Midsummer Dreams

Midsummer Dreams.

By Trish.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, or William Shakespeare. I do own the storyline, Calliope, Florian and anyone I made up. Puck's name belongs to Shakespeare - but his characterisation is mine. I also don't own any of the songs that I mention throughout the chapter. 'Nuff said.

A/N: It's Party time at the Plateau! As such - this deserves a bit of a soundtrack. "Dancing Queen" and "Mamma Mia" by ABBA, "Blame It On The Boogie" by The Jacksons, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor (Told ya I was going retro ^_~), "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega, "Absolutely Everybody" by Vanessa Amorosi, "If You Can Read My Mind" by Stars On 54. Oh and of course "Oh, What A Night". It's STILL stuck in my head….

Many thanks go to Mia for her suggestions and inspiration. I'd also like to dedicate this to (although he won't know it) the newest member of my family - my nephew Peter. Born 5 weeks early, he's the first child of my brother and his wife. He has yet to come out of the hospital - we're hoping he will soon.

Chapter Ten: Don't Blame It On The Moonlight…..

The morning sunlight streamed in through the gap in the curtains as Ash slowly stirred in his bed. He opened his eyes blearily to check the time on his alarm clock. 9:30am. He sat up and saw Pikachu along with all her family, start to move inside her basket.

"Morning, Pik," he greeted his favourite Pokémon as she lifted her little head up.

"Morning Pikapi," she answered as she began to wash the nearest sleeping fur ball with her tongue. The fur ball trembled and one little black eye regarded his mother with a sleepy little "Pi?" The baby uncurled and crawled closer to his mother, and tried not to squirm as she continued licking him.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I did." The Grand Master bent over to pick up a Pichu that was scrabbling at the side of the bed. "Despite the fact that I didn't get to sleep until 3 am."

He held the Pichu up to his face, "Poppy?" he ventured hesitantly.

The baby grinned and licked his face. "Pichupi!" she squeaked happily. He placed her on his lap and started to scratch her behind the ears. "Piiiiiiiiiiichu" she purred in utter contentment.

"Last night was fun, wasn't it?" Pikachu said as she moved onto the next Pichu.

Her best human friend smiled. "It sure was." The dance had been extremely successful. And apart from what happened to Rudy, the Trovita Island Gym Leader - nothing else had gone wrong. The crowds had thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the majority had partied on until the early hours of the morning - Ash and his usual crowd included.

Ash and Misty had spent most of the evening either dancing or kissing under the stars. He also managed to keep the promise he had made earlier that evening - to have a few dances with his beloved mother. He also danced once with Katrina, and once with Jessie.

Gary had spent the night conversing with Jenn and her friend Trish, Drake, Giovanni and his date Vickie. When loud laughter had come from that table, Ash had looked over to see his best friend holding a balloon in front of him - and he knew what he had done. Gary had inhaled some of the helium and then proceeded to talk in a high pitched squeaky voice to his companions.

Even Tracey had loosened up enough to have a good time. When he had first arrived in tow with Karlie, he had looked rather uptight and uncomfortable. But as the evening went on, he had relaxed enough to talk affably with his captor.

And Brock….it looked like Brock had finally succeeded in not being rejected by a pretty girl. Veronica had not slapped him at the end of their first dance, and had stayed talking to him the rest of the evening. Maybe, just maybe..Brock might have found someone who liked him back.

He grinned at the memory and rose out of bed. Today he would have to deal with the matter of Rudy who was now a Pokémon. To see if it was possible to turn him back into a human. But in all honesty, Ash would not mind one bit if the Gym Leader stayed as a Muk. He had never really liked the guy anyway…..

***************

Arrow looked around the large group of tired but happy faces surrounding her at breakfast in the Cyndaquil Café. The usual crowd had been complimented by the addition of some of the dates from last night. Vickie was having fun tweaking Giovanni's tie into its proper place, Trish and Jenn were accompanied by Drake and Gary; Karlie and Tracey (as usual); Rachel and Richie. Only Erina and herself were without their dates, but Puck had promised to spend the day with her, and from the looks on Erina's dreamy face - Flory would be too.

The brunette cast her mind back to last night's dance. She had so much fun with Puck and her friends - everyone had sung along to the music that played over the sound system.

The medley of songs from Grease had come on, and the girls had gone to one side and the guys the other. And Arrow and Puck had led the crowd by singing the lead vocals from "Summer Loving" right through to "You're The One That I Want." The two had then been complimented on their singing abilities by the other revellers.

The whole night, Arrow reflected, had been FUN. And she was looking forward to the second dance which was scheduled for tomorrow night.

****************

Ash was re-reading the report into the Chateau Plateau incident as he sat in his office waiting for Jessie to arrive. She wanted him to meet their house guest who had been staying with them ever since she had found him wandering about lost at the Convention in the first week.

He laid the report on his desk next to the new one on Rudy, as well as a small pad of paper upon which Misty's strange behaviour had been noted down.

These strange and unexplained happenings were really bugging him. They appeared to be all separate incidents, but the Pokémon Master could not shake the feeling that they were all linked in some way. Either by something or someone….but who or what he couldn't say.

A knock at the door brought him out of his reverie. "Come in," he called as he rose from his chair.

Jessie entered the office with a smile, followed by a man in his late thirties who was dressed in a red shirt and blue jeans. "Hi Ash," his personal manager greeted him cheerfully.

"Hi, Jess" he greeted the tall red-head in a like tone. "Recovered from last night?"

"Yeah. And you?"

"Yes." Ash walked around the side of his desk and smiled at her dark-haired companion. "This must be Mr. Speare."

Jessie did the introductions. "Ash, I'd like you to meet Bill Speare. Bill, I'd like you to meet my good friend and boss, Ash Ketchum, the reigning Pokémon Grand Master."

The two men shook hands. "I've heard a lot about you, Bill," Ash said with a easy smile.

"And I've heard a lot about you too, Ash," Bill answered.

"So you're from England."

"That's right."

"Must have been a long flight to come here."

Bill looked a little puzzled. "Er, no. I just appeared here." He snapped his fingers together, "Just like that."

The dark-haired Pokémon Master raised an eyebrow at this. "You just appeared?"

"It's the truth!" Bill protested. "I know this sounds like absolute rubbish, but it really did happen like that. One minute I was at my home in England, and the next thing I knew I was here."

"It's okay, Bill. I believe you. I really do," the younger man reassured him with a lopsided grin.

"You…do?"

"Yes." Ash sat down on the edge of the desk. "My mother says that I've always had this talent for becoming involved in incidents where weird things occur. You wouldn't believe some of the things that have happened to me." He paused for a minute. "Jess has told me that you write for a living."

"I do." Bill then spotted a book lying to one side on the desk and picked it up. He smiled. "I see that you're reading some of my works."

Ash and Jessie looked at Bill, looked at the book, and back at Bill again. "Uh…what do you mean your work? That's a book of William Shakespeare's plays," Ash pointed out.

Bill grinned even wider. "I meant what I said. That is a book of my writings. My full name is William Shakespeare."

Both his listener's eyes widened in shock. Jessie sat down abruptly on the couch while Ash grabbed the edge of the desk for support.

"You…you..mean..you're the William Shakespeare?" Jessie managed to squeak.

Bill nodded.

"The Shakespeare who wrote "Julius Caesar"?" Ash questioned. "'Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears' Shakespeare?"

"That's me," Bill said proudly. He turned to Jessie with a slight frown, "Though, despite what you and Roni said the other day, Jess. I still feel like changing that line to 'Yo, Everybody.'"

Jessie just stared at him. "You can't be William Shakespeare," she breathed.

"Well I am. Try me."

So they questioned him about his plays, sonnets and about his life. Bill not only recited whole plays but got all the questions right as well as provided details about Elizabethan England that was not to be found in history books.

Ash walked back behind his desk and sank down into his chair, looking rather shell shocked. "What in the world is happening here?" he muttered weakly. "I have the entire guest population of the Chateau Plateau being moved around in their sleep; Misty is being far too placid and nice; Daisy is too smart; Rudy is a Muk. And now…now I have William Shakespeare standing here alive and well in my office."

*****************

The next day was warm and the blue sky crystal clear, as Ash (accompanied as usual by Pikachu and Meowth) made his way to the Cyndaquil Café. He adjusted the collar of his dark blue short sleeved shirt as he walked, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his bare arms.

He was a man with a mission. He had spent yesterday evening in seclusion - trying to work out why all these strange things had happened at the Convention, and why he had a nagging feeling that he'd been through a similar situation once before.

He had gone to bed early, in the hope that a good night's sleep might help him to solve this problem - and it had. Ash could recall the incidents of two years ago, when a lost sprite named Puck had wreaked so much havoc in the name of having fun. What he couldn't remember was the exact name of the fairy that had helped him collar the little imp.

Oh, it was easy enough to remember what she looked like - after the way she had appeared in his bedroom one morning. But for the life of him, he couldn't pinpoint her name. So he was going to see a person whom he had heard much about. Even if they couldn't tell him the answer, at least they might be able to jog his memory a bit.

Upon entering the café he scanned the crowds, and found the person he was looking for. He weaved his way through the tables to where a brown-haired woman was happily chatting to the Viridian City Gym Leader Giovanni., every once in while straightening his tie for him.

He gave a discreet cough to gain their attention. The two looked up and Giovanni grinned rather sheepishly. "Oh, hi Ash. Did you want to see me?"

"No. Actually it's your companion, the Advice Guru that I want to see."

"Okay." The Earth Badge Leader rose from the table. "I'll leave you two alone then. See you later, Vickie."

Vickie smiled and kissed him on the cheek, making the man blush. "See you later, Vanni."

The Grand Master gave a little smirk as the Gym Leader passed him. "Vanni?"

Giovanni sighed. "Women and their nicknames…"

He moved off and Ash sat down in the seat that Vickie had indicated.

"Well," the woman smiled warmly. "This is a real honour. Never thought I'd see the day when the Pokémon Grand Master would be asking me for advice."

Ash gave a slight chuckle and ran a hand through his thick dark hair. "There's a first time for everything - and I'm not sure if you can help me."

"We'll just have to see."

So Ash told Vickie all he knew. About what had been happening at the Convention and his suspicions that it was linked to the events of two years ago. Vickie listened intently, nodding once in a while to indicate that she had understood.

"You see, the thing is - I can't remember her name," Ash finished off. "I've got a vague idea - I'm sure it's something like Molly or Holly, it could even be Sally."

Vickie brightened up. "Oh you mean, Calliope. Or Callie for short."

Ash snapped his fingers in recognition. "Yeah that's it! Calliope!" He stopped, then stared at the woman opposite. "How did you know that?"

"Oh, the name just popped into my head," she said quickly. "Lucky guess."

He smiled and rose from the table. "Well, it came at the right time." He shook her hand. "Thank you for all your help, Vickie."

"No problem."

After he left, Vickie let out a sigh of relief. "Luckily for me, I've read Midsummer Dreams," she muttered.

******************

Later that night….

Arrow gingerly rubbed her ankles as she rested her tired feet. The second dance was well underway and she was taking a break from trying to walk in these stupid high heels she was wearing. How anybody was supposed to be able to walk well in these shoes supported by sticks was beyond her.

All her friends all seemed to be able to do it - and therefore, so should she. But try as she might - she still tripped up on them every so often. Fortunately for her, Puck was a very understanding type of guy - as he was a bit of a klutz himself, and tolerated her toppling into other men's arms pretty well.

The young woman smoothed down the silken folds of her red evening gown. She was very pleased with this outfit, which was slightly off the shoulder and fitted at the bodice, then flowed down to her ankles. Her long brown hair was swept up in a loose bun. Two soft tendrils of hair hung loose on each side. When she had looked in the mirror earlier that evening, she had a hard time believing that it was really her that she was seeing.

Her friends were all out on the dance floor, enjoying themselves. "Blame It On The Boogie" was blasting over the speakers and the crowds were relaxed. Trish and Drake were dancing alongside Jenn and Gary - and Arrow thought that the two older girls looked really elegant. Trish was dressed in a halter neck gown of a deep peacock blue, whereas Jenn was dressed in a shimmering silver dress.

The quartet were obviously having fun as they performed the dance routine that went with the song. Erina and Flory were also dancing, completely oblivious to everything around them except each other.

The next song came on and Arrow noticed that Puck had got up and was beckoning her to come onto the dance floor with him. She rose to her feet and began to walk slowly towards him. She was only a bodylength away when Rachel brushed past her, the action throwing her off balance.

Arrow waved her arms in a desperate attempt to keep her balance, but to no avail. She pitched forward with a squeak of dismay. Puck managed to catch her, but the combined bodyweight and the fact that he had not braced himself, was enough to send them both down on the floor. As they landed their lips met in an unexpected kiss, which both startled and delighted them.

Somewhat dazed, the two made no attempt to move away, either from the kiss or their position until they heard the sound of clapping and a few giggles.

Arrow looked up to see her friends standing in a circle around the two, all with big grins on their faces. Both she and Puck scrambled to their feet and both were very red.

********************

"Hey, James. I need you to come back to the office with me for a while." James looked up from his table to see his boss Ash standing there.

"You're not going to leave the dance to do some work are you?" James asked. His friend was crazy if he was.

"No, I'm not doing any work. I just need to get something and you're coming with me." The last part of the statement was said not as a request but as a quiet order.

"Aww…do I have to?" James whined. He was having too much fun here.

"Yes." Ash stated in a firm voice. "Otherwise no more bottlecaps for you for the rest of this week."

His assistant's eyes widened and he jumped out of his seat. "Hey, no fair! You play dirty," he grumbled as he followed the younger man to the entrance of the Function Centre.

********************

Drake looked at his partner as they stood on the side of the dance floor. "Do you want to go outside for a while and get some fresh air?" he asked.

Trish nodded her head. "That would be nice."

Drake went over and notified Jenn and Danny of their whereabouts, before the two headed towards the exit.

Stepping outside, the couple walked over to where there was a clear view of the valley below. A slight breeze was blowing sending Trish's long raven tresses tumbling off her shoulders.

"Beautiful view," she said after a few minutes silence.

"It is."

"Wish I had a panoramic camera on me. Would make a nice photo."

Drake grinned. "I know how you could get an even better view."

She turned to face him. "Like how?" she questioned with a slight tone of disbelief.

The Pummelo Island Gym Leader said nothing as he unclipped a Pokéball from his belt, expanded and threw it. "Come on out and say hello!" The flash of white light materialised into the shape of his infamous Dragonite. The enormous Pokémon grunted a friendly greeting to his trainer.

Trish's jaw dropped open. "That's some Dragonite," she managed to utter.

"Thank you." Drake turned to his Dragonite. "Would you mind if you took me and my friend here for a short flight over the Plateau?"

The dragon looked at him then at Trish and shook his head.

"You don't? Good." Dragonite then lay down so they could board him, and gave his trainer a wink.

The dark-haired girl took one step back. "Uh…you're not serious are you?"

"Perfectly serious. Why?"

"We can't be away too long."

"It'll only be ten, fifteen minutes or so," Drake walked up to her.

"And I'm not exactly cool with great heights," Trish muttered. "I'm fine on a Boeing 747. I'm fine flying on Qantas or United - but I'm not sure about a Dragonite."

"You won't fall off. I'll be behind you. It will be perfectly safe."

"Yeah..that's what's they said with the Titanic." She still didn't look convinced.

"Trust me on this," he said softly.

Trish stared at him, took a deep breath, then nodded. "Okay."

Drake led her over to Dragon and helped her on, before taking his place behind her and slipping his arms around her to hold onto Dragonite's neck. "Okay, let's go then."

The Pokémon rose and then ran before taking off into the air. There was a slight yelp from Trish as they left the ground and she had her eyes tightly shut.

In two minutes, they were soaring above the trees of the Plateau, and Drake could see the twinkling lights of the various buildings in the far distance below.

"You can open your eyes," he told his companion. "We've been in the air for some time now."

Trish cautiously opened one dark brown eye and then the other. She was about to comment when she caught a glimpse of the view. "Wow," she breathed in amazement. "The view's incredible."

"What did I tell you?"

She shifted slightly to face to him with a warm smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The dark-haired girl then placed a kiss on his cheek, before she blushed and turned back to the front. Drake smiled to himself as he felt her lean back against him.

The rest of the flight was spent in silence, just enjoying the view - until Drake indicated to Dragonite that it was time to go back. The Pokémon gradually descended and landed smoothly on the ground.

The two humans alighted and then Drake thanked his Pokémon before recalling it into the Pokéball. He clipped it back on his belt as he walked over to his date.

Trish gave him a hug. "Thank you" she repeated softly.

But Drake didn't release his hold around her waist. "My pleasure." And then before she could say another word he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. When they broke apart, they smiled at each other.

"Should we go back inside?"

Trish grinned. "Definitely. Otherwise Jenn will be sending out search parties for us."

******************

"Tell me why I had bring one of my dresses along?" James whined as he waited in Ash's office.

"You'll see," Ash smiled benignly as he relaxed in his office chair. "Just sit down."

James sat down.

"Good. Oh Calliope! If you can hear me at all - you said I could call on you for help. And we need your help NOW!"

James looked puzzled. "Who's Calliope?"

A pinpoint of light appeared over Ash's chair and grew in size and brilliance until the two men could no longer see. When their eyesight returned, there was a beautiful brunette in a sheer blue dress, sitting on Ash's lap.

Ash went red. "This is Calliope. Now do you remember?"

James nodded. "Yes. She's the half-naked fairy you discovered in your room."

Callie smiled and gave Ash a quick kiss on the cheek and waved to James, " Hi James. It's been a while hasn't it?"

"Two years," Ash answered.

Callie hopped to her feet. "I understand that you guys need some help."

"We do."

"I'll be glad to help, but I won't be able to stay very long. You see, I'm in the middle of a job for Queen Titania and Lord Oberon.."

"Doing what?" James wanted to know.

"Looking for two missing Faes, Puck and Florian."

Ash smiled. "I think we just might be able to help you with that."

Callie shot him a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

So the Pokémon Master and James filled her in on what had been happening at the Indigo Plateau, and Ash's suspicion that the cause of it all was the same mischievous sprite that created so much havoc for him two years before.

The fairy sat down on the couch with a sigh. "That sounds like the work of Puck, all right. Mom and Dad should have disciplined him more when he was younger."

The two humans blinked. "You mean to say…." Ash began.

"Yes. Puck's my little brother," Callie smiled ruefully. "As a result, I'm always the one that they send to go after him."

"Who's the other guy?" James piped up.

"Florian is our cousin."

"What's it like having Puck as your brother?"

Callie toyed with a chestnut curl. "I love Puck dearly, but a lot of the time he can be the biggest pain in the butt. Especially when I have to chase after him."

"We think they may be at tonight's dance," Ash informed her.

"And we brought you a dress to wear," James added.

The fairy grinned. "That's very sweet of you, but there's no need." She became enveloped in a flash of light and when the glow died down, she was dressed in a glittering burgundy evening gown.

"How come you didn't do that last time?"

Callie looked rather sheepish. "I forgot."

James looked at her and then at the dress still on the hanger. "You mean I brought this along for nothing?"

"Sorry."

He shook his head. "That's okay." A gleam came into his green eyes. "But since you don't need it, perhaps I could…"

"James, no," Ash interrupted in a stern voice.

"Please?"

"NO. And that's final."

The ex-Rocket pouted for a minute. "Oh, Phooey!"

His boss rolled his eyes. "Come on, we'd better get back to the Function Centre. Bet Puck is going to be shocked when he sees you, Callie."

The young woman walked to the door. "More like shocked and a little scared."

"Why scared?"

"He's always been a little scared of me, " Callie mused as they went into the corridor. "Ever since that time I turned him into a hamster for breaking some of my things….."

*****************

Minutes later, the trio paused outside the entrance to the Function Centre. "Here we are," Ash stated simply.

They walked inside to find the dance still in full swing, as no one had yet shown the slightest inclination to call it quits for the night.

Callie paused and closed her brown eyes for a minute before speaking. "They're here. And I know exactly where to find them….." She headed towards the dance floor.

******************

Puck was having a ball. Arrow was in his arms as they danced to a soft ballad, and every so often they would share a little kiss. That little "trip" they took earlier in the evening had brought them together. Everything was right in the world……

"Hello, Little Brother," a familiar female voice came from behind him.

Puck spun around and nearly fell over in shock when he saw who it was. His sister was standing there, also in human form, with her hands on her hips and accompanied by two men whom Puck recognised on sight as some of the humans he had messed with, two years ago. "C…Callie?" he spluttered. "What…what are you doing here?"

Callie rolled her eyes. "The usual. Getting you back home."

Arrow stared at the young woman. "Puck, who is this?" she questioned.

"Uh….Arrow, this is my sister Calliope, but most know her as Callie." Puck stumbled over the introductions. "Cal, I'd like you to meet Arrow, who's my...um...girlfriend."

His sister raised an eyebrow, "Girlfriend?"

"You never told me you had a sister," Arrow turned her gaze on her date. "You never told me she was here at the Convention either!"

"I was going to tell you, but it…ah..kinda slipped my mind," Puck mumbled. "Anyway, I wasn't expecting her to show up here."

Just then Flory came wandering over, arm in arm with Erina. "Hey, Puck. What's up? You look like you just saw a…" his voice trailed off as he saw the young woman in the burgundy dress. "Callie?"

"Hi, Flory," Callie said warmly. "Your parents have been worried about you. I've come to take you home."

"Home?" Erina stared worriedly at Flory. "What does she mean? And who is she?"

Flory made the introductions and then Callie restated the purpose of her visit. "You have to go home, guys."

"Can't we wait until at least tomorrow morning?" Flory pleaded, his eyes still fixed on Erina.

"Please?" Puck added in his two cents worth and tried the puppy dog look on his sister for added effect.

Callie sighed. "Probably won't be able to until tomorrow anyway. I'll have my hands full reversing all of the spells you've made during your time here."

"Spells?" Arrow repeated. By this time all their friends had started to gather around.

Callie looked at the two boys. "You haven't told them the real situation have you?"

"No," Puck admitted with his head bowed. "But we would have…eventually."

His sister frowned. "I should hope so. These two girls are in love with you guys, and I think it's rather cruel that you weren't honest with them. Because now they'll think they've just been used - and the heartbreak will be even worse than if you had told them from the start."

"What's going on here?" Erina asked in a bewildered voice.

Callie's face softened and she walked over to the two girls and put her arms around their shoulders. "I want you two to listen to me. First of all, I want to say that I'm truly sorry about having to do this. I wish I didn't have to, but you two need to know." She gave them both a gentle squeeze, then walked over to where Puck and Flory stood, looking shamefaced.

"These two young men here, are not who they appear to be. In fact they are not even human. The truth is - they are Faes, otherwise known as Fairies. As am I." With that she raised her right hand and waved it once. Large delicate wings sprouted forth from their backs. A huge gasp and a few screams arose from the large crowd that had gathered. A dark-haired man aged in his mid-thirties pushed his way to the front and began to scribble something in a notebook

Both Arrow and Erina's eyes widened in shock as they witnessed the transformation of the boys they loved.

Callie continued when the noise quietened down a bit. "We live as subjects of the kingdom ruled by Queen Titania and Lord Oberon. Puck is one of the favourites of Oberon. We are immortal and not human; therefore making it impossible for any romantic relationship between a human and a fairy to succeed. Our laws are against it as well."

When she had finished, Ash glanced around at the staring spectators. "Continue what you were doing before," he ordered. "Give these people some space while they sort things out. Move it!"

As the crowd started to disperse, Flory took a few steps towards a pale Erina. "Riny…" he began. The petite girl swayed for a minute and looked like she would pass out. But she steadied herself and looked at the dark-haired Fae with glistening eyes. "How could you?" she whispered. "I thought you cared."

"I do," Flory said feeling like the lowest form of life on Earth.

"Well, it's obvious that you don't feel the same way about me, like I do for you," she choked out. "I love you - but if you really cared you would have told me the truth." She turned and fled from the room. Karlie rushed after her, dragging a hapless Tracey along with her.

Arrow just stared at Puck, wide-eyed and a bit dazed. "You're a Fairy," she said.

"Uh, yeah," Puck mumbled as he stared down at his feet.

"Were you the one who made the globe of the world suddenly appear in my hand?"

"Yes. I wanted to give you the world."

Arrow engulfed him in a huge hug. "Thank you so much for that - it was really sweet. No one's ever given me the world before."

Puck stepped back. "You're not mad? You're not revolted by my real self?"

She shrugged. "No, not really. I've always said that what a person looks like is not important. It's their personality that counts. I've had so much fun these last few days. Plus I've always believed in the existence of fairies - just never expected to fall in love with one." She grinned. "I suppose I really should have known you were a fairy when you told me your name."

Puck sighed in relief. Ash, Misty, Callie, Brock, Jessie, James and a dark-haired man whom he had never seen before came up to them, after having a quiet discussion in the corner.

"We've managed to persuade Callie to let you guys stay here until the end of the Convention," the Pokémon Master announced with a smile. He indicated the man standing beside Jessie. "For one thing, Mr. William Shakespeare here, is having too much fun to go back home yet. Plus he wants to see if he can get some more ideas for future plays."

"And secondly, I could really do with you three Fairies' help to ensure that the last day of this Convention is going to be one that people are not likely to forget!"

*******************

The next evening…..

Bill Shakespeare whistled cheerily as he walked along the brightly lit boulevard. He had excused himself from the festivities early to return to his room and get some more writing done. His notebook was half filled with quotes, ideas and storylines for his future projects. He was passing by the Chateau Plateau when he spotted a bench near a large tree. He sat down and decided to gaze at the stars for a while for inspiration. A few minutes later, the figure of a young man walked up to stand and stare at one of the balconies of the hotel. He did not see Bill sitting there a few metres away as he was hidden from view by the tree. Bill decided to see what would happen.

********************

Erina brushed her long hair out as she stood at the mirror, and sighed for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. How could a relationship that seemed to be so right - turn out to be so wrong? So complicated?

Flory was the perfect guy who had swept her off her feet. Sweet, funny, thoughtful, intelligent, romantic - and interested in her. Everything she could ever want, wrapped up in the form of a handsome young man. It was not quite love at first sight - but very close to it. Erina loved everything about him - his voice, the twinkle in his dark eyes, the feel of his lips on hers….

Yesterday, it had all changed. Flory was not whom he appeared to be. Flory, her Flory was a Fae, an immortal. He was not a real human at all! And Calliope, the fairy who had brought the shattering news, had said that it was impossible to for a human and a fairy to love each other.

She had been devastated and felt a little betrayed. Why didn't he tell her? Didn't he trust her? So she had run from him, and had spent the whole day trying to avoid him. Her friends had insisted she attend the dance tonight, it might help cheer her up. If anything she felt even worse, and had left early. It all felt so flat, so dull, so lifeless…so wrong without Flory.

Tears came to her eyes. Who was she trying to kid? She loved him no matter what. Where he came from, and the circumstances of his birth did not matter to her. And she was certain that he felt the same way about her. If only there was a way they could be together….

Flory, once again in human form, wiped away a tear as he looked up at the balcony of the room where he knew Erina was staying. He wished that she hadn't found out the truth about him in the way she had. He would have told her - as he never ever wanted to hurt the girl he loved. If only she would see him one more time, so he could at least apologise.

Suddenly the curtains were opened, and light shone through the glass doors. "But soft! What light from yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Erina is the Sun. Arise, fair Sun, and kill the envious Moon. Who is already sick and pale with grief. That thou her maid art far more fair than she," Flory whispered, as his heartbeat quickened in anticipation.

Erina came out onto the balcony for some fresh air. A gentle breeze was blowing which gently ruffled her hair as well as the chiffon folds of her white evening gown. She rested both arms on the railing, and smiled a bit as she realised that her situation was not unlike another pair of star-crossed lovers. The words came easily enough to mind, and she decided to make it her own. The young girl gazed up at the stars and began to speak.

"O Floriano, Floriano! Wherefore art thou Floriano? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love. And I'll no longer be a Lawless."

Flory nearly melted. She still wanted to see him. And despite all the deception - she still loved him.

Erina turned to go back inside when she heard a most welcome voice. "Erina." She turned and her hand flew up to her mouth when she saw Flory standing on the balcony.

He handed her a red rose. "Listen, Riny," he began quickly, afraid of her reaction. "I want to apologise for everything, for lying to you about who I really was. I...I never meant to hurt you. I love you too much for that." He got no further for the brunette had cut him off, and he found his mouth doing…other things.

They broke apart for air. "I forgive you for everything, Flory. The important thing is that I know how you really feel." Her grey-green eyes sparkled in the moonlight as she kissed him again. "Stay."

To be continued…..

Author's Note: That was my version of the infamous balcony scene from "Romeo & Juliet." Only I call this - "Floriano & Rinyet". ^_^ Hehe…Two more chapters to go……

Next Chapter - Someone is going to have to make a big decision, and I'm not saying who…:P

For those of you who care, there will be a sequel.

Well my family has undergone a little baby boom in the last few months. My sister's baby was born on the 22nd May and my sister-in-law's baby was born on the 26th of July. Welcome to the world…Kathryn and Peter. ^-^

It has also come to my attention that some people believe that Puck is the creation of "Gargoyles". I want to set the record straight. THEY borrowed Puck from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616). Puck is also known as "Robin Goodfellow" in Shakespeare's play. That is where I borrowed Puck from - though with my own characterisation. I have never seen the cartoon of "Gargoyles" - but I only hope that they mentioned that they did not create Puck, Lord Oberon and Queen Titania. Otherwise that is plagiarism which is unfair and illegal. Credit should go where credit is due.

Flamers fed to my Tassie Devils.