Disclaimer: Don't own Pokémon. What else can I say? Oh yes! If you stole the lawn mower this morning, THEY'RE COMING FOR YOU! Grrrrrrrrr ...
That's actually true! Our lawn mower ... Anyway, it's taken A WHILE to get this part done. So much to put in ... plus, it's taken a few directions and twists and turns that I didn't expect. Lol. Enjoy, and REVIEW! Please?
A Year in the Life of AAMLOver the next two months all Ash could do was stand to the side and watch as Misty, and their child, grew in size. Thankfully, Misty's short period of morning sickness had passed and now she was totally hooked on the craving stage.
"Carrots!" she moaned as they sat on the sofa.
"We're all out! Mom's gone for more," Ash reassured her.
"How about peppers?" she asked next.
"How about bugs?" he teased, remembering her various speeches of "I don't like carrots, peppers or bugs".
"Don't push it Ketchum," she warned. "Oh well, I guess I'll have to make do with ice cream on toast," she sighed.
"What!?" Ash exclaimed, not sure if he heard right. "Don't put the kid through that!"
"I was joking," she reassured him, kissing his cheek. She gasped slightly, and placed her hands on her swollen stomach. "He she's kicking again," she said in awe, reaching for Ash's hand and placing it next to hers. Togepi and Pikachu who were on the sofa next to them rushed over and put their ears on to listen.
"Pikapi," Pikachu called after a minute. "Pikachupi pika pichu pika pikachu?" he asked.
"Yeah," Ash replied simply. He reluctantly removed his hand and stood up, heading towards the kitchen, Pikachu putting his ear back against Misty's bump.
"Ash?" Misty asked, wondering what they had said.
"Just a minute," he replied from inside the kitchen. She sighed and stroked Pikachu who was smiling widely.
"You hear something, Pikachu?" she asked him.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, nodding his head. Misty smiled at him, wondering just what he had heard.
Just then, a loud cheer of, "SURPRISE!" rang through the house, making Misty jump.
"You remembered!?" she said touched, as Ash, Delia, Brock, Tracey and Prof. Oak all walked out the kitchen, carrying a huge sponge cake lit with 18 candles.
"How could we forget?" Ash asked her. After singing a somewhat out of tune "Happy Birthday", Misty blew out the candles. Tracey placed the cake down on the coffee table and slices were cut from it and handed around.
"I didn't expect this," Misty said in shock.
"You really think we'd forget your 18th birthday?" Brock asked her. "It's a landmark!"
"But, presents first!" Ash cried excitedly.
Delia gave her present first, a book full of baby names. After flicking through and seeing what the book said about all of their own names, Tracey handed his present to Misty. It was a picture he had drawn of Ash and Misty "one day" as he put it, when they were much younger. Thanking him, she received Professor Oak's next. A multi-pack of herbal teas that his wife and daughter had both claimed got rid of cravings. Relieved she had something to keep the carrots away, she now received Brock's present.
"Wow," she exclaimed as she unwrapped a silver pendant. "Oh Brock, this is beautiful!" she exclaimed as opened it, revealing two empty spaces.
"There's enough room to fit two baby pictures in there," Brock told her. Misty, who now became overwhelmed at any present given for the baby, hugged Brock tearfully. She received a tap on her shoulder and separated from Brock. She turned to see Delia, who was holding a small picture out to her.
"Here's a start," she offered. Misty took the picture off her and looked at it, seeing a picture of a small baby.
"It's Ash, right?" Misty asked Delia.
Delia nodded. "Don't worry, I've got hundreds!"
"Really?" Ash asked, surprised.
"You'd be surprised at how much I was a shutterbug when you were small," Delia told him, winking.
Misty, now having put the picture in the pendant, placed it round her neck. "Thanks," she told them.
"Now mine," Ash said. "You can kinda consider it as from Pikachu and Togepi as well."
"Pika," Pikachu agreed, nodding his head. Ash then handed Misty a small rectangular blue parcel.
"Toge togepi!" Togepi chirped, excited by all the wrapping paper.
Misty unwrapped the blue paper to reveal a small velvet box. Warily, she opened it to reveal a plain gold bracelet.
"Oh Ash!" she gasped, taking it out. "It's ... wow!" She turned it over and read an inscription on the other side.
'Misty, my love, happiness on your 18th birthday. Ash x x x'
"You like it?" Ash asked her.
She nodded, putting it on her wrist. "I love it," she whispered as she kissed him. Then the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Delia said, standing up. Misty had begun moving her way to the cards when they heard their voices at the door.
"Hello?" Delia asked the visitor.
"Is this where Ash Ketchum lives?" a female voice asked. At the mention of his name, Ash turned his head around.
"Yes. Why?" Delia queried.
"I need to speak to him, it's important."
"May?" Brock asked, recognising the voice.
"Brock?" May called, Delia deciding, since they obviously knew her, to let her in the house, shutting the door behind her.
"May, what are you doing here? I thought you were staying in Hoenn?" Ash asked as she walked into the lounge, wearing the same ensemble she wore throughout their trip through Hoenn.
"Holy he-" she stopped herself, seeing a pregnant girl sitting next to Ash. "I'm May," she greeted.
"Misty," Misty replied.
May smiled knowingly. "Oh, you're Misty," she said slightly cheekily. "Congratulations," she commentated on the impending arrival.
"Thanks," Ash thanked.
"It's yours!?" she exclaimed. "Anyway, I came here for a reason, a very important reason."
"It must have been if you travelled all the way from ... Hoenn?" Tracey asked.
"Yes," she confirmed. "Ash, can I talk to you in private?"
"Private? It's not like this is a big secret," Ash sighed, standing up.
"My father sent me here to deliver 'Official Confidential Hoenn League News'," May said bluntly and with slight bitterness. "I need to make sure you understand this."
"Ash," Misty said, looking at him. "Talk in the kitchen." Ash smiled and led May into the kitchen, shutting the door behind them.
"May, what's this about?" Ash asked, leaning against the desktop.
"Ash, this'll come as a shock, but ... Steven's dead."
"Steven?" Ash asked confused. Then he remembered. "The Champion, Steven!?" he exclaimed.
"I'm sorry," she consoled, holding up a letter in her hand. "And there's also this letter for you."
Ash took the letter off her and opened it up quickly, reading the contents ...
Dear Ash Ketchum,
It is with great sadness that we report to you, a recent Hoenn League Challenger, news that the current Champion, Steven Stone, has passed away, leaving a widow and two children. Unfortunately, even though you yourself came second in the Championships, we will have to re-host the Hoenn League Championships.
Please reply to this letter as soon as possible, as the League matches are scheduled to start 2 months to the day, of the date stated at the top of this letter and we need to know urgently if you are able to attend. If for some reason you are unable to, we are sorry to state that the result you achieved in the currently discounted Championships will not be officially recorded. But, you are free to attend the next Championships, date currently unknown.
Again, please reply ASAP.
HOENN LEAGUE
Ash finished reading the letter and threw it down on the table, screwed up tightly.
"Ash?" May asked. "What did it say?"
"It said that the championships are being held again, and that all the positions reached last time are now ... void," he spoke with bitterness.
"What? They can't do that!" May exclaimed. "Everyone worked so hard ... you worked hard! They can't throw that out the window!"
"They can, and they have!" Ash shouted. He sighed loudly and kicked the kitchen units as hard as he could, trying to release his frustration. "In seven years that was the closest I had ever gotten," he said sadly. "Kanto, Orange, Johto ... " he trailed off.
"Ash are you gonna be ok?" she asked.
He paused, thinking before answering. "I'm gonna go for a walk," he whispered. He walked out of the kitchen, May following after him.
In the living room they were all chatting with each other. Ash stopped and looked at Misty who was talking with Tracey. She laughed and then noticed he was back in the room and turned her head to look at him, still smiling. "Ash?" she asked, making everyone focus on him.
"Honey, are you alright?" Delia asked, seeing the sadness displayed on his face. Ash said nothing. He looked despairingly at Misty, and then headed for the front door as fast as he could.
"Ash where are you going!?" Misty shouted, standing up from the sofa and heading to the front door as well.
"He's angry," May told them all, walking into the middle of the room. "And I don't blame him."
"Well what did you say to him!?" Misty angrily asked her. "Something's happened and I wanna know, confidential or not!"
"He's lost his Hoenn second place!" May shouted back at her. "They're having to do last year's competition all over again! In two months!"
"Two months?" Brock asked, flicking his gaze from May to Misty, who was now looking down at the floor.
"This is my fault," she said quietly. "He can't go ... " she trailed off, looking out the open door.
"Don't blame yourself," Delia told her as Misty hurried out the door. Brock stood up to follow, but Delia stopped him. "Let them talk," she told him. Reluctantly he sat down.
"May, do you wanna run through why all this has happened?" Tracey asked her as she sat down.
"I don't really have a choice, do I?" she asked jokily. She sighed. "Ok," she agreed, before continuing.
Ash lay back on the sand, staring up at the blue sky. "It's not fair," he repeated over and over in his head. He sat up and looked out to the calm blue water, sighing heavily. He was so angry at everything and everyone. He was even angry with Steven for getting himself killed 2 years before the next championships, however selfish it sounded. He felt the anger surge up inside of him and he clenched his fists.
"Ash!?" a voice shouted to him from up the beach. He turned his head to see Misty walking up to him, looking out of breath.
"Pikapi!" a voice said behind her. Misty turned to see Pikachu following her, and she waited for him to catch her up before she continued her way over to Ash.
"Ash, I've been looking for you all over," she said when she reached him.
"Just leave me alone Misty," Ash said quietly, standing up.
"Ash, I'm sorry for what happened but-"
"Sorry? Sorry's don't make everything better, remember that?" he said nastily to her.
The anger grew quickly within Misty. "Well what should I say!?" she shouted. "That I'm glad you've lost your ranking!?"
"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu shouted, not wanting to see the two of them fighting.
"Look, I just wanna be left alone! Is that so much to ask!?" Ash shouted at her.
"So you can sulk like a baby!?" Misty retorted, watching Ash's face twist in even more anger.
"... Get out my life," he said bitterly.
"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked quietly, hoping that what he worried about wasn't about to happen.
Misty stared him in the eyes, tears threatening to spill. "I will," she replied quietly. Turning from him, she ran as fast as she could in the direction that led to his house.
Ash couldn't believe what had just happened between them and he dropped down onto the sand, crossing his legs and hitting them with his arms. It hurt, but it took the attention away from the pain in his chest. After a few minutes he looked up and saw Pikachu staring at him angrily. "She doesn't mean it," Ash said to him.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted as loud as he could, making Ash jump. "Pika pikachu! Pikachupi pikapichu pi kachu pika chuka pichu pikachu!"
Ash was silent for a moment, trying to figure out a bit of what Pikachu said. "I thought at least you would have understood! That wasn't just my ranking, it was yours as well!"
"Pika pikachu ... pi Pikachupi pipi pichu!" Pikachu shouted.
"I ... suppose they are," Ash said quietly, feeling the delayed guilt arrive. "I'd better go and find her, hadn't I?" he asked Pikachu, who nodded in relief. "30 minutes to get home," he said as he stood up. "I think we can catch her up." Pikachu smiled and jumped onto Ash's shoulder as he set off running.
"Thank you so much," Misty said to Sarah, the assistant at the Poké Mart. She undid her seatbelt and got out of the car in front of Ash's house.
"Are you really ok?" she asked with concern for her. She'd picked her up on the road back to Pallet Town, thinking it was not right for a pregnant and distraught woman to be left alone like that.
"I'm fine," Misty assured her falsely as she shut the door and peered in through the open window. "I have to go now, bye!" She rushed away before Sarah had the chance to say anything else to her.
"Never mind then," she sighed, giving up on her and driving away.
Knocking on the door, Misty got no response. Then she noticed an envelope peeking out under the doormat. Managing to bend down and pick it up, cursing the person who forgot how hard that simple movement was getting for her, she opened and read it.
Misty Ash,
There's been a problem up at the Lab, so me (Delia), May, Tracey and Sam have gone up there to sort it out. We won't be back until 8-ish. Brock had a call from Lara, so he's gone to her house. No idea when he'll be back.
Take care,
Delia.
"But what about a key!?" she shouted despairingly, leaning against the doorframe. She was exhausted and not in the mood for walking all the way to the Lab.
Then a rattling noise of chains and keys in the lock of the front door drew Misty's immediate attention. Thanking her lucky stars she watched as the door opened to reveal-
"Brock! What are you doing here?" Misty exclaimed. She then noticed his facial expression, how sad he looked, and the tear tracks on his face. "What's happened?" she asked as she got through the front door.
"She ... " he trailed off as he reached the sofa and sat down on it. "It's over. Lara was using me all the time, and I was too desperate to see it ... "
Misty sat down besides him, noticing the bottle and glass on the table. "Have you been drinking?" she asked, reaching for the glass and picking it up, sniffing the liquid inside of it.
"Yes," he said almost shamefully, taking the glass out of her hands and drinking whatever little amount was left in it. "It helps," he added, putting it back on the table.
"What would help me?" she asked him. He looked at her. "We've finished," she whispered. Her throat closed up and she started sobbing.
At any other time, Brock would have marched out of the house and found Ash, giving him a piece of his mind. But today ... "Misty ... " Brock soothed, pulling her into a hug. "It's just an argument," he said through his foggy brain. Just how much had he had to drink? He glanced at the bottle of whisky on the table, seeing it ... half empty. Uh oh ...
"It's not an argument!" Misty cried into his chest, bringing his attention back to her. "This is it, over! I said he was sulking because of his stupid ranking, and he said I should just get out of his life!" She said no more as she kept on crying. "And ... I said I would."
Feeling the tears reach through and soak his shirt, Brock pulled her up away from him and put his hands on her shoulders, making her stop crying and look up at him. "Stop this, it's not good for the baby," he said concernedly.
"Drinking isn't, but at least I'm not doing that," she said jokily, looking into his eyes. His eyes ... why hadn't she ever noticed them before? They were such an amazing shade of-
"Misty, what are you doing?" Brock asked her as he felt her lean over to him, putting her hands on his neck.
"Moving on," she whispered as her face stopped moving, millimetres away from Brock's, her eyes looking into his.
"This is a bad idea," he fumbled out. "I'm drunk, you're upset as well as pregnant. We'll regret it, we don't know-"
"We're single," she reminded him, putting a finger on his lips.
"Misty no ... " Brock pleaded as her nose bumped against his. Their foreheads rested together and Brock took a deep breath, fighting between his conscience and his emotions. "What about Ash?" he murmured to her.
"Ash is a selfish, Pokémon-obsessed kid!" she exploded, jumping up from the sofa. "I don't know why I didn't see it before!"
"Isn't that what you saw in him in the first place?" Brock asked her. "How much he loved Pokémon?"
Misty paused for a moment, and then sighed in defeat. "I don't know," she said as she sat down on the sofa. "You see ... it took me ages to figure Ash out. He was this dense kid, who had the determination and the heart to do whatever he wanted. Maybe that's why I couldn't stand him at first. We kinda had the same dream ... but he had the drive to get there. I realised after a few days that if I hung around with him, I could get to where I wanted to go a little quicker, and maybe see some things along the way."
"And then you fell in love with him," Brock added, practically finishing her story.
She sighed before she continued. "I never thought I would. I had all these childhood fantasies about whom I would fall in love with, a dark, handsome and clever gentleman who would sweep me off my feet and carry me away into the sunset. And when I met a man just like that, who fell in love with me, I realised that things weren't as simple as in fairytales. I was meant to fall in love with the Prince ... but I didn't. I was in love with a Traveller. I left the Prince alone in his castle, and stayed with the Traveller ... I stayed with Ash."
"And that's why you should still stay with him," Brock finished as keys were heard jingling in the front door. It swung open loudly to reveal a worn-out Ash Ketchum.
"Misty!?" Ash called out in a panic as he shut the door. In the few seconds he allowed himself to rest, he tried to catch his breath while Brock stood up from the sofa.
"She's here," he told Ash, making him rush over to them. Brock reached up and took Pikachu off Ash's shoulder. "Talk with her while I ... " he paused, reaching up to his head. "Sober up."
"Thanks," Ash said quietly. As Brock moved into the kitchen, shutting the door behind him, Ash kneeled cautiously on the floor and looked up at Misty. "Hey beautiful," he whispered to her.
"Leave me along Ash," she said suddenly, standing up.
"I'm sorry," he apologised, watching to see the effect it would have upon her. She said nothing, just walked briskly over to the stairs and began climbing them. Ash jumped up from the floor and followed after, Misty going into what was designated as 'their' room now. Ash's Mom had decided to let the two of them stay together, her excuse being, "she's pregnant, so what more can the two of you do together?"
Ash's train of thought crashed when he heard Misty mumbling to herself whilst throwing various items into a bag. "Where are you going?" he asked whilst he moved to stand besides her.
"I'm going home!" she shouted as she moved off to fetch more of her things.
"You are home!" Ash insisted, moving to block her path to her bag.
"Move out of my way," Misty warned.
"No," Ash murmured, shaking his head. "What's wrong?" he asked her.
"What's wrong!?" she exclaimed. "You wanted me to get out of your life! Then when I do that, you don't want me to go!"
"I-I was upset! I didn't mean it!" Ash justified, taking a step closer to her and placing his hands on her shoulders, only for them to be smacked away.
"You said it, didn't you?" she reminded him, managing to get round him and dump the bundle she held in her arms into the bag. Shoving Ash out of the way, she proceeded to zip the bag up, albeit with some difficulty.
Noticing a small, furry, yellow object on the floor, Ash bent down and picked it up. It was a Pikachu doll that they had been planning on giving to the baby when it was born. The tears gathering slightly, Ash stared at the doll and then at her, thinking he had lost all hope of winning this argument. She was gonna walk out of his life ... again ...
"How can I just let you walk away, just let you leave without a trace?" Ash began to sing quietly. "When I stand here taking every breath, with you ... " he trailed off, standing behind her and putting his arms round her, his hands and the toy in them resting on the bump that was their child.
"Let go of me Ash," Misty said quietly, trying to sound firm. It wasn't working, she was giving in to him ... No, this was it, she was going home for real this time! She felt the Pikachu teddy against her abdomen and put her hand on it, her fingers brushing against Ash's.
Placing his mouth close to her ear, Ash continued. "You're the only one ... who really knew me at all ... " he whispered, sending shivers up and down Misty and making her mouth go dry.
"I hate you," she whispered out to him. Shocked and hurt, Ash removed his arms from around her. Misty turned around and saw his pain, directed now at her, on his face.
Ash shook his head, unwilling to believe her. "You don't."
"I hate the kid inside of you," Misty explained to him. "You still wanna be out there, training your Pokémon, having adventures. And I feel so god damned guilty for it!" The tears threatened in her eyes and she paused to wipe them away. "I feel guilty because you can't have that, because you have to stay here with your pregnant girlfriend!"
"You ever thought I might just want to stay here with you?" Ash asked her.
"You don't though," Misty told him. "Deep down inside, you wanna go and reply to that letter, and go to the Hoenn League. And you know I'm not lying."
Ash stared at her. What should he say? What could he say ... when they both knew she was right?
"See," Misty commentated about their silence. She reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper, slightly crumpled. "Here's the letter. Go and reply to it." She held it out to him and he took it, dumbfounded by everything. Saying nothing, she went downstairs, still leaving her bag upstairs.
"What am I doing!?" Ash shouted to himself. Shoving the letter into his pocket, he rushed out of their room and ran down the stairs after her. "Misty!" he shouted. "Misty wait!"
"No!" she shouted, turning to face him now he had gotten down the stairs. "I'm going to say goodbye to your mother, and then I'm going!" She turned back round to walk out of the now open door when a wave of dizziness washed over her. Losing her balance, she staggered over to the wall and used her arms to support herself.
"Misty?" Ash asked full of concern, moving and putting his arms round her to help support her. "What's wrong?"
"So dizzy ... " she whispered, trying to head over to the sofa and lie down. She lost her balance and fell into Ash's arms. Her legs giving underneath her, she sank down to the ground, Ash supporting her underneath him.
"Misty!" Ash called helplessly, looking at her in his arms.
Loosing consciousness, Misty whispered out, "I didn't mean it," before her eyes drifted shut and she fainted.
Ash panicked and shook her gently, trying to wake her up. "Misty, wake up!" he shouted. "Please!" Then he remembered the other person in the house. "Brock! BROCK!"
Brock came rushing out of the kitchen, thinking someone was being murdered. He stopped dead when he saw Ash holding Misty on the ground, tears streaking his face. "What happened?" he asked, bending down to look at Misty.
"Call an ambulance!" Ash shouted, still looking at Misty. "Oh god, the baby ... " he trailed off.
Brock scrambled up and dashed towards the kitchen. "I'll call your Mom!" he told Ash as he picked up the phone and dialled the number.
Ash broke down over Misty and cried, kissing her forehead. "I love you, don't leave me," he whispered to her. He hung his head over hers, and cried until his Mom and the ambulance arrived.
"Are you ok honey?" Delia asked Ash for the 20th time. Getting no reply, she pulled him into a hug, Ash wrapping his arms around her tightly. She looked down at him, surprised that, in a certain light, he still looked like the 10 year old he was when he met Misty. When she felt the dampness seep through to her skin, she rocked him back and forth, soothing him.
"I'm worried Mom," he whispered to her.
"We all are," she comforted as she heard footsteps approach. They separated, hoping it was a doctor, only to see that it was May.
"Tracey's with Pikachu and Togepi," she informed them, as the Hospital wouldn't allow Pokémon above the ground floor. "Togepi won't stop crying. Pikachu's trying, but ... " she trailed off, taking a seat next to Ash. "Where's Brock gone?"
"He said he had a headache," Delia told her, seeing Brock walk over to them. "Here he is now!"
"Any news?" he asked them, sitting down next to May.
"Not a word," Ash said hoarsely. "This is ridiculous!" he suddenly shouted.
"Excuse me?" a tall man in a white overall asked Brock. "I'm Doctor Hanson. Are you all here about a Misty Williams?"
"Yes," Ash said quickly, standing up. "Is the baby ok?"
The doctor turned to him. "Are you the father?" he asked with a kind voice. When Ash nodded he continued. "Ash, right? She's been asking for you." He smiled reassuringly.
"How is she?" Delia asked. "Have you called Mary Wilson? She's Misty's Midwife."
Hanson turned to look at Delia. "Doctor Wilson's been informed, but she can't get here. She's at a conference in Goldenrod City. But, she says she is satisfied with the care we've provided for Misty."
"But how is she?" May asked.
"It was nothing serious. Certainly wouldn't affect the baby in any way. It's just Misty's sugar levels were a little low, leading to dizziness. In some situations some people faint, but apart from that ... Misty will be fine," he informed them all, everyone breathing a sigh of relief.
"Ash, do you wanna go see her first?" Brock suggested, glancing a look at Doctor Hanson. Ash's face lit up with happiness.
"She's this way, Room 215," he told him, leading the way for him as they both walked off.
Delia sighed. "More like Doctor Handsome!" she swooned.
May's face grew into a smile, and she looked at Brock, a smile on his face too. It seemed Delia was more than a little thankful to Doctor Hanson ...
"Mist?" he asked quietly, poking his head round the door. He saw her sitting up in bed, reading a magazine like it was as normal as anything.
"Ash!" she cried out happily, making him smile widely. She put her magazine down as he walked over to her and kissed her.
"I'm so glad you're ok," he whispered when they pulled away.
"Ash?" she asked with feeling, wiping away a tear that had begun to trail down his face.
"I thought I'd lost you," he said, sitting down on a chair next to the bed and holding her hand in his. "Both of you," he corrected. "I'd never felt so helpless ... "
"Ash, it's ok," she reassured him, squeezing his hand. She looked down, gathering up her thoughts of what to say to him. "I'm sorry," she began. "I didn't mean it when I said I hated you."
"Misty," Ash cut in, "it doesn't matter."
"It does to me," she said. "I ... I suppose, in a way, I was scared. I was scared that you were gonna go off to the league and leave me by myself. I was scared I was gonna lose you."
"I wouldn't have gone," Ash told her. "Even if you had walked out that door, I wouldn't have gone to the Championships." Finishing, he reached into his pocket and took out the letter that he had crammed in there earlier on. Removing his hand from Misty's, he held the piece of paper out to her, and ripped it clean in two. Misty's jaw dropping, Ash put the two half pieces together and ripped them in half as well.
"Ash, what are you doing?" she asked in disbelief as he handed the bits of torn paper over to her.
"I'm showing you which means more to me," he murmured as he moved in to kiss her again, Misty placing her hands on the back of his head. How nice it was to kiss him when that damn hat wasn't in the way ...
A quiet knock at the door broke their activities, forcing them to break apart. After Misty told whoever it was that they could come in, Delia popped her head round the door. "Can I come in?"
"Sure Mom," Ash said smiling, sitting back down in his chair.
"Misty, I'm glad to see you're ok," she said happily. Just then the door opened and in walked two other figures.
"Alright for us to come in?" May asked timidly, Brock standing besides her.
"Sure!" Misty replied, pushing herself up in her bed. "I don't think we were really introduced, huh?" she joked to May.
"Ok!" May beamed, quickly straightening her appearance, holding a hand out after she had finished. "Hi, my name's May and I'm 15 years old."
"Hi, my name's Misty," she replied, accepting the hand. "I'm 18 years old. I ... well ... used to be a Pokémon Trainer."
"Mist, don't talk like that," Ash said, trying to cheer her up.
"Anyway," Misty ignored, "how did you meet Ash?" Ash suddenly grew very nervous, Misty turning to look at him. "What?" she asked him.
"I think you'll enjoy the déjà vu Misty," Brock commented, chuckling slightly to himself.
"Why?" Misty asked, the realisation slowly hitting her as her head turned slowly to face Ash. "You didn't did you?" she asked him, a smile forming on her face.
"Didn't what?" Delia asked her.
"He destroyed another bike!" Misty exclaimed, bursting out in laughter. Brock joined in with her along with May and Delia, leaving Ash as the only one in the room who was sane at that moment.
"It's not that funny!" Ash complained, earning an even louder cry from Misty. "Anyway, it was Pikachu!"
"It was Pikachu last time!" Misty commented, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. There then came another knock at the door, it opening to reveal Doctor Hanson.
"Misty, good news for you!" he beamed. "In a couple of hours you'll be discharged and able to go home."
"That soon?" Brock asked the doctor, looking in his direction with everyone else.
"There's no immediate danger to her, and the baby's fine," he informed them. "There's no reason she should stay here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll just go and sort out your papers." He turned around and moved to walk out of the door.
"Thanks," Ash said sincerely. Hanson turned his head, smiled, and closed the door behind him.
"He is so cute ... " Delia murmured, leaning back against the wall. When she snapped out of her daydream, she felt 8 eyes staring at her. "What?" she asked innocently, blushing slightly though her embarrassment.
"I think Mom's got a crush!" Ash sang in a playful voice.
"I do not!" she denied. "Anyway young man, you're not exactly one to talk when it comes to the subject of crushes," she retorted, winking. "Misty, is it ok if Ash stays with you? I need the others to help me at home." Ignoring Ash's protests of wanting to answer her accusation, Delia pulled May and Brock out of the room.
"Take the Pokémon with you!" Misty called after her, receiving a quiet and distant confirmation in reply. A smirk now on her face, she turned to look at Ash. "What was that about "crushes"?" she asked evilly.
Ash gulped. Resigning himself to his fate, he told her his story ...
Still in fits of laughter from his story, Misty got out of the navy blue car in front of the 'Ketchum Residence'. Ash moved around to collect her bag out of the back, while Doctor Hanson got out as well. "I'll just see you in," he insisted.
"Oh, you don't need to do that," Misty insisted, suddenly receiving a slight nudge in her ribs from Ash.
"Remember my Mom," he said quietly through clenched teeth. Misty took the hint and nodded in understanding.
"Actually," Misty called out, turning to look at him walking over to them, "why don't you come inside? I bet my Togepi will wanna say thank you to you."
"You have a Togepi?" he asked her, receiving a smile as a reply. "That's my second favourite Pokémon."
"What's your favourite?" Ash asked, excited that the subject was on Pokémon.
"I'll describe it to you," the Doctor decided, his eyes glazing over slightly as he went into a dream-like state. "My favourite Pokémon ... it's hard to put into words. But, I've been fascinated by them since I was a little boy. Their appearance, grace, style, and artistic talent ... " he trailed off. "But, I haven't seen a real one right in front of me in so many years. I don't know how I'd act if ever again I saw a real life-"
"Mr. Mime!" a Pokémon call came from inside the house. Almost immediately a wide smile came to Doctor Hanson's face.
"Mr. Mime!" he cried excitedly. "You have a Mr. Mime!? I would be so grateful if you'd let me see it!"
"Sure!" Ash said happily, opening the door. "Mom!" he called out as they all walked though.
"Dear you're back!" she exclaimed happily, walking over to them. She was wearing a small apron smudged with flour and cooking ingredients, her hair hanging down loosely. "Just in time for-" she froze, noticing the guest standing with them.
"You remember Doctor Hanson, Mom," Ash said as he walked over to the kitchen, Misty moving to the couch to sit down.
"Yes," she murmured, staring at him. A clatter from the kitchen took her attention away from Hanson and she turned around to see Ash walk out of the kitchen pushing a Pokémon covered in the same stains as Delia.
"Mr. Mime!" Ash said struggling with him. "Come on, do me this favour!"
"Is he your Pokémon?" Hanson asked Ash.
"Oh no!" Ash said as he finally reached them, Mr. Mime standing reluctantly still and wanting to clean that small mark on the floor by the stairs. "Mimey's my Mom's."
"He's yours?" he asked Delia. She nodded a reply as he held out a hand to her. "I don't think we were properly introduced in the hospital, were we? My real name's Daniel."
"Daniel," Delia repeated sheepishly, accepting the hand. "I'm Delia Ketchum. Would you like to stay for dinner? Oh, but you must have a person to go home to, so-"
"I'm single actually," he replied, smiling at her though the tension. "You?"
"Ditto," she said, making them both laugh slightly.
"Mrs Ketchum!" May called, sticking her head out of the kitchen door. "Are these finished?"
"Uh, coming dear!" she replied, separating from Daniel.
"Is it ok if I talk with your Mr. Mime?" he asked her before she disappeared through the door.
"Sure!" he told him, smiling before going to help out Brock, May and Tracey in the kitchen.
"Hello," Daniel said almost reverently, kneeling down to look at Mr. Mime at his height level. "Sorry if I sound weird, but ... I've always liked Mr. Mime since I was a kid."
"Mime! Mr. Mime! Mime mime," Mimey replied. Daniel smiled and took this as an invitation to keep on talking to him.
"Pikapi!" a cry came over from the sofa. Ash smiled and left Mr. Mime's side, walking over to sit next to Misty, a small bundle of yellow fur immediately jumping into his arms. "Pika pikachu!"
"Hey Pikachu," Ash said with slight relief, sitting down on the sofa next to Misty. She turned and glanced a smile at him, turning her head back to Togepi.
"Togepi was telling me about the new friends he made today," she told Ash in what he termed her "Mommy" voice.
"Toge togepiiii!" Togepi chirped happily as Misty raised him up in the air and back down again.
"Pika pikachu, pi pichu, pi pipika, pi pichuka!" Pikachu checked off in a voice strangely similar to Misty's voice at that moment.
"Sounds like it was a lot of fun," Ash commented. Delia, again, then walked through the kitchen doors, this time looking a lot smarter in her appearance than she had done last time.
"Misty," she said turning to her, a smile beaming on her face. "Happy Birthday!"
Misty looked at Ash in bewilderment. A smile playing on his own lips, he stood up and offered his hand out to her. Togepi having just hopped from her stomach to the sofa, she accepted the hand and allowed herself to be pulled up from her seat. Opening the kitchen door for her, Misty was revealed to the site planned for her 18th birthday.
"I ... I don't know what to say," she whispered in disbelief, tears forming slightly in her eyes. Her eyes fell on the only source of light in the room, a huge chocolate-covered cake with what she assumed was 18 candles resting on top.
"This is your real cake," Ash whispered in her ear. Turning her head and glancing at him for a moment, her eyes then fell on those of Brock, Tracey and May. She heard the door in the kitchen close behind her, hearing the footsteps of Delia, Doctor Hanson and the three Pokémon enter the room.
"Mime mi mime mr. mime!"
"Mime mi mime mr. Mime!"
"Toge toge toge briiiiiiii!"
"Pika pi pikachu!"
Misty couldn't help but giggle slightly at the Pokémon version of the 'Happy Birthday' song. After everyone else sang her the version they all knew so well, she took in a deep breath and blew out all of her candles, wishing her secret wish in her head, hoping that the wish Pokémon Jirachi was listening and would make it come true.
"Let's eat!" Ash decided for everyone as Brock flicked the light-switch on. After Delia fetched a spare chair for Daniel they all sat down to tuck into the birthday dinner, Misty sitting at the head of the table with Ash next to her. The Pokémon sat at their own small table in the corner of the room, piled high with Brock's gourmet Poké Chow.
The meal was consumed in a happy and cheery atmosphere, everyone laughing and joking with each other. They also took the time to learn a bit more about Daniel, laughing loudly at his jokes of what happened to patients in the middle of the night. Throughout it all, Misty kept on staring around at the people around her. Her family, as well as her friends.
"You guys," she began after they had finished the main meal, the laughter having faded after another one of Dan's jokes. "You have no idea how much this means to me. Birthdays back at the Gym, they were nothing like this. My sisters would manage to spare 15 minutes to talk to me, give me presents and eat some cake. Then they'd be off again, like it was just another day. And I know today probably hasn't turned out like you expected it to." Misty smiled to herself before she continued. "But I've never felt this loved, or cared for, ever in my life. You guys are all my family and I wouldn't change today for anything."
After a long silence of waiting to see who would speak first, May decided it would be her. "Me too," she announced. "I know I haven't known you that long really, but you guys are my family." She thrust her hand out into the middle of the table, Misty grasping it. Ash's hand came next, followed by Brock's and then Tracey's. After realising that this was meant for more than just the younger side of the people, Delia put her hand in.
"And you're all welcome to use my house whenever you want," she added, making everyone laugh. They removed their hands as Misty cut into her cake, handing out equal pieces to everyone in the room. The cake having been consumed, Ash helped Delia to pack away while Tracey walked over to the door holding a piece of cake wrapped in tissue paper.
"I'll give this to the professor when I get back," he said to Misty as he stood at the open front door. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure Trace," Ash replied, his arm around Misty's waist. "Safe trip!"
"See ya!" Tracey called as he began running back to Oak's Laboratory. When he was out of sight, Misty shut the door and yawned suddenly.
"Someone's tired," Ash commentated, Misty leaning into him. "I think we're gonna turn in," Ash said to Delia. Pikachu and Togepi moved over to them, Ash picking them both up. Pikachu stretched and curled into a ball in his arms, Togepi disappearing into his shell.
"That's a good idea, get some sleep," Delia said to them as they headed up the stairs. "Goodnight!"
"Night!" they both replied, now out of sight in their bedroom.
Delia sighed and slumped down, exhausted, next to Daniel on the sofa. "I could use a drink," she said tiredly.
Dan smiled and stood up. "Where do you keep them?" he asked, Delia lifting an arm in fatigue and pointing to a cupboard over by the wall. He moved over to it and knelt down, as Brock, May and Mr. Mime walked out of the kitchen.
"Night you two!" Brock said in a playful voice.
"Don't do anything we wouldn't do!" May added.
"Mr. mime!" Mimey called just as playfully, all three of them dashing up the stairs to their rooms before Delia could make a retort.
"Wimps," Dan commented as he walked over to Delia with the half-bottle of whisky that, unknown to her, Brock had been drowning his sorrows with earlier.
"Who's been at this!?" she exclaimed when she saw how much of it had disappeared. "Never mind," she decided as she held out two glasses for Dan to pour their drinks into, watching the liquid slosh around in them.
"Cheers," he said as he picked up a glass from her hand, clinking it with the other one as he placed the bottle of whisky down and sat next to her.
"Yikes, today's been one hectic day," she commented, taking a sip of her whisky.
"I'm sure it must have been," he agreed, leaning into the sofa. "But, at least it's over." His eyes glanced around the room, resting on a certain photo on the mantelpiece. "Is ... that your husband?" he asked her.
"No," she whispered, glancing at the photo. "He would have been though, if it wasn't for the accident."
"Accident?" he asked gently. "Oh, I'm intruding."
"It's ok," she sighed. "Mark ... had a friend, called Giovanni. Giovanni used to be so good, until he inherited Team Rocket off his mother. He changed so much, started doing the most evil things to Pokémon and Humans. He threatened to kill me, when I was pregnant with Ash. Mark had to try and stop him ... " she trailed off, a tear falling down her face.
"Delia," he expressed sympathetically, placing both of their drinks down on the table and placing an arm around her, pulling her close to him.
"Giovanni killed him. The police couldn't pin anything on him, but ... he did it. And what's worse ... Team Rocket has been following Ash around. The day he left here, in the Pokémon Centre in Viridian, Team Rocket attacked him. They haven't been around recently, but ... I'm worried Giovanni wants him killed too." She turned to Dan, tears now streaming. "If Ash died, I don't think I'd be able to go on!"
"Calm down," he soothed gently, placing both of his hands on her cheek and wiping the tears away. Delia closed her eyes at the feel of his hands, leaning slightly into the one on her left cheek. Dan's left hand, on her right check, drifted down to her shoulder, resting near her neck. Seeing she didn't pull away from her touch, Dan leaned down and kissed her neck near his hand.
"Dan," she murmured out, her arms rising and gripping his clothes on his chest. Her hands crawled upwards until they reached his neck. She put her arms around it, crossing them over lazily.
He pulled himself from her neck, moving his face up to look into her eyes. They were so captivating ... irrational as this situation seemed to him, he let himself be swept along in it. He leaned down and captured her lips with his, the kiss deepening almost immediately. His hands moved from her cheek and neck into her hair, resting at the back of her head. Delia's body screamed out at his touch and she broke the kiss, needing to ask Dan something.
"Stay with me tonight."
A growl emerged from Dan's throat, surprising and enticing Delia at the same time. He kissed her passionately before standing and picking Delia up in his arms in one swift movement. She yelped quietly, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck for support. He walked steadily over to the stairs, looking into the eyes of Delia as he climbed them. Reaching the top, Delia pointed a dangling foot in the direction of her room. She let loose a hand and opened the door for them, Dan pushing it closed with his foot.
He placed Delia down on the bed, he himself joining her soon after. He began kissing her again as Delia's hand reached behind her, trying to reach the pull-string on the bedside lamp. She wanted to be able to see him, not make love to him in the darkness. When partial light finally entered the room, she saw Dan leaning over her, kissing down her chest where her blouse was now open. She placed her hands at the bottom of Dan's jumper, pulling it and the t-shirt over his head with his help.
They continued to kiss each other, removing various items of restricting clothing along the way. When they were both naked, Dan pushed himself into Delia, eliciting a moan from the both of them. He began a rhythm for the two of them, Delia matching it equally, urging him to go faster. Moans and calls were muffled by long kisses, not wanting to alert anyone to their activities.
Later on, their only single cry out loud now fading away from their ears, they lay next to each other under the covers, shaking from their efforts. With the last of her energy draining away from her, Delia reached and turned the light off, snuggling into Dan's embrace. There, they both fell asleep ...
Unknown to him, Ash was the first person to wake up that morning. He stretched his arms out above his head and turned to look at Misty sleeping next to him. She looked so peaceful lying there ... Not having the heart to wake her up from her gentle slumber, he got out of bed. Quickly getting changed, he went out of his room and down the stairs, making sure he had shut his door.
He expected to hear his Mom walk out to him and say good morning, or at least hear the rattling of pans from the kitchen. All he heard was the silence, worrying him slightly. He rushed back up the stairs and peeked into the spare room, seeing Brock asleep on a couch in there, May on the bed. Closing the door again, he crossed over to his Mom's room. He opened the door slightly, it swinging open when he saw what he least expected to see.
His Mom ... was kissing Doctor Hanson! Daniel was dressed in the same clothes as last night, his Mom wrapped up in a dressing gown. They stopped kissing when they realised they had an audience, and Delia in particular looked pretty annoyed with Ash. "Haven't you heard of knocking?"
"I-I-I," he stuttered. "You weren't downstairs and I was worried, so I came to see where you were."
"I'd better get going," Dan said to Delia, making her face turn to see him. "I've got work, and I need to get changed."
"I'll see you later?" Delia asked him as he kissed her.
"I'll call," he finished as he separated from her and walked out of the room. She sighed in happiness and sat down on the bed, hearing the door shut downstairs.
"Mom, what happened!?" Ash asked, sitting down next to her. Her face became flushed and she placed her hands on her burning cheeks.
"None of your business young man," she said as sternly as she could in the circumstances. "What are you doing up so early?"
"It's nine-thirty Mom," Ash told her, seeing her face jump in surprise.
"I guess time flies," she said, sighing. "I'm sorry honey, I know how much you like to have pancakes on a Sunday."
"Don't be sorry," Ash said seriously. "It's ... been a long time since I've seen you this happy."
"It's so strange," Delia explained to him. "I've known him five minutes, but ... I feel like I've known him forever. I know it seems like it's too fast too soon, and it probably is, but ... I felt just like this with your father." She smiled at him, Ash smiling widely back at her. She pulled him into a hug, Ash hugging her back. When they separated, Delia went downstairs to make the breakfast, a big smile on her face, whilst Ash went to wake everyone up.
Little did they know that, in a car that's distance from the Ketchum Household was increasing, Daniel was driving and talking into a radio. "Boss?" he said in a triumphant voice. "This is Rocket Agent 'A'. The plan's been set in motion. I'm now moving to phase 2."
END PART 4
Wohoo! Now, just a few explanations ...
Say hello to May! She's in the fic now, along with a vague mention of Team Rocket. I realise I haven't put them in the fic at all, and I'm sorry to all Team Rocket fans ... But, Team Rocket and JJM WILL be in the fic, soon! What would have happened to them all in the meantime?
Don't worry about that close kiss between Brock and Misty, BEFORE anyone accuses me of betraying AAML. If you're interested ... I did entertain the idea of that kiss actually happening, actually writing it out! But, I figured Ash probably wouldn't forgive Brock fully, therefore there would be tension, so I deleted it. Gymshippers, settle for a close-but-not-close-enough.
One day when I was ill, I read through an online guide to pregnancy. Lol, I know ... And it said around the 26 week mark, you can get dizziness from low sugar levels. It didn't mention fainting, but you never know, do you?
And now, Ash's Dad, explained. Most people assume that Delia was married to him, but I don't think I've seen evidence to say that she was. And it's nice to see her be happy with someone APART from Oak. Sorry Eldershippers!
And what's Daniels secret? Does he really care for Delia, or is he using her for Team Rocket?
Find out next time! REVIEW PLEASE! I love them ... It's that button on the left ...