In My Heart: Bound By Love
By: TheFifthCharmedOne
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Nope. No I don't.
Summary: Second part of In My Heart trilogy. Misty faces confusion, confrontations, and confliction as well as her growing twins, who want answers. And unfortunately, kids do not come with instruction manuals. Poke and Contest ships.
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Chapter 12: If I Never Knew You
And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you
If I never knew you,
I'd be safe but half as real
Never knowing I could feel
A love so strong and true
If I Never Knew You, The Cheetah Girls; originally done in a duet by John Secada and Shanice Wilson.
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MISTY POV
"Awww! They're, like, adorable!" My sister, Violet cooed when she and my other two sisters, Daisy and Lily, answered the door. We had just arrived at the Cerulean City Gym, and nothing had really changed in the year or so I'd been gone. I had never really been homesick because Petalburg had become my home away from home.
The twins giggled and reached for their aunts, and Violet and Lily were all too willing to accept them. Daisy was happy to see them, no doubt, but she came over and hugged me instead. I hugged her back.
"We missed you little sister," she said into my ear. I smiled and hugged her tighter.
"Well I'm back now. I missed you too." I said back, and then we all went into my childhood home.
"Daisy, Lily, Violet, this is our cousin and my best friend May and her fiancé Drew."
"Aren't you that famous Coordinator from Hoenn?" Lily inquired of Drew. He nodded. She squealed like a fangirl. I saw May wince; she hated fangirls. I held Lily back gently so she wouldn't tackle Drew and Violet did damage control.
After that little incident, Violet and Lily insisted on taking May shopping, and I tagged along. The forced Drew to stay back because they were buying a dress and it was bad luck for the groom to see the dress before the wedding. Rolling his eyes, he kissed May and went off to do some training. Daisy stayed back to watch the Gym.
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The bridal store in Cerulean was Sadie's Bridal, and it went back to when the city was first founded. The owner and founder, Sadie Black, had died long ago, but her daughter Annabelle had taken over and ran it with her sisters Nicolette and Mariana.
"Misty! It's good to see you," said Nicolette when we walked in. "Where have you been?"
"I…took a vacation in Hoenn Nick." I said, jiggling the twins in my arms. "And these are my twins, Jake and Alex."
"You're only, what, sixteen? How did this happen?" she asked me incredulously.
"I'm eighteen and…it's a long story." I said awkwardly. She stared at the twins like they were a disease or something she could catch. My anger and mother bear tendency kicked in, and I glared at her. "But if you can't handle them, I'll gladly take my friend somewhere else." Lily and Violet were glaring as well, ready to stand up for me if needed. May watched helplessly; but she was ready to protect her godson and goddaughter.
"No, no, it's fine," she said, struggling with the words.
"Nick, why don't you go back and help Mary with the inventory?" came a new voice, and Annabelle Black walked over. "I'll take care of this." Nicolette scurried off, and I glared daggers into her back while she disappeared. "I'm sorry Misty, Lily, Violet. Sometimes Nicky can't control what she says."
"It's okay," May cut in, glancing at me with an urgent expression. I remembered why we were here and forced a smile on my face. "What do you have that is plain and simple, but has a stylish flare?"
Annabelle thought about it, and then her face brightened.
"I think we have just what you're looking for." She led us toward the back, and I saw Nicolette in the window, with Mariana. She cast a nervous glance at me, and I stared back, daring her to say something. She dashed off. Annabelle led us toward a rack with white halter dresses on it.
"Are you looking for a summer wedding?" she asked May, and May blushed a little at the word wedding. She was clearly still in proposal bliss.
She snapped out of it and answered,
"I'm not really sure." she said. "We haven't talked about it yet."
"Well then how about you just browse through? Let me know if you need something." She smiled at me and the twins.
"They're adorable Misty." she told me. I smiled and thanked her.
"Come on, like, we have to find the perfect dress!" Lily squealed happily.
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NORMAL POV
"She's back Ash. She just got here." Daisy told the boy on the phone, whose eyes widened. "She went out shopping with Lily, Violet and May, and she probably won't be back until later."
"Does she even want to see me?" Ash asked nervously. Daisy nodded emphatically.
"She loves you Ash, she'll be surprised to see you, but she'll be happy. I promise." She didn't say anything about the twins because that was something Misty needed to tell him herself. "You need to make things right with her."
"I know that, but-"
"No buts Ash. I'm coming to get you."
"No, I'll take the bus to Viridian and then go from there."
"Fine, just get here as soon as you can." she said impatiently. Ash ended the connection.
"Please let this work," Daisy said to no one and she went over to the pool to relax herself. She was getting too stressed, and it wasn't good for her complexion.
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MISTY POV
We looked around and then twins squirmed in my arms, wanting to explore. They had just learned how to walk, so they were a little unsure of what to do when I put them on the ground. I smiled encouragingly and they giggled, running over to the more expensive dresses. I rolled my eyes and helped May look while I didn't take my eyes off of my babies.
After a few hours of running around while we looked, the twins came back to me, their eyes sleepy. I glanced at my watch; 2:30 PM. Around the time of their usual nap.
I took them into my arms and the leaned their heads my shoulders, eyes drooping. Jake was falling asleep faster than Alex, but they would likely both be asleep before we got back to the Gym.
"May, I have to take the twins home for their nap. Promise you'll show me your dress." I said to her. She turned around and hugged me.
"I promise. Thanks for coming." she said. I somehow managed to hug her back with my sleepy babies in my arms.
"I'll see you later," I told her, heading for the door. She nodded and Lily and Violet waved, still immersed in dress shopping. I rolled my eyes; they are so girly it should be a crime.
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When I got back to the Gym, I put the twins in their playpen. I wanted to feed them and change their diapers before they went to sleep, because they had a tendency of waking up hungry or wet before they were ready. That led to serious crankiness, and I didn't want them to be cranky during dinner later.
Later, after feeding and changing, I ate something and went back to their playpen. They were still trying to keep their eyes open, but it was getting increasingly difficult.
"All right Lexi, time for bed." I picked her and her brother up. Jake had already fallen asleep, but Lexi was fighting it tooth and nail. "It's all right baby, go to sleep." I whispered. Her head lolled against my shoulder and she put her thumb in her mouth, sucking it as she relaxed.
I went for the stairs and I stepped up, only to be stopped by the ringing doorbell. Jake whimpered from the noise, and I covered his ears, pushing some hair away in the process. I went over to the door, seeing as Daisy was in the shower, and I figured it was probably Drew or something, because he didn't have a key.
I opened it and my eyes widened.
Oh sweet Mew.
Ash Ketchum stood there, smiling his trademark grin. Pikachu was on his shoulder, and he looked better then ever, wearing jeans and a black sweater. His hair was still messy, but that was because of his hat hair that he refused to comb.
"Hey Mist."
My heart jumped to my throat out of both surprise and happiness. He was here, he had called me Mist! He was the only one I ever let do that. Oh, sweet Arceus.
"A-Ash?" I stammered. "I-Is that really you?" I couldn't manage to say much else, and Alex opened her eyes sleepily, probably wondering why she wasn't in her crib asleep. Jake was still fast asleep.
"Yeah, it's me Mist." he said, smiling.
"Pikachupi!" said Pikachu, but he didn't jump into my arms because of the twins. Oh no, the twins! He saw them! I bit my lip.
This is so awkward; I have no idea what to say. I'm so confused. What is he doing here? How did he know I'd come back?
"W-What are you doing here?" I asked, swallowing hard and stepping back. He stepped forward so no space was lost between us. I thought about running, but I couldn't move my feet. The twins were both fast asleep, exhaustion had taken over.
"We need to talk Misty." he looked at Jake and Alex and his eyebrows furrowed.
"They're my cousins." I said quickly, lying through my teeth. He nodded slowly, as if he knew I was lying. I sighed; I guess I shouldn't be surprised that's why he's here. "Let me put them down and we'll talk." I said. I let him go into the room behind the pool which was a sitting room that connected to the kitchen and downstairs bathroom. I went upstairs and almost stayed up there, avoiding him.
I bit my lip as I put Jake and Alex in their playpens. In that moment I realized I was being stupid for being afraid of talking to him. We had done a lot more then talking before and not only that, if I never knew him, I never would have had my babies. That thought alone brought my courage out and I bravely went downstairs again. Ash was looking a picture, and he looked up when he saw me.
"This is from your sixteenth birthday party, isn't it?" he asked me. I nodded, remembering that day well. It was one of the best days of my life. I slowly sat down next to him, keeping enough space between us that we weren't touching, but not enough to keep my heart from beating rapidly inside my chest. He turned back to me and our eyes locked, just like they had that night. I swallowed hard and broke away from his hypnotizing gaze.
"Why are you here, Ash? It's been over a year." I said. He put his hand over mine, and my breath hitched in my throat. Why oh why does he still have this effect on me? It's not fair. How can he sit there and talk casually while my heart is thumping so fast I'm sure it's not healthy.
"Look at me Mist." I slowly turned my head to look in his eyes. "I'm here because I love you and I hate that everything's changed."
"I hate it too." I admitted, but I didn't dare say I loved him, I didn't dare admit that I had never stopped loving him; no matter how much I tried. I also didn't dare to mention Dawn, who was still technically his girlfriend as far as I knew.
"Then why can't we fix it?" he brought his hand to my cheek and moved closer to me. So close that our thighs were touching. My mind whirred. Tears stung behind my eyes.
"We could," I said. "If I wasn't keeping such a huge secret from you." I said, because there was nothing I wanted more in the world then to make up with Ash, but I just couldn't keep lying to him.
"What are you talking about?" he asked. I stood up and walked over to the door.
"Follow me." I said. He stood up and walked behind me, up the stairs to my bedroom door. I went in and took the twins' birth certificates from my bag. They were slightly yellowed with age, but it was still clear. "These are the birth certificates for Jacob Ashton and Alexandra Rose Waterflower. Those babies you saw earlier? They're not my cousins."
"Why does it say that I'm their father?" he asked me, his eyes meeting mine. I took a deep breath and stared into his eyes.
"Because you are. Jake and Alex are your biological children."
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A/N: Word to the wise, lower the murder weapons, because if I'm dead you'll never find out what happens next. XD C=
Chapter 13: Battlefield should be out maybe by later tonight or this coming Tuesday at the latest because I have off and I'll try to work on it between studying for my Psychology test and any other homework I might have.
Review please!
~Charmed
P.S. Happy Halloween!