Hey-Oh! Espeon here with a Christmas one-shot as promised! And technically, I'm not late. It's only around 11:00 PM where I am, so it's still Christmas Day. So, this is slightly AU, since I'm assuming everybody is 8 unless they're an adult, and they all know each other. How many people know what the nativity is? This is sorta about that, with a little Ikarishipping thrown in. Well, as much as you can stomach for them being a grand total of 8-ish years old. One last thing before I let you go read: This is Dawn's POV. Now go read.
"I can't believe it! Whose bright idea was it to cast Paul and I as Mary and Joseph!?" I exclaimed angrily as I looked at the cast list for the Christmas play. May looked over my shoulder at the list as she responded.
"Well, I think you two will make a great couple. Much better than Misty and Ash would. Ash would forget his lines, and Misty's too violent for Mary's part," she said. She gasped happily as she saw her part. "I got the angel part!"
"Lucky. I didn't even wanna be Mary! I wanted to be an angel," I complained. Sometimes, it just wasn't fair! I mean, I didn't even like Paul! He's rude, and mean, and quiet, and cu- Um, mean.
"Well, look on the bright side. At least Conway didn't get Joseph," May pointed out. I nodded, sobered.
"That would make it worse than it is now. What part did he get anyways?" I asked, peering at the list.
"I got the Innkeeper part," somebody said from behind me. I jumped with a little shriek before spinning around. I saw the green-haired nerd boy Conway standing there behind me.
"Stop doing that!" I shouted at him, both angry at him and embarrassed by my reaction. I turned and stormed away, still upset. I didn't stop walking until I bumped into somebody. I started apologizing until I looked up and saw who I'd run into. It was none other than Paul Shinji, the rude, mean, cu- I mean, mean boy that had been cast as Joseph with me. "Paul! What are you doing?!" I asked him, surprised and momentarily forgetting my anger.
"Checking the cast list like everyone else in this stupid class," he said, just standing over me with his hands stuffed in his pockets. I scowled at him from the floor as I remembered his part.
"Don't bother. You and I got Mary and Joseph," I told him as I stood up and brushed off my skirt. Paul shrugged and walked away, not even bothering to thank me for telling him. I rolled my eyes and went to find our teacher. I found her talking to Ash, Gary, Mrs. Ketchum, and Professor Oak. I stifled a laugh as I remembered that they had snuck pokemon to school and tried to have a battle during recess, only to have Misty and Leaf tell on them. Ash had actually brought a Pikachu without a pokeball!
When they came out, Mrs. Ketchum smiled at me along with Ash as I walked into the classroom. Mrs. Fiore looked up from the papers she was sorting and smiled at me.
"Hello Dawn. What can I do for you?" she asked. I nervously scuffed the ground with my toe as I answered her.
"Well, I was wondering why you chose me and Paul to be Mary and Joseph," I said.
"I just thought that you two would fit the parts well," Mrs. Fiore said before glancing out the door and waving me closer. As I approached, she whispered something else to me. "Also, somebody asked me to do that."
"Really? Who?" I asked her, intrigued by that fact. She just put a finger to her lips and winked at me. I left the room with even more questions than I had entered with, a slight pout on my face.
-oOo-
"...And then she wouldn't say anything else about it!" I said, finishing my story. I'd been telling May, Leaf, and Misty what had happened during my talk with our teacher. It turned out that May was the angel that appeared to Mary, while Misty was a shepherd and Leaf the angel who would appear to the shepherds. Drew, Ash, and Gary would be the three Wise Men.
"Really? I wonder who could've explicitly asked for you and Paul to be Mary and Joseph," Leaf said. She'd always been the brainy one of us three. I shrugged at her, sighing.
"I guess I'll just have to live with it," I said. We were walking down the street from our bus stop towards home. A thought popped into my head. "What are we doing for the Baby Jesus and the star?"
"They'll probably do a baby doll as Jesus," Misty pointed out. We all nodded in agreement. "As for the star, it's probably some light-up thing."
"Probably. I'll see you guys tomorrow at school!" I said, waving goodbye as we approached my house. As I walked in, I slammed the door and called out "I'm home Mom!"
"How was your day today, Dawn?" Mom asked, looking through the kitchen doorway as she dried her hands. I threw my yellow backpack into a corner as Piplup and Togetic came rushing towards me and I moved towards the kitchen.
"It was okay. We found out who's what in the Christmas play," I said, sitting down on a barstool at the counter. I picked up Piplup and sat him in my lap while Togetic landed on my head. Someday, I was gonna evolve her into a Togekiss and perform in contests with her, just you wait.
"Really? What part did you and your friends get?" Mom started cutting an apple for me, just like she did every day. It was part of our routine. She made an after-school snack, and I told her about my day.
"Well, May and Leaf are angels, Misty's a shepherd, and I got Mary," I said proudly. Then my face fell as I remembered Paul. Mom didn't notice because she doesn't look up when using a knife.
"You got Mary? Who's Joseph then?" I knew she'd ask that, and I didn't really wanna answer, so I just mumbled the answer under my breath. Mom stopped cutting and looked up at me. "Who?"
"Paul," I said, looking away. "Mrs. Fiore said that somebody requested that we be Mary and Joseph, but she wouldn't say who." Mom finished cutting the apple, and smiled knowingly as she handed it to me.
"I think I may have a guess who," she told me.
"Really? Who?" I asked eagerly. Mom just laughed softly.
"I think that's something you should figure out yourself," she said, turning to wash off the knife.
-oOo-
After several practices, it was finally time to perform the play. Mom had ended up making the costumes for everyone, and they were just beautiful! But what really excited me was that we weren't using a doll for the Baby Jesus! Somebody was actually letting their little baby be Jesus, and I would get to hold it!
As the play started, I knelt on the stage, pretending to draw water up from a well. As I stood, I saw May, wearing a pure white dress with sheer bell sleeves and pristine white wings. I gasped, dropping the bucket, which somebody had filled with actual water that spilled all over the stage. I quickly stood to keep the white linen dress I wore from getting all wet. May held out a hand, as if to stop me from leaving.
"Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God," she said. I clutched my baby blue shawl around me as she continued. "Behold, you shall have a son, and his name will be Jesus. He will be great, and will rule forever."
"How can this be, when I'm not married?" I asked. I was impressed that May had remembered all her lines, and almost smiled (which would be out of character) as she continued.
"Through the power of God, everything is possible," May said simply. I bowed my head in acceptance, and the curtains closed for a scene change. I ran off stage, careful not to slip on the water. I passed Paul, who was walking towards the stage for the next scene. The people backstage moved fast, even managing to clean up the water spill. I stood and watched the next scene backstage next to May. As we watched, Lyra 'appeared' to tell Paul the news of Jesus' birth. Then Mom pulled me away to get ready for the next scene, the one in Bethlehem.
I came back just as the curtains closed for the next scene change. I was slightly surprised as somebody sent out a Ponyta before I was lifted onto its back. Then Paul grabbed the bridle and led it out on stage as the narrator (believe it or not, Barry) started talking again. He approached the fake inn door and knocked. Conway opened the door and looked at us, dressed in a long red tunic with a brown robe over it.
"Do you have room? My wife is about to give birth," Paul said. I blinked because I was pretty sure the actual line was a lot more intricate. Then again, this is Paul, and he'd come to two practices at most.
"No, we're full," Conway announced, going to shut the door. Paul stopped him, holding the door open.
"There's nowhere we can stay?" he insisted. I felt kinda helpless there on the restless Ponyta as Conway and Paul silently argued. Finally, Conway opened the door wider and came out.
"There's room in the stables, if you are really that desperate," he sighed, motioning for Paul to follow as he walked around the corner of the inn wall. Paul led the Ponyta after Conway silently as the curtain once again fell. I hopped off of the fire horse pokemon and moved backstage with Paul and Conway following. Both of them stood by me as the Ponyta was led away and Ash, Gary, and Drew walked by in their fancy capes, robes, and crowns. All three held little chests, their gifts for the baby king. My cousin Lucas also walked past, dressed in even fancier clothes than the three 'Wise Men.' He strutted past, pretending to be conceited and pompous. As I laughed at him, he winked and continued swaggering toward the throne that was part of the next scene.
I watched as Gary explained the reason they were there in front of the king before Ash asked where the King of the Jews was born so they could go worship him. After consulting his scribes and priests, Lucas announced that the King was born in Bethlehem, telling them to tell him where he was exactly so that he too may worship. Drew thanked him and left with Gary and Ash. As soon as they were off stage, Lucas expressed his true desires to kill the 'usurping king.' I have to admit, he played a convincing evil king. Then the curtains closed, and Lucas strutted backstage again, still acting like a conceited king.
Between the two scenes, Mom had me change costume again to get rid of what she called the 'baby bump.' I got back just as the scene in the fields began. Misty and the other shepherds sat or stood onstage, along with a couple Mareep. I smiled as Leaf walked onstage and any of the sitting shepherds, Misty included, quickly shot to their feet.
"Fear not, for I bring good news," Leaf said, signaling for the shepherds to stay put. As they looked on warily, she continued. "Today in Bethlehem, the Savior is born. You will find the baby bundled up with a manger for a bed." At this point in time, several other kids, all dressed as angels, came out singing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful." After the song was finished, the angels departed, leaving the shepherds discussing what to do.
"Let's go to Bethlehem and see the holy baby!" Misty announced, and the others nodded, following her offstage as the curtains closed for the final set change. Once they were done, I sat down against a pile of hay as the baby was gently placed in my arms. I held it carefully as Paul sat next to me, putting one arm around my shoulder. As the curtains open, I just stared at the little bitty thing sleeping in my arms.
As the shepherds arrived, I tore my gaze from the bundle I held to greet them with a smile. Misty smiled back, falling to her knees in front of me with the other shepherds following suit. Soon after, Ash, Gary, and Drew came in, resplendent in their gold-trimmed capes and shiny crowns. Gary came over first, getting down on one knee in a proposal position as he opened the chest he held.
"To the king of all, I present a gift of gold," he said, setting down the chest in front of me. Then he stood and backed away so that Drew could do the same with his gift of myrrh. Then Ash knelt and gave a genuine grin to me and the baby in my arms as he opened the chest. When he announced his gift, he stumbled over the word frankincense before leaving the gift and backing away.
As the angel choir came out to sing "Silent Night," I realized how comfortable it was sitting next to Paul with the baby in my arms. It almost felt like we were a real family. As the song ended and the curtain started to close for the last time, I looked up and smiled at Paul. I swear that he gave the tiniest smile in return before standing up. When somebody took the baby from my arms, Paul helped me stand up. As I met his eyes, I had a sudden idea. I quickly ran backstage to change out of my costume and find somethings special, leaving Paul just standing there alone.
-oOo-
I couldn't believe my luck, but I found what I was looking for. I gave it to Leaf and Misty with explicit instructions on what to do with it. Then I ran to find Paul. I found him about to leave, wearing a purple ski jacket.
"Paul!" I called, causing him to turn. He raised one eyebrow as I grabbed his arm and tried to pull him towards a different door.
"What?" he asked me. I frowned at him, giving another tug to his arm.
"C'mon! I wanna talk to you a bit!" I said. Paul shrugged and let me pull him along, through another door into the little school courtyard. When we were under the pear tree, I spun to face him, a smile on my face. "You were the one that requested for us to be Mary and Joseph, right?" I asked. Paul stared at me, his expression unreadable in the darkness.
"What if it was?" he replied. I simply leaned in on my tiptoes and pecked his cheek.
"Then thank you," I said, pointing upwards before running back inside. I glanced over my shoulder as I did, seeing Paul look up into the tree branches and spying the mistletoe I'd found among the various props and had Misty and Leaf place for this very reason. I paused in the doorway and waved at Paul, calling "Merry Christmas Paul!" He simply raised one hand before walking towards a different door. I went to meet Mom with a broad on my face and a spring in my step. She looked at me curiously.
"You look happy," Mom said wryly. I looked up at her and shrugged.
"It's not Christmas every day," I said before turning and walking towards the door, leaving Mom to follow.
Whaddaya people think? Tell me in a review please.
Dawn: Bumming for reviews again?
Espeon: Maybe...
Leaf: This isn't even originally written for this!
Espeon: In my defense, it captures the essence of Christmas in a Pokemon One-shot. I mean, it's the freakin' nativity.
May: You still wrote it for your Twelve Days of Shipping.
Espeon: Oh, right. Well, if you wanna see it again with different Author notes, check my actual profile, awolflover2. You actually get a sneak peek, seeing as how this is supposed to be day 2's chapter.
Ash: Why didn't you just post day 1 then?
Espeon: Because I like this one better than day 1's. So there. Before anybody else can interrupt me- *Pauses to glare around room at fictional characters* -I don't know whether or not you should expect a New Year's one-shot. If there is one, it'll probably be written by Umbreon. I mostly posted this to show anyone watching that we're not dead, and we didn't disappear off of the face of the earth. Now review, and excuse me while I go write more stuff. Espeon out! Peace!