Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters
This is the second last chapter! Bittersweet since I'm glad that I'm going to be starting An Autumn Affair yet love writing this since it's one of my better works and who doesn't like Aqua?
Green never ran so fast in his life. Aqua had called him minutes before frantic and crying that Christmas was ruined. He tried to calm her but he could only gather a few words. The moment he heard Blue and gun, fear set into him. She told him that she was at the hospital and he was off in that direction in seconds. He didn't remember much about the trip or that he almost got run over several times. He burst into the hospital. He was panting and slammed his hand onto the counter.
"Blue McAlister! Did she come in here with her daughter? Blue's about this high and has-"
"Green! Poppa!" He turned and almost fell over when Aqua tackled him and jumped into his arms. He caught her easily and held her against him, her tears falling like a torrent. He couldn't make out all the words but he held her through it.
"Shh," He rubbed her back and cooed soft words to her. He wanted to give her comfort when his heart was beating with fear for Blue. She eventually stopped and rubbed her eyes against his shoulder, sniffling slightly. She raised her face from her shoulder her bottom lip trembling slightly.
"Please don't hate me Poppa." Something warm spread in his chest when she called him that. He was worried that the transition of him becoming her father would be hard but he realized that he became her father the moment he first saw her on the snowy day.
"Why would I hate you?" He asked in a soft voice.
"Because I got you a suckie Christmas present," She sniffled. "I got you a dead friend."
"What?" He was confused on what she meant. Didn't she call about Blue? He turned when he smelt the scent of wildflowers and turned to see Blue walk up to him. She rubbed her tired eyes and he wondered how much sleep she had tonight. She came up to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. He placed an arm around them.
"Are you okay?" He pressed his lips to her temple, "What is this about a dead friend?"
Blue stiffened at his words and titled her head up to his. "I accidently… I kinda… I shot Red thinking that he was trying to kidnap Aqua. He's still alive and going through surgery right now so don't worry!"
"Red?" Green stared down at her in shock. What was his best friend doing here? He remembered telling Red to go to Yellow for his problems but with Yellow dead… Good God, life when did life started getting complicated for him? And now Red! "Can I go see him?"
"Not now, but the doctor will tell you when you'll be able to see him." She said gently. She knew that few people were close to him and that Red was one of those few. He must've been scared for his friend and wished that she was able to give him more comfort. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Aqua sensed her father's pain too and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Red will be okay Poppa. He's a good man and good people don't die, not like this. They die peacefully in their sleep." Green knew that it was illogical but he didn't argue with the child.
He looked up when he saw a nurse motion to him from the corner of his eye. He set Blue aside from him, giving her a reassuring pat on her shoulder and passed Aqua to her before going over to the nurse. He was surprise that Yellow wasn't at the hospital but remembered what the cop had told him. God he missed so much. He vowed to himself that he would miss no more in his family's life.
"I can't believe Blue shot me," Red groaned later when he woke. His shoulder ached but the feeling was familiar and he welcomed it. Pain was much better than the emptiness he had been feeling for the last year. He looked over to where his best friend, Green sat next to him. "I don't remember her being that violent when we were kids."
"She said you attacked her. She didn't know about Aqua calling you and thought you were… someone else. She was just trying to protect her daughter."
Red nodded but didn't show any sign that he heard Green. The moment he saw Blue pull the gun, his mind went blank and he became that demon again. If she hadn't shot him, he knew that he could've very well killed Blue and that little girl without thinking of it. Gunshots and cries echoed in his mind but above it all he heard soft laughter. He didn't want to close his eyes or risk seeing those amber eyes that haunted him.
"I didn't know that you had a kid." Red tried to change the topic and think of something else. "She has your hair."
"She has her mother's eyes," Green said softly. "I didn't know I had a kid either until last night. It's complicated so I'll tell you about it when you're not in a hospital bed. Is your shoulder hurting too much? I know how you feel about doctors."
"It's stiff but nothing a little rest and some exercise won't help. It's not the first time a woman tried to shot at me anyways," His voice was full of bitter and Green knew not to bring it up. "There's something else you're not telling me. Blue wouldn't shot at anyone so what got her so afraid?"
Green sighed, knowing that he couldn't hide anything from Red for long. "I don't want Aqua to hear about this. She's been scared enough by this and I want to protect her from this as much as possible. But there has been someone attacking Blue. Not physically but mentally by sending her body parts. The bastard claims to love her but he's just another psychopath to me."
"Do you have any idea of who he is?"
"I know who it is," Green said with a hard voice. "The bastard denies it though. The only thing that stopped me from wringing his neck was the fact that they would've thrown me in jail. I need your help."
Red grunted and thought it over, "You want me to get information from him?"
"No," Green knew he could never ask Red that. "I was hoping that you would stay and help me watch over Blue and Aqua. I trust you to protect them when I'm not around."
Red didn't answer but nodded in agreement. Green sighed glad that he agreed to stay since he didn't know what to say to Red about Yellow.
"And if I connect this here," Green held his breath as he watched Aqua connect the two wire of her laser. He knew how sensitive the equipment was and he wanted so badly to do it for her but knew that she had to do it for herself. The little girl bit her lip in concentration as she held the lighter to the wires. He went over the science fair's rules, trying to find a way he could be the one holding that lighter instead of her.
"There!" She smiled and leaned back staring at her accomplishment. "You'll be there, won't you? To my science fair next week, I mean."
"Of course!" He promised. He looked up when Blue knocked on the door. He knew from her fallen look that something was wrong. He set Aqua aside and went to Blue. He looked back to make sure that Aqua was distracted before turning back to her.
"What is it?"
"I need to go," She said softly. "I just got a call from Wally that a woman came asking for my help. I need to go and help her. Her daughter was kidnapped but the police says she have to wait twenty four hours. She knows that her daughter was taken and she's scared. Can you watch over Aqua while I'm gone?"
"Of course," He didn't ask much about where she was going since he knew this was a heavy subject for her. She gave him a thankful smile and went to kiss Aqua good bye. The girl looked confused but didn't say anything and wished her mother safety. Blue smiled warily at the two and left.
"Is Momma going to help another family again?" Aqua asked once Blue left. She asked it as a question but he knew that she already knew the truth. He didn't bother to lie to her since he knew that there was no point. She was smart and mature enough to understand.
"She won't tell me what she does. I don't like that she's keeping secrets from me! She always says that secrets make life harder and I should trust her with all my problems yet she's keeping so much from me! My father, her job and whatever else she's keeping from me."
"Your mother is just trying to protect you," Green told her. "It's not that she doesn't trust you, she just wants to protect you from the darker side of life. She wants you to be child. I'm afraid of it myself. You're very bright and mature but I don't know if that's healthy for you in the long run. Childhood is an important part of life."
Aqua pondered over that for a moment. Then she smiled up at him, "It's bedtime so can you tell me a bedtime story tonight?"
Green was perplexed at that since he wasn't that good at story telling. He read stories to Blue when they were little often but it was always from a book. He didn't know a story by heart and didn't know if he could make one up on the spot. He wasn't given much of a choice when Aqua pushed her project aside and ran to her bed. She eagerly settled into bed and patted beside her for Green to sit.
"Come and read to me Poppa. After all, childhood is an important part in anybody's life," He laughed at that since it was so much like something Blue would do and she used his words against him perfectly.
Green sat on the couch downstairs after he read a story to Aqua. He couldn't think of anything so he told her about him and Blue when they were children. When she asked him when he fell in love with her, he couldn't answer her. He didn't know when it happened, and might've just developed over time. He knew the moment he realized he loved her though.
It was years after their wedding. Someone sent him a picture in the mail of him and Blue at a Christmas party when they were teenagers. He kept it in his wallet even to this day. He looked like a grump in that picture next to Blue's smiling face. The pictures invoked so much memories and emotion in him. He knew he was wrong to leave everything he loved. He thought that Yellow sent it since there was a note that said: Don't let the best thing you ever had get away. Signed, a friend. A similar letter had been sent to him every year on his birthday.
If it wasn't Yellow who sent the letters, then who was it?
He began to doze off and was on the edge of sleep when the door opened. He sat up and saw Blue walked in. His heart raced when he saw the blood on her jacket and the lifelessness in her eyes. He went to gather her into his arms but she dodged him.
"I need to take a bath," She said with little emotion. Green's heart quivered as she walked solemnly up the stairs. Her coldness left him feeling empty and he couldn't move for a moment. The sound of the bathroom door closing jarred him into awareness.
Anger erupted in him then. It was one step forward two steps back with her. The moment it seemed like everything was okay between them again, she pushed him away. He usually knew what set her but this time had no clue. But he'll be damned if he didn't find out. He was damned tired of her coldness.
He marched up the stairs ready to yell at her and demand an answer from her. He was surprise to find the door unlocked but opened it anyways. He stopped in mid-step when he saw Blue on the ground, clutching the bathtub edge sobbing. The water rushing through the sink and tub drowned out the sounds of her sobs. Her shoulders jerked violently from her tears and Green could only stand there staring.
Blue gasped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Green and was horrified! She couldn't let him see her like this. She didn't want him to see her weak. She wasn't weak anymore God damnit!
She was slightly shock when he didn't question her or demanded anything of her, only holding her, giving her comfort. In the past, she was the one that would give but now he was the one giving her a part of him, opening himself to her. He realized that too and the fact scared him a little but not as much as it did in the past. She needed him as much as he needed him and he had to give back to her. She deserved more than he know he would be able give. He didn't know what had her upset but he knew she needed him.
He cooed soft words to her and stroked her hair. He held her through the violent shakes of her cries and lifted her easily. She cried on shoulder and barely noticed him carry her to her room. He placed her on the bed, pulling the blanket over her even if she didn't move her arms from his neck. He didn't mind and leaned forward so she could lay down better. He waited until her sobs subsided into sniffles until he asked her.
"So, do you want to tell me what's wrong?" He asked in a softer voice than he thought his gruff voice was capable of.
Blue wiped her tears on his shoulder before answering, "I couldn't save her. I was too late and when I went to find the man that took her, she was already dead. I'm a fixer; I'm supposed to be able to help people. But I couldn't save her. How can I protect my own daughter? I'm a failure of a mother!"
"Aqua's just fine, she's in her bedroom sleeping. You're a better mother than most. Most would run away when they have to raise a daughter on their own. You didn't because you love her. That child's death wasn't your fault. I'm sure that you did everything you could to save her. Statistic shows that almost none of the killers keep children alive above twenty four hours unless he was a-"
"It was a child's life!" She stated. "Did know how much it broke my heart when went to that mother and told her that her daughter was gone? She trusted me and I couldn't help. Of god when I saw that child's dead body all I could see was Aqua. What if I can't protect her from that monster?"
"You'll protect her. Don't ever think that you won't be able to protect her. You're strong and smart and a great mother."
"Please," She clutched his shirt. "Make love to me again. I need your comfort. I need you."
Blue stretched leisurely and placed a lazy arm over Green. She didn't feel regret like she feared she would and it wasn't awkward like she thought it would be. It felt right. She had wakened before him, which was a miracle in itself. He slept little but when he did it was like a rock. She felt him shift beneath her hand and placed her chin on his chest.
Green groaned and cracked an eye open. Blue's lazy smile gazed up at him and something shifted in his chest. He stroked her hair and they didn't say anything for a while. They basked in the serenity of the aftermath and Blue lazily drew circles on his chest. He thought about moving to take a bath or change so if Aqua came in looking for them, she wouldn't see anything. He couldn't make himself move though, his muscles too lax.
He laughed out loud when he heard her stomach come to attention. She made a face at him before laughing with him too. It was as if the years between them disappeared and they were back to the days they would just love each other. A part of him was glad but another part knew that this was stronger than it was years before.
"Marry me," He asked before the words came to his mind. In his mind, he swore. He was planning to ask her to marry him for some time but not like this. He needed a ring to give her and the moment wasn't right. He was planning on asking her during dinner with Aqua present and getting on his knees. He threw that to the wind and decided to just be spontaneous.
He felt her stiffen and he became afraid. Was she going to say no?
Before she said a word, he turned them so that she was pinned beneath him and starring up at his scolding emerald eyes. "Please don't say no. I realize that I made a mistake by leaving you and I want to stay with you and Aqua for the rest of our lives. I'm not asking you out of pity or duty or anything like that. It's because we belong together. I'll listen to you better, you can have more say in the planning, just please say yes. Be my wife, I-"
The words choked in throat. He could say it, he needed to say it. He had to tell her that he loved her- that he needed her.
"I don't know what to say," She answered breathlessly. Memories of that day flashed back to her, the pain piercing her heart as if it was a physical wound. "I have to think about it."
"I know that it would be awkward without Yellow since she's your closest friend and I know you would want her to be you maid of honour. Red is back so he can be my best man and you can match-make them to your heart content."
Blue winced at the mention of Yellow. Green swore. Her death was defiantly something that pained her and he brought it up, opening scars again. He sighed and thought it over. Who in this town could she talk about with her problems? Her brother was over protective and aqua was too young. He would help her heal.
"Can you tell me how she died? I would like to know how she died since she was my friend too." He urged her, thinking that the best for way for her to heal was her to talk about it. Blue didn't say anything, only pulled the blanket around her and went close the window. She made sure that no one was listening before she sat next to Green.
"Yellow del Bosque Verde is dead, she has been dead for six years now. But she's dead in name only. I want you to promise me that what I'm going to tell you doesn't leave this room." Green nodded, holding her breath and she went on.
Blue rubbed her temple in an attempt to dull the headache she felt. How could a day start out so wonderful and get blown to Hell with a simple two words. Marry me. She didn't know what to think or what to feel. How could she say yes to him? How could she say no? It could be logical to say yes. It would be best for Aqua and they could all be happy. But saying yes left her open to hurt.
"Momma!" Blue was jerked out of her thoughts when Aqua voice penetrated her thoughts and she realized that she had been tugging at her shirt for a while. She was also very aware that Green was sitting across the room from them and staring at her intently.
"What is it sweetie?" She asked.
"This was in the mail for you," She held out a package to her. Blue winced and wondered if she would ever see presents and packages the same again. She took it and moved to the kitchen to open it in case it was from the murderer.
She held her breath and opened the package. It was nothing more than fake flowers. Her relief was shattered though when she read the note attached to the roses. The ground fell beneath her feet and all she cold think about was Aqua. How could she tell her that she wouldn't be able to go to the science fair?
Hope you enjoyed ^-^