Yay, new chapter! This one took me awhile, I know. It came out a lot longer then I thought it would, actually! Also, hockey is back which may or may not be my number one distraction in life. Oh, and college stuff. I hate college applications, mmmhm.

So, as you'll recall last chapter, Misty kind of freaked out that Ash lied to her, and she called him some not so nice stuff. So what ever is the super sensitive Ash going to do after his beloved wife shot him down like that? Read on and find out!

Ash lay in the backyard underneath a large oak tree, Misty's harsh words running through his head over and over again.

"You're being a terrible husband. And an even worse father."

Ash turned over onto his side and punched the grass. He was angry. Not at Misty, or Mr. Goodshow. No. Ash was angry at himself.

"Misty's right," Ash mumbled to himself, "I'm the worst."

He groaned and rolled over onto his stomach so he could bury his face into his folded arms. Pikachu, who had followed his trainer outside after Misty's tirade, was watching the raven haired master from atop the tree.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu called softly. He got no response.

"Daddy?"

The electric mouse raised his ears and took notice of the small figure standing several feet away from the crumpled older male. Aiden moved closer to his father and poked at his shoulder, hoping that would be enough to garner his attention. "Daddy?"

Ash still didn't move. Raising his shoulders, Aiden kneeled behind Ash and yanked at his shirt. "Hey, Daddy!"

This time, Ash jumped up, alarm shining in his russet eyes. When he realized it was just Aiden, he sighed and relaxed his body. "Oh, I'm sorry buddy. I was sleeping…I thought you were someone bad."

"Why are you out here Daddy?" Aiden asked, tilting his little head.

"Oh…uh…I…" Ash tried to think up a good lie. He couldn't tell Aiden about the explosive fight he and Misty had just had. But again, with the lying. All of a sudden, the thought of telling a lie sent Ash spiraling into a severe guilt trip. Lies he had already told in hopes of protecting someone, the most important person in his life, had only ended up hurting more than helping. And now Ash was certain she'd never forgive him.

"You just wanted to nap?" Aiden answered for Ash. The man's mouth was agape, but he soon closed it and nodded. It wasn't a complete lie; Ash had fallen asleep after all.

"Come here champ," Ash beckoned, holding an arm out. The little boy obliged happily, settling himself into Ash's side and looking up at his older counterpart with gleaming eyes. "What do you think? Do…do you think I'm a good Dad buddy?"

Aiden grinned and nodded feverously. "I have lots of fun with you, Daddy. I wanna be just like you!"

Ash frowned at this. Usually, that kind of statement would have him grinning like a kid in a candy store. But after Misty's comments, he wasn't so sure if he wanted Aiden to emulate him. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Aiden began to climb over his father's much larger frame. "You're the Pokémon master! And you love me, and Shelly, and Mommy."

"Yeah," Ash looked away, frowning once again, "I do."

"And you love the baby too?"

"Yes," Ash tried to fight the threatening tears, "I really do love her."

Aiden didn't say anything in response. He kept rolling on Ash's side until he fell off and landed softly in front of the Pokémon master's face. Their matching, dark brown eyes locked, and the father and son said nothing for quite some time.

Very often, when Ash looked at Aiden, he could only think of himself as a child. Ash had looked just like Aiden as a child, the only discernable difference being the distinct markings under Ash's eyes that Aiden lacked. Everything else was the same though, except for the very small resemblances to Misty that Ash could see in the boy's face.

Aiden shared Misty's smile, the small and playful little curve of their lips. Their noses bared some resemblance to each other, although Ash could see some of his own nose in there as well. The smile was the big factor, though, and it was one that made Ash feel great pride every time the child grinned.

And now, it was just filling him up with a sense of sadness. It reminded him of Misty's anger and hurt, all things that he truly hadn't meant to inflict on her. He felt so lost and confused by the whole situation that he didn't know what to do.

"Daddy," Aiden tapped his father lightly on the cheek, "how come you're not allowed to be the Pokémon master anymore?"

"Where did you hear that from buddy?"

"Mommy was talking about it," Aiden murmured sadly.

"I'm still the Pokémon master champ," Ash smiled poignantly; "I just can't work for the next few weeks. That's all."

"Why?"

"I'm not allowed."

"Why?"

Ash sighed and rested his head on his hand. "You're very inquisitive, aren't you son?"

Aiden grinned and nodded, although he didn't understand the meaning of the word "inquisitive." He just liked to watch his father's reactions to what he did.

"I got in trouble, that's all," Ash brushed some of Aiden's hair away from his eyes. "That's a good lesson for you. Always behave, okay baby boy?"

"I'm not a baby," Aiden pouted in response. More silence set in. And once again, Aiden was the one to break it. "Is Mommy mad at you?"

"What makes you say that Aiden?" Ash's heart started to race.

"I heard her yelling at you before," Aiden explained. "But I'm kind of used to that…so I went to go play."

"Aiden…" Ash began, although he wasn't sure how to answer the boy's question. "Mommy and I…we got into a little argument. That's all. But you know that we still love each other, right?"

Aiden simply shrugged, and that only alarmed Ash even further. "Mommy says that sometimes the baby makes her angry. Why? Does she hate the baby?"

"No, not at all," Ash quickly refuted the idea. "She says that because the baby changes the way her body works. Sometimes she just gets upset for no reason, really."

"Is that why she was yelling at you before?" Aiden furrowed his brow slightly.

"Could be," Ash bit his lip. That did seem plausible, but he wasn't going to rely on that idea. Misty definitely seemed to be pretty angry on her own accord.

"Ash?"

The Pokémon master blinked and lifted himself up. He knew that Aiden hadn't just addressed him. While the boy did sometimes call him by his first name (just to watch Ash get all riled up) the voice was far too feminine and mature to be Aiden's.

Looking over his shoulder, Ash found Misty standing behind him, her face reflecting a look of sorrow.

"Aiden," Ash turned his head back around to address their young son, "why don't you go play with Pikachu for a little while?"

"Okay Daddy," Aiden scrambled up and hurried over to the trunk of the tree. "Come on Pikachu! Let's go play tag!"

"Pika!" Pikachu leapt out of the branches and followed after the excited boy, eager to play with the child.

Ash rolled over onto his back so he could sit up fully. Pulling his knees to his chest, he looked up at Misty and frowned. "Did you come out here to tell me off some more?"

Misty sighed and shook her head. "No. No…I'm sorry Ash."

He shot her a genuinely surprised look. Perhaps her hormones had taken over after all? Rubbing her upper arm, Misty sat down next to Ash, folding her legs and resting her elbows on them. She was looking ahead of herself, seemingly in deep thought. Ash wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was afraid she'd just smack him away again.

"I shouldn't have said those things to you," Misty continued softly after several moments of awkward, painful silence. "They were just…awful. I'm so sorry Ash."

"It's okay," Ash looked down at his feet, "they were all true anyway."

"No they weren't!" Misty gasped. Her head snapped up and she stared incredulously at Ash's sullen figure. When he showed no sign of taking it back, Misty bit her lip and moved closer to the Pokémon master, hesitantly reaching out to stroke his hair. "Why do you listen to me? I'm stupid. Aiden, Michelle, and I are so lucky to have you, and you mean the world to all three of us. You're the best husband and father anyone could ever ask for."

"You're not stupid, first of all," Ash raised only his eyes to look at Misty. "You're far from it. That's why you called me a terrible husband and father. Because I am."

"Quit saying that," Misty almost growled as she clutched the grass and pulled at it. "You're gonna drive me crazy, Ash! Don't take my brainless words to heart. You're a great father. Why would ever let such a dumb comment go to your head?"

"Because I really have no idea what I'm doing!" Ash cried, tears stinging behind his dull brown eyes. "I didn't have a father growing up, Misty. You know that well enough. I have nothing to go off of, just instinct. No one realizes how much I struggle with this inside. I always wonder if I'm loving Aiden and Michelle enough, if I'm doing enough for them. I don't spoil them just to spoil them, Mist. I just want to make them happy. Seeing those two smile just makes me feel like I've done something right. The biggest fear I have in life is messing up, and hurting them."

"They love you more than anything Ash," Misty whispered softly. "All Aiden ever talks about is you. He wants to be you so badly, Ash. It's always Daddy this, Daddy that. You're practically a super hero to him."

"Yeah, sometimes," Ash muttered. He didn't want to admit it, but Misty was right.

"And what about Michelle?" Misty pressed on. "That little girl is your personal cheerleader. If anyone dares to interrupt her viewing of one of your battles, she goes off on a tirade that puts ones I had as a kid to shame. You're her teddy bear; whenever she has a choice of who to cuddle up to, you're almost always her number one choice."

"Except for last night," Ash sighed.

"Well what about our baby girl?" Misty pressed her hands against her bulging stomach. "She already loves you, and she's not even born yet! Arceus, every time you go and talk to her, she starts kicking like a little fighting type! So how could you even assume our children don't love you?"

"Because I'm a screw up!" Ash wailed as he covered his eyes. "My father was a failure, so now I'm one too!"

"Ash, stop," Misty sighed sadly, gently clutching onto the sleeve of his shirt. "You are not. Yes, you've made quite a few mistakes over the past few weeks. But don't we all make mistakes? No one is perfect." She looked Ash over and let a little smile appear on her face. "Not even the Pokémon master."

Ash's own miniscule grin showed up, a low chuckle escaping along with it. "Guess not."

Misty leaned forward and kissed Ash on the cheek. This action caused Ash to jump up and stare deeply into his wife's emerald eyes, leading Misty to giggle girlishly and wrap her arms around his shoulders.

"And now you're being all affectionate?" Ash asked cautiously.

"Because I love you Ashy," Misty gave him another peck. "I was a bitch before. I know I was. And I'm really sorry about it. You know I take all of it back."

"I know, and I accept your apology," Ash smirked. Placing a hand on Misty's bump, he gave it a little rub and added, "And remember, no swearing."

"Ash, don't worry," Misty playfully rolled her eyes, "I'm sure Fiona doesn't understand what any of this means."

"Fiona?" Ash practically shrieked, making a nauseated face.

"Just trying different names out," Misty winked before resting her head on Ash's shoulder. "Guessing that one's a no?"

"Definitely not."

"Good, I hate that name."

"Then why did you…"

"Gauging your reaction."

"Ha, you're just like Aiden," Ash smirked before his lips returned to their frowning state. Misty noticed this and grimaced as well, gently stroking Ash's arm. "Why do we have so many problems Misty?"

"I wouldn't necessarily say we have problems," Misty bit her lip.

"Really?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Because…we fight a lot Mist. And somebody always seems to be after us. Which then leads to even more fighting."

"It's just because you're famous Ash," Misty replied as she looked over to her left. "We can't let these people get to us. That's all."

"So you do love me?" Ash inquired warily.

Misty turned back towards Ash and shot him an incredulous look. She pulled his face close to hers and then gently tilted it down so his eyes were gazing at her ever growing belly. "No Ash. I don't love you at all. That's why I married you and why I'm the mother of your children."

"Alright, alright," Ash chuckled gently as he blushed slightly, "I get it."

"I'm still sorry," Misty added as she let go of Ash's face.

"I know baby," Ash cooed before leaning in to give her a delicate kiss on the lips. "And I still forgive you."

XXX

"NO! NO! NO!"

Ash and Misty both shot up, their eyes widening in terror. The sound of screaming was ringing through the house, and it certainly hadn't come from either of them.

"It's one of the twins," Misty glanced at Ash.

"Let's go," Ash climbed out of bed. "I'll check on Aiden, and you'll see if it's Michelle." Misty nodded and followed suit, the couple stepping out of their room and into the hallway.

Ash peaked into Aiden's room, which was closer to his and Misty's than Michelle's room was. The boy was fast asleep, which surprised Ash. Aiden was actually a fairly light sleeper, and the screaming had been pretty loud. But if it wasn't Aiden…

"Michelle," Ash sighed sadly under his breath. He turned away from Aiden's doorway and walked towards Michelle's room, looking in first just to be safe. The little red head was in hysterics, Misty's arms wrapped around her small body as she tried to comfort the child.

"Michelle, honey, its okay," Misty soothed as she brushed through Michelle's silky tresses.

Ash frowned and walked into the room, sitting on the side of Michelle's bed. He glanced up at his wife, who was now holding Michelle with one hand and massaging her stomach with the other.

"Your other daughter woke up," Misty winced, "and she's hurting me."

"Okay," Ash hushed as he tried to take the girl from Misty. When Michelle realized she was being separated from her mother, however, she freaked out and began screaming again, twisting her body around so violently she almost hit Ash in the face.

"Whoa!" Ash cried, holding Michelle a good distance away from him. The girl let out a blood curdling scream, which terrified Ash even more. Afraid of startling Aiden, Ash tucked Michelle into his body, holding her closely to his chest and pressing his hand against the back of her head. "Hush baby. Come on."

"NO!" Michelle yelled again, pushing her little hands against Ash's chest. She was trying to pull away, but Ash was much stronger than she was. He wasn't exactly sure of how, but he was going to fix the wrongs he had done his daughter, and he was going to do it right then and there. He had a feeling, after all, that all of this commotion was his fault.

"Michelle, listen to me, please," Ash begged, his lips lowering to the top of Michelle's head. The girl continued bawling, feverously shaking her head.

Ash shivered slightly as he began to rock back and forth, gently humming a familiar song. Michelle's heavy sobs began to slow down as she listened to the tune. Misty, meanwhile, let out a small gasp and stared at Ash in shock. Sure, he had a terrible singing voice and knew it. That's why Ash never sang, or even hummed, to the twins. Not even when they were babies and couldn't judge him. But now here he was, humming her lullaby to their little girl.

"Ash, how…" Misty tried, her words getting lost in her throat.

"I've heard you sing it enough times to know the melody," Ash whispered, smiling gently at his wife. "And I know she likes it. Do I really sound that bad?"

Misty giggled softly and smirked, shaking her head.

When Ash was finished humming the song, Michelle looked up cautiously at her father, her eyes red and puffy from crying and her cheeks tear streaked.

"There," Ash murmured, tenderly rubbing the child's cheek, "no more crying baby. I'm not here to hurt you." Michelle sniffed, but didn't say anything in response. Ash could see the distrust behind those young emerald eyes. "Why were you crying princess? Did you have a bad dream?"

Michelle whined quietly and looked towards her mother. Misty smiled kindly and nodded, encouraging Michelle to answer her father directly.

"Uh huh," Michelle mumbled, glancing away from Ash as she did so.

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" Ash continued.

Michelle quickly shook her head, not even giving it a second thought. Ash raised his eyes to Misty, as if asking her permission to push their daughter a little further. Misty grimaced, but nodded once more. She knew that Michelle would have to gain closure from this little incident, and the gym leader would prefer to have it be sooner rather than later.

"Was it about what happened at the training complex?" Ash asked with a shaky voice. "With that bad man?"

Michelle's breath quaked, revealing that she was once again close to tears. After a few moments of complete silence, Michelle answered wordlessly in the affirmative, causing Ash to flatten his mouth out into a perfectly straight line.

"You're upset with me, aren't you Shelly?"

More silence. Michelle seemed conflicted with what to do. She glanced up at Ash, and then quickly back down again. Ash took notice of this and sighed inwardly. The girl was really hurt. He lifted her from underneath her arms to be at eye level with him. She squeaked quietly and, sensing her fear, Ash leaned forward to kiss Michelle on her nose.

"I won't get mad at you baby girl," Ash murmured. "I promise. But if you're not happy with me, I need to know. I want to fix it."

Michelle thought for another few seconds before nodding slowly and cautiously.

"Can you tell us why you're upset with Daddy?" Misty moved closer to her daughter, toying with the girl's soft hair. "Do you feel like Daddy is the one who put you in danger?"

Ash's breath hitched, but he didn't say anything. The notion hurt, but he knew that Misty had a valid point. Michelle's run in with Loki was a pretty traumatizing event. Perhaps Michelle felt that he hadn't been able to rescue her quickly enough?

"No," Michelle whispered, shaking her head. Ash and Misty locked eyes, both actually surprised by the answer. Both could've sworn that was what had been haunting the young girl.

"Then what was it sweetie?" Misty asked.

"You told me to lie to Mommy," Michelle hiccupped as she looked up at Ash. "I…I don't like lying to Mommy."

"I know you don't," Ash assured her. "I don't like it either. I just thought we were protecting Mommy. But she knows about everything now. No more lying, okay?"

Michelle twisted her body so she was gazing sideways at her mother. Misty nodded confidently and soothed, "Daddy's right princess. We're not going to tell anymore lies to each other."

Michelle stretched out her right arm. Somehow, Misty knew just what she wanted. Smiling, the older red head crawled even closer to her husband and daughter and gave Michelle a gentle hug. Michelle fell in closer to Ash, and as a result, so did Misty. The gym leader's arm was now wrapped around both Michelle and Ash, prompting a genuinely happy smile from the five year old caught in between them.

"We love each other?" Michelle asked whimsically.

"Of course," Misty kissed the top of Michelle's head and then Ash's forehead. "We all love each other lots."

"Will you be okay now baby girl?" Ash asked as he gently bounced the girl. "No more nightmares?"

"No more nightmares," Michelle shook her head before letting out a little yawn. Chuckling, Ash gave Michelle one last kiss on the head before laying her back down and pulling the covers over her little body.

"Good night then princess," Ash smiled, stroking her hair. She sighed contently and rolled over onto her side so she was facing Ash. Misty too bid her daughter good night, and once all was said and done, the two parents left Michelle to fall into a deep slumber.

"At least Michelle isn't mad at me anymore," Ash smiled at his wife as she sat on the edge of the bed, holding her stomach as she looked down thoughtfully. "I'm a little surprised it was only because of the lie, though."

"Michelle's very sensitive to other people's feelings," Misty murmured, "just like me."

"Are you okay angel?" Ash asked worriedly as he took a seat at Misty's side. "You look like you're feeling a little sick."

"No, I'm fine," Misty shook her head, "I was just…thinking."

"About what?" Ash sounded almost breathless.

"Why would someone try to kidnap our little girl?" Misty furrowed her brow ever so slightly.

"Because she's our daughter, maybe," Ash frowned. "We're both famous. Some…psychopath probably just wanted to get their hands on her."

"You said you destroyed the training room, right?" Misty glanced up at her husband.

"Yeah…"

"So that means you must have had a battle with him."

"I used Infernape. He could sense that I was really upset, so then he got really upset and blaze was activated. That's mainly why the room was destroyed."

"What did that…guy say to you?" Misty ground her teeth, trying to control her building anger at the unknown hijacker. "He must've said something about wanting her…"

"He said that he needed her for something," Ash scratched his head. "But he wouldn't tell me what. He was crazy, Misty. Probably had no idea what the hell he was doing."

"Not necessarily," Misty mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Ash blinked.

"Ash…is powerful aura something that's highly valued?" The raven haired trainer twisted his mouth and looked away, his heart starting to beat rapidly. "Ash?"

"Yeah," Ash sighed, "sometimes it is."

"Do you think…" Misty bit her lip, "you think people know that the twins have aura?"

"I don't even know if they do," Ash pulled at his hair. "Just because the baby does doesn't mean they have it too."

"But what are the chances?" Misty whispered.

"Pretty high."

"Could that be it?" Misty wringed her hands together. "Arceus Ash, I thought you said aura wasn't dangerous!"

"Not unless it falls into the wrong hands," Ash shook his head.

"But that would be getting into the wrong hands."

"Yes, it would."

"How would we know if they have aura?" Misty inquired after several beats of tense silence. "If they do have it, I want to protect them."

"We could always use Justin's Riolu," Ash shrugged.

"I don't want to ask to use his Pokémon for my own personal use," Misty rubbed the back of her neck.

"You're his boss, you can do whatever you want," Ash smirked.

"This isn't funny Ash. Our children could be in real danger. I need to know if they have this…stupid thing or not."

"Okay honey," Ash sighed playfully as he kissed her on the cheek. "So are you going to ask Justin to use his Riolu?"

"I don't see any other option," Misty folded her arms, thinking shallowly and coming up with nothing.

"We can ask him tomorrow," Ash yawned and got up, gathering Misty into his arms. She shrieked softly and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up curiously at her sleepy husband. "But I'm tired, and I bet you are too. So let's call it a night."

"Sounds good to me," Misty breathed, nestling her face into Ash's chest.

XXX

"Justin, I need to ask you for a favor."

The young man seemed a little shocked as he stared back into Misty's emerald eyes. He wasn't stunned by the request. Oh no. It was more that before he could even greet her, she had jumped right in front of him and pressed the appeal.

"Uh…sure?"

"I was wondering if you could call out your Riolu for me."

"Okay, no problem!" Justin grinned. He turned around to head towards the gym, but was stopped by Misty's hand on his slightly broadened shoulder. "What's up?" He asked while peering over at the red head.

"Not at the gym," Misty straightened her shoulders out. "Here"

"Why here?"

"I have an objective!" Misty cried, her cheeks reddening. Justin backed away slightly, realizing he had just provoked a reaction from her wild hormones.

"Right, sorry Misty!" Justin hurried out in a flustered manner as he pulled out Riolu's poke ball and released the small blue Pokémon.

"Misty, don't be rude to Justin," Ash chastised gently as he walked into the room. Aiden was hanging on to his left leg, while Michelle rode on his back. Misty smiled at the sight of Michelle burying her face in the space between Ash's neck and shoulder and completely bypassed Ash's remark. She was just so pleased to see her little girl trusting her father again.

"Oh, don't worry Mr. Ke…uh, Ash," Justin chuckled, "Misty wasn't being rude to me at all!"

"You don't need to cover up for her Justin," Ash smirked.

"Ri?" Riolu suddenly piped up, his big eyes setting on the two young children attached to the Pokémon master.

"Look!" Aiden shrieked as he released Ash's leg. "A Riolu!"

"I wanna see! I wanna see!" Michelle squealed while tugging at Ash's black locks. He grunted each time she yanked before finally lifting the girl off his back and putting her down next to her brother.

The two children hurried over towards the aura sphere Pokémon and began fawning over it, which excited the little fighting type.

"Ri! Ri!" Riolu cheered, clapping his little paws together.

"Riolu loves being the center of attention," Justin informed the twins. "You two sure are making him happy!"

"I like him, he's cute!" Michelle exclaimed as she patted the Pokémon's head.

"Lou…" Riolu cooed, holding his paws out towards the twins. They blinked confusedly, and gasped rather excitedly when the Pokémon's paws began glowing a bright shade of blue. Before long, their own eyes were glowing, unbeknownst to the children. There was something different about the glow, however. It was much lighter than Ash's, Riolu's, or even the baby's.

"Ash," Misty whispered, "it looks…off."

"I wonder…" Ash mused quietly.

"Wonder what?" Misty pressed when he began to trail off.

"I remember hearing one time that the offspring of an aura guardian's descendent and someone without strong aura could have something known as limited aura."

"Half aura?" Misty repeated curiously.

"Yeah," Ash furrowed his brow. "Limited aura means that they do have a much stronger aura than most people, but it can't be used to the same extent that full aura can be."

"And you have full aura?"

Ash nodded his head.

"So…does that mean the baby…has full aura too?" Misty murmured.

"It would certainly appear that way," Ash nodded.

"We need to protect them," Misty sighed, nervously rubbing her stomach.

"I will," Ash asserted. He looked down at their two young children, who were still busy playing with Riolu and blissfully unaware of their glowing eyes. "I'll make sure of it."

Yeah, so, in the anime, there was never anything such as "full aura" or "limited aura." No one ever mentioned it to Ash or anything. But it's my story so that's what I'm sticking to :P It doesn't even sound that unlikely, really. I mean, not every kid who is considered a descendent of an aura guardian can have full power when one of their parents doesn't have strong aura. At least that's my thinking towards it :P

I also hope any confusion with Michelle and Ash was cleared up. She was really only upset because he told her to lie to Misty, and like Misty said, Michelle doesn't like to lie. The actual event did frighten her, but that was a very small fraction of it.

And Ash and Misty are on good terms now! Yay!

The reviews for last chapter were awesome! I'm really glad to know you guys are still enjoying the story ^^ It's only going to get better from here on out, so stick around and keep being awesome!