Years Later

So this scene is set a year or so later.

Paul went to Twinleaf Town in the late summer and this story takes place the late spring after. It was Dawn's birthday. Johanna had seen her daughter mill around the house for almost a year. In the beginning right after Paul left for the last time, Dawn could barely make it through a day without crying. She pushed herself away from her mother and pokemon.

She kept to her room unless she could drag herself down stairs long enough for meager nutrition, never looking at the couch, doing her level best to avoid the living room entirely. After a couple of months a few friends came to visit every so often. Drew and May, Ash and Misty, Brock, Zoey, Kenny, Maylene and Reggie, each having varied levels of success.

Probably the most successful of the lot were Ash and Misty, until the loveable Ash dropped the dreaded P word, completely randomly and by total mistake. Then the whole visit went to hell in a hand basket when Dawn started sobbing and Misty was so filled with rage that she nearly ended Ash then and there. Zoey was not much of a help. She hated Paul and tried to have friendly male bashing, thinking it was best, but only made Dawn feel worse because she still loved Paul. The bashing only made her feel stupid for being in love with him. May and Drew tried to get her to have a coordinating session, to get her back in the grove, and well, it did not go as well as hoped. Kenny was in love with Dawn, and tried to hug and console her, and Dawn purely was having no part of that. Brock came in and whipped up a slew of food for Dawn to eat to try and boost her spirits with food. It helped but made Dawn sad that she didn't want to eat more of the things he made. So he froze the left overs so she could reheat them when he was gone. Reggie and Maylene came last, right after the New Year. Maylene was the one at the door and when Dawn answered the door she hugged her friend and saw Reggie a few feet behind the pink haired girl. Dawn tensed as she saw Reggie, but hugged him none the less and had a nice lunch Reggie made.

As the winter thawed, Dawn's mother got an idea, as her daughter started to look a little less pale, and talked to her pokemon a little more. She called all of her daughter's friends and invited them to have a party for her birthday.

Reggie sat on the phone at his home, talking to his brother. Paul had come home after his talk with Dawn and stayed home, in his room, alone, for a couple of days. Then he branched out to the rest of the house and the back yard, still silent and solitary. Then one day he announced to his brother that he was going to the Unova region to compete in their league. So he had been there for most of the time and called home once a month.

"I will be out of town for a few days two weeks from now" Reggie said.

Paul nodded mindlessly stroking the electric squirrel in his lap.

"I am going to Dawn's birthday party" Reggie said gently careful to monitor his brother's reaction.

Paul snapped his eyes up at the mention of her name. "I need you to do me a favor" Paul said not as much of a request, but more of a cold demand.

Reggie arched his eye brows signaling that he was not thrilled with how his brother spoke to him. "Consisting of?"

"I have a gift I need you and Maylene to give to her." Paul said firmly.

Reggie narrowed his eyes, "Why?"

Paul rolled his eyes and rearranged how he was sitting slightly disturbing the pokemon in his lap. "Just do it." Paul growled. "Please?"

Now the please was not exactly gentle, but Reggie knew that his brother was meant well, and that his brother was trying. "Sure Paul. And it needs to be from us?"

Paul nodded. "I will put it in the mail tomorrow."

Reggie gave his brother a knowing look, which ended up angering Paul.

"I know" Paul bit, "And maybe some other time. You know that is the reason I left."

Reggie's look turned into a sly smirk "What look dear brother of mine."

"Ok that is enough. You know what I am talking about." Paul said setting the pokemon on the floor "Good bye."

"Paul-" Reggie said gently. "I was just having fun."

Paul rolled his eyes again. "I know. It is only fun to you." He paused. "Thank you"

Reggie gave his brother a genuine smile. "You're welcome. Sleep well." And the phone call ended.

Two weeks later all of Dawn's friends gathered at her house in Twinleaf. They sat in the living room and Dawn did her best to be a good host, and friend. Luckily for her there was so much going on she really didn't have time to be sad.

Then present time came. Dawn had a ball going through all of the shiny and colorful wrappings. Near the end of the gift giving Dawn picked up the package that Reggie brought that his brother had sent him. Dawn unwrapped it not knowing its origins, for Reggie had not completely followed his brother's instructions. He had got Maylene not to say anything and Dawn picked it up, no one had claimed the gift and she shrugged and opened it anyway. She had the paper off and opened the box and gasped, dropping the box out of her lap.

Everyone especially Reggie was alarmed. Kenny slowly got up, since he was closest to the bluenette, and put it back in her lap. "What is it?" Brock asked. Dawn reached inside nearly biting a hole in her lip as her eyes teared up. She looked directly at Reggie as a tear rolled down her face. "He remembered." She said quietly.

Maylene gave Reggie and good slap on the arm, "What the hell did you do?"

Reggie panicked slightly, from the crying girl to his angry girlfriend to every single person staring at him to Dawn to him again.

Dawn cried softly as she pulled the gift from its box. She pulled out this beautiful silk fabric that ranged from pink to a deep blue in swirls.

"Dawn that is beautiful! It is like a sunset in fabric." May squealed.

"Or sunrise" She said quietly, as she pulled out yard after yard of the fabric. "There is so much!" She said the fabric in her lap and covered her eyes trying to stop the tears.

"He never said it would make you cry!" Reggie exclaimed panicking.

"I am sorry I don't see how this fabric is making her cry." Ash said to the room.

Dawn sat the box on the floor drying her face and took a few deep breaths.

Dawn was walking through Hearthome with Paul and she was flipping through the new fashion magazine, when she stopped and squealed. Paul sighed, rolled his eyes and turned around "Yeah Troublesome?"

Dawn squealed again and turned the magazine to her boyfriend "Look at the hottest new fabric on the market"

Paul saw the pink fabrics that swirled into mauve and purple to deep blue circles "Beautiful" He said simply. He looked to his girlfriend. "It would suit you well."

Dawn rolled her eyes "Thanks for trying, but that was a little thick, for you," Dawn smiled

"No I am serious, it reminds me of your name sake." Paul said giving her a small smile.

This made Dawn beam, but then she frowned. "Yeah but,"

"What is it?"

"The maker is in Unova, and only ships in the region." She paused and sighed. "And my hand is covering the price, which I promise you don't want to see."

Paul cocked his head to the side, "Well maybe we would take a trip to Unova some time." He is quietly.

"Oh that is so sweet!" May crowned.

Little to anyone's knowledge a paper fell out when she pulled the fabric out of the box, but Misti walked over and picked it up. She gave it a once over and handed it to Dawn.

Dawn opened the folded paper and read.

Dawn

I hope you don't see this and cry. I never intended for this to make you cry. You just loved the fabric so much, and I came to Unova to compete, and… I wanted you to have it. This isn't an attempt to get you back, I just- wanted you to have it the day you showed me your magazine. Consider it an apology gift, if you would, I should have taken better care of you. If it won't make you sad to look at it, I thought it would be great as a new competition dress. To help you get back on your feet. I – hope you get back out there. Kick some ass.

And that was the end of Dawn's resolve. She threw down the letter and stormed out of the house. She got half way down the street before Reggie caught up to her. "Dawn!"

She turned around angry, saw the worry and concern on his face and her anger fell away into sadness. She walked into his outstretched arms and sobbed into his chest. Reggie had bolted out of the house after he picked up the letter scanned it and his friends burst into commotion. "Hey, hey, are you ok?"

"He" She said through a sob.

"I am sorry." Reggie nearly begged. "I had no idea what it was. I never would have given it to you if I knew it would do this to you."

Dawn looked up at him. "That had to have cost him a fortune."

Reggie smiled. "He got some money from finishing in the top 4 of the Unova league. "

Dawn blushed. "That- crazy- what he did."

Reggie's phone rang.

Dawn backed away "Go ahead" She said giving a sweet smile wiping her tears away.

Reggie paled seeing the number on his phone he sighed and answered. "Yes"

"Get your girlfriend to GET OFF MY CASE!" Paul roared.

Reggie held up a finger to Dawn and turned around walking away from the girl. "What?! Where you thinking?!"

"I do not appreciate her calling me, waking me up, screaming at me. She won't even tell me why she is screaming at me!"

"You should have said it would make her cry!"

Paul exhaled. "I didn't know if it would."

"Bull! You know her better than that." Reggie fumed.

"It was not my intent to make her cry." Paul rephrased.

Reggie felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Dawn. "Can I speak to him?"

He speechlessly handed the girl the phone.

"Paul"

There was a gasp. "Dawn" There was two beats of silence. "I didn't do it to make you cry."

Dawn gave a small nod "Yeah"

"With how angry they are I suppose you found my letter?"

Dawn nodded, "Mmhmm"

"That wasn't meant to be read in front of everyone. I thought you would find it in private." Paul huffed.

"Thank you" She said softly.

Paul was caught up in his thought when he heard her voice, so he didn't catch what she had said, "Sorry my phone cut out."

"Thank-"Dawn felt a sob in her throat and she thrusted the phone back at Reggie.

"She said thank you" Reggie said holding the girl tightly.

Paul grunted. "As I said, get your girlfriend to LEAVE. ME. ALONE!" All warmth gone from his voice, bitterly hanging up the phone.

Reggie looked at his phone and sighed putting it back into his pocket. He got Dawn into her home, and there was cake, which was eaten in rather awkward small talk, with Dawn teary eyed, and Maylene about a hairs breath away from going to Unova on a war path, and everyone trying to salvage what was left of the party.

*leans back and sighs*

Ok.. Rogue Cupcake I am so terribly terribly sorry! I have had most of that written for … 10 months or so? But I couldn't finish it, and then the last 7 months or so have been hell. I am doing a little better, and life is still crazy but I think I might be able to write. Let's hope.

In addition, I typically write out of personal experience, and this quit being personal experience about 10% through "The Return" which makes it a little more difficult to write. Anyway I quite like this chapter and I hope you do to!