Got a nice pile of reviews there. I probably should of told you all what the magic number was I was waiting for (I like nice round numbers like '5' so I had that in mind the whole time).

Totally just changed the rating. I never really got the new ratings system when they brought it in and it just made logical sense to me that K+ was equivalent to PG13. Just found out that T is really the equivalent for PG13 so the story has gone up given that PG13 was always the intended rating for this one because I'm not as interesting to hear rant when I censor.

I think this chapter may be a bit short, but we're moving along now and picking up a bit of pace. There are a few more pep-talks to come from various people - thought it might make a change to the internal monologues. Misty is very conflicted right now.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon. I do own its lesser known major competition 'Spankemon' featuring such memorable characters as Catch Ashen and his 'Spanke-partner' Enriquechu. For all merchandise enquires please send $1,000,000 in unmarked bills my way and I'll get back to you.

Sweet Home Pallet – Friendly Faces

"How'd the rest of your night go?" Jesse asked knowingly as she handed Misty a cup of tea across the table. Two majenta haired children played cops and robbers in the corner while watched by a very attentive Arcanine.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Misty replied stonily.

"Really? Because from what I hear you spent the night in a certain young Pokemon Master's bed."

"How do you even know?" Misty asked incredulously, staring at Jesse with an open mouth. She couldn't believe that Jesse could be so straightforward about something like this.

"Good news spreads fast," Jesse replied with a shrug, but continued when Misty raised an unimpressed eyebrow in her direction. "I have my ways," she added mysteriously, "but mostly I just presumed from the fact that that's the exact same top you were wearing last night."

Misty blushed brightly as Jesse gave her another knowing smile. "It's not like he's even a Pokemon Master anymore," Misty muttered as though that made a difference.

"So he told you?" Jesse asked, surprised.

"Not exactly . . ."

"I didn't think he was going to tell you," Jesse continued, her voice sounding far away, "at least not right now."

"Well I don't think he was going to tell me," Misty explained. "I found the letter from the league in his desk."

"Oh, I thought . . ." Jesse began, trailing off as she realised she had already said too much.

"What?" Misty asked, her eyes filling with worry. "What isn't he telling me?"

"It's not my place," Jesse said, shaking her head. "If he wants you to know he would have told you, but otherwise, it's not my place to tell."

This only made Misty more worried. Her mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusions, and she was filled with a familiar fear for Ash and his safety. "If he's in trouble or something's wrong or anything bad is going to happen to him, I need to know," she said almost deathly seriously.

"It's not like that," Jesse said determinedly, "it's just, his to tell. Anyway," she added, perking up, "I didn't realise you cared so much. Don't you have a fiancé or something?"

Misty was taken aback by the sudden change, and flushed once more. "Ash is my friend," she replied quickly, feeling flustered. "I just worry about him. That's all."

"I remember that one," Jesse said with a wistful, nostalgic smile. "It was one of my favourites. That one and the 'he owes me a bike' thing."

"Jesse, sometimes you make no sense at all," Misty replied, playing dumb.

Jesse just laughed in response, in no way fooled by Misty's act. "C'mon Misty," Jesse chuckled, "James and I followed you two around for the better part of five years. We've known you two almost as long as you've known each other. Do you really think we didn't know?"

"There was nothing to know," Misty replied quietly, turning her gaze away. She watched Jesse's children play in the corner. They were, ironically, playing with a stuffed Pikachu now and squabbling a little over whom got to play with Pikachu first.

Jesse sighed as she two turned her eyes towards the kids. She got up, and grabbed a spare Pikachu she kept on hand just in case, which seemed to make the two very happy. She wished all of life's difficulties could be solved so simply.

"I want you to think about this very carefully before answering," Jesse said softly as she turned back to Misty. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here for my ring," Misty said quickly, almost automatically.

"Why?" Jesse added.

Misty stopped. She hadn't thought that far ahead and nobody else had bothered asking her why she wanted that ring or what was so important about it.

"It's a family heirloom," Misty said vaguely. "I just want it to stay in the family."

"Then why did you give it to Ash?"

"Because . . ." Misty began quietly, "Because Ash is my family . . . and I was so sure I was going to spend the rest of my life with him . . . . and . . . and I just wanted to know before . . ."

"Before you went and married the wrong guy?" Jesse finished helpfully for her.

"No, Patrick isn't the wrong guy," Misty argued dispassionately, "he's just . . . not Ash. I shouldn't hold that against him," Misty finished with a sardonic laugh.

"Then why are you marrying him at all?" Jesse asked looking concerned.

Misty shrugged. "I don't want to be alone," she suggested.

"No, that's not true," she added, shaking her head. "I'm marrying him because . . ." she trailed off with a soft sigh. "Because I can't spend my whole life waiting for Ash to see me the way I see him. And the ring just proves it."

"How does the ring prove anything?" Jesse asked. She was becoming a little exasperated at how stubbornly Misty held onto her belief that Ash didn't love her.

"Because he doesn't have it anymore," Misty replied, a small tear falling slowly down her face. She wiped her eyes before more appeared and hardened her jaw. "He promised me he would never take it off, but I don't even remember ever seeing him wearing it. And now he's just stalling for time because he doesn't have a clue where it is."

"Maybe he's stalling because he doesn't want to let you go?" Jesse suggested.

"Let it go," Misty corrected, but Jesse seemed happy to stick with her formulation of the sentence. "Let's not talk about me anymore," she suggested gesturing frantically as if to fight off the gloom of the conversation they had sunk into. "I came here to catch up on how your life is going. Tell me about you and James, and the kids. What made you guys move to Pallet?"

"As strange as it sounds," Jesse replied with a smile, kindly allowing Misty to change the topic, "we missed you twerps. And when the twins were born, we figured this was the perfect place to raise them. James got a job at the police station. I teach at the school. Things sort of just worked themselves out.

"That's the things about Pallet," she continued, her eyes falling lovingly on her two children once more, "no matter how far you go, it just seems to draw you back into it. It's like you can never leave, because it always takes a part of you."

Misty sighed, understanding the feeling. She had left her heart in Pallet Town, pretending she didn't need it – hoping it would mend itself in time. And now she was back, and maybe it had, only she couldn't tell because it still felt the same.

It still felt like she was falling and couldn't stop herself. It still felt like she was reaching out for a hand to hold and hoping it would be his.

It still felt like home.

Misty drove slowly, taking her time. She had put this moment off for as long as possible, but she knew she couldn't put it off any longer. Her sisters were sure to know that she was back in town by now – they had their ways. The longer she delayed this, the worse it was going to be when she finally had to see them.

She took a deep breath and that seemed to calm her. Her shirt still smelt soft and soapy – like Ash actually, and that seemed to have its usual effect. Engulfed in his scent, she felt as though she could face anything, even her three sensational sisters.

She stepped out of the car and closed the door quietly. She made her way up the familiar steps that led to her front door and knocked lightly.

Footsteps could be heard from within, and a voice cried out as it made its way nearer. Its annoyance was more than evident.

"Don't you know there's no battles to . . ." Daisy began as she swung the door open fiercely. The words seemed to die in her mouth as she came face to face with of cerulean blue eyes and fire red hair.

"Well –like- if it isn't the prodigal sister," Daisy cried happily as she engulfed her baby sister in an all-encompassing hug. "You are right on time," she added.

"For what?" Misty asked, eying the youngest of her three sisters suspiciously.

"For the 'Water Festival'," Daisy said happily. "That's why you're here right?"

"Um . . . sure," Misty replied awkwardly, her voice suspiciously high at the end. "Since when did Cerulean have a 'Water Festival'?"

"Oh . . . you know," Daisy said flippantly as she led Misty into the gym. "It's . . . new."

Misty was glad to see that like so much of her homeland, the gym had hardly changed since she was last there. The rooms were all still decorated in about fifty different shades of blue. Most of the walls were covered in framed posters from the famed water shows. In one corner was a large glass case with the cascade proudly on display along with intricate figurines indicating all of the Pokémon collectively owned by the Cerulean gym leaders.

Misty almost ran into the Pokémon habitat happy to see her treasured Pokémon still in such good care and condition. They too were happy to see her and crowded around the side of the tank to greet her. Once more she wondered how she had stayed away from Kanto for so long when everything she loved was here.

"We've got the big opening ceremony tonight," Daisy explained, leaning over the rim of the pool with Misty. "And then our best water show yet at the end of the week. That's why it's so perfect that you're here now. That gives us four days to practice."

"Daisy, you better not be thinking what I think you're thinking," Misty warned. "I did not come all the way back here just to play the princess in one of your stupid water shows."

"Then why did you come back?" Daisy asked obliviously, tilting her head to the side.

"I . . . well . . ." Misty started as she tried to find the words. She sighed as she realized she was caught. "No reason. No reason at all."

Daisy laughed as she wrapped an arm around her little sisters shoulder. "We've all missed you heaps Misty," she said with a soft smile, "and nobody more so than Ash. I think you like, broke his heart when you left."

"His wasn't the only one," Misty muttered. "No more Ash talk, please," she begged sadly. "I've had enough of that today to last me a lifetime. Now if you want me to be in this show, you better tell me what you expect me to do. I may be out of practice a little."

~ to be continued ~

I did a bit of a backtrack through this story only to discover that I was the only person who knew the significance of the ring which is quite bad really. I was so sure that I had explained it earlier, but I guess I must have deleted the scene or something when I took out Occam's razor. So now you know about the ring and why Ash has the ring, and why Misty wants the ring.

Also I think the scene with Jesse worked out quite sweetly over all with little Ned & Kelly playing in the corner – in case anyone is still confused Ned Kelly is the name of a famous Australian outlaw (what with Jesse James and Butch Cassidy already being taken). I love the 'Do you really think we didn't know?', total genius if I do say so myself.

If you want another quick update, the magic number is 60. REVIEW!