Island Wolf: Okay, okay apologies for being a slacker but - I got Soul Silver and have been playing it nonstop XD so forgive me my little indulgence.

Disclaimer:...you know the freaking drill :P

When May's eyes fluttered open she was greeted by a flash of red and a pair of emerald grin eyes. Despite the initial urge to scream upon waking her lips curved in a delighted smile.

"David!"

"How goes it cousin?" The fiery haired youth replied with a nervous laugh. He gave her a one armed hug as she sat up and pulled back with a smile, "I've got something for you."

Reaching down to his belt he unclipped a pokéball and enlarged it before pressing the release and giving it a small toss. Tears pricked at May's eyes when she heard the familiar keening call as the tall shape of her Blaziken emerged from the bright flash. Again May suddenly didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The fighting-bird pokémon made the choice for her as he leaned down and nuzzled her affectionately – a far cry from the savage beast he'd been just weeks ago. May wasted no time in wrapping her arms around his neck before dissolving into tears. David smiled and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck feeling awkward at witnessing the affectionate scene, but happy at the same time that he'd helped reunite trainer and pokémon.

"I promise I'm never going to let anything happen to you, ever again," May murmured as she stroked the great bird's neck plumage. The pokémon made a low crooning noise and cocked his head to one side in the Blaziken equivalent of a smile. With a crimson flash he retreated back into his pokéball, the red and white orb gently falling to rest on May's lap. The trainer picked up the sphere and cradled it close to her chest as she looked up at David, a smile on her face despite her tears, "Thank you David."

"Hey we're family, besides its what I do," The fiery haired youth replied with shrug and a grin, "Oh and Steven wanted me to tell you that Maxie made it through surgery – he's still unconscious though, but he's almost out of the woods for now."

May's smile instantly twisted into an expression of concern as she looked at her cousin with wide eyes.

"R-Really? Did he – may I go see him?"

"Steven told me you'd probably asked that," David smirked, "Yeah he said you could drop by for a couple of minutes...he's still recuperating in ICU. Just one thing before you go. What's the deal with this guy? I mean why are you so concerned with him? Is there a little something going on between the two of you?"

"He – I owe him a lot David...he's the one who helped me – helped me find my way back," May said, her voice cracking as she strayed dangerously close to the breaking point again, "I owe him everything."

"Okay," David answered softly as he nodded to show his understanding, now wasn't the time to be teasing and even he could see that it would be best leave it lay for the moment, "You don't have to say more then that. Listen I have to go now – Eldes thinks he might have an idea where another major Cipher outpost is located and he needs me to go with him to check it out. With any luck I'll find some more of your pokémon there...it seems that they gave yours and Maxie's to the Admins because of their obvious strength. I'll do what I can to track them down, I promise."

"Alright, be careful David." May said as she slipped out of bed and gave her cousin a tight hug. David patted her back comfortingly and nodded.

"Don't worry about it. You take care of yourself May okay? I'll be back soon."

"Okay, bye." She said with a nod and a small smile as her cousin departed with a nonchalant wave. As soon as he was gone May wasted no time and slipped out of her room in search of Maxie. She paused for a moment, suddenly struck by the extreme bizarreness of the situation. Not all that long ago she couldn't have cared whether Maxie lived or died, but now...

She wandered through the whitewashed hallways, shivering at the starkness – it reminded her to much of Farren's laboratory. More then once she was forced to pause and lean against the pristine white walls when her chest tightened and she hyperventilated almost to the point of passing out. The waves of memories kept plunging her into the depths of terror over and over like a macabre roller coaster. During one of these bouts it took a great deal of mental persuasion, telling herself that she was not in the mad professor's laboratory – she was safe, she couldn't be harmed here. Still, that didn't stop the occasional whimper from slipping out when one of the white coated doctors brushed past and she had to resist the nearly overpowering instinct to balk at the sight. After a solid fifteen minutes of searching she finally located the Intensive Care Unit. The smell of disinfectant and iodine hit her like a brick wall when she stepped through the double doors, the overly sterile smell making her want to retch. May had never been fond of hospitals to begin with but after being little more then a lab-rat the mild aversion had been exacerbated to an all out terror.

Swallowing thickly she steeled herself and began navigating her way through the narrow hallways, shyly glancing into the rooms she passed in the hopes of glancing a flash of crimson. Without warning a hand descended onto her shoulder and something akin to an electric jolt coursed up her spine as she let out a shrill scream.

"Oh dear I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you! Please stop screaming you're going to disturb the patients!"

May staggered back, a hand clutching at her shirt in a vain attempt to calm her racing heart as she leaned back against the wall. A tall man with white-blonde hair and pale green eyes stared back at her, hands raised in a calming gesture of peace. From the white coat and name tag clipped onto the breast-pocket she surmised that he was a doctor and wisely fell silent.

"S-Sorry!" She stuttered, "You – You just scared me."

"Its alright, I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that," He replied with a rueful smile, "What are you doing down here anyway?"

"I'm – looking for someone," May answered quietly, "M-Maximilian Asher?"

"Hmm you wouldn't happen to be May Maple would you?"

"Yes."

"Ah, right, Mr. Stone said you'd probably be enquiring about Mr. Asher," The doctor said with a sympathetic nod, "I'm Dr. Strickland – Mr. Asher's doctor."

"Oh, how is he?"

"Still unconscious I'm afraid – he probably will be for quite some time," He sighed, "It was touch and go for a long time...I'm not going to lie, we did lose him once on the table. Seviper venom is notoriously potent, even in small doses. We were cutting it awful close. Still he is a very fit and healthy gentleman so his prognosis is quite good all things considering. If he continues to stay stable like this he should make a full recovery. It'll be slow but the point is he will recover."

"Oh th-that's wonderful," May stammered, "Could I – could I see him?"

"Normally I'd say no but circumstances being what they are, and taking into consideration the Hoenn Champion's personal request I can grant you a few minutes as long as you don't disturb him."

"Oh thank you!" May exclaimed as she followed him down the dimly lit corridors. A glance at the digital clock told the trainer that it was late at night – it seemed that her internal clock had yet to return to normal. They came to a halt in front of one of the rooms and Doctor Strickland flicked open the latch, granting her entrance.

"Make it quick. I'll be back in a few minutes – if you leave before then make sure to shut the door behind you."

"Alright, thank you doctor." May said with a polite bow of her head. The doctor smiled before continuing on his nightly rounds. Taking a deep breath she slipped into the room and closed the door behind her as quietly as possible before turning to the rooms only occupant. She immediately felt a lump form in her throat upon doing so.

The former leader of Team Magma was a sorry sight to be sure. He looked so – vulnerable, the complete opposite of the steadfast and strong man she knew. His skin was frightfully pale and the sight of the IV drip taped to his hand and the bandages wrapped around his shoulder and torso, continuing out of sight beneath the edge of the thin blanket pulled up to his chest. The monitors around him beeped softly, signalling his continued life functions, but the sight of him connected to so many machines sent shudders running up her spine. She cautiously made her way to his bedside and looked upon his unconscious form with a pained expression. His face was drawn and his breathing was far to shallow for her liking. She reached out, hesitating slightly before brushing away a few locks of his fiery hair that had fallen into his face. Despite his deathly looking appearance his skin was quite warm to the touch and her fingertips skimmed along his jawline, perhaps lingering a little longer then they should have. She swallowed thickly and looked away for a brief moment as guilt settled in her stomach like a lead weight, leaving a sour taste in her mouth. Why was it so hard to see him laying there so weak and frail? Why did it hurt her to see him in pain?

There had been a time, not all that long ago when his death wouldn't have mattered to her. She couldn't have cared less, but now things were altogether different. The paradigm had completely shifted. She vainly struggled for some kind of emotional equilibrium only to realize that there wasn't one to be found. She recalled his treatment of her, stern but kind in his own unique way. He'd never treated her with cruelty, never really even raised his voice to her other then when she'd cut herself and of course that first day when she'd nearly lost all dignity in front of him. She couldn't quite stop a smile from forming on her face when she remembered almost walking in on him just after he'd gotten out of the shower. It would've been a great deal worse had he not been wearing a towel, but all the same it was the most flustered she'd ever seen him – even more so then when she'd trounced him all those years ago in the battle for Groudon. Still, she had to admit, he was quite fit for his age, no doubt about that. The smile faded as she reached down and touched his hand.

"I owe you everything," She whispered, "And I promise to repay that debt, I swear."

"Miss Maple?"

The skittish young woman stiffened, barely suppressing a jump as she turned around and saw Doctor Strickland peeking in through the door.

"Sorry, but your time is up."

"Oh alright...would it be alright for me to come back tomorrow?"

"Of course, as long as you don't stay to long or after visiting hours."

"Okay, thank you doctor."

"Come on, I think its time you returned to your room – that neck of yours will never heal properly if you don't get some proper rest. Here I'll escort you there."

"Of course, thank you again." May murmured as she followed the doctor out of the room, taking one last glance at Maxie's prone form before shutting the door behind her.

"Any word from David yet?

"Not yet May, I'll keep you posted don't worry."

"Okay Steven, thank you – bye."

May frowned as she hung up the phone and idly stared out the window. She'd woken up only an hour ago and it was well past noon. Shocked that she'd slept in so late she hadn't even bothered to find something to eat, instead she'd called up Steven to see if there was any word on David's mission. As capable as she knew her cousin was she still worried – he was one of her few remaining family members and she cared a great deal about his safety, especially because she knew on a personal level the pain Ardos was capable of inflicting.

The trainer sighed as she slipped out of her room and made her way over to the ICU to see if Maxie's condition had changed. It'd nearly been a week since he'd nearly succumbed to the Seviper's deadly bite and he'd yet to awaken. She'd visited him everyday with the faint and fleeting hope that his condition would improve, but so far her visits had been quite uneventful and admittedly disheartening. She gave Doctor Strickland a polite nod as she did every time she encountered him before slipping into Maxie's room and sitting next to his bed. He hardly looked any better then when they'd first found him dying in the snow, so pale and vulnerable looking. She curled up on the chair the nurses had kindly placed next to the bed and watched the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath the thin white blankets, not bothering to keep track of the passing hours. More often then not she'd end up crying before leaving; sometimes for him, sometimes for her. She didn't know why she had become so – fixated on her former enemy, but at the moment she really didn't care...the only peace she found was sitting next to him, it was the only place where the shadows didn't creep up on her and torment her with their jeering calls and cruel memories. She'd awoken more then once in the middle of the night – still feeling Ardos' hands creeping along her body. She's spend the remaining hours of the night hunched over the sink as her body was racked with dry heaves. Even in her dreams the blue-haired madman still tormented her.

"Come on Maxie, wake up," She murmured, "Please wake up."

Her pleas, as usual, went unheard and Maxie remained as unresponsive as ever. May felt her eyes sting and she blinked to hold back tears as a lump formed in her throat. She brought her knees up to her chest, curling up in a little ball of misery and pressing her face against the cold plastic cushion of the chair. Through half open eyes she stared at the window. The blinds were drawn but shafts of pale orange light from the setting sun still managed to filter in. She closed her eyes against the brightness and gradually slipped into a dreamless sleep.

May wasn't sure whether it was the sound of a tree branch rapping against the window due to the gusting wind, or the odd feeling of tightness in her chest, but when she opened her eyes it was almost pitch black in the room. The sound of the howling wind made her shiver as she tried to stretch out in the chair, wincing at the cracking sound her back made as she did so. A slight movement next to her made her freeze, and her breathing hitched. She slowly turned her gaze towards Maxie and saw something she could only describe as miraculous. There, in the dim light of the monitors around him, his hand twitched and a slight grimace creased his brow. Her heart hammered against her ribs with such force she feared it would burst.

"M-Maxie?"

His lips parted in a silent groan as he turned towards her and his eyes opened the slightest fraction.

Earthen brown met cobalt blue.

He seemed confused for a moment, his gaze unfocused and uncertain before his eyes gradually became more alert. He seemed surprised at her presence and weakly stretched out a hand towards her. She hesitantly took his hand, hardly believing what she was seeing as the monitors around her flared to life emitting a series of loud beeps. Not knowing whether the sounds were positive or not she felt the all to familiar sensation of cold fear bubbling up in the pit of her stomach once again.

"Maxie? Doctor, somebody! I need a doctor!"

His eyes opened wider now and his head lifted from the pillow ever so slightly as Doctor Strickland flanked by two nurses burst into the room at the sound of May's frantic cries. As gently as the could they steered May out of the way and eventually out the door, but throughout the entire time neither she nor Maxie stopped looking at each other.

May sat on the floor just outside Maxie's room, back pressed against the wall and her knees pulled up to her chest. She swallowed thickly in an effort to hold back the flood of tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks as she stared at the clock mounted on the wall opposite of her. Each second was agonizingly long and she felt the bizarre sensation that time had almost begun to slow. Without warning a dark figure blocked her vision – a dark figure wearing a very familiar purple and black shirt and red silk cravat.

"Steven!"

"May – what's going on?" The Champion asked as he assisted her onto her feet. He caught her worried glance at the door to Maxie's room and began to put the pieces together, "Is it Maxie?"

"Yes he – he started to regain consciousness."

"That's – that's wonderful news." Steven replied with a tight-lipped smile, trying to ignore the bitterness coiling in the pit of his stomach. They both looked up as the door to Maxie's room opened and Doctor Strickland with his nurses in tow emerged looking extremely pleased.

"Ah Mr. Stone you're here as well, excellent," Strickland smiled, "I'm pleased to say that Mr. Asher has fully regained consciousness. Now he is still a long way from being fully recovered, but this is a very good sign that he is well on his way. He's quite lucid if you wish to see him."

The good doctor was abruptly interrupted by a shrill beeping sound emitting from the pocket of his overcoat. He immediately plunged his hand into the depths of his coat and produced a small black pager.

"Ah blast – I'm sorry to have to run off on you but we have another emergency to tend to. If you need anything don't hesitate to call!"

May almost laughed at the sight of Doctor Strickland dashing through the hall followed by his staff. He had a good heart and it comforted her a little to know that there were still good people in the world despite the great evils that dwelt in it. Her smile faltered as she glanced over at Steven and saw his downcast expression. It pained her to know that she was the root of his sadness, but she tried to tell herself that he had to get over his infatuation with her eventually...they just weren't meant to be – they never had been, she just hadn't realized until now. Of course she'd considered the possibility in the past but there had always been something there stopping her from letting him in.

"Steven I -"

"I know May, go on," The Champion murmured. He began walking away, hands shoved into his pockets before he suddenly paused and glanced back, a small smile on his face, "I'll see you later."

For some reason that smile made her fell far worse then his bitter expression ever had.

Still, she chose not to dwell on it, not now, not when her eyes were already burning with unshed tears. She took a shuddering breath and grasped the steel door handle as she prepared to re-enter Maxie's room. She tried to make the motion as swift and as fluid as possible. Shutting the door as quietly as her speed would allow before she spun on her heel and pressed her back against the artificial wood door. Earthen brown eyes caught her own cobalt gaze and refused to let go.

"Miss Maple...it would appear that we have some things to discuss."

Oh dear Ho-Oh she should've ran when she had the chance.

"I suppose."

Mustering up courage she didn't think she had she answered him, albeit meekly, but she answered him none the less. He arched a slender eyebrow as she took up her previous spot by his bedside and raised her deep blue eyes to meet his again. He was in a sitting position now – that was a comfort to her; he didn't seem as vulnerable as he had been. His face was still pale and drawn, but at least there was some life in it again.

"Dr. Strickland has told me that you've been visiting here everyday for a week...is that true?"

"He has no reason to lie," She joked feebly, but upon being greeted with heavy silence she sighed and nodded, dropping her gaze to her hands folded on her lap, "Yes."

"Miss Maple look at me."

May bit her lip and tried to stop herself from trembling as she slowly looked up at him again, not knowing what to expect and fearing his unknown reaction. However, instead of finding any negative emotions she saw a softness in his earthen brown gaze she'd never seen before and she had to admit...she quite liked it when he looked at her that way.

"How are you feeling?"

"M-Me?" She stammered, "I'm not the one still in a hospital bed."

"Indeed," He said, lips twitching in the smallest of smiles before the slight trace of mirth vanished from his face, "You know what I mean."

"Well – I'm not curled up in a corner clawing at myself anymore."

"I can see that...but why? What changed?" He pressed, "Generally people don't recover from such a mentally traumatic experience that quickly. So tell me...what changed?"

'You.'

She very nearly blurted that single word in response to his question but she stopped herself...only just. She swallowed thickly and glanced down momentarily as she struggled to find something else to say.

"I – I don't know...its not like it hasn't affected me," She said quietly, "I still have these – episodes. I can't move, I can't breathe and I get all these – memories, one after another. I don't even know where I am when it happens. Steven was with me once, he said he was practically screaming my name for five full minutes and I didn't hear him...not once."

She watched his dark brown eyes narrow and could practically see his gaze sharpening like a wary fox.

"There's more isn't there."

"Yes...there's the dreams – the nightmares."

"I see," He replied softly, closing his eyes. For a moment she thought he'd drifted off to sleep or worse, but then those beguiling eyes of his opened again and fixed their piercing gaze on her once more, "You know I hardly thought it was you...when you found me."

"What?"

"To be quite honest Miss Maple I didn't think you'd ever recover once we took that collar off," He said, "Not the way you were acting...not after what you'd been through."

"You thought I was going to go completely insane."

"Yes," He murmured, "Don't get the wrong impression, I am glad you aren't a mindless shell of a being...I was just surprised."

From there on out the conversation took on a much more mundane tone. She filled him in on all that had happened since he'd been attacked, of David's progress in the fight against Cipher and of how their pokémon were being tracked down. All the while they carefully skirted around what had happened and the words that had been exchanged when she'd found him in the glade and in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The trepidation was almost tangible.

A quiet knock on the door alerted both of them that visiting hours had drawn to a close. May looked at Maxie with a hesitant expression.

"Would it be alright if I – if I came back tomorrow?"

"Of- of course," He stammered, looking quite caught off guard, "Of course you can."

The words had hardly left his mouth before she made a dash for the door and left leaving the former leader of Team Magma alone to dwell on his thoughts and deal with his pain, both physical and mental.

Outside May had almost run headlong into Doctor Strickland. The physician's pale green eyes lit up with amusement as she stammered out profuse apologies that he gently waved off.

"There's nothing to apologize for Miss Maple," He laughed, "How is Mr. Asher doing hm?"

"Oh erm quiet well...in fact he's wondering when he'll be released."

"Released? Dear Lugia the man's only just regained consciousness!" Strickland sighed with apparent frustration. He gave her a rueful smile, "I know his type quite well – always the soldier ready to charge. You'll have to tell him that its going to be at least two weeks if not more considering that he lives alone."

"What are you implying Doctor?"

"Well its just that if he had someone around to help him and to make sure that he didn't strain himself then he could possibly be released far sooner," the Doctor replied, "You know, change his dressings, help him around – but the main thing would be to make sure he didn't try to do anything beyond him...which I can see being problematic hence why I won't spare one of my nurses to go out and routinely check on him like we do with some other patients. He strikes me as an extremely stubborn individual."

"You have no idea," May replied with the first genuine smile she worn in days. An idea flashed across her mind and her smile grew slightly. It would be a gamble, there was no way to predict how he would react but it was worth a shot...she had a debt to pay and Ho-Oh knows this would help keep her mind from straying back into dangerous waters, "Doctor...what if – what if I elected to take care of him?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'll go home with him and look after him. He's not going to be happy that he'll be stuck here for another two weeks otherwise and well, you've been so kind I don't want him causing trouble for you and your staff." She replied.

"I'm sorry Miss Maple but that's – that's out of the question. Mr. Stone has made it quite clear that he wants you under constant surveillance and I'm not sure I'm quite comfortable letting the two of you go...particularly you," The Doctor answered sincerely, "You've been acting remarkably balanced considering the trauma you've undergone...I don't know how to phrase this any other way but – we're just waiting for the backlash to come."

"Waiting – you mean its inevitable?"

"...In all likelihood yes," He replied sombrely, "I don't wish to frighten you Miss Maple, but I think you have a right to know. Steven wishes me to keep all this from you, but...as I said before I think you should know."

"Thank you for being honest with me Doctor," She said quietly, "But if I might share something with you?"

"Go ahead, I'm all ears."

"I wasn't – sound of mind when I first awoke."

"Yes I know Steven told me. He said you just sort of calmed down, right out of the blue. That's what has us so concerned."

"If that's all he told you then he left something out."

"Oh?"

"Yes...I calmed down because – because I found out Maxie had gone missing...all I could think about was him and when I concentrated on him I – I sort of found stable ground again, I'm not sure how to explain it. I think its the reason I've been so relatively balanced this past week, because I've been worrying about him."

"Is that so..." The Doctor mused. He fell silent for a few short moments before a wicked gleam entered his pale eyes, "In that case I may be forced to reevaluate my decision. Perhaps having you care for him would benefit the both of you. One, you're on relatively good terms and two, he seems to keep you stable. Alright I'm willing to make an exception to the rules...providing we wait until the last minute to spring this on Mr. Stone."

"Agreed." May replied weakly, suddenly fearing the Hoenn Champion's reaction to her spur of the moment plan, "How – how soon could he be released if I were to accompany him home?"

"Potentially just a few days."

"Alright – I'll try to convince Maxie tomorrow...I think he'll go for it."

"Let's hope so Miss Maple – I'd prefer not to have him terrorizing my nursing staff." Strickland chuckled. May smiled at the kindly doctor.

"Doctor...why are you helping me when its against protocol and the Champion's wishes? Couldn't this get you into trouble?"

"Some things are worth it Miss Maple," He replied with a sly wink, "Leave the worrying to me. Now go get some sleep, I have a feeling you're in for a tough challenge tomorrow."

"Again, you have no idea."

Island Wolf: Heehee Doctor Strickland's a clever old fox isn't he? :P haha. Oh dear I wonder how Maxie will react to May's plan? Until next time folks ;)