A/N: I'm back, everyone! I felt motivated to write a one-shot for you all. This one should be taken completely separate from The Leaves of Change. It's still pokeshipping though, so enjoy!

EDIT: Cleaned up a few mistakes.

-Sarah

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its characters.

Misty stared out into space, thinking about how on earth she was going to tell Ash. Sure, they had been married for over a year now, and it was bound to happen eventually, but at the same time, she was still unprepared for this.

She knew that something didn't feel right. What she had originally brushed off to be a stomach bug was very much not so. And then she realized that something had not arrived. So she waited. And waited. And after another week had gone by and still nothing, she broke down and got a test. So there she stood, gazing back down at it, thinking that somehow the positive result would be changed.

He would be home soon. They had talked on the phone earlier that morning, and he announced that he would be home for dinner, much to her surprise. Even though they were now married, he still traveled away a lot, chasing his dream of being a Pokémon Master. Misty, who loved her job too much to let it go, remained at the gym. The couple was living in an apartment a few blocks down the road—close enough to gym to be convenient, but still away from her sisters. It wasn't huge, but considering it was just Misty for much of time, and she only spent her nights there, it was enough.

She supposed that they would need to move again soon. The apartment was large enough for the three of them, if you included Pikachu. However, it would not really accommodate the four of them. She sighed, knowing that they would have months to figure that one out. Her more pressing matter, though, was how on earth she was going to break the news to her husband.

Later that night, the table was set and Misty stood in front of the stove, making the finishing touches on dinner. This night was important, so she settled on making a simple chicken dish in order to reduce the chance of ruining it. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist as she shut the stove off, causing her to jump.

"Hey beautiful," Ash said, smiling broadly at her.

"Ash, you scared the bejesus out of me!"

"Sorry," he said, scratching his head. She turned to face him. "I tried calling you from the doorway. I guess you didn't hear me."

"Oh," she replied. She had been too distracted, thinking of a way to tell him. She continued to feel lost on the subject. "Dinner is almost ready if you want to go open the wine or something."

He planted a kiss on her lips. "Yeah, sure. It's nice to be home."

Misty was unusually quiet during dinner, Ash noticed. She sat, twirling her pasta in circles as he yammered on about his adventures while training. She didn't even seem that excited when he told her about the two badges he earned in the past month. He couldn't see why, but she seemed…distracted. That was the right word for it. There was something bothering her, but knowing his wife, he wouldn't be able to coax it out of her anyway.

Her glass of wine remained untouched, another oddity that he noticed. It had become a tradition that they share a bottle of wine upon his return home after an extended period away. It had been her idea, but this time she wasn't too enthusiastic about it. He thought it strange, but had not yet caught on to the reason why she strictly stuck to her glass of water.

He chatted about the new trainers he had met and the battles he had one. She tried to be happy that he was home, but she couldn't help her nervousness. Afraid that it would upset him, she had put off telling him. She knew that the moment he knew, she would be crushing his dreams. He would feel obligated to stay. She couldn't do that to him. She loved him too much to do that.

Maybe it was her anxiety. Or it could have been the chicken. However, for whatever reason, Misty had been hit by a sudden wave of nausea. It had been happening off and on for the past week, much to her dismay. Morning sickness was a grave fallacy. She happened to get it at any time of the day.

She covered her mouth, knowing that she had seconds to make it to the the tiny bathroom. "Excuse me."

Ash watched his wife as she sprinted down the hallway, perplexed at her actions. The sound of her vomiting only added to his confusion. Concerned, he threw his napkin down on the table before heading to the bathroom. His chocolate cake remained untouched.

He discovered her slumped against the toilet. Her cheek was pressed against the porcelain, which in her opinion, felt good. The instance of relief was short lived. Another wave crashed over her and she felt the bile coming back up and opened her mouth in time for it to spill out into the toilet bowl. Ash grimaced, inhaling sharply, hoping that he wouldn't have to join her.

She groaned as she vomited once more. What was the point of even eating? This time, however, she felt gentle hands gather the loose hair from around her face and hold it back until she was finished. She panted heavily in exhaustion as he flushed the toilet for her. Ash stared down at his wife, whom leaned her back against the toilet, unable to stand for fear of needing to use it once more.

He crouched down to face her. "Are…you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, wiping her mouth. "Dinner didn't agree with me I guess."

He stared at her intently. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she said, knowing that this would be an opportune moment to tell him. Yet, it was still too frightening.

"Well, in that case," he said before scoping her up in his arms. He carried her out of the bathroom and headed in the direction of their small bedroom.

"Ash, what are you doing?" Misty asked, alarmed by his actions.

He held her tight against his chest. "Obviously you're sick. So I'm taking you to bed so you can rest."

"I'm fine really."

"Mist, just shut up and let me take care of you."

She opened her mouth to protest when she caught a whiff of his scent from his shirt. Inhaling deeply, the sweet aroma calmed her body. She buried her face deeper into his chest, taking in all of him. Oh god, how she had missed him! Half the time, she was too preoccupied to notice, but it always hit her hard when he came home. She wanted him with her all the time, but she never said anything because she wouldn't be the one to hold him back from his dreams. She loved to be with him, but she loved him even more.

Maybe it was because he had been gone for a longer time than usual. Or it could have been from the new influx of hormones. For whatever reason, she started to sob into his chest. He placed her on their bed, and noticed the fresh tears. Lying down next to her, he pulled her in a tight embrace.

"Mist, what's wrong?"

"I missed you," she said, cursing at herself for letting the information slip.

Ash pecked his lips against her forehead. "I missed you, too."

"No, you don't understand. I miss you all the time. I hate it when you leave." She was now vomiting her words.

He sat in stunned silence. She had never mentioned this before now. Was she this hurt all the time? "I thought you were fine with our arrangement," he finally managed to get out.

She shook her head. "I hate being away from you, but I don't want that to stop you from achieving your dreams. I know how important it is to you."

He put her face gently in his hands, wiping a stray tear from her cheek with one of his thumbs. "Not as important as you are, Mist. You should know how much I love you."

"You do?" She hiccupped.

"Of course I do," he said, wrapping her in his arms. "My dream since I was young was to be a Pokémon Master, but to be honest—being with you is kind of my new dream. Being on the road is fun, but I miss you like crazy. I wish you could come with me, but I understand that you need to take care of the gym. If I have to choose between you and being a Pokémon Master, I chose you."

"Ash," she said, the tears forming in her eyes. "I don't want to make you choose."

"You're not," he said firmly. "I've been thinking about this for a while, but I thought since you were okay with everything that I would pretend to be because I thought that you wanted me to continue training…but since that's not the case, I guess it's time I came home for good. I can help you with the gym until we figure something else out."

He grinned at her with that stupid grin he had never grown out of, and her heart skipped a beat. She had been wrong all along. This wouldn't cause him to stop traveling around. He was already planning on doing so. How could she have been so stupid?

"Ash?"

"Hmmm?"

"I have something to tell you."

"What?"

She swallowed. It was best to get it over with. Rip the band-aid off. "I'm pregnant."

His heart skipped, his breath catching in his throat. Had he heard her right? "Y-You're what?"

"Pregnant," she repeated. "As in we're going to have a baby."

"Yes, I know what that means," he said, running his one of his hands through his hair, making it even messier. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I took the test this morning. It was positive."

"Wow."

"Is that all you have to say?"

Ash stared down at his wife, trying to find the words. He was experiencing extreme happiness. Some would call it euphoria. They were having a baby. He was going to be a father. That fact settled in, and the nerves began to make their way inside. Would he be a good father? He sure hoped he would. It worried him because his dad was so absent. There was no one in his life that would be a good example, except maybe Brock or something. He had always taken care of the two of them when they were kids. Maybe it was similar.

Ash kissed her deeply. "I love you."

"You said that earlier."

"Well, I'm saying it again," he commented before placing a shaky hand on her stomach. "And I love you as well, little one."

Misty had a hard time containing her happiness as well. "So you're staying home for good then?"

"Well I'm going to have to now. I'm not leaving the two of you alone for a second."

"You know I can take care of myself, right?"

"I know, Mist. I know."