"And…Rose?"
Morty remained silent as he held the phone to his ear, his face turning red.
"She -" he cleared his throat, "she won't be here."
Hope sighed heavily down the phone, although she hadn't honestly expected anything else.
"You'll still come?" her son-in-law asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.
"Of course we will," Hope said quietly, "we want to see you both."
-o-
It had taken three years, but he was finally here. As he gazed up at the domed, glass building, his mouth fell open slightly in awe. He started upon feeling a light pressure on his hand. Ripping his blue eyes from the Champion's Platform, he looked levelly into Candice's own, dark ones.
"You ready?" she whispered.
Tripp nodded grimly, but his legs had seemed to turn to lead, and he could not appear pick his feet up from the ground.
"Are you nervous?" his friend asked with a grin, "Please tell me you are - nervous Tripp is hilarious."
"Shu'p Candy," Tripp muttered, "I need to focus."
Candice rolled her eyes, but she kept quiet. She was incredibly proud of him. He had grown from strength to strength during the past three years although, due to circumstances outside his control, he was yet to face a Champion. There had been no Champion to face in Sesame after Fernando abruptly abandoned the post. All of Tripp's eight badges, painstakingly collected, amounted to nothing when the League was in such turmoil. When it had finally been fixed, his badges were no longer valid: Cristine was eventually made the new Champion, a fire type trainer from Kanto had become the newest member of Sesame's Elite Four, and Morty had taken over Callisto's Gym…
Tripp could not bring himself to challenge Rose's husband – the thought still made him feel sick with fury. It only seemed natural, then, to start afresh, to collect eight more badges and challenge another Champion…and here he was. He and Candice had travelled most of the islands in the nearby regions, training their Pokémon hard and seeing things they never expected to see. After two and a half years of island hopping, Tripp was left very tanned and Candice very burned, and they finally made their way to Hoenn. After a gruelling six months Tripp had managed it. He had eight badges; he had a formidable party of Pokémon; and he had a flaming desire to prove himself.
Steven was waiting, and Tripp could feel his nerves mounting. He had met the man once during his travels through the region, and had been more than impressed by him. He exerted an easy confidence which somehow did not come across as arrogant in the slightest. He had even heard of Tripp due to his work with Professor Willow, and he was only too willing to dish out praise of his own. All of this somehow made the idea of challenging him all the more terrifying. With a trainer like Lance, his self-assurance could perhaps be manipulated; even Fernando's stubborn reliance on his own superior blood-line might mean that gaps could be found in his seemingly unbreakable armour, but Steven…Steven was a genuinely honest person – and that in itself was a challenge. If he hid nothing from his opponent, what could they attempt to thwart?
Tripp pondered this through narrowed eyes as he made his way up the steep staircase to the Champion's Platform. He was barely aware of the security guards checking the four stamps upon his hands, proof that he had in fact defeated each of the Elite Four, and he continued to walk, trance-like, through the building, before making his solitary way through the automatic doors.
The hall was completely silent. Tripp walked tentatively through it, alone now – for only those with the four stamps could enter.
A genuinely warm smile lit up the Champion's face as he recognised his challenger, and his amber eyes glowed in satisfaction.
"I can't say it's a surprise to see you here, Tripp," Steven said quietly, "but I will admit I'm impressed that you're here so soon…how long did it take you to collect all eight badges?"
"Roughly six months," Tripp said. He tried to grin at the Champion but the muscles in his face did not appear to be co-operating with his brain.
"Only six months…"
"Hoenn is a lot larger than Sesame, the scale of the land is incredible…in Sesame I collected all eight badges within four months."
Tripp bit his lip then, worried he had come across as arrogant: he knew that he was wont to do that at times. If Steven had thought this, however, he made no indication of it.
"And yet you did not challenge Sesame's League?"
"There was no League to challenge," Tripp admitted, "Fuego left in November, and another Champion was not selected until a year later when Cristine returned from her travels…"
"Ah yes, with Callisto?"
Tripp nodded.
"Why, may I ask, did you not return to Sesame after travelling the islands? You only would have had to obtain one badge there as opposed to the full eight here to challenge the League?"
Tripp blushed. There was something in Steven's eyes that he found unnervingly knowing. Apart from Jay, nobody was aware of Tripp's feelings for Rose. It was all too raw, too humiliating. He had been convinced it would never happen – that she would eventually be his. Any thoughts of her still caused him to experience a strange sensation in his chest. He was pretty sure that she lived in Ecruteak City now, and he had neither seen nor heard from her since he had left Tarragon City three years ago, on that horrible, surreal morning. The image of her, wide-eyed, pale, and waxen, wearing only Morty's t-shirt as she begged him to believe her, came unbidden to his mind, and the sensation in his chest returned once more.
"Tripp?"
"S-sorry, I –"
"I understand," the Champion said truthfully. His own travels around Sesame had had to be halted when he met a Gym Leader that he could not bear to challenge, whose violet eyes and ash-blond hair still made his fingers tingle when he thought of them. Battling was far from a black and white experience: emotions always played a large part in the outcome…Steven inhaled deeply.
"I was not attempting to sabotage you," he said with a smile, his amber eyes twinkling.
Tripp gave a shaky laugh and ran his hands through his cropped, dark hair.
"You realise if I lose I'm going to blame you now?"
Steven chuckled and he took a step towards his challenger.
"If you lose? You're very confident I see…"
Tripp grinned and wiped his perspiring hands on his jeans.
"We will each use six Pokémon; there will be no substitutions," Steven whispered, his eyes, for the first time, very serious.
Tripp gave a grim nod. He could feel his pulse in his throat and his ears, and he swallowed hard and took in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself.
"Are you ready?"
Tripp attempted to reply, but all that came from his throat was a hoarse grunt.
Steven gave a small smile before he selected a Pokéball from his belt.
"I'm going to start with…Skarmory!"
Tripp felt a rush of adrenaline surge through him. All of a sudden it hit him what he was trying to do. Without any time to dwell on it, he reached for his own belt and selected his own Pokémon.
"Houndoom, let's go!"
Steven gave a small nod of approval.
"Let's start with Steel Wing!"
Skarmory was terrifyingly fast, and Houndoom was hit rather badly.
"Come on Houndoom! Fire Blast!"
Steven cringed from the intensity of the heat, but couldn't stop himself smiling slightly. Tripp was evidently a trainer who wished to cause as much damage as soon as possible: sometimes this tactic worked, but sometimes it simply meant that the Pokémon grew too tired too quickly.
"Use Rock Tomb!"
Tripp gaped as Houndoom whimpered in pain; he had no idea a bird Pokémon could use rock type attacks. But then again, Steven was obviously Hoenn's Champion for good reason…
"Fire Blast Houndoom!"
"Use Aerial Ace!"
The attack wasn't particularly effective, but Houndoom went down, and Skarmory easily dodged the misplaced stream of fire.
Tripp nodded slowly to himself; this was never going to be easy. He just needed to remember Candice's advice – there was no real time limit in choosing your next Pokémon – he needed to give himself time to breathe…
"Go Beedrill!"
Steven raised his eyebrows in disappointed surprise: this was a very strange decision, and he couldn't help but hope that Tripp was going to pull something unexpectedly fantastic out of the bag. His hopes were dashed, however, when he noted the fresh panic in Tripp's blue eyes. There were, of course, no substitutions allowed. It pained Steven to do it, but he could not lose deliberately.
"Poison Sting!" Tripp ordered before turning, if possible, even paler when he registered that poison type attacks did not affect Skarmory. This, coupled with the obvious type disadvantage of bug verses flying meant that Tripp had landed himself in a very sticky situation indeed – and he knew it.
"Use Fly," Steven ordered quietly.
Beedrill went down in one, not even having touched the steel bird Pokémon. Tripp returned his Pokémon silently to its Pokéball, and considered his position. How could he have been so stupid? So careless?
"But seriously, you guys, especially you Tripp, need to learn your advantages and disadvantages by heart…it'll make your decisions in battle not only easier but more effective..."
The words reverberated through his brain in Rose's high, clear voice. He started slightly, unaware that he even retained that memory from over three years ago. But she was right – he grimaced as he conceded that she usually was – and he decided to act on her advice. He racked his brains, and as far as he could see, there was one obvious choice.
"Come on Jolteon!"
Steven gave a small smile. This was more like it. Now things might get difficult for him.
"Steel Wing Skarmory!"
"Use Agility and dodge it Jolteon! Then use Thunderbolt!"
Skarmory screeched as the lightning hit it, but it wasn't about to go down already.
"Now show it your Aerial Ace!"
Jolteon couldn't avoid this attack, but he merely shook off the pain and returned to battle, his hackles raised.
"Use Thunder!"
The whole stadium was filled with lightening and Tripp and Steven both had to shield their eyes from the blindingly bright flash of light. Skarmory stood no chance, and fainted heavily to the ground.
"That's more like it," Steven smiled as he selected his second Pokéball, "but let's see how you cope with Cradily!"
Tripp's eyes widened; he had never seen a Pokémon resurrected from a fossil before. There was something clearly prehistoric about its genetic make-up, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was…he shook his head in order to get himself back in focus. Now really wasn't the time to get side-tracked.
"Rock Slide! Now!"
Jolteon howled in pain, and Tripp closed his eyes tightly. He had no idea that Cradily was part rock type…but it made sense. For why would Steven have sent a pure grass type Pokémon out against an electric one?
"Use Quick Attack Jolteon!"
"Ancient Power!"
Jolteon seemed to freeze as Cradily began its attack. Colossal rocks, bigger than Jolteon himself, rose out of nowhere and hovered menacingly in the air before they came crashing down on the electric type Pokémon. There was silence from the battle ground. Jolteon had quite clearly fainted.
Just think of type – that's all that matters. You have your strategies, you know all of your Pokémon, just concentrate on types.
"Let's go Piloswine! Use Ice Beam!"
Tripp did not want to stall: he liked to inflict damage early on; he liked the have the upper hand from the off.
Cradily screamed unearthily as it was buffeted by the ice, but it still managed to stay standing.
"Use Grass Knot now!"
Piloswine reeled from the super effective attack, but Tripp did not allow himself to be overcome by his panic. It was now or never.
"Blizzard Piloswine!"
He wasn't sure if it was the imminent danger from the dual grass type, or perhaps just more intense training, but Tripp had never known Blizzard to be so forceful. Cradily was down without a hope of defending itself. Steven did not smile, but his eyes were twinkling.
"I see you're getting into the swing of things," he nodded, "most interesting…"
Tripp said nothing; he could not allow himself to drop his composure.
"Come on out Metagross!"
This Piloswine was strong, and Steven wanted to eliminate it from the battle as soon as possible.
The huge steel Pokémon screeched menacingly as it was released from its Pokéball, and Piloswine froze in shock at the mere size of it.
"Use Iron Head!"
"Bulldoze Piloswine!"
Both attacks were super effective and both Piloswine and Metagross cringed in pain.
"Meteor Mash! Now!"
Piloswine yelped and staggered.
"Don't give up! Use Earthquake!"
"Levitate off the ground Metagross!"
The attack had no way of making contact.
"Now finish it with Metal Claw!"
The air rushed out of Tripp's lungs in a shallow huff as he stared at Piloswine, unmoving on the floor.
"Are you going to switch Pokémon, Tripp?" Steven asked quietly.
Tripp blinked and came to. He wasn't aware of how long he'd simply been staring at his Pokémon. Giving a small nod, he took a new ball from his belt.
"Good job Piloswine," he croaked, "go Golem!"
Steven gave a small smile: this would be exciting; neither had the type advantage, and Metagross was already quite tired.
"Use Bulldoze now!"
Before Steven could react, the attack hit critically and Metagross, perhaps his strongest Pokémon, was down. It was always a risk, he knew, using his strongest simply in order to eliminate one particular opponent…and this time it may not have paid off…but he still had two good options against this rock/ground type Pokémon.
"Come on Claydol!"
Tripp grimaced. Ground and psychic he was pretty sure. Golem wasn't going to be much use here; he only had Golduck left after this, and he had no idea what types Steven's other Pokémon were. Unusually, he did not appear to be sticking to one type alone…Tripp could only do his best: he did not have the ability to substitute anyway…
"Psychic Claydol!"
"Withdraw Golem, and use Defence Curl!"
The psychic attack practically bounced off Golem's immensely hard shell, and Tripp allowed himself to breathe.
"Earthquake Claydol!"
Tripp blanched: for reasons unbeknownst to him, Golem seemed to be badly affected by ground type attacks, even though he was dual ground type himself. It made no sense to Tripp whatsoever, and he flushed as he admitted to himself that types, one of the simplest aspects to Pokémon training, had always been his weak point.
"Withdraw again! Defence Curl!"
Once again, most of Claydol's attack was deflected, but Golem seemed to be breathing heavily. Tripp knew he had to try and inflict some damage; but none of the moves he could think of would hurt Claydol very much, if at all…
Golem turned to stare meaningfully at his trainer. He had an idea, an idea that would surely work, but he did not want to use it without being commanded to – he would not shame Tripp in that way.
Tripp realised that his Pokémon was desperately trying to communicate something to him, but he couldn't understand what it was. Golem was growing increasingly more agitated however, and so Tripp simply nodded at him, letting him know that he gave his permission for Golem to do whatever he thought best- Tripp had none of his own ideas.
"Use Psybeam!"
Golem, without command, withdrew once again, and once the attack passed over his head, he emerged from his shell, and flung the item in his hand with all his might.
"Fling," Tripp whispered under his breath. He had given Golem a Hard Stone at the beginning of the tournament in a bid to boost his rock type attacks: the Hard Stone was expensive, and Tripp would never have thought to use if offensively. But Claydol was not be affected by rock type moves – Golem's move was ingenious.
Claydol flailed in pain from the super effective dark type move, and Tripp decided to finish it.
"Rock Slide! Now!"
Unfortunately for Tripp, Claydol was far too highly trained to succumb to one rock type attack, and it shook it off, badly weakened, but still determined.
"Earthquake Claydol!"
Tripp groaned as Golem fell heavily to the floor, his mouth slack and his eyes tightly closed. He had, inevitably after the ground type attack, fainted.
One left. One against three. Tripp gulped inwardly. He did not know what types Steven's Pokémon were, so he couldn't even plan a strategy, and he had no idea whether or not he was in with a chance. He took heart, however, from the fact that Claydol was looking severely battered and bruised. He was at least confident that he could win this particular battle with Golduck.
"Come on out and use Brine!" he ordered.
Steven cleared his throat quietly as Claydol immediately crashed to the floor and was unable to get up again. He did not show it, but he began to worry slightly. He still had two Pokémon against Tripp's one, but in terms of type advantage, Tripp certainly had the upper hand…
"Go Armaldo!"
Tripp had never seen a Pokémon like it, and he couldn't decide whether it looked more like a bug or a reptile of some sort.
"Rock Tomb now!"
The attack hit but Golduck was barely affected.
Rock type – Tripp thought to himself in satisfaction.
"Use Aqua Jet!"
The Armaldo staggered, but managed to right itself.
"X-Scissor!" Steven ordered, but once again Golduck managed to shake his pain off with ease.
Tripp took heart from this; he was in with a chance – he could potentially win this…
"Golduck, use Hydro Pump!"
The strongest water type attack left its mark and Armaldo, after only two attacks, fainted.
Steven didn't know whether to feel horrified or amused; it was one on one now, and again, Tripp had the type advantage. However, Aggron was on top form, so Steven knew that this would in no way be an easy battle for Tripp...
"Let's do it Aggron! Use Metal Claw!"
Golduck winced badly; Aggron was clearly at a higher level than Armaldo had been.
"Use Hydro Pump!" Tripp yelled, determined to finish this. To his horror, however, despite being super effective, Aggron appeared to recover easily from the water type attack.
"Iron Tail Aggron!"
"Dodge it Golduck! Use Brine!"
Golduck did not quite manage to dodge Aggron's attack, and his beak snapped loudly in pain.
"Metal Claw again!" Steven commanded almost instantly, and Golduck fell to the ground. To Tripp's relief, his Pokémon stood shakily to his feet, not yet defeated.
"Hydro Pump!"
Once again Aggron did not seem too bothered by the immense gush of water, merely shaking it off as he continued to advance on Golduck.
Tripp felt himself break out in a sweat. His whole life he had waited for this opportunity, and now it was about to snatched from him. Years of hard work, sweat, and blood (and a couple of hidden tears) would all be for nothing if he and Golduck couldn't pull this off. He found himself wishing that he had saved Golem until last – although water type attacks were undeniably strong against Aggron, Tripp knew that here ground type would be even better…
Unbidden, another memory, long forgotten made its way to the forefront of his mind: "it would make a difference, but that still doesn't detract from the fact that Headbutt is a normal type move and Geodude is a rock type Pokémon!"
"Ooh yeah…I forgot that moves could have types too…"
"It's a very important thing to remember; the better you know your types and weaknesses, the better you'll do in battle."
Moves had their own type…
"Golduck use Dig!" Tripp yelled in excitement. He may yet have a chance.
Steven's eyes gleamed. Tripp was showing some initiative, and suddenly the offence was no longer one-sided.
Aggron roared as its prey disappeared under the ground. The great silvery-grey Pokémon looked frantically from side to side, as though it was expecting an onslaught of pain.
"Be careful now Aggron," Steven warned.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Aggron was flung into the air by an upward driving force; Golduck emerged from the ground, breathing heavily, his eyes gleaming in triumph.
But Aggron was not finished. It growled as it tried to regain its breath, but Tripp could see that it was left horribly weakened. It was just as Tripp had suspected – water was super effective, but ground was more so, and this whole time Golduck had known the perfect attack. Tripp felt a thrill of exhilaration run down his spine. He only had one choice really.
"Use Dig again!"
-o-
Hope smiled sadly and squeezed her husband's hand as she gazed down at the child playing happily on the rug. She glanced over at Morty and saw that he was repeatedly glancing at his watch, his face growing more and more agitated as the minutes passed. Fernando also noticed this and sighed heavily as he stood abruptly from the squashy, leather sofa. The look of relief on Morty's face was almost comic.
"You're leaving?"
"Yes, we'd better," Hope said quietly, "It's a long flight back to Sesame…"
"And Charizard is still not overly comfortable flying in the dark," Fernando added.
Morty gave a grim nod.
He could tell that Hope was deliberately lingering, that she wanted to 'bump' into her daughter, but they were all aware that it would never happen.
"Well goodbye then," Fernando said, smiling at the little boy who had grasped the leg of Morty's trousers.
"Say goodbye Jas," Morty told him quietly, pushing him gently towards his grandparents.
Hope couldn't prevent the tears pooling in her eyes as she gazed at the little boy. It was true, that even at two and a half he was the spitting image of his father, but those bright brown eyes of his haunted her.
"Goodbye little one," Hope whispered, crouching down beside her grandson.
"Ma?" he said with a frown as he reached out to grab one of her white-blond curls.
Hope raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"He always plays with Rose's curls," Morty said with a smile, "I suppose you're the only other person he's seen with curly hair…"
"Let's go, Hope," Fernando said quietly as he placed a hand comfortingly on the small of her back. Hope gave a stiff nod before she kissed the little boy on top of his dark blond head. He grimaced, and they all chuckled quietly.
Morty hoisted his son up into his arms and, standing in the doorway, he waved as his parents-in-law mounted Charizard and began the long flight west towards Sesame.
"It never gets less weird," he sighed to his son, whose only response was to curiously jam a small finger into his father's eye.
-o-
She frowned as she approached the small, grey-brick cottage, for a warm, dim light was still shining in the downstairs window. Removing her key from her bag, she quietly inserted it into the lock, careful not to make a sound. She crept through the hallway and peeped her head around the living room door. Smiling now, she made her way silently through the lamp-lit living room and had to bite her lip to prevent herself from laughing aloud at the sight.
Morty was lying flat on his back, fast asleep on the sofa, and Jasper was in exactly the same position, only his father's chest was his sofa equivalent. Rose couldn't help but roll her eyes when she noted that it was gone nine o'clock, and her son was once again not in bed – but she didn't really mind.
She carefully lifted the sleeping child from Morty's chest and held him close against her. He was warm and drowsy, and he snuggled down into her arms.
"Ma!" he said clearly, his large, bright brown eyes lighting up as he saw who it was.
"Shh, now," Rose whispered to him, "it's bed time isn't it?"
Jasper shook his head and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes, but Rose began to rock him soothingly in her arms as she made her way carefully up the staircase. Before they reached his bedroom, he was asleep once more. She lay him gently down on his bed and pulled his blanket up to cover him, but she had to stifle a laugh when he rolled onto his back, one arm raised above his head: it was just how Morty slept.
-o-
Morty stirred as he felt a cool hand brush his cheek.
"Don't tell me I have to carry you upstairs too?"
His eyes snapped open in alarm, but he relaxed and grinned upon seeing the dancing light in hers.
"Did I do it again?" he mumbled, attempting to shield his eyes from the table lamp.
"Yes, you did," Rose laughed quietly as she lay down beside him on the sofa. Morty pulled her towards him so that her head was nestled in its usual spot on his chest, before he lifted her chin and kissed her lips softly.
"Did you have a good shift?" he murmured as his finger traced her cheekbone lightly.
Rose could feel her eyes fluttering closed.
"It was fine," she whispered breathily as he began to kiss her neck.
"Well I'm certain these are contaminated," he grinned, tugging at her green scrubs, "so if you don't mind, I think they're going to have to come off…"
Rose bit down on her lip to prevent herself laughing out loud, but she gasped as she felt his warm hands on her bare skin, and she lost herself in the intoxicating oblivion that was completely him.
-o-
Tripp's eyes narrowed at the incessant stream of camera flashes that followed him to Lilycove City. It had been headline news that Steven had lost, and Tripp was certainly feeling the strain.
He had wanted to become a Champion to be respected and to feel that he had personally achieved his goals – he had not wanted to take part in endless photo shoots. But apparently there was a lot more expected of a Champion than simply being an expert battler…
The dressing room studio was pleasantly cool after the bustling crowds outside, and Tripp sighed heavily as he reclined on the chair that had been set out especially for him. He didn't quite see what this top stylist was supposedly going to do to him – he thought his hair and clothes were fine, although his Pokémon could probably do with a spruce up after their intense battle…
"…so you'll have to cancel my three o'clock," a young woman said as she entered the dressing room; she was speaking into an earpiece and her strawberry blond head was turned in the opposite direction to Tripp, "but I should still be able to make the later appointment…hopefully…yeah…'kay, gotta run!"
She turned to face Tripp, and her jaw dropped.
"Tripp?! You're the new Champion?!"
He managed a shaky laugh after he got over his initial shock.
"So it would seem…and you're the top stylist in Hoenn?"
"Apparently so," she laughed, her grey eyes sparkling.
It was a strange experience, and neither really knew what to say, not having seen each other for three years. Tripp had grown even taller, and he now wore his hair much shorter than he had as a teenager. His face had hollowed somewhat, and his blue eyes stood out starkly in his tanned face. Likewise, Amy had changed. She had allowed her hair to return to its natural strawberry blond, and she had grown it past her shoulder blades in bouncy waves. She had abandoned her wardrobe of bold colours that washed out her pale, creamy skin, and was instead dressed in a pale yellow, floaty dress that made her grey eyes glitter.
They both began to turn slightly pink in the awkward silence.
"So, er –" Tripp began, "sorry if I've made you have to cancel anything today," he said quietly.
"Don't be silly," Amy smiled, "it's only a client…and one I'm not too fond of at that…"
"Not…not personal plans then?" he asked lightly.
"No, no," Amy said quickly, her creamy skin flushing a delicate pink, "I don't have any personal plans this evening…"
"Would you like to?" Tripp asked boldly, smiling slightly as he took a small step towards her. He needed to get Rose out of his head once and for all.
Amy bit down on her lower lip in embarrassed happiness. When he smiled she couldn't help but be reminded of the way she used to feel. But they were older now, and something felt sweeter somehow.
"I don't see why not," she whispered.
-o-
Morty and Rose awoke with a start as a shrill scream pierced the night.
"W-what?!" Morty mumbled incoherently as Rose leapt off the sofa.
She was trying to force her scrub top over her head, and Morty finally processed what he'd heard. He only had to pull on his underpants, and so managed to sprint up the staircase and into his son's room before her.
The child was writhing on his bed, his little legs tangled in his bed covers. Morty bent to scoop him up against his chest and stroked his dark blond locks soothingly.
"Hey, Jas, hey it's okay, it's only a bad dream," he whispered into his son's ear, shaking his head at Rose and smiling slightly as she appeared in the doorway. She let out a sigh of relief and returned her husband's smile.
Jasper continued to sniffle quietly, and so Morty carried him through to their bedroom, laying him gently between them in their bed. The three slept peacefully for the rest of the night, aided by the fact that when Jasper cried out they had not turned on his bedroom light, and so they had not seen his eyes transition into a sinister amber-yellow, before they returned to their usual brown.
AN:
This took a while and I apologise, but I recently started a new job!
Writing this has been an amazing experience for me, and I want to thank all of you who took the time to read this and especially those who reviewed (:
To run the risk of sounding incredibly lame here, writing this helped me through what could have been an incredibly tough patch (apologies for sounding ridiculous), and I therefore really appreciate all of your lovely feedback. If it hadn't been for my lovely reviewers I can't imagine that this would have even been finished.
I hope you enjoyed (:
Lots and lots and lots of love,
x
P.S: don't forget to read 'PTSD' – it's still part of this story, I've just published it as a separate one (for obvious reasons once you've read it :D)