The sun rose in the clear morning sky, its rays of light coming through the windows of Queen Salvia's palace. Inside one of the palace's bedrooms, the light hit Ash's face and he slowly opened his eyes.

He then realized that he felt something soft and warm resting on his chest. He looked down to see the sleeping form of Dawn, the woman he loved. Her arms were wrapped around his torso and her head laid on his bare chest. She looked so peaceful sleeping there, so Ash decided to let her sleep.

Ash smiled down at her as he brushed some of her long blue hair away from her face. He began to gently run his fingers through her hair, smoothing it down as she slept while his other hand began softly rubbing her bare back.

Dawn smiled in her sleep as Ash showed his silent affection towards her and she held him a little tighter. After a few minutes, Dawn moaned and shifted slightly as she opened her eyes.

Dawn looked up and smiled at Ash. "Good morning." she said and kissed him softly.

She felt his arms around her and she felt at peace. Him holding her in his arms just felt right and she felt safe. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and closing her eyes in content as he ran his hand through her hair once more.

"This is nice. This feels...right." she said softly.

Ash kissed her forehead and looked down at her. "I always wondered what it would be like to wake up in the morning with you beside me like this." Ash said softly.

Dawn hummed in agreement and nodded her head. She lifted her head and looked at him. Ash, the man she loved. She put her hand to his cheek and caressed his face. He closed his eyes from her touch.

"I love you, Dawn. More than you'll ever know." Ash said softly.

"I love you too, Ash." Dawn said.

Dawn sighed softly. She didn't want to get up yet. She didn't want to leave Ash's arms, but they had to leave the palace today. Kissing his cheek, she rolled off of his chest and away from him, signaling that it was time to get up.

"Do you want to shower first?" Ash asked.

"Who says we need to take turns?" Dawn replied playfully.

A mischievous smirk came over Ash's face and he followed her to the bathroom.

Ash was wearing a pair of jeans, a plain red shirt, and his boots. Dawn was wearing a pair of white jeans, a light blue top, and white flats.

Dawn had just finished fixing her hair and Ash had just finished getting dressed when there was a knock on the door. Ash got up from the bed and walked to the door, opening it to reveal a servant. He was holding a tray with two large plates that were covered by silver cloches.

"Here's some breakfast, courtesy of the Queen." he said as he placed the tray on the table. He nodded his head and walked out of the room, closing the door.

Ash and Dawn walked over to the table and removed the cloches. They couldn't believe all of the food that was on the plates. The plates contained eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, pancakes, toast, a variety of fruit, and at least four types of drinks, including juice, tea, coffee, or just plain water.

They couldn't believe that Salvia had prepared this much food to serve to her guests, but they didn't expect anything less from the Queen. Salvia knew how to treat her guests, giving them a large variety of food to eat because not everyone liked the same things. Her kindness and generosity were apparent to everyone.

Ash and Dawn sat down and started eating. They talked about the dance and then discussed what time they would be leaving to go back home. Once they finished eating, they started packing their bags.

Dawn was walking to the closet to get her gown when there was a knock on the door. She walked to the door and opened it to reveal Queen Salvia.

"Oh, hello." she said, stepping aside to allow Salvia to enter.

Salvia was holding a white box in her hands. Dawn closed the door and Salvia placed the box on the table.

"I hope that you enjoyed your breakfast." she said.

"Yes, it was delicious. You know how to treat your guests." Dawn replied.

"I'm pleased that you both enjoyed it. I want all of my guests to feel welcome and enjoy their stay here."

"Well, we've enjoyed our stay very much."

Salvia then picked up the box that she had laid on the table and handed it to Dawn. "Here, it's a present from me." Salvia said.

Dawn walked over to the table and set the box down, opening it. Her eyes widened and she gasped as she looked inside. Inside the box was a crown, covered with diamonds.

"It's one of my crowns. I want you to have it, Dawn. Let is serve as a reminded of when you were the Princess all those years ago." Saliva said.

"I...I can't accept this." Dawn said.

"No, it's yours. I never did properly thank you for what you did for me. Besides, you were a Princess once. It may have only been for a day, but you deserve a crown just like a real Princess should."

Dawn smiled and walked over to Salvia, hugging her. Salvia hugged her back. "Thank you," Dawn said.

Dawn couldn't believe that Salvia had done this for her. She had given Dawn one of her own crowns. All because she did one small favor for her when they were younger.

The two released each other and Salvia looked at Dawn. "Dawn, you're my very special friend and I was able to experience one of the greatest moments of my life because of you. If you or Ash ever need anything in the future, I'll gladly take care of it."

Salvia then turned and looked at Ash and added, "Ash, treat Dawn well and make her happy."

Dawn looked at Salvia, shocked. "How did you know we were a couple?" Dawn asked.

Salvia smiled. "I saw how you two acted towards each other at the ball. You were both so happy. The love that you two share is clear to everyone." she said, and then left the room.

"Well, it seems that we're both personal friends of the Queen." said Dawn. "I never imagined that ever happening to me."

"And with her kindness and thoughtfulness and concern for all of her subjects, I think that Sinnoh is in good hands under her rule and leadership as the new Queen. Don't you think so?" asked Ash.

"Definitely, Ash."

Ash and Dawn got out of Ash's car and walked to the Berlitz house. Ash opened the door and allowed Dawn to walk in before following. They walked into the living room to find four kids; Alex and Julia, and their friends, Anthony and Grace.

"Mom!" Julia cried.

"Dad!" Alex cried.

The two kids ran and hugged their parents.

"Grandma let us each have a friend over today." Julia said, releasing her mom.

"Hey dad, can we go home?" Alex asked.

Ash nodded his head. He was back home now, so the boys could play at his house.

"Bye," Alex and Anthony said.

"Later," said Grace and Julia.

Ash kissed Dawn and murmured a 'goodbye' and left with the boys.

Johanna walked into the living room with a mug in her hand and saw Dawn.

"Welcome back, sweetie." she said.

"Mom, are you gonna tell us what happened?" Julia asked.

"Yeah, are you?" Grace asked.

Dawn had told them before that she would talk about what happened at the ball.

"Yes, I'll tell you. I told you I would, didn't I?" Dawn said.

She sat down on the couch and had Grace and Julia on each side of her. Both girls were excited to hear about what happened.

"I think you all would've loved Queen Saliva's palace. It had so many rooms that Ash and I couldn't explore the whole thing with the time we were there.

"The dance was so much fun. You both would have loved all the different types of dresses that the other ladies wore. Many of the dresses were poofy ones, though. I guess a lot of people there wanted to be a Princess and that involves dressing the part." Dawn said, laughing.

She continued to talk about how the ball was. When she finished, the girls looked at her.

"That sounds like so much fun." said Grace.

"Yeah, it does." Julia agreed.

"Did you feel like a Princess?" Grace asked.

"I guess you can say I did. It was just so much fun. It was like a dream."

"I'm glad that you had fun and had a great time with Ash." Johanna said.

"Oh, I have a surprise." Dawn said, lifting her bag up. She removed the white box and opened it, revealing her diamond crown.

"Salvia gave this to me as a gift." Dawn said.

Grace and Julia were shocked.

"She gave this to you?" Julia asked.

"It's so pretty." Grace said.

Julia and Grace looked at one another, sharing a look of amazement.

"Can we try it on?" Julia asked.

"Yes, but be very careful with it. It's very valuable."

"You can try it on first." Julia said to Grace.

"But-" Grace started.

"You're more into getting dressed up than me. Go ahead,"

Grace smiled and Dawn placed the crown on Grace's head.

"Wow..."

Dawn smiled and Grace carefully made her way to the hall, where a mirror was.

"I feel like I'm a real Princess." she said softly as she looked at herself.

She walked back to Dawn and Dawn took the crown off and placed it on Julia's head. Julia made her way to the hall and looked at herself.

"It is like you're a real Princess. This is so cool." Julia said, making her way back to her mom.

Dawn took the crown and put it back in the box.

"We're gonna go play." Julia said.

"Okay, have fun." Dawn said, smiling as the two ran up to Julia's room.

Dawn grabbed her bag and walked to her room to unpack.

Ash was sitting alone in his living room. It was the middle of the day, so Alex was at school. The TV was on, playing a show that Ash usually enjoyed. But today, he couldn't focus on the show. His mind was a jumble. It had been a jumble ever since the ball. He kept feeling like he couldn't go on another day without Dawn there by his side. He knew that there was only one more step for him to take to prove just how much he loved her and cared about her.

He jumped up from the couch and walked into the kitchen and dialed Johanna.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Johanna. It's Ash."

"Hello, Ash. Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. I was wondering if I could come over and talk to you."

"Of course, you're welcome here anytime you want. What do you want to talk about?"

"I want to talk about Dawn."

"Okay. You can come over whenever."

"Thank you, Johanna."

"You're welcome."

The phone call ended. Ash grabbed his keys and walked out of his house, locking the door. He got into the his car and drove towards Johanna's house.

He pulled to a stop in front of a small white house that was one story high. He got out and walked to the door and rang the doorbell. Johanna opened the door and allowed Ash to enter. Ash followed her into her living room.

Johanna's home was cozy. It had wooden floors and light-colored walls. The living room was simple; a table, a small TV, a rocking chair, a couch that was a faded red color, and two chairs that were also faded.

Johanna sat down on the couch and Ash sat down in one of the chairs.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yes, everything is fine." Ash replied.

"Oh, you just seemed a little...I don't know, stressed over the phone."

"I've just had a lot on my mind."

"You said that you wanted to talk about Dawn. Is something wrong with her? With you two?"

Ash shook his head. "No, everything with us is perfect, which is what I wanted to talk to you about. I just wanted to..."

Johanna waited for Ash to talk. She knew that he was trying to figure out what he wanted to say and how to say it, but she had no idea what it could be.

"Johanna, I know how much Dawn means to you and I know how much you love her. She is, after all, your little girl. Dawn...she means the world to you and I know that Julia does, too."

Johanna gave a small nod.

"Well, I want you to know that I love her too, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I love her with all my heart, she's everything that I've ever wanted and more."

Johanna smiled as Ash continued.

"I didn't think that I would ever fall in love again after leaving Kanto, but Dawn showed me that I could move on and love someone again after the tragedy that I went through. And it's not only me, Alex loves both Dawn and Julia, too. I promise to protect Dawn and Julia and treat them the way that they should be treated."

Ash then looked right at Johanna and said, "So I just want to ask you...Johanna, may I have your permission to marry your daughter? Will you give Dawn and I your blessing?"

Johanna wiped a few tears from her eyes. She couldn't believe that her daughter was going to get a second chance to spend her life with the man that she loved. She was so happy for her.

"Yes, Ash. You have my permission and I would love to have you as my son-in-law and have Alex as my grandson." Johanna said after a few moments.

Ash smiled and they hugged each other.

"Thank you, Johanna." Ash said.

"I'm just so glad that my girl got another chance at love."

Ash sighed and looked around the jewelry store. Why had he thought that this would be easier? It's not easy. He didn't know what kind of ring Dawn would like. He was having deja vu all over again, because when he was picking out a ring for Misty, he hadn't known what to get her, either.

"Hi, may I help you?" a voice asked.

Ash looked over and saw a middle-aged lady with dark hair pulled back and kind green eyes looking at him.

"Yes,"

"What are you looking for? I would say a ring, since you're over here."

"Yes, it's a ring. I want to propose to my girlfriend, but I don't know what kind of ring she would like."

"Well, I can help you. We have many different types of rings and these are the most popular engagement rings." she said, removing a section from under the counter.

Ash looked at all the rings, none catching his eye until he looked at the last one. It was a silver ring that had a diamond in the middle of it. The stone was surrounded by tiny sapphires. On the side of the ring, "Forever Yours" was engraved into it.

He suddenly thought of when he bought Misty's ring. He had chosen a light blue stone for hers, since it was her favorite color and since she loved Water Pokemon. The ring just seemed to call out to him. Looking at this ring, he thought of Dawn.

"Would you like the last one?" the lady asked.

"Yes," Ash said.

The lady removed the ring and put it in a red box. She put it in a bag and handed it to Ash as he bought it.

"I hope everything goes well. With a ring like that, it must mean that she's very special to you." she said, smiling.

Ash decided that he would go over to Dawn's house once it was night. He didn't want Alex or Julia to see anything and with it being night, they would be in bed, asleep. It would also be a surprise to the kids when they learned the news.

"'Night, Alex." Ash said.

"'Night, dad. Love you." Alex said, lying down.

"Love you, too."

Ash walked out of Alex's room and closed his door. Ash then walked to his room and grabbed the ring case, putting it into his pocket. Gathering his courage, he made his way to the front door and walked across the street to Dawn's house.

Is this too soon? Am I making a mistake? Well, Johanna seems to think that this is a good idea. I think she would have told me if it was too soon for this. Well, here's goes nothing.

Ash opened the door and walked in. But looking up, he saw the worst sight he'd seen since Misty's death. Dawn was standing there in the living room...KISSING ANOTHER MAN!

To Be Continue....