Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters
Green waited in front of the school yard as he watched the kids run out of the school as the bell rung. He wanted to walk Aqua home since he thought that she was still scared from the attack yesterday and was only hiding the fact. He also came for his own peace of mind, knowing that she was safe. He trusted Wally but didn't want to risk Aqua's safety with the killer still roaming the street. It irked him that with all his knowledge, he couldn't find the killer.
"Green!" Aqua cried out in happiness when she saw him. She raced to him and hugged his leg, glad that he was there for her. She liked Wally but she would rather have her father bring her home. "Can we stop by the library on the way home?"
Green didn't say anything, instead he knelt in front of her and readjusted her jacket and scarf. He muttered beneath his breath as he zipped her jacket. "You're going to catch a cold. I didn't have to do this since your mother was your age. Isn't wearing a scarf simple enough for you?"
Aqua grinned as Green stood and patted her head. "And you promised to take me to the lab! Please take me!"
Green thought about it and remembered that he did in fact promise her. He told Blue that he would be back with Blue soon and the lab was on the other side of town. Aqua pleading eyes stayed on him the entire time, pressuring him more. He did promise her and there was a part of him that wanted to go back to the lab he spent so much time in the past.
"I'll take you but we can only stay there for a while or your mother will get worried." Green told her but she still jumped with joy.
"Hey Aqua, is that your dad?" A voice laughed. Aqua jumped and scurried to hide behind Green's leg. "He looks like a big stupid head!"
"He is not stupid!" Aqua defended him but Green could tell that she was scared. He looked at the little girl standing before him with her arms crossed. He knew from the atmosphere that she was Aqua's bully. Blue had told him about a group breaking Aqua's catapult.
"I bet he's not your father, he's probably another man your mother's dating. My father told me that your mother's a whore and you're a bastard because she never married him."
"I don't know who your father is but he I'll have to talk to him about your language. There is no need to call Aqua or Blue these names. You're young and I can only blame your parents for being such bad example. I suggest that you look into psychology and look into the reason why you attack anyone with any problems. It may be that you are insecure yourself of something deeper like jealousy or-"
"Still going on and on about nothing, Green?" A man came and stood behind the little girl. Green recognized him as Green's own bully from his past. Green tightened his fist to keep himself from breaking in the man's face. He refused to lower himself to the man's level and didn't want to show violence in front of Aqua.
"Consider yourself lucky that you left that whore when you did." The man laughed. Green saw read and didn't realize what he was doing until he was on top of him, slamming his fist into the man's face continuingly. When he did come to the realization, he stood up and dusted the dirt from his hands.
"Don't ever talk to you about Blue that way. I can't hit a child but that doesn't mean I can't hurt you." He grabbed Aqua's hand and pulled her away from her shock. They had passed by several streets before Aqua spoke.
"You punched Alice's dad!" Aqua said with more awe than he thought there would be. He didn't know if he should be afraid of that or not.
"I shouldn't have done that in front of you," Green admitted. "You're too young to be exposed to such violence."
"But Momma punches people all the time! She said that if they're idiot, they deserve to get a good punch in the face. You are valid in punching him. She said that when I'm older she'll teach me how to fight so I can protect myself."
Green muttered words under his breath. He knew it would be best that Aqua learn how to protect herself but he did like the thought of her fighting. Knowing her, she would do so just out of pride. His mind began to fill with images of her getting hurt. He tightened his hold on her hand, as if that would allow him to protect her from the world. If he could, he would do just that.
"Look at that sled!" Aqua's childish mind was easily distracted by the red painting sled in the store window. "Momma never took me sledding because she was always busy with helping people. Wait, you were supposed to take to the lab!"
"So is there a lot of stuff at the lab? I heard it was haunted, is that true? And is there a bathroom there because I really need to pee! I don't think I can make it!"
Green could tell from her exaggerated pouts that she was lying but played along with her. "I can piggy back you to the lab if you want."
"Yeah a piggy back ride!" Green knelt in front of her and she happily climbed on his back. He stood easily as she laughed. Everyone stared at them as they walked by but he ignored them, more interested in Aqua telling him about her day. He always wondered where she got her interest in science.
"There it is!" Aqua's voice brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw the white lab at the top of the hill. Green felt a sense of comfort from the old lab since it was where he spent most of his childhood. He put her down so she could run to the large building. He followed her at a leisurely pace and watched her pick the winter flowers someone had panted in front of the building. It was over grown and unkempt but it still stood tall and proud. She waited at the door for him with an armful of flowers.
"I'm going to give these to Momma!" She declared. Green nodded and bent to get the key hidden under a rock. He unlocked it but saw hesitant to open it.
Aqua took that decision from him when she went under his arm and opened the door. The lights turned on immediately and the room was filled with light. Green's heart tightened when he walked into the room, unchanged with time. The tables, the test tube, the chairs, the atmosphere, everything was the same except for one thing. His grandfather did not come out to greet him.
A wave of emotions spread through him as the realization finally sank in. His grandfather was dead, the only other person beside Blue that had shown him love, was gone from the world. He had pushed them away and now that he came back, asking for a second chance, he couldn't speak to the man. Green walked in front of a table he had seen his grandfather stand at time and time again. Why did he realize how much his grandfather truly meant to him when it was too late to mend the bond he had broken by leaving?
"Hold those that you love close to you, child." He remembered his saying. "You never know when they'll have to leave. Don't let them go with any regrets."
"I won't grandfather," Green vowed. "I'll win her back and I won't let her go ever again. I know what was missing. I wish I could talk to you and asked for your forgiveness. I've read your letters and I'm glad that you've watched over Blue for all this time. I'm sorry you were never able to tell me the important thing you've always wrote about. But maybe, I'll find it out on my own. I love you and I'm sorry I never said that and I can only hope that you knew what I can never say."
He turned back to Aqua, trying to climb onto a table to look at the table tops better. Green smiled and lifted her easily onto a high stool. Her curious eyes went over everything immediately and she took in all of the lab equipment. Her eyes landed on a picture.
Green heart ached at that. His grandfather had kept the picture. It was of their first Christmas Green had after his father had left him and Blue arrived. He wasn't the best person that day. In fact he was a grouch. The picture was of him, Blue, Silver and his grandfather in front of the large tree in the town hall. He wasn't smiling in the picture and Blue looked afraid. There was another picture beside it of their next Christmas that was happier. Blue had adjusted to their strange family and looked happy. Green wasn't smiling in the picture but could remember being happy that day.
"You knew Momma when you were little?" Aqua looked at him confused. Green nodded and saw her take in the information. She moved onto the next picture and pointed at it, "Who is he?"
Green looked over his shoulder and saw that it was of him and Red at their first soccer tournament. "That's Red. He was my best friend and my rival of sorts. We couldn't be any different but I would trust the man with my life."
"What happened to him?" Aqua asked.
"He doesn't live here anymore," Green didn't know if he should tell Aqua about what Red had been through. When Red went to visit him a few months before, he barely recognized the man. He had told Green everything that happened in a short year ago, how he was afraid to go back to his angel. Green didn't know what to do for his best friend but suggest for him to go to the only person he knew skilled enough to heal his injuries, both physically and mentally.
"Really? Is he dead?"
The way he had been acting, he might as well have been. Green had never seen his friend so low or that it was even possible. "No he is not dead but we shouldn't talk about him."
"Okay," She nodded as she went onto another picture. He spent the next hour going over things with him so he lost track of time. He didn't realize it was well past the time that he told Blue he would be home until the lab door slammed open. He turned and the fear was instant.
Blue stood there, the light making her frame a silhouette causing the flame in her eyes to burn brighter. At that moment she was a mother, a very angry mother.
"Green Oak! You promised to have her home ten minutes age! Do you know how worried I was? If I didn't have that tracker in your phone I would have no idea where you are and gone mad! I know your smart but you took my daughter to a place that is mostly isolated! If you two were attacked, no one would've noticed. You might be an overstuffed elephant of muscle but if you put my daughter in danger again I'll-"
She went on her rant, stabbing his chest with her finger. At that moment he was truly afraid of her and could only back up against the wall. Aqua sat on the stool, swinging her leg and thinking of how they were like a family at that moment, her father being bad and her mother nagging him. She laughed and didn't pay attention to what her mother was saying.
"Momma, you didn't tell me that you and Green knew each other when you were little. You two must have been very close to have spent every Christmas together." Blue blushed at that and Aqua had to contain her grin. She knew it! Her mother and Green must have had a relationship in the past. Green must've done something to break her heart so her mother was wary of him. She vowed to bring them back together and find out everything she could about their relationship.
"I cannot believe you," Blue slammed the dough a little too roughly on the counter. Green winced at that as he took out the cookie cutters. She punched the dough so hard he wouldn't be surprised if there was a permanent imprint in the table. Green watched her face, even if it was enraged, she was beautiful. She had powder smeared on her cheeks from the gingerbread men they were making and her eyes were alive with that fire he first fell in love with.
"I said I was sorry," Green sighed as his eyes drifted to the object of their argument. She had forgiven him for not calling and causing her to worry but he was angry that he had brought a present for Aqua. Blue had been placing presents under the Christmas tree when Green walked in with a sled. It had nothing more than a bow and a tag on it but Blue arranged it with the other presents.
"I don't want her to get too attached to you and you're not really helping me. First helping her with her projects, then the trip to the lab and now presents! Her heart will break when you go back to Washington."
"Did you ever think that I wasn't going to go back? That I might want to stay with you? I've looked over the lab and it's in good enough condition to do my work and with the technology we have today I can still keep in touch with my employer. Sure I might have to go to some seminars but those will only be for a week every couple of months. Why can't we just go back?"
"Because you left me back then! Because things change. Because I've changed! I'm happy with where I am. I was so happy until you came. I'm sick of giving and never getting anything in return! If we go back to that time, you'll only leave again. You left when I needed you most. You left on what was supposed to be the happiest day of my life."
"And like you, I've changed too. I realize now that I was wrong to leave you. I went to sleep every night regretting my decision. I was selfish in the past but now I want to help. Think about everything that has happened. Three people are dead, I was attacked, Aqua was almost taken. You need my help."
Blue hated to admit it but she did. She needed him.
The part that scared her, the most was the prospect of him staying and finding out the truth. She was having a hard time not telling him about Aqua. She felt guilty but didn't know how to bring up the subject without Green and Aqua getting hurt or anger. She knew she was only making it worst by waiting but what else could she do? She was scared of losing both of them.
"Can we decorate the gingerbread men now?" Aqua poked her head over the counter. Blue jumped, not knowing how long she had been hiding under the table. She was sure Aqua was taking a bath and didn't hear her come down. Aqua didn't show any reaction to Blue's words so she reasoned that she didn't hear their conversation.
"Of course, Sweetie," Blue took out the icing and candy from the fridge as Green took the gingerbread men from the oven. He noted that they were all different size and shapes.
"Careful they're hot," Green cautioned as he saw Aqua all but jump in her seat. He didn't know if she didn't heard him or just didn't listen for she took the icing and began decorating the gingerbread men. He noticed the she wouldn't allow them to watch her work. She decorated them with more enthusiasm than finesse and there was more icing on the counter then on the actual gingerbread men.
"Finish!" She declared, stepping back from her masterpiece. "This is Momma and me. This is Uncle Silver and Auntie Lyra. This is Uncle Wally and Tansy. This is Amarillo. This is Auntie Daisy and Bill. And this is-"
"And who is this sweetie?" Blue pointed to a crudely decorated gingerbread man. It seemed like he had a lab coat on and had green gumballs for eyes. Aqua winked at Green and said, "My future Poppa!"
Green almost choked at that. It was obvious who the gingerbread man was and her words made his heart ache. He would do anything to have Aqua as his daughter, to have made such a beautiful and smart creature but he didn't know if he deserved to have her as a daughter. And even if she was his daughter, would Blue allow him to be a part of their lives?
"That's very nice," Blue said shakily. "Which do you want to eat first?"
"This one!" She took the one that was modeled off herself and bit off the head. Then she took the one that was of Blue and handed it to Green and vice versa with Blue. Aqua hummed her approval and savoured the taste. "When I open Green's present, can we go sledding? Please!"
"Of course," Blue said despite herself. Green nodded as well, intending to stay well beyond Christmas day. If he had it his way, he would stay forever.
Aqua sat in her room with the door locked. Pictures were sprayed around the floor as Aqua searched her closest for an unused scrapbook. She cried out with joy when she found a turquoise coloured one. She went to where she had the pictures piled and laid on the ground. Her legs swung in the air as she began cutting the construction paper into blue and green hearts.
"Aqua it is time for bed!" She could hear her mother yell but she ignored it. She wasn't sleepy and would rather finish her scrapbook tonight. She knew her mother had the key but had expertly tied the doorknob to the dresser next to it so Blue couldn't open it. She heard Blue swear after several attempts and Aqua only laughed. Her mother was so silly.
"Fine, stay up late but I'm not going to read you any more stories!" Blue threatened.
"Yes Momma," Aqua cried and turned off the lights. When she heard her mother's triumphant cry and heard her door close, Aqua took out a flashlight. It was bright enough for her to see the pictures and she had several flashlights.
She went back to her scrapbook and turned to the first page. She wrote the words 'How We First Met' at the top as neatly as she could. She glued that picture she had taken from the lab onto the page. She also cut out the article explaining how Blue came to live with Professor Oak. She felt guilty about taking things from the lab but reasoned with herself that she could always copy them again and then replace them with none the wiser. She also took as many photo albums as she could stuff into her jacket as well as a journal.
In the back of her mind she thought over the fact that Green and her mother were engaged in the past and that he left her. She didn't know how she should feel because a part of her wanted to be faithful to her absent father yet she found herself liking Green greatly and would love to have him as a father. There was also the fact that he broke her heart and she wondered about the reason that he left. Aqua shook her head and decided to think about it more once she got to that chapter. Until then she would document their happy moments.
She turned the page and wrote 'Our First Happy Christmas'. She took out the picture of their second Christmas since she thought it would be happier for them than their first. She read over the journal entry for that date, only skimming over the science and focused on the celebration. She drew picture of a Christmas tree with her Momma and Poppa on it. Beside it, she wrote, Poppa gave Momma a stuff animal and Momma gave him cookies! She then drew a snowman with an arrow pointing to it, The first ornament we made together. She giggled when she read the next entry in the journal and drew another picture with the caption, Momma kissing Poppa under the mistletoe.
She couldn't find anything more for that day so she read on until she came to a special entry. She grinned as she wrote the title 'How Momma Fell in Love with Poppa'. She drew a picture of Green punching a bully and wrote Professor Oak's words. Ever since that, I knew that Blue was in love with him. You can see it in her eyes when she's around him or talks about him. She wanted to have a page of how Green fell in love with Blue but thought it was something that developed over time with each day they spent together, unlike a single moment with Blue where her feelings only got stronger.
She went on, giggling at all of the silly things her mother did with her father and sighed over all the little romantic things he did for her. She didn't know how Green and Blue couldn't see they were perfect for each other while it was so obvious to Professor Oak. Maybe it was because both were so invested in their emotions that they couldn't see clearly like an outsider would and the fact that her great grandfather was old and wise.
She raised her bow when she saw that there was no entry to a certain day in March. The pages were ripped and her curiosity rose. There was one person she knew she could ask. She went to the phone but made sure that her mother was sound asleep before pressing the numbers.
"I don't want to buy anything! It's fucking late-" The gruff voice came.
"Uncle Silver, don't swear!" Aqua said appalled.
He groaned and swore again. "Aqua, it's late. Why are you calling me?"
"I just wanted to ask you a question."
"Ask your mother. No Lyra, it's just Aqua, go back to sleep." She could hear her Aunt's sleepy mumbles as Silver whispered tender words to her.
"But she won't answer me. I just wanted to know what happened on March 15, seven years ago." Silver swore again and she was horrified at how much he was swearing that night. She would have to tell her mother so that she could punish her uncle. She laughed when Silver cried out though.
"Why did you pinch me Lyra?" Silver groaned.
"Stop swearing, Aqua's only six. And give me that phone. You're no good to anyone in the morning without a gallon of coffee in you. Hey Aqua, so why did you call?"
"I just wanted to know what happened in March 15, seven years ago."
"Okay, just wait a minute for me to get my laptop," Lyra pushed Silver's hands when he tried to grab her and keep her in their bed. She pulled her laptop from where it was charging on the phone and went through her sources. She looked back and saw that Silver was asleep again. He had been staying up later than usual and this was the first night she was able to get him to sleep. She loved the man but he was a workaholic.
"Looking for anything in particular?" She asked.
"Just about Green Oak," Aqua knew Lyra didn't know that whole story between Blue and Green so left out Blue's name, fearing that she wouldn't help her.
"Here's an article about him. It said that he was accepted to help in important research for that day and he left his fiancé at the altar. Sad really, but I don't know the guy personally. Is there anything else?"
"No," Lyra couldn't tell why but Aqua's voice sounded shaky. "Is there anything wrong? You know you can talk to me any time, don't you?"
Aqua didn't answer for she was staring at the journal entry before her. She had been absentmindedly flipping through the pages when she saw her name in the journal. I wished that Blue would've told Green that Aqua was his child sooner. Maybe he could've stayed.
She was Green's daughter? Her heart stopped and tears fell from her eyes. Why had her mother hidden this from her? She might've understood if there was no prospect of him coming back or if he was a bad man but Green wasn't. He was a great man that she would love to call a father and when he came back, she pushed him away.
She was Blue and Green Oak' daughter.
And that's the chapter! Wait, it's Sunday shame on me! I just got a new bunny, Oreo (bet you can't guess what colour she is :P) and got distracted. But then that night she popped out five little babies XD and the secret is finally revealed! I wanted Aqua to find out first because I want to try something different beside the father finding out first. I was going to wait a couple more chapters but people has been asking me and I got something else planned for Green :P
Review if you liked.