Update update update.

Yes, I have midterms this week. But...studying for them is so boring. If I have to read about anymore political parties or anything about the government...I'm going to lose it. That's why I lose my focus and start writing instead. It's more fun :P

This one isn't as long as the last chapter, but it's still a good one. We left off with Misty's fear of kissing. Why? Because of Loki, of course! Guy's a complete pain even when he's dead. So how will Ash fix it? Let's find out!

Kick.

"Mmm…"

Kick.

"Misty, quit it…"

Kick.

Ash groaned and sat up, rubbing at his tired eyes. He could feel his hair sticking up every which way, but for now that was the least of his concerns. It's not like Ash usually bothered himself with how his hair looked anyway. Glancing down at the sleeping figure of his wife, Ash frowned when he noticed her eyebrow and mouth twitching and her legs flailing right next to him.

It was true that Misty had a habit of kicking Ash in her sleep from time to time, even more so when she was pregnant. But lately, it had been happening every night, and quite consistently as well. It was getting so bad that Ash had actually found bruises on his leg the previous morning. He felt bad, but Ash knew he couldn't go through the rest of the night dealing with this. So, gathering up his pillow and a blanket from the end of the bed, Ash got up and walked over to Misty's side, kissing her on the cheek. She stirred slightly, but otherwise showed absolutely no sign of waking up. Frowning, Ash turned around and walked out the door, moving down the stairs towards the living room couch.

As he set up his make shift bed, Ash's gloomy expression remained on his face. He could only kiss Misty when she was asleep, because otherwise she would become startled and start freaking out. It had been a few days since the first incident, and Ash still had yet to figure out why Misty was getting so upset by this simple, and sweet, action. In addition to this strange kissing aversion, Misty still seemed to be having trust issues, only finding solace in their two young children.

Settling himself down on the couch, Ash was still finding it difficult to sleep. He couldn't close his eyes, instead staring at the ceiling like it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. There were a lot of thoughts running through his head, and Ash couldn't get any of them to stop.

"Pikapi?"

Ash turned his head and found Pikachu standing on the floor, a curious look on the electric type's face.

"Hey Pikachu," Ash greeted quietly. "Did I wake you up?"

"Pi," Pikachu shook his head before jumping onto the couch and curling up on Ash's pillow besides the trainer's head. "Pikachu, pikapi?"

"I don't really know what I'm thinking, Pikachu," Ash sighed. "A lot of things at once, I guess."

"Pika pikachupi?"

"Yeah, about Misty."

"Pika pi."

"I know she's sad."

"Ka…"

Ash shifted his eyes to the side, choosing to look up at another section of the ceiling. He was moving between all of his different thoughts, and currently he was on the subject of Misty's birthday. It was in about two weeks, and Ash wasn't sure what he was going to do. He kept asking Misty if there was anything special she wanted, and her only response would be to shake her head. Ash wanted to do something that would make Misty happy, but he wasn't so sure that such a thing existed at this point.

Misty only wants to be with Aiden and Michelle at the moment, Ash thought, and she cares deeply about the baby. But she doesn't seem to want anything to do with me. Did I do something wrong?

Ash tilted his head back to lock his eyes on Pikachu. His partner was already fast asleep and snoring, which caused Ash to roll those very same russet eyes.

Wait! Ash suddenly realized, returning to his thoughts. Misty cares deeply about the baby! So if I give her something that has to do with the baby, it might cheer her up! And I think I know the perfect gift…

XXX

Misty hated herself.

How could she ever be turned off by her own husband? It wasn't her fault, and somewhere deep down, she knew that. It was all Loki's fault; the filthy man trying to have his way with her. It had traumatized her, in a sense.

That was the truth. But Misty couldn't help but to feel responsible for denying Ash.

Maybe it was because she hadn't told him about Loki's actions. While Ash was aware that Loki had gained romantic interest in his wife, Misty had kept quiet about the kiss she and the silver haired menace had shared. She was afraid that Ash would become upset with her, and feel like he had been cheated on. Misty hadn't liked the kiss at all, and it was mostly one sided since she didn't kiss back. But Ash was a very emotional person, and Misty feared a hasty reaction from the Pokémon master.

Already she feared that Ash was having issues with her. She had woken up in bed alone that morning, after all. Ash had told her that recently she'd been kicking him more often and much harder than usual, and Misty knew it was from the stress. She didn't dare tell him that, however.

I'm an idiot, Misty lashed out at herself inwardly, burying her face in her hands.

"Misty!"

The red head jumped, the sudden voice breaking her out of her deep thoughts. She looked to the side and found Justin standing in the doorway of the battle room, blinking his hazel eyes as he carefully studied the slumping figure of the red headed gym leader.

"Hi Justin," Misty greeted quietly before looking back towards the pool, her green eyes carefully studying the calm blue water.

"Are you alright?" Justin inquired as he moved further into the room. "You look awfully pale."

"I'm fine," Misty shrugged, her expression unchanging.

Justin wasn't convinced. It was strange to see Misty just sitting in the bleachers. This room was Misty's sanctuary. In here, she trained, battled against other trainers, swam…everything that made her happy and defined her life and title. Now, she just seemed miserable and rather ill.

"I thought you said you were going to train," Justin continued. "You haven't worked your Pokémon out in quite awhile. And the battles you've had as of late…"

"They've been terrible, I know," Misty cut her young assistant off.

"So why don't we have a practice battle?" Justin suggested with a delicate smile. "We can take it nice and slow!"

"Justin, I don't want to battle," Misty growled.

"But Misty…"

"Can we just drop it?" Misty seethed, her face flushing even further. "I'm in no mood to battle! I don't even want to be in here! All I want to do is spend time with Aiden and Michelle, and they're still freaked out from when I got upset with them! I'm a horrible mother and no one even cares!"

"Oh, Misty, don't say that…" Justin locked his hands together, trying to reason with the woman the way Ash usually did. "They love you! I'm sure of it."

"I'm not," Misty moaned as she leaned back, closing her eyes as she whimpered quietly.

"Misty?" Justin took a cautious step forward. The gym leader moaned again, this time more quietly than the first. She slumped even more, her eyes closing, until she nearly fell off the bleachers.

Now Justin knew that something was really wrong. He broke out into a sprint, running up the stairs of the bleachers in order to grab Misty before she fell onto the floor. Breathing heavily, Justin held Misty in his arms and gently touched her face.

"Misty…are you okay?" Justin trembled as he spoke to the gym leader. She mumbled incoherently in response, which at least assured Justin that she wasn't unconscious.

Unsure of what to do, Justin reached for his cell phone and found Ash's number, knowing that he would be the only person who could help him. Holding the device to his ear, Justin waited with bated breath for Ash to pick up. Another whine escaped Misty's lips, causing Justin to hold her more closely.

"You'll be fine, Misty," Justin whispered, "I promise. I'm calling Ash. He's going to help."

Biting his lip, Justin's heart began to pound slightly when he heard Ash's voice at the end of the other line.

"Justin? What's up?"

"Ash! I need you to come into the gym right away."

"Can't it wait? I'm about to leave for work and…"

"It can't wait," Justin spat out hurriedly. "Something is wrong with Misty!"

"What?" Ash shrieked, panic clear in his tone. "What happened? Is she sick?"

"I…I really don't know," Justin fretted. "She's not unconscious…maybe she's lightheaded, I don't know. She just kind of fell backwards and can't really speak…but I know that she's conscious."

"Alright, I'll be right there. Are you in the battle area?"

"Yes…please hurry."

The connection ended, and as Justin was putting his phone back in his pocket, Misty's eyes began to slowly slip open, although her face remained colorless.

"Are you okay Misty?" Justin inquired. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Misty's lips quivered, but no sound came out. Justin's body grew more rigid as he clutched Misty, wanting to protect the beautiful woman more than anything in the world. He knew if he didn't, Ash would kill him. Besides, Justin viewed Misty as his friend, and she really did mean a lot to him.

"Justin!"

The brown haired young man tore his eyes away from Misty's limp figure. He caught sight of Ash running towards them, Pikachu gripping desperately onto his trainer's shoulder for fear of flying off.

"Wow Ash, that really was fast," Justin blinked.

"Of course, we only live right next door," Ash smiled weakly at the young assistant once he had reached the bleachers. "And I'll run twice as fast if I know that something is wrong with Misty." His voice wavered at the end, and his eyes lowered to his weakened wife. Ash kneeled down and gently touched his wife's pallid cheek, concern written all over his handsome face.

Misty turned her head towards Ash and opened her eyes fully this time. She saw how scared he looked: his sadly glimmering eyes and mouth bent into a definitive frown. This only made Misty feel even worse. She was keeping this awful, horrible secret, and Ash had no idea, and it was hurting all of them.

Almost immediately, Misty began sobbing, which startled both Justin and Ash. Wanting to help, Ash reached out and took Misty from Justin's arms, holding her up so they were face to face. He studied her tear streaked face for a few moments, trying to figure out why exactly she was crying. When Ash couldn't come up with anything, he held Misty more tightly and asked quietly, "what in the world happened to you, Misty?"

"I…I got…lightheaded," Misty stammered, finally finding her voice.

"Do you have any idea why?" Ash continued. "Do you feel sick?"

"N…no," Misty shook her head. The guilt was eating her alive, and she couldn't keep it a secret anymore. "I…I know why."

"Do you want to tell me?" Ash's breath hitched. He had tried this tactic with her so any times before, and it rarely ever worked. All he could do was silently hope that this time, Misty would be willing to work with him.

"Y…yes…" Misty murmured. Ash smiled encouragingly at her, relieved that she was finally willing to speak to him about her troubles. "But…not here."

"Huh? Why not, Mist?"

"I…I want to rest," Misty closed her eyes. "Let me tell you in the house. Please."

"Sure, no problem," Ash was still puzzled by Misty's behavior, but he wasn't about to question it. Gathering Misty up bridal style, Ash carried her all the way from the gym back to the house, where he ascended the stairs and settled Misty in their bed, covering her legs with the sheets and gently patting her stomach.

A few strands of hair fell in front of Misty's face, and she slowly raised her hand to tuck them behind her ear. Ash examined her heartrending and thoughtful face for a few moments before sighing and gently tickling the side of her belly, causing Misty to laugh reluctantly.

"Are you ready to tell me yet?" Ash asked quietly. Misty stopped laughing and her cheeks turned bright red, suddenly realizing that she'd been backed into a corner. Ash remained in the same position, with the same expression, and the same silent impatience.

Misty opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She looked down in shame, her fingers toying nervously with one another as she held her breath.

"This has to do with the whole kissing thing, doesn't it?" Ash breathed. Misty raised her head slowly, her eyes wide in shock. Ash licked his lips and pressed again, "Doesn't it?"

Misty remained quiet for a little while longer before answering with a small and barely audible, "yes."

"Please…tell me," Ash begged, his russet eyes shining sadly. "Is it my fault? Did I do something wrong?" Tears began to escape from Misty's eyes, causing Ash himself to begin tearing up. Taking her delicate hands into his strong ones, Ash continued, "Tell me, Misty. Because if it is…if I messed up in any way…I want to fix it. I don't want things to be bad between us. I love you too much, Mist."

"It's not your fault!" Misty sobbed, tearing her hands away from Ash so she could wrap her arms around herself. Ash pulled back, surprised by Misty's sudden yelp. "It was…it was never your fault, Ash. I…I lied to you. Well, I didn't really lie, I guess, because I never said anything. But…I should've! I should've told you everything, but I was afraid you would get upset, and never want to look at me again, or be with me anymore, and our poor children would…they would just…"

"Misty, Misty, calm down!" Ash soothed, grabbing his wife's shoulders. The red head heaved loudly for a few seconds, trying to catch her breath. Ash rubbed up and down her arms, waiting for Misty to relax. Once her breathing pattern returned to normal, Misty nodded and decided to continue her explanation.

"It…it has to do with Loki."

Ash felt a surge of anger rise in his body, but he quickly pushed it back down, knowing that he would only be verifying Misty's concerns by releasing it. Trembling slightly, Ash glanced up and inquired, "what about him? What did he do to you, Misty?"

"He…kissed me," Misty answered quietly. Ash closed his eyes and let out a long breath. This reaction brought Misty's stress level up again, and she began to frantically plead, "I didn't want to, Ash! Believe me, I didn't want to! I never saw it coming! I was yelling at him, because he was hitting on me, and out of nowhere he just kissed me! And it was rough and angry and it felt so wrong because it wasn't you! He made me feel so awful! I felt like I had cheated on you, even though I didn't want to kiss him! And I never kissed him back, Ash! I pushed him away! Please…please don't hate me…"

She started crying again, although not as erratically as before. It was just as loud, however, and the despair was evident in Misty's heavy sobs. Ash, meanwhile, sat in complete silence, his only thoughts being that he wanted to murder Loki with his bare hands.

But he couldn't. The man was already dead.

So this left Misty. Ash raised his head and examined her figure. Her trembling body, the tears rolling down her red cheeks. His wife was hurt. Not physically, but emotionally. She had been hurt more deeply by that cruel man more so than Ash had originally thought. And now she was afraid of betrayal from the man that she truly loved and trusted: him.

Pursing his lips, Ash shuffled closer to Misty until their noses were touching. Misty gasped softly and looked up, the tears spilling out of her eyes like a waterfall. Ash chuckled softly despite himself.

"Don't cry now," Ash soothed huskily as he wiped those dreaded tears away. "You know I hate to see you cry."

It was stupid, she knew, but Misty responded with a simple nod. She knew all too well that Ash couldn't stand the sight of her tears.

With their noses still in contact, Ash released a soft breath that tickled Misty's lips. Smiling gently, Ash continued, "I could never hate you. And I don't feel betrayed. Loki was a bad, bad man. We both know that. But…we also know he got what he deserved. He's dead now. He'll never bother any of us again. Yes, it was completely wrong and inappropriate of him to kiss you. I can only imagine how much that must of hurt you. But you have to remember that I am nothing like that vile creature. I would never think of hurting you. Not ever. When I kiss you…what we have is real. I love you more than life itself. As my wife, as the mother of my children, as my best friend…you're my everything."

Misty's breath caught in her throat. She stared directly into Ash's chocolate eyes, and him into her emerald ones. At that moment, something connected, and all of a sudden, Misty didn't feel so alone.

The pain Loki had inflicted on her, the trauma…Misty could feel it all melting away.

Instinctively, Ash began to lean forward, his eyes closing and his breath growing shallow. Misty flinched for just a split second before remembering that she no longer had to be afraid. This was Ash, and she was safe. This still didn't make Misty eager to lean forward, however. She simply sat there, waiting for Ash to reach her lips. She wanted to take this one step at a time.

After what felt like an eternity, Ash's lips brushed against Misty's own. She let out a shuttered breath, but didn't recoil this time. Ash took her lower lip and began to kiss her gently. Misty dug her nails into her palm and finally closed her eyes, relaxing her body as she accepted the kiss.

Feeling that she was more comfortable, Ash deepened it slightly, resting his hand on Misty's lower back for support. Misty let out an involuntary moan and returned the vigor, raising her arms in order to wrap them around Ash's neck.

After that, things started moving way too quickly for either Ash or Misty to even remember when it began. Ash had snuck his hand underneath the back of Misty's shirt so he was touching the smooth skin of her back. Misty, meanwhile, was pulling desperately at Ash's collar, trying to get his mouth as close to hers as possible. Twisting his hand around, Ash pulled Misty's shirt up so her bulging stomach was fully exposed. He chuckled at this, which gave Misty the opportunity to slip her tongue into his mouth. Ash didn't mind in the slightest. He trailed his hand from her back, onto her side, and finally onto her belly, which he loved so much. Ash rubbed and caressed the fairly huge bump, trying to see if he could wake up the baby inside.

Growling in a quiet and playful manner, Misty wrapped her legs around Ash's hips and managed to flip him over. The dark haired man cried out in surprise, to which Misty smirked mischievously as she settled herself on top of him.

"You…you still have the energy to do that?" Ash puffed.

"No," Misty finally admitted, letting out a tired laugh as she fell onto Ash, landing on her side to ensure she wouldn't hit her belly.

"You're cute," Ash laughed, nuzzling his nose into the side of Misty's head. She hummed knowingly and turned her head so they could lock lips again.

"I thought you had to go to work," Misty teased once they separated.

"Oh yeah," Ash clicked his tongue afterwards as if just remembering this little task. "Oh well. They can wait." Gazing at Misty yet again, Ash prompted, "so, do you feel better now?"

"Yes, very much," Misty blushed slightly. "Thank you, Ash."

"Don't mention it," Ash embraced Misty and pressed their cheeks together, Misty's gentle blush lightly burning Ash's skin. "It was nothing."

XXX

"Ash, are you keeping a secret from me?"

The Pokémon master turned around and stared his wife down innocently. She didn't seem as sweet natured, however. By no means was Misty angry, but she was beginning to look a little flustered with Ash's recent behavior.

"What do you mean, angel? Why would I be keeping a secret from you?"

"Because, for the past week and a half, you've been acting so sneaky," Misty narrowed her eyes slightly. "You spend all of your free time up here in the extra guest bedroom. Not to mention, you lock the door so I can't even get in."

"It's nothing Mist," Ash shook his hand in a non chalant manner. "Just a little…something I'm working on."

"Like what?" Misty folded her arms. Ash now seemed to be at a loss for words, and Misty knew she had her husband right where she wanted him. "If it's not such a big deal, you can tell me what you're working on in there, right?"

"Uh…yeah…I can…" Ash stammered. Misty had the satisfaction of victory written all over her face, and the last thing Ash wanted was for Misty to feel as if she'd won this little…well, he wasn't sure what exactly to call this. It wasn't an argument, but it wasn't a conversation either.

"Well? I'm waiting."

"It's a room for me," Ash blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. The devious look on Misty's face soon melted into an expression of bewilderment. In fact, she looked almost crestfallen. Noticing this, Ash grinned and continued more confidently, "It's a Pokémon master's longue."

"What in the world is that?" Misty's shoulders slumped.

"A place for me to go to," Ash elucidated as if he was well versed on the idea. "You know, for peace and quiet. That sort of stuff."

"Oh. Alright then," Misty frowned.

"Don't be upset sweetheart," Ash leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his wife's forehead. "I promise that once it's done, you can see it!"

"Sounds exciting," Misty tried to laugh, although her voice failed her.

There was a slightly uncomfortable silence following that. The quiet was ultimately broken by a fairly loud rumbling of one's stomach. Ash blinked, thinking it was him for a split second. Upon seeing the blush that was gracing his wife's face, however, Ash was aware that it was her belly that had made the noise.

"Someone is hungry," Ash trilled. Toying with Misty's bangs, he inquired, "is it you or our little baby girl?"

"It's her," Misty answered quickly. She waited a few seconds before adding, "And me. A little."

Ash chuckled and placed his hands on the sides of her tummy. Surprisingly enough, it had gotten significantly larger over the past week and a half. Sometimes, Ash wondered if it really was just one baby.

"Well, you should go eat," Ash smiled encouragingly at his wife. "I don't want the baby to go hungry, after all."

"Don't worry, she won't," Misty smirked as she turned around to walk towards the stairs. "She already makes me eat all day anyway."

Ash waited until he was one hundred percent sure that Misty was gone. With the coast clear, he hurried back into the guest room and quickly closed the door, locking it and leaning against the wooden barrier as he let out a tired sigh.

"Misty giving you trouble?"

Ash looked down at Tracey, who was busy drawing bubbles onto the newly painted walls. Aiden and Michelle were sitting in a nearby corner, playing with some stuffed Pokémon that Ash had bought for the room.

"Yeah," Ash furrowed his brow, "how did you know?"

"Just a guess," Tracey chuckled.

"She wants to know what I've been up to," Ash ran a hand through his dark hair. "I almost told her too."

"No Daddy!" Michelle scolded, her emerald eyes blazing with anger.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I didn't," Ash held his hand out in front of himself for protection. It was almost a natural reflex at this point. Michelle was often too much like Misty for comfort. "I made something up and she believed me."

"Good," Michelle finished simply before returning to playtime with her brother.

"It looks good so far," Ash placed his hands on his hips as his eyes scanned his current project. "Do you think Misty will like it?"

"I think Mommy will love it!" Aiden beamed. "It has all of her favorites."

"I hope you're right, little buddy," Ash laughed kindly.

Ash figured at this point, he could do no wrong. He had solved Misty's problem, and everything in their lives had gone back to normal. Now, nothing could destroy them.

See? Not as long, but still sweet. Ash would really do anything for Misty, I would think.

So, what do you all think is Ash's big surprise for Misty? It's probably obvious...but I want to know anyway :P It will be revealed next chapter! But until then, leave your guesses in a review. I'm curious ;)

Now, enough of me. I have to go back to studying so I don't fail my test! At least it's my last one of the week. Then it's back to writing! Keep up with the awesome reviews and feedback! It's really awesome you guys; I appreciate it!