Giovanni's first day at home was quiet, he was happy to see his wife and son. However, he knew that that pleasant sensation of calm should not make him lower his guard. Her wife Delia was a very curious and intelligent woman, so he knew it would not be enough for her, to wait for him to tell her the truth when he wanted. He understood that she did not insist more on the matter to avoid stressing him or annoying him by being in his condition. So even though it was very nice to be home, he couldn't stay there while Cipriani was behind him.
Ash spent the whole day keeping him company, telling him about the things he had done while he was away, how he had fun playing in the field with Gary, and everything he learned visiting Professor Oak. With a happy face always on his face and with his effusive tone of voice. Ash's little hands went back and forth explaining to his father how a few weeks before he and Gary had jumped into the river when a Tauros was chasing them.
"That was very dangerous, Ash!" Giovanni chided him in a strong tone of voice.
The boy in front of him shrugged and nodded.
"I know dad" he said softly as he lowered his face and rubbed his hands regretfully. "But we couldn't do anything else, we had to jump. Don't tell mom!", Ash rose from the chair and clenched his fists in front of his chest pleadingly.
"I won't, but you must promise me that you won't get into that kind of trouble anymore" Giovanni told him, moving his face from side to side in disapproval.
Ash nodded and then told his father that Gary and his grandfather would be going to Viridian City the next day as the professor would soon start a radio show there.
"Gary says Viridian is a very big city, is that true, Dad?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, it's a very big city, you've already visited it, don't you remember?" Giovanni then chided himself mentally, Ash was only two and a half years old the last time he and Delia visited him.
"I don't remember, but I would like to go with you, I'm already a big boy, I can go right?"
"I think so, then we'll see" he answered, avoiding Ash's gaze as he stroked Persian's fur who was curled up next to him on the bed.
For years he had kept them a secret and created a false story about his private life, he did not want to expose Ash or Delia. It was better to continue as before.
The first day passed quietly with the company of the little boy and Delia's care. In the evening she prepared a delicious dinner that she took him to bed. Giovanni greatly missed his wife's home cooking, so he devoured everything she brought him enjoying every bite. They had a moment to chat about the trivia of country life. Giovanni listened carefully when she told him about the things to do before the snow started. Delia avoided asking her husband about the events that had made him go to Pallet Town in that state, although she hoped he would share that information with her soon.
On the second day at home, Giovanni stood up and left the guest room, although he was still in pain, he was able to walk and while taking painkillers he could ignore the pain in his body. Delia scolded him for standing up when she believed he should still rest and be careful with the wound he had on his right side. The car the gym leader had used to get there was parked on the side of the road. His tank was almost empty so he couldn't use it to go very far. He decided to leave it parked in the back of the house where it couldn't be easily seen thanks to the huge trees that covered the part of the property that faced the road.
Giovanni took out the cardboard box he was carrying on the back seat. The box was a bit heavy so he tried to go carefully to the guest room where he hid it under the bed. He didn't want to inspect that box while Delia and Ash could enter the room and find out him by reading Team Rocket reports. For that and to prevent his wife from being on top of him scolding him for not resting, he went back to bed. Delia knocked on the door a moment after, and he watched her enter with a medicine cabinet in her hands.
"How are you feeling, darling?" The woman took a chair and pulled it with her to sit on the side of the bed.
"I'm fine, where's Ash?" Giovanni asked her as he leaned against the head of the bed.
"He's in the yard playing with Persian. He was thinking of going to Gary's house, but he didn't remember that he is out with Professor Oak"
"He told me something about that. Will Oak have a radio show?"
"Yes, the professor is very excited about that, although I think it will only be a couple of times a month"
"I see" Giovanni said, thinking that he didn't like the idea of having to run into Oak in Viridian.
Delia took some cotton and antiseptic from the medicine cabinet to clean Giovanni's wound. Her husband put away the blanket he had on, and took off the gray T-shirt he was wearing.
"The wound looks good" Delia commented as she inspected her husband's skin.
"I heal quick, I told you not to worry"
"Don't say that, I'll always worry about you, even if it's just scratches"
Delia rubbed the antiseptic-soaked cotton gently, her husband winced through clenched teeth, and she gave an amused laugh.
"Has it hurt?" she asked, placing a new gauze to cover the stitches.
"No" he answered, looking away. She didn't say anything knowing how her husband liked to pretend that he was a tough man.
"Well, it's all set"
Giovanni put the shirt back on and Delia put the medicine cabinet on the nightstand. She then she sat on the bed staring at Giovanni.
"What's wrong Delia?" He asked taking her face in his hands.
"It's nothing, I'm just glad you're home" She smiled at him sincerely.
"I'm happy to be here too" her husband answered, Delia nodded and then kissed him softly on his lips.
Delia thought the circumstances of their marriage might be strange and ridiculous to other people, but to her it was simple. She believed that the love they felt for each other was enough to make this work even despite the distances. However, there was also in her heart uncertainty when she did not know what Giovanni was doing or thinking. Also, she now kept a secret that she felt guilty about but she also did not want to drop a bomb in the middle of a situation like this.
"I'm going to make lunch. Do you want something special?" She asked, moving away from his side and taking the medicine cabinet from the nightstand.
Giovanni looked at her for a moment and shook his head, she said nothing more and left the room. She brought his lunch to bed and Ash accompanied him sitting in the chair next to the bed. He no longer looked at Delia again until late at night. She made him a light dinner and chatted with him before going to sleep.
When Giovanni heard no more noise in the house, he got out of bed carefully and pulled the box out from under it. He pulled out a stack of folders with documents inside. Most seemed to be too old. In a hurry he opened the folders and flipped through some reports. Many of them were about old missions that the former higher ups of his mother carried out. Giovanni thought that in those days he was just a child so it might be difficult to know exactly who those agents were.
A battered folder named Dante Leone caught his eye. The first thing he looked at when he opened it was the photograph of a man with a serious expression wearing a Team Rocket uniform. He was younger, his hair was black and he had no beard, but that was definitely Leo Cipriani. Giovanni sat on the edge of the bed reading the reports that spoke of an exceptional agent who, through his mother's hand, had managed to put Team Rocket in a fairly comfortable position in Kanto. He continued reading eager to find out more, but the last thing there was was about this man's retirement. Apparently, he had some disagreements with his mother. Giovanni turned the page hoping to find more information, but only found a handwritten note at the end, he recognized this handwriting as his mother's, "it will never reach Giovanni" he quoted. The gym leader felt suffocated when an intense headache settled in him, he did not understand the meaning of that little phrase, what did he and Cipriani have to do with it?
He found nothing else of importance in the box so he stuffed everything back into it and kicked it under the bed. He then he lay down to try to sleep. Instead of getting clear answers he now had more questions. He tried make memory and remember those days, but did not succeed, he was only three years old when those reports were written. He fell asleep without realizing it.
Giovanni felt his heart beat violently in his heart, he was afraid and tried not to make noise while he hid in a closet. A small slit allowed him to see the light from outside, his pursuer was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly the door was thrown open and a tall, dark figure stopped in front of him. He took him violently by the arm and Giovanni wept. His black and childish eyes danced in fear and went to meet the blue eyes of the man who held him tightly.
His vision clouded and his ears began to ring loudly, he felt dizzy and heard a woman's voice screaming.
"Leave him alone!"
Giovanni woke up suddenly. He was sweating and his heart was beating like crazy in his chest. He realized that it had been a nightmare. He ran his hand through his hair nervously and got out of bed. He had to get out of there, he couldn't and shouldn't stay with Delia and Ash any longer.
After waking up like that, he left the guest room and went into the kitchen where his wife was make breakfast for Ash. He sat down to accompany him.
"Good morning, Dad" the boy greeted and his father nodded in response.
"Why did you get up?" I was going to bring you breakfast in bed" Delia said, setting a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast for Ash.
"I'm fine, I don't want to be in bed anymore"
"I understand" she answered, understanding that it was difficult for her husband to stay still for long.
After having breakfast as a family, Ash and Persian went outside to play in the backyard. It was Giovanni's third day at home and the dark-haired little boy was delighted with his presence, although he did not understand much what was happening with his parents.
The gym leader was sitting on a lawn chair. In his hands he was holding a cup of hot coffee, the steam rising and getting lost in the atmosphere. He watched his son run back and forth with the feline pokemon while he thought of Leo Cipriani, in his head he rethought over and over the information that the night before he had obtained from the reports that Eric got for him. He didn't know anything about his friend which also made him nervous. He hoped that Eric was okay and will communicate soon.
It was a sunny day, but the temperature was low. Giovanni had enjoyed those days with his wife and son, although most of the time he had been in bed. Pallet Town was a peaceful place, so forgetting about his worries for a moment and getting away from the tumult of the city did him good.
Delia checked his wound before he walked out onto the patio with Ash. She told him that he was healing well and would soon heal completely. The pain in his body bruised from the attack on the lair outside Viridian had passed as well. He was satisfied to leave the bed in the guest room. That night he could go upstairs and rest in the master bedroom with his wife before saying goodbye.
The bruises on his body were almost completely gone as well, so he no longer felt like a punching bag. The scratches on his face were already fading, his wife had done a great job taking care of him.
"How you feel?" Asked a warm voice behind Giovanni.
Delia put a hand on the gym leader's shoulder. Her husband turned his face to give her a quick smile.
"I'm fine" Giovanni replied. Delia nodded smiling.
"I'm glad you're feeling better, darling"
She turned her gaze to her son who had a cheerful face as he played with Persian.
"Sit down" Giovanni said, standing up and offering the chair to his wife "I'll go inside for a bit"
The brown-eyed woman looked at him with a little concern. But she didn't say anything and sat down as her husband headed home.
Giovanni entered the guest room and pulled his phone out of the bottom drawer of the nightstand. He felt unquiet about the dream of the previous night, it had him with his head throbbing, because it felt very real to him. There were too many things he had to pay attention to.
He knew Leo Cipriani wouldn't sit idly by waiting waiting for him to peep out his nose. By now he should know that he was still alive so he would be looking for him and if he found him he would not mind hurting Delia and Ash surely.
Annoyed, he slammed his fist against the nightstand and cursed under his breath for being in that situation. But Giovanni never gave up at the first sign of danger, he was a stubborn man, capable and above all ambitious, he had not gotten there by being kind. However, the risk of losing what he loved most in life. His family. He made him feel frightened and frustrated and he was not used to.
He checked his phone, he wanted to know if he still had some battery. Realizing that he still had a little less than half left, he turned it off again and put it back in the drawer. Then he would contact Archer and the others to get him out of Pallet Town.
He had the palms of his hands resting on the surface of the nightstand. His head was lowered and he kept his eyes closed for a moment, thinking of his next steps. Suddenly he felt his wife's arms hugging him. Delia leaned her face against her husband's back lovingly. She could feel his rhythmic breathing.
"Delia" he said in a surprised tone he rarely used.
"What are you worried about, Giovanni?" She asked, still hugging him.
The crime lord raised his face and turned to face his woman, his hands circling Delia's waist. And his dark eyes were watching her carefully. She remained silent waiting for an answer.
"I think I'm getting old" he finally said with a crooked smile, Giovanni.
Delia blinked in confusion, it seemed like an unconvincing response used only to get out of the way. Her husband was not an exceptional joker, and he seldom made jokes, which seemed odd to her. Even so, she went along with him and smiling said:
"I didn't want to deal with the subject, but since you say so…." She started laughing.
Giovanni caught the warm laughter of his wife and his own laughter began to mix with Delia's, it had been a long time since he had laughed. The gym leader recalled the days they shared together when they were young. Those long talks, the infectious laughter, and the innocent games. He wondered to himself why he had pushed all that away from him. Had power and fortune been more important than Delia?
"You're bad" he told her as he kissed her, he pressed her closer to his body feeling the warmth of his wife.
It had been so long since he had held her in his arms. The need for her touch was beginning to become unbearable. Delia wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to kiss him hard. Giovanni's lips filled her with spicy kisses that ran down her neck and her face. His hands began to explore the female body for more. He was surprised at the small swelling in Delia's belly, but didn't mind it.
The caresses were beginning to intensify when Ash ran into the room followed by his father's Persian. The crime lord released Delia as if it were something hot, she turned taking her son in her arms. Her husband was trying to compose his breath. The little boy looked at them with his huge brown eyes, which were shining with excitement.
"What were they doing?" he asked playfully.
Giovanni gave him a smile and ruffled his hair.
"Your mother wanted to show me a fun game" he answered in a calm voice and Ash tilted his head to the side without understanding.
"Giovanni!" His wife yelled at him, turning red.
The phone in the living room started ringing and Ash jumped out of his mother's arms to rush out to answer the call. They followed him.
"It's Professor Oak, mom, he wants to talk to you" he announced giving him the phone.
"Hello professor, what's up? How have you been at Viridian?"
"Delia, hello, I'm sorry to bother you" the professor on the other end of the line replied a bit ashamed.
"Don't worry, professor"
Giovanni sat waiting on the sofa in the living room next to the phone. He looked at his wife as she spoke. Ash settled next to him and hugged him burying his face in the red plaid flannel shirt he was wearing. When he was home he used to dress simply, in clothes that Delia chose for him, like that flannel shirt or the blue jeans he was wearing that day. A very different style than the one he usually wore at the gym at Viridian or when he attended to Team Rocket business.
Delia was still on the phone.
"The trip was good, only Gary caught a cold. He's in bed since we got here this morning" Samuel Oak said.
"Oh sorry to hear that"
"The doctor said he will be fine in a few days, he just needs to rest. But Gary insists on wanting some special soup that you make for Ash"
"I'll do a bit and send it to you, professor, don't worry about it"
"Thank you very much Delia, you are very kind"
"You don't have to thank me Professor Oak, regards Gary"
When she hung up the phone Giovanni asked his wife what the professor wanted. She told him that Gary was sick and that he wanted to try some of the soup she made for Ash when he got sick. Delia had always cared a great deal about Oak's grandson. She was very fond of the little boy whom she regarded as a nephew.
This is how Giovanni ended up going up the hill in Pallet Town where Professor Oak's lab was. Ash accompanied him walking beside him, he held his hand and his father looked at him out of the corner of his eye from time to time, he seemed very cute.
When they arrived at Oak's house, he was already waiting for them and invited them to come in, claiming that it was cold outside and that the least he could do to thank them for going there was to invite them something warm. Ash and his father sat in the living room of the pokemon expert's huge house. When he returned he brought with him hot chocolate and cookies which he kindly offered them.
"Giovanni, I'm glad you could take some time to come see Delia and Ash" the old man said, smiling, as he took some chocolate.
The gym leader had rarely been to the pokemon professor's house in the past. He met him the first time he went to Pallet Town with Delia. She introduced him by saying that Oak was like her uncle, as he was very supportive of her parents as a good friend when she was growing up. Giovanni knew that Delia loved the pokemon researcher very much, and although the gym leader was not very sociable and always avoided forming friendships, he did trust the professor, and was grateful that he was always there to help Delia and Ash when he was not around.
"I've taken a short vacation" he answered calmly.
"I'm glad, how is everything in the gym?"
"It's like everything, there are good and bad days..."
"My dad is the best gym leader" Ash interrupted, "he never loses" he yelled, standing up.
Ash had never been a kid to keep quiet. He was expressive and very outgoing. Professor Oak laughed, always was having fun hanging out with his grandson and Ash.
"Really Ash?, That's amazing, one day you will be able to fight for a medal in his gym, isn't that exciting?"
Giovanni observed his son, the way he expressed himself and interacted with the older man intrigued him, you could tell that they were close and that Ash trusted the professor.
His son spoke confidently and was struck by the spark of pride that shone in his eyes when he talked about him and his job as a gym leader. Giovanni had spent very little time with his son while he was growing up, but still Ash admired and loved him. Doubts about his actions in those years came to his mind again. He accomplished much of what he wanted, but he didn't feel it was enough, that it would truly fulfill him.
On the way home Ash would run in front of his father playing around. He stopped in the middle of the road, squatting to watch the air moved the green grass. He was a curious boy and he liked to pay attention to everything around him.
"Hurry up, Ash" ordered his father, passing by his side.
The minor stood up and ran after Giovanni, being next to him, looked at him for a moment and smiling asked:
"Dad, will you stay long?"
"I don't think so son, I must return to the city soon"
The younger shrugged dissatisfied with the answer and stopped in the middle of the road with his fists clenched at his side. The gym leader glanced over his shoulder and looked at him seriously. He whirled around with one hand tucked into his trouser pocket. The cold wind was beginning to bother him and he wanted to go home as soon as possible.
"Why do you always leave?!, Aren't we important to you?!" He asked, raising his voice and staring at his father. His eyes were shining with confidence and the crime lord noticed so much resemblance to himself that he scared him.
"We've had this conversation before" he answered without hesitation.
The calm with which he said that caused Ash to get even more upset. He felt that his father was not taking him seriously. His eyes began to fill with tears and his fists were turning white from how hard he was clenching them. Giovanni sighed tiredly, regretting not knowing how to act before Ash's rudeness. He knew it was his fault for being away for so long. He used to not be patient when he was away from home. His employees knew that he hated to be contradicted, that they did not follow his orders well or that they would reproach him for his actions. If he were an employees he would easily sent hell him and give him difficult tasks to punish him. But this was his adored son so the boss couldn't do anything but give in to the demands of the little boy in front of him.
Giovanni hugged Ash against his body, the boy struggling to get free while he sobbed.
"You are the most important thing to me" he said in a calm voice, Ash's body stopped struggling and he hugged his father, "never doubt about that"
The dark-haired boy raised his face to look into his eyes. Ash was strangely pleased. His father could be scary at times, but he was a good man, he could be far away but his heart stayed with them, Ash knew that. When he stopped crying they returned home where Delia was waiting for them with a special hot meal for her two favorite boys.