See, I don't lie! The epilogue was halfway finished already. All I had to do was finish up the other half and look over the spelling and grammar. Now that I'm on spring break, that was certainly easy enough :)
So, since my ending author's note is going to be VERY important (make sure you read it!) I'm going to go ahead and thank all of you guys up here instead! Oooh, what a change :P Like I've said for every other chapter in this story, you guys are all amazing. From all of the views, reviews, and mentions you've thrown my way, every single one of you readers are beyond incredible, and I thank you so much for that! You guys are all the reason that I love to write and I'll never stop. Your suppourt is highly appreciated, always remember that!
Now, without further waiting, the epilogue! Enjoy!
Misty stood in front of the window, staring at the outside world with a certain look of bliss on her face. The first snow of the winter was beginning to fall, and although it wasn't coming down hard yet, it was definitely sticking. The edges of the bare tree branches were now gently blanketed with snow, and the grassy lawn was dusted over in white.
She had always hated winter. Not even the beautiful snow could deter Misty's dislike for the season. Misty just wasn't a cold person, and the winter meant the end of nice, light clothing, and the constant need for sweaters and heavy jackets.
Her children had softened these opinions, however. Misty couldn't bring herself to hate this beautiful time of the year; not when her children got so excited for it. They loved the thought of being able to play in the snow; building snow Pokémon and dragging her and Ash out to Cerulean Park for a long day of sledding.
The highlight of each winter was celebrating Christmas. Unlike the season it took place in, Misty never hated the holiday. It was, in fact, the only part of winter she'd ever liked. Baking cookies, wrapping presents, and listening to festive music always brought a certain joy to the Cerulean City gym leader. Her favorite part of Christmas, however, was finding the perfect tree and then decorating it with meaningful ornaments, bright lights, and shimmering tinsel.
This year would be a little different. Misty was still going to decorate the tree, of course, but she had stayed behind when Ash, Aiden, and Michelle set out to find the family's tree. She had good reason to.
Smiling, Misty stepped away from the window and towards a colorful playpen that sat a short distance away from the roaring fire place. She placed her hands on the edge and leaned over, peaking into the childish enclosure. Upon setting her eyes on the pen's inhabitant, Misty's grin broadened, and she giggled quietly in a happy fashion.
Laying in the middle of the playpen was her youngest child, remaining perfectly quiet and still with her body just barely covered by a light pink blanket. Seeing her mother caused the infant to show off an expansive smile. Elizabeth just loved to be fawned over, especially by her parents. At birth, she hadn't been comfortable with anybody but her parents, but after a few weeks that changed, and Elizabeth was now happy in anybody's presence.
"Hello baby Lizzie!" Misty cooed in a baby talk voice. She reached over and lifted the child into her arms, holding the little thing close to her chest. "I never know when you're up, little girl!"
Elizabeth still didn't make a sound. She was a rather quiet and content baby, never crying much. One would think that the parents of a calm baby would be thrilled with having such a serene child, but Ash and Misty often viewed it as more of a curse than a blessing. They never knew when Elizabeth had awoken from a nap, seeing as she didn't scream at the top of her lungs to announce it in the way that Aiden and Michelle had as babies. So she would often end up laying alone in her crib for long periods of time. She didn't seem to mind, of course, but it made her parents feel rather guilty.
Misty paced around the room with her baby, walking mindlessly back and forth. This is normally what she would do to soothe an upset infant, but Elizabeth was anything but. Especially at the current moment.
And then, as if to appease her mother, Elizabeth began to babble nonsensically, letting out a few indiscernible shrieks of happiness here and there. Misty giggled in response, hugging the baby a little more tightly as she pressed kisses into the little thing's dark red hair.
"You're the sweetest girl," Misty murmured into the child's locks. "My little miracle baby."
Elizabeth looked up at Misty and uttered another noise, one that sounded almost like "eh?" Misty sighed and stared at the child's face, carefully studying the baby's features.
With each passing day, Elizabeth began to look more and more like her father. The shape of her eyes, her tiny ears, and the pouty little lips that could now form a lopsided smile; all of this was a perfect representation of Ash. Misty had given the girl her nose; there was no doubt about that one. Originally, Misty had thought that Elizabeth had inherited Ash's nose, and she even told him it on a daily basis. Now that she was older, that wasn't the case. Elizabeth's nose was small and scrunched up in the same fashion as Misty's. Her hair had lightened slightly since her birth, but Elizabeth's red locks were still much darker than her mother or sister's, and still very unique. The skin tone, just like her older siblings, was the ideal cross between Ash and Misty's. Elizabeth's most striking feature, however, was the color of her eyes. It was the same bright emerald green of Misty and Michelle, and had a hue so deep and brilliant that they held a constant shimmer.
Elizabeth squeaked again, and Misty smiled earnestly. Reaching up with a small and chubby hand, Elizabeth pulled curiously at the corner of her mother's mouth, squealing delightfully at how she was able to move the woman's soft, pink lips. Misty didn't bother to shift the child's hand away, instead letting the girl play around. Now that she was four months old, Elizabeth was beginning to explore her surroundings and become acquainted with the world. Misty found the innocent naivety to be adorable, and she did all she could to encourage the baby.
Suddenly, Elizabeth pulled her fingers away from Misty's mouth and began to whimper. Misty blinked, confused as to why the baby had gotten so upset all of a sudden. There had been no loud noises, or anyone trying to take her away from the comforting embrace of her mother.
"Lizzie?" Misty brushed the child's hair back. "Why are you getting fussy?"
The whimpering quickly turned into full blown wails, the tiny child crying heavily. She wasn't screaming, mind you, just sobbing with great fervor. Misty clicked her tongue and began bouncing the baby up and down, hoping to soothe her. The poor thing just kept weeping, so Misty resumed her pacing, humming sweetly to the baby and pressing a hand against the back of her head.
As Elizabeth blubbered and Misty paced, the front door opened, and Aiden and Michelle came bursting in, roaring with laughter.
"Oh, you're all back!" Misty smiled down at her two older children, who were clad in their winter clothing. "Did you find a nice tree?"
"Yeah!" Aiden beamed up at his mother. "It's really tall, Mommy!"
"That's wonderful Aiden," Misty giggled at her young son's enthusiasm. "Oh, I have to help you two out of your snow things."
"Mommy, Elizabeth is crying," Michelle informed her mother as though it weren't obvious.
"I know, and I'm not sure why that is," Misty sighed. "Nothing happened that should've made her so upset. She just started crying out of nowhere!"
"It's okay Lizzie!" Michelle cheered as she jumped forward, playfully grabbing the baby's pajama covered foot. "Big sister Shelly is going to make you feel all better!"
That didn't seem to do the trick either. Elizabeth just kept on wailing, struggling slightly in her mother's arms.
"Elizabeth, what has gotten into you?" Misty theoretically asked the child. She knew there'd be no response; she just sort of hoped for one.
While Misty and Michelle continued to busy themselves with the crying baby, a third figure walked into the house, shaking the snow off of his head. He was the largest member of the family, and as soon as he heard the cries of the littlest one, he gasped and jumped into action.
"My poor baby!" Ash reached out and took his little daughter from Misty. The gym leader was about to argue, especially since Ash was still wearing his snow dusted jacket, but her retort was quelled instantly as Elizabeth settled down in her father's arms.
"You…you got her to stop," Misty blinked.
Ash didn't seem to be listening, however. He was too busy pressing kisses against the side of Elizabeth's face, causing the baby who had just been crying a minute ago to laugh wildly.
"Ash, at least take your jacket off," Misty sighed as she knelt down to remove Aiden and Michelle's jackets. "You're going to freeze the poor thing."
"Okay," Ash finally spoke, his voice light and happy. He waited for Misty to be done with the twins' outerwear in order to hand off the baby girl. Once out of her father's grasp, Elizabeth started whimpering again, causing Misty to groan and roll her eyes.
"I swear, this kid just adores me until you show up," Misty narrowed her eyes at her husband as he stripped off his black wool coat. "Then I might as well be chopped liver."
Ash chuckled and bent over to reclaim his daughter, who relaxed once more and rested her head against his chest. "No, she always loves you, Mist! I bet she was just excited to see me since I've been gone for so long."
"Whatever you say," Misty grumbled, not quite believing Ash's response. Composing herself, Misty smiled yet again and asked, "Now, where is this wonderful tree that Aiden was telling me about?"
"Right outside," Ash motioned towards the door with his head. Bouncing Elizabeth up and down as he walked over to it, Ash pulled at the knob and called out into the early winter night, "okay Charizard! You can bring the tree inside now!"
A loud roar from outside threw Misty off guard for a short second. Moments later, a lush evergreen tree was thrown onto the floor of the family's living room, causing Aiden and Michelle to cheer and begin running around the massive green plant. All of the excitement was getting to Elizabeth as well, who squealed and held her hands out towards the tree.
"Yeah, that's a Christmas tree, pumpkin!" Ash informed the child. "Just you wait. It's going to be so pretty! We're going to decorate it with lights, and tinsel, and a whole bunch of ornaments!"
Elizabeth shrieked yet again and began squirming her little legs. Ash smiled and began stroking her soft, feathery red locks, chuckling quietly when the baby let out a big yawn and began to close her eyes.
"Baby Lizzie likes this," Ash murmured. "You can never decide if you're hyper or sleepy, huh sweetie?" Elizabeth let out a gentle breath and re-opened her eyes, making a series of noises as if to announce she was wide awake.
"Elizabeth has seemed to calm down a little," Misty noted. "Do you want me to take her back so you can put the Christmas tree up?"
"Sure thing," Ash nodded. He handed the baby off to Misty, but this time, Elizabeth didn't make a fuss. The little girl instead cooed happily, and began to excitedly wave her little arms up and down.
"Hello there pretty thing!" Misty addressed the child in a baby voice once again. "You're happy now, yeah?" Misty raised her hand and gently stroked the back of the baby's head, the sleeve of her olive green shirt being pulled down to reveal a faint scar on her wrist. Ash frowned at the faded red line, but he tried to remind himself that everything was just fine. Looking at the scar often made his heart hurt, but it never seemed to bother Misty. She always told him that the scar was just a reminder of what she had been through, and how lucky she was to have escaped with her life. Considering what could've happened to her, and the then unborn Elizabeth, Ash knew that a little scar was nothing in comparison.
All of these thoughts ran through the Pokémon master's head as he lifted up the pine tree and settled it into its base. With the dark green pine now standing at full attention in the corner of the room, the whole family was able to appreciate the plant's bare beauty.
Aiden and Michelle were quick to run up to the tall tree and examine its branches, mentally determining which ones would hold their favorite ornaments. Misty was admiring the fullness of the tree and how good it looked in their comfy family room. Elizabeth, meanwhile, quietly observed the spectacle from her mother's arms, confused as to what was going on around her.
"I bet Lizzie thinks we're all crazy," Ash chuckled, walking over to Misty. He leaned down and brushed his lips against the baby's tiny ear, blabbering random little noises to her. Elizabeth squealed in pure delight, kicking her legs and reaching one arm out for her father's messy black hair. She grabbed a fistful of the locks, yanking on them as hard as she possibly could. Elizabeth didn't have much strength, obviously, but her hair pulling still hurt Ash to some extent. Every time she tugged at the strands, Ash would wince, but not say anything out loud.
"Oh, it'll be so much fun to decorate the tree!" Misty beamed. "With all of the new ornaments we just got, it's going to look wonderful!"
"And our sweet little baby has her own ornaments!" Ash lifted Elizabeth out of Misty's arms and held her up in the air. The baby squealed delightfully and held her arms down towards Ash, grinning the entire time as if it were the greatest thing in the whole world. Chuckling, Ash lowered her and pressed a big kiss against the child's forehead before cradling her in his arms.
"Daddy, can we start putting ornaments on the tree?" Michelle called.
"Of course, princess," Ash smiled lovingly.
"I'll help you two," Misty approached the twins. "Ash, do you mind holding Elizabeth for a little while?"
"Not at all," Ash grinned. "You know I love watching after my precious baby."
Elizabeth turned her head into Ash's body and took his shirt into her mouth, drooling on the material. Ash grimaced and tried to pull his shirt out of the girl's mouth. He really didn't mind all of the messes his children made. He was used to having toys all over the house, having to clean food off of their faces, and even change their diapers. But for some reason, he preferred them to not chew on his clothes. Unfortunately for Ash, his children had always been very big on stuffing his shirts into their mouths. Like a good father, Ash never complained about it. But that certainly didn't mean he was content with it either.
"Come on pumpkin," Ash frowned. "Do you have to do that?"
Elizabeth kept chewing on her father's shirt, smiling up at him as she drenched the dark material in her drool.
"Just like your mother," Ash rolled his eyes and smirked as soon as he saw the little smile on his daughter's lips. "You're having fun with this, aren't you?"
In response, Elizabeth simply squealed. Getting an idea, Ash headed towards the kitchen and opened up one of the drawers, finding a pacifier of Elizabeth's. Unlike Aiden and Michelle, who had completely rejected the things as infants, Elizabeth loved pacifiers and would hardly ever reject one.
"Why don't you put this in your mouth instead, cutie?" Ash asked, holding the pink and white pacifier in front of her. Upon seeing it, Elizabeth released Ash's shirt from her mouth and increased the size of her smile. She knew what her Daddy had, and she wanted it. "Good girl," Ash beamed, sticking the object into his daughter's mouth. Elizabeth began to suck on it happily, raising her eyes back up to her father so she could continue to stare at him while she busied herself with the pacifier.
"You're easy to please, baby girl, I like it that way," Ash chuckled as he walked back into the living room.
Aiden, Michelle, and Misty were busy hanging ornaments on the branches of the tree. Upon hearing Ash's re-entrance into the room, Misty stood up to her full height and turned around, smiling angelically at her husband.
"Where did you and Lizzie go?" Misty asked.
"Into the kitchen to get a little something," Ash nodded his head towards the pacifier in Elizabeth's mouth, which Misty quickly took notice of. "Trust me, she needed it."
"Why?" Misty blinked. "I didn't hear her crying or fussing."
Ash pulled his shirt out and showed Misty the gracious wet spot that Elizabeth had left behind. Misty scanned her eyes over it and began to giggle.
"Come on, Mist," Ash playfully whined.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Misty continued to giggle behind her hand. "It's just so cute! I know you don't like it when our babies drool on you."
"It's okay," Ash made a face. "Really."
"You little liar," Misty hummed as she strolled forward. Reaching out to brush Ash's hair, she continued, "Do you want to change your shirt? I can take Elizabeth from you."
"No, it's okay," Ash smiled as he shook his head. "It's not bothering me. I don't want to tear you away from the twins!"
"If you insist," Misty leaned forward and gave him a peck on the nose before turning around and heading back over to help Aiden and Michelle.
While she wasn't looking, Ash couldn't help but to admire Misty's body. It had only been 4 months since Elizabeth's birth, so all of her curves were still very much present. Her larger chest and wider hips gave Misty a much more shapely appearance than usual. Ash loved Misty just the way she was, but these enhancements were very nice for the time being.
"Hi beautiful baby," Ash murmured, rocking Elizabeth in his arms. "You are so lovely."
Elizabeth kicked one of her feet up, brushing it against Ash's chest.
"I see your little foot," Ash chuckled. "You're showing it to me? I love your foot, pumpkin!"
Reaching up with one of her little hands, Elizabeth grabbed onto her pajama covered foot and held onto it with her tiny fingers. Once she had it secure, the small child once again locked her eyes onto her father, as if gauging his reaction.
"Wow, you're so talented!" Ash cooed. "Look at you grabbing your foot! I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful baby girl!"
Elizabeth sighed contentedly and let go of her foot, putting it back down. She tilted her head to the left, still staring up at Ash and busily sucking on her pacifier. Laughing, Ash gently tickled her stomach, feeling the soft fleece of Elizabeth's white and pink snowflake pajamas as he ran his fingers over her belly. Being a ticklish little thing, Elizabeth giggled and waved her feet, happy that her Daddy was playing with her.
After a few minutes of gentle tickling and rubbing, Ash left Elizabeth alone. She turned her head and opened her mouth, causing the pacifier to fall out and go tumbling towards the floor.
"Uh oh," Ash blinked as it hit the ground.
Elizabeth, however, wasn't getting upset or even fussing over the loss of her pacifier. She just stared down curiously at it, blinking her big emerald eyes.
"Hey Mist, could you help me out?" Ash called.
"What is it?" Misty looked over her shoulder at her husband.
"Elizabeth accidentally spit her pacifier out, and now it's on the floor. Would you mind picking it up for me?"
"I'll get it!" Aiden volunteered. He ran away from the tree, quickly collecting his baby sister's pacifier and holding it up to his father. "There you go, Daddy."
"Thanks champ!" Ash grinned, taking the pink and white object from his son. "Guess I'd better wash this off before giving it back to you, huh Lizzie?"
The baby cooed quietly and rested her head against Ash's chest. Chucking softly, Ash walked back into the kitchen and over the sink, turning on the faucet to run some warm water over the pacifier. After a few seconds of rinsing, Ash stopped the water and, using one hand, dried the pacifier off with some paper towel.
"Here you go sweetheart," Ash put the pacifier back in front of Elizabeth. He was surprised, however, when she grunted and turned her head away from the soothing object. "Huh? Lizzie, it's your pacifier! You love it!"
He moved it over to where her head now was. Grumbling again, Elizabeth turned her head in the other direction, this time raising a hand to her mouth as if to cover it.
"You've never done this before," Ash mumbled to himself. "What's going on?"
He tried to give Elizabeth the pacifier once again, and this time Elizabeth wasn't going to stand for it. She let out a loud shriek and reached up to grab onto her father's hand, digging her little fingers into him.
"No pacifier?" Ash asked.
Elizabeth let out a little wail and squeezed Ash's hand more tightly.
"Okay, I gotcha," Ash smirked. "You don't want it." He put the pacifier down on the counter, and with the object out of her sight, Elizabeth managed to calm down for at least a little while. It didn't take long for her to start up again, however.
After Ash had gone back in the living room, and sat on the couch for a few minutes, Elizabeth began to whimper yet again. Ash blinked and looked down at the baby, wondering what she was getting so worked up about. He hadn't done anything to her.
"You doing okay down there, baby girl?" Ash addressed the infant. She scrunched her nose up and whined, kicking her legs up and down and flailing her arms in displeasure. "Man, you're not happy."
Finally, Elizabeth burst out into tears, screaming and crying so hard that her back began to arch up.
"Uh…Misty!" Ash cried nervously. He was used to crying babies, that much was true, but he'd never seen Elizabeth get this upset before! It was freaking him out, to be honest.
"What did you do to the poor thing?" Misty smirked.
"Misty, this isn't funny!" Ash's eyes widened. "She's having a panic attack or something! What if something's wrong with her?"
"Oh Ash, there's nothing wrong with our little pumpkin," Misty giggled. "I know exactly what she wants!"
"Really?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I do, I'm her Mommy!"
"Well, I'm her Daddy, so how come I don't know what she wants?" Ash called after Misty as she skipped up the stairs.
"Daddy, you're not as good with babies as Mommy is," Michelle replied matter of factly.
"Of course I am," Ash frowned. "Babies love me!"
"Then how come Elizabeth is crying?" Michelle pointed at her baby sister.
"Because she wants something," Ash shrugged.
"But you don't know what she wants," Michelle smirked.
"You act too much like Mommy, you know," Ash sighed playfully.
"That's good," Michelle leaned back into the box that sat by her feet and pulled out a sea green glass ball ornament. "Mommy is very lovely."
"Very lovely, huh?" Ash chuckled. "You're a funny little girl, Shelly."
"I'm 6 years old now, Daddy," Michelle looked over her shoulder and gave her father a deathly serious look. "I'm not little."
"Noted," Ash grinned and nodded.
Elizabeth continued to hiccup and wail, causing Ash to frown. He felt so bad for his little baby girl! And no matter what he did, she wasn't being soothed in the slightest.
"Come on, sweetheart," Ash raised the baby to his chest and began patting her on the back. "You're okay! There's no reason to be upset, pumpkin. Come on, baby."
Elizabeth just kept crying, showing no signs of calming down anytime soon.
"Lizzie loves me!" Aiden beamed, running over towards Ash. Jumping on the couch, Aiden settled himself next to his father and began to rub Elizabeth's back while smiling at the infant. "Stop crying, Lizzie! You don't have to be sad!"
Elizabeth whimpered and turned her head to look at her older brother. Giggling, Aiden began to make faces at his baby sister, hoping that it would cheer her up. It didn't work completely, but it did get the little baby to stop screaming at the top of her lungs. Now, the crying fit was reduced to just whimpers and a few sobs every now and again.
Ash smiled as he watched Aiden interact with the baby. It was amazing to think that, at first, Aiden wanted nothing to do with a new baby. He was Elizabeth's biggest protector in the whole house, probably even more than Ash.
Both Aiden and Michelle were extremely involved with Elizabeth. They both always wanted to feed her, bathe her, dress her, and play with her. Ash and Misty knew that they were lucky; their two older children were so good with the baby!
Misty finally came back down the stairs, holding a cute little stuffed Pokémon in her hands. Upon further inspection, Ash quickly realized that it was the Teddiursa poke doll he had gotten for Elizabeth as her first present. There were countless stuffed Pokémon in her room, but Elizabeth didn't love any of them the way she loved her Teddiursa. The little brown bear was the first thing that Elizabeth would grab in her crib and hold onto. Oddly enough, she was also gentler with it than the others. One of Elizabeth's favorite things to do seemed to be getting a hold of her stuffed toys and seeing how hard she could toss them. She never did it with Teddiursa, however. Elizabeth would hold onto the bear for dear life, and hardly even raise it in the air. It was as if she knew that the toy was a special one.
"Mommy, can I give Teddi to her?" Aiden asked while holding his hands out. The twins had taken a shine to nicknaming the poke doll "Teddi," and somehow it had stuck throughout the entire family. None of them called it "Elizabeth's Teddiursa." Around the house, the stuffed toy was now known as "Elizabeth's Teddi."
"Of course you can!" Misty giggled. She handed the stuffed toy over to Aiden, who eagerly turned back towards Ash and offered the poke doll to his baby sister.
"Look what I have, Elizabeth!" Aiden trilled. "It's Teddi! He's what you wanted, right?"
Setting her emerald green eyes on the toy, Elizabeth's cries came to a halt as she instead began to coo quietly and carefully study the stuffed bear.
"He's dancing," Aiden commented as he shook the toy in his hands. "Watch him dance, Lizzie!"
Elizabeth did just that for a little while, but after a while she squealed softly and held a tiny hand out towards her favorite toy.
"Okay, you can have him," Aiden smiled, moving the bear closer to Elizabeth. She grabbed onto his ear, her favorite part of the toy to hold onto, and took it from Aiden, staring at the older boy as she retrieved her stuffed bear.
"That was very nice of your big brother, wasn't it?" Ash asked the baby in his arms. Elizabeth kept her eyes locked on Aiden, her pouty lips forming a little 'O' shape as she gawked at him.
"She loves you so much, Aiden," Misty smiled as she ruffled her son's hair. "She's always looking at you!"
"Well, I love Elizabeth too!" Aiden leaned forward and gave the baby a hug. "She's the cutest, best baby sister ever!"
"Daddy, will you decorate the tree with us now?" Michelle scurried over to her father and held onto his legs.
"You want me to?" Ash asked.
"Yes," Michelle smiled and nodded.
"It's okay Ash, you can go help them," Misty encouraged. Sitting down on the couch next to Ash, she reached over and took Elizabeth from him. "I'll hold onto the baby now."
"Okay," Ash grinned, giving Misty a kiss on the cheek. "Take care of her now!"
"Of course," Misty giggled, raising the baby's face to her own so she could rub their noses together. "Why ever wouldn't I take care of my most wonderful, beautiful baby girl?"
Elizabeth laughed wildly. She loved it when her Mommy played these silly little games with her.
"Oh, Mommy loves you so much little sweetheart!" Misty hugged the baby against her chest, rubbing her cheek against the top of the infant's head. "You and your big brother and sister make me so happy! Being your Mommy makes me the happiest person in the whole wide world."
Elizabeth moved her hand so that she was now holding Teddi between her and Misty. Misty looked down at the baby, who in turn was staring up at her mother waiting for a reaction.
"Hello Teddi," Misty poked her nose against the stuffed bear. "You're keeping Lizzie company? How nice of you!"
Elizabeth cooed happily. Not only did she love it when her Mommy played with her, but she also loved to hear the sound of her mother's voice. It was so nice and comforting!
Keeping Elizabeth against her body, Misty watched as Ash, Aiden, and Michelle finished up decorating the tree by stringing lights around the full, green tree and tossing tinsel onto the furnished branches.
"Now, all that's left is the star!" Ash placed his hands on his hips and grinned as he studied the nearly complete tree. Looking down at his two older children, he inquired, "Who wants to put it up?"
"Me!" Michelle raised her hand and started jumping up and down.
"No, I want to!" Aiden pouted.
"Ash," Misty called from the couch. Ash looked over at his wife and noticed the little smirk on her face, causing him to chuckle. "Don't tease our sweet little children like that."
"Alright, I'm just messing with you guys," Ash bent down and ruffled both of his children's hair. "You know that you both get to put up the star."
Giggling, Aiden and Michelle picked up the star, each child holding either side of the tree's finishing piece.
"Are you two ready?" Ash asked with a sweet smile. The twins nodded, and with a joyful laugh, Ash gathered them in his arms and held them up to the top of the tree. "Alright, put the star on!"
Reaching out, the two 6 year olds carefully placed the sparkling silver star atop the tree. Once they were sure it was secure, Ash lowered them and put the children back down on the floor.
"I think it looks really good!" Aiden beamed up at the newly perched star.
"Pretty!" Michelle chirped as she clasped her hands together.
"Yeah, you two did a really great job!" Ash complimented his children.
"What do you think, Mommy?" Michelle skipped over to her mother and climbed up onto the couch in order to sit next to the gym leader.
"I think it looks absolutely beautiful," Misty giggled. "Probably the best tree we've ever had! What do you think, Lizzie?" She gently bounced the baby in her arms. As if she knew what her mother was asking, Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at the big tree in the corner. She allowed her eyes to wander over it, taking in the sparkling tinsel and shining lights. Elizabeth had no idea what that crazy thing was, but she liked it. All of the color and light…it was amazing!
The little baby cooed and reached one of her small hands out towards the tree, opening and closing her fingers as she made joyful noises.
"Elizabeth likes it too!" Aiden laughed.
"It's got a lot going on," Ash smiled. "The different colors are probably stimulating to her!"
"Stimulating?" Misty murmured amusedly. "Ash, where did you get that word from?"
"The baby books said it," Ash blinked, not getting that Misty was poking fun at him.
"Silly Daddy," Misty addressed Elizabeth. "Isn't he such a silly Daddy?"
Elizabeth looked back up at Misty and smiled. Giggling airily, Michelle grabbed one of Elizabeth's tiny hands and held onto it. The baby now turned her attention onto her older sister, watching carefully as her hand was toyed with.
"Mommy, Elizabeth's hands are so small," Michelle observed, running just her index finger over the top of Elizabeth's own small fingers.
"Yeah, she's just a baby," Misty nodded. "Everything about her is small! But she's going to get bigger, just like you and Aiden, and then she'll be able to run around and play and do all of that stuff." Smiling gently, Michelle looked up at her mother and batted her long eyelashes. Upon seeing this, Misty laughed and pulled Michelle in closer to her. "What is it, dear?"
"Nothing," Michelle shrugged. "I just love you, Mommy."
"Aw," Misty trilled. "I love you too, my beautiful girl!"
Resting her head against Misty's arm, Michelle's smile increased and she asked, "Mommy, when are you going to have another baby?"
"What?" Misty's eyes widened in surprise. "Another baby?"
"Uh huh," Michelle nodded. "When?"
Misty and Ash both looked at one another, trying to figure out how to respond to their daughter. They hadn't talked about anything like that. Elizabeth was still very young, of course, and with three children around, it wasn't like they'd had any time to consider that. Aiden and Michelle were certainly good with Elizabeth, and Misty loved being a mother more than anything else in the world. Ash felt the same way about being a father.
This wouldn't be the same as when Aiden and Michelle were born; there would be no promise that Elizabeth was the last child in the family. That seemed to be the silent decision that Ash and Misty had come to, when they both gave each other a playful little smile.
"We'll see, sweetheart," Misty gazed back down at Michelle. "Maybe one day."
Yeah, Misty thought peacefully to herself as she looked between Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth. Maybe one day.
So, here's where the important part of my author's note comes in! For quite a long time, I've debated giving Ash and Misty another child. I wasn't sure how it would go over with you guys, though. So, I decided, I'm gonna leave it up to you guys!
There will be a poll on my profile, and you can also leave me feedback in a review, on wether or not Ash and Misty should have a fourth child. I've also decided that if you guys want to see them with another baby, then that story will be alot more "reader interactive." What does that mean, you're probably thinking. Well, if they have another baby, throughout the story I'll put different polls up on my profile, where you guys can vote for the gender, name, and other aspects of the story as well!
I want to start my next story soon (wether it be with a new baby if that's what you guys decide, or a different theme if not) so make sure to get those votes in and voice those opinons! I want to try and start writing the story while I'm still on break so I have some ample writing time, so I'll be waiting to hear back from you guys! I'm excited to know what you all think :)
So remember, vote, leave a review, and keep being awesome! I'll be bringing a new story your way shortly :)