I feel bad posting so late for Elizabeth's birthday! I've seriously been losing track of time with how busy I've been. But fortunately, I've finally got it finished, and I'm excited to share it with you all!

Aiden and Michelle: 8 and a half years old

Elizabeth: 2 and a half years old


Birthday Dreams

"Happy birfday to me! Happy birfday to me! Happy birfday to meeeeee…happy birfday to me!"

Elizabeth started to giggle as soon as she finished singing, lifting her stuffed Teddiursa above her head. "Didja know dat, Teddi? Is my birfday!"

The toy's head slumped to the side, as though it were intrigued by what the little girl was saying.

"I'm th-ee," Elizabeth continued, lowering the bear and sitting it in her lap instead. "Dat means I'm a big girl!"

"Lizzie!"

The child squeaked and looked up from her toy, beaming once her mother walked into the room. "Mommy!"

Misty giggled. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you! It's time we get you into bed."

Elizabeth frowned. "No, I no s-eep on my birfday!"

Smirking, Misty reminded her daughter, "your birthday isn't for another two days, but nice try, sprinkle!"

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. "Mommy, my birfday is now!"

"No, it isn't," Misty calmly argued. "I know you're excited, but you just have to wait a little while longer!"

"But I tol- Teddi is today," Elizabeth whined, looking down forlornly at her precious stuffed Pokémon.

"Your birthday?" Misty clarified, causing Elizabeth to nod. "That's alright, I'm sure he understands you were just excited and had a little mix up!"

"Kay," Elizabeth murmured, giving Teddi a hug.

Smiling, Misty knelt down and picked the toddler up in her arms. "You're so sweet with that big heart of yours! Mommy loves that about you."

"S-eet," Elizabeth repeated, rubbing her nose against the top of Teddi's head.

"Yes, sweet," Misty giggled. "Come on, let's get you upstairs for bedtime."

"No bed," Elizabeth whined begrudgingly as her mother began to carry her up the stairs.

"Yes, bed," Misty countered. "Think of it this way, Lizzie: when you wake up in the morning, you'll be even closer to your birthday!"

Elizabeth pondered this for a moment before squeaking, "mo-wo?"

"Yeah, once you wake up in the morning, then your birthday will only be one day away!"

That seemed to appeal to the child, because she finally stopped protesting about being taken to her room. Misty was able to successfully get the toddler into her bed, giving her daughter a kiss atop her head before leaving.

Just as she was descending the stairs, the front door opened, Ash walking through it with a sleeping Pikachu slumped over his shoulder. As soon as he saw Misty coming downstairs, Ash frowned, knowing exactly what that meant. "Aw man. Did you already put Lizzie to bed?"

Misty smiled sympathetically. "I did. But don't worry, you can still go up and say goodnight to her! It hasn't even been five minutes yet; there's no way she's asleep yet."

"Okay, good," Ash sighed before carefully removing Pikachu from his shoulder.

Misty giggled and cooed, "aw, but someone else is! He must've been exhausted."

"Yeah, we did a whole lot of training today," Ash confirmed with a low chuckle. "The car ride back totally knocked him out!"

"I'll look after him while you're upstairs with Lizzie," Misty offered, taking the mouse from her husband before he had a chance to respond. "There's nothing better than a sleeping, fluffy Pokémon after all!"

"Now you sound like Lizzie," Ash scoffed, though he was smiling at her eagerness.

"Of course; she is my daughter, even if she takes more after you," Misty giggled, brushing past Ash and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Ash chuckled before walking up the stairs, heading right to Elizabeth's room. As soon as he pushed the door open, however, he was less than surprised to see Elizabeth out of her bed and playing with her stuffed Pokémon in the corner.

"Lizzie…" Ash warned in a sing song voice, catching the toddler's attention. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I wasn- doin- nothin-," Elizabeth softly refuted, turning back towards her toys.

"Yes you are," Ash chuckled, stepping fully into the room. "You're playing when you're supposed to be sleeping!"

He scooped his daughter up with ease, eliciting a small whine from her. "Daddy, I don- wanna go to bed."

"How come?"

"Cause is almost my birfday."

"I know it is! And that's super exciting! But you're going to be really tired on your birthday if you keep trying to avoid bedtime."

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh."

Elizabeth pouted as Ash placed her back in her bed, grumbling, "how come Denny an- Shelly don- gotta go to bed?"

"Because they're older," Ash replied, kneeling beside the bed so he was at Elizabeth's level.

"But I'm older too!" Elizabeth cried, suddenly sounding much clearer than Ash was used to hearing her. He smirked. It figured she would get most passionate when she felt like she was getting the short end of the stick. She might have predominantly taken after him, but Misty was definitely in there too.

"You are, but they're older than you," Ash stressed. "When they were your age, this is also when they went to bed!"

Elizabeth didn't look like she believed him. "P-omise?"

"Yes, I promise," Ash assured her. "And once you're their age, you'll be able to stay up as late as they do! Which…still isn't much later than you, to be honest."

"Kay," Elizabeth murmured, her pout softening.

Smirking, Ash picked up Teddi, whom Elizabeth had left slumped in the corner of her bed, and danced the stuffed bear over to the girl, who tried to appear disinterested but was clearly watching out of the corner of her eye. In a split second, Ash lifted the toy and pressed its muzzle against Elizabeth's cheek, making repeated kissy noises as he wildly twisted the plush around. Unable to help herself, Elizabeth burst into a fit of giggles and squeals, rapidly shaking her head as she cried, "no, Daddy! Is silly!"

"I'm silly?" Ash asked over his daughter's fervent laughter. "Teddi is the one giving you all those kisses, not me!"

Shrugging her right shoulder to separate the toy from her cheek, Elizabeth then gazed up at her father, her emerald eyes shining as she reached up towards him. Smiling, Ash gently put down Teddi and instead lifted his daughter once more, giving her a kiss on the cheek himself. The toddler sighed contently and wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, her grip slowly loosening as she began to relax.

"Okay," Ash sighed, patting the girl's back. "Now it's bedtime."

He laid her back down and found that her eyes were fluttering, the girl clearly trying to fight off the sleepiness that had finally overtaken her. Chuckling softly, Ash moved Teddi closer to Elizabeth, who was just coherent enough to pull the bear into her arms. Once she was settled with her stuffed companion, Ash carefully tucked his daughter in, whispered her a gentle, "good night, pumpkin," and gave her a final kiss on the forehead before quietly sneaking out of her room.

Downstairs, Misty was sitting on the couch, the sleeping Pikachu resting on her lap. She smiled contently as she stroked the fur on the mouse's head, and when she looked up and saw Ash, her smile only strengthened.

"Is she asleep?"

"Yeah, now she is," Ash sighed laughingly, taking a seat beside his wife. "I found her playing on the floor when I got up there."

Misty's smile instantly dissolved. "Again?!"

"Yep."

"Ugh, this is becoming a nightly thing," Misty groaned. "We really need to find a way to stop her from doing it."

"Yeah," Ash agreed slowly. "Just…maybe not so close to her birthday?"

Misty smirked at her sheepish husband. "I didn't say we had to have an emergency meeting about it tonight, you know."

Ash blushed. "Err…yeah, I know that! Just…making sure."

Misty giggled. "Trust me, I know how important Elizabeth's birthday is to her! She keeps trying to push it up, after all."

Ash chuckled at the comment. "Yeah, it is pretty cute!"

"It is," Misty calmly agreed. "But I think the only person who's more excited for her birthday than her is you."

"Me?" Ash asked, pointing at himself.

"Yes, you!" Misty laughed. "Always making sure that none of us are doing anything to impose on it. It's sweet!"

Ash groaned and clutched the back of his neck, his blush intensifying. "Come on, you make me sound like I'm crazy!"

"I do not!" Misty playfully argued. "I said it's sweet! You're such a good daddy, if not one who spoils his children beyond belief."

"Yeah, yeah," Ash hastily replied, eager to get off the subject. "Hey, where are Aiden and Michelle? I haven't seen them at all since I got home."

"They're downstairs," Misty replied, nodding towards the basement door. "Doing what I have no idea."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound good."

Misty sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "It can't be that bad…right?"

Ash shot her an incredulous look. Before he could add the comment that was meant to go along with it, Aiden came shooting up the stairs, his hands pressed together. "Mom, can you help me out?"

"With what?" Misty asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Getting my hands unstuck," Aiden calmly replied, holding them out towards his mother as her eyes widened.

"Why are they stuck?!" Misty gasped, grabbing her son's wrists and moving just enough to inadvertently awaken Pikachu.

"I didn't mean to do it, don't listen to him!"

Ash smirked as Michelle barreled up the stairs, running so fast that she nearly sent herself stumbling once she reached the top. All of the additional ruckus roused Pikachu fully, and the mouse unhappily grumbled as he slunk off of Misty's lap and plopped himself down beside her instead with a noisy huff.

"Aiden hasn't said anything about why his hands are stuck together like that," Ash informed his daughter, who quickly went pale at the revelation. "What did you think he was saying to us?"

"Um…nothing?" Michelle lamely answered, hiding her own hands behind her back.

"Michelle," Misty sighed, "what happened?"

Groaning, Michelle sagged her shoulders and admitted, "we were working on a birthday present for Lizzie, but the regular craft glue wasn't working well enough, so we switched to super glue instead. And Aiden said I was the one who was better at making stuff, so he told me to use the glue while he held what we were gluing down in place. But I didn't realize how runny it was and it got all over his hands, and before I could tell him to stop, he clapped them together and…now they're stuck."

Grinning at his parents, Aiden added, "I think it's kind of cool!"

"You would," Misty breathed with a laugh, releasing her son's wrists. "Don't worry; we can fix it!"

"Thank goodness," Michelle sighed, pressing a hand against her chest. "I thought I broke him!"

"Really?" Misty teased as she got to her feet. "I thought that's been yours and your brother's plan for each other for years now!"

"Nuh uh!" Michelle cried. "He might get on my nerves, but I'm not that crazy."

"And how come I got dragged into that comment?" Aiden demanded with a scowl. "I'm the one who's got his hands glued together here!"

Ash chuckled. "Don't worry, you two. Mom was teasing me about being crazy before, so you probably just get it from me!"

"I never said you were crazy!" Misty groaned before disappearing into the kitchen, off to look for something that would unstick Aiden's hands from one another.

"Why'd you think Mom was saying you were crazy?" Aiden inquired, tilting his head.

"Because I was so worried about her trying to discourage one of your little sister's bad habits so close to her birthday," Ash sheepishly admitted. "You know how excited she is about it!"

"Yeah, cause she tells us every single day," Aiden laughed. "Actually, I think she tells us every hour."

"Aw, come on, it's cute!" Michelle countered. "She just wants to be a big kid like us. That's why she likes her birthday so much! Because it just means she's getting closer to actually being one."

"Good point," Ash mused. "And clearly you guys know how much it means to her, because you've been working on a gift for her! What is it, anyway?"

Michelle's eyebrow twitch as her lips bent into a frown, which Ash noted was a near perfect match for what Misty did when he asked her the wrong question. "You know we can't tell you that, Daddy! It's a surprise!"

"But it's a surprise for your little sister," Ash pressed. Just like when his wife gave him that same disapproving look, he did not know when to stop pushing. "You can tell me! I'll keep it a secret!"

"No, you won't," Michelle calmly refuted, folding her arms. "If Lizzie finds out and asks you, you'll totally break down and tell her! You always do!"

Ash scoffed. "Aiden, you don't agree with her, do you?"

The boy appeared somewhat embarrassed, but finally conceded, "you do tend to melt into one huge puddle around her."

"You know it's true when Aiden and Michelle both agree on it."

Ash glared at Misty as she reentered the living room. "Your timing is unbelievable."

"Thank you, it's a gift!" Misty chirped, winking at her flustered husband before whipping out a bottle of nail polish remover. "Alright, Aiden. This should do the trick in getting your hands unstuck."

"How's that gonna work?" Aiden inquired, scrunching his nose up.

"Oh, because there's acetone in it!" Michelle breathed in realization, beaming at her mother who nodded to confirm.

"Acid tone?" Aiden incorrectly repeated before a huge smile broke out on his own face. "Cool!"

"Not quite…" Michelle sighed, shaking her head.

"Hey! Stop havin- fun wifout me!"

Ash and Misty both groaned simultaneously, while Aiden and Michelle both whipped their heads towards the staircase. Elizabeth was standing at the top step, Teddi clutched in her arms as she scowled at the rest of her family.

"No one is having fun, pumpkin," Ash sighed, standing up to approach the steps. "Especially not without you!"

That assurance did nothing to soften Elizabeth's glare. "You're all laughin-!"

"Is that what woke you up?" Misty presumed. Elizabeth nodded, this time turning her sharp look onto her mother. "Alright…"

She handed the nail polish remover over to Michelle, promising the girl that she'd be right back for it. Trudging up the stairs, Misty continued in a soft yet still firm voice, "I'm sorry that we disturbed you, sweetheart. But you really need to get back to bed. This is already the second time you've gotten out of it, and I don't want there to be a third. Understand?"

Elizabeth nodded silently as her mother made it to the top of the stairs, picking the girl up in her arms. Once she was being held, however, the toddler caught sight of her older brother with his hands pressed together, and that managed to transform her irritation into curiosity.

"Why's Denny's hands look like dat?" Elizabeth chirped, pointing at him.

Aiden cast a horrified glance down towards his hands and quickly tried to hide them behind his neck, causing Michelle to roll her eyes.

"Oh, he just did something silly, that's all," Misty refuted. "That's the only reason we were laughing!"

"What silly?" Elizabeth prodded.

"He got a little glue on his hands," Misty replied, trying to carry the girl back to her room. "No big deal!"

"Why's he usin- glue?"

"Just…for a project."

"But dere's no school!"

"It's a project for fun!"

"…Denny doesn't do dat!"

Aiden nodded and confirmed, "it's true," before yelping in pain as Michelle stepped on his foot.

"What's he makin-?" Elizabeth continued, leaning in closer to her mother's face. "Is Shelly helpin- him? Is you and Daddy helpin- him? Is dat why ev-body was laughin-?"

"Yep, that's exactly why!" Misty rushed out. "No more questions, Elizabeth. Bedtime!"

"But I wanna know what ev-body is makin-! How come I don't getta he-p?"

Misty let out a frustrated sigh. "Because you're supposed to be in bed!"

Frowning, Elizabeth turned her head towards her father. "Daddy, can I he-p? P-ease?"

Ash drew in his breath, and instantly caught glares from the rest of the family. They all knew what he was thinking, and the looks on their faces were another one he was quite familiar with: warning him to not give in to Elizabeth's pleading.

"Not tonight, Lizzie," Ash hesitantly replied. "Mommy is right; you were supposed to be in bed a while ago."

"But is – "

"Almost your birthday, we know," Aiden groaned, throwing his head back.

Elizabeth glowered before asking, "can I he-p mo-wo?"

"Maybe," Misty replied, hoping that might be good enough to get the toddler back into bed. "Now will you go to sleep?"

Diffidently, Elizabeth nodded her head and allowed her mother to carry her back to her room. Once they were gone, Michelle giggled and crowed, "good job, Daddy! You actually didn't tell Lizzie our secret!"

"Trust me, it wasn't easy," Ash sighed, hanging his head. "You know how easy it is for you guys to wear me down! I'd do anything for you three."

"That's nice," Aiden chirped before spinning around to face his father and Michelle, holding his hands up in front of his face. "So, if that's true, could you please help me now?!"


Elizabeth is super precocious, and the older she gets, the more she tries to imitate Aiden and Michelle because she thinks they're so cool. That's really the main reason she won't sleep: because she knows her big siblings aren't :P