Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
A/N: Johanna is Dawn's mom, by the way...although this story sort of states that fact in the beginning...
This fic is also tied in with the fic 'Coming Out Over The Phone'...
..meh, it came out kinda crappy, unfortunately.
"...Alright, mom! See you in about three hours, then! I can't wait! Bye!"
As she hung up the phone, Dawn couldn't help but feel a great sense of accomplishment. After many long hours of heated debate with her middle-aged lover Cynthia, Dawn had finally convinced the blonde to allow her to invite her mother over for dinner that night. Things had been terribly awkward between the girl and her mom since she came out over the phone a few weeks back, and now she wanted to make everything better between them again. Plus, her mom and Cynthia would finally get to meet each other for the first time as well!
"So, she agreed? Even after that whole episode a few weeks back?" a familiar voice called out from behind Dawn. The blue-haired girl swerved around, and smiled warmly as her lover casually approached her. Leaning down so they were at eye-level, Cynthia gently pressed her lips against Dawn's. When they broke apart several seconds later, Dawn nodded her head in response to Cynthia's earlier question.
"Yeah...she said she's heading over here right now! We better get dinner started!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah...hey, Dawn, tell me," Cynthia whispered as she slowly wrapped her lanky arms around Dawn's thin waist, "Your mom...she's not some ugly pig-demon or something, is she? I've never even seen a picture of her so I wouldn't know. I definitely don't want any ugly girls in my house..."
"Of course not!" Dawn shook her head, chuckling at Cynthia's wild imagination, "She's very beautiful; she was a top Pokemon Coordinator back in her day, after all...! She received near perfect scores in every contest she participated in, and even had a documentary made about her after she came in first place in the international coordinator championships!" Dawn didn't seem to mind boasting about her mother's accomplishments almost as if they were her own.
Resting her chin on the top of Dawn's head, Cynthia's bottom lip curled upwards ever so slightly. "Hmph...can't wait to meet her..." she quietly muttered, more to herself than anyone else. For some reason, the image of her first love, a young Pokemon Coordinator who had actually been around her age at the time, flashed through her mind. Simply shrugging it off, Cynthia released her grip from Dawn, and kissed her once more.
Cynthia clapped her hands together. "Well, then...let's get to work on dinner!"
"Yeah! ...And by that, you mean I need to start working on dinner, right?" Dawn retorted.
"Yup! You know I can't cook worth shit, anyway! I'd only make things worse!" Cynthia beamed.
"Watch your language, Cynthia! Especially when my mother arrives!!"
"Heh heh heh...sorry, sorry..."
Three hours later...
"Hmm...I think that's everything!" Dawn proclaimed as she placed a rather large bowl of rice in the middle of the dining room table. Although it was only going to be her, Cynthia and her mother, Dawn had gone out of her way by preparing a rather large feast. There were plates piled high with various meats and vegetables all around. The moment Cynthia stepped into the dining room, she was nearly overwhelmed by the mixture of delicious smells and aromas that filled the air. Dawn had just finished removing her apron when the towering blonde walked up to her and gently kissed her on the cheek.
"Aw, yeah...that smells great!!" Cynthia was grinning widely from ear to ear, "Your cooking is definitely the best, Dawn!!"
"Hee...thanks!" Dawn replied, returning the kiss with one of her own. She was really hoping for his night to work out well; she wanted her mother to accept her for what she was. Closing her eyes, Dawn buried her face into Cynthia's shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. She wrapped her arms tightly around the older woman's neck, and just remained in that position for a good three minutes.
"Cynthia...no matter what my mom says tonight...I'll stay with you..." Dawn whispered.
"I know, Dawn," Cynthia replied softly, "I don't want to lose you, either..."
Suddenly, their little moment was interrupted when the door bell rang.
"AH! THAT MUST BE MY MOTHER!!!"
Gasping, Dawn immediately jumped out of Cynthia's embrace, and she began hastily pressing her hair down with her hands to ensure it didn't look messy in the slightest. Cynthia, however, simply had a passive expression on her face. She still failed to find anything to fear regarding Dawn's mother.
"...Uh, I'll go and let her in..." Cynthia said as the door bell rang once again.
"Yes! That's a good idea! Then you two can meet face to face right away!" Dawn snapped back, focused on flattening out whatever wrinkles had possibly formed on the hem of her skirt. Shaking her head, Cynthia turned around and made her way for the front door. The door bell rang for a third time when Cynthia wrapped her hand around the doorknob.
'Geez, woman...be a little patient, will ya?' Cynthia thought as she unlocked the door, scowling.
Swinging the door wide open, Cynthia forced a ridiculously big smile to greet her guest...but her mouth fell agape the moment she laid her eyes upon the woman that was Dawn's mother. It was Johanna.
"...Joey..." Cynthia gasped. It was like she had just been punched in the stomach, knocking all the air out of her lungs. This...this just couldn't be Dawn's mother...it couldn't be...how could this woman be the very one she had once held so dear?
Johanna's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "...C-Cindy..." she brought a shaking, pale hand to her lips, unable to believe it either. Tears welled up in her eyes, but not a single one broke free.
They definitely didn't expect to see each other again so suddenly after breaking up 11 years ago.
Without really even thinking, Cynthia took a step forward, and shut the door behind her. It had already gotten dark out, and besides for the beams of light spewing through the windows of the house, it was pitch-black all around them. A tiny frown formed on the blonde's lips. Pale-faced, Johanna stared down at her feet, too afraid to even look the other woman in the eye. Neither could say a word.
"No way...no way...you're Dawn's mother? Seriously? Joey..." Cynthia asked after what felt like eons worth of silence between them. She felt almost as if someone smashed a brick against her face. That was how immensely powerful this realization was to her.
Johanna nodded meekly. "Y...Yes...I am...and my name is Johanna now...you don't need to use my nickname anymore, considering we're no longer dating..."
Cynthia forced out a small chuckle, and sat herself down on the front step. "Oh...oh man...my legs...they were about to give way there...I...I'm really surprised to see you, Joey..." she muttered uneasily.
"Heh...heh heh...me too...Cindy...or should I say Cynthia?"
Cynthia pressed her face against her palms, and breathed into them. "Okay, you're Dawn's mother...huh. So, then...I...I...I don't even know where to start...I...oh my god...I can't believe it...ha ha ha...it's too insane...just too insane...holy mother of god...HOW COULD THIS BE FUCKING POSSIBLE?!! TELL ME, JOEY!!!"
"Cindy...I...I...look, just calm down, okay...?" Johanna was just as lost and confused about all of this as was Cynthia.
"You're Dawn's mother...and I'm Dawn's lover...ha ha ha ha...oh god...oh, Jesus Christ...what the fucking hell?!!" Cynthia clutched her head in her hands. Hot, salty tears were pouring down her pale cheeks as she spoke. She never even imagined in her wildest dreams that she'd see her sweetie Johanna again, and in such an awkward situation, too!
"Cindy...! It's going to be okay!!"
"OKAY?!" Cynthia screamed at the top of her lungs, "OKAY?!! HOW IS IT GOING TO BE OKAY?!! JOEY...YOU WERE MY FIRST LOVER!!! YOU WERE THE FIRST WOMAN I EVER LOVED, BEFORE I BECAME A PEDOPHILE WHO LUSTS AFTER LITTLE GIRLS!!! I'M...I'M HAVING SEX WITH YOUR DAUGHTER, JOEY!!! HOW IS ANYTHING EVER GOING TO BE OKAY NOW?!!! I TRIED TO CONVINCE YOU TO GET AN ABORTION WHEN YOU ACCIDENTALLY BECAME PREGNANT, AND IF YOU HAD REALLY GONE THROUGH WITH IT, DAWN WOULDN'T BE HERE RIGHT NOW! I...I ACTUALLY TRIED TO HAVE HER KILLED BEFORE SHE WAS EVEN BORN!!! THAT'S WHAT THIS ALL MEANS!!! IT'S TOO CRAZY!!! I DON'T THINK I CAN TAKE IT!!!"
"Cindy...please...don't act like this the first time we see each other in so long!!" Johanna cried back. She was crying now too. Despite her tough attitude and carefree personality, Cynthia was really quite sensitive sometimes.
"...Mom? Cynthia?"
The two women looked to the doorway, and they saw Dawn standing there. The light shining against her back gave her an almost-ethereal presence. The look on her face reassured both of them that she hadn't overheard a single word of their argument. Johanna quickly wiped her tears away on the sleeve of her shirt.
"Umm...the food is getting cold, so if you two are done talking-" Dawn began, but Cynthia immediately cut her off with a resounding clap of her hands.
"Right! Dinner! Sounds good! Let's go..." Cynthia looked at Johanna, and her eyes became glossy, "...Johanna..."
Quickly regaining her sophisticated composure, Johanna forced a grin. " Yes...let us go...and eat...it's very good to see you again, Dawn, darling..."
Cynthia and Johanna refrained from even so much as glancing at each other for the rest of the evening...