It was Christmas Eve night. Dawn and Julia were at Ash's house, since Alex and Julia decided to have a Christmas party and invite some of their friends. Alan, Anthony, Grace, Isla, and Trey were over and all of the kids were having fun.

The Ketchum household was decorated a lot. This seemed to be their favorite holiday. The living room had been rearranged to make room for the tree, which was in the corner of the room with lights that were red, blue, green, and yellow. Alex and Julia's stockings were hanging under the television, and the ornaments decorating the tree consisted of candy canes, different colored spheres, along with a baby's first Christmas ornament, and many others. Removable stickers were on the windows, doors, and walls. The stickers varied from 'Merry Christmas!' to Santa, snowmen or snowflakes, and many others pictures. Christmas music was playing and the kids were singing along with the songs.

Ash and Dawn had gone into the kitchen to make the kids some hot chocolate and get the food ready, since they hadn't really eaten much. But they were all having fun and food was the last thing on their minds. Ash removed seven mugs and faced Dawn.

"Do you want a cup?" he asked.

"Sure," Dawn replied.

Ash removed two more mugs and fixed the hot chocolate while Dawn got some food set out. Dawn walked to get the kids so they would come and eat.

"I think it would hurt if you got ran over by a Stantler." Trey said. Laughter followed behind what Trey had just said and even Dawn laughed slightly.

"Hey, I know you guys are having fun, but you need to eat. We've got hot chocolate-"

The kids bolted to the kitchen once they heard 'hot chocolate.' Dawn walked back to the kitchen and took the mug Ash held out towards her.

The kids were eating some ham or turkey sandwiches and cookies. Once they were finished, they returned to the living room.

"So what do you hope to get for Christmas?" Grace asked.

"I hope to get some new art supplies." Isla said.

"You and art..." Trey muttered.

Isla shoved her brother and stuck her tongue out at him.

"I hope I get a new video game system." Trey said. "I hear the new Playstation 4 and Xbox One systems are good."

"You and your games." Isla said.

"I hope I get some new hockey equipment." Alex said.

"I hope to get a new dance game." Julia said.

"I hope I can get some new accessories." Grace said.

"I hope to get some new CDs." Alan said.

"I hope I get some games." Anthony said.

The song changed and Grace jumped up. "Oh, I love this song!" she cried and started to dance around the living room.

Dawn was standing in the doorway with her camera. She had been taking pictures of the kids tonight and she snapped a picture of Grace. She smiled, glad that all of the kids were having a good time.

Isla and Julia hopped up and started dancing around with Grace. The boys looked at them and laughed slightly. Once the song ended, the girls sat back down, laughing.

"Hey, is Santa even real? Because Amy says he's not." Isla asked suddenly.

"Yes, Santa is real. My dad and his friends met Santa once." Alex replied.

"Really?!"

"Yep. See, Santa's Jynx had drifted out to sea on a piece of ice that had broken off from the North Pole. My dad and his friends found the Jynx and Jynx had Santa's boot." Alex explained.

The others were listening to what Alex was saying.

"They were taken to the North Pole by a Lapras to return Jynx to Santa. Sadly, Team Rocket had captured Jynx, thinking that IT was Santa! They tied the real Santa, my dad, and his friends up and took all the presents."

"That's mean!" Grace cried.

"Yeah, it was. With the help of Lapras, they were able to get free, but Team Rocket got away after being frozen and then unfrozen. Santa's Jynx used a Psychic move and brought Team Rocket's sub out of the water and got the presents back. My dad and his friends got what they wanted for Christmas and even saw Santa fly away on his sled."

"Wow, that's so cool!"

"Oh, I almost forgot! My mom brought something for me to give to you guys and your parents." Grace said suddenly as she hopped up. She walked back with a plastic bag in her hand and sat down. "We do this at my house on Christmas day. Can you get your parents?"

"Mom/Dad!" Alex and Julia cried at the same time.

Ash and Dawn walked into the living room. "What?"

"Grace has something to give us." Julia said.

"Grace, you didn't have to get us anything." Dawn said.

"We do it at my house. My mom said it would be something fun." Grace replied. She opened the bag and removed reindeer antler headbands. "Here you go!" she cried as she passed the antlers around. Everyone took one and slid it on their heads.

"We should play Simon Says, but instead, turn it to Santa Says!" Isla cried suddenly.

"Yeah!"

Dawn told Ash something and walked off.

"Okay, Santa says stand up." Ash said. All the kids stood up.

"Santa says put your left hand up." Left hands went up.

"Hop on one leg."

Trey hopped and then laughed. "Whoops..." he muttered and went to stand by Ash.

"You can tell them something." Ash said to Trey.

"Santa says hands down."

"Santa says hug...Isla." Isla was suddenly wrapped into a group hug by all of her friends.

"Santa says release Isla."

"Dance." Alan and Isla were out. Dawn walked back into the living room.

"Spin around." Anthony was out and walked over to the others after he got up, since he had fallen from spinning.

"Sit down."

"Santa says sit down."

After a few more minutes, Santa Says ended and Grace had won.

"Hey, we have a game that you can play. It's called Ring Frosty's Hat. All you have to do it get these snowballs into the hat. You get a candy cane no matter if you ring or not." Dawn said.

A black top hat was placed on the floor and Dawn put a cup to mark where you stood. The snowballs were crumpled pieces of paper. Soon, paper was flying through the room, some ringing while most missed.

After singing more songs and eating the candy canes, it was time for everyone to leave.

"Oh, mom! Before everyone leaves, can you take a picture of us in front of the tree?" Julia asked.

Dawn nodded her head and told the kids to get in front of the tree. "Okay, say Merry Christmas!" Dawn said.

"Merry Christmas!"

The picture was taken and Dawn smiled at it.

"That's a good picture, kids." she said and let them see it.

Alan, Anthony, Grace, Isla, and Trey all said goodbye and wished a Merry Christmas before leaving. Ash and Dawn picked up the trash and cleaned up the kitchen. Alex and Julia were talking to one another.

"Well Julia, it's time we get home." Dawn said.

"Actually...we were wondering if we could have a sleepover? All of us stay here tonight." Julia asked.

"A sleepover for Christmas, and besides, we haven't had one before." Alex added.

Ash and Dawn looked at one another.

"Well, I guess it's okay." Ash said, looking at Dawn.

"It's okay with me, as long as it isn't trouble for you, Ash." Dawn said.

"No trouble,"

"I'll be back in a few minutes." Dawn said, having to go back to her house to get some pajamas for herself and Julia, as well as some clothes for them to wear tomorrow.

Ash walked to the closet and removed some blankets and made his way to Alex's room to get a bed set up for Julia on the floor. He walked back out to find that Dawn was back and had handed Julia a little backpack.

Ash realized something and walked over to Dawn. "Dawn...I have no guest room, but you can share my bed." Ash said.

Dawn was about to say something but Ash interrupted her.

"No need to worry, my bed is big so there's plenty of room, so we have our own space." he said.

Dawn nodded her head. After they all changed into their pajamas, Ash and Dawn walked into Alex's room.

"Night," Alex and Julia said.

"Night,"

Ash and Dawn walked to Ash's room and slipped into the bed.

"Good night," Dawn said.

"Night," Ash said.

Dawn turned onto her side away from Ash and shivered slightly. His room was cool, even with the heat on. Then again, Dawn was always cold. She slid closer to Ash and felt his body heat.

"Cold?" Ash asked.

"A little..." Dawn muttered.

Ash's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist.

This feels so right, her being in my arms. She fits perfectly in my arms...the last time I held someone in my arms at night like this was the night before Misty died. Ash thought.

This is nice. Him holding me, keeping me close, keeping me warm. It's been a while since I felt this relaxed and calm. I wish I could tell him...how much he means to me. Dawn thought.

The two of them unconsciously snuggled down together and soon found themselves drifting off to sleep.

Alex rolled over and the sun streamed into his room and hit his eyes. He opened his eyes and blinked. He stretched and yawned before his eyes widened. He leaned over his bed and shook Julia's shoulder. Julia mumbled something and she opened her eyes and blinked at Alex.

"What?" she asked groggily.

"It's Christmas!" Alex cried.

Julia perked up and hopped up. The two made their way to Ash's room and went to wake their parents up, but stopped. They saw that they were sleeping in each others' arms, looking very comfortable.

"It's working..." Julia said.

"The plan is a success." Alex said.

Alex knew that there was no guest room for Dawn to sleep in. He also knew that his dad wouldn't allow her to sleep on the cold couch, so she would have to have slept in the bed. The sleepover idea was a clever disguise for their latest plan to get their parents together. Their plan had worked better than they had hoped!

"Well, time to wake them up." Julia said.

"Yep!"

The two ran towards the bed and jumped onto it. Their landing caused their parents to wake up.

"It's Christmas! Get up!" they yelled.

Ash and Dawn followed the kids to the living room. Dawn made sure to get her camera. Alex and Julia sat down on the floor. Pikachu, Buneary, and Piplup came running into the living room. The tree was surrounded by many presents. Ash and Dawn sorted the presents out so it would be easier to find which ones belonged to who. The Pokemon even got a gift from Santa.

Alex and Julia started to open their gifts. Julia was estatic to get the new Dance Dance Revolution game and read the back to see what songs were included. Alex was happy that he had gotten some new hockey gear, since he was starting to outgrow his old gear. He had grown a bit since moving to Sinnoh. There were many gifts scattered around and the kids loved all of them. Movies, games, clothes, even some new sneakers, the list went on.

The kids had just opened their last gifts, which was from their grandmothers. Julia had received a blanket and a gift card that had ten dollars on it. Alex had received a gift card that had twenty-five dollars on it. Getting a gift would have costed more, so Delia had sent a card with a gift card for Alex.

It was now time for Ash and Dawn to open their gifts from one another.

Ash removed the paper and he was now looking at a large white box. He removed the lid and saw a picture of himself and Dawn. He remembered that it was the day they all went to the park and then they had takeout. He never did see the picture, only Dawn had.

Looking at it, he smiled. In the picture, Dawn was resting her head on his shoulder and Ash had his eyes looking at her slightly. Both of them had smiles on their faces. Thinking back, Ash didn't remember Dawn laying her head on his shoulder or him looking at her, but he loved the picture.

"Thank you, Dawn. I love it. I'm going to put it on the wall in my room so I'll always remember what we did on that day." Ash said, smiling.

Dawn removed the paper from her gift and a jewelry box was revealed. Dawn opened the box to find a beautiful necklace with diamonds and sapphires. The necklace was a silver chain and in the middle, there was a large sapphire that was cut into the shape of a heart, which was outlined with small diamonds going around it.

Dawn broke down, crying tears of joy. "It's beautiful, Ash. It's the best Christmas gift I've ever received." Dawn said, reaching over and hugging him.

Ash hugged her back and Dawn told him 'Thank you', and continued to cry. Ash held her, letting her continue to cry in his arms, and they closed their eyes.

Alex and Julia hugged one another, happy that their parents were happy. Pikachu, Buneary, and Piplup looked at their trainers happily.

After a few minutes, Dawn stopped crying and they pulled away as she wiped her eyes. "Well, all of the gifts have been opened now." she said, looking at the tree, which was now empty underneath.

"You two can go and play if you want. We'll start on the food." Ash said to the kids.

Alex and Julia decided to play one of Alex's new games and took off to his room to play. Ash and Dawn walked into the kitchen to start getting everything ready. Since Thanksgiving dinner was cooked by Dawn, Ash was cooking Christmas dinner for them.

"So what do you need me to do?" Dawn asked as she washed her hands.

After the food was eaten, the kids played some more and Ash and Dawn watched some Christmas movies. Eventually, it got dark outside and Dawn and Julia needed to return home. They had to call Johanna and wish her a 'Merry Christmas' before she went to bed.

Alex and Ash walked to the door with Dawn and Julia.

"This has been the best Christmas ever!" Julia cried.

"The best Christmas ever." Alex agreed.

"Yes it has," Ash and Dawn said.

"Bye, and thank you. Merry Christmas," Julia said.

"Bye. Merry Christmas," Alex said.

"Merry Christmas and thank you for having us over." Dawn said, carrying her gifts and Julia's as well.

"No problem, hope you all had fun. Merry Christmas," Ash said.

Dawn and Julia left and Ash turned to his son.

"So Alex, you know that we have to call someone." Ash said.

"Who?" Alex asked.

"Your grandma,"

"Awesome! You think Uncle Gary will be there?"

"...He might, Alex. I can't promise, though."

They walked to where the video phone was located at and dialed Delia. After a few rings, Delia's voice came through.

"Hello?"

"Hey, mom!" Ash said.

"Hi, grandma!" Alex cried.

"Ash! Alex!"

Delia appeared on the screen. Her once auburn hair had become lighter with a few silver strands, her face had some wrinkles, and she had a red turtleneck on, from what was shown. Christmas music could be heard in the background.

"Merry Christmas!" Alex cried.

"Merry Christmas, mom." Ash said.

"Merry Christmas, both of you. How was your Christmas?"

"Best one ever! Oh, thank you for the present." Alex replied.

"You're welcome, dear."

"It was a good Christmas, the first Christmas we've spent away from Pallet Town. How was yours?" Ash said.

"One moment," Delia said. A voice was faintly heard and Delia had replied with 'Ash and Alex.'

"Sorry, someone is going to say hello once I'm done. My Christmas has gone well. Alex, what did Santa bring you?"

Alex started to tell Delia what he had gotten. Delia smiled at her grandson.

"That's wonderful, sweetie." she said once he finished.

A voice was faintly heard again and Delia nodded her head.

"Someone is about to leave and needs to say hello. I'm going to let them say hello and I'll be back when they finish." Delia said.

"Okay,"

Delia disappeared off of the screen and the two were left looking at the decor.

"Hey, Ashy Boy. Alex, how've you been?"

"Uncle Gary!" Alex cried as Gary appeared on the screen.

Ash chuckled and looked at Gary. Gary was the same age as Ash, his spiked hair had been cut shorter and he had a black shirt on, from what was shown.

"To think I thought that you had stopped with the nickname, Gary." Ash said, shaking his head.

"Nope. So how are feeling since moving to Sinnoh?"

"Better," Ash said.

Gary nodded his head.

"So Alex, how was Christmas?"

"Best one ever!"

"Really? How come?"

Alex went on to tell Gary what had happened that day. Gary asked Alex some questions varying from school to friends to sports. Since they hadn't talked since the move, the two were catching up for a short amount of time. Alex really missed his grandma and Gary, but liked it here in Sinnoh and he didn't want to leave. After a few more minutes, Gary had to get going.

"Well, Merry Christmas and will we ever talk again?" Gary said.

"Yeah, we'll talk again. Sorry for not keeping in touch." Ash said, frowning. "And Merry Christmas,"

"Merry Christmas, Uncle Gary." Alex said.

Gary waved and was gone from the screen. Delia returned shortly after. The three talked for a little while and Ash realized he needed to talk to his mom about something.

"Hey Alex, I need to talk to grandma about something. Can you go and play or something?" Ash asked.

"Sure, dad."

Alex looked at Delia. "Bye, grandma. Love you." he said.

"Bye, Alex. I love you too, sweetie." Delia said, smiling at him.

Alex ran off to his room and Ash heard the door close.

"Is everything okay, Ash?" Delia asked, concerned about her son. Why did he want to talk to her alone?

"Everything's fine, I just wanted to tell you something."

"What?"

"I've...I've fallen in love with someone again. Her name is Dawn."

Delia smiled at her son. "I'm happy for you, Ash. Does she know?"

"No, I haven't told her yet. I realized how I felt about her not too long ago."

"Oh. Ash, I'm happy to see that you didn't close off your heart after what happened to Misty."

"Well, I did for a while, but I've learned how to love again. Moving here has helped me."

"I know it has."

Ash was quiet for a few moments.

"What's troubling you?" Delia asked.

"Nothing is," Ash answered too quickly.

"Ash."

Ash sighed. "I...I never realized it up until now, but it's strange being in love with someone again. Misty was the first and only girl that I ever truly loved, and now that I'm feeling the same way about Dawn, I can't help but worry that what I'm feeling is wrong. Is this really what's right for me and Alex?"

"Ash, Misty would be glad that you're moving on. She wouldn't want you to be sad and alone for the rest of your life, she would want you to be happy and she would want a motherly figure for Alex, too."

"I guess you're right."

"Is that everything?"

"Yeah, it is. Thanks, mom."

"No problem, sweetie. I'm just glad that this has happened to you. I want you to be happy as much as Misty would want you to be. Give it a chance, and remember, every relationship will have bumps in the road, so don't act upon anger, always remember to let someone explain."

"Love you, mom."

"Love you too, Ash. Have a good night."

"You too,"

The call ended and Ash looked at the black screen for a few minutes before he got up and walked to his room. There were still a lot of things on his mind, as well as some doubts about his feelings for Dawn. As he fell asleep, he began to have a very surreal dream.

To Be Continue....