Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with kind of a special chapter today. I normally upload on Wednesdays anyway but it just so happens that today is exactly 6 years since I uploaded my first ever story to here! I can't believe it. My style has definitely changed so much and I now have this whole world to write about thanks to Shannon for co-creating it with me. I started off writing about Ash and Misty and now have lots of different couples and interactions to write about. But they of course started all this off for me. But today's chapter isn't about them. This one is about Lynne and how well she gets on with James' younger children. And there's a little bit of Meowth too! I hope you enjoy :3

Ages:

Lynne: 30

Jazmyn: 8

Justin: 8

Jayden: 6

Jaxon: 5

James: 30

Disclaimer: I own the story and all of the OCs :3

I looked up when Jazmyn spoke to the older woman and I couldn't help but listen in, noting her big and round, innocent orbs. I had been close to drifting off enjoying the rays of sun through the window but her vulnerable tones brought me back to the present.

"But do you really have to be going, Lynne?" the nine year old girl asked the orange haired woman, her eyes still full of concern as she tried to distract herself by stroking the fur of the other Pokémon in the group, Meowth. She swallowed, her soft jaw clenched together. "Do you really have to go?"

Until that moment, Lynne had been brave and collected. Well, even after that moment, she was still both of those things. But like I had seen and sensed Jazmyn's vulnerability, I saw the red haired female swallow herself and take a second to compose herself before answering. She had to answer truthfully, wrinkling her nose as she did so.

"You know that it's not me who decides when to leave, sweetheart." The told the deep purple haired child gently before taking another pause. She thought to herself. Perhaps telling them all that she didn't have a choice, made her fate seem harsher? Maybe she needed to embellish her words a little, she thought to herself. So Lynne continued tidying up her things, afterwards flashing Jazmyn a reassuring smile. "But I'll be back soon. I feel that too."

Jazmyn just nodded her head and let out a quiet sigh to herself, pushing her rich hair from her eyes before resuming on cuddling with Meowth. I couldn't help but smirk from the window sill. I had gotten over my competitiveness with the fellow Pokémon (mostly) and in that moment, I found it amusing that the tough feline was such a softie with the little girl. He had almost viewed it as his duty since the day she was born to watch out for her and protect her. I guessed that his cat-like instincts had kicked in. Even if he wasn't the most nurturing on the outside, he had a whole lot of that quality on the inside.

And like how Meowth had nurturing qualities, all of the young Morgan children had different ones as well. And I saw them all as I looked around the room. Jazmyn was confident and warm and she showed this with the way she tickled Meowth's paw as he snored, a small smile on her face. Jayden was focused and creative, even at the young age of six, he showed off many qualities that he would still possess as an adult. He showed those traits of his off as he sat at his desk in their play room, his legs swinging as he painted yet another creation.

I jumped as Jaxon repeated his rocket and blast off noises after going quiet for a rare few minutes but I soon smirked again as I watched him energetically rush around the room. Yep, that was Jaxon. He was definitely energetic but he was very very loving too. All of the Morgan children were, really. And that's why it was hard for Lynne to leave. That's why it was hard for her to go back 'up there'.

After looking at three of the young Morgan children, my eyes focused on Justin. My pupils twitched as I studied him and my head tilted on one side. He was perhaps the most hard to read out of the kids in some ways. He was mysterious. And in that moment, even I hadn't quite figured him out. But he showed that he was very intuitive and caring when, while none of the others did, he picked up on Lynne's choice of words. He noticed something. So he had to say something.

He perched himself up from lying on his back reading his book and looked over at the orange haired female rolling curtains away into a storage bag, pushing his hair from his eyes. He hesitated a moment, studying her like I was studying him. But he then came out and just said it.

"You feel that too?" he repeated her words, propping himself further up before rolling onto his stomach so he could look at her properly without craning his neck. Lynne stopped when she heard him speaking to her and turned around to face him, her hands on her hips. "Do you feel when you have to leave, then?"

Jazmyn's own ears pricked up upon hearing her twin brother's words and Jayden's did too, though he continued his farewell painting for Lynne. Meowth had since stopped snoring and I sensed that he would soon wake up. I contradicted myself by feeling a pang in my stomach. Okay, maybe I still had some competition with him!

Before Lynne could answer the deep purple haired nine year old boy (she was taking a few seconds because she didn't want to upset or confuse the sweet, little things) Jayden piped up from using his fingers to add details to his artwork.

"If you feel when you need to leave, can't you stop it?" he asked innocently, shaking his head to get his hair out of his eyes and his curls shaking. His legs were still swinging under the table. I thought to myself that he was the second most mysterious Morgan child. He was very sensitive. And he showed that by deciding to do Lynne a drawing as soon as she began packing her things to go away.

Lynne opened her mouth to speak and answer the little boy, a smile on her face. She couldn't help it. She adored all of the children but she had a special soft spot for creative and intelligent Jayden. But before she could give him an answer and Justin one too, Jazmyn spoke to her little brother. She rolled her eyes at him but not unkindly.

"I don't think it's like a sneeze, Jayden…" she told him and began stroking the area where Meowth's nose should be, watching his eyelids twitch as she suspected that he'd be waking up from his siesta soon. She then shrugged, her hair flopping off of her shoulder. "She can just feel it. But she can't stop it."

Lynne smiled fondly upon hearing all of the children interacting with each other and she stopped tidying her things away completely, sitting down in the middle of the room to see them all equally. She smoothed down her dress as she spoke to them.

"No it's not like a sneeze. It would be annoying feeling all itchy for a few days!" she told the children and this caused Jaxon to laugh from beginning to run in circles around the orange haired female. But she had a way with them all and she had a way with him. She grabbed him in her arms mid run and pulled him down onto her lap.

She wrapped her arms around his stomach and rested her chin on his feathery pink hair and he seemed to calm down almost immediately. Her calming personality had that effect on him. She continued. "I can't tell you how I know, I just know. Like how you know when you're about to get ill."

Jayden couldn't hide his quiet gasp upon hearing this but Lynne was quick to smile at him, her blue eyes soft. She spoke to him from across the room, her voice in a calm and reassuring tone.

"I don't feel ill, Jayden, don't worry. Not anymore." She told him and she tried to hide the trailing off of her tone but like how she couldn't control going back 'up there' she couldn't control that either. And Justin sensed her underlying sadness as she couldn't help but remember what caused her demise. He moved to sit next to her and Jaxon, his head lightly nuzzling her arm. Lynne then showed off that smile for him before continuing once again. Her fingers moved to play with her hair as she spoke. "It's not an unwell feeling when I know it's time to go. It's like knowing the stars are in the sky. Or knowing that Spring is followed by Summer. It's just fact. And I accept it."

A silence was met following Lynne's words and everybody in the room couldn't help but reflect, even energetic little Jaxon. Lynne continued playing with her hair thoughtfully. Jazmyn absentmindedly squeezed the pink pads of Meowth's paw lightly. Justin rested his nose against Lynne's arm. Jaxon looked up at her. Jayden picked off that paint that was drying under his finger nails. I let out a sigh, my shoulders moving as my breath inhaled and exhaled.

But before I had a chance to think my own thoughts, a voice could be heard. And the tone of it and the specific accent as well as the mouth it was coming from, made it obvious that it was Meowth. He let out a yawn but he spoke before his eyes had even cracked open. He shrugged, his feline mouth spreading into a smirk.

"You sure have a way with words." Meowth told Lynne and she blinked innocently, still finding it very bizarre and strange that a Pokémon could talk, despite her airy side. But she listened to him, her hand moving from her hair to play with Justin's deep purple locks. "But I ain't surprised. After all, you get to dance with the stars. You know it all. You're a lucky lass, let me tell you that."

Lynne blinked for a moment and I shared the same expression as her. I tilted my head on one side and my ear pricked. I said that Justin and Jayden were mysterious but Meowth really took the biscuit! At that point, I had known him over a decade and I was still clueless about who he was really like as a person… Or Pokémon.

But I knew one thing about him. He was crazy about space. He was crazy about stars. He was crazy about Rockets; after all, that was why he had joined Team Rocket. He had a constant fascination for the heavens above. And in that moment, I felt myself connecting with him through my own thoughts. I felt an almost softness for him as I wondered if he was ever jealous that – to steal his words – Lynne got to dance with the stars. But before I could wonder further or feel any more gentility towards him (thank goodness), the orange haired female replied to him. She couldn't help but smile, her friendly side taking over her wary one.

"Oh, Meowth." She began and she reached forward to poke his ear lightly before helping Jaxon back to his feet when he got restless and wanted to run all over again. Jazmyn rolled her eyes properly at him but focused on listening to adult and Pokémon talk. "People only enjoy the wonder of what's up there, because it is up there. Because it's out of reach. But when you spend a good chunk of your year up there, you find wonder in the world down below."

And as she continued and as she said specific words, all of the children's lavender haired father entered the room and as she spoke, her eyes absent-mindedly wandered to his face.

"All of you down here are the real stars. Believe me." She told everybody, her voice going softer. I noticed it and Meowth did too but for once, Justin did and needless to say, none of the children did either. "You're all the real stars."

You might think that the Morgan offspring would be completely overjoyed to see their father entering their play room and they were. But they were also very surprised to see him. You see, in recent months, he and Jessie's clothing company had taken off and I mean that in every possible way.

Everybody knew who they were and they knew what their company was and everybody wanted to work with them and everybody wanted to be sponsored by them. It had gone manic! The two of them just couldn't keep up but had to balance work lives and children as well as time for themselves. It was a busy time but that was a common thing. And they were lucky that Lynne had come to visit in the middle of things getting particularly out of hand.

They hadn't liked to ask at first but soon enough, Jessie and James saw that Lynne adored looking after their children and the children felt the same way about her. They found every day with her an adventure and a magical one too. And that's why it was so hard for them to see Lynne leave, even if they were young. That's why it was so hard for them to see Lynne go back 'up there'.

The children hesitated at first at the rare sight of their father before the evening and all four of them were about to rush into his arms when he shook his head at himself. He rubbed his forehead and breathed out, looking quite believably annoyed with himself.

"Wrong room. This is definitely not my office." He mumbled to himself and with that, he headed out of the room. Lynne found herself rarely speechless upon hearing this and she couldn't help but frown. She even almost shook her head! She couldn't believe the lavender haired male.

He hadn't even flashed his children a smile, that was most unlike himself. But before she could then worry that something might be wrong or I could watch her noticing this, I noticed Meowth's expression.

It was different than everybody else's. While all of the children looked disappointed at the lack of attention from their father, the cat Pokémon raised his eyebrow. He shook his head too and on top of that, he smirked. He finally sat himself up from lying across Jazmyn's lap and almost waved his nail in the air. He seemed to know what James was up to. But he soon let out his own sigh and shook his head, his feet scuffing on the carpet.

"I love my noodle business but there's such thing as too hard work! Sometimes you just gotta give it a rest or you end up working yourself insane – like Jimmy there!"

Meowth's words contrasted his head shaking by being said comically but they made Lynne's worries brew again. She played with the detail on her dress. James had never been like that. Granted, she had only known him on and off the last few years but still. She had always known him as a doting dad. She couldn't understand why work was getting in the way of that. She thought it was wrong. Plain and simple, she thought it was wrong.

But again, she didn't have time to dwell on that. She had to comfort Jazmyn as, after Justin moved from nuzzling her arm to sit on one of her knees, she soon had both twins on her legs. But she didn't mind. She didn't hesitate to rub both of their backs, pressing a kiss to their foreheads.

"Don't you worry about your dad." She told them softly before stroking their foreheads where she had planted kisses to them. She gave both children a reassuring and genuine smile as she kept them close. "He'll be finished his day at work soon."

While Justin just nodded his head and rested his forehead on Lynne's shoulder after she continued rubbing his back, Jazmyn couldn't help but change the subject. She swallowed. She didn't like to dwell too heavily on her secret worries.

"Princess Lynne?" she asked the orange haired female, causing her to smile and answer her 'yes' softly when a nickname from when the children were a little younger was used. She reached out to play with her hair as she listened to her. "What do you miss the most when you're up there?"

Lynne understood what the little girl was asking of her almost immediately after she gestured with her finger and pointed to the ceiling. She looked at Jazmyn and her ocean blue eyes met her teal ones mixed with her own shade of blue. She soon let out a quiet sigh and her fingers found their way back to her forehead.

She couldn't lie to her. Even if her answer hurt the children, she couldn't tell them a fib. She simply would never do that to them. But she kept up her happy and warm personality. She smiled as she answered her.

"I miss everybody down here, of course. Without any of you, I wouldn't really have any reason to visit. I meant it when I said you're all stars. You make it worth coming down. Even if what's the hardest is me missing all of you."

Despite the vulnerability and sadness to Lynne's words, Justin couldn't help but smile against her shoulder. But he didn't have a chance to join in the conversation between the orange haired female and his twin sister. Jayden came over to join in their cuddle and hugged Lynne from behind as he sat on the floor. He mumbled almost bitterly for once.

"Daddy's not a star." He grumbled sourly, his curls pressed firmly up against Lynne's back as his lips formed into a pout. His paint crusted fingers held onto her waist from the back as he continued. "You miss us then spend time with us when you're here. He doesn't miss us. He doesn't spend time with us."

I swallowed upon hearing this and even Meowth began to shuffle as his brow furrowed. Both of us disagreed with the child's words, despite everything that was going on in the Morgan household. Lynne was feeling unusually biased and because of this, her eyes pricked with tears for the little boy when she felt his pain. She reached behind her and held his hand. She peered at him reassuringly and noticed Jaxon had sensed his tone too and stopped running.

"You'll get to spend time with your father soon. Don't you worry. Nothing lasts forever. Not even busy spells." She told all of the children but especially Jayden and she gestured for him to stand up and come round to her side so she could kiss his forehead. He happily obliged, despite his previous pouting. "You'll get to be with him soon."

"Doubt it." Jaxon piped up for the first time and even though his expression and his body language was the least forlorn of them all, his words were the most brutal. His leg tapped as he stood near his siblings. "He's always working. He's never playing. He'll only notice you're gone after you come back again."

Lynne swallowed harshly upon hearing this and once again, even Meowth couldn't believe the words that were coming from one of the Morgan children's mouths. We both heavily disagreed with him and even though Lynne did too, on some level, she couldn't help but feel some hurt as she worried that maybe that was true. But she shook her head at herself.

There was no use worrying. She had four children hugging onto her. And they were most important. She swallowed again but that time to compose herself before smoothing down her skirts again and forcing herself to smile.

"I don't know if that's true and neither do you. But I think I've taught you well enough by now that we can all have fun together even doing chores so why don't you help me pack away the rest of my things?"

I was unsure as to whether that would work on the children but I stood corrected. After a few minutes of pausing, they all finished hugging the orange haired female and helped her move everything she owned when she was down on earth into storage. Most of it was tidied away in a lot less than half an hour and as Jazmyn and Justin were rolling a big heap of curtains up to secure in a duvet bag, Lynne found herself hanging around in a gap in the curtains that she caused after she used the material to make herself a new dress. She didn't know why.

There were many a gaps like that around the furniture of the Morgan household but for some reason, she stood under the one in the play room, her finger tracing the frayed material of what was left behind.

After Meowth helped Jazmyn and Justin stuff the unused curtains into the duvet bag and Jayden let Jaxon run around with his painting to dry it quickly, the feline Pokémon couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Lynne. And he spoke to her. He pretended to blink.

"I thought you were Jimmy for a moment." He told her and this caused her to snap out of her thoughts and blink herself. When he saw her innocent expression, his blue eyes squinted together and he smirked at her. "He's been known to be caught standing in a gap in the curtains that you've made long after you've left and with a real yearning expression on his face."

I looked at the orange haired female. She blinked all the more when she heard this but her pale cheeks blushed just a fraction pink. That couldn't be right; she told herself and Meowth soon enough raised another eyebrow. But before he could insist to her that he was telling the truth, the main man of their brief conversation entered.

And that time when he entered the room, he didn't exit the room after mumbling to himself and he wasn't decorated in a frown either. In fact, he was decorated in something quite different. He was all decked out in his dress up pirate gear and he showed off a smirk immediately, even though his children weren't looking up at him right away.

Lynne was about to tell them that she was right that they'd see their father soon but Meowth broke the silence. He smirked all the more, his sharp claw pointing up in the air.

"I knew you were up to somethin', Jimmy. Ain't no way was you going to abandon your tiddly-winks for too long. You can't fool me."

This got all of the children's attention. Their forlorn and thoughtful expressions soon lit up but they then dulled down again, not wanting to be disappointed a second time. And James knew this. He felt bad about having done it but he got down onto his knees to be their level and he held his arms out to them. Jaxon was first to run to his side.

"I know what you're thinking but surely you know I'm not that grumpy?" he asked them light-heartedly about their previous interaction and he gestured to them encouragingly after pushing his pirate wig from his eyes. He gave them a charming but genuine smile. "I just needed to see if you were all in the one room so I could surprise you together! Because I do have a surprise for you. I want all me pirate crew to come to the garden and play with me and dig buried treasure and sail into the sunset!"

Upon hearing this, like Jaxon, Justin didn't hesitate to rush to his father's side. He was intuitive like I said and he could tell when his father was telling the truth and he was ready for some fun. He nuzzled his side while Jazmyn hesitated going to her father for once. She tilted her head on one side.

"But… But daddy, you're so busy. You've got all this work to do and that's why you've been in your office for days. That's why-"

"My dear Princess." James cut his daughter off and pulled her into the cuddle with her twin brother and her youngest brother, wrapping his arm around her before planting a gentlemanly kiss to her hand. He told her sincerely and met her eyes as he spoke to her. "I've been busy doing work for months, yes, but these last few days I've been planning a game for us all! I wanted to please each and every one of you. So come and please me by coming to play!"

I smiled to myself. This was certainly enough to quickly win Jazmyn over and Jayden too and soon all four of the young Morgan children were hugging onto their father's body and traipsing downstairs with him, ready to head to the garden for a whole evening of fun. James had won them over so quickly, not because he tried to make it up to them (which he did) but because they knew their father so very well.

Even though they had childishly almost badmouthed him, they knew. They knew that he enjoyed playing with them as much as they did with him. So they were happy to lap up every minute with him and get lost in their world with their pirate, their hero and their pirate and their father – who all happened to be the same person.

Lynne swallowed to herself when after the children had gone off humming a pirate shanti with their father, she was left on her own, in the gap in the curtains and fiddling with the detail on her dress. Well, she wasn't alone. I was there too. But before I could sidle up to her. Meowth did. As ever, he was smirking but I'm now starting to realise that perhaps that's just his expression. He put one hand on his hip and spoke to her.

"I was sure I taught Jimmy and his offspring a little more manners." He told the orange haired woman airily but knowingly, not noticing that she was beginning to flicker. His blue orbs were glinting as she held a hand to her heart. "They didn't even say cheery-bye."

"No, they didn't…" she replied honestly and though I thought that she looked hurt, I soon believed that it was more than that. But she didn't get to say much more. Meowth opened his big mouth and continued talking.

"Look at them together. They think more of their father than they do of you!" he said teasingly and nudged Lynne gently with his claw, trying to edge her into showing off her true feelings about them all. But she couldn't be rushed or prompted. I narrowed my eyes protectively as Lynne flickered again but she held her own.

"That's as it should be." She told Meowth, truthfully again and nudged his paw away from her for once and focused on being in the gap in the curtains. She watched James and his children through the glass, beginning to run through the sand box like they found a box of valuable treasure.

Lynne repeated to herself when she saw them all, her eyes and her mouth smiling. Her ocean blue orbs were watery but they were glowing and her cheeks were too. She nodded to herself and showed off every sincere inch in her body. She repeated. "That's as it should be."

Meowth found himself shaking his head upon hearing her answer and he hesitated for perhaps the first time I'd seen in my life. He almost didn't know what to say. He almost had to give up. But he knew he would never and I knew this too. Though Lynne had moved his paw away from her before, he nudged her with it again.

"You don't fool me." He told her simply and for once, without a smirk. Perhaps that was his face when he was being serious and his eyes being level proved this. He looked up at her and he told her, a tone of knowing in his voice. "You don't fool me. I know exactly how deeply you feel about those children."

He began by telling her but that time, she wasn't even listening. She hadn't even noticed his paw on her dress and I was glad. She was too busy. She was far too busy. She was fading away to head back on her journey 'up there' but more importantly, she was watching James through his own window and lulling in the gap that was rumoured that he hung about in when she was gone.

She thought about that which led her to thinking about Jaxon's words. Would he really not notice that she was gone until after she came back? Following that, she thought about Meowth's words. Would he really let Lynne go back up there without saying goodbye? Of course not.

As Lynne gazed out the window, like she knew it was time to go back up, James knew that she would be up there watching him. In the middle of the game, his eyes travelled to the window and he saw her silhouette. Because of the sun shining in and the reflection of the trees, he couldn't see her face but he knew she was there. He knew she'd be wondering if he was going to continue being there for his children. Of course he would be.

As he gazed in through the window at her, he took off his pirate hat before doffing it to her and smiling at her. And in that action, he said it all. He thanked her for being there for his children. He promised her that he'd always prioritise them, even in the busy spells. And he told her goodbye too.

Lynne held a hand to her heart and blinked back her tears that were almost threatening. But she continued smiling the entire time. She had every answer for every question that she needed to know. And because she was so content, she didn't notice Meowth getting ready to open his mouth again.

But for once, he shut it again. And he just smiled to himself.

"I know how deeply you feel for those children." He thought to himself as he copied me and his head tilted to one side. He shut his eyes knowingly. "And I know how you feel for James too and how he feels about you too. But that's for you two to figure out."

And following Lynne's thoughts and with the happiness in her heart that in her final moments on earth that time, she had seen James playing so dotingly with his children, she faded away. And even though the lavender haired male had noticed her leaving, he still made her next arrival feel special. He always would. Because that's how she made him and his children feel. Special. And that's what exactly she was as well. Special. And so very very treasured. Even when she wasn't around.

The End.

There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 I recently got the DVD for Mary Poppins and after watching it, I came up with this. The way she is with the children and how she's so magical definitely reminds me of Lynne. When I was first writing this, I was little unsure about writing James as someone who (even if it is briefly) gets distracted with work and doesn't have enough time with his kids. I view him as a paternal character and couldn't imagine him doing that but then I realised, that kind of thing happens so easily and can happen to anyone. And I'm glad it's Lynne who makes him realise his true priorities! And as you can see, she really doesn't have to worry about him not noticing her leaving or not saying goodbye to her. He will always do that. This chapter is set years before James and Lynne get together but as you can tell, his children all love her very much and almost view her as a step-mother already at that point. They're just a ready made little family :P Thanks again for reading and I will be back again next Wednesday so see you then!

AmyBieberKetchum signing out :3