Misty stood uncomfortably as the small plane finally came to a stop. She put a pair of dark sunglasses on and tied a headscarf around her orange flowing locks. Kalos wasn't anywhere near Kanto, but she was still an international celebrity, and being swarmed by any press or cabal of fans, foreign or otherwise, was not what she wanted that day.

The pilot of the small jet walked back into the passenger cabin and announced to her, "We've landed, ma'am."

She nodded and leaned back a bit to stretch her tire back. Eight months pregnant and I'm flying. What am I thinking!?

But she hadn't co-opted her husband's private jet while he was busy with League business at the Indigo Plateau for a pleasant getaway. No, she had flown all the way to Kalos eight months pregnant to talk to someone.

The pilot lowered the exit stairs and stepped down and then helped Misty descend the stairs. "Will you be needing anything else, ma'am?" he asked dutifully.

"No, please just be ready to leave tomorrow morning," she replied.

She made her way through the Lumiose airport and then hailed a taxi and instructed the driver to take her to the business district. She double checked a piece of paper on which she had scribbled an address and the name of a shop before folding it and sticking it back into her pocket. The driver engaged her in some small talk and even congratulated her on her very noticeable bump. She simply thanked him, not wanting to reveal too much.

She spent much of the trip taking in the sights of the foreign city. It was huge. Tall buildings surrounded her, but there were also quaint buildings that had a certain aged appeal and showed off the city's long history. It was laid out like a wheel, and at the hub was the huge Lumiose tower. The landmark was as breathtaking as Ash had told her, and it was hard to believe that it also acted as the city's Pokemon gym.

The cab took a right and ran along the base of the tower as it finally pulled up to Misty's destination. She paid the driver and thanked him for his gracious hospitality and then gingerly exited the cab. She took in her surroundings as she absentmindedly rubbed her stomach and felt the small protrusions from within kick against her hand. She smiled and took a deep breath and entered the clothing shop that she had traveled thousands of miles to visit.

The clothes were absolutely gorgeous. Different styles lined the walls and adorned store's mannequins. Misty was in awe at the talent of the designer. For the past couple of months, she had had media relations people from within the league choose much of her attire, but compared to what she saw in that shop in Kalos, the League fashion designers seemed like children playing dress-up.

"Hello, ma'am," a voice behind Misty suddenly sounded, "I hope you're finding what you need."

Misty turned and gasped slightly at the person who approached her, but she recovered quickly, "Um, yes. These styles are amazing. They're much more stylish than what I'm used to back in Kanto."

"Oh," the shop owner said, "well you must be here on vacation. Are you looking for some maternity syles? Or for something to wear once the baby comes?"

Misty hesitated, "Actually, I'm here for a different reason, though I would love to see what you think would look good on me later."

"Well what else can I do for you?" the young designer asked.

Misty removed her glasses and headscarf and the shop owner's face contorted into shock and she gasped. "I was hoping I could take you out for some coffee, Serena."


If looks could kill, Misty thought as she sheepishly sipped her latte across the table from the blonde woman who was boring two holes through her skull with her eyes. Serena hadn't touched her coffee, and hadn't spoken to Misty since she'd curtly accepted Misty's invitation to the coffee shop just down the road from Serena's clothing store. For the past several minutes she'd simply glared angrily at the redhead and they had sat in awkward silence since. Misty was glad she was pregnant, because she figured that was all that was keeping Serena from leaping across the table and tearing all of her hair out by the roots.

Misty was still trying to work out exactly how to approach things with the young Kalosian, when Serena finally blurted angrily, "So are you here to fuck up my wedding? Again!?"

Several people around them seemed to glance in their direction briefly as Misty nervously fiddled with the Cascade Badge that Ash had attached to a necklace for her.

Serena continued, a little louder than Misty would have liked, "What did I ever do to you, huh!? I don't even fucking know you and you show up in my life not once, but twice! Right before I'm going to be married! Are you here to seduce my current fiancé too?"

"No I—of course not! I'm married!" Misty sputtered.

Serena guffawed, "Well that certainly didn't stop you before! I mean, case in point. You're at least eight months pregnant and yet the papers say you got married two months ago?"

"Okay, that's fair," Misty responded softly, trying to bring the tone of the conversation down a notch as the little one in her kicked a couple of times.

"So what, Mrs. Ketchum," Serena said, stuffing as much sarcasm into 'Mrs. Ketchum' as she possibly could, "are you doing here? Have you come to gloat? To laugh in my face?"

"No, I…"

"Because if you weren't carrying an innocent bystander, I'd probably set aside my ladylike disposition just for you!" Serena was livid.

"I came to apologize!" Misty said too loudly, her face red and her voice strained. Why did she feel odd all of a sudden?

Serena sat back and finally took a sip of her coffee. She still looked angry, but her features had softened a bit, and Misty took the opportunity to continue.

"Look, I have gone through a lot, and it's all been of my own doing," she said, straining slightly, "but it's nothing compared to what I put you through. The guilt has been crushing. And while I don't expect us to suddenly become best friends or anything, I was hoping I could at least leave here with you knowing how incredibly sorry I am for everything I put you through."

Serena sat for a moment and drank some more of her coffee, taking in the seemingly heartfelt apology from the pregnant woman. "Did Ash put you up to this?" She asked.

Misty shook her head, "He doesn't even know I'm here."

"So you think this will just make everything hunky dory?" Serena seethed.

"No," Misty admitted, "but I was hoping it could at least…I don't know…help heal old wounds?" Misty all of a sudden began to feel her back tighten up.

"I'm not sure what to say to you," Serena said and stood up, "you and that bastard husband of yours don't even know what I went through. If it wasn't for Clemont, I don't know what I would have done."

Misty began to strain as the pain in her back intensified. And then suddenly it felt like something inside her popped and a warm fluid began to run down her legs. She gasped loudly and pitched forward, knocking her coffee onto the floor and attracting the attention of multiple people in the coffee shop, not the least of whom was Serena, who suddenly had a shocked and worried expression on her face as she quickly made her way around the table and knelt next to Misty.

"Are you okay!? Hey?" Serena asked, all the animosity suddenly having left her voice.

"I…I think my water just broke," Misty replied.


AN - Sorry this one is so short, but it didn't take much too much to get to where I wanted to go in this one. What do you all think?