Olive
Back in Black
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2014
- Messages
- 930
- Reaction score
- 167
“Is the table set?” a blonde-haired man called as he pulled a casserole from an oven.
“How much longer till he gets here,” a woman’s voice replied from upstairs.
“Um…” Clemont ignored the abrupt change of topic and cast a quick glance at his watch, revealing it was two minutes to eight. “Any minute now. And don’t worry about the table, I forget I already set it.”
He paused to wait for a clever quip back. When none came he went back to double checking the dinner spread.
“Ready?” he called upstairs, trying not to sound urgent.
“I think so,” came the tired reply as a young woman with honey brown hair proceeded down the staircase. “So… What do you think?”
“I think that I must be the luckiest man in the whole world,” he answered a little breathlessly. “You look amazing, Serena.”
“Thanks,” she said, stopping uneasily at the foot of the stairs.
Clemont waited for her to take her place with him by the front door. She didn’t.
“You all right?” he asked gently.
“Yeah.”
“Oh. Okay,” Clemont replied. “I can’t believe we finally get to see Ash again. How long’s it been…? Five years?”
“Seven,” Serena corrected, almost too quickly.
“That long? I can’t wait to catch up. I bet he’ll love to hear all about the gym and when Bonnie left on her journey and our wedding and –”
“Do you think he’ll remember me?”
Clemont couldn’t help but furrow his brow in confusion for a moment.
“Of course he’ll remember you, Serena,” Clemont chuckled. “In fact, when he called the gym to speak to me the other day he said, ‘I can’t wait to see you and Serena and Bonnie and all the old Pokémon again.’ Of course, I left the married part out for a surprise.”
“You think he’ll be surprised?” Serena asked softly.
“It’s Ash Ketchum,” Clemont smiled. “Everything is a surprise to him.”
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
“Just relax. It will be exactly like old times.”
“Sounded pretty epic, Ash. I’ll have to see if I can find a video of it. Just a hair more exciting than some of my gym battles around here. Right, Serena?” he nudged her playfully.
She flinched at his touch as though she had nodded off. Clemont gave her a subtle look of concern. She was normally so animated whenever they had company over.
“Sorry,” she said looking up from her plate with a sudden smile. “I was just so engrossed by all of your stories, Ash. I can’t believe you still get around so much.”
“I know, right?” Ash responded with a twinkle in his eye. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. My best buddy Anabel keeps telling me I should become a Brain for the Frontier, but I’m not sure me and my Pokémon want to just stay in one place all the time. Ya know?”
“It’s not that bad,” Clemont laughed, “but maybe that’s just because I have Serena here to keep me company.”
“So, Serena, do you only compete in showcases that are in Lumiose?” Ash asked, confusion in his voice.
“Oh. Well when Clemont and I got… you know, married, I stopped competing,” Serena replied flatly, her gaze falling back on her mashed potatoes. “With him having to stay in Lumiose all the time and well… with more family on the way, it just wasn’t fair to any of us. I still work, though,” she added almost hastily. “I help edit a showcase magazine.”
“Awesome,” Ash enthused. “You still get to keep living your dream.”
“Yep… This was always my dream.” Serena almost seemed to sigh.
The table fell into silence.
Clemont cleared his throat and finally broke in, “Bonnie left to challenge the Unova league.”
“Seriously?” Ash asked with a mouth full of dessert. “I’m totally going to pay her a visit. I think I’m supposed to be there sometime next month to battle their E4. I had this crazy match against Grimsley back in –”
“If you’ll excuse me,” Serena interjected suddenly, “I have an early start tomorrow.”
“Sorry we kept you up so late.” Clemont placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, “Hope you sleep well.”
“I’ll be in Lumiose till tomorrow evening,” Ash smiled. “Don’t think I’m leaving without a good ol’ battle, Serena. Just like when we were kids. Sound good?”
She smiled faintly and nodded before turning towards the staircase.
Serena shut her eyes tightly as she slipped into the dark bedroom.
She wasn’t going to cry this time. She had done that before.
When Ash hadn’t recognized her after she went out of her way to meet him in Santalune City.
When Ash sent her just one postcard from Alola that didn’t even acknowledge the fact that she had poured her heart out to him at the Lumiose Airport.
When she saw a news clip of Ash at a gala with some woman she didn’t even recognize.
When she finally accepted that Ash had probably forgotten about her.
When she learned that life went on.
It had to.
So she moved on.
On to the one who did call to see how her journey was going, the one who was actually there, the one who was real.
She didn’t feel bad because she wished it had gone differently or because she was jealous of the life that never could have been hers.
She felt bad because those thoughts, thoughts that hadn’t occurred to her in years, had still been there.
This wasn’t the life she asked for, but she knew – she had to know – that if she had the option she wouldn’t change a thing.
Serena closed her eyes, wondering if maybe she would finally awake to find that he had only ever been a dream.
“How much longer till he gets here,” a woman’s voice replied from upstairs.
“Um…” Clemont ignored the abrupt change of topic and cast a quick glance at his watch, revealing it was two minutes to eight. “Any minute now. And don’t worry about the table, I forget I already set it.”
He paused to wait for a clever quip back. When none came he went back to double checking the dinner spread.
“Ready?” he called upstairs, trying not to sound urgent.
“I think so,” came the tired reply as a young woman with honey brown hair proceeded down the staircase. “So… What do you think?”
“I think that I must be the luckiest man in the whole world,” he answered a little breathlessly. “You look amazing, Serena.”
“Thanks,” she said, stopping uneasily at the foot of the stairs.
Clemont waited for her to take her place with him by the front door. She didn’t.
“You all right?” he asked gently.
“Yeah.”
“Oh. Okay,” Clemont replied. “I can’t believe we finally get to see Ash again. How long’s it been…? Five years?”
“Seven,” Serena corrected, almost too quickly.
“That long? I can’t wait to catch up. I bet he’ll love to hear all about the gym and when Bonnie left on her journey and our wedding and –”
“Do you think he’ll remember me?”
Clemont couldn’t help but furrow his brow in confusion for a moment.
“Of course he’ll remember you, Serena,” Clemont chuckled. “In fact, when he called the gym to speak to me the other day he said, ‘I can’t wait to see you and Serena and Bonnie and all the old Pokémon again.’ Of course, I left the married part out for a surprise.”
“You think he’ll be surprised?” Serena asked softly.
“It’s Ash Ketchum,” Clemont smiled. “Everything is a surprise to him.”
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
“Just relax. It will be exactly like old times.”
…
“And that’s how Lance and I beat Steven and Cynthia at the Tag Team World Cup,” Ash ended his story enthusiastically.
“Sounded pretty epic, Ash. I’ll have to see if I can find a video of it. Just a hair more exciting than some of my gym battles around here. Right, Serena?” he nudged her playfully.
She flinched at his touch as though she had nodded off. Clemont gave her a subtle look of concern. She was normally so animated whenever they had company over.
“Sorry,” she said looking up from her plate with a sudden smile. “I was just so engrossed by all of your stories, Ash. I can’t believe you still get around so much.”
“I know, right?” Ash responded with a twinkle in his eye. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. My best buddy Anabel keeps telling me I should become a Brain for the Frontier, but I’m not sure me and my Pokémon want to just stay in one place all the time. Ya know?”
“It’s not that bad,” Clemont laughed, “but maybe that’s just because I have Serena here to keep me company.”
“So, Serena, do you only compete in showcases that are in Lumiose?” Ash asked, confusion in his voice.
“Oh. Well when Clemont and I got… you know, married, I stopped competing,” Serena replied flatly, her gaze falling back on her mashed potatoes. “With him having to stay in Lumiose all the time and well… with more family on the way, it just wasn’t fair to any of us. I still work, though,” she added almost hastily. “I help edit a showcase magazine.”
“Awesome,” Ash enthused. “You still get to keep living your dream.”
“Yep… This was always my dream.” Serena almost seemed to sigh.
The table fell into silence.
Clemont cleared his throat and finally broke in, “Bonnie left to challenge the Unova league.”
“Seriously?” Ash asked with a mouth full of dessert. “I’m totally going to pay her a visit. I think I’m supposed to be there sometime next month to battle their E4. I had this crazy match against Grimsley back in –”
“If you’ll excuse me,” Serena interjected suddenly, “I have an early start tomorrow.”
“Sorry we kept you up so late.” Clemont placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, “Hope you sleep well.”
“I’ll be in Lumiose till tomorrow evening,” Ash smiled. “Don’t think I’m leaving without a good ol’ battle, Serena. Just like when we were kids. Sound good?”
She smiled faintly and nodded before turning towards the staircase.
***
Serena shut her eyes tightly as she slipped into the dark bedroom.
She wasn’t going to cry this time. She had done that before.
When Ash hadn’t recognized her after she went out of her way to meet him in Santalune City.
When Ash sent her just one postcard from Alola that didn’t even acknowledge the fact that she had poured her heart out to him at the Lumiose Airport.
When she saw a news clip of Ash at a gala with some woman she didn’t even recognize.
When she finally accepted that Ash had probably forgotten about her.
When she learned that life went on.
It had to.
So she moved on.
On to the one who did call to see how her journey was going, the one who was actually there, the one who was real.
She didn’t feel bad because she wished it had gone differently or because she was jealous of the life that never could have been hers.
She felt bad because those thoughts, thoughts that hadn’t occurred to her in years, had still been there.
This wasn’t the life she asked for, but she knew – she had to know – that if she had the option she wouldn’t change a thing.
Serena closed her eyes, wondering if maybe she would finally awake to find that he had only ever been a dream.
