expecting Paul to talk to her at all.

"Paul, are you –" Before she could finish he reached his hand out to her gently.

"Would you do me the honour of this dance?" He was really turning on the charm.

She looked surprised but nodded and took his hand anyway, letting him lead her onto the dance floor.

It was a slow song but neither of them minded.

"My mum taught me how to dance when I was young," he said quietly.

Johanna's eyes nearly fell out of her head, not only was he willingly dancing with her but he was also willingly talking to her? Her eyes softened before she replied.

"She must have been a very good teacher, considering you're a natural at this." She smiled.

A few silent moments passed before Paul spoke up again, "her most used phrase was, 'penny for your thoughts?'"

Johanna looked at him confused but he continued, "when you said that to me at Dawn's birthday…it just…something inside of me snapped. You're a lot like her…happy and excited all the time…it was hard."

"Paul I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"I know. I don't like to talk about things. But apparently Dawn has managed to bring it out in me anyway, so I just wanted you to know why it has been hard for me to talk to you."

Johanna smiled and laughed sweetly, "Paul you have brought out the best in Dawn too. You make a lovely couple."

Paul smirked but didn't say anything as he continued to lead her around the dance floor.

When Dawn had followed Misty outside, she watched the red head twist her hands nervously.

"Are you okay?"

"Dawn what if he doesn't want kids?"

Dawn laughed, "Oh, trust me; Ash will want kids with you."

"But how do you know? What if he wanted to wait?"

"Misty, calm down. Ash is going to be happy about this, just tell him and everything will work out."

"Tell me what?" Both women spun around to see Ash standing there worriedly. He approached Misty and inspected her face, worried that something was wrong.

"I'll….um…leave you guys to it. She quickly reached out and squeezed Misty's arm reassuringly before winking at Ash.

She walked back into the reception hall to see that Paul was not where she left him. She scanned the room and couldn't find him…until a glimpse of purple flashed in the corner of her eye.

Dawn stared in awe as she reached a hand to her mouth, her eyes tearing up. Paul was gracefully sweeping her mum across the dance floor.

Dawn watched until the song ended, then made sure she hadn't let any happy tears escape before walking over to talk to Paul.

"Misty, you're my beautiful wife…and I want you to know that you can tell me anything." Ash said it so earnestly, it was comforting.

Misty felt her eyes welling up as she looked into his big brown eyes, "Ash…I'm…pregnant."

He stared. After a minute or two she started to panic until his face broke out into a grin.

"REALLY!?" He screamed, lifting her up and spinning her around.

She laughed at the concern on his face when he placed her back on the ground, "Oh, Mist I'm sorry I should be more careful, he made sure she was standing steadily before placing a hand on her stomach.

"I'm the luckiest man alive," he said before kissing her.

"I'm so relieved; I thought you were going to be sad about it happening so soon."

"Misty, I can't wait to have kids with you. Imagine a little girl with my hair and your eyes…I just hope she doesn't get your temper." He said the last bit so seriously that Misty whacked him lightly with her hand, but smiled anyway.

They stayed on the balcony for another ten minutes making out and saying 'I love you' over and over. They had never been more in love with each other.

After the song finished Paul led Johanna off the dance floor, "There's someone you should meet."

"Excuse me, Delia?" Paul inquired, interrupting her from talking to some family members.

When she had given him her full attention he began the introduction, "This is Johanna, Dawn's mother."

The two women smiled warmly at one another and immediately began discussing their kids, the wedding and well anything else they had in mind. Paul smirked to himself until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around to face Dawn who was grinning, "Paul, I can't believe you did that. It was very sweet of you."

"It was nothing." After a minutes pause he continued, "I guess we may as well get this dance over with," he said it with a smirk on his face so that she knew he was joking.

She eagerly accepted and they soon found themselves dancing to some romantic slow song.

"Weddings just make so happy, you know?" Dawn had stars in her eyes.

"Yeah, I can see that."

"I know but it's just so fun. Everyone is so happy and the whole thing is romantic…it's just nice. I always pictured my wedding would be a lot like this, light and fluffy and I'd wear the most beautiful dress." She was daydreaming whilst still dancing.

When she realised that she was talking to Paul she immediately snapped out of it, "Oh, um I mean…I'm sorry that's not what I meant to say."

"It's okay."

"No it's not, Paul I wasn't implying that...we…would get married I was just talking in general about my wedding…" She realised she'd better stop talking before she put her foot in it any more than she already had.

"Is that…something that you'd want?" He asked her quietly.

Her mouth fell agape, and she had to collect herself before replying, "Um…well…I mean we aren't even dating right? So I uh…guess not."

He felt his heart drop, despite the fact that he had heard her say that she would be happy to spend the rest of her life with him earlier that day. Did it bother her that he didn't like labels? After a lot of thinking that day he'd come to realise that maybe they were dating.

"Well what if we were dating?"

"But we aren't," She wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"Well maybe we should be."

"You want me to be your girlfriend?" Her voice was timid and unsure, she didn't want to jump to conclusions and cause him to run for the hills.

He pursed his lips for a minute before letting out a deep breathe, "yes."

Dawn beamed, "really?!" She squealed loudly and blushed when she realised the couples dancing around them had looked over thinking something was wrong.

Paul coughed, "yes…but don't make me change my mind."

Dawn knew he was just joking so she allowed him to pull her in closer and keep dancing. It might not have been a huge step, but it was certainly a step in the right direction. It was huge for Paul.

The rest of the night had gone by smoothly, with all the guests finally heading home, leaving the eight friends.

Johanna and Delia were approaching Ash and Misty to say goodnight.

Ash tapped his champagne glass with a fork lightly to get everyone's attention.

"Guys, me and my new wife would like to thank you all for your ongoing help and support. It has meant a lot to us, and to uh…end the night we have a little bit of news."

The girls smiled knowingly but let the two have their moment.

"We're pregnant!" Misty yelled excitedly with Ash bringing her in for a light kiss before being pummelled by his mother.

"Muuuuumm, stop!" He groaned but he was smiling at the same time. When Delia pulled away she went to hug Misty before Ash stopped her briefly.

"Wait! Be gentle with my pregnant wife."

Delia rolled her eyes playfully and proceeded to hug and congratulate Misty.

The boys all jumped on Ash giving him congratulatory punches, whilst Paul just smirked, watching.

Johanna approached Dawn, "Hi Dawn, isn't that exciting?!"

"Yeah, they look really happy," she agreed.

"So Paul was lovely enough to introduce me to Delia tonight, and we have decided to buy two tickets to a cruise around Johto…we leave tomorrow."

"Wow mum that's great!" Dawn pulled her mum in for a hug.

Johanna soon called Paul over and she gave him a big bear hug, "And you, I will be so happy if I can one day celebrate at your wedding to my beautiful daughter. Will you take care of her while I'm gone? You know how troublesome she can be." Johanna winked at Paul and he smirked.

"Oh, I know."

Dawn groaned, "I think I liked it better when you two didn't get along." She was pretending to be dejected but she couldn't help but notice that Paul didn't seem fazed when her mother had mentioned marriage. It made her feel warm inside.

The two ridiculously happy and excited mothers left, leaving the eight to themselves.

It wasn't long before Gary had made a suggestion.

"Okay guys, how about we play truth or dare but you know…with alcohol," Gary said.

After hearing a chorus of 'yeah' and 'sure' the group moved to one of the tables.

Paul and Dawn took a seat next to each other at the table, whilst Gary retrieved some shot glasses and a bottle of vodka from the bar.

"Okay, who wants to go first?"

Ash stood up eagerly, "Leaf! I dare you dance on this table to "Who let the dogs out?" It was amusing that no matter what stage in life they were at, they were clearly never growing up.

Leaf smirked at the challenge as Gary turned up the music to accommodate his girlfriend's embarrassment.

"Ash, that's cake," Leaf said smoothly, as she climbed on to the bench and began to dance like a crazy person. The others could not stop laughing. After she was finished, she got down and took a shot of vodka, thinking about what dare she wanted to give.

"Okay, Gary I dare you to skull your beer."

He didn't even respond, he just began sculling and in about thirty seconds his beer was completely gone, he then followed it up with downing one of the shots he had made earlier.

"I was hoping you'd pick me. Drew, I dare you to give May a compliment. Something genuine," Gary winked, he was grinning like the Cheshire cat. He just figured it would be funny to watch Drew squirm.

May instantly turned beet red at the thought. It seemed a bit awkward to her, Drew was going to be forced to give her a compliment. Despite the fact that they were dating, nothing had really changed between them, besides a few rare moments. They still argued a lot but it was really only the way in which they said things that was different.

Drew looked at his cup before looking sincerely at May, "I think you have beautiful eyes."

A few moments passed by while they stared at each other, before he realised Ash had handed the shot to him. He threw it back and smirked evilly, he already knew what he was going to say, "Dawn, I'm sorry."

"Why are you –?" She couldn't finish that sentence because Drew continued.

"Paul, I dare you to kiss Dawn. But the good kind of kiss, not the 2 second one."

Silence. There was complete silence.

"No."

"It's just a kiss Paul."

"No."

"Look its fine, can we stop playing this game?" Dawn said quickly as she abruptly stood up and walked to the bar to retrieve a new bottle of red wine, to refill her glass, she was quite drunk at this point.

"He obviously doesn't have the balls to do it," If she was sober, she would never have said it.

"Pfft, that's not it."

"Well then prove it big shot. You think you're so tough all the time. But you wouldn't dare kiss me in front of people now would you?" she taunted.

"Troublesome," he growled.

"See. Told you. You kiss me all the time I really don't see the big deal Paul. Maybe I'll just have to find someone else to kiss me in public."

He knew she was joking, but that line had driven him crazy anyway.

She had her back to him as she was pouring her drink. Once she put the bottle down and her hands were free, Paul spun her around and kissed her passionately. Both his hands were resting lightly on her jaw-line and her hands had moved to rest on his forearms.

After a minute he pulled away but kept his forehead pressed to hers.

He didn't have to say anything, but she knew when she looked into his eyes that he was asking her to stay with him.

She bit her lip and they began to move away from each other as their friends let out 'awes' and wolf whistles.

"See, it's not that hard." She whispered as she smiled.

After she had put away the bottle she used to pour her drink she turned back to the table to sit next to Paul.

What happened next shocked everyone as he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap. There was a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks but everyone ignored it, knowing that it was a big thing for Paul to do.

"Anything to shut you up, girlfriend," he whispered in her ear.

Dawn grinned, before she sat comfortably for the rest of night. Truth be told, she had never been happier. And to think, it all started with her Dirty Little Secret.

All finished! Thanks for reading. I have an idea for a one-shot connected to this and a completely new story too so keep posted for those. Special mention to theasianwonder for her continued support!