DISCLAIMER: Nope, don't own Pokémon. I dunno why I do this for every chapter, force of habit…

A/N: Well okay, that disclaimer was random…well here it is, I don't have a lot to say cos I've got a time limit. This is Geo's chapter and he's also writing the next one, computer probs have kinda seen to it being split into two but that's no biggie. Okay read on read on!

Chapter Four - Morning Matinee

I awoke the next morning with some sort of familiarity engulfing my being, for that previous night I slept like a log, and waking up to the feel of Ash's arms around me can be described as magical at best. For it was a touch I had missed so much through out our 24-hour separation. My eyes groggily opened to the sensation of his lips trailing across the upper part of my neck, and then going on to work their magic within the confines of my right shoulder. I merely shivered at the sensation of it as I turned to face him, laying my arms to rest around his neck as I did so.

"Morning beautiful" he said pulling me closer against him. I smiled up at him as I leaned forward and briefly kissed him.

"Morning" I replied as I parted my lips from his and laid my head to rest on his shoulder. For the next few moments nothing but silence enveloped us as we lay there basking in the radiance and bliss of each other's presence. As I lay there however I would be lying if I said a few things did not enter my mind. The funeral, the whole legal ins and outs of my fathers will reading. But most of all my mind found itself continually reverting back to my sister Lily and whether her intentions were that of a noble nature, or whether there was more to her little visit yesterday afternoon then met the eye. Ash, ever in tune with my emotions, picked up with somewhat ease on my conflicting state of mind at this time and had no hesitations on airing his concerns to me as he pulled me tighter against his body.

"Mist, you ok? You seem tense and somewhat distracted at the moment" he told me, breaking the silence that had ensued around us. I gazed into his eyes, god they had a magnetism beyond words, I tenderly smiled at him then tried to put his mind at ease as only the way I could.

"I'm fine" I finally replied to him as I tenderly stroked his cheek. He cocked an eyebrow at me and grinned.

"You know honey you're a terrible liar" he said with a chuckle as he removed his arms from around my shoulders and placed his hand at the side of his head to lean on it to gaze down upon me.

"Come on, out with it, what's on your mind? Would I be correct in assuming it has something to do with Lily?" he quizzed at me. I could not believe it, he and I were obviously of one mind in everything we did, and these circumstances were of no exception to that concept. I closed my eyes, and with a smile shook my head at him. Lying to him in this point in the proceedings of that I knew, however the simple fact was he had done more for me than anyone deserved within a given lifetime this past year, and I did not want to worry him with my petty negative thoughts, or conflicting emotions at this time.

"I'm fine baby" I assured him. He nodded sceptically.

"Your sure? I know something is going down in that pretty little head of yours" he pointed out. It was as these words left his lips that a thought struck me, and I smiled coyly at him.

"Well you'd be right by thinking that" I said. He smiled and laid back down on his back, putting his hands behind his head for support.

"Well don't keep me in suspense here, what you been thinking?" I grinned seductively as I with cat like reflexes, and as gently as I could straddled on top of him and grasped his shoulders with my hands.

"Just how much I love you" I announced softly as I leaned forward and melted into a gentle silken kiss. Seconds later I parted from him as he brought his arms back around and started rubbing my lower back.

"Wow" he finally stammered out. I scowled playfully at him.

"That's it?" I shook my head. "That won't do" I told him firmly as I started running my hands down his chest.

"What?" he asked in somewhat befuddlement. He soon enough got my message however, as I started tracing my lips in the same direction my hands had undertaken seconds earlier. He shifted somewhat uncomfortably.

"Uh Mist…." I heard him choke out.

"What's wrong?" I asked in between my lips movements upon his skin.

"I don't think we should" he muttered. Somewhat ironic of him considering he was running his hands through my hair at the time but never the less. I sat up again and tried in vain to put his mind at ease as I had thought I had figured out the reason behind his uncertainty.

"Don't worry" I started, unbuttoning my small nightshirt. "Andie isn't due up for another half an hour" I assured him, as I slid the shirt from my shoulders. It was at this point his facial expression changed, an emotion I found it hard to pick up on and to be honest my patients was wearing thin.

"Stop gocking!!!" I snapped "You've seen me like this before!" I reminded him. It was then a grin emerged on his lips.

"I know I have sweetheart" he paused as he placed his hand under my chin.

"But he hasn't" Ash told me as he focused my head around. And it was when he did this that the most embarrassing moment in my life to date took place. For lying on the couch, not but centimetres away, contently looking on was Brock.

"No, no, don't you guys stop on my account" he told us as a laugh escaped his lips. As soon as the severity of the situation fully registered within my mind, I found myself screaming my lungs out at the Pewter native.

"You perverted bastard!!!" I shrieked as I scrambled across the bed's mass in a bid to cover the upper half of my exposed form. Obtaining this goal but seconds later I directed my gaze to Ash who by this time was in a fit of hysterics.

"Well I've been called worse in my lifetime" Brock said, finally beginning to cease in his laughter while replying to my outburst. "But I'll tell ya what, you two need late night cable" he joked sarcastically. My anger and tempered state reverted from my lover to Brock and back to Ash again in a fit of boiled blood, but as with life, the one I loved ended up bearing the brunt of it.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me he was there!" I snapped bitterly. Ash faltered.

"I tried to baby, but, how should I put this, uh you had your hands full" he mocked as both he and Brock started up the laughter process once more.

"Yeah laugh it up you two!" I muttered bitterly. In reality I don't know what I was so upset about, I mean Brock had been around before during some of Andrea's feedings. I guess as a maturing woman I still had some sense of dignity left, and the thought of anyone but my lover seeing me in that light sort of hit a nerve. However the mere thought of Brock seeing me naked did more than that, in retrospect it brought a smile to my lips in a humorous sense, for Brock would probably forever endear that image of me within his mind and would probably use it as an incentive for masturbating purposes in his loneliest of times, it was as this thought entered my mind I could not help utter the words.

"Oh my god! Ash, he saw me naked!" I pouted. Ash smiled sympathetically as he bent forward and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"Relax honey, I'm sure he's seen you worse." Again more teasing but what else could I expect? I was being totally childish about this, technically we were adults now and I should have been able to get past this. I was about to rebuttal Ash's comments when the all too familiar cry of Andrea awaking from her nightly slumber proved to be both her father's and Brock saving grace. I quickly averted my attention from them and rushed up to her small portable crib that Ash had brought with him.

"Shh, I'm here angel" I said soothingly as I picked her up and walked back to the bed and sat down upon it. Her small eyes cast themselves over the room as if knowing all too well she had not woken up within her normal surroundings on this morn. It was at this point Ash leaned forward to bid his daughter a good morning and a smile emerged on her delicate face at seeing us both together. I swear to god, I don't care what anyone says, I was only apart from them for a day, but she knew.

"I think she's hungry" Ash told me tenderly as he arose from the bed. I nodded. I automatically unbuttoned the shirt once again, which I had scrambled back on somehow amongst my earlier protests and proceeded to give Andrea her morning feed. It was as I did this my eyes fell on Brock as Ash had walked up and started carting him away to get ready and I presume to pick up some breakfast for us all.

"Damn, there goes my second showing, too bad, the re-run is always miles better!" I heard him say as Ash took him from my view to give me some privacy for the time being.

"Don't forget to call the airline!" I shouted after them. Brock poked his head back through with a grin. I tell you this was becoming tedious, so much so thoughts of a restraining order came to mind.

"Why?" he asked somewhat distractedly.

"Yo! Breeder boy, my eyes are up here!" He shot his head up and grinned.

"Ok, I'll stop" he told me. I smiled gratefully at him.


"So what's that about the airline?" he asked.

"When you guys get a minute can you or Ash give them a call? Got to revert our return tickets to Cerulean" I explained. Brock gazed down on me somewhat confused.

"Uh, sure but I thought you guys were heading home first, no?" I shook my head.

"Nope, funeral is tomorrow" I explained. He nodded. I gazed down at my daughter as I said this, the thought never crossed my mind. I slowly posed the next question.

"Brock?" I said as he turned to leave, probably to catch up with Ash.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. I smiled at him to reassure him the problem was not immanent.

"I...I never thought about what I was going to do with Andie tomorrow, not the kind of environment you want to take a baby to so-" He cut me short.

"No problem Misty, happy to do it" he chipped in, referring to looking after her while I said goodbye to my father for the last time.

"Thanks Brock, you've been a god-sent these last few days, a playful one but a god-sent never the less" I told him. He shot me a grin the way only Brock Slate knew how.

"Would not have it any other way. You have any idea what you want to eat, Ash should be about ready by now, and we were going to grab some breakie" he explained.

"Not that hungry at the moment Brock, a coffee and a muffin will do me fine" I assured him as I had finally completed the task of feeding Andrea and was now gushing over her in my arms as I tended to do so in our time alone. Brock nodded and turned to leave when I stopped him yet again by calling his name.

"And Brock?" He held the door as he turned to face me yet again. I got up off the bed held my daughter close to my chest walked up to him and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked, almost amazed at my actions.

"I never did thank you" I said. By now he was totally perplexed as to what I meant.

"Thank me for what?" he asked me, still puzzled by my actions.

"For Andie's identity bracelet" I told him softly. He smiled warmly at me.

"Anytime sweetheart, she's gorgeous and everybody deserves to know who she is, and the kind of love that was bounded by fate to get her hear." His statement brought tears to my eyes. I swallowed back the lump in my throat.

"Thanks Brock" I whimpered. He placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Anytime honey, I'll be back soon" And with that he left the room, as I was left with my thoughts of the days to come.

***

The rest of that day went by without a hitch, breakfast was simple but nice, and Brock had no trouble on redirecting our flights to Cerulean. And thus after a 2-hour flight, we had arrived in the city of my birth, my first return there since the days of the court hearing, and my mothers despicable antics. Ash had booked us into a hotel, just on the outskirts of the town I grew up in, which was handy in itself, as the crematorium was only a 10 minute drive from out there also. The hotel was nothing fancy, but it would do for temporay accommodation, the room was a little smaller then our previous one, but had two bedrooms thank god. Cramped of that I knew, but it would only be for two nights at best. And as I nestled myself against Ash that night in a bid to find refuge in sleep, I realised tomorrow would test how far I've come in a number of ways, physically, emotionally, and as a person on a whole. One day I would have to explain to Andrea the concept of death, the fact that mom and dad were going to leave her alone one day, and in truth it scared the hell out of me. But it came with the territory in this game we call life, and tomorrow would go a long way to see how I would cope with the ins and outs of it.

A/N: Alrighty, I'm in such a flap right now, eek, look out for the next one soon and until then thanks for the reviews and kind words and all that. AAML forever! Woo!