Hey y'all! I have been watching past episodes of pokemon because I clearly have nothing better to be doing (yeah right! My focus is all over the friggin place. It is a hot mess). However I bounced between Pearl and Diamond episodes and Advanced. Getting a better feel for Paul, Dawn, Drew and May since I didn't know the first two and familiarized myself (again) with the other two. Yes, but I have been working on the rest of The Return? And the sequel to Are you going to kiss me? I have the very end for The Return? But I need the middle part, which is at a stand still, and the other sequel is at a stand still for the next two weeks so I can finish this year of college move out of the dorms move into another place, and all that HELL that goes with it… Chaos let me tell you. However I decided to write this because I got inspired by the show and I need an out for my emotions (It is amazing how well I can lie over the phone), I had a death in the family and some other stuff I won't bother you with. Everything making the end of my A.S degree a pain! … Oh yes on with the story (Sorry about the rant!)

Don't own Pokemon sorry…

Sunset

Dawn sat sitting on the edge of Ash's porch. She stared at the mountains and saw the sun setting. She curled up her legs to her chest. Ash came out of the house and saw his friend sitting on the porch. "Um Dawn?"

Dawn turned around, "Hey Ash!" She smiled.

"Why are you out here? Do you not like Misty or May?" Ash asked rubbing his head sitting next to her.

Dawn grinned and frowned, "That isn't it. They are both really nice. I am glad you asked Misty to be your girlfriend, she really likes you. I just met her today and I can already see that."

"So what is the matter?" Ash said relaxing a little, "You always used to like parties."

Dawn nodded, "I do, but I like dusk too." She said nodding to the sunset.

"That's funny; it is like your counterpart. You know. Because your name is Dawn."

"Oh I like sunrises too, but sunsets are relaxing." Dawn said resting her head on her knees.

"What else is the matter?" Ash said. While it had been three years since they had split he knew this was not the Dawn he knew.

"It is pretty cool, that Brock finally got a girlfriend, huh?" Dawn asked. That afternoon Brock had came to the party with a girl named Breanne (A/N- My OC).

"Is that it, you don't have a boyfriend?" Ash asked, he never thought that that would affect Dawn.

Dawn looked at Ash and gently shook her head, "No, I was just thinking, about Paul."

"Paul?" Ash cocked his head to the side, "My old rival Paul?"

Dawn nodded, "Yeah, I was wondering how he was doing."

"Well the last time I spoke with him, he was doing just fine." Ash said trying to remember the last time he talked to him.

"Its just looking at the sunset made me think of after you beat him for the first time. I never got to tell him what a good battle y'all had." Dawn shrugged. "I saw him bend down to Electirvire. It looked like he was talking to him, but he didn't seem angry."

"He told his pokemon thank you and good job." Ash muttered as he thought, "Wait you like Paul don't you?" Ash jumped up. "Were you hoping to see him here tonight?"

Dawn jumped and looked like he had given her the biggest fright of her life and she froze.

"You do!" Ash sat down and rolled back laughing.

Dawn's face became a bright flaming red. "Don't laugh."

"I am sorry, it is just you would get so mad that he would never call you Dawn." Ash sat back up, "It is just funny how feelings change."

"So you don't think I am crazy for liking him?" Dawn whispered.

Ash looked a little surprised, "Why would I?"

Dawn shrugged, "You just seemed to hate him so much. I never told you because your friendship is so much more important to me."

"How long have you liked him?" Ash said as serious as a dead man. He was a little offended she would think he would disown her as a friend for having a crush on Paul.

"Oh I don't know, I just woke up one day and realized I hadn't seen him and realized I missed him." Dawn shrugged, "Maybe about a year."

"After I had beat him at the Sinnoh championship we had a talk. Well as much of a talk for Paul. I respect him; I have for about three years. It was something about the fight. Somehow our differences didn't matter, and respect came from it. Please don't ask me I really don't get it" Ash said hold his head. If he ever thought about it, it made his head hurt.

Dawn looked like she was getting hit over the head. Did Ash just say something deep? "Wow,"

"What?"

"You said something deep. I mean you have always had some sort of wisdom, but it was always for pokemon." Dawn said in disbelief.

Ash shrugged, "I did ask Paul to come tonight, but I guess he got busy."

Dawn resumed her position of having her chin on her knees.

"Why are you two talking about me?" A voice came from the trees.

Dawn and Ash looked to the trees and saw Paul walk out. "Hey you made it!" Ash exclaimed. He saw Dawn bite her lip.

"Hi Paul," Dawn smiled at him.

Paul nodded to the pair. "You two start going out?"

Dawn frantically jumped to her feet. "What no!"

This caused Paul to chuckle, "How are you doing Ash?"

"Looking forward to battling you again!" Ash exclaimed.

"Tomorrow?" Paul asked.

"Oh sure! Absolutely!" Ash jumped up and saw Dawn still looking uncomfortable. "Do you want me to give you a minute alone?" Ash whispered in her ear.

Dawn looked at him shocked, but didn't respond.

"Paul I am going to get a drink, do you want one?" Ash said walking ot the door.

"Water," Paul said.

Dawn turned to face Paul, "How have you been?"

Paul shrugged, "Training… is everyone gone?"

Dawn shook her head, "No they are inside."

"Why are you out here? You struck me as the life of the party type." Paul said walking to porch. He stood a few feet from Dawn now.

"I was just watching the sunset, and Ash came out to talk to me."

"And how have you been?" Paul asked shoving his hands in his pockets, well further than they already were.

"Still doing contests. I just won my second Grand Festival last year in Sinnoh." Dawn shrugged, "Got another one in a couple of months."

0o0o

Inside, the gang saw Ash walk in and May was about to ask where he had gone to, but he hushed her and walked to the window and looked through the blinds and kept an eye on his friend and rival. "Dawn likes Paul, and they are outside."

"So you are spying for what reason?" Drew asked and he sat on the couch holding May's hand.

"Just making sure, she is ok." Ash said.

0o0o

Dawn looked at the ground, nervous as all get out. She couldn't believe Ash left her out here.

"You have a new contest dress?" Paul inquired.

Dawn's head shot up, "How do you know that?"

"I do read." Paul said taking a magazine from his back pocket and showed Dawn in the cover to her. "You didn't wear it three years ago."

Dawn relaxed and a slight blushed appeared on her cheeks, "Yeah, I sort of out grew that one."

"You have grown into a beautiful young woman." Paul said thickly, he felt like he had moist cotton in his mouth.

Dawn's face then took that as a cue to turn almost a maroon color, "Wow, thank you."

Paul chuckled, "You are welcome."

Dawn shook the blush on her face, "Oh! I wanted to tell you three years ago, good battle against Ash."

"Thanks," Paul said rocking back onto his heels, "I don't mind so much I lost. I got better from it in the long run." He reached into his front pocket and extended his hand to her. She took the few steps to his hand to see Brandon's symbol in his hand. "I beat him."

Dawn smiled and jumped onto him and hugged him, "Oh that is great!" Then in a second she realized what she had done and jumped away from him, or she tried but he put his arms around her and gave her a small hug. She took a small slow step back and looked at him.

"Life hasn't been near as entertaining seeing you falling over yourself, following Ketchum around." Paul chuckled.

Dawn blushed, "I am not that uncoordinated."

"You were when I first met you." Paul laughed. "You got better as you got older, then before I fought Ash in the Sinnoh championships you quoted Cynthia… that showed you had really grown, not to mention if you look back to when you first started battling and coordinating." Paul chuckled, "You were one of the most uncoordinated coordinators I had ever seen."

Dawn slapped his arm. "Jerk." She looked at his hand that still held his most prized symbol, "When did you beat him?"

"About a week after Ash beat me," Paul nodded, "The first time I challenged him again."

"Oh I am so happy for you!" Dawn bounced up and down.

"Where are you heading after this?" Paul nodded to Ash's house.

"Back to Sinnoh, maybe see my mom before I got the location of the Grand Festival."

Paul nodded, "I am going to see what is taking that boy with the water." Paul said walking past her, tucking his symbol back into his front pocket.

"Wait Paul," Dawn said spinning around, losing her footing and falling toward Paul.

Paul turned to her, once she called his name and caught the girl from falling, "Still same old troublesome," He laughed, standing her back up.

"Thanks, and I am not!" Dawn said stamping her foot.

Paul raised and eyebrow to her in disbelief, "Please," He snorted. "Did you want to say something?"

"Umm yeah," Dawn said rubbing the back of her head, "You seem different, not so angry."

"Well it helps that I don't hate Ash any more, but I don't know, after I lost my anger wasn't a factor any more. I am still intense."

Dawn laughed, "Well you wouldn't be Paul if you weren't."

"But after I let Electrivire out from his pokeball from the fight with Ash, he seemed to have grown with me. Things change I suppose." Paul shrugged trying to play off the respect, he had cursed for so many years, prior to the loss to Ash, of his pokemon as no big deal.

"I have a crush on you" Dawn felt the words spill out of her mouth and instantly covered her mouth, wishing she could take those words back.

Paul's mouth fell open, "You what?"

"I like you," Dawn said slowly and quietly.

Paul walked to her, "You would like to get dinner tomorrow night?"

Dawn cocked her head to the side. That was certainly not the reaction she had expected. Then she shook the confusion off and smiled nodding, "I'd like that… wait, what city will you be in?"

"Ash wants a battle tomorrow, but where ever you are headed. I don't mind traveling with you." Paul said gently.

Dawn looked awestruck again, "You want to come with me? What about your travels?"

"You don't read do you?" Paul laughed.

"What?"

"I am one of the Frontier Brains. I don't travel that much any more, but I don't mind going with you. If you don't mind." Paul said.

A giddy smile grew on Dawn's face and she went to hug him. He gave her a gently hug back. "Maybe then on your time off you can come to Veilstone." Paul whispered.

Ash opened the front door and caused the hugging pair to jump and separate, "Aw young love!" He exclaimed handing Paul a water bottle, "Why don't we all go back inside?" Ash said.

Dawn turned around to see the sun finally completely slip being a mountain and Paul in her peripheral vision and smiled as she walked into the house followed by the two teenage boys. She sat on the couch smiling next to May, who was next to Drew. Paul sat on the floor next to Dawn's leg and sat as everyone one had a conversation with one another.

0o0o0o0o0o

I hope all y'all liked it! I realized that Ash seemed to grow up a good deal from what I remember seeing when I was little. That and I don't remember team Rocket so predominate, but hell that was bout 10 years ago. Also something struck me about Paul in the episode he lost to Ash in… Idk I am a softy and a hopeless romantic (Yeah you would know that if you read anything I wrote obviously this story…) Yup ok I am done prattling on about nothing.

Rin