Chapter 2

Micheal woke up the next morning, feeling a bit better, but he still felt off. He decided that he wasn't up to jogging today, he rarely ever doesn't do it, unless he was sick. Suzy would show up to check on him if she was worried. Micheal got out of bed and did his usual routine, showered, got dressed, made breakfast.

He sat down and ate his usual breakfast: eggs and bacon. He turned on the Tv and watched the news once again, this time a weather report was on. The weather woman on tv had said that it was going to get cold soon, which was reasonable considering it was nearing winter. He finished eating his breakfast and washed his plate out in the sink. He heard someone knock on the door. Suzy usually did that when coming to see him, but never this early.

He walked over to the door and opened it, he was quite surprised to see Leila there.

"Leila?" He asked curiously, wondering why she was at his house.

"Sorry to intrude so early in the morning, but Chase wanted us to come see you. If that's ok with you." Leila explained.

"It's absolutely fine. Come in." Micheal said quickly as he moved out of the door way and let Leila in, her two children by her side.

"Make yourself at home." Micheal said as he closed the door.

"Kids, make sure not to make a mess, alright?" Leila told her Chase and Lucina.

"Yes mom." They said together.

"Let them do as they please, it's fine." Micheal told them as they walked into his living room.

Micheal pulled up a chair at his kitchen table for Leila and she sat down.

"Would you like anything Leila?" Micheal asked her.

"Is it ok to ask for coffee? It's been a long time." She asked curiously.

"Of course, I made some earlier." Micheal said as he grabbed a cup and poured some coffee from the pot.

Micheal brought her the cup and sat down in a chair opposite to Leila's.

"So, how do you know what coffee is?" Micheal asked her.

"I used to live in the city, before my kids and I left."

"I'm sorry to delve but, what happened, why did you leave your old home?"

"My husband and I got divorced."

"Your husband was a human?"

"Yes, he's also my children's blood father."

"Why did you get divorced?"

"He was cheating on me. He lost his love for me, he cared less for our children, and started to dislike our presence. He doesn't love us anymore." Leila said sadly, Micheal could tell she was on the verge of tears.

"I'm so sorry Leila." Micheal told her sadly.

"No, I'm ok, you don't have to apologize. Where are my kids?" Leila asked.

The two got up and looked around, Leila and Micheal found the kids sleeping peaceful on the couch, wrapped up cozily in blankets.

"I'm sorry, they just haven't had anywhere to sleep comfortably in a while." Leila apologized.

"It's fine, let them sleep. If you need somewhere comfortable to sleep as well you can stay here for as long as you want."

"I couldn't."

"It's fine Leila, you need it."

"Are you sure?"

"100%. Bathe, sleep, and eat as much as you need to. Lucina and Chase too."

"Micheal, thank you." Leila said teary-eyed as she hugged him.

Micheal had lost that off feeling he had been feeling when Leila hugged him, Leila also felt different, she felt that feeling of love that she had first experienced when she first met her husband. The hug lasted for longer than it should of, they ended it awkwardly by laughed and letting go of each other.

"I'm going to go shower if you don't mind." Leila told Micheal.

"I can cook you and your kids something if you'd like."

"We're ok with buttered toast."

"Ok, the bathroom is right down the hall."

Leila walked down the hallway whilst Micheal was about to start cooking. He caught himself looking at Leila's butt, he felt he's face get hot from blushing and he looked away. He went to his pantry and grabbed some bread. He then found the toaster and put the bread inside and set a timer down for when it should be perfectly toasted.

Micheal noticed that he didn't feel like he was in that same funk that he was feeling earlier. It was kinda strange, maybe he just needed company.

Leila was in the shower, trying her hardest to make herself as clean as possible. Getting all the dirt and other stuff out of her fur was a hassle, but she got it all out. She wanted to make her time there quick, she didn't want to bother Micheal, but at the same time she didn't want to leave. She just brushed it off and concluded the reason why was because she was back in a nice house again, and not out in some cave.

Her kids needed this, somewhere warm to sleep and a nice warm bath to clean them off, and food to eat. Leila hurried as fast as she could to finish so she could clean her kids as well. She got out the shower and hastily dried herself off, hard to do when you're covered in fur. It took her a while but she got it. When she finally finished drying herself, she left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen.

Lucina and Chase were sitting on two stools near the countertop, both happily chewing on a piece of toast. She noticed that Micheal had made a lot more than just enough for all of them.

"I made extra, considering you probably haven't eaten anything good in a while." Micheal said, he was also eating some toast.

"Oh, thank you." Leila told him hastily, she just wanted to get to the food.

They all ate happily and chatted, occasionally just watching tv. After they had all finished, Leila went to bring her kids to the bathroom.

"I can help you if you need Leila?" Micheal asked her.

She probably would need his help, but he had already done so much for them, she needed to do this on her own.

"No, it's fine, I can handle it." She told him with a smile.

Micheal felt strange, when she smiled at him, he just felt weirdly happy. It was really sudden and he didn't know where it came from, but he shook it off for now. He could think about the cause later.

He sat down on the couch for a while and let Leila do what she needed to do. He sat back and played music from an old record player he had found years ago. The only thing he really had for it was orchestrated music, just one record that has this one pretty song. There were no vocals; only a harp, a violin, and really soft bells. He rarely listens to it, but every time he does, he regrets not listening to it more. After a little while, Leila came out of the bathroom with her kids both clean and bathed. They all looked so happy that it made Michael smile. He felt so terrible that they had to stay out in the woods instead of living safely and comfortably.

Michael followed them to the door so he could escort them out, even though his conscious was nagging him to beg them to stay.

"Leila, you can all stay if you like?" Michael asked her as she walked out the door.

"I'm sorry Michael, I know you mean well, but I just need a little time to myself. Even if that means I've got to live out in the woods. Plus, I don't want my children and myself to be an extra burden on you." Leila said as she hugged Michael and walked off with her kids right behind her.

"But, you're not a burden." Michael said quietly as he begrudgingly let them walk away.

He had said it so quietly that he thought she didn't hear him, but she actually did due to her heightened hearing. Leila lingered on the last words as she disappeared in the woods with her kids.

Michael skulked back inside and laid down across his couch. That feeling was back again. He sighed and groaned as he stretched out on the couch and tried to ignore the nagging feeling. He heard someone knock on the door again, thinking Leila had come back, he darted to open it. It was actually just Shane and Suzy.

"Where have you been?" The two asked, but Michael was too disappointed that Leila hadn't came so he didn't respond.

"Michael? Are you alright?" Suzy asked him.

"Yeah man, you seem out of it and depressed. It's not like you." Shane added.

"I'm fine, I'm just feeling a bit strange." He told them as he invited them inside.

"Like how, and why?" Suzy asked as she curled up on the couch, Shane sitting right next to her.

"Well, I met a lucario and her two kids yesterday, ever since then I've felt a bit off." He told the two.

"Sounds like you're in love." Shane chuckled.

"How so?" He asked curiously.

"Well for one, you don't feel that off feeling when you're around her, do you?" Suzy chimed in.

"Well yeah, but that could mean I just need company."

"But you have that off feeling right now don't you? We're here, so it's obviously not that." The zangoose said with a grin.

"Just accept it, you're in love." Suzy and Shane said together.

"And what if I am? I've only known her for a day now, she's also divorced because her husband cheated on her. She's probably not in the mood to look for someone else." Michael told them.

"You don't know that for sure. She probably just really needs attention but she's just afraid of opening up her heart again in fear that she'll be taken for granted." Suzy told him.

"What's her name?" Shane asked.

"Leila. Her kids names are Lucina and Chase."

"Do the kids like you?"

"Chase does, Lucina is quiet and shy so I'm not sure."

"Do you think she likes you?" Suzy asked Michael.

Michael took a second to think about it, surely that hug they had was some sort of sign.

"I hope." Michael said.

"Well, what do you plan on doing?" The two Pokemon asked.

"I'm not sure. I guess I'll just wait until the time is right."

Shane and Suzy talked a little bit more to Michael about what he should do to have Leila warm up to him and that if there was a chance that she would say she isn't interested, he should be prepared for it.

The two Pokemon left afterwards and left Michael to himself. Micheal felt sad without Leila, he had to restrain himself so that he wouldn't leave to go see her again. All he could think about was the lucario. He'd never fell in love before, on top of that he never expected to love a Pokemon. He just couldn't stop thinking about how pretty Leila was. For a mother of two, her figure was still amazing. Michael already felt concern for Leila and her children, he didn't want them to have to live in cave where it's cold and damp.

He wanted them to feel safe and loved and not live in such conditions. Maybe he should have pressed Leila about how living in his house was the safest place for her children. He didn't just love her for her body, he loved how sweet and honest she was. Maybe he shouldn't be swooning over her so early on, he's only known her for two days now. Maybe if he just listened to some music to calm himself down.

"Mom, why don't we stay at Michael's house?" Chase asked his mother, who was meditating on a small log.

"We've only known him for a day now, it would be rude of us." Leila said.

"Do you not like Michael?"

"No, I like him. He's sweet and kind, but It's just too early for us to try and move in with him."

"So we may later?"

"Maybe."

Leila continued to meditate, watching her children's aura as they played around her. As focused as she may have seemed, her mind was elsewhere. She was only trying to meditate, but she had someone on her mind that she just couldn't shake.

"Lucy, you like Michael too, right?" Chase asked his sister, who was playing with a small flower.

"Yes, he's nice and I miss a house."

"Me too. I miss nice warm baths like the one we had." Chase said happily as he played around with a small stick.

Leila listened in on the two as she tried to focus, eventually failing because her mind was too clouded with thoughts. Maybe there was something about Michael that she shouldn't try to push out of her mind. She did like him, he was sweet to her and her children, and he already showed he cares about them. Maybe she was just paranoid of betrayal, like her ex-husband. She just couldn't see Michael doing something like that however, his aura just seemed warm and welcoming. Her ex husband's was too at first, but the feeling was never as strong as Michael's.

"Mom?" Leila heard one of her kids say.

She looked down to see Lucina gently tugging at her tail, asking for her mother to pick her up. For her age, Lucina still acted like she had when she was a baby. She still wanted to be held a lot and coddled. Leila sighed and smiled as she picked her daughter up into her arms and sat her down in her lap. Chase was still playing around with a stick, not paying any mind to his sister and mother. Chase was so much like his father that it would be hard to tell the two apart if they were the same species. Chase was just very active and he wanted to explore and play, while his sister was more mellow and laid back.

Leila looked down at her two children, smiling vibrantly. She adores them so much, she would of never expected to become a mother before she had the two. Neither did she expect twins. Even though her becoming a mother was very surprising, she was happy. The pregnancy was rough and long, but it was all worth it to her, she loves her two healthy babies.

While Leila was daydreaming, Chase was at a nearby tree, throwing his stick up into it. He was trying to knock down a few fruits that he could see up on a branch, but it was way too high for him to reach. If only Michael had been there so he could grab them for him. Suddenly, the small fruits fell down from the tree. Chase hadn't hit them, and they were about to fall down on him. He closed his eyes, expecting to feel some sort of pain from the fruit falling on him, but it never came.

Chase opened his eyes to see a purple tail holding the fruits, keeping them from falling on top of him. Chase remembered what his mother told him, that if he ever met a Pokemon he didn't know, he should run to her as fast as he could. Chase scrambled over to his mother, hiding behind the log she was sitting on. Leila had already noticed his panic, putting down Lucina, she stood in front of the two to protect them if need be.

"Who's there?" She asked hesitantly.

No one answered, but a large purple feline Pokemon jumped down from the tree Chase was playing at.

"My name is Suzy." The liepard said, trying to not seem as nice as possible.

"What do you want?" Leila asked her in a calm but stern manor.

Leila caught the scent of the Pokemon, noticing that she could smell Michael mixed in somehow. Was this female associated with Michael, and how?

"Nothing, I'm just here to talk to you. I'm a friend of Michael's." Suzy said as she sauntered over very slowly.

"How do you know him?"

"We've known each other for a few years now."

"What is your affiliation to him?"

"Affiliation? You mean like what my relationship is with him? He's just my friend. Michael is sweet and all, but I'm not too into humans. Why does it matter to you?"

"I could just smell him on you, so I was wondering."

"Right... Anyway, I was just at his house earlier, and he told me about you. So i thought it would be nice if we could chat." Suzy said as she slowly put the fruits from earlier near the leg Leila sat on.

"Did you catch these before they fell on me?" Chase asked quietly from behind his mother.

"Yep, you should be more careful next time, you could of hurt yourself." Suzy said sweetly, she thought the small riolu was absolutely adorable.

"Thank you for catching those for him." Leila said as she carefully examined the fruit, they were just oranges and were no harm to her kids.

"It's nothing. So anyway, about Michael. He was very concerned for you and your kid's safety."

"I know, but I think it would be rude of us if we just stayed at his home and burdened him after we had only met him for a day."

"He doesn't see you as a burden whatsoever, he barely does anything so it's not like you would be interrupting anything." Suzy said as she laid down on the grass a few feet from Leila.

"But still, we've only just met him."

"That doesn't bother him. If anything, he would prefer you had stayed. It would give you two more time to get to know each other, and it would be somewhere safe for you and your kids to stay."

Leila considered what the liepard was saying, but she still felt too nervous about staying at Michael's. Not because she was afraid of him or anything, she just felt nervous for a reason she couldn't think of.

"Hey Suzy, found that lady?" Leila heard someone say.

"Yeah, she's over here!" Suzy called out.

Leila trusted the liepard to a degree, but her motherly instinct was telling her to stay on the alert for her kid's sake. A zangoose eventually walked out of some bushes nearby.

"He's a friend of mine and Michael's. He's just here to talk too. His name's Shane."

Leila could tell she wasn't lying, she could smell Michael's scent very faintly on them. Their auras both were very calmed and mellow, so they weren't really here for any bad purpose, but Leila still felt nervous.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Shane." The zangoose said as he sat next to Suzy, lightly punching her in the butt only to have her smack him lightly with her tail.

"Yeah. So you came to try to get me to stay at Micheal's?"

"You don't have to stay there, you can just be there for as long as you like. He's just worried about you and your kids." Suzy explained.

"Look, Micheal tends to worry about everyone, that's just how he is. He's a nice guy who likes to take care of and help people. He just wants to make sure you'll be ok. Trust us, and trust him." Shane spoke up.

"I do trust him. I'll consider, just give me a little time, alright?" Leila told them.

Suzy and Shane settled on that and decided that they would leave her alone now. Leila sat there for a little while longer with her kids, deciding that she would go back to the cave for now. Her children quickly followed her, confused on why their mother didn't just go to Micheal's already. When they arrived back at their home, Leila sat down near the entrance while her kids sat down inside and played with each other.

Leila didn't know why she was so confused when it came to Micheal. She wanted to stay at his home, where her kids would be safe and they'd live comfortably, but at the same time she just felt like she couldn't. She'd give it a little more time.

"Mom, can you play a game with us?" Lucina asked her.

"Sure, give me a minute."

"You tried to persuade her?" Micheal asked the two Pokemon.

"Not really persuade, we just offered and told her that it's fine if she decides to stay with you." Shane told him.

"We should just leave her alone, I think we're overdoing it. We may be creeping her out." Micheal said as he fooled around in the kitchen.

"I'm not so sure about that, but yeah we should give her some space." Suzy said as she curled up on the couch.

They talked for a while, Suzy liked to tease Micheal about Leila when she got the chance. Shane was too busy relaxing. Micheal decided that they should stay for dinner considering it would get dark soon. Micheal cooked them dinner and they left to go home afterwards. Micheal just really didn't know what to do now. He could just go to sleep but he wasn't feeling drowsy. He took the time to think things over, especially his feelings. He did love Leila, and he loved her children too, he just hopes that they'll love him too. Micheal's concern for Leila and her children just increased tenfold. He was worried that something would happen to them, part of him was scared of rejection from Leila.

Micheal tried to shut out his anxiety thoughts for now by going shower. He looked his naked self over as the hot water poured down his body. Would Leila be interested in him? A rather dirty thought crept into the back of his mind, wondering whether or not he could satisfy her needs. Micheal shook the idea out and pushed it away, at least for now. He finished showering and slumped into bed. It felt strangely empty.