Welcome back! After all of that excitement from the Rocket arc, I think we needed a little bit of downtime. And that means family focus!
Fair warning: the first paragraph upholds the T rating. Nothing over the top, of course, but there's some innuendo. So if that makes you uncomfortable, just skip down to the first set of X's!
LAST TIME: In the middle of the battle, the rest of the G-Men appear, including Cynthia and Paul, and take down all of the present members of Team Rocket. Magnus, however, manages to escape. Michelle goes back on the ship and finds the "unfit" baby, carrying him off and explaining to her parents what had happened. Ash and Misty assume Michelle wants them to adopt the baby, to which they say now is not the time for that, and they're sure there's a family out there who will love him. Jake steps in and says he thinks he knows some people who would do just that. Kira timidly approaches Jake and asks if they would be willing to perhaps take an older girl too, to which Jake happily replies he's sure they would. Team Rocket is defeated, which means Ash's G-Men mission is officially over, and the family is reunited at last.
Chapter 63: A Date to Remember
The sound of Pidgey chirping led Misty to reluctantly open her eyes. Sunlight was flooding in through the windows, another indication that morning was already here. Misty groaned and stretched an arm over her head, her eyes finally adjusting enough to realize she was staring right at Ash's face. He was still fast asleep, and he looked so sweet. His lips were just slightly parted as he snored softly, while his unkempt springs of raven hair fell over his closed eyes. When Misty tried to move, she realized he had one arm wrapped around her body, holding her close and keeping her in place.
Her movement caused Ash to groan and slowly open his own eyes, staring at his wife through half-open lids.
"Is this real?" Misty murmured.
Ash's lips bent up into a loving smile. "Very real."
Misty breathed out and closed her eyes. "Finally."
Ash laughed softly and pulled Misty closer to him until her face was buried in his chest. Misty sighed contently and felt his warm flesh against her own, taking in a deep breath to inhale his scent. Ash reached up to thread her bright red hair through his fingers, laying in silence for a few more minutes before he spoke up again.
"It's a little bright in here, isn't it?"
"A little bit," Misty agreed, running a finger down her husband's chest.
"Maybe we should close the curtains?"
Misty slowly opened her eyes, staring up at Ash. "And not get up for the day?"
"Not yet," Ash whispered, kissing his wife's forehead. "Please, just you and me for a little while longer…"
Misty sighed and pressed a reciprocate kiss against Ash's chest. "How can I say no to that?"
She slid out from beneath the covers, and as the air hit her, she fully remembered that she had not a single article of clothing on. As she stood up, she felt Ash's eyes on her, and she smirked knowingly to herself. She walked as slowly as possible towards each of the windows, drawing the curtains and bringing their bedroom back to total darkness. When that task was accomplished, she slinked her way back to the bed, where Ash was now sitting up on his side, lustfully eyeing his wife.
As soon as Misty crawled back onto the bed, Ash grabbed her and pulled her on top of him, Misty giggling wildly the entire time. Ash took her lips into his own, the two of them kissing passionately and without reserve. Misty ran her fingers through her husband's messy raven hair, while Ash grabbed onto her backside and squeezed her tightly. When they broke apart for air, both were panting heavily, foreheads pressed together.
"I love you, baby," Ash wheezed, throwing his head back and moaning as Misty ground her hips against his.
"I love you too," Misty breathed, pressing her hands against Ash's chest and pushing herself up. "My big, strong, Pokémon Master."
XXX
"Luxio, use thunder fang!"
Aiden watched as his newly evolved Pokémon charged forward, opening her mouth to reveal a flood of electricity.
"Eevee, quick attack!"
The normal type burst out into a sprint, dashing from side-to-side so fast that he was barely visible. Luxio tried keeping up with Eevee, opening her mouth wider to try and sink her electrified fangs into her opponent. Michelle saw Luxio getting closer to Eevee, and her jaw tightened.
"Eevee, shadow ball!"
Taking another fast stride backward, to distance himself from Luxio, Eevee fired off a sphere of black and purple energy at the electric type. It struck Luxio in the chest, sending the spark Pokémon skidding backwards.
Elizabeth watched from the sidelines, sitting with her legs outstretched to the sides and her elbows down in the grass. Pichu was sitting on the little girl's shoulder, and Pikachu was perched on the child's head, his own eyes closely following the battle. He enjoyed spending time with the children, although right now it was more of a necessity considering what his trainer was up to.
"That was a good match," Michelle called, catching her brother's attention. "Why don't we take a break for now?"
"We can't take a break!" Aiden cried. "You have to get ready for the Grand Festival, and I have to get ready for the Indigo League!"
"And we can continue training after we take a quick break," Michelle replied calmly. "Besides, I was thinking maybe we should switch out Pokémon. I want my whole team to get some practice in."
Aiden let out a sigh before smiling reluctantly at his sister. "Alright, that's fair."
Michelle smiled back at him before calling, "come here, Eevee!"
The evolution Pokémon skirted over to his trainer, tail swishing side-to-side. "Vee?"
"You did such a good job!" Michelle giggled, kneeling down to pat the normal type's head. "I'm proud of you!"
Elizabeth's eyes lit up, knowing this was her cue. She hopped to her feet, grabbing a little water bottle that had been sitting at her side before scurrying over to Eevee.
"Here you go!" Elizabeth giggled, holding the water bottle out to Eevee.
"Vee!" He squealed before lapping at the top, pulling away once he'd had his fill. Once Eevee was finished, Elizabeth ran to Luxio and gave the electric type her own drink of water.
"Luxio is very strong," Michelle commented, flicking her head to the side so her ponytail swished behind her.
"Yeah, it seems like she gained a good amount of power with that evolution," Aiden replied. "I want us to work a little more on accuracy, though. Making sure we keep our eyes on our target so we hit exactly where we want."
"We?" Michelle repeated with a smirk. "You make it sound like you're battling too."
"I am!" Aiden chirped, his eyes shining. "I may not be the one who's sending out the attacks, but I am the one commanding them, so I have to understand what it's like for my Pokémon on the battle field. We're working together as a team!"
Michelle raised an eyebrow. "That's…actually very smart of you, Aiden."
"Thanks!" Aiden trilled, puffing his chest out proudly.
Once Elizabeth had finished giving Luxio her water, the little girl blinked and looked towards the house. She hadn't really thought about it, because she'd been having so much fun watching her older siblings train, but it was unusual that their parents weren't awake yet. Usually, it was one of them who had to wake her up in the morning. Today, it had been Michelle who woke her.
"Where's Mommy and Daddy?" Elizabeth asked her older siblings.
Aiden and Michelle exchanged looks before turning towards their younger sister.
"Good question," Aiden murmured.
"Maybe they're still sleeping," Michelle suggested. "That whole showdown with Team Rocket was pretty intense, after all."
"Yeah, but we were involved too, and we're up," Aiden pointed out.
"But Mom and Dad have also been apart for a really long time," Michelle countered. "This is probably the first time in a long time they actually came home together…and stayed that way."
"Mommy missed Daddy," Elizabeth replied, nodding her head.
Michelle twisted her mouth and turned her eyes upward, which Aiden knew meant his sister was thinking.
"What's on your mind?" He asked out of sheer curiosity.
"I have an idea," Michelle stated, slowly lowering her eyes.
"Okay…" Aiden drawled. "What is it?"
"This whole thing was really stressful for Mom and Dad, and it definitely didn't help that they were separated for most of it," Michelle began. "I think they need some quality time together!"
"So…like…a battle?" Aiden murmured.
"What? No," Michelle refuted, narrowing her eyes at her twin.
"There's no better quality time than having a battle!" Aiden countered, beaming. "You're having fun and getting to spend time together!"
"Aiden, they need to do something a little nicer than having a battle," Michelle sighed.
"Like what?" Aiden grumbled, disappointed that his idea had been shot down.
"I meant a date," Michelle replied with a smile. "Something where they could just sit and talk to one another."
"Sitting and talking?" Aiden laughed. "Man, that sounds so boring!"
"It sounds boring to you because you don't get romance," Michelle muttered.
"Oh, and you do?" Aiden challenged.
"Better than you do!"
"Whatever," Aiden grumbled. "Michelle, we have to get back to training. It's not like that's a bad idea, it's just-"
"You want to train," Michelle interrupted. "I know, that's all you want to do. But we still have plenty of time! You have more time than me! But I think this is really important. Mom and Dad have been through a lot, and as their kids, I think it'd be nice if we planned something really special for them."
"I guess…" Aiden muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Fine. But we gotta go back to training tomorrow!"
"Of course!" Michelle replied.
Elizabeth had been listening intently to her siblings' conversation, turning her head back and forth between them before showing off her own little smile. "A picnic!"
Aiden and Michelle quieted down as soon as Elizabeth made her suggestion. Happy to have garnered her siblings' attention, Elizabeth repeated, "give them a picnic! Daddy loves food!"
"That he does," Michelle mused, nodding her head.
"At least that involves more than just talking," Aiden scoffed, causing Michelle to roll her eyes. "But where are we supposed to have this picnic? And where are we supposed to get food from? None of us can cook."
"We can set the picnic up at Cerulean Cape," Michelle replied easily. "It's Mom's favorite place in the whole world! Not to mention, she told me that Dad used to take her there on dates all the time. That just makes it even more romantic!"
Aiden stuck out his tongue in disgust. He always found it disturbing when his parents got touchy-feely in front of him, and talking about such things wasn't much better. "Yeah well, that still doesn't solve the food problem."
"It's a picnic, you don't have to cook for that," Michelle deadpanned. "The three of us are capable of making sandwiches!"
Aiden shifted his eyes between his exuberant sisters and let out an irritated sigh. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this."
"It's because your Mom and Dad's favorite son!" Michelle trilled, causing Aiden to narrow his eyes.
"I'm their only son…"
XXX
Misty walked down the stairs, stretching her arms over her head. Ash had fallen back asleep, and Misty didn't have the heart to wake him up. She'd certainly been through a lot, but Ash had been dealing with the situation for a lot longer than she had. So, Misty thought he deserved a little extra rest.
As she entered the kitchen, she saw two streaks quickly zoom out the opposite door. When Misty saw Michelle standing by the counter, she was quick to deduct that those flashes had been her other children.
"Morning, Mom!" Michelle greeted brightly.
"Good morning, sweetheart," Misty returned, smiling at her daughter. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah!" Michelle replied. "I guess you did too. Did you just wake up?"
Misty laughed nervously, causing Michelle to raise an eyebrow. "I guess you could say that…"
"Okay…" Michelle drawled, "Well, where's Dad?"
Now it was Misty's turn to arch an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"
Michelle clasped both hands behind her back and shrugged her shoulders. "Just curious, that's all!"
"He's asleep upstairs," Misty answered.
"Yeah, he must be exhausted…" Michelle murmured.
Misty was still a little suspicious of her daughter's behavior, but decided to shake it off, at least for now. "And where are your brother and sister?"
"That I don't know," Michelle replied quickly. "I haven't seen those two all morning!"
"Mmhm," Misty hummed, turning towards the fridge. Lies. Michelle's eyes widened and she ran ahead of her mother, pressing herself against the fridge. Misty blinked before placing her hands on her hips, sighing, "Michelle, what are you doing?"
"Umm…what are you doing?" Michelle countered, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly.
"Trying to get something to eat," Misty deadpanned. "But that's a little hard to do when you're standing in front of the fridge."
"You don't need to eat anything!" Michelle dismissed with a giggle.
"I'm hungry, so I kind of have to," Misty murmured. "Seriously, Michelle, is something wrong? You're acting very strange this morning."
"Maybe I just didn't get enough sleep?" Michelle suggested lamely, running her fingers through her hair.
"Could be," Misty sighed, turning around and walking away from her daughter. "Maybe you should take a nap."
Michelle tilted her head to the side. "Mom, where are you going?"
Misty grabbed her clutch, which had been sitting on the kitchen counter. "I guess I'll just go to the coffee shop downtown and get something to eat. Since apparently the fridge is off limits."
Michelle blushed and grabbed onto her arm. Misty looked over her shoulder and threw her daughter a teasing smile, however, to show that she wasn't too upset about it.
"Come on, Vaporeon!" Misty called, her partner Pokémon striding through the kitchen from the living room and up to her legs. "The walk will be good for both of us."
"Vay," Vaporeon purred, her tail swishing back and forth. Before she followed Misty, Vaporeon glanced at Michelle, who smiled at the water type. Vaporeon, in turn, winked at the young girl, and then took off after her unsuspecting trainer.
XXX
"Ledian, Absol, I choose you!"
Aiden released his five star and disaster Pokémon, both of whom gazed down at the boy and his sister in confusion.
"Le?"
"Sol?"
"Could you bring this basket over to Cerulean Cape?" Aiden asked, holding the picnic basket out towards Ledian. "If you get tired, you guys can pass it to Absol, or both of you can carry the basket. But the cape isn't very far from here."
"Le!" Ledian confirmed, nodding his head.
"Great!" Aiden cheered. "I'm counting on you guys!"
As Ledian and Absol left with the basket, Elizabeth turned her head to look up at her brother. "Now what?"
"Now we go wake Dad up," Aiden replied. "Michelle texted me and told me she got Mom to leave with Vaporeon, so now it's up to us to get Dad out of the house!"
"Okay!" Elizabeth giggled. She had mostly heard it was their job to go wake their father up, which was one of her favorite things to do.
Aiden and Elizabeth ran back into the house, heading straight for the staircase. They scurried up the steps, straight into their parents' room. When Aiden opened the door, he smirked as soon as he saw his father asleep in bed. There was no one else in the room; Misty had already headed out, and Pikachu was taking a nap in the living room with Pichu. This would be easier than he thought!
"Alright, Elizabeth," Aiden whispered. "Do your thing!"
The little girl nodded her head and entered the room, taking a running leap onto the bed and landing right on top of her father.
As soon as she landed, Ash gasped and jumped up, his upper body uncovered. When he looked down and realized it was Elizabeth who had jumped on him, his face took on a rather red hue, and he gathered the sheets in his hands to try and cover his bare torso.
"Elizabeth!" Ash cried. "What are you doing?!"
The little redhead jumped back up, smiling simply at her father. "Good morning, Daddy."
Ash sighed and hung his head. "Yeah, good morning. You know, pumpkin, Daddy was trying to sleep."
"No more sleeping!" Elizabeth refuted. "It's time to wake up!"
"Why?" Ash groaned.
"Come on, Dad," Aiden piped up, causing his father to jump again. The unaffected boy walked into the room, arms crossed against his chest. "What does Grammy always say about wasting the day away?"
He grabbed onto the curtains that Misty had previously drawn and yanked them open. The room immediately lit up, and Ash moaned, throwing himself back down and covering his face with the sheets to try and protect his already aching eyes.
"Guys, I'm really happy to be home with all of you, but couldn't I sleep in today?" Ash complained from beneath the covers. "That mission was kind of rough on me."
"Dad, you don't have any more time to sleep," Aiden continued in a more serious manner.
Slowly, Ash pulled the sheets away so half of his face was now visible. "Why not?"
"Because…something's going on at Cerulean Cape!" Aiden cried.
"What's happening?" Ash asked, now revealing his full face. "Does it have anything to do with Team Rocket?"
"No," Aiden refuted. "But there's…a very rare Pokémon over there! It was all over the news this morning!"
"Yeah?" Ash murmured, sounding thoughtful. "Mmm…what kind of Pokémon?"
"A…a uh…"
"Purple Gyarados!" Elizabeth squeaked. Aiden pressed his lips into a tight line, unsure of his father would buy into that.
"Wait, seriously?" Ash appealed, sitting upright once again. "A purple Gyarados?"
"Mmhm," Elizabeth confirmed, nodding her head. "It's very pretty!"
"No way," Ash breathed. "I've seen a red Gyarados before, but never a purple one! I didn't even know that was possible!"
"Well, apparently it is, and everyone is freaking out about it!" Aiden carried on. "You should definitely go check it out!"
"You're right!" Ash agreed. "I'll have plenty of time to catch up on sleep tonight!"
"That's the spirit!" Aiden cheered.
"Do you guys want to come with me?" Ash asked, looking between the children.
"That's really nice of you to offer, Dad, but Shelly and I have to keep training," Aiden replied. "We have to be totally ready for the championships!"
"Are you sure?" Ash asked warily. "You still have plenty of time to train, and this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"Yeah, I'm sure," Aiden sighed. "I'm just a little too stressed about the Indigo Conference, and I want to make sure I'm as ready as possible. I know Michelle feels the same way about the Grand Festival."
"Okay," Ash chirped. "Lizzie, what about you?"
"I've got a lot of pictures to color, Daddy," Elizabeth very seriously informed him.
"Can't wait on that either, huh?" Ash asked.
"No, they're for my teacher! And my friends!"
Ash sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright. Guess I'm going by myself! I'll bring back some pictures for you guys."
"Sounds good!" Aiden trilled. "Come on, Lizzie. Dad has to get dressed so he can head out right away!"
"Okay!" Elizabeth giggled, jumping off of her father and following Aiden out of the room. Once they were gone, Ash was about to slide out of bed, until he realized something was missing. Looking down by his side, the bewildered Pokémon Master raised an eyebrow.
"Huh…where did Misty go?"
XXX
"I need coffee."
Vaporeon dutifully looked over her shoulder at her trainer. Misty didn't look tired, but she certainly sounded it.
"Leave it to my kids to force me to have to leave the house just to get something to eat," Misty sighed. "I love them dearly, but this just seems unnecessary."
"Vay," Vaporeon purred.
"Although the coffee from downtown is much better than anything I can make at home, so I guess that's one upside," Misty continued to ramble.
"Pore."
Vaporeon was just trying to indulge her trainer at this point. She was on a mission, after all. The bubble jet Pokémon narrowed her cat-like black eyes as she padded in front of her Misty, scanning the streets of Cerulean and waiting until they got to the best one for her to make her move. When they reached the next street corner, Vaporeon saw a street sign indicating that they were getting closer to Cerulean Cape.
And that's when she ran.
"Vaporeon!" Misty cried as the water type darted across the street. "Where are you going?!"
The bubble jet Pokémon just kept running. Misty groaned and charged after her partner, gripping her clutch tight as she tried to catch up with the Pokémon.
"What has gotten into you?" Misty called out to Vaporeon as they ran. "You never do this!"
It was very unusual. Vaporeon was the most loyal Pokémon Misty had ever owned. More often than not, the water type wouldn't even move until Misty gave her a command. It had been this way ever since she'd evolved, and Misty could not figure out why, all of a sudden, Vaporeon was flying off the handle.
She chased the water type past stores and gardens, across walkways and streets, and through sections of the forest. After a good amount of running, Vaporeon finally came to a halt on a grassy clearing that overlooked the ocean. Misty let out a heavy breath as she stopped behind Vaporeon, realizing where they were.
"Cerulean Cape?" Misty muttered, not understanding why Vaporeon had rushed off to bring her there.
"Alright, purple Gyarados! Let's see ya!"
Misty blinked hard and looked to the side. Her eyes widened as her husband came running in, overflowing with excitement.
"Ash?" Misty called, her voice laced with disbelief.
He turned his head and smiled at his wife. "Hey, there you are! Did you come out here to see the purple Gyarados too?"
"Purple Gyarados?" Misty repeated, ticking an eyebrow.
"Yeah, Aiden and Elizabeth woke me up to tell me that there was a purple Gyarados out here," Ash replied, looking out towards the sea. His expression slowly melted into one of disappointment, however, when he realized there was nothing in it.
Misty couldn't help but to giggle. "Ash, there's no such thing as a purple Gyarados."
"B-but…Aiden and Elizabeth told me it was all over the news!" Ash cried. "So…if you didn't come out here for that…why are you here?"
"I decided to go downtown to get something to eat because Michelle was acting really strange," Misty explained. "She was blocking the fridge and rambling on! But on our way to the coffee shop, Vaporeon ran off…so I followed her, and this is where she took me."
"Vaporeon just running off?" Ash asked incredulously. "That doesn't happen."
"Nope, it doesn't."
Ash furrowed his brow and looked back out at the cape. Suddenly, something on the grass caught his attention, and his eyebrows shot up.
"Mist…"
"What's up?"
Ash wordlessly pointed towards the grass. Misty followed his finger and gasped once she saw it too: a blanket stretched out with a wicker basket sitting on its corner.
"It's…a picnic," Misty breathed, moving closer to the setup.
"Wait, Misty!" Ash called, following after his wife. "We can't just go around touching other people's stuff!"
Misty sighed and rolled her shoulders back. "Ash, don't you get it?"
"Uh…get what?"
Misty smiled out of vexation and quietly replied, "This picnic is for us. And I think it was our kids who planned it."
"Huh?" Ash murmured, once again looking at the setup. "Why would the kids do something like this?"
"If I had to guess, I'd say they wanted us to have some time to ourselves," Misty answered, her smile widening. "Ash, they planned us a date."
The Pokémon Master was soon sporting a smile that matched his wife's. He walked over to the blanket, taking a seat and opening up the basket to look inside.
"Oh sure, now that you know it's ours you can't wait to dive in," Misty teased, sitting down beside him.
"Hey, I haven't eaten a thing all day!" Ash protested. The sound of a grumbling stomach pierced the air, and as soon as Ash knew it wasn't his, he smirked. "And neither have you."
Misty tried to shake off the blush that had appeared on her face. "Well yeah, that's why I left the house in the first place! Just…see what the kids gave us."
Ash continued digging through the wicker basket, pulling out a few wrapped up sandwiches, small bags of chips, and pieces of fruit. The last thing he pulled out were numerous juice boxes, which caused both of them to laugh.
"Those were definitely Elizabeth's contribution," Misty giggled.
"Hey, I haven't had a juice box in forever!" Ash chuckled. "I'm more than happy to have a few."
Misty smiled at everything Ash had laid out before them. "This was so sweet of them."
"Yeah," Ash agreed. "You and I are the luckiest parents in the whole world, that's for sure!"
Misty nodded her head before allowing her smile to slip a little bit. "But…"
"But what?" Ash prodded as she trailed off. "Do you not like it?"
"No, I love it!" Misty refuted, quickly shaking her head. "I told you, this was really sweet of them. But…you and I got to spend time by ourselves this morning. Of course I missed you while you were gone. But I also missed having our whole family together. Nothing in the world makes me happier than when our family is together."
Ash's smile returned, and this time, it was rather roguish. "I think you have an idea."
Misty returned her husband's grin and turned her head towards her loyal partner. "Vaporeon, thank you for helping the kids out with all of this. But now, I need you to help me with something."
XXX
"Well, this is it. Mom and Dad are going to kill us. Nice going, Michelle."
The redhead glared at her twin brother. "Why would they kill us for sending them on a date?"
"Gee, I don't know, maybe because we lied to them," Aiden grumbled, rolling his eyes.
"Come on, it's not like we lied about anything serious!" Michelle spat.
"Lizzie and I told Dad there was a purple Gyarados by the cape," Aiden fired back. "He was probably super disappointed when he got there and all he found was a lame picnic!"
"Hey, that picnic was beautifully put together!" Michelle argued.
Elizabeth, as she normally did, just switched her eyes back and forth as her older siblings bickered. Pikachu was once again sitting atop her head, but this time, Pichu was on Michelle's shoulder. Elizabeth walked alongside Vaporeon, keeping one of her small hands on the water type's back.
"Vaporeon, how come Mommy wanted us?" Elizabeth asked.
"Vay-poreon," Vaporeon trilled, her ears flicking.
"She said Mom didn't say," Michelle jumped in. "See Aiden? There's no guarantee that we're in trouble!"
"Yeah, but we could also very well be in trouble," Aiden countered.
Michelle huffed and looked away in aggravation. "You're such a pain."
When Vaporeon led the three to the cape, they were greeted by the sight of their parents sitting on the blanket they had laid out with smiles on their faces.
"Hey guys!" Ash greeted with a small wave.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu trilled, jumping off of Elizabeth's head and running towards his trainer. Ash chuckled and lifted the mouse onto his lap, scratching the electric type between the ears.
"Uh…hey?" Aiden returned awkwardly.
Misty's lips twitched as she began, "you three are very thoughtful, you know."
"Thank you!" Elizabeth chirped, causing Aiden and Michelle to scowl at her.
"You guys don't have to look so freaked out, ya know," Ash teased. "You're not in trouble."
Aiden gasped and picked his head up. "We're not?"
"No!" Ash laughed. "Why in the world would you think you were?"
"I don't know, the whole lying about the purple Gyarados thing…" Aiden muttered, sheepishly poking his fingers together.
"You guys were only trying to surprise us," Misty giggled. "And it worked! Your father and I weren't expecting all of this."
"We just thought you've both been through a lot and could use some alone time together," Michelle explained.
"And that was very sweet of you all," Misty continued. "But what we just went through…that affected all of us. It wasn't just me who was worried about Dad; we all were. And what happened yesterday, even though Elizabeth wasn't with us, she knows where we were. It was hard for all of us, and that's why we have to stick together as a family."
Aiden and Michelle exchanged uneven glances, while Elizabeth giggled and ran into her mother's arms.
"So…what are you saying?" Aiden asked.
"Your mother is saying that this date idea was very sweet," Ash answered for her, gently taking her hand with his own. "But she thinks we should turn it into a family date instead."
The twins' unsure looks soon melted into ones of happiness. Both of them giggling softly, they sat down alongside their parents and younger sister, Vaporeon joining in as well.
"You know, Michelle, you were right," Aiden said as his mother passed him a sandwich.
"Thanks!" Michelle crowed before blinking her eyes. "Uh…about what?"
"The whole sitting and talking thing," Aiden replied, taking a bite of his sandwich. "It's really not so bad."
Yay for family dates!
So, what's Brandon up to? You'll see that next time, and meet his family!