Cerulean Woman originally Life's Zenith by AideenCato004 PART FOUR They didn't so much as say it as they dove into it. Misty made the first move but Ash was just far too tall. Had he not felt the same way, I don't think Misty could have gotten that first kiss. Ash helped Misty to connect with him, taking her face in his hands and bringing his lips to hers. It was simple and sweet but had enough power to steal one's breath from their chest and leave them weak in the midst of their actions. Misty could hardly believe that Ash was kissing her back. She was near tears when he pulled her closer to him. They broke the kiss only to enjoy the company of another in their arms. "Was that it?" Ash asked after his breath slowed to a steady pace. Misty's mouth dropped open in disbelief, pulling away to confront him. "I waited all those years for that?"Ash asked mischievously, still holding onto her hips. "W-what's that supposed to mean?" She asked as her face turned beet red. "I'll take that as a yes..." Ash laughed and pressed his forehead to her own. "And now I got somethin' to tell you." Ash turned around, pulling Misty with him into a dip. From what light was allowed into his room from the hallway, Ash watched as Misty's eyes widened in shock. "I hope I did it right. I've never done that before." Ash laughed as Misty joined him with a smile. When Ash finished laughing, Misty pulled him closer to her and kissed him again--this time more deeply. Ash was so overwhelmed by the kiss that he nearly dropped Misty onto the floor. When he almost did Misty clung to him for dear life. Ash couldn't hold the dip much longer and fell with her instead. "Ow..." Misty hissed. "Sorry. I'm such a klutz." "I like that your a klutz." Misty giggled and nudged into his chest. Ash held her and he smiled while he rocked her from side to side. After a minute or two passed, the rocking worked it's magic on the both of them. Misty yawned and rubbed her eyes as Ash pulled away to stretch out his arms lazily. "So sleepy..." Misty whispered. Ash kissed her forehead and held out his hand. Misty looked at it in question. "Would you keep me warm tonight?" Ash offered. Misty nodded with a smile and took his hand. Ash led her over to his bed and let her climb in first. He followed her when she got comfortable and snuggled in close with her. In minutes they were sound asleep. "The house looks exactly how I left it. Good job, kids!" Delia cried out. Delia and Dan had finally arrived back home after three days of vacation just in time for bed. This gave Ash and Misty enough time to be alone and enjoy one another's company without any disturbances. "Ah... it was nothing!" Ash replied. Misty had been trying to fight back a yawn for the past couple of minutes and it finally surfaced. "Oh dear! Did you get any sleep at all?" Delia fussed. "No IÕm fine. We just stayed up last night. I'll be fine." Delia took MistyÕs hand and led her into the kitchen. "How was everything while we were gone?" "Everything was great!" "Positive? Anything you wanna fill me in on? Anything at all?" "Everything is alright. Really." Misty answered and Delia found no lie in it. She did notice something different going on but she hadn't picked up on it yet. She would eventually. She thanked Misty for filling her in and sent her off to bed. She followed Misty back into the living room and in on the conversation that had been taking place between the boys. Dan was laughing and so was Ash, apparantly they had shared a joke, or maybe Dan shared a joke. He had picked up a few good ones on the trip and was now sharing it with his son, who was old enough to hear almost any joke in the world. This was probably one of those X rated jokes, judging from the tears in their eyes. Delia laughed to herself as Misty started up the stairs. Ash looked up at her and they exchanged glances that only they understood. Of course, being the mother that she was, Delia caught onto this and approached Ash when Misty was safely out of earshot. It was his job to tell them anyway. Delia wasn't upset with Misty--she would get what she wanted out of Ash. "So, Ash, how were things while we were away?" "Everything was great! Misty and I had lots of fun. We went to the carnival and to the library. We even went to the beach to look for constellations in the sky with this book we borrowed from the library. It was actually very fun." Ash answered honestly. "So, Ash, you land one on her yet?" His father joked and nudged Ash with his elbow. Instead of the complaints following such a tease, Ash smiled to himself. "Oh, no." Delia groaned. "You two didn't do anything that you shouldn't have did you?" "Misty and I? No..." Ash laughed. "But I did plant one on her." "You kissed her?!" Delia couldn't believe her ears. She didn't know if she wanted whop her son upside his head or to smother him with bear hugs. Women are very emotional creatures as we all know. "I didn't just kiss her." Ash began with a chuckle. "I kissed her a lot." "Atta boy, Ash!" Dan cheered and gave Ash a hearty pound on the back. "Now, Dan, don't encourage him." Delia told her husband worriedly and quickly looked to her son. "I know you are an adult, Ash, so I trust you'll be responsible." Ash nodded understandingly. "I'm done talking with you. Now, go up to bed." Ash's eyes widened slightly. "You think I'm joking? Get up there and go to sleep! Misty's so tired she can bearly carry on a conversation--don't make her wait any longer! Go-go-go!" "Y-yes, ma'am!" Ash laughed with a grin so big you'd think it was horribly drawn onto his face and was about to bound up the stairs when his mother stopped him. "And another thing... no funny business!" "..." Ash's mouth gaped, speechless. "The boy is 24, Delia." Dan reminded his wife. "The man is 41, Ash." Delia told her son sarcastically and the turned to her husband. "Dan, I can handle this." "I know, Dear, but... Ash is a grown man now. He's in love. Would you want your mother telling you to keep it all bottled up inside? Eventually it'll get ugly. You gotta let the boy go, Delia. He's not a baby anymore." "Well, I never thought of that..." Delia replied quietly and looked around. "You're right. I can already picture us moving exercise equipment into his empty bedroom. The way my mother did when I moved out." She stared off into space as she thought to herself. "Uh... mom?" Ash asked and waited for a response. When he received nothing, he shook his head and turned toward the steps. "You guys are weird..." "Just be discreet." Dan told Ash. Ash nodded and headed up the stairs to Misty. She was a vision of loveliness, sleeping in his bed to the far corner of the room. Her hair was scattered all over the pillow like fiery water wrapping around stone as it was taken downward by gravity. Ash sighed dreamily and closed the door slowly as not to wake her. When he did this his breath was taken again by another spectacle that would probably haunt his thoughts of her forever. The moon peeked through the drapes from his window, as if it weren't allowed to see- -but did so anywasy out of curiosity--framing her face gently trying not to wake her. Her skin was pale in it's light, accenting every curve and the softness of her bare skin. Breathtaking, Ash thought to himself. Ash wanted to join her in this heavenly light, for it looked so relaxing where she went off to dream. He took in a deep breath to encourage himself and walked over to her like a lovesick peasant would approach a princess that he couldn't possess. The radio played country tunes softly from it's place on the nightstand. Misty must have started to listen while she waited for him. Misty did like sleeping with the radio on sometimes. Smiling, he knelt beside Misty and placed a kiss on her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open slightly and her face gave a sleepy look of question as she looked into his deep brown eyes. "Ash...?" She said with a smile, touching his cheek softly. "If you were that tired you should have gone to bed a long time ago, Misty." Ash told her sternly, his voice letting Misty know he was actually worried about her. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see them home." Misty sighed and stretched a little. Ash leaned in to kiss her and was pulled into bed. "At least come closer so I can fall asleep while I do this." She said playfully, returning his kiss. "Don't be silly. I would have eventually joined you anyway. But I can't argue..." Ash grinned and kissed her gently on her neck. Since she hadn't protested, he continued down to her collar bone. "Easy there." Misty nudged her face into his chest sleepily as Ash pulled the covers over them. It's not like it had never gone through his mind. He'd do anything for her, even that if she wanted him to. Ash didn't care how close or far off that time was. He still had her. This is the way life should be, hr thought to himself. Ash didn't fall asleep right away, even though Misty's deep breathing lulled him to droop his eye lids a few times. He wanted to savor this moment and listened instead to the NoctowlÕs night calls and the crickets chirping outside his window. Then he remembered that the radio had been on, he reached over and turned it up a little. He caught the end of some song and the host started to laugh as the music faded. [That was The Oakland Boys, Thank God for kids. Such a wonderful song... a lot of good songs this year. Before that we had Kenney Chesney's-I Go Back playing several times today upon request. That's such a popular song. Don't overdo it, guys! Anyway, here's a lil' diddy I'd like all you lovers out there to listen to. While you hold each other and just enjoy the company for the night. Another song before I leave and go home myself, Kenney Chesney's The Good Stuff. See y'all tomorrow. I'm outta here...] The song started to play and Ash listened attentively, feeling his eyes drooping once more. [Well, me n my lady had our first big fight So, I drove around til I saw the neon light Of a corner bar, it just seemed right So I pulled up Not a soul around but the ol' barkeep Down at the end and lookin half asleep But he walked up and said, "What'll it be?" I said, "The good stuff." He didn't reach around for the whiskey He didn't pour me a beer His blue eyes kinda went misty He said, "You can't find that here, Cos it's the first long kiss on a second date Mama's all worried when ya get home late And droppin the ring on the spaghetti plate Cos your hands are shakin so much It's the way she looks with the rice n her hair Eatin burnt suppers the whole first year And askin for seconds, to keep her from tearing up Yeah, man, that's the good stuff..." He grabbed a carton of milk and he poured a glass I smiled and said, "I'll have some of that." We sat there and tallked as an hour passed Like old friends. I saw a black and white picture and he caught my stare It was a pretty girl with bouffant hair He said, "That's my Bonnie, taken about a year after we wed." He said, "Spent five years in the bottle, When the cancer took her from me. But I've been sober three years now, Cos the one thing stronger than the whiskey, Was the sight o her holdin my baby girl The way she adored that string of pearls I gave her the day our youngest boy Earl Married his high school love. And it's a new t-shirt sayin, "I'm a grampa!" Bein right there as our time got small And holdin' her hand When the good lord called her up. Yeah, man, that's the good stuff." He said, "When you get home, she'll start to cry When she says, "I'm sorry." say, "So am I." Look into those eyes, so deep in love. And drink it up... 'Cos that's the good stuff... That's the good stuff...."] What a wonderful smell it was, filling Ash's nostrils so that he was nearly brought out of slumber. He fought to stay asleep because he was in the middle of kissing Misty on a moonlit beach. His goofy smile invaded the urge to race out of bed and down the stairs to woof down his mother's cooking. He felt Misty near him in dream and real life and gave her a soft squeeze. Then the blinds shot up with a clash that a deaf man could have heard a mile away, only it seemed that way because it had been so quiet, and light blinded him through his eye lids. "Rise and shine, sleepy-heads!" Delia's voice reverberated off his walls who silently witnessed the torture of morning. Ash cursed himself inwardly for not locking his bedroom door. Misty hide herself under the covers and brought her lips to his ear. "Does she know or am I in for a toungue lashing?" Misty whispered worriedly. "She knows... now let's ignore her." He whispered back. He then felt the cover begin to snag at the bottom end. "Am I going to regret whipping this off of you two or are you guys decent?" She said hopefully but knew it was alright--since she whipped it off anyway. The cold morning air rushed in on Ash and Misty and they gasped; their eyes opened wide in an insane expression of disbelief. "MOM!" Ash babbled sleepily in aggravation. "It's almost noon, time to wake up!" Delia announced and carried the cover out to the hallway, where she left it, and skipped downstairs to the kitchen. Ash sighed in defeat and glared at the ceiling. "Aw... are you angry now?" Misty laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ash turned to her and pulled her close to him. "Me want sleep... keep Ash warm." Misty giggled and kissed his forehead gently. "I want to get out of the house today." She breathed and closed her eyes, as if to go to sleep again. "There's nothing going on, it's Sunday." Ash smiled inwardly. She has no idea how adorable she is, he thought. "Oh..." Misty answered, half with him. "We could go to the beach, I guess. Swim or something." "Yeah... that'd be fun." Misty nuzzled his chest and sighed. Ash rubbed his face in her hair, taking in her smell. Strawberry. He loved that smell. His stomach growled, ruining the moment. Misty looked up at him pretending to pout and Ash grinned back--hoping he'd be forgiven. "Let's go eat, I'm starving." Misty smiled, kissed him, and shivered as she turned away, rolling out of bed. Ash jumped to his feet and retrieved a sweater from his closet. Misty thanked him as he handed it to her and pulled it on. They headed downstairs, hand in hand, ready to face the day.