Some people have finals before Christmas/winter break..I am blessed to have it after (actually I prefer before ;c). I'll be busy working on stuff for it so I won't have time for writing. Happy new year everyone~! My New Year resolution is to write more. I've already done pretty well I suppose. December alone I published a couple one shots for Pokemon and even non-pokemon stories. Without further ado, here is chapter 18.

-x-

Dawn rubbed her eyes as she sat upright. She pressed her hand against her slightly throbbing temples. Last night was nothing but a blur.

"Where am I?" She said out loud as her vision danced from corner to corner. She recalled being at Ursula's house previously for the party; yet here she was wrapped in a pink blanket in someone else's living room. She stood and began to nearly fold the blanket; at the same time trying to see if there was any name embroidered. She noticed the shelves built into the wall and examined their contents as she tried to contemplate about where she could be and what events caused her to wake up in a stranger's home.

There were no pictures, and the occasional novel was present -mostly horror- as if placed there to add to her fear. She glided her finger against the window sill. As she expected; the place was dusty as well as old looking. She had enough recollection of Ursula's home to know it didn't belong to the pink haired girl. She touched the fading wallpaper, feeling lumps of plaster underneath. The window blinds were closed for the most part with some sunshine rays squeezing in from the minuscule gaps.

"What happened?" Dawn gasped as she tried to look for her phone. Her pockets were empty and though her eyes scanned every area of the room, it didn't appear to be close by.

She didn't see a device that could call the police lying anywhere near her. She exhaled as she dashed to the front door, ready to run out before her "abductor" came in. Her hands laced the lock, vibrating it as she tried to bust open the door. She clenched her teeth, it wasn't working. Dawn leaned in, trying to get a better look, but to no avail.

The distant sounds of footsteps filled the background as Dawn desperately rattled the lock. She felt her hands grow sweaty as she tried to escape. Her thoughts wandered over to the window. She clawed apart the blinds as she examined the outside. It was a two story building; if she jumped she still had a good chance of survival. It was better than staying idle and allowing whoever the attack was to get her. She fingered the locks, finding it far simpler to understand as she successfully twisted the knob and only needed to remove the screen. Just as she held the screen up, having dismantled it from the window, the front door abruptly flew open.

Dawn panicked, holding the screen up as a mode of defense.

Leaf dropped the brown bag she was previously carrying as her jaws fell to the floor. "What the Hell are you doing?" she questioned as she furiously stomped towards Dawn's direction.

Dawn felt her cheeks heat up; she was in Leaf's house. She nervously swiped her forehead as she tried to reattach the screen.

Furrowing her eyebrow, Leaf pulled Dawn back and turned her by the shoulders so both their eyes met, "Explain," she deadpanned as she crossed her arms.

"Uhh...what am I doing here?" Dawn asked, dodging the question. She preferred not to explain her wild imagination and what she intended to do as a result.

"You answer first," Leaf demanded.

Dawn pursed her lips, "Um, I think I deserve an explanation first. I did wake up in your apartment after all."

Leaf sighed, "I see you don't remember."

Dawn shrugged as she handed Leaf her screen back, "My memory is foggy."

Leaf snatched it out of her hands and quickly reattached it, "I promise you'll get an explanation. But first, tell me why you took out my window screen. Were you planning on jumping? Is there something you need to tell me?" She raised an eyebrow as Dawn's embarrassment deepened

"Well uh...I was," Dawn blushed as she rolled back her shoulders, "What else was I supposed to assume?" she finally said as she bit her lip back. "I wake up somewhere I've never been and can barely remember a thing."

Leaf wrinkled her nose, dipping her head as it swayed, "Well," she began, looking up; "Jumping out of the window would have been a horrible option. You could've just broken down the front door, kicked it open—something among those lines," she begged to disagree.

Dawn glanced towards the door, "You're probably right," she said as her eyes traced the patterns of a wooden chair.

Leaf placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'm glad you didn't think of that, though. I'm also extremely glad I got home in time before you jumped out the window," she teased as she retreated to her room. When she came back she held two bottles of what Dawn recognized as conditioner and shampoo, along with a pair of sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt.

Dawn pointed at herself as she hesitantly received the items, "Me?" she asked.

"Yes," Leaf clarified, "Shower's across from my room. Afterwards, come out and we'll eat—oh right, I dropped it," she said as she picked the bag off the floor.

"You'll tell me what happened, right?" Dawn asked as she peaked out from the bathroom.

Leaf nodded, motioning her to hurry and shower, "Try and remember what you can, the shower provides time for deep thought."

-x-

Dawn breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned against the cream white door. Still holding the bundles of lent belongings, she turned on the lights before she flipped the handle for the shower; deliberately making it hotter than usual. She placed the shampoo and conditioner close by before hanging up her lent garments. Leaf told her to check the mirror cabinet for a hand towel; her hand ran through, searching, until finally she felt soft fabric beneath her fingertips. She picked up a strand of her own hair, evidently tangled.

"What happened last night?" she asked herself softly as she took off her necklace, placing it inside a small, box-like container that rested on the marble.

She was there for Ursula, she recalled entering her room and losing her ring—which she also placed inside the small box for safe keeping. She was planning on leaving early, Iris was there and was like usual, kind— something happened that kept her at the party longer.

As she took off the rest of her clothes and stepped inside the shower, she tried to recall what she was missing. Her hair was a mess as a result of what may have occurred. She examined her body, checking for any cuts or bruises and came up with no results.

"So I didn't get into a fight…not that I would but who knows what happened," she mumbled to herself as she placed a good amount of shampoo on her palm. She ran it through her hair as she tried to remember what followed after leaving Ursula's room. She knew Ursula saw her enter; and soon later she retreated down the stairs.

As she was rinsing off the remaining shampoo, she sniffed as something floated into her mind. She reopened the tube of shampoo and smelled it. Her eyes widened as she realized the shampoo's scent matched the, or was at least identical to, the scent of the candles in Ursula's house.

The smell of lavender was present all throughout the home, including Ursula's room. There was an especially strong scent on a table surrounded by couches. She let out a sigh, she could recall scents but she couldn't remember what happened that led her to end up in Leaf's home.

She recalled smelling it as she waited for Ursula to appear, it wasn't at all a hindrance, and in fact she liked the scent. She tried to concentrate as the hot water soothed her. As she waited, she recalled someone appearing to her.

She couldn't make out the face no matter how much effort she exerted. A sigh escaped her mouth as she fumbled the conditioner. She quickly picked it up, hoping Leaf didn't assume she fell because of the sound of its drop. Her eyes jumped to the wrapper, the image of a girl with shoulder-length black hair was plastered. As she applied it, her memory began to unscramble.

It wasn't a girl, but rather a boy with black hair. She placed her thumb on her chin as she began to think. Portraits of various individuals popped in her mind, but not the one she met yesterday.

-x-

Leaf smoothed out the table cloth before carefully setting the plates over decorative plate mates. She grinned as she added a set of silverware by three plates—one for each of the people attending. Her eyes wandered to the clock hung high-up behind the table. It was getting late, if he didn't come within the next ten minutes she would be convinced he backed out. Leaf had no right to tell Dawn, at least in her opinion. For one, she had a small sketch of the entire picture. She barely knew Paul and her opinion of him was nothing short of negative. After yesterday, she began to view him in a better light. If he didn't show up, she would understand—he was the epitome of the term antisocial. If he did, her opinion would grow fonder still.

She let out a deep breath as she swiped her hand over her forehead. The doorbell then rung, causing her lips to curl up with satisfaction—believing he took her advice into consideration. She jogged over and unlocked it in a somewhat hurried manner as her smile grew wider.

Her expression dropped as the door revealed another face. Without showing any emotion, she began to close it however; the man on the other side pressed his hand against it and ceased her efforts. He smirked as he walked in; bringing his wrist up as he checked the time.

"What are you doing here?" Leaf hissed.

Gary's smirk deepened. "I came to check on Dawn, she was out of it yesterday."

She rolled her eyes. He was unexpected as well as unwelcome.

He began to stroll into her kitchen, raising his eyebrow as he noticed the three plates set out. "Well, I didn't expect Paul to come either."

Leaf chuckled dryly, "The grass outside is pretty damn long. Do all the tenants a favor and snack on that instead." She further smirked as she saw him ball his fist.

"The grass is filthy, do you want me to catch a disease?" he deadpanned.

"Can't be worse than whatever else you have," Leaf muttered just before the doorbell rang once more.

As she swiveled, ready to answer the door to welcome in the expected visitor—she saw Gary peak through at what she bought, glaring as he realized there were only three cartons available.

He was her tutor, and while she detested him, she knew she could get a good laugh from his reactions. She needed some lightning up, and constantly putting down Gary Oak was a perfect remedy.

"Good morning," Leaf greeted as she opened the door.

Paul nodded as he entered. He gazed at the couch where Dawn spent the night before looking back at Leaf, silently asking where she was.

"Taking a shower," Leaf answered as she motioned him to follow her.

"Well, look who decided to show up," Gary said with a mouth stuffed with food. He swung the omelet with the tips of his fingers as Leaf grimaced.

"That wasn't for you," she snarled as he fitted the entire thing into his mouth at once.

He shrugged as if he did nothing. His entire mouth was full, which caused his cheeks to expand as a result.

"Well, winter is coming," Leaf began as she crossed her arms, her anger beginning to fade, "I suppose it's natural you store up before your hibernation."

Paul shook his head, "Pigs don't hibernate," he sneered as he sharply pivoted away from Gary.

Gary pursued his lip as he angrily continued chewing.

Leaf smirked. Who knew Paul had a small sense of humor?

-x-

As she showered, Dawn wondered if the bar of soap would provide any details, to her dismay it didn't. She changed into the clothes Leaf provided before wrapping a towel around her hair. She chuckled at her reflection as she turned to the side she remembered watching Cinderella as a child. Her hair to the ball was somewhat like how Dawn's hair looked now, except actual hair in place of a towel. Her train of thoughts took off and her thoughts transported from the princess Cinderella to Cinderella Man, and Cinderella Man had a friend Dawn thought she had unmasked.

Prince Charming…the boy she met had the same hair color, length, and style as the boy she met last night. Her hand grasped the knob before she immediately let it go.

She remembered. He admitted to her who he was, and that was as far as Dawn knew she could uncover. A grim smile plastered across her face as she tilted her head down, trying to make sense of who Prince Charming really was and what his true intentions were.

-x-

The sound of the door opening brought Paul's attention towards the hallway. Gary and Leaf entered a useless verbal argument over everything—and due to that Paul spaced out. He saw Leaf's grin widen as Dawn walked out, a towel draped across her shoulders as she combed through her wet hair.

Her eyes widened as she came to an abrupt stop upon seeing two certain guests—Gary and Paul. She spread out the towel over the front of her body as she furrowed her brow in confusion. "What are you doing here?" she demanded as she glared at Gary.

"Long time no see," Gary greeted with a small wave of his hand.

Dawn's eyes lingered over to Paul. He was sitting up-right on Leaf's couch with his hands folded.

"And you are?" she questioned.

His throat ran dry; he couldn't figure out the correct words to say. After last night he stayed up trying to figure out whether or not Leaf made a valid point. He contemplated calling Reggie, though he knew that would do no good as Reggie sided with Leaf without even knowing her. After deep thought, he decided to show up.

"Friend of Ash and May's," he began, deciding to start with a causal connection.

Dawn swung her comb mobilizing only her finger as she asked, "Name?"

Paul rolled his eyes. "My name is Paul," he answered in a rude tone.

Her eyes beamed. "You helped me that one time!" she said as her lips curled into a grateful smile.

Paul nodded as she stuck out her hand and began slightly waving it around while she waited for him to shake it. He huffed as he shook her hand lightly, causing Dawn to promptly frown at his unpleasant demeanor.

"Guess someone isn't a morning person," she commented as she crossed her arms. Her eyes darted back to Gary; she never did confront him over what he did to Misty. He smirked as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Leaf," Dawn started as she pointed at both boys, "Why are Paul and It here?" she asked—refusing to refer to Gary by his name or even the male pronoun.

Gary winked before Leaf shoved him back as she stepped closer. "It involves what happened last night. Dawn, what can you remember?" Leaf asked as she pinched Gary's arm, causing him to flinch slightly.

Dawn took a seat right across from Paul and gestured Leaf to join her. As both girls sat down, Dawn looked at Paul once more with a sense of curiosity in her gaze. Her head slightly tilted to the side; he didn't make any response.

"I went to Ursula's room," Dawn began as flashes of that timeframe played through. "I was going to go home, but then this guy came up to me," she narrated as she folded her hands.

Leaf squinted, taking note of Dawn's grim expression. She knew the answer, though considering how Dawn was during her drunken period; Leaf didn't expect Dawn to possibly know what happened.

Gary strolled and took a seat next to Paul (to the latter's evident dismay) as Dawn continued on.

"So…there's this guy I know named Paul," Dawn said, her gaze towards the floor, "Not that Paul," she clarified before swallowing a lump in her throat.

"And he got you drunk?" Gary asked as his patience was winding down.

Dawn pursed her lip, rolling her eyes at his interruption. "Listen," she hissed, "I don't know why you are here," she turned to Leaf for a brief moment, raising both eyebrows as she wordlessly questioned what Gary's role was, "I…this doesn't concern you. I'd actually appreciate it if you left."

Leaf raised a hand, "I second that," she deadpanned as she stood, sharply pointing towards the exit.

Gary shrugged, "I helped yesterday and this is my reward?"

Leaf stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder as she sat on the arm of the couch. "What will it take for you to leave?" she questioned, trying to control her anger. Even breathing the same oxygen as him was unbearable.

"A kiss," he answered swiftly.

Leaf looked at Dawn's astonished grin. The bluenette blinked, needing a double take at whatever was unraveling.

"Fine," Leaf answered as she placed a hand under his chin and tilted it upward. With the other hand she grabbed the roll of duct tape lying on the side table. She hid it as he closed his eyes, expecting a kiss. She ferociously ripped a long piece out and tapped his mouth, pressing it to ensure it stuck as much as possible.

His eyes fluttered open as he began mumbling curses. Dawn cringed as she heard the sound of tape ripping. Leaf didn't place it on gently; it stuck to skin and ripped out some hair above his lip.

"You wanted a kiss. Duct tape was the only one here willing," Leaf snarled as she stomped back to her seat.

Paul let out a loud cough. It's been thirty minutes and he was irritated with Leaf and Gary's bickering. He didn't contemplate coming for either of them, he wasn't present because of them, and he was here for one purpose and one person only.

He clenched his fist; his mind gave the words an almost desperate-sounding tone. As both Leaf and Gary escaped into another irrelevant argument; Paul glanced over at Dawn, who never quite finished retelling her story. He stood up and walked in between the two before a murder could be committed.

"Listen, you two can deal with your immaturity another time. Someone here needs an explanation of what happened last night," he said, eyeing Dawn from the corner of his eye.

Both ceased their arguing and took a seat on opposite sides as the spotlight fell to Dawn.

-x-

For someone that seemed incredibly upset to breathe the same air as her—Dawn found herself appreciating him. He helped her once again. Still, Dawn wasn't sure why he would bother caring. She was still curious on their apparent involvement; especially Gary's considering he's supposed to be in college.

She took a deep breath as she contemplated how to word the entire situation. Gary was her best friend's ex-boyfriend, for Misty's sake "Cinderella Man" wouldn't be mentioned one bit. She'd exclude him and focus on "Prince Charming."

"This summer, I lost my phone. A boy picked it up, and his friend and I somehow became friends," Dawn explained, taking a short breath as she tried to figure out how the explain the rest. Paul wasn't paying any attention and instead was fixated on the window. He was probably waiting for her to finish before he'd explain what his role was in last night's frenzy.

"And?" Leaf asked.

"You'd befriend a stranger but find my presence appalling? At least you know I'm not a creep," Gary hissed as he crunched down on the couch. Dawn saw him eye Paul before swinging his attention back to her.

"We became friends," Dawn said, pretending Gary didn't exist, "He acted like a stuck-up jerk at first. He honestly is even as we became closer. He's…I'd say cold, but he's difficult to describe. I could tell him anything and he would be brutally honest, but talking to him was always pretty interesting too," Dawn continued, stopping for a moment to see if everyone else was following along.

"So, how does this pedophile relate to that boy you met in the party?" Gary questioned.

"He isn't a pedophile," Dawn defended, "He was the boy I met at the party. I've wanted to meet him for a long time, and I did one day when I went off crying…but that isn't important," she said as she recalled the day Ash told her about a petty rumor that may just go around. It ended up becoming a bluff and the entire situation was forgotten about.

"And does Misty know about your online friend?" Gary questioned as he raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up," Leaf demanded.

Gary sunk lower into the couch as he began mouthing unpleasant words.

"She does. But she doesn't know what his intentions were," Dawn said as she averted her gaze to the floor. "I trusted him…and he got me drunk?" she said, asking the question to herself.

"Dawn…" Leaf trailed off, she didn't think Dawn would truly believe Conway was the actual friend of hers.

She frowned; balling a fist as she continued on. She wasn't going to cry, not in front of any of them. "He gave me a drink, that's the last thing I remember. He was acting weird the entire time, and I know why," she said as her voices slightly crackled. "He was with Ursula. It was him, I'm pretty sure. He showed me proof; the first time we met I had this feeling in my heart. And Ursula—all of you were right. I did some thinking and I think she planned it," Dawn said as a sigh exited her mouth. She shook her head, chuckling at her naïve-self. "Our friendship was a lie; he was waiting for that moment for when he finally would get me to embarrass myself. I can't believe I trusted him. All of what he told me was a probably a lie as well. I should've seen this coming, there were signs early on I probably just ignored," she announced as she kept her gaze away from anyone else's eyes. She bit her lip, awaiting their responses.

"Dawn…" Leaf began gently. She was gawking as her eyes were filled with shock. Even Gary was somehow perplexed at what she said. Dawn cocked her head to the side; what was wrong with what she admitted?

The sound of the door squeaking open startled Dawn as she turned to see Paul begin to leave. "Wait," she called out, standing up. He turned to her, glaring as he impatiently waited for her to answer.

"What?"

"What was your role in this entire mess?" Dawn questioned.

"Paul, where are you going?" Leaf asked.

"I was around the neighborhood and helped you out. Leaf and Gary were at the gas station and we decided to bring you here, that's all, nothing else happened," Paul groaned as he walked off. "Wasted my time," he added, muttering it under his breath.

Leaf stood up and began chasing after him. "Come back!" she called out as she ran out the hallway.

Gary went after them both, noticing Dawn's confused expression he stopped. "Wait for a moment," he said, holding out a hand to emphasis his point. He closed the door as he ran out, leaving Dawn even more confused.

She sat back down, twirling her strands of hair as she tried to decipher what the commotion was.

"Maybe I should follow them," Dawn mused out loud.

-x-

Dawn crept down the stairs. Her senses were tingling with confusion. First, she pondered what even happened to her last night-a question she had yet to receive an answer to. Secondly, Paul...whatever his last name was, was acting rude. She knew from what she heard and from a brief phone call that he got grouchy easily. She figured he had some soft spot, though; he already helped her on two occasions. A sigh escaped from her throat as she wondered what his problem was. She obviously wasn't in on whatever Leaf, Paul, and-of all people-Gary Oak-were scheming. She was positive they conspired together. She couldn't keep her mind off Gary's suggestion for her to stay put while he and Leaf chase down the ever so pleasant "savior" of hers.

"I figure out one Paul and now here's a new one," Dawn expressed as she spotted the trio outside, talking to Paul. Leaf had her arms spread out on in front of her as she tried to point him towards the entrance. He shook his head and pivoted away until Gary physically grabbed him back.

Dawn raised an eyebrow at the scene. What was Paul hiding that Leaf and Gary wanted him to say or do so badly? She opened a window and went down on her knees as she tried to listen to what they were saying. Her head bobbed up, making her slightly visible. To her dismay, the closer she was to the window meant the best hearing quality. She didn't want to risk mishearing a word, especially knowing she was somehow involved.

"I thought you were going to tell her," Leaf chimed in.

"I just wanted to see if she lived. She did, that's all," Paul claimed.

Gary nodded. "Speaking of which; how did you manage to keep her alive, Leaf? Dealing with someone drunk isn't fun."

Leaf scowled. "I've had experience dealing with drunken people, okay? So please, stop redirecting this conversation towards me, Oak. This is about Paul telling Dawn that she is off with her guess."

Dawn gasped loudly. The boy she met…wasn't him? That meant that Paul slash Prince Charming was someone else—someone who was honest with her.

She perked her head, trying to get a better angle. Her gaze fell onto Paul when it began to hit her.

"I'm fine with whatever our acquaintanceship is," Paul said roughly as he walked off.

Leaf shifted, trying to chase after him when Gary pulled her back. She slapped his hand away as a frown crept upon her face.

"Leave him alone, Leaf. He isn't capable of human emotions. He's like that Tin Man from that movie I can't remember. No heart, none," Gary chuckled.

"That's not true," Leaf said, shaking her head. "Everyone has a heart. Not just the organ that pumps blood, but the symbolic meaning of a heart. If he had no heart,why did he bother showing up to help Dawn? Why did he even bother becoming a part of her life?" she questioned out loud.

Dawn's jaws fell to the floor. Her eyes widening as she realized what Paul's problem was. The same name and similar attitude wasn't a coincidence. It was him. She couldn't believe how slow she was to realize it.

She was standing up; her hands pressed against the wooden sill as she leaned closer.

Paul walked back, his eyes still stern looking as he stood in front of Gary. "Don't lecture about hearts. It makes you look like a hypocrite," he stated, looking back at the building behind them. Dawn ducked immediately and fell.

She crawled away from the window and stood back up just as the sound of the door sliding open filled the desolate area.

"What are you doing?" Paul questioned as he crossed his arms.

Dawn's head swung from side to side as she pondered on what to say. There were so many thoughts running through her mind. Yet not even one word was able to escape her mouth.

"I thought I told you to stay upstairs," Gary said as he jogged inside.

Leaf rolled her eyes. "You really think she'd listen?"

"I'll be leaving now," Paul said as he tried to walk off for approximately fifth time that morning.

"No!" Dawn yelled as she grabbed his hand. Her cheeks heated up. She couldn't comprehend what to do in the situation. This wasn't how she imagined meeting up, and her imaginations were never this confusing.

"What?" he spat.

"You know it's me, Prince Charming," Dawn said, saying his nickname in a sarcastic tone.—just like how Drew first muttered it.

He lifted an eyebrow. "What the Hell are you talking about?"

"I heard the conversation," Dawn revealed as she looked at the three surrounding her. "I know it's you, Paul," she said softly.

He breathed out an exhausted sigh, "Guess there isn't anything I can do. You're correct. Happy? I'll be leaving now." He gently detached himself from her grip.

"No; you aren't going anywhere," Dawn practically ordered. To her surprise, he impatiently ceased his attempt to leave—temporarily at least.

"She knows…" Leaf said under her breath as her lips curved into a smile.

Dawn and Paul stood, neither able to say a word. There was something different in this conversation. Dawn had proof it was him and it was the first time the two met face to face.

"I…thank you, first of all," Dawn said appreciatively.

"It was nothing," Paul said monotonously.

"It was. Who knows what could've happened if you didn't help me," Dawn began as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "We'll talk more about what happened last night after I finish."

"Finish what?" Paul questioned.

"The fake Paul yesterday somehow had your phone. He had your phone number and our last conversation word for word—that's a big reason why I was convinced," Dawn informed.

Paul shook his head, "Not my phone, he showed your pictures that he somehow got and you mistook them as the actual screen."

Dawn rubbed her head as she nervously let out a small chuckle. "I…ohh…" she trailed off.

Leaf brought a hand up to her face, sighing.

A pause fell once more—until Leaf decided to take the matter into his own hands.

"Aren't you two friends? I've heard you both stay up all night talking and suddenly in person it's difficult?" she questioned, looking at both Dawn and Paul.

"Wait, how do you two know about this?" Dawn asked.

"Well you were drunk and he had you in the backseat when he went to get gas. Leaf got suspicious and kinda threatened him," Gary said nonchalantly.

"I did not threaten him," Leaf retorted.

"I don't let anyone threaten me," Paul said, agreeing with Leaf.

"Paul's feeling down; that's why he isn't bothering to say a word," said Dawn, her voice gentling.

"I'm not sad," Paul said in a straightforward voice.

"You are. I would be too if I were you," Dawn said as she looked at her feet. The words were beginning to come to her. "I'm sorry I thought whoever that guy—"

"Conway," Paul interrupted.

"That Conway was you," Dawn apologized. "What I said about our friendship…ignore it. I should have known better that you wouldn't do that. I was convinced he was you. Maybe I clung on to my first suspicion because I really wanted to know who you are," Dawn said with a small shrug. He was stunned, evident in his enlarged eyes.

Paul looked over his shoulder, "I need to go…"

"No matter how grouchy you can be, Bipolar, harsh, blunt, sarcastic, infuriating, insulting…" Dawn paused as she tried to think of more adjectives. In the meantime, Paul was slightly fuming at all the words she was conjuring to describe him. "I still wanted to meet you! You're my friend, we met in an abnormal way and even if I couldn't see you, you were still important to me. I was always happy receiving any of your messages. They made my day and hopefully mine made yours too. I told you a lot of things and you responded with an honest answer. When I saw the possibility that you were probably close by, I got excited. Maybe to the point where I lost some common sense," she vented.

"Some?" Paul snarled, "I think the screenshot incident counts for more than some."

Dawn lightly clenched her teeth together. "More than some," she corrected. "Paul, I want to know you too. Not just the mysterious boy on phone, but the real one that is in front of me right now," she said, pointing at him. "You don't need to be some secret part of my life. I want you to be part of it. Like Misty, Drew, and Leaf are. I care about you; that's why I don't want you to distance yourself from me knowing I know who you are. I don't care whatever reputation or life style you have out of the phone. I know what's in your heart, and I'd like to be a part of your life too. That is if you want," she said, gasping for breath as she finished her speech.

Paul rolled his eyes. "Fine, someone needs to make sure you stop getting in trouble and I assume that's my role," he said.

Dawn grinned. A single tear escaped from her eye. The sunlight caused it to sparkle, making it fairly noticeable against her fair skin.

"Why are you tearing up?" Paul questioned as he saw the droplet roll off her chin.

"I'm happy," said Dawn as her smile deepened.

"This isn't something worth crying for," said Paul.

"I'm not crying, though. It was one tear," Dawn retorted.

"Speaking of which; you didn't hurt my feelings so erase that thought from your head. I couldn't care less about what you were assuming," Paul claimed as he crossed his arms.

Dawn creased her eyebrow. "What I said was hurtful. It's just like you to stay it wasn't anything," Dawn said, followed by a small wink.

"That's the truth. I didn't give a damn."

"Umm…I beg to differ," said Dawn.

Paul quickly changed the subject, "First off…how the Hell did you assume that Conway and I had the same personality? Secondly, how do you manage to get into trouble all the time? Third, Conway and I are nothing alike," he sneered, emphasizing a certain point two times.

"In my defense, he kind of imitated you! He probably did do everything purposely," Dawn said defensively. "And I don't know about the trouble part. It's not all the time, either."

Paul let out an exasperated snort. "You need to reevaluate your entire life, Troublesome."

Dawn pursed her lip. "I have questions too! First, is Ash Cinderella Man? Secondly, is your hair actually purple? Third, what is Gary's purpose being here?!"

"Making sure you're okay, Sweetie," Gary said flirtatiously.

"Yes, Ash is Cinderella Man. My hair is naturally purple, is there a problem? Gary was part of the situation last night for some reason and he decided to show up because he is an asshole," Paul answered, glaring at Gary.

"That means Ash is….wait!" Dawn's eyes beamed. "He tells Misty all about his love problems! There's this one girl that he used to hate but not anymore and he is kinda attracted to her…"

Paul paused, thinking about her question. "Well, I don't keep up with his hormonal teenage life—I have better things to do—but I wouldn't completely doubt it. You should know he hasn't broken up with Angie, yet," Paul informed.

"BREAK UP? ANGIE?" Gary shrieked. "What the Hell? How? Ash?!"

"Cinderella Man apparently broke up with his…so he lied," Dawn concluded. "Does he know too? Because I think I have a theory how their relationship has improved."

"Ash isn't even close, trust me. Though there is some truth in that. He's asking Misty for advice about Misty," Paul said. "Honestly, Ash doesn't feel that way towards Angie. You do know the situation, right?"

Dawn nodded. "But…what about Misty?"

"I cannot answer that. He does find her attractive, if that amounts for anything," Paul said with a small shrug.

"Ashy-boy got a girlfriend. How?" Gary questioned.

"Wow…" Dawn said, stepping back, "Misty owes Drew twenty dollars," she joked. The name of Drew triggered another name. She turned to Gary, "You…"

"Me?" he asked, taken back by her cold reaction.

"That means you dated May and Misty at the same time," Dawn muttered as she crossed her arms. "I still never talked to you about the incident this summer…" she said, her voice lowering.

"Is it that big of a deal?" Gary asked, rolling his eyes.

Dawn opened her mouth to speak—he had a point. Cinderella Man excused M.W. already.

"Yes," Paul replied. "This brings me up to the next point. I advise you not to tell Misty, Ash, or anyone else."

"Why not?" questioned Dawn. "If they knew, their relationship would improve."

"We didn't know each other through some other identity. They did. And frankly it's best to let them figure things out on their own. Who knows what it can affect? Especially knowing that Misty is intelligent enough to make connections through what Ash has said," Paul elaborated.

Leaf lifted up her shoulders. "He has a point there."

"I don't know if I can lie to both Drew and Misty about this. Heck, I have no idea how to explain last night," Dawn groaned.

"Don't worry about Drew. He figured it out already," Paul revealed.

"What?!"Dawn's mouth fell open.

"I still need to converse with him about this," Paul mused. "Yes, he has a general idea of everything. And as you can see, he hasn't told anyone because he saw that there could be complications with Misty and Ash."

"Could it really be that complicated?" Dawn asked. "If they find out later, wouldn't it further complicate things?"

"That's a good point too," Leaf said, nodding.

"Maybe, maybe not-it's best to let everything fall into place naturally with them," said Paul. "I don't know how Misty took everything, but May did not take the break up well. And if you are wondering, May has completely no idea about anything. There's a reason why for that too."

Gary coughed obnoxiously, walking further into the middle of the circle. "Okay, I see where this conversation is going. Please, can all of you stop trying to pin the blame on me?" He raised his arms up, motioning them to cease their conversation.

Leaf clenched her fist. "You weren't invited to come, whatever insults you heard are deserved. It's not like we called you to bring you here and insult you."

"And stop trying to dismiss everything you've done, Gary," Dawn added. "I'm in a good mood and I don't want to further ruin it by having to lecture you."

Gary gave her a doubtful look. "Let's hope that would go better than your reaction to alcohol." He then winked as he relaxed his arms smugly.

"Why you…" Dawn hissed. "You should just leave; why was he with you yesterday anyways?"

"He's my new tutor," Leaf said miserably.

"You should change tutors," Dawn advised.

"I can't," Leaf whispered. "I need to keep an eye on him. God knows what he could do knowing all these things," she informed as she leaned in.

Gary parroted her actions. "Are you sure that's what this about, Leaf," he begged to differ.

"What else could it be?"

"Let's not go into that. Besides, you know what I mean regarding my charming personality," he said arrogantly. "I've picked up a lot about you these two days and you aren't as heroic as you want to make yourself appear."

"Two days? Wow, such extensive research. I've had years," she slurred.

"Years of observing me? Well, who's the stalker now?" Gary retorted.

Dawn felt a hand grasp hers, pulling her back gently. She swiveled only her head to see Paul. "P-Paul? What are you doing?"

"We should leave. These two argue every minute," he advised as he let go of her hand.

"Can you fill me in on what happened last night?" Dawn begged. She knew Ursula and Conway were involved and it left her drunk; the rest of the details were still a blur.

"Yes," Paul answered.

"I won't say anything to Misty or Drew… yet. I need to think about this," she promised.

"I won't demand you to stay silent. It's your choice, I just think it's best if we stay on the sidelines and let everything unravel on its own. Not that I care about any of them, but I know you do, so I figured this was a good thought you to contemplate," Paul said as his gaze averted towards Gary and Leaf arguing once more. "We should go."

Dawn nodded. "Wait…"

"Hmm?" Paul raised an eyebrow.

Dawn wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a friendly hug. Paul's eyes widened as he found himself unsure how to respond.

Gary and Leaf ceased arguing after seeing the hug. Paul saw Gary raising his arms in a hugging motion as he smirked.

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her as well; albeit some hesitance was evident.

"I'm glad I found you," Dawn said in a voice only audible to Paul. "Prince Charming," she giggled, reminding him of the nickname he detests.

"Never call me that, again," Paul said tersely as Dawn deepened the hug. He raised an eyebrow.

He…liked it? A warm sensation ran through his body. It was new, something he hadn't experienced before. He pulled away from the hug in a hurried manner. Paul lifted both hands, examining both. The feeling—whatever it was—diminished.

"Are you okay?" Dawn asked with concern.

Paul nodded, giving a voiceless answer.

He couldn't put his finger on what caused that peculiar feeling—perhaps listening to Gary and Leaf argue for two days straight was getting to his brain…

-x-

A/N: So they met. This is honestly probably around the halfway point. I found my old (and quite detailed) outline and I had this at 45 chapters? Safe to say that won't be the case. In my old one I had Paul not tell Dawn till about ten chapters later which significantly stretched the story. I decided to have it happen now, not because it shortens the story, but because Paul and Dawn are the most difficult pairing to develop and I think they need more time knowing the other than having the mysterious drag on.

As I said, finals!~ I have AP Physics tomorrow and another class but AP Physics is the big one. I'm so nervous. Wow, these chapters have been purely Ikari with some Leafgreen. Next chapter, expect pokeshipping c:

Thank you to Hoenn Master96 as always for doing a great job editing.

Ficreader: Yes, you were:D

Guest: Very unpopular opinion. And I agree with you. I wish I didn't make Brianna a villain. It's probably too late to change that but I can do some adjustments towards the end c:

Ready to Fly—Thank you! Glad you liked it

Listen—Thank you. I understand what you mean. I've been really busy with school and I wish I had more time. I feel that for this story they have to be of long length (but nothing like that 17,000 chapter I once did omg) because of developments with characters and ships. I also started the beginning slow and some of the information revealed probably wasn't needed. Though it says 18 chapters I feel like it's actually less. It's a resolution of mine to become more consist with updates though~.

RikaMae365—Aw thank you c: I like Conway as a shady character as well haha.