Happy Sunday, everyone! And, of course, Happy Easter!

I love writing holiday themed stories, but was struggling to come up with one for this year. I finally came up with this sweet idea that I really enjoyed writing. Hopefully you'll all enjoy reading it as well!

Aiden and Michelle: 10 years old

Elizabeth: 4 and a half years old


An Easter Surprise

"The bestest part of Easter is candy and my basket and finding eggs."

Delia smiled at her granddaughter. "That's just about every part of it!"

Elizabeth thought about it for a moment before her eyes widened. "Oh, and dinner, Grammy! I forgot about that."

Delia giggled. "I'm glad you like my cooking!"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth squealed. "Oh, wait! Grammy!"

"Yes, Lizzie?"

"I forgot about dressing up! That's the other bestest part of Easter."

At this, Delia finally allowed herself to laugh freely. Elizabeth was so full of energy and pure joy. She was truly just like her father as a child, and it melted Delia's heart in the best possible way.

"Yes!" Delia chirped, her granddaughter's smile actually managing to get wider. "That certainly is fun! Especially with how cute you're dressed for today!"

Elizabeth giggled and grabbed the skirt of her pink dress, pulling it out to the sides to show off the embroidered flowers that covered it. "It's so pretty!"

"It sure is," Delia agreed. "Did you pick it out, or did Mommy?"

"I did!" Elizabeth cheered, grinning at her grandmother as she toyed with the lighter pink satin bow on her waist.

"You did?" Delia gasped. "Well you have quite the eye for fashion!"

"Like my aunties!" Elizabeth laughed.

"Oh no, is she complimenting my sisters again?"

Delia smirked as she looked over her shoulder. "Is that becoming a habit?"

"She's always been pretty enamored with them, but the more words she learns, the more vocal she gets about it," Misty groaned, stepping into the living room with her arms crossed. "It's becoming a little disheartening."

"I'm sure she's got lots of nice things to say about her mommy too!" Delia assured the gym leader before turning back towards her granddaughter. "Right, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth quickly nodded her head. "Mommy is the prettiest and the smartest and the nicest!"

Misty cooed and knelt down beside the little girl, pulling her into a hug. "Okay, that totally makes up for it!"

Delia laughed softly at the exchange. "She adores you; no doubt about it!"

"I adore her too!" Misty crooned, pulling away from her daughter and gently holding her face in her hands instead. "Are you ready to go to the Easter egg hunt, sprinkle?"

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth chirped. "But I wish Denny and Shelly were coming too."

At this, Misty and Delia both frowned. They had all missed Aiden and Michelle since they'd left on their journey, but Elizabeth had been hit particularly hard. She'd had her older brother and sister around her entire life, after all, and idolized both of them. Now that they were both out of the house, she couldn't play with them or follow after them. Elizabeth was generally a very happy little girl, but it was clear that she was experiencing quite a bit of sadness because of her older siblings' absence.

"We wish they were too," Misty softly replied, brushing back some of Elizabeth's dark red hair. "But I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with the other kids! And I bet you'll win too, with everything Aiden and Michelle have taught you about the Easter egg hunt."

That didn't seem to make Elizabeth feel any better. Forcing a smile onto her face, Misty reached for her daughter's bright pink Easter basket (which the child had already emptied of all its contents) and handed it over to the little girl.

"You'll also have the prettiest basket in the whole park thanks to the Easter Buneary," Misty giggled.

Elizabeth's eyes suddenly snapped open, a look of terror set deeply in them. "What if the Easter Buneary didn't find them?!"

"Find who, sweetheart?" Delia asked kindly.

"Denny and Shelly!" Elizabeth cried. "They're moving around too much! What about their baskets?!"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, little one!" Delia giggled. "The Easter Buneary left their baskets here with yours. They'll get them as soon as they come to visit!"

Elizabeth, however, was still frowning. "Why can't they visit now?"

Delia and Misty both hesitated as they tried to formulate an appropriate answer. Fortunately for them, they didn't have to come up with anything, as Pikachu came darting into the room like a fuzzy yellow rocket, distracting Elizabeth completely. He made a beeline for the basket in the little girl's hands and jumped right in, grinning up at the child. In turn, Elizabeth's smile finally returned, and she let out a few small giggles.

"Looks like you're all ready to go!"

Elizabeth looked up from Pikachu and, much to Misty and Delia's relief, her smile widened.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth squealed, gently putting her basket down as she scurried up to him and grabbed onto his leg.

Ash chuckled as he knelt down to lift the little girl up in his arms. "Is my pretty little girl going to kick all the other kids' butts?"

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth laughed.

"Ash!" Misty hissed.

"Come on, Mist, I don't mean literally," Ash teased.

"I would hope not," Misty grumbled.

Ash smirked at his daughter, who giggled again at the look. "We're just playing. Right, Lizzie?"

"Yep!" the little girl confirmed.

"Right, everything to you is play, play, play," Misty sighed, although her lips were twitching into a smile. "Did you get Elizabeth's sweater like I asked?"

"I did," Ash replied. "I hung it up on the end of the railing."

"Thank you!" Misty chirped, getting to her feet. "Come on, Lizzie. Let's get your sweater and your shoes on, and then we can head over to the park."

"I don't wanna wear that," Elizabeth whined, pointing at the light pink cardigan.

"Lizzie, it's not that warm out," Misty patiently informed her daughter, taking the sweater into her hands. "You have to."

"I don't wanna!" Elizabeth cried. "Daddy, tell Mommy I don't hafta!"

Ash smiled sympathetically at his young daughter. "Sorry, pumpkin, I'm with Mommy on this one! It's a little chilly out there."

Elizabeth whined and tossed her head back, obviously upset that she wasn't getting her way.

"Do you really think throwing a fit over your sweater is worth missing the Easter egg hunt for?" Misty asked the fussy child, folding her arms.

Frowning, Elizabeth shook her head.

"Alright, then let's just put it on and get going," Misty sighed, holding the cardigan out. Elizabeth stretched her arms, allowing her mother to slip it over her arms. "There! It goes very nice with your dress."

Elizabeth, however, was not placated by her mother's compliment. With the scowl still on her face, Elizabeth glanced up at her father and stated, "I wanna go down."

"Oh, uh…okay," Ash murmured, placing the child on the floor.

She quickly scurried over to her basket, lifting it up. Pikachu watched the girl, and when he sensed her displeasure, he jumped out of the basket and onto her shoulder, giving her a small lick on the cheek.

"She was so happy when I first walked in here," Ash fretted. "How come she got moody all of a sudden?"

"I wouldn't say it was all of a sudden," Misty sighed.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Elizabeth started to think about Aiden and Michelle and got very upset," Delia replied, moving in closer to her son and daughter-in-law. "She was wishing she could go to the egg hunt with them, and then she was worried about them not being able to get their Easter baskets."

"Poor thing," Ash sighed, glancing over at his daughter. "I know how she feels. I just wish there was a way we could make her feel better."

"This might sound bad, but have you two ever tried bribing her when she gets this way?" Delia questioned. "You know, buying her ice cream or some candy?"

"Unfortunately, when she gets in these moods, all she wants is Aiden and Michelle," Misty groaned. "If she's that upset about it, she'll flat out say she doesn't want that kind of stuff."

"That's when we know it's serious," Ash added.

"Well…maybe the egg hunt will be a good distraction!" Delia suggested, her face lighting up. "There are so many other kids there, and Elizabeth is such a friendly and outgoing little girl. And I do know she is competitive, just like her father!"

Ash's eyebrow ticked up. "I think you mean her mother."

Misty, on the other hand, smirked and rolled her eyes. "Don't be so uptight. We're equally responsible for that."

"Guess you're right," Ash relented, smirking as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Can we go now?"

The adults looked down, and were surprised to find that Elizabeth had toddled closer to them, her head tilted with Pikachu still on her shoulder.

"Of course, sweetie," Misty replied sweetly, smiling at the girl. "Let's head to the park!"

XXX

Fortunately, once they got there, Elizabeth seemed to have forgotten her misery over her older siblings. At least, she was having enough fun not to show it for the time being.

She had pretty much run away from the adults as soon as they got there, although Pikachu had accompanied the girl in order to keep an eye on her. Ash, Misty, and Delia stayed back with the other adults, chatting as they watched the children of Pallet Town hunt for Easter eggs. It wasn't long until Elizabeth was back in their sightline, however, and the smile on her face was very much visible from where they stood.

"Looks like the egg hunt did the trick!" Delia crowed.

"You were right, though I'm not surprised," Misty giggled. "You always know exactly what you're talking about, Delia!"

"I wouldn't say that," Delia laughed nervously.

"There's nothing not to love about the egg hunt!" Ash chimed in. "It's got everything! Candy, competition, hanging out with friends…"

"Ash always got distracted by Pokémon in the grass over the eggs," Delia sighed, shaking her head. "The he'd come back with only a handful of eggs and be so upset."

Misty snorted, and Ash quickly adopted a look of panic. "Mom! That's not true!"

"Oh Ash, no need to get so worked up!" Delia assured him with a smile. "You were just a little boy! I found it to be awfully cute."

Ash grumbled and looked up stubbornly towards the sky, while Misty winked at her mother-in-law. "I always love your stories. That's how I know everything you say is gold!"

"Look how many eggs I got!"

Elizabeth was racing towards her family, excitedly holding out her pink basket. Pikachu was running alongside the girl, a bright purple plastic egg in his mouth.

"How many?" Ash asked with a chuckle, finally looking down as he leaned forward to get a better look in his daughter's basket.

"I dunno," Elizabeth replied. "I can't count that high!"

When Ash saw the inside of the basket, his eyes widened almost comically. "Man, you weren't kidding!"

"I don't do that, Daddy!" Elizabeth giggled.

Misty and Delia took a look as well, surprise crossing both of their faces.

"My, that's impressive!" Delia breathed.

"You found those all on your own, Lizzie?" Misty asked.

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth chirped. "Well, Pikachu helped me. But it was just us!"

Pikachu dropped the purple egg by his feet and joyfully squeaked, "pi-ka!"

"You two sure do make a great team!" Misty commented.

"It's also because I taught her exactly how to win this thing."

Elizabeth blinked and looked between her mother and father, while the adults all looked over their shoulders. Before any of them could react, Elizabeth squealed and ran between her parents, attaching herself to a single leg.

"Aiden!" She shrieked.

"Aiden?!" The adults gasped.

"Oh, good, you all remember my name!" Aiden chuckled. "I was worried about that."

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Misty stammered, frozen in place. "And where is Michelle?"

"I'm right here!"

Michelle was huffing and puffing as she pulled up next to Aiden, glaring at him. "We would've gotten here together if he hadn't run off like a lunatic."

"It's not my fault," Aiden calmly argued. "You were going too slow!"

"Michelle!" Elizabeth squealed, reaching out for her older sister's leg and pulling it in close to her brother's.

"Hi, Lizzie!" Michelle giggled, quickly dropping her irritation towards Aiden. "Did we surprise you?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled. "A whole lot!"

"Pi-kachu!" Pikachu cheered, darting towards the two older children.

Pichu, who had been sitting atop Michelle's shoulder, smiled and jumped down to greet her evolved form, the two mouse Pokémon rubbing their noses together.

"I know I already asked, but what are you two doing here?" Misty asked. "I mean, not that I'm not happy. I'm thrilled! But still…"

"We decided it'd be fun to come home for Easter and see everyone," Michelle explained.

"Yeah, it's not really as fun to celebrate holidays away from you guys," Aiden added. "Michelle and I are lucky because we have each other, but it's still not the same."

"Oh, how sweet!" Delia crooned.

"Yeah, that was really thoughtful of you guys!" Ash added. "Lizzie was really upset about you two being gone this morning."

"Aw, you were?" Michelle asked her younger sister.

Elizabeth nodded her head. "I was worried about your baskets! But it's okay, they're at Grammy's house! The Easter Buneary left them there for you."

"See?" Aiden chuckled. "He knows what he's doing!"

"I hope this wasn't too big of a surprise," Michelle murmured, watching as Elizabeth started to dig through her expansive collection of Easter eggs. "I know Grammy always cooks a nice dinner, and there might not be enough food…"

"Michelle, have you ever met your grandmother?" Ash chuckled. "She makes enough food to feed all of Pallet Town!"

"There's plenty of food for all of us," Delia agreed. "But that's the least of my concerns! I'm just so happy the two of you are home! Even just for a little bit."

"Us too," Michelle giggled, happy that they weren't causing any trouble for their family.

"Elizabeth might just be the happiest of us all," Misty remarked, watching as the little girl opened up a bright blue egg to show Aiden its contents.

"Grammy!"

Delia hummed and glanced over at Elizabeth. "Yes, sweetie?"

"-member this morning I was telling you all the bestest parts of Easter?" Elizabeth asked.

"I sure do!"

"I lied," Elizabeth chirped, much to her grandmother's surprise. That changed, however, when Elizabeth motioned towards her older siblings. "This is the bestest part!"

Delia sighed happily and beamed at her youngest granddaughter. "It sure is!"