Summary: Despite his better judgment, Brock agrees to an illicit affair with the Saffron City Gym Leader. That was his first mistake. His second was falling in love with her. His third was buying her a sea breeze on her birthday. Mangashipping.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
7. The Forbidden Fruit: Citrus paradisi – Return of the Prodigal
Brock returned to Ash and Misty's residence at the Cerulean gym the next evening once he was certain his friends had had sufficient time to digest the news. He was pretty sure Ash would probably faint once he worked it out, but Misty's reaction could be anything along the spectrum of emotions. He prayed her reaction was non-violent.
Sabrina reached for his hand as he knocked on the door, sending him an encouraging smile. He hoped that slipping it in earlier - while he was outside of Misty's presence - would prepare them, especially as they had more news to spring on their friends.
The door swung open fiercely revealing the glaring figure of Misty Waterflower in all her glory. Her expression suddenly changed, however, as she examined the two. "Oh my gosh, you're pregnant!" she gaped, her face contorting into an expression of shock.
"What? How did you . . .?" Sabrina asked in surprise. She had convinced herself that she looked no more pregnant than when she had arrived in the Orange Islands three weeks ago, and any thoughts to the contrary were simply because she was more aware of the fact. And like the proper doting husband, Brock had promptly agreed with her. Only she now suspected that like the proper doting husband, he was simply agreeing with her in order to appease her.
"I have three sisters and seven nieces and nephews," Misty replied simply by way of explanation as she swiftly wrapped her arms around her friend. "My god, look at you," she exclaimed, turning Sabrina from one side to the other. "You must be at least . . . sixteen weeks, I'd say."
"Twenty," Sabrina corrected, smiling slightly. Misty seemed to be taking the news well, the thought of a baby softening her to some extent.
"Have you found out if you're having a boy or a girl?" Misty asked, pressing on with enthusiasm as she ushered the two inside – it was just bad manners to leave a pregnant woman outside in the cold, even if it was June and not really that cold by any stretch of the imagination.
"You can know that already?" Sabrina asked in wonder as they followed her in. Misty led them to the lounge while she headed to the kitchen to make drinks. Sabrina chose to follow her to the kitchen, hoping to get more information from Misty about the whole pregnancy process.
"I take it none of this was really planned," Misty said once the two were alone together. Sabrina offered a small nod to confirm and Misty continued, blinking in shock. "I mean, I knew you guys were serious, but this is definitely a surprise."
"We weren't . . ." the psychic began, but Misty cut her off with an incredulous look.
"Sabrina," she said almost gently, "I know you like to believe that you had successfully managed to separate emotions and sex, but you've always liked him a lot more than you were willing to let on. Why else do you think all those dates you went on ended so badly? You were sabotaging them."
"I was not," Sabrina argued.
"You so were," Misty countered. "Do you remember that guy – I think his name was Mike or something. You took him to a wine bar even though you knew he was in Alcoholics Anonymous. I can't believe you knocked someone off the wagon in order to justify never seeing them again."
Both women began to laugh at the memory. "I can't be blamed for that," Sabrina tried to argue with a mock scowl. "How was I to know that he had such a poor resolve?"
"Ok then," Misty replied, pausing in thought for a moment to recall another example. "What about that guy 'Bryan with a Ryan' that Erika tried to set you up with? You turned him down because he went Dutch on the bill."
"What's wrong with that? He seemed like a bit of a stinge to me."
Misty gave her an incredulous look. "It took you like five minutes to argue him into it. He was gonna pay for the whole thing until you insisted."
"Uh-huh," Sabrina proclaimed, sure she had won the argument. "That just shows that he has no backbone. Who wants to date such a pushover?"
"Five minutes," Misty said drolly.
"Ok, so I haven't had a successful date since I started this thing with Brock," Sabrina admitted. "That doesn't mean that it was serious. It's not like we were dating or anything. It was just sex."
"Sex does not usually involve sharing every detail of your lives with one another while you talk until somebody falls asleep," Misty countered. "Not to mention the fact that you were constantly wanting to talk to him, and the fact that you would talk about him when we were alone. Just because it wasn't your typical relationship doesn't mean you weren't serious about him."
Sabrina sighed, leaning her elbows against the counter as she accepted Misty's proposition. As much as she hated to admit it, her non-relationship with Brock was probably the most serious relationship she had ever had – more serious than the two actual boyfriends that preceded him. "I just wanted to make things more simple and straightforward," she said sadly, recalling her reasons for starting their apparently 'no strings' relationship. "But I think in the end I just made it more complicated."
"Hey," Misty said with a cheerful smile as she handed her a warm mug, "how were you to know you would actually end up liking the guy you were sleeping with?"
"Exactly," Sabrina replied sarcastically.
"Do you remember how Brock likes his tea?" Misty asked as she placed some biscuits on a plate.
"Milk, one sugar," she replied automatically.
Misty rolled her eyes with a laugh as she handed another mug to Sabrina already prepared to her specifications. "Because that is so casual."
"So, you're ok with this?" Sabrina asked cautiously as Misty grabbed two more mugs. Sabrina moved the plate of biscuits to the lounge telekinetically.
"I think so," Misty nodded. "I knew how you felt about him, but I wasn't really sure about Brock seeing as he didn't even tell Ash. Those boys are such gossips – they tell each other basically everything. I was worried he was ashamed of you."
Sabrina was quick to defend Brock's subterfuge. "That's on me, not him. I told him that I would have Haunter use dream eater on him if he told anyone," she interjected sheepishly.
"He really loves you, doesn't he?" Misty asked softly. Although she asked the question, she already knew the answer. It was obvious the second she saw the two together. She had been worried for her psychic friend, knowing Brock's womanizing ways of the past, but the way he smiled and looked at his wife told Misty that he was head over heals in love with Sabrina, and that was all that mattered.
Sabrina nodded in affirmation, and Misty smiled broadly. "Then I am incredibly happy for you guys," the redhead grinned. "Have you got an obstetrician yet?" she asked as the two entered the lounge where Brock was calmly trying to break the news to Ash about his impending course into fatherhood.
"Obstetrician?" Ash asked curiously, looking up at Sabrina and Misty. "Why would you need an obstetrician? Isn't that the kind of doctor you go to when you're having a baby?"
"Yes, Ash, yes it is," Misty said gently, giving Ash the same encouraging look she had when she was trying to explain to him the whole marriage situation between their friends.
"You mean you guys . . .?" he asked looking first at Brock and then Sabrina. A frightened look was cast over his face, and just as before, he promptly fell off the couch and fainted.
Sabrina gaped and looked to her husband in awe. "I didn't think you were serious," she admitted.
"Anyway, as I was saying," Misty cut in, ignoring her boyfriend's position.
"Yeah," Sabrina said absently, shaking her head so as to turn her thoughts back to what Misty was saying. "Well, we only found out a couple of weeks ago. I saw a doctor in the Orange Islands, but he was such a jerk I haven't even had my first scan."
"Well I know a great lady here in Cerulean," Misty offered. "Daisy saw her for both her girls, and she even made her way to Celadon when Daisy went into labour a week early for Amaya. And she practically talked Daisy's husband off a ledge – he completely freaked out.
"Although I'm sure you'll be fine," she added sweetly, smiling at Brock encouragingly.
Sabrina giggled, feeling lighter now that everyone important had been told the news. For everyone who was left they'd throw some sort of party and make the announcement, but for those closest (Ash and Misty, her mother, and Brock's massive family) it had seemed necessary to tell them personally.
"Do you have her number?" she asked the redhead, a smile on her face. "Now that I know we can find out the baby's gender so soon, I want to see someone as soon as possible."
Misty nodded and got up, gesturing for Sabrina to follow. "I think she has a late night tonight, so you can probably call and make an appointment now," she suggested. "Besides," she added as they left the room, "I think Ash is about to come to and seeing you will probably knock him right back out." She rolled her eyes for effect.
As Misty predicted, Ash was slowly returning to the land of the living, sitting up groggily from where he had fallen on the floor.
"You ok, buddy?" Brock asked, helping him up.
Ash shook his head. "I had the weirdest dream," he sighed, his eyes blinking unfocusedly. "I dreamed that I was at a game show, and you were there, and there were these four girls that wanted to go on a date with you – although I'm pretty sure one of them was a dude. And one of them was supposed to be my sister, only I don't have a sister. And Gary was there, but then he wasn't. And I think Tracey was there too, but it was hard to tell through all the blood. It was so strange."
Brock face palmed – the universal gesture for WTF.
"Ash," he sighed, a slight edge to his tone, "do you remember what we were talking about before you . . . uh . . . fainted?"
"I did not faint," Ash argued, knowing full well that it was in no way manly to faint.
"Would you prefer swooned?" Brock sniggered.
Ash pouted. It turns out that there is no way to make fainting sound masculine – not even a handy euphemism. The boy instead simply had to face this tremendous blow to his masculinity like a sullen child and hope that would score him points in the long run.
"Well, Ash?" Brock asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.
"Oh yeah, I guess that's pretty cool," Ash shrugged, his current reaction completely at odds with the fact that he had literally fainted moments earlier when he first heard the news. "I mean, you're gonna be a great dad, Brock, especially after the way you looked after me and Myst for all these years."
"Good then," Brock replied, obviously a little confused by Ash's sudden change of mind.
"Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you," the younger man added, jumping out of his seat and heading to the kitchen. Brock followed out of pure curiosity.
Once in the kitchen, Ash opened up the fridge and dived into the vegetable rack, pulling out a tightly packed bag of carrots. After fiddling with the bag for a few moments, he pulled out a small velvet box, and reverently opened it towards his best friend.
"Geez, Ash," Brock gushed, clasping his hands to his chest, "I really appreciate the gesture, but you should know I'm already married."
Ash half-smiled, half-sneered in Brock's direction, clearly not appreciating the sarcasm. "It's for Misty," he growled, his expression falling into a pout once again.
"Well I figured," Brock chuckled in response. "In fact, I think I'd have to kill you if it was for anybody else. When are you going to ask the question?"
"Soon," Ash replied. "She's got something big planned for my birthday, but what she doesn't know, is I've got something bigger," he smirked. "I was hoping you'd look after it for me until then," he added hopefully.
"Sure, Ash," Brock smiled. "Although that is an excellent hiding place – there is no way Misty's going to go looking in a vegetable rack, let alone carrots."
"She's not as bad as she used to be," Ash argued in her defence, although something in his tone suggested that he didn't really mean it. "She ate an onion last week, but she was under hypnosis at the time."
"She was hypnotised? Did you get any dirt?"
Ash shook his head in disappointment. "Nothing I didn't already know. She had a crush on you when I battled you the first time 'cause you were all dark and moody and evil like the guys in romance novels, but she got over it when it turned out you were actually a nice guy. 'So not sexy' – her words, not mine."
"That is highly disturbing, and I think we should never speak of this ever again," Brock commanded.
"Agreed."
At that moment, Sabrina and Misty entered the kitchen, both wearing bright smiles. "We were wondering where you two got to," Misty said warmly. "What are the carrots doing out?" she added, screwing up her nose in disgust at the sight of the objects that weren't even capable of being turned into candy and therefore irredeemable.
"Just showing them to Brock," Ash replied.
Misty shook her head, moving on as though his answer made sense. "We managed to get an appointment with Dr. Montgomery tomorrow afternoon," she informed the guys, resuming her cheerful demeanour. "And once you guys know what you're having, we can start shopping!"
The newlyweds gave her a worried look, but it was nothing compared to the look of fright and horror that sprung across her boyfriends face. For a moment there Brock was sure that the younger man was going to faint again.
"Well, now that's all sorted," Misty continued, "do you guys want to stay here at the gym tonight? We could probably even get some shopping in before we go – maybe get Sabrina some new clothes."
"We'll take you up on the offer to stay," Brock replied, "but we've actually got plans for tomorrow morning."
"Oh really?" Sabrina asked. This was the first time she had been told of any such plans.
"We're going house hunting," he informed them with a broad smile.
"Oh this is so great!" Misty squealed enthusiastically. "C'mon, I'll show you your room."
"Hey . . . uh Misty?" Brock cut in, sending a worried look back in Ash's direction as they left the kitchen. "Is it possible to faint standing up?"
Misty turned back, noting the expression of horror still transfixed to Ash's shocked face. "He'll be fine," she shrugged and continued showing her guests the utmost hospitality.
Only one thought existed in Ash's head as he was left alone in that darkened kitchen:
'Crap! Now Misty's gonna want kids!'
~ to be continued ~
Sorry for being slow to update this week - just finding the time to proof read and post in a rather hectic week.