Chapter 1

It was a beautiful spring day, a bit humid for Misty's liking, but she was grateful for the break from the cold winter they had. The windows were open and a fresh breeze graced the house, while the faint sounds of cartoons playing on the big screen television in the living room could be heard inside the kitchen.

Her four year old daughter, Fiona, was busy coloring and watching Tom and Jerry while she waited for something she had been waiting for since Christmas time. Her older sister, Ayame, was coming home from college today for the summer, and Fiona had been waiting all day for her father to get home from the hospital so they could go and pick her up from the airport.

Misty was preparing dinner and was quite pleased with the result. Brock had taught her how to cook over the last five years that they had been married, and she was finally starting to master the art of food, though not nearly as good as her husband always had.

Fiona heard the faint roar of Brock's F150 pull into the driveway and she dropped her crayons and stood to her feet.

"Daddy's home!" She said, running into the kitchen and grabbing her mother's hand. "Let's go pick up Ayame!"

"Whoa, slow down, Fiona," Misty said, smiling. "Ayame's plane hasn't arrived yet, but it's on it's way. She'll call daddy as soon as she gets here and you two can go and pick her up."

The front door opened and Brock walked through the door, looking a bit tired, but he smiled when he saw his wife and his daughter.

"That's what I've been waitin' to see all day!" Brock said, smiling as he lifted Fiona into the air. "That turkey smells awfully good. I'm surprised I still have a house left since I left you in charge of dinner."

He smiled at her, teasingly.

"If I had set the house on fire, it would be your fault since you taught me how to cook!" Misty pointed out as he leaned in for a kiss.

"No, really, I'm proud of you, Honey. You've come a long way since that disaster of a soup you made when we were kids," he shuddered, he'd rather not think about Misty's cooking.

Fiona tapped Brock on the shoulder repeatedly until he finally paid attention to her.

"What is it Fiona?" He asked, sounding more irritated than he wanted to as he put her down.

"I want to go get Ayame!" She said, looking up at him.

"It's all she's been talking about all day," Misty told him, looking in the spice cabinet. "Has she called?"

"Her flight is supposed to arrive at 6, so I guess I'll get a call from her in about half an hour or so," Brock said, watching Misty as she started to cook desert. "I'm kind of worried being on that plane all by herself."

"I'm sure she's fine," Misty said, stirring the cake batter. "She's a big girl."

Brock nodded his head. Misty was right. There was no need for him to worry about his nineteen year old daughter, she was practically a grown woman.

Fiona pulled a chair up beside Misty and watched her. "Can I help?"

"Sure you can! Here, help me put this batter into the pan, ok?"

Brock poured himself a glass of sweet tea and sat at the counter on one of the stools.

"Do you think she's been acting kind of weird lately?" He asked, watching as Fiona scraped the bowl frantically to get all the cake batter out.

"Who?"

"Ayame," he replied. "I mean, she used to call us and even Sakura, every night before she went to sleep, then she just stopped."

Misty shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe she was just homesick at first and got used to being away. Ayame's never been away from you for such a long time before."

So, Misty was right again, but he couldn't help but feel that Ayame was hiding something. He watched her put the cake in the oven, and Fiona ate the cake batter from the bowl.

"Fiona, don't do that. You'll ruin your appetite," he said, knowing it was futile. She just stared at him with those big green eyes and continued to do it. He sighed, tapped his fingers nervously on the counter.

"What if something happened to the plane?"

Misty shook her head.

"Brock, don't say things like, especially in front of Fiona!" She scolded him. "You worry too much. She'll be fine! Fiona, your father is right, that will ruin your appetite." She took the bowl from her and started to wash it.

"Go upstairs and wash up so you can go to the airport with Daddy, Ok?"

"OK," she said, climbing down off the chair and running from the kitchen to the staircase.

Misty walked over to him, stood behind him and put her arms around his neck. "Did you have a bad day?"

"It was horrible. I had three surgeries, a patient died on the table," he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I promised I wouldn't bring all that bad stuff home with me."

"No, it's alright," she said, nuzzling his neck. "Let's just enjoy this weekend. Ayame will be back home, everything will feel like normal."

He grabbed her hand and nodded his head.

"I know. I just feel like she's hiding something from me," Brock said turning around on the stool to face her. "It's the affliction in her voice. The way she skips around when I ask her questions. It's like she doesn't want to tell me something."

"She's a teenage girl. She doesn't want her father to know everything that goes on in her life," she told him. "When you were nineteen, you didn't tell your father everything."

"Yea, like how much I didn't want to marry Sakura," he leaned back on his elbows and stared up at her. "I'm sorry, I'll cheer up." He pulled her down and kissed her, and his phone rang.

He reached into his pocket and smiled. It was Ayame.

"Hey! Did you land yet?"

"Yea, I just got in from the gate, waiting on my luggage," she replied. "Are you on your way?"

"I will be in just a few minutes," Brock said, standing up as Misty called for Fiona. "I'll bring the truck so you can put your bags in the back. Fiona is comin' with me. She's been dying to see you."

Ayame smiled a bit.

"Alright, Dad. I'll see you in a little bit," she hung up, without saying I love you or goodbye and she called him "Dad", not "Daddy" like she normally did.

Misty helped Fiona tie her shoes as she anxiously waited for Brock to get ready to go. "Be careful. Make sure Fiona wears her seatbelt." Misty said, as Brock took Fiona's hand and led her towards the door.

"Don't worry, I will. I'll be back in about 20 minutes," he said, giving his wife a kiss and closing the door behind him.