Archie had not been sleeping well. At first, Maxie hadn't thought much of it, since Archie tended to flop around a bit on any given night. But now Archie was being more…vocal. He was groaning and grunting in his sleep, occasionally mumbling an approximation of words. After three nights of this, Maxie finally decided to try waking him up. He shook him gently on the arm and was met with a brief shudder before the larger man was roused.

"Archie, you were having another one of your episodes again," said Maxie. "Are you alright? You're not having nightmares, are you?" Archie sighed.

"Not really," he said. "They're just…really vivid dreams. I'm out at sea…but not like in a boat. I'm just free-floating. And the water's rough. Skies are dark, too. I'm trying not to sink…"

"Well then, it's a good thing the sea is nearly an hour away," said Maxie. "It can't get you in here."

"Heh," Archie smiled. "I should hope not. But just in case, can you be my dam?" He cuddled up closer to Maxie, who smirked ever so slightly.

"I am but flesh and blood, not steel and concrete," he said, putting an arm around Archie's shoulders. "I hope that's sufficient."

"Couldn't possibly ask for more," said Archie, resting his head against Maxie's chest. "Just don't let me get washed away."

Something within Maxie was sorely tempted to respond with, "don't worry, I'll keep you grounded," but he felt he might smack himself if he gave in to that sort of pun. Instead, he gave Archie a few loving pats on the head and settled into his pillow to go back to sleep. The blissful oblivion didn't last very long, though. Only about an hour later did Archie start tossing again, this time more violently. This time, Maxie hesitated when he woke up. He wasn't sure where to try and shake Archie awake, his partner's arms shifting around every few seconds and several times coming close to accidentally slapping Maxie in the face or the chest. The darkness was cut by the moon pouring in through the window, and by its light Maxie could just barely make out Archie's face. It seemed contorted…with what? Fear? Pain?

"Archie…Archie, wake up!" said Maxie, raising his voice just enough so that he didn't feel he was outright yelling at Archie. At that moment, Archie flung himself off the bed entirely. What happened next was something Maxie had never seen anyone, much less his beloved partner, do in their sleep: Archie half-stumbled, half-sprinted towards the wall. Whatever his arms were doing, Maxie could tell in the low light that it was not Archie's usual controlled running form. They were sprawled out to the sides, almost like he was…swimming?

THUMP. Archie collided headfirst with the wall and just stood there for a moment, clutching his skull before crumpling to the floor as Maxie watched, dumbfounded.

"Archie! Are you…" Maxie accidentally barked louder than he intended as he threw the covers aside. A low whimper and a strangled sob floated over from Archie's quivering form in the corner of the room as Maxie rushed to his side. "Archie," he said, taking him by the shoulders, "please say something! What's happening to you?" Archie struggled to gather the breath to speak. He lifted his head up just enough for Maxie to see the rivers of tears streaming down his face.

"I-I-I…I s-saw Dad…" he blubbered. "H-He was d-d-drowning and Max…Max he was right there a-and…I tried to save him b-but…Maxie, why couldn't I save my dad?" He slumped against Maxie and wept openly into his chest, the redhead looking down at him with a pained expression. Archie was by far the more openly emotional of the two, always crying at sad TV and movies and being tremendously affectionate towards his partner. Maxie, on the other hand, preferred to show his feelings in smaller gestures and tended to keep his larger emotions more contained, except on those occasions when negative pressure grew too great and he…for lack of a better phrase…erupted and shut himself away in Archie's exercise room to rage against the punching bag for a bit. He had seen Archie get weepy plenty of times before, and on this particular subject, but never to this extreme. Maxie wasn't sure what to do, and that broke his heart even more. Best to start by trying to fight fantasy with reality, he supposed.

"Archie…" he said softly, "that was years ago…you weren't there…you were just a child…there was nothing you could have done…and it wasn't your fault." He wrapped his arms around Archie and held him close, petting his back, kissing him on the head, and reminding him that he was safe and loved. Maxie didn't dare say "everything's alright" because Archie had to live most of his life without the father whom he adored so, no, everything was not alright. Instead, he tried to remember the lyrics of that old Kalosian song about the moon that Archie was fond of, singing it in a soothing tone. The minutes rolled on and gradually Archie began to settle down, eventually falling back asleep in Maxie's arms. Leaning against the hard wall in a chilly corner, Maxie was not in the most comfortable of positions, but if love meant sacrifices then this was a small price to pay. He almost didn't even mind not having a blanket over them, as Archie's warmth was blanket enough. They lay together like that until morning, when Archie woke up first and gingerly carried Maxie back to their bed to let him sleep in some more. Pulling the covers back over him, Archie took a second to brush the hair out of his partner's face before heading off to the kitchen to make omelets. Maxie awoke a mere ten minutes later to the delightful smell of eggs, cheese, and ham, following it to the kitchen where Archie had just finished setting the table.

"'Morning, Max," he said, sounding slightly more subdued than he usually did in the morning.

"Thank you. For moving me back to the bed," Maxie replied. "How are you feeling this morning?" Archie sighed as he finished loading their plates.

"Been better," he said. "Still tryin' to figure out what I want to do about this. I'm…sorry about last night." Maxie shook his head.

"Archie, you have nothing to apologize for," he said, sitting down. "We all have our moments. Obviously you feel the need for some further closure with what happened to your father."

"I guess so, don't I?" said Archie, gentling prodding at his omelet with a fork before scooping up a bite and shoveling it into his mouth. They ate the rest of their meal in silence, which was finally broken by Maxie asking the next big question.

"Are you…considering the possibility of seeking professional help?" Archie swallowed his last bite.

"Not yet," he answered. "Actually, I think I have another idea: Dad's birthday is coming up later this week and…I told you that I finally called Mom, right?"

"That's right."

"Well, she begged me to visit her sometime soon and…it's been almost a month, so…yeah, I probably should. For Dad's birthday." Maxie nodded.

"That sounds like a fine plan," he said. "I wish you the best of luck. I know how much this means to you."

"You can come, too, Maxie," said Archie, with a small smile. "Actually, I'd prefer it." Maxie raised his eyebrows.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "This seems so incredibly personal for you. I wouldn't want to feel that I'm intruding on…"

"I could use the moral support," said Archie. "As much as I'm rememberin' how much I love Mom, even I'm kinda uneasy about the thought of facing her again after so long. I didn't exactly run away from home, but sometimes I think I might as well've. So yeah, it'd be nice to have you there. Besides," his face broke out into a wide grin, "I know ya miss me when I'm gone." Maxie smirked.

"Now what on earth would give you that idea?"

They took the bus to Slateport. They were both fully aware that it would be both faster and cheaper to just Fly their Pokémon over, but Maxie could tell this was just Archie's delay tactic. It was unusual to see him, the jolly pirate always ready to dive headfirst into anything, truly anxious about something. Archie was fidgeting, twiddling his thumbs and occasionally flattening his palms together and pressing his index fingers against his nose.

"Archie, please settle down," Maxie insisted. Archie took a deep breath and tried to compose himself, releasing the breath in a low shudder. Maxie put a hand on his shoulder and shifted into calming-down-through-factual-reinforcement mode. "Listen, I understand your nerves, but this is your mother. From everything you've told me, she loves you very much and has already forgiven you for your years apart. That's…more than I can say."

"Sorry," said Archie. Maxie wasn't sure if he was apologizing for being nervous or offering his sympathies that Maxie's relationship with his own parents was…not terribly pleasant, to put it one way.

"You'll forgive me for the cliché, but indulge me for a moment," Maxie continued. "What's the worst that could happen?" Archie's eyes narrowed.

"She'll speak her mind about the terrible things I tried to do and disown me," he replied, grimly.

"I would think that if she had that intention, she would have said something about it over the phone," said Maxie. "She wouldn't have invited you back to your childhood home with open arms. I truly believe you have nothing to worry about, and I'll be right there beside you." Archie put a hand over Maxie's hand.

"Thanks, Max…we're here."

The bus slowed to a halt as the PA buzzed This is Slateport City. Archie and Maxie filed out with the other riders and exited next to the Slateport Market. The area was bustling with shoppers and the sun shined down upon a warm, clear day. Comfortingly typical Hoenn weather. Archie stood there, staring off into space instead of looking around to see which direction they needed to go.

"Well," Maxie prodded, "I'm following your lead." Archie paused for a few moments before giving a slow nod.

"Right," he said, looking around before pointing north of the market. "It's this way." They headed up towards the northern end of Slateport's east coast, past the shipyard and the Oceanic Museum. After about a half-hour of walking, they came upon a quiet neighborhood of small seaside cottages. The salt air was stronger here as the afternoon breeze blew in winds from the nearby Route 134. "Third house on the left, blue roof. That's us. That's…home." Archie's voice was getting shaky again.

"You can do this," said Maxie. "We're almost there." Archie took a deep breath, this time exhaling with noticeably less of a shudder, and half-walked half-marched to the front door of his childhood home. He stood there for a few moments before reaching up a hand and ringing the doorbell. A small chime sounded from inside the house. For a moment, Archie thought he heard the sound of a child's feet pattering towards the door. His breath caught in his chest. Had his mother remarried without telling him? Was he about to meet the younger sibling he never knew he had? Or had he come to the wrong house after all? His concerns were quickly dispelled by a decidedly un-childlike voice coming from the other side of the door.

"Drow! Drowzee!"

And then a voice he hadn't heard in person for over twenty years.

"Easy there, Rem, I think that very special company I told you about has arrived." Even through the door, Archie could hear a catch in her voice. The door opened. Maxie wasn't sure why he'd expected Archie's mother, of all people, to be a fragile waif of a woman. Maybe it was because Archie's first summary of her seemed to paint her as one of those classical figures of the lonely woman always waiting for her man to return from the sea. In reality, she looked quite the opposite. Before them stood a woman with wild dark hair and a remarkably toned figure for someone who must be over sixty. A blue tanktop showed off arms that had obviously been doing hard work for a very long time. Her sharp eyes softened in an instant at the sight of her long-lost son.

"Archie…"

"Mom…"

They quickly collapsed into a mess of hugs and tears as Maxie took a respectful step back to let them have their moment. He successfully fought back a few tears of his own, partly through that feeling he'd been concerned about before. Maxie felt that such an emotional moment between mother and son should be more private, since it didn't exactly concern him. But then again, he reminded himself, Archie wouldn't have invited him along if Archie didn't feel comfortable sharing this moment with Maxie. A couple minutes later, after the expected exchanges of, "you've grown so much!" and, "you haven't aged a day, Mom," Archie turned back to Maxie with an arm around his mother.

"Maxie, this is my mom, Angela. Mom, this is my partner, Maxie." Maxie stepped forward and he and Archie joined hands.

"Partner?" said Angela. Then she looked down at their hands, smiled, and nodded. "I see. Well, welcome, Maxie. It's good that my son found someone else who makes him happy. Please, both of you, come in!" The three of them entered the cottage and Archie and Maxie looked around. To Archie, it was almost exactly as he remembered it from his childhood. Maybe a slightly different paint job, but most of the same knickknacks were there: the shelf full of decorative shells, the ship steering wheel mirror, the family photos. To Maxie, he could only imagine that if someone had asked him to draw the house that would produce an ardent sea-lover like Archie, he would probably have drawn something like this place.

"Drow!" The Drowzee that Archie had heard before was standing patiently by the doorway, looking expectantly up at the newcomer.

"Oh, this is Rem," said Angela. "I think it wants you to give it a treat. Here…" She took a jar of Poké-treats down from a nearby shelf and handed it to Archie, who took one out and gently tossed toward the waiting Rem. It caught the treat in its hands and began to nibble contentedly. Angela offered the two something to drink, to which they politely declined before being escorted into a cozy sitting room. Maxie saw a small puff of dust come off the sofa as he sat down. Angela must have seen the look of mild disgust on his face, as she quickly remarked, "Oh, I'm sorry about that old thing. Doesn't get used much anymore. I really need to give it a power-washing."

"Have you been here…alone this whole time, Mom?" asked Archie. Angela shook her head.

"Not exactly," she said. "I haven't stayed here this whole time. You see…less than a year after you left, I just couldn't stand being in this house anymore. Too many memories…of you…of your father…too many things that made my heart hurt. So I packed everything down in the basement, made myself up one suitcase, sold the house, and went off to Sinnoh. Way colder up there. Made myself a new life working at the shipyards in Canalave City. I stayed there until three years ago, when I heard about all the extreme abnormal weather happening back here in Hoenn…about, well, everything. That's when I knew I had to come back. When I first returned to the house, I thought everything I'd stowed away from the old days had been ruined in the heavy rain, but this basement is nothing if not waterproof. Your father made sure of that." Her smile sank. "Archie, I'm…I'm so sorry. About what happened between us. After we lost your father, I thought we needed space to grieve. Maybe it was too much space. I'm sorry if you thought I loved you less. And I'm sorry I never tried to find you later. I figured you were a grown man capable of making his own way in the world and didn't need me anymore. Even when I came back, I wasn't sure what I could say to you…" Tears welled in her eyes again. "I'll understand if you can't forgive me for being such an awful mother." Archie swallowed and shook his head slowly.

"Mom, I…I thought I'd be the one asking for forgiveness. For leaving after Dad died, for never comin' home, for…everything else I've done," said Archie with a tremble in his voice. "But, yes…absolutely, I forgive you. You were never awful to me. Can…can you…"

"I'd forgiven you before we even hung up that phone a month ago," said Angela, her smile returning to her face.

"But…speaking of which…" said Archie, his face turning grim, "whatever happened to ol' Belle of the Ball?"

"Oh, Belle's long gone," replied Angela. "I know what you mean, though. I know you never forgave that Seaking for not bringing your father home. But there's something you should know about Belle, and about Rem, too." Archie looked curious. "You see, I've actually had Rem for a long time. In the months after you left, I started having bad dreams. They were always about your father drowning. So I went to see a sleep doctor and she gave me Rem to eat the nightmares. But…she also said that I must be having these dreams in the first place because I hadn't found closure with what happened that day. The storm, your father's ship, the fact that he had a Pokémon who should have been able to carry him to safety…so the doctor suggested that I have Rem communicate psychically with Belle to see if it could tell me what really happened." Archie's eyes went wide.

"And?"

"It did. Maybe you would prefer seeing it for yourself, Archie, but rest assured that it wasn't Belle's fault. Rem can give you the memory…if you want."

It took every fiber in Maxie's being to not interject with, "or you could just spare him the extra pain and tell him what happened." This was Archie's decision, after all. After a moment, Archie nodded.

"I've been havin' those nightmares, too," he said, "but I don't want Rem to eat 'em. If I'm gonna beat this thing, I'm gonna do it head-on. I'll take the memory." Angela called Rem over, who waddled up to Archie and held out its hands. Archie took the Drowzee's tiny yellow paws in his.

"Rem," said Angela, "give Archie Belle's memory."

"Drow."

Archie was expecting something like a rush, a flood of emotions surging into him, but instead it was more like rubbing a friendly Pikachu's cheeks: a static zap, but somehow gentler.

"You should see it the next time you sleep," said Angela, as Archie patted Rem gently on the head. They sat in silence for another minute or so before Angela finally asked Archie what he was doing these days. He and Maxie talked about their work, how they'd been taken on as consulting researchers by the Devon Corporation thanks to the tremendous generosity of Stone and son, how they were studying and designing modes of hydroelectric and geothermal power, how they were still affiliated with the reformed Teams Aqua and Magma but had relegated most of their leadership duties to their old admins, and how the two teams worked for environmental protection and against the abuse of Pokémon and youths. Angela beamed with pride, Archie could finally laugh again, and Maxie was starting to feel comfortable in this strange familial environment. They talked late into the evening when Angela made them all delicious spicy noodle bowls for dinner. At the end of it, the sun had set and it was getting late. Archie and Maxie agreed that it was probably time to head back home, so the three said their goodbyes.

"Archie…son…" said Angela, "I'm so glad you came back."

"It's great to have you in my life again, Mom," said Archie, hugging her. When they pulled apart, Angela turned to Maxie.

"Maxie, it was lovely meeting you," she said, taking his hand. "Now, you take good care of my boy, young man." She gave his hand a firm shake while Maxie mustered a weak response, marveling at the fact that anyone would call him "young man" anymore. They had one more round of goodbyes before finally parting ways.

"'Young man'?" said Maxie. Archie gave a hearty laugh and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Yer not greyin' anytime soon, Max, relax," he reassured his partner. "But really, thanks for comin' with me. You were right, I was worried for nothin'."

"What about the dream?" asked Maxie. Archie closed his eyes.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," he replied. "I know what yer thinkin', but Mom was right. I want to see this for myself. C'mon, we can Fly back."

They returned to the outskirts of Lilycove in good time, recalling their Crobats and entering the house together.

"Archie, what time is it?" asked Maxie as he removed his shoes. Archie glanced at the wall clock.

"About ten o'clock," he said.

"Only ten? Excellent."

"Why? What's up?"

"Today's escapades have given me a stroke of inspiration. However, I would prefer to do this alone." Archie raised an eyebrow, then both as he realized what Maxie was suggesting.

"You mean it? You're gonna…"

"That's right. I have a phone call to make."

"But after everything you told me about them…"

"One never knows until one tries," Maxie concluded. Archie was having trouble reading Maxie's face. It gave off a general air of…resignation. But there was the smallest glint of determination in his eyes. Archie could only nod and give Maxie a comforting pat on the shoulder.

"Good luck, Max," he said. "I'll be on my computer for a few hours if you need me." He went off to their home office, leaving Maxie alone in the living room to stare down the telephone in the corner. He breathed deeply and let out a low rumble. After standing there still for several minutes, he finally paced over to the phone and dialed the number he'd been forced to memorize as a child. It rang for what felt like forever. Maxie was just about ready to hang up when…

"Blackrock Hall."

"Hello, may I speak with the lady of the house?"

"And who may I ask is calling?"

"…It's Maxie."

"Oh good gracious, Master Maxie! Of course, I'll get your mother right away!" Maxie had several guesses as to what the next phrase he might hear would be. Not to his surprise, said phrase turned out to be exactly one of those guesses.

"Yes, what do you want?"

"Hello to you, too, Mother."

"Hmph. You have some nerve calling this house again after all these years, you know that?"

"I imagine I do."

"He imagines he does. Well then, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"…I have nothing to say for myself, save that I've gotten along just fine in the world."

"Nothing to say for yourself?" barked the woman on the other end. "Nothing to say for running away from home? Nothing to say for abandoning this family and bringing further shame to this house? Nothing to say for your lavish upbringing being all for naught? Nothing to say for all the grief you caused your father and I when you left with just a note?"

"Oh Mother, I didn't know you cared," replied Maxie bitterly.

"Cared? CARED?" his mother boomed. "This isn't about caring, Maxie, this is about responsibility! You were our investment in the future! It was your job to carry on the family name and fortune and estate! The only reason your father never wrote you out of the will was because we had no other children!"

"It was my job to exist, to be seen and not heard."

"You're damn right, it was! And you couldn't do even that! You could never do what we asked of you even after all we did for you! We fed you, clothed you, housed you, sent you to the best schools, and for what? A good-for-nothing son who tries to throw himself off a bridge just because one of his Pokémon dies! We even buried it in the family plot and got you another one!"

"You buried all the Pokémon in the family plot, Mother. And sometimes I think Cammy raised me more than you ever did." Maxie tried and failed to control his shaking.

"Well who could have raised you in a finer establishment? Was all that for nothing? You owe us so much for everything we've done for you, young man!"

"I OWE YOU NOTHING!" Maxie bellowed, slamming the receiver down on the cradle. He was sure he'd broken something but at that moment, he didn't care. Letting out one more roar of unadulterated rage, he stormed off to the exercise room and slammed the door behind him. Time to let the punching bag feel his wrath. He stayed in there for several hours, using some of the residual fury to hone his Tae Bo technique, before finally coming out and looking out the window. The moon was high in the sky and cast an unearthly but comforting glow across the woods in the distance. Maxie inhaled and quickly regretting the decision, catching a whiff of his own post-rage-workout odor. Time for a shower. Archie was waiting for him when he entered the bedroom afterwards, propped up against his pillows and scrolling away online on his laptop.

"Can't sleep?" asked Maxie.

"Not sure if I'm ready to yet," said Archie. "How 'bout you? I heard…well…I heard the ending." Maxie closed his eyes.

"Archie, tell me I'm loved."

"Huh?"

"I said tell me I'm loved." Archie's face fell.

"Oh…oh Arceus, yes, Maxie, yes, of course you're loved. You are so loved," he said as he put his laptop aside and rushed to Maxie, enveloping him in his strong arms and kissing him several times on the head. "And even if your own family won't, I will love you for as long as I have days left in me, and then some." At first, Maxie just stood there and let himself be held, but then he put his own arms around his partner. He breathed in that familiar faintly-salty musk and was calmed a bit further.

"When nobody loves you, you have to learn to love yourself," Maxie continued. "You have to look at yourself in the mirror every day and say 'I am great.' Sometimes when I remembered my wealthy and esteemed heritage sans my actual family, that wasn't hard to do."

"And so was born 'the great Maxie'?"

"More or less. A title dismantled somewhat by a certain heroically meddling child, and more so by a certain beefcake who reminded the heir that he could find happiness beyond himself."

"I just wish love automatically made everything better."

"Well, it certainly doesn't make everything worse," said Maxie, rubbing Archie's back. "You know, Archie, sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve you." Even though he couldn't see it, he could sense Archie smiling.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he said.

"You should," said Maxie. "Come on, I think we should both get to bed."

Lying down, neither of them were really that sleepy. Maxie was still running off the last of the adrenaline from his vent workout, and Archie was still trying to quell the remaining anxieties about his impending dream. They found their fingers interlaced and gave each other the occasional reassuring squeeze as the minutes rolled by.

"You know," Maxie said, breaking the silence, "I used to have nightmares about drowning, too."

"You did?"

"Yes. I confess I've been intimidated by the sea's sheer vastness since I was a child. In my dreams, it would always get me. I'd be swallowed up by the darkness. Sometimes I wonder if it was a subconscious metaphor for the dark empty void of living at Blackrock Hall."

"Y'know Max, this explains a lot about you."

"I didn't try to dry up Hoenn because I had scary dreams and my parents never loved me, if that's what you're suggesting," said Maxie with a sigh. "No, it was this: after leaving home, I met many people. Good people. Doctors, researchers, scientists, all people bursting with humanity's potential. Meeting them taught me that the human race is far more than what I'd known at home, that the world wasn't full of people like my parents. I wanted to change the world for the good of humanity. I still do. I've just learned not to meddle with powers I cannot fathom."

"Haven't we both," said Archie with a sad smile. They continued talking for hours, admitting their deepest fears and childhood secrets until the first tinges of the morning sun began to creep across the sky. "We've got work to do today," Archie mumbled, sleepily. "Maybe we should just…"

"It can wait."

"Can the world wait?"

"Let's be reasonable: how…*yawn*…low would our efficiency be if we started work with no sleep? Just a few hours…"

But Archie had already drifted off.

And he had the dream.

He was fighting against a violent storm-tossed sea, the remains of a small vessel disappearing into the surf in the distance. There was his dad, but not riding triumphantly towards land on a feeble fish like he'd always imagined. His dad was bruised and bloody and struggling to stay conscious.

"Belle!" he cried, with what must be the last of his strength. "I'm not gonna make it! Bleedin' too much and seawater in open wounds' not much better! Jus' gimmie a burial at sea, okay ol' thing? Angela 'n Archie don't need to see my soggy bloody corpse…"

"Seaking! Sea!" Belle sounded distressed. It continued to drag Archie's father along, even after his eyes slid shut. It made frantic bids to keep him from sinking, but along came another giant wave and slammed both of them under the water. Belle darted about under the waves, desperate to find its owner, but the darkness of the water would not give up its secrets.

"Dad!" Archie screamed in that helpless muted way that people often scream in dreams. "DAD!"

He shuddered awake to find himself cradled tightly in Maxie's arms, whose chin rested protectively on top of Archie's head. Archie felt his vision going blurry with moisture.

"I saw him, Max," he said, not knowing if Maxie was even awake or not. "He was hurt real bad. Belle couldn't save him, no one could've. Wasn't that fish's fault…it tried its damnedest."

"Mmm," Maxie hummed reassuringly, apparently awake but mostly still heavy with sleep. "You know Archie, I've never asked: what was your father's name?"

Archie smiled and closed his eyes, finally letting the tears flow again.

"Archibald," he said. "Almost makes me a Junior."

The End