And here is the next chapter, sorry for the long wait

The sun began setting as night started to approach the forest "we gotta find some shelter soon" Gracie said as the trio walked the forest ground "if all else fails we can make a shelter" Lumi said. Most burrows and caves around the area had already been occupied, so making a shelter it will have to be. They found a large bush, big enough for the 3 of them to fit, so they got to work making it into a den. Lumi using her psychic powers to move around the branches creating cozy nest like den as Xander and Gracie foraged for leaves, grass and other soft things that would make a comfy ground to sleep on.

It didn't take them very long to create something, and it wasn't even that bad either considering the lack of light as the sun had now completely vanished, replaced by a beautiful bright moon and lots of stars. Xander had gone off and caught a few fish (yes that means magikarps and goldeens) and now they are currently around a warm fire eating the cooked fish and just relaxing "this feels amazing, i've never had such a great meal" Gracie said happily as she chowed down on the fish and Lumi agreed.

It had been a long time since both of them had anything decent to eat, and now, they could eat as much as their heart desired. Xander slowly ate his meal as he watched Gracie and Lumi eat, smiling to himself, Knowing that they were now safe. He didn't know why, but something about Gracie and Lumi made him happy. He's met many pokemon on his travels, but there was something about the females that just..made him happy. Maybe it brought him happiness because he saved them from a bad situation? Who knows, but he was gunna make sure that they stayed safe, like their protector (even though they were probably quite capable of taking care of themselves)

Once they were all done eating, Xander had put out the fire and they got ready for bed. Gracie yawned as she curled up right next to her mother, and Xander lay down a few inches away from Gracie (it wasn't very big so there wasn't much room for personal space). None of them minded the lack of space though, and with full bellies, soon they all drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Gracie stood in shock as she watched Archie pin her mother down, unable to move from a thunderwave from as jolteon "MOM!" she cried out, but to no avail as Archie's grip on her mothers neck tightened as a sickening snap was heard, and Lumi lay there, motionless. Tears fell from Gracie's face as she closed her eyes as agony and sadness took over. Why...why did this have to happen to them she thought to herself. Opening her eyes, her eyes widened and she gasped, Archie standing only a few inches from her face "you monster...I hate you..." Gracie spat out at him. He just grinned in satisfaction "you think I care? Hahaha! So pathetic, I'm gunna enjoy this" he sneered as he bit down on her neck.

Gracie screamed in pain as he got behind her, she tried to shake him off of her as she knew what he was planning, but the pralysis was too strong and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't move. She heard him laugh evily as he thrust right into her.

Gracie shot up from her sleep, panting as she looked around, her body trembling from the horrible nightmare she has just had. She couldn't help but let a few tears roll down her face, thats all it was, a nightmare, but it had felt so real. Needing to get some air, she left the little burrow and lay down outside by the the now out fire under the moonlight and looked up at the stars. She didn't know how long she was laying out there, but a sudden tap on her shoulder caused her to gasp and jump away, getting into a defensive position "It's ok Gracie, it's just me" came Xander's voice.

She relaxed a little "sorry...i'm just really jumpy right now" Gracie replied quietly, but couldn't bring herself to look at him, and she didn't know why. Knowing something was wrong Xander approached her "are you ok?" he asked. She bit her lip, and then turned to face him "I just had a terrible nightmare" she replied. He nodded in understandment "nightmares really suck don't they, I've had my fair share of them" he said. The two sat together and Gracie told him the dream and by the end, she was in tears. All Xander could do was hold her and try is best to comfort her, he didn't know what it was about Gracie that made him always wanna protect her, maybe it was because she reminded him of his deceased mate.

Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms, sniffing every now and then. It made his blood boil, for Gracie to have a nightmare like that, Archie must have done some terrible things. Looking down at the sleeping silver fox in his arms, he promised himself that he would never let anything or anyone harm her ever again, and soon, Xander felt himself drift off into sleep. The next morning, Gracie woke up, she realized she wasn't in the den anymore, and she was in the arms of Xander who was still asleep. The memories of last night hit her as she looked up at Xander's sleeping face.

He was there for her last night, no one ever comforted her exept her mother. She knew she could trust him, and that just put her at ease as she laid curled in his arms with a small smile. Unknowingly, Lumi watched the pair and smiled, remembering herself when she was Gracie's age, and rememebred Venn, the vaporeon who had taken her in, finally having a pokemon she could rely on, and even though Gracie relied on her as a mother, she also needed someone else. Lumi looked up at the sky and smiled "thanks Venn, you were the father I never had, thanks for looking out for me and my family" she said quietly.

Later on that morning, the trio was getting ready to head out. Gracie cleaned herself off by the lake and then stared at her reflection in the water and a small smile appeared, yes, from now on life was going to get better. No more living in the shadows of Archie, its in the past now and it's time to focus on her future with her mom and Xander. She got a second chance at life and she wasn't going to waste it "Gracie, we are all ready to leave" her mother said. She turned around and nodded, joining Lumi and Xander "so, where are we off to now" Gracie asked "well, I survayed the area and the closest place would be Vermillion City, it's a few hours away, and it has an amazing view of the ocean" he replied.

Gracie's eyes lit up, she's always wanted to see the ocean, so off they went. As they walked, Xander looked at Gracie "hey silver (Xander's nickname for Gracie, she didn't mind) have you had any thought about what you wanna evolve into?" he asked, curiously. No one has ever asked her that question before "um, not really, there are so many choices but if there was one I could evolve into, it would be sylveon" she replied. She had heard about the newest discovered eevee evolution (in Kanto anyways) from one of the other eevee's and that it was a fairy type and very elegant, pretty and quite strong.

He nodded and smiled "ah, yes, I see it, you would make a lovely sylveon" he said and winked at her. She blushed at his comment "I agree, but no matter what you evolve into i'll always be proud of you" her mother said smiling. Life was getting better, no doubt about it, with Xander and her mother by her side, Gracie could get through any situatuion.