Apologies for the lateness on this one! I was actually going for something different, and even started writing it, but I quickly realized it was going to get way too long and not be finished in time for Valentine's Day. Then I started this one...and scrapped just about two pages of the original work because I didn't like it. So this one really gave me fits!

It's not the exact story I wanted to write (that one I still have the draft of and will continue to work on!) but I'm still happy with the final product! Can't go wrong with some good family fluff, right?

Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old

Elizabeth: 2 years old


Valentine of Mine

"Aww! Look at my Eevee!"

"-ike my Pikachu!"

"Yeah, they're cool, but the candy is even better!"

Ash chuckled as his children fawned over their Valentine's gifts. "I'm glad you like them!"

Michelle beamed at her father as she hugged her stuffed Eevee close to her chest. "We love them every year, Daddy!"

"I know, but I'm still glad!" Ash laughed. "Grammy used to get me the same kind of present every year for Valentine's Day, too. I always loved them!"

"She got you candy, too?" Aiden asked, trying to pry the box open.

"Yep," Ash confirmed before gently taking the candy away from his stunned son. "And no eating it before breakfast! Your mother will go crazy."

"But I'm so hungry!" Aiden whined, dramatically flopping onto his back. "And I like candy…"

"She's making our special Valentine's breakfast," Ash reminded the boy. "Grammy used to do that for me also!"

"But you're not allowed in the kitchen," Michelle teased her father.

At this, Ash clicked his tongue. "I am too allowed in the kitchen!"

"Yeah, to eat," Aiden rectified with a smirk as he sat back up.

Elizabeth started laughing wildly, holding her stuffed Pikachu over her head.

Ash groaned, although it counteracted the smile on his face, and rested his head in his hands. "Man, you guys are always teasing me! I can never catch a break."

"Daddy, we only tease you cause we love you!" Michelle giggled.

Ash's smile widened. "It's okay, I know that, princess!"

Elizabeth lowered her new toy and got to her feet, teetering over to her father before throwing herself against his chest. "Daddy!"

Ash chuckled lowly, glancing down at the toddler. "What's up, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth fluttered her eyelashes at her father and squeaked, "I'm hung-y."

Aiden clapped his hands together. "I agree!"

"We all know you do," Michelle sniffed, shooting her brother a side eye. Her stomach then growled rather loudly, causing the girl to blush as her brother laughed heartily at her.

"Sounds like you're all hungry," Ash remarked. "I'll go in there and see how much longer til breakfast is ready. You want to come with me, pumpkin?"

"Mmhm," Elizabeth intoned, lifting her stuffed Pikachu up again so it was directly in her father's face.

"Hey, I've got my own Pikachu!" Ash chuckled, gently moving the toy away from his face. "I don't need yours!"

Elizabeth seemed to think about this for a moment as she looked over the stuffed Pokémon before squealing and hugging it to her chest. "Pika!"

"You are a crazy little thing!" Ash snickered and stood up with the little girl in his arms. "Come on, let's go see Mommy."

"Mommy!" Elizabeth repeated, beaming up at her father.

"Very good," Ash complimented his daughter. She was at an age where she tended to repeat a lot of the things people around her said; it was her way of learning and practicing different words. Her father found it to be adorable and was always proud of her for practicing her speaking skills. Looking over at his two older children, Ash assured them, "we'll be right back!"

"Don't come back til breakfast is ready!" Aiden cried.

Ash sighed and hung his head. "I got it, I got it."

"Got it!" Elizabeth chirped, laughing afterwards.

Ash pressed his lips to Elizabeth's temple and smiled against it. He carried the little girl into the kitchen, where Misty was busy at the stove. Pikachu was stationed beside her on the counter, holding onto a bowl that Ash assumed was full of the waffle mix for his mother's signature Valentine's breakfast.

"Oh, you've got a special helper!" Ash crowed, catching Misty's attention.

Looking over her shoulder, Misty smiled at him before glancing over at the electric type. "Yeah, Pikachu is the best! He hands me everything I needs and makes sure the waffles aren't burning!"

Ash took a quick sniff before backing up towards the garbage, where he saw some abandoned waffle scraps. "Uh…did he start doing that after you'd already burnt some?"

Misty casually turned back to her cooking. "That's between me and Pikachu."

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu chimed in.

"Yeah, and the trash," Ash quipped.

"T-ash," Elizabeth mimicked, pointing towards the garbage.

Without turning away from her cooking, Misty giggled. "She's playing Chatot again, hmm?"

"Yeah, she's been having lots of fun with that," Ash chuckled. "Can you say Valentine's Day, little pumpkin?"

"Malbemtime Day," Elizabeth babbled, scrunching her nose up as she said it.

Misty, who had turned around once more to watch Elizabeth, burst out laughing. "Aw, she tried so hard! But even she knows that sounded off."

"Balentine Day," Elizabeth tried again, tilting her head.

"Oh, that was better!" Misty cooed. "What a smart little girl you are!"

Having grown bored of trying to repeat after her father, Elizabeth instead pointed at his partner with one free hand and cried, "Pikachu!"

The Pokémon's ears twitched, and he smiled at the girl. Elizabeth giggled and started reaching for him, trying to escape from her father's grasp.

"There's a word she doesn't have any trouble pronouncing!" Ash crowed.

"Pikachu!" She cried, valiantly proving his point. "Pikachu!"

"Okay, okay!" Ash breathed. He placed the toddler on the floor, watching as she scurried over to the cabinets and continued reaching up for Pikachu. "Guess Lizzie wants to play now."

Misty frowned and looked down at her daughter. "Lizzie, breakfast is almost ready! Aren't you hungry?"

"Ya," Elizabeth replied before pointing at the mouse. "But Pikachu!"

The electric type looked towards Misty, murmuring an unsure, "pi-ka pika Pikapichu?"

Misty smiled at her husband's partner and replied, "of course you can go play! Thanks for all your help, Pika Pal!"

"Pi!" Pikachu squeaked before flying off the counter and into the awaiting Elizabeth's arms, who laughed wildly in response.

"Whoa, you've got a whole lot of Pikachu now, Lizzie!" Ash marveled. "How many Pikachu do you have?"

Elizabeth examined the contents of her arms before grinning at her father and yelling, "two!"

"Atta girl!" Ash cheered, watching as she shuffled out of the room with both the real Pikachu and her stuffed Pikachu. "…and she's gone."

"She's turned into quite the bundle of energy," Misty giggled. "All that trying to keep up with Aiden and Michelle I guess!"

Ash smirked and strode up behind Misty, resting his head on her shoulder. She turned and raised an eyebrow, chirping, "what're you up to? Trying to inhale a waffle?"

"No!" Ash scoffed. "I just wanted to be close to you. It may be Valentine's Day, but it's also our anniversary!"

Misty's grin managed to widen. "Nine years and you still haven't forgotten!"

"Wasn't that your plan all along?" Ash teased, rubbing his nose against the side of her neck.

"Yeah, but I also thought it was super romantic," Misty giggled.

Ash chuckled at this. "You know, I never realized all that romantic stuff about Valentine's Day until I met you! Well…a couple of years after I met you. It kinda took a while."

Misty smirked. "You don't have to tell me."

Rolling his eyes, Ash continued, "when I was a kid, I didn't really understand the point of Valentine's Day. I just thought it was a day to get cards and candy and stuffed Pokémon. I liked handing out cards to my classmates when I was in school, before I became a trainer, but I thought that was the entire reason we had the holiday."

"To hand out cards?" Misty giggled.

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed. "That was the best!"

"Did yours have Pokémon on them?" Misty cooed.

"Course they did!" Ash chuckled. "What else would they have?"

Misty giggled and playfully swatted the spatula at her husband to get him off of her. "For you? Absolutely nothing."

Initially, Ash was unhappy about being shooed away, but that disappointment quickly dissipated when he saw his wife put the spatula down in order to retrieve a large plate. "Wait, is breakfast finally ready?!"

"Finally?" Misty repeated with a scoff. "You've got some nerve, Mr. I Can't Cook Without Setting the Kitchen on Fire!"

Ash smirked and quickly kissed his wife's lips, hoping to cease her scolding. It seemed to have worked, as Misty smiled against him and said nothing more once he pulled away.

"Hey! Dad, you said were gonna tell us when breakfast was ready!"

Ash turned towards the doorway and found Aiden walking through it, a frown on his face. Michelle was right behind him, looking more annoyed than anything else.

"His stomach won't stop growling and it's so loud," Michelle groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, cause I'm hungry," Aiden sighed. "And yours was growling too!"

"I didn't forget!" Ash assured his son. "Mom's just finishing it up. Why don't you go sit down at the table?"

Misty, however, was quick to whip around and take a cursory lookover of their children. "Where is Elizabeth?"

Aiden and Michelle exchanged quizzical looks before turning their attention onto their puzzled father.

"What, you don't know where she went?" Ash asked nervously.

"No," Michelle hesitantly replied. "She went running past us before, but we haven't seen her since."

"I think she had Pikachu with her," Aiden mused.

"She did!" Ash cried. "Man, I hope those two aren't causing trouble!"

"You're really worried about Pikachu causing trouble?" Misty asked, still piling up waffles. "He usually keeps a pretty good eye on those three and stops that kind of stuff."

"Yeah, but Elizabeth's got a way with words," Ash sighed.

Misty blinked before deadpanning, "she's two."

"So?" Ash prodded.

Misty furrowed her brow and walked towards the doorway, poking her head through it as she called, "Elizabeth! Pikachu! Breakfast time!"

It seemed to take a millisecond for Elizabeth and Pikachu to appear before Misty, both of their eyes shimmering.

"Hung-y!" Elizabeth cried, jumping up and down.

Misty smirked and placed her hands on her hips, leaning down closer to her daughter. "Were you being naughty, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth tilted her head, murmuring an unconvincing, "no."

Sighing, Misty murmured, "guess I'm going to have to do some investigating after breakfast. But for now, I think everyone would like to eat!"

"Eat!" Elizabeth repeated, running past her mother. Pikachu, on the other hand, stayed glued in place, gazing up at the red head.

"How bad is it?" Misty asked.

"Pi ka, Pikachupi!" Pikachu squeaked.

"Well, if you say it's not too bad, then I believe you!" Misty giggled. "Go ahead and get your waffles!"

Pikachu's ears twitched excitedly as he ran in the same direction that Elizabeth had. When Misty turned around, however, she found her path blocked by Ash, who immediately wrapped his arms around her and held her in place.

"Now what're you doing?" Misty giggled. "I thought you'd want to go wrestle everyone for your share of breakfast!"

Ash smiled and tilted his head a bit. "Yeah, but I just wanna look at you a little while longer. While things are quiet."

A clattering sound followed by a chorus of angry shouting followed, causing Misty to playfully roll her eyes. "Not quiet anymore."

Ash simply shrugged his shoulders. "I don't hear anything."

Despite whatever chaos was going on out of Misty's vision, she started to laugh and fell against Ash's chest, burying her face there to try and hide her amusement. Her husband may have been the Pokémon Master, but he was also the master of getting her to forget whatever was going on. No matter what it took, Ash was always looking out for her.

"You still hearing anything?" Ash spoke again, playfully poking at Misty's ribs.

Finally lifting her head, Misty quipped, "I'm so glad I married you."

Ash flashed one of his megawatt, near goofy grins, and responded, "that makes two of us!"