I'm a terrible person. Kind of.
This chapter is really, really long. But it's all fluff. Literally: all fluff. The entire chapter is about Misty's birthday. I did not even know it was possible to write 5,000 words about a character's birthday. But I did it. So...there you go.
But, I think at this point, if you guys didn't like fluff, you would've stopped reading this story already :P So I hope you enjoy this really incredibly descriptive chapter about Misty's birthday and Ash's big surprise for her. Enjoy :P
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!"
Misty groaned and covered her still closed eyes with her hand. She didn't want to wake up. Not yet. She was tired. This was the stage of pregnancy were Misty was completely exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to sleep all day. It's not like she could get much sleep anyway. Her bladder was currently being used as a trampoline by her and Ash's unborn daughter, so Misty had to get up about every half hour to go to the bathroom. In addition, sleep seemed to be a foreign concept to the baby. She bounced and kicked all day and night, rarely ever stopping. It was making Misty quite sore and agitated.
"Come on Mommy, wake up!" Michelle chirped. Misty knew it was her daughter just by the high pitched, airy voice that had uttered the innocent demand. Misty could only respond with a groan, however.
"Mommy…" Aiden whined, grabbing at his mother's hand and pulling it away from her eyes. Misty whimpered again and squeezed her eyelids shut even more tightly. Leave it up to her children to be just as intrusive as their father!
"Guys…" Misty finally managed to speak, "Mommy is very, very tired. It would be such a nice present if you two let me sleep some more…"
"But Daddy told us to wake you up," Michelle complained.
"Of course he did," Misty muttered. She turned her head and opened her eyes in a huff, ready to murder her husband. She didn't even care if Aiden and Michelle were there to watch. It was unacceptable that Ash didn't understand how much an 8 months pregnant woman needed her rest.
But her eyes didn't lock on Ash. In fact, the space next to her was vacant.
"Huh?" Misty blinked.
"Daddy isn't here," Michelle commented. She jumped over to her father's side of the bed, bouncing her mother as she took the leap. Misty gasped sharply and pressed a hand against her swollen midsection, once again closing her eyes. This time, it was not out of fatigue, however. It was out of annoyance.
Michelle seemed to pick up on this, as she let out a soft whimper and reached out to grab onto her mother's wrist. "I'm sorry Mommy! I didn't mean to! Are you hurt?"
"No…I'm alright," Misty sighed as she slowly opened her eyes. "You just need to be a little more careful, okay sweetheart?"
"Yes Mommy," Michelle still looked rather guilty about her actions.
"Where did your Daddy go?" Misty asked as she opened her eyes and finally forced herself to sit up. It was with a significant amount of difficulty, and the seemingly simple act managed to drain Misty of any remaining energy she had. Grunting, she leaned against the headboard and dragged a hand through her tangled red locks.
"He went downstairs for somethin'," Aiden smirked, laying down and settling his elbows on his mother's legs. Misty giggled airily and stroked Aiden's head, to which he cooed quietly and rested his cheek on the side of her enormous belly. "When's the baby comin' out?"
"Just a little over a month," Misty smiled at the young boy. If we're lucky…
"That's not so long," Aiden mused.
"No, it isn't!" Misty agreed.
"Hi Daddy!" Michelle suddenly chirped, lifting her head up from where it had been perched in her folded arms. Misty looked towards the door, where Ash was standing in the doorframe with a mischievous little smirk on his face.
"Are you up to no good?" Misty teased.
"Who said that?" Ash inquired playfully as he folded his arms.
"No one," Misty playfully stuck her tongue out. "The look on your face says it all."
"Hmm, that's strange," Ash scrunched his nose up. "I can't really see what my face is doing. Unless I look in a mirror I guess. I didn't know it did weird stuff like that!"
He walked into the room, right over to his side of the bed. Michelle looked up at him with the cutest face she could pull, sitting up on her knees and batting her long, soft eyelashes at her father.
"Hi Daddy," Michelle repeated.
"Hi princess," Ash placed his hands on his hips. In a lighthearted tone, he continued, "what are you doing in my spot, huh?"
"Keeping Mommy company," Michelle placed her hands by her sides. "You weren't here, Daddy!"
"Well, I'm here now," Ash chuckled.
"Too bad," Michelle giggled as she threw herself down on her back. Smirking, Ash climbed onto the bed and grabbed a hold of his little girl, flipping her upside down so her bright red hair hung down like a curtain. Michelle shrieked in delight before roaring with laughter and kicking her legs, Ash tilting his head to either side so she wouldn't hit him in the face.
"Ash, be careful with her," Misty warned, her heart beginning to beat more quickly.
"You always tell me that when I play around with these two," Ash motioned his head towards Aiden, who was still settled on his mother's legs. "And have I ever hurt them?"
"No…" Misty blushed, "I just get nervous is all."
"I know you do, sweetheart," Ash smiled. He turned Michelle right side up, and she began to relax, her laughter dying down as the blood drained from her bright red face. Turning his daughter around so they were face to face, Ash touched their noses together and asked, "you're okay, right baby girl?"
"Yes Daddy," Michelle reached out her arms and wrapped them around her father's neck, giving him a tight and adoring hug.
"Ack…Mi…Michelle…" Ash gasped, patting the child's back, "I…love you too…but…you're…choking me…"
"Oops," Michelle lowered her arms. "Sorry Daddy."
"It's just fine, baby!" Ash engulfed the girl in his own hug, causing her to giggle yet again.
"Daddy, I want to give Mommy her presents!" Aiden suddenly called out. Ash looked over Michelle's head and grinned at the boy, who had a look of excitement on his young face.
"We should, now, shouldn't we?" Ash agreed.
"Let me get Mommy's present, Daddy!" Michelle squealed, gently hitting her father's shoulder. Ash laughed and put his daughter down on the bed, leading the little red head to quickly slide off onto the floor and run out into the hallway.
"Aiden, isn't that present from both you and Shelly?" Ash inquired.
"Yeah," the little boy squeaked innocently.
"Why don't you go and help your sister?"
"She can get it on her own."
"Aiden," Ash smirked and playfully stared down his young son. Aiden laughed joyfully and flew off the bed, racing down the hallway in order to assist his twin before she was able to get the present on her own.
"Alright," Misty turned her head towards Ash and gave him a playful little glare. "What's the real reason you sent Aiden away, hmm?"
"I thought it would be obvious," Ash chuckled huskily. "I didn't get to give you a proper happy birthday."
"A proper happy birthday?" Misty repeated, a little glint going off in her bright, jewel toned eyes. "I thought you were saving that for tonight."
"I am," Ash groaned before letting out a short laugh. "I wanted to give you something different now."
"And what would that be?" Misty arched a slender eyebrow.
Without speaking another word, Ash lunged forward and pressed his lips against Misty's. She moaned in pleasure and closed her eyes, happy to return her husband's fervent action. She was so happy to be married to such a sweet and loving guy. Ash held her a little closer to his body while bringing themselves down closer to the bed. He moved his own body to the side, not wanting to lie down on his wife's precious belly. It was big and well filled out, but so was he, and the last thing Ash wanted to do was crush his unborn daughter.
Misty smiled against Ash's lips, appreciating that simple action. She reached her arm towards her back and grabbed one of Ash's hands, which had been firmly pressed against her back. Intertwining their fingers, she moved his hand over to the side of her belly. He laughed and flattened his hand out against the bump, rubbing soothing circles against her large stomach. Misty sighed and finally separated her mouth from Ash's so she could regain her breath. She kept her hand on top of his, however, and moved it along with his own.
"How does it feel to be old?" Ash teased as he pressed his forehead against Misty's.
"I don't know, I'm the same age as you now, so you tell me," Misty smirked mischievously.
"Nice one, Mist."
"Thanks. I try."
Ash laughed and continued to rub Misty's belly, until something came in contact with his palm. Ash gasped softly and pulled his hand away, causing Misty to snicker delightfully.
"She woke up," Misty fluttered her eyelashes at the Pokémon master.
"Yeah, I could feel it," Ash blinked just once before chuckling.
"It's starting to hurt," Misty whined, placing a hand on her belly. Ash frowned and put his own hand back, gently massaging the impressive bump in an effort to get the baby to calm down, or at least comfort his wife.
"Come on baby girl," Ash murmured. "Relax. It's Mommy's birthday…we don't want to hurt her, right?"
Another kick connected, and Misty let out a quiet, "oof!"
"Baby," Ash frowned, now holding Misty's stomach with both hands.
"She isn't listening to you today," Misty giggled, but soon went back to wincing once the baby began to kick and move around nonstop. "I don't think she's happy."
"Me either," Ash agreed with a tiny smile. "Part of me is beginning to think that she's just hungry!"
"Yes, how shameful of me for not eating since two in the morning," Misty deadpanned as she poked her belly. "You, Daddy, and Aiden are going to be a disaster when it comes to food in this house."
"What about me and food, Mommy?"
Misty turned her head towards the door and found Aiden and Michelle standing in the doorframe, both of them holding onto a poorly wrapped gift.
"Oh, nothing sweetheart," Misty smiled sweetly. "Daddy and I were just talking about things. Is that my present?"
"Uh huh!" Michelle nodded feverously. "Open it!"
"Well, I can't open it until you bring it over here," Misty giggled. "Here, you two come back over, and I'll just get up…"
Misty pressed her hands against the mattress and tried to push herself up, but with little luck. The twins found this to be funny and giggled happily as they clambered up onto the bed. Misty wanted to laugh with them, if only to show that she was perfectly fine, but she was finding herself too frustrated to do such a thing.
"Here we go, sweetheart!" Ash trilled, lifting Misty up and sitting her in his folded lap. Right away, Misty realized that Ash wasn't able to pick her up as easily as usual. Her hormones began to rise, and suddenly, all Misty wanted to do was cry because of how fat she felt. Those silly thoughts melted away, however, as soon as Ash wrapped his arms around Misty's protruding belly and gently rocked her back and forth.
"Are you ready to open your present now, Mommy?" Aiden asked excitedly.
"Yes, I am," Misty held her hands out for the present, which Aiden and Michelle eagerly handed over.
"We hope you like it," Michelle stated in an almost shy manner.
"Oh, I'm sure I'll love it, sweetie!" Misty stroked the young girl's soft cheek. "I love anything that you and Aiden give to me."
She examined the gift for a few moments, trying to figure out what it could possibly be. The wrapping paper was bunched up in several places, and there was an excess amount of tape wrapped around the colorful, printed paper.
"We wrapped it ourselves!" Aiden beamed.
"Oh…I can see that…" Misty laughed nervously. The twins suddenly looked a little upset, so Misty quickly went to cover her tracks. "But you two did a great job!"
"Really?" Michelle clapped her hands together.
"Yes! You guys wrap presents even better than your Daddy does!" That one wasn't a lie.
"Cool!" Aiden cheered.
Misty laughed and looked over her shoulder at Ash. He said nothing in response, but had a rather dejected look on his face. Misty cooed softly and kissed Ash on his nose, which led the Pokémon master to chuckle and break out of his playfully gloomy state.
"Oh, you're all distracting me!" Misty complained in a joking manner. "I have to open my present!"
"Yeah Daddy, stop talking!" Michelle narrowed her eyes and folded her little arms.
"How come I'm the one getting abused this morning?" Ash deadpanned. Pikachu, who had been sleeping silently on Ash's pillow the entire time, let out a little snicker, informing Ash that the electric mouse was now awake. "Oh sure, Pikachu. Wake up when I'm being ganged up on."
"Pikachu likes to sleep," Aiden giggled.
"Yeah, well that's because Pikachu isn't as young as he used to be," Ash smirked. The electric type raised his head and glared at Ash, who didn't look remotely sorry for calling his partner Pokémon old.
"Pika!" Pikachu bit before putting his head down again and twitching his ears in a displeased fashion.
"Ash, stop picking fights with Pikachu!" Misty scolded. "The poor thing just wants to sleep." Glaring at her husband, Misty continued rather tersely, "I understand how he feels."
"Uh…hehe…" Ash chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey Mist, why don't you go ahead and open that present now, huh?"
"I think I will," Misty huffed. She began to tear away at the wrapping paper, although it wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. All of the extra tape that Aiden and Michelle had used was basically forming an extra layer on the gift, and it was hard to break through. "Aiden, Michelle, how much tape did you use on this?"
"A whole roll!" Michelle chirped sweetly.
"The paper wouldn't stay on if we didn't," Aiden added.
Misty tried to use her nails to cut into the paper, and after a while, it seemed to do the trick. Thanks to the vitamins she was required to take for the baby, Misty's hair and nails were both growing like weeds. In this case, her longer nails were coming in handy.
With enough cuts made in the paper, Misty was finally able to tear the decorative wrapping off of her present and examine the gift. All she could see it was, however, was a large wooden rectangle that was painted in a light green.
"It's backwards, Mommy," Aiden piped up.
"Hmm?" Misty looked over at her little boy, and then back down at the present. "Oh. That would make sense! Thank you little buddy!" Misty turned the mysterious object around so it was facing the right way, but furrowed her brow when she realized she still couldn't see anything. At least now she knew why: her belly was in the way.
"What's wrong, Mommy?" Michelle frowned.
"Nothing dear," Misty smiled. "I'm just…very big is all." Michelle only looked confused by this, causing Misty to giggle and gently tickle the girl's cheek. "You're so sweet, Shelly. Here, I can fix it…" She raised the wooden frame and held it on top of her stomach, finally able to study what it was. Within seconds, she realized exactly what it was. And it made her eyes well up with tears.
It was a picture frame.
The light green casing had three different photo slots in it. The first picture was of Aiden, holding a poke ball in his hands and laughing. The middle slot held a picture of Michelle, the little girl laying down on her stomach and holding her head in her hands as she smiled charmingly. The final space displayed a sonogram picture of the unborn baby girl: the one where she had her thumb in her mouth.
"Do you like it?" Aiden asked hopefully, his russet eyes shining.
Misty didn't look up from the frame, but a wide smile did break out on her face.
"You can put a real picture of the baby in there when she's born," Aiden pointed at the black and white image of his little sister. "But Daddy said that we should put that one in for now, cause she's in your tummy."
"Yeah, that's really cute," Misty laughed shakily as a tear snuck out of the corner of her eye.
"Mommy, why are you crying?" Michelle frowned. Aiden suddenly looked concerned as well. "Do you not like it?"
"No, no, that isn't it at all!" Misty stole one last glance at the picture frame before putting it down on the bed and pulling her children in for a tight embrace. "I love it so much! That present means so much to me…thank you sweethearts."
"If you're happy, then how come you're crying?" Aiden looked up. He didn't sound entirely convinced.
"Because these are happy tears, honey," Misty hiccupped as she wiped away the stray tear. "I'm just really, really happy is all!"
"Oh, good!" Aiden beamed.
"Yay! Happy Mommy!" Michelle giggled girlishly and got as close to her mother as she could, what with the full-size stomach in the way. From that same impressive bump came a big kick, one that startled the twins and caused Misty to laugh in pure joy.
"Oh, your little sister wants to be a part of this too!" Misty cooed.
"She scared me!" Aiden accused, folding his little arms as he huffed and turned his head to the side.
"Now Aiden, she didn't mean to," Misty rubbed the back of the young boy's neck. "She doesn't know any better. I think she gets a little lonely in my belly. All she wants to do is play with us!"
"I guess…" Aiden raised one of his young eyebrows.
"She's got nothing against you, little guy," Ash chuckled. "That wasn't even so bad! She likes to kick me in the face when I talk to her, you know."
"That's true," Misty smirked. "If the baby has it out for anyone here, it's your Daddy."
"Well, maybe our beautiful little girl won't take her anger out on me so much once I give you your birthday present," Ash hugged Misty before patting her stomach. "Come on, let's go!"
"Go where?" Misty looked over her shoulder at Ash's glowing face.
"To get your present," Ash chuckled.
"Ugh, I have to get up?" Misty groaned as she threw her head back.
"Yes, I know, actually getting out bed is such a challenge," Ash muttered and rolled his eyes. Right after uttering those fateful words, Ash regretted them and knew he was in for it. One look at his wife's murderous face, and Ash was preparing to brace himself for impact. Even Aiden and Michelle seemed to know what was in store for their poor, although admittedly stupid, father.
"I have a human being inside of me, Ash Ketchum," Misty snarled, and then lowered her voice so Aiden and Michelle couldn't hear the next part, "and you're the one that put it there!
"I know, Misty, and I…"
"Do you not see how absolutely huge I am, or did you just go completely blind within the last thirty seconds?" Misty raised her voice again, and one of her hands balled into a tight and threatening fist. Suddenly, Ash felt like they were 10 years old again.
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"
"Let me tell you something, Mr. Pokémon Master!" Misty's face was turning red at this point. "This baby will be here in just over a month, and now that I'm not running the gym, I full well expect to sleep up until this kid decides to show up!"
Ash wanted to roll his eyes again, knowing that this was not a true statement. Even though he didn't doubt that Misty was achy and exhausted, Ash knew that she was not the kind of person who would lay around in bed because she was hugely pregnant. His wife was just a little too restless to laze around.
"Are we clear?" Misty planted her hands on her hips and continued to glare at Ash.
Ash sighed inwardly. He didn't want to rile Misty up anymore, even though there were way too many holes in her argument that he wanted to tease her about. Ash had to keep in mind that this reaction was provoked not only by his words, but worsened by Misty's rampant hormones.
"Yes Misty," Ash replied clearly, his eyes wide and unblinking. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, it's alright," Misty breathed, reaching out to brush Ash's bangs away from his eyes. The raven haired man smiled cheekily at his wife's action. Just a second ago, it seemed that she was going to use that hand to beat him. Now, she was using it to fawn over him. Stupid hormones.
"So, are you ready to see your present?" Ash asked.
"Yes, I'm ready," Misty sighed as she nestled her head against Ash's neck. "Help me up."
Ash turned around and unfolded his legs, keeping Misty on his lap the whole time. She stared at him with an innocent expression, a tiny smile pulling at the corners of her lips. Ash noticed this and playfully stuck his tongue out at the red head, who began laughing uncontrollably.
"You still can't get up on your own?" Ash tilted his head.
"No," Misty replied simply, pressing both hands against her baby bump. "I'm too big. It's hard for me to move."
This wasn't hormones. Now, Misty was just trying to be difficult. Ash wasn't stupid, despite what many people thought. At least not when it came to his wife. He spotted that familiar, devious glint in her emerald eyes, and knew she was messing with him.
Realizing he had no other choice, Ash held one arm against Misty's back, and the other under her knees. He stood up, holding her in his arms just like that. He had carried her in the same bridal style just last month, but she definitely hadn't been this heavy. His arms were trembling, and he was afraid that he'd drop the pregnant gym leader at any moment.
"There…you're up," Ash tried his hardest not to wince. "Can you at least walk on your own?"
"I guess so," Misty shrugged before laughing spritely. Ash put Misty down gently but hurriedly, making sure she was steady on her feet before taking his arms away.
"There we go," Ash sighed.
"Alright, show me my present now!" Misty clasped her hands together in excitement.
"Sure thing," Ash smirked. "Aiden, Michelle, come on now. We're gonna show Mommy her super special present!"
Aiden and Michelle screeched, the way almost all young children did when they became excited by something, and flew off the bed. Both Misty and Ash laughed at the sound of the children's small feet pounding against the hallway floor, the two children racing to get to wherever the present was first.
"We'd better go catch up," Ash winked at his wife. Misty giggled sweetly and agreed, taking hold of Ash's hand and pulling him out of the room in the same direction where the twins had gone.
Misty was a little surprised when she realized that the two had stopped right in front of the door of the spare guest bedroom that Ash had been converting into his "Pokémon Master's longue." Inwardly, Misty huffed. She still thought the whole thing was a stupid idea.
"So…what's my present?" Misty arched one of her slender eyebrows.
"It's right behind that door," Ash placed a hand on Misty's shoulder. Had he been facing her, he would've noticed a less than amused expression appearing on her pretty face.
"Let me get this straight," Misty deadpanned, "my birthday present from you is a room that you renovated for yourself?"
"No, of course not," Ash scoffed.
"But you told me that's what you were doing in there!" Misty whipped around and growled lowly.
"Well, you were right a few weeks ago when you asked if I was keeping a secret from you," Ash chuckled. "Why don't you open the door and find out the real reason I was spending all my time in there?"
Misty's anger was rising again, and she had suddenly acquired a strong urge to hit her husband. But her curiosity was getting the better of her, and at the moment, finding out just what exactly was behind that door seemed more appealing than taking her irritation out on Ash.
Grabbing a hold of the door knob, Misty pushed the door back and stepped into the door frame. Scanning her eyes around the room, she gasped as her hand flew up to her mouth. Misty could hardly believe what she was looking at. It was clear from just looking around the room that Ash really hadn't been refurbishing the room for himself.
He had been turning it into a room for the baby.
Misty remembered that, months ago, she had told Ash she didn't want to paint the baby's walls the standard pink or blue. He had obviously respected her wishes, because the walls were painted in a soothing foam green color instead. Each wall had light blue bubbles on it, the designs both hand drawn and hand painted. The bubbles were the same color as the sheer and sparkly curtains that adorned the nursery windows, and were currently being tied back by silky blue ribbon.
The crib against the far left wall was made of white wood, with a blue and white ruffled skirt covering the legs that reminded Misty of the ocean tide. Hanging above the crib was a mobile, which had the five water type starters in stuffed form dangling from blue and green ribbon. The quilt inside of the crib was made of both silky and cotton squares, colored in light blue, light green, and white. Ruffle edged pillows of the same colors lined the back of the crib, while one large white pillow with ruffled edges and blue and green ribbons at each corner sat against the headboard. A collection of stuffed Pokémon (all water types, of course) were congregated in the far left corner of the crib, the center of which was a large, pastel colored Vaporeon.
Against the opposite wall was a tall white bookshelf. It didn't hold too many books at the moment, seeing as a newborn baby wouldn't have much interest in them. There were a few, however, all of which were easy to red bedtime stories about Pokémon. Sitting on the edge of the middle shelf was a stuffed, pastel colored Pikachu: the only stuffed Pokémon in the room that wasn't a water type.
Next to the door, somewhat close to the crib, was a white dresser, adorned with blue and green crystal knobs. Atop the dresser was a ceramic Squirtle bank, a silver music box that had seashells and water type Pokémon carved into it, and several little picture frames colored in silver, blue, and green that held different pictures: some of Ash and Misty, some of Aiden and Michelle, and just one with a sonogram image.
In the right corner of the room was a white rocking chair, the same one that Misty had used when Aiden and Michelle were babies. Ash had considered getting Misty a new one, but she was far too attached to the one that now took residence in the new baby's room. Ash knew if ever tried to get rid of that rocking chair, Misty would probably claw his eyes out.
Misty even noticed the smallest details in the room, such as the seashell shaped nightlight that was plugged into the wall, and the framed cascade badge that hung on the far right wall.
"Well?" Ash's hopeful voice broke Misty out of her trance. "What do you think?"
Misty simply looked over her shoulder, the words she so badly wanted to say running through her head but getting caught in her throat. Ash began to look concerned, and almost instantly, panic set in for the Pokémon master.
"Oh, you hate it," Ash fretted, pulling at his midnight locks. "I knew I made it too boyish, I knew! There's too much blue, isn't there? Does it look like it's for a boy? It does, doesn't it? I'm so sorry Misty! I promise I'll change everything. I'll make it pink, and put hearts everywhere, and-"
Ash's ranting and raving was quickly cut off by Misty's lips. She was holding him close and kissing him right on the mouth, her eyes closed as her fingers gripped desperately at his dark pajama shirt. Ash was too shocked to kiss back, or even close his eyes. When Misty finally pulled away, she stared up at Ash with her bright emerald eyes, giggling quietly and still holding onto his shirt.
"…I don't understand…" Ash murmured.
"Ash, this is the best present I could have ever imagined," Misty breathed. Looking around the room again, her smile grew even wider and she continued, "it's so beautiful. I can't believe how much work you put into this."
"Tracey helped me," Ash blushed heavily. "He drew and painted the bubbles. And my Mom picked out the bedding for the crib. May, Dawn, and Iris helped me with the little things in the room, like the nightlight and the music box and the picture frames. Brock found the stuffed Pokémon for me, and Cilan helped to show me which colors to use. The whole water type theme was mine, Aiden, and Michelle's idea. We thought you would like it, because, well, you like water Pokémon."
"It's perfect," Misty laughed, wiping away an escaped tear.
"Happy crying again, Mommy?" Michelle squeaked.
"Yes sweetheart, happy crying," Misty nodded as she rubbed her eyes. Aiden and Michelle darted forward to hug their mother's legs. Deciding that wasn't nearly enough, Ash scooped the twins up into his arms so they could give Misty a proper hug. Misty was more than happy to return the embrace, which she did with all of the strength she could manage. Before Ash could put the twins down, Misty outstretched her arms even further and included Ash in the hug.
"I love you guys so much," Misty whimpered happily. "I really have the best family in the whole wide world. No one is as lucky as I am."
"I feel the same way," Ash chuckled, pressing his forehead against Misty's. "A perfect family."
In retrospect, this chapter really didn't need to be this long. But I ended up having too much fun writing it :P If it makes you guys feel better, the next chapter is pretty much finished, and we get back to more of a plot. I just had to write this really long and descriptive chapter because I had such a vivid idea of the baby's room in my head and I put alot of thought into it. I just wanted to give it a huge reveal and make it seem super special :P
So, as of the posting of this chapter, this story has 196 reviews. Remember, the 200th review gets a shout out, and I'm hoping to give it next chapter! So get those reviews in and tell me what you thought of this chapter, what's going to happen next, anything you want, really :P I look forward to reading all of them and getting out the next chapter to you guys as quickly as possible! Maybe even by the end of this week, if I can.
If you read all of this, then you are awesome. If not...you're still awesome :P Keep on reading, and I'll see you all next time ^^