Chapter 4

Saturday afternoon, the September sun was very hot. It was almost as if summer was having one last say so before giving into the chill of fall. Eve Castillo had come over around four o'clock, and Holly and Fiona immediately splashed into the pool, under the close supervision of their mothers.

Brock's family arrived about an hour later, and the backyard was soon filled with so much noise, she was almost certain one of the more conservative neighbors would call the police for a disturbance, despite it barely even being dinner time.

Fiona swam to the edge of the pool, she was a natural born swimmer, just like Misty was, even at that age. "Mommy, come get in the pool with us!"

Holly joined her at the edge of the pool and looked up at her as well. "Yea, come on! Fiona said you used to be the Cerulean City gym leader, and you used to be a mermaid!"

Misty giggled. "Well, I wasn't a real mermaid. I just played one a couple times in a play my sisters were holding." Fiona must have seen the photo album of the play she was in, before she and Brock had even gotten together.

Eve smiled and looked over at Misty. "She really loves water Pokemon and mermaids."

"Alright, let me go inside and change and I'll be right back," she said, smiling down at Holly. Eve assured her she would watch the girls as they continued to swim, but her attention was partially divided between the children and Brock Harrison.

He was at the grill cooking the food with his little brother. He looked even more handsome than he had when he picked up Fiona earlier that week. His sqaure jaw, his strong arms, his solid frame, his jet black spiked hair, those dark, slanted eyes that glimmered in any kind of light and those natural dark tan that made his skin look so warm to the touch.

The sliding glass door opened to the backyard and Eve assumed Misty was already back, but was surprised to see someone else. A woman who looked like Misty, but older. It must have been her mother. She waltzed past Eve and smiled and then walked up to Brock, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Oh, hey Rose," he said, flashing her a very charming smile. Forest, his brother, looked back at her, gave her a weak smile, and returned his attention to the grill.

"I'm sorry I'm late, darling," Rose said. "I wanted to get a manicure and pedicure and a facial down at the spa so I can look fresh."

"It's no problem. Dinner isn't even ready yet," he stepped away from the grill and wiped his hands on a towel, grateful to be out of the line of the fire and feeling the cool summer breeze on his face. "My Mom and Dad are right over here." He led her to their table, where Lola Harrison was busy making sure her younger children understood to be safe in the pool.

She released them, and loud squeals could be heard as three of her children ran off and jumped the pool to join Fiona and Holly.

"Mom, Dad," Brock said, once he reached the table. "I'd like you to meet Rose Vaughn, my mother-in-law. Rose, this is my Dad Flint and my Mom, Lola."

Flint smiled at her, he had the same kind of smile as Brock. In fact, they looked almost identical, except Flint had wrinkles where Brock's skin was still tight with youth, and his hair was graying at the temples. He was handsome though, in a distinguished way, not in the boyish charming way that Brock was.

Lola was a petite woman, with short brown hair, curled around her shoulders and a pretty face. Although all of her children favored Flint, she had a feeling Brock got his kindheartedness from the nurture of his mother growing up.

Something Rose herself had never given Misty...

But she had turned over to be a great mother, even if she was, in her own opinion, overprotective.

Rose shook their hands.

"So, I was wondering if maybe Rose could get a job at the gym," Brock said, and his mother's expression hardened, but she said nothing. She just busied herself with getting the liters out of the grocery bags and filling solo cups with ice.

"What kind of job are you looking for?" Flint asked, sitting at the edge of the picnic table, and Brock knew he was trying to look "edgy" as if to impress Rose. Perhaps this was a mistake.

Rose smiled at him, flashing her Cerulean blue eyes at him, that same color of blue that had made Brock fall in love with her daughter for all these years, except Rose's were more weathered and filled with more darkness from days behind her than Misty's were.

"I will be greatful for anything you may have open," Rose said, and Flint grinned at her.

"Well, I think my boy here could use some help with adminstrative work. And you are certainly more than qualified to work in a gym, even if it was a water gym," he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Rose laughed. "How about you come in on Monday and I'll show you our office and how things are set up. My boy brings in pretty decent money from his winnings, and we pull in way above average winnings with him running things."

"Oh, Brock is a sweetheart," she said, placing her hand on Brock's arm, feeling his muscle. Lola noticed and she glared at Rose, but not for too long. She had known what kind of woman Rose Vaughn was a long time ago. In fact they had gone to school together and she babysat Misty's older sisters for rose in Cerulean City, but she had never let anyone know she hadn't liked the woman, or that she still didn't.

When she found out Brock had fallen in love with Rose's daughter, she was hesitant, but when she met Misty, it was almost like they weren't even related. Despite the red hair, and the same color and shape of their eyes, they were nothing a like and her tensions eased. When he told her they were getting married and then having a child, Lola had been nothing but thrilled, but she always knew the day would come when she would see Rose Vaughn again.

Rose made no inclination that she even remembered Lola. And who knows if she really remembered anything from 90's, when Lola had stormed out of her house, back to Pewter City and never to return to Cerulean again. It didn't matter anyway. But the more she watched her put her hands on her oldest son, Lola couldn't help but say something.

"Well, I raised him very well," Lola spoke up, as she unwrapped a pie she had made that morning for the cookout. "I raised all my children very well."

Rose stopped for a moment, her freshly manicured fingers dropping from Brock's tight muscle. Brock cleared his throat and stepped away.

"I'm going to go help Forest back at the grill," he said, walking backwards. "I'll...I'll let you guys know when dinner is ready."

...

Misty tied her bathing suit top around the top of her neck and she checked her appearance in the mirror. She tied her long red hair up into a messy bun, a few tredrils of hair tickled her neck. The drapes in the bedroom were pulled shut, but a little light of the day penetrated the room.

She sat on the bed and rubbed her long legs with tanning oil, as well as her stomach, arms and breasts. She would get Brock to put it on her back, he had always loved doing that.

A strange thumping sound startled her in the dimly lit room and she looked up, seeing if Fiona had followed her inside and had fallen down. She didn't hear crying though, so perhaps it was just Eevee who had ventured inside from the outside, but she had seemed pretty preoccupied with Brock cooking, looking for something to drop down for her.

"Fiona?" She called out, knowing it wasn't her daughter who had made the sound. "Eevee? Is that you, girl?" She called out for the Pokemon, but no response came from anywhere. She went over to the window and looked down at the backyard, which was just off the side of her bedroom window. She saw that Fiona and Holly were busy playing a game of Marco Polo with Brock's youngest siblings, and her mother seemed to be chatting up Brock's parents, while Brock and Forest grilled, dropping morsels for Eevee every few minutes or so.

It must have been something falling in the closet. Perhaps Brock's bowling ball, or her shoes. She went back outside, and Brock turned around, nearly burning his hand on the grill. Forest noticed his lack of attention, and turned to look back too, his mouth hanging open.

"I hope I marry a girl as hot as you did," Forest said, finally finding his voice again. Eve heard the boys comments, and rolled her eyes discretely. Why did everyone always find those Cerulean City girls so beautiful?

Brock watched her slip into the pool, giggling and blocking a splash from his little sister, who giggled and swam away.

"Hey, Dude, eyes back on the food!" he said, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from his wife and popping Forest playfully in the back of the head.

"I'm going to Cerulean City to meet a woman," Forest told him. "Wait til spring break. Dad says hot women are everywhere down there at spring break. That's where he met Mom."

"They'll steal your heart, Forest," Brock grinned at him and mussed his hair. "Think with your big head, not your little one. The little one will get you into a lot of trouble. Fun trouble, but still trouble."

Misty swam over to the edge of the pool, both Holly and Fiona gathering around her.

"When will dinner be ready?" She asked, trying to shake the creepy feeling she had in their bedroom in the bright, but fading sunlight of the day.

"In a few minutes," Brock replied. "You look beautiful, by the way!"

This made Eve sneer a little bit, and she almost wanted to pull Holly away and go home, but she didn't want Holly to lose a friend over it, or cause trouble.

Dinner was served in another 15 minutes, and Misty helped Fiona get a plate of food before getting her own and Brock helped his mother with the drinks. At the long picnic table in their yard, they all sat. Misty reluctantly sat next to her mother, across from Brock and Eve sat at the end of the table with Holly and Fiona. The fading daylight had prompted Brock to light some tiki torches to keep bugs away and to provide some light in the backyard, but Misty couldn't help but focus on the dark shadows in the yard, the places where the tiki torches didn't reach.

As the conversation went on around her, she looked up at the drape pulled over their bedroom window and she wondered if anyone could be lurking behind it.

Watching her.

Waiting.

...

The party was over, and Rose had retired inside the house, avoiding being recruited to clean up. Brock didn't mind much, as he was used to cleaning up after everyone, but Misty threw a look of disgust towards her mother's back as she watched the woman walk back into the house.

Misty picked up a few paper plates and Brock put his hand over hers.

"Leave it, Honey. I got it," he said, taking the paper plates from him.

"At least let me help you throw away the trash," she protested. Honestly, she hated cleaning up, especially after dinner, but she didn't want to go back inside the house. Not by herself. Memories of just a few hours ago arose in her mind and she tried to find any excuse she could to stay outside. Fiona stood tiredly by her mother and Brock smiled.

"Looks like someone is ready for bed," he said, and Fiona fought to keep her eyes open.

Lola Harrison stayed behind and was helping her son, ignoring his protests. Misty eyed her husband, as he shoved paper plates and solo cups into a large trash can by the fence.

"Why don't you get her cleaned up and ready for bed?" Misty asked, and he looked back at her.

"She's still going to ask for Mommy before she falls asleep," he said, abandoning the trash and picking up Fiona who tiredly lifted her head and looked around.

"I'll be up to say goodnight," Misty promised, kissing Fiona before Brock carried her into the house. She giggled excitedly as Brock put her on his shoulders and acted like he was a horse, carrying her back to her castle.

Misty smiled and turned back to Lola, who flashed a weak smile and tied up a trash bag before throwing it into the large trashcan.

"I always knew Brock would be a great Daddy," Lola mused, but then her face turned ashen again and Misty walked up beside her, wiping down the table with a wet washcloth.

"Is something wrong, Lola?" She asked, long ago dropping the formanlity from her name, but she still hadn't gotten used to calling Brock's father, -who was now inside the house watching the last of the football game- by his first name, so she stuck with Mr. Harrison.

Sighing, the older woman shook her head. "No, I'm just being silly," she said. "I'm being paranoid."

Misty sat down on the swingset. Seeing as the backyard was cleaned up now, she decided to relax and enjoy the last bits of summer. She silently gestured for Lola to come join her. The older woman smiling and down on the other belt seat of the swing.

"About what?" She asked, knowing that something was bothering Lola, and after all the times the woman had helped her, she wanted to help her as well. Lola had been there when she had gotten married, when Brock had gotten shot, when she had gotten pregnant and went into labor with Fiona. She was there through it all, and she felt closer to Brock's mother than she did her own.

"Honey, please don't take this the wrong way," Lola said, glancing over at her, tears threatening her eyes. "But I-I do not like your mother."

Misty blinked for a moment, and then a small grin played at the corner of her lips. "Don't worry, I don't either."

Lola chuckled, barely audible, but Misty had heard it. "It's just that...now that she's got a job at the Pewter Gym, she's going to be around. And well..." she trailed off for a moment, looking down at her feet, wondering if she should continue telling her daughter-in-law her thoughts.

"I'm afraid that Flint will cheat on me with her," she covered one hand with the other in a fist and looked over at Misty, who was looking at her sympathetically.

"Oh, Lola, that won't happen," Misty put her hand over Lola's comfortingly. "You're a good mother, and a good wife. Flint knows that and he wouldn't cheat on you."

"Misty, sometimes I don't know how Flint and I managed to raise Brock into the respectable young man he's grown up to be," she dabbed her eyes as tears formed. "I suppose it's a miracle. I know Brock hurt you once before when you were younger with that ol' Professor Ivy, I never did that like that woman," she winked at Misty.

"But I've never seen Brock more committed to anyone or anything before in his life like he is to you," Lola's eyes darted towards the house, the living room window that was covered by curtains, where she knew Flint was sitting, probably falling asleep, unless Brock had come down to watch the game with him.

"Flint loves you, Lola," Misty tried to reassure her, and even though Lola nodded, Misty knew that her mother-in-law wasn't quite convinced. "Trust me.

"You're right. I told you I was just being silly," Lola stood up and hugged Misty for a long moment. "I am so glad Brock married you, Sweetheart."

"I am, too" Misty said, wondering if maybe Lola wasn't being silly at all.