In this chapter I have introduced a new character into the story, someone (almost) completely made up. Please R &R. Read on!

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Dirty Dancing 2 Havana Nights or anything that may be loosely based on it.

Arrogance and Ignorance, Misty's Tale

Chapter 4

Brock to the Rescue

Brock walked through the doors of the Cerulean Gym and Misty couldn't suppress her happiness and gratefulness that he was here. She ran to him and hugged him in one of her huge bear hugs she reserved especially for him. Brock hugged her back as hard as he could but before Misty could say anything she saw that he had a worried look on his face.

"What is it Brock?" She asked him.

"Well I'm sorry I just dropped in like this on you"

"It's fine Brock, I really do appreciate that you did, I really could use your company" She said as she smiled brightly at him. He would never know how truly appreciative she was that he was there; she was still on the verge of tears from everything going on around her.

"That desperate for company huh?" Brock said shakily. Misty laughed, the laugh she was uncertain as to whether was genuine, but she really was glad to see him. She shrugged her shoulders as she smirked; it was an attempt at a smile, but the more she thought about it, the more she found it harder to smile.

"Well there is one more thing Misty, my friend's brother wants to be a pokemon breeder and he has stuck with me for the last three months since his brother left on a journey to expand his pokemon collection" Brock was rushing and tripping over his words, Misty couldn't understand why though, but when a figure walked through the door she fully understood.

"And well he wanted to come with me seeing as I kinda have plans to stay here with you for a while and I was wondering if you mind if he stays here. Mist this is Diego, D this is Misty. I really am sorry Misty" Misty started telling Brock it was alright and that she didn't mind, but as Diego came into the light she was sure she didn't mind.

Diego towered over her at what she estimated to be 6"3, he had perfect olive skin with broad shoulders and a really toned body; she could tell by the black sleeveless top he was wearing at the time. Diego squinted as he came into the light, but after he adjusted his eyes Misty could see he had beautiful dark brown eyes and matching dark brown hair which he had in a messy style with a fringe that fell into his eyes, and a plated ratty hung over his left shoulder as he leant down to kiss her hand as a greeting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Misty, you are all Brock has bragged about and more" He had the accent of someone who was or spoke Spanish. Misty was shocked he had bent and kissed her hand, that was courtesy that guys didn't display often these days; just as Misty thought that an image of Gary popped up into her head and her cheeks reddened for some reason.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you or make you feel uncomfortable," He said as he quickly let go of her hand. He had a soft touch for someone who looked like he could take on ten men and come out on top. Misty was almost dazzled that just the company of this man had enlightened her mood and distracted her for a few seconds from this miserable life she called her own.

"No, no, it's fine…I guess I better get you guys some rooms, not sure what I can do, but I'm sure I can find somewhere for you guys to stay" She said to them trying to keep her eyes off Diego, he was so cute, well not cute, he was hot! She was definitely being sidetracked from her misery in his presence.

Misty and pikachu went around through the rooms and realised they would have to stay in the living room. She grabbed blankets and began carrying them down the stairs. She heard footsteps coming towards her and before she knew it someone had taken the blankets off her and was taking them back down the steps. Misty looked after him and the black sleeveless top told her it was Diego. She made herself look away and she went back upstairs to get some pillows.

The last place Misty could think to check was the attic, she had stored a lot of things up there since she started painting and renovating in other rooms. Renovating, she had been doing that because she wanted as distraction from everything, from thinking about Ash at the time, now she wanted it as a distraction from everything. Pikachu was making frustrated noises as it jumped in and out of covered furniture, under and into boxes. She agreed with the pokemon, it was getting rather annoying that she couldn't find the pillows she used o have heaps of.

"Where the fuck did I put them?" She swore to the attic. She didn't really expect an answer but she did hear pikachu exclaim something that sounded like disapproval of her language, she didn't blame it, she was getting worse as things just kept going downhill. Then she heard movement behind her but she took it for pikachu.

"Someone as pretty as you shouldn't use such tainted language, but then again, you are the fiery red head, and I guess I use it often enough, but still" Came that low rumble of a voice she took for Diego. Misty whirled around to see Diego staring straight at her as he leaned against the doorframe of the door to the attic.

"Well I wasn't aware anyone else was around, so I swore, I haven't been having the best of days lately and my language is currently the last thing on my mind" She said as she realised how really tired she was from the morning before. The morning when Gary had turned up before she had had the chance to get to sleep and ruined most of the rest of her night.

"I will not intrude further I promise, and I do apologise for judging, can I help you look for the…ah…pillows?" He sounded a bit shaky at the end, but Misty quickly told him he could help and they began searching the attic. All the time Misty wondered what it was the Brock was doing, why hadn't he come to help search for pillows? He hadn't come to help at all.

Misty and Diego found pillows and grabbed two each. They both made it to the door at the same time and Diego stepped aside and swept his arm out to gesture for her to go first. Misty thanked him and walked out of the door. Now that really was something no guy did for a girl these days; again an image of Gary came into Misty's head, she dismissed it though as she smelt a very familiar smell; Brock's cooking!

Misty threw the pillows on the sofa and ran into the kitchen to see what it was Brock was cooking for them now. Misty smiled to herself at the thought and grabbed out a few bowls for each of them. She grabbed a soup cup for pikachu, as using a spoon might have been a bit hard, and she couldn't bring herself to feed him out of a dog bowl, he was a lot more…sophisticated and smarter than that.

Pikachu grabbed the bread loaf from the top of the cabinet and threw it to Misty. Misty caught it and held her arms out for pikachu to jump down to her, pikachu jumped to her and she couldn't help but feel the trust and love she had already placed in this pokemon and it had placed in her. Brock turned to her and pikachu and patted pikachu's head.

"Since when do you own any electric pokemon Misty, I thought you were wholly and solely water pokemon" Brock said to her obviously a little mystified. Misty smiled and went to say something, but she realised what she was about to say probably wasn't the best thing to say with company around. It wasn't that she didn't trust Diego or anything, but she didn't really know him well enough, and what if she ever decided it was worth a shot? An image of Gary popped into her head again and she shook her head to make it go away.

Brock seemed to be able to read her mind as he began serving soup and asking Diego to help with the table. As Diego went to the table Brock turned to Misty and whispered to her that they would talk about it later. Misty was relieved that Brock understood her so well and she took pikachu, who held some spoons and napkins, and some bowls into Diego who was trying to straighten the tablecloth.

After they had finished eating the delicious soup Misty decided that tonight would be a good idea for a movie night. She asked Brock and Diego what they thought and both of them agreed. Diego offered to escort her to the movie store to hire some movies and Misty tried hard not to leap at the idea; it was hard. She calmed herself and said she didn't mind. Brock offered to look after the Gym until they got back and Misty was…grateful? She was grateful her friend didn't want to come with her to the movie store? What the hell was going on in her head?

"Come on pikachu, let's go to the movie store" It was dark already so Misty had an excuse to accept Diego's offer of escorting her.

Diego held the door open for her and pikachu and walked out in the chilly night wearing his sleeveless top and a cotton button up shirt over the top, Misty didn't understand why considering he left all the buttons undone, but it did look awfully saucy. They started walking down the street and Misty just smiled inwardly. For the first time in a long time she felt her worries washed away, for the mean time at least.

OoO

Brock watched as Diego and Misty walked off into the night and smiled, his plan was working. She was going to go for him, he was everything she had ever mentioned she thought was gorgeous, and the fact that he was studying under Brock was just pure luck. She needed to forget about Gary and Ash for a while and experience the world. The fact that Brock wanted her to experience it with a Cuban stud was just a bonus for her. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty though, he was pushing them together when Misty obviously wasn't ready. He could only hope she took this as an opportunity for happiness for a little while.

OoO

Misty walked along the path with pikachu to one side and Diego to the other. She had the urge to ask about him, more about him, she wanted so badly to ask him if he had a girlfriend! She couldn't believe that he would possibly want anything to do with her, he could have any girl, he was drop dead gorgeous and she was a bad-mouthed tomboy.

"Are you ok?" Diego said in a concerned voice. Misty wanted to say no and tell him the truth, but she knew that wouldn't be the best way to get the guy, especially if she did have a chance.

"Um yeah I'm fine" she tripped over her own words as she tried so hard to suppress the question she wanted to ask, and the things she really wanted to say. They entered the video store and grabbed a few movies. Misty grabbed her favourite movie and Brock's favourite movie and took them to the counter. Diego came out of the store with Dirty Dancing 2 (Havana Nights) and Misty almost chocked on the lollipop she had bought. That was most definitely a chick flick of a movie, but she liked it. It was about a girl who moved to Cuba with her rather wealthy family and made friends with a Cuban boy who she helped to try to win some money in a dance contest. They did some Cuban dancing in the movie and Misty knew that it was rather close dancing, she wanted to learn it herself, but that wasn't the point, Diego had just picked that one!

"Misty you really are beginning to worry me, you seem to be losing concentration a lot, are you sure you are ok, things haven't been too…rough on you lately?" Diego said with genuine concern in his voice. Misty had to make herself think of something else before she started to cry. She thought about her and Diego, but that wasn't the best idea especially when…

"Can you dance like that?" She asked to hold back other things she had wanted to ask. If she didn't say something to take her mind off things she knew she would break down right there in the street.

"Oh what, Cuban dancing…well I can't dance quite as good as they do in the movie, but I can dance like that yes…why?" Diego had a sly look on his face when he said that and Misty just melted there and then.

"Could you teach me?" She asked him, this time without thinking!

"I guess I could, later on when you are not busy and we are not in the middle of a street in what is rather cold weather. I learned it living with my family in a town pretty far from here, my brother knew it too; most people of Cuban origin live there" He seemed distant when he said it and his brown eyes grew large and Misty saw how really beautiful they were.

"Diego do you have a girlfriend?" She almost shouted out, it seemed she had argued that over in her head and she hadn't won the battle to keep it there. She expected Diego to look at her funny and tease her about it for a while, but he turned to her and smiled and shook his head. Misty couldn't bring herself to say anything; she knew she would just spit out more embarrassing questions or thoughts so she walked on without Diego and pikachu. They caught up quick enough but they all walked home in silence.

Diego held the door open for Misty and pikachu again, and they all walked in in silence. Misty went and got the video and television going so they could watch the movies. They watched hers and then Brocks and by the time it came to watching Diego's Brock was asleep in her room. Brock told them he had a headache and was going to settle in the other room and that they should continue to watch the rest of the movies without him. Misty looked at the sofa that Brock and Diego were supposed to share and her mind wandered…

Diego stood before her and was holding out his hand. Misty took it and wondered what was going on. Diego dragged her over to the light switch and turned it off, the only light in the room was coming from the television now. Diego began showing her how to dance like they did on the movie and she caught on pretty quick. She had to rotate her hips in a circle, with a little help from Diego.

Diego held her hips with his hands and moved them around for her so that she got the feel of how she was supposed to move them. His hands were warm on her thighs and she could feel them as if they were burning through her jeans. Her head began to swim as he whispered things about the dance into her ears. Just his voice in her ears and his hands holding her the way he was…

Diego spun her out and then back into him and Misty couldn't help herself, she stretched up and pressed her lips against his as he held his hands around her waist and she had her hands pressed up against his chest. Diego didn't resist, if anything, Misty could swear he held her closer to him.

So there they stood in the dark living room attached to her Gym, kissing by the light of the television. Misty was in heaven as she kissed him, all of her misery and worry was washed away and something she assumed was happiness crept into her stream of emotions.

When they pulled away a little for air Misty looked up into those gorgeous brown eyes and they looked wicked for a moment, and then they turned to…sympathetic? It wasn't sympathetic; she had seen Gary when she saw that, the night she was about to kiss him. Diego looked at her worried then and she smiled, this time she was sure it was a fake smile though. She was worried now, why did she keep seeing images of Gary?

"Continue the lesson, I like where this has been going," She said wickedly into his ear, maybe I he kissed her again she could forget she had ever even thought about Gary. He drew her in smirking and kissed her again and spun her out. Misty smiled as she spun around, twirling around in awe and in a daze; she was absolutely washed over by emotion. As she spun she saw Ash with the brunette and Gary with the bartender woman at the counter of the Lounge Café. Misty stumbled as she thought about that last one and she landed on the hard floorboards of her living room with Diego coming to help her.

He picked her up and placed her on the sofa. He put blankets on her and told her that that was enough for one night; he then grabbed a pillow and a few blankets and made a small bed for himself on the floor next to the sofa. Misty was worried that he might have tried to move on her that night, but when he made the bed she knew he was trustworthy. Pikachu jumped up and slept with her on the sofa.

Misty was lying on the sofa thinking about what had happened when Diego started getting ready for bed. He took off his cotton button up top and his sleeveless one leaving him shirtless, and god did he look good! Misty couldn't help but watch as he did that and then removed black jeans and was wearing boxers, which were apparently going to serve as his pyjamas. Misty only smiled and rolled over and slipt into sleep.

OoO

Gary sat outside his grandfather's laboratory in Pallet and looked up at the sky to the full moon. He sat there thinking about Misty, he didn't know why, but his head wouldn't let him sleep, it wouldn't let him eat, and it wouldn't let him think about anything or anyone else other than Misty.

Those eyes…

Well that's the end of chapter 4, hope you liked it. Now on to writing chapter 5. As always don't forget to review, anything you have to say is welcome.