Serena turned her head around from the stovetop to give her husband a kiss. "You're finally awake."

Ash kissed her back. "Finally awake."

Pikachu, who had already bounded down the stairs in front of his trainer, mewed affectionately as Serena lightly scratched his head. "You two still train like you're competing in leagues." The girl added, shaking her head.

"A gym is still comp–" Ash started, his speech broken by a giant yawn, "–peting."

"Is someone upset about being a stepping-stone now?" Serena cooed.

"Now that was just mean."

"You know I'm kidding. I'm married to the best gym leader in all the land."

Ash grabbed a berry before popping it into his mouth. Serena smacked his hand as he reached for another.

"Those are for the pokemon! I baked us something already. Something with berries," she added before Ash could interrupt.

He kissed her again. "I love you."

"I love you too," Serena said with a smile. It was an exchange that would never get old.

Even still, Ash managed to find different ways to surprise her. The League Champion of Alola waiting at the airport when she got back from coming up just short in Hoenn. The admission. The kiss – oh God the kiss. It was a new beginning and she could never in a million years forget.

Then Kalos. She remembered them, just laying in bed talking a few weeks after their engagement when she'd nervously broached the subject. He'd always gone back to Kanto after each adventure. His mother was there, his closest friends were there, almost all of his pokemon were there… They went to bed backs to each other. Angry. But the next morning he snuck up behind her making coffee, hugging her and kissing her neck softly–

"Serena?"

Ash broke her daydream.

"Sorry," she said with a blush, "I was just thinking of something."

He laughed at her expression. "Must've been something good."

"Something very sweet."

Breakfast was easy and while Ash trained…again…afterward, Serena sat at her desk to handle her correspondence. Of all the more administrative tasks on her plate, she did enjoy this one. Most of it would be logistics, invitations, and 'personal' letters she was obliged to respond to. She used to try to sort it, but not only was it dull, it drained her energy to the point that she barely made it through the end. A few friends – especially Clemont – scoffed at the inefficiency of the unsorted process, but Serena didn't mind. It meant there were always surprises in the middle of it all. She was reading one such surprise now.

Deer Qween Serena,

U an old Qween Aria ar my favrit peeple on pokevision. I hope itz ok I wrot to Miss Aria to but I wanna no how to be a reely good preformer like u 1 day. Wutz the best way to start beeng a preformer? Mommy and Daddy wont by me a cute dress to practis! :(((

Sinseerle,

Abby

As she read through the childish scrawl, her lips perked up. Abby was three. Maybe? Serena enjoyed the guessing game. She held the letter to her chest before shutting her computer and reaching for her pen and stationery.

"Snuck work here did you? I thought you weren't going to deal with all that on vacation," Ash sighed, walking back into the bungalow they'd rented on the quieter side of Melemele Island.

She turned around, setting the letter down and immediately frowning. "Ash! There's water all over the floor now!"

He pulled the towel from around his neck and bent down to start wiping it up.

Mmhmm. Another sort of smile grew onto her face. "I guess it's not such a big deal. I mean…we are right by the ocean." She leaned down over him and kissed the back of his neck up to his neckline, trailing her fingers over the damp skin of his shoulder.

Ash rolled over and let her fall on top of him. "We are on vacation."

A couple of hours later, after Serena finished drying and brushing out her hair, she was stepping into Ash's favorite sundress before they headed out to the market. A little shopping in exchange for a meal at Mallow's restaurant was more than fair. It wasn't that she had a problem with the place. It really was quite good. Last time though they'd been interrupted by the entire horde of his friends from the Pokemon School and it felt very much orchestrated. She'd expected to spend at least some time with them of course, but this vacation was for she and Ash – not joining up with a party of five.

Ash stuck his head back in from the hallway. "Hey, Serena are you – wow. You always look perfect in that. I uhh…I need to change I guess," he said, looking at his t-shirt and boardshorts.

"It's fine. You don't need to change for me."

"That's exactly what you say when you want me to change."

She laughed. "I'll wait outside."

Ash said something unintelligible, but she just shook her head and walked out the door to wait for him.

It really was beautiful. She knew that from flyers and photos, but it was different actually seeing the white sands and the water that was clear for what had to be miles with her own eyes. They hadn't ventured to the other islands yet, but she could see them in the distance. She wandered over toward the jungle trail they'd taken to get here, taking time to sniff the native flowers.

She stole his hand as they walked toward town. They'd only traveled it a few times so far, but it was never occupied so she seized the opportunity for a little hand-holding. Serena discovered early on in their relationship that public displays of affection were not Ash's cup of tea. He never protested, but his sudden stiffness and clammy palms were pretty good indications. The only two exceptions had been the airport – when one of them couldn't restrain themselves and the other certainly didn't resist. Beautiful exceptions, but exceptions nevertheless.

"You don't mind if we go to the shops before the market do you?"

Ash chuckled. "I already planned on it."

The first store they visited was decidedly ladies-only. She considered it an accomplishment the first few times she got him into a store like this, but over time he became comfortable – or comfortable enough – sitting on one of the small benches right near the front doors that were clearly built for men.

"Ta da! Do you like this one?" she asked, popping a hip out to the side. Serena smirked, knowing he wouldn't notice.

"…yeah," the way his eyes popped was delicious. "Definitely."

"Should I get it?" she asked of the swimsuit. It was white, though that was more the background to a pattern of blue flowers of varying sizes.

"Yes," he blurted, "I mean…if you want it."

Serena turned back to the salesperson. "It's not too touristy is it?"

The other lady cocked her head. "Hmm. Well, usually it's more a matter of–"

"It really looks good on you," Ash interrupted.

Still smiling, Serena rolled her eyes at him before turning back to the woman. "You were saying?"

"I always think with a suit like this it's more a matter of how you wear it. You seem like a confident young woman. Sufficiently tanned–"

"I'll take a chance on it then," Serena said. She thought she heard Ash exhale and had to restrain a giggle. "Do you have any covers?"

Aside from buying a new hat, the vast majority of what they headed back with was food. Serena was careful inquiring about what she'd need to make a classic Alolan Plate and ensured she had all the ingredients. Ash was clueless when it came to cooking so he wouldn't be able to deduce her motive. She really wanted to make the last dinner of their trip something special – homemade Alolan cuisine – and more specifically, Ash's favorite dish.

While Serena loaded the fridge and the pantry, Ash was outside wrestling with the wooden chairs they'd bought for the beach. She looked out the window and saw him doing what he always did – insisting on trying to do it all alone, despite having the perfect pokemon to help. Pikachu, the last pokemon he needed for the situation, was watching, and most likely pulling one of his exhausted faces. Ash wiped his brow, slinging the sweat into the brush and started hauling the chair toward the beach. He was dragging it back and forth, looking for the perfect place for capturing the sunlight for her. She was so lucky.

It was after dinner that Serena decided to take advantage of her husband's handiwork. She left the bungalow ahead of him while he searched for their bug-repellent candles. Serena told him to forget about it and come enjoy the sunset, but he insisted.

Out of nowhere, a beautiful and shining light appeared closer to the shoreline. It shimmered, almost like a rainbow and Serena wondered what it was. She walked toward it slowly, feeling a warmth gently pulling her closer. What a delightful sight. What a nice feeling.

"Serena! No!" Ash's voice was faint for some reason.

Suddenly a giant wind fluttered around her, blowing her dress. She reached to hold it down and saw…what?

"NO!" Ash yelled. Despite the sound somehow evaporating into nothing, she could tell.

She stared at him in a panic, reaching for his outstretched hand. He was so close now… then Serena heard a whoosh and a pop. She landed back on the beach with a heavy thud.

A/N: Based on the entirety of the chapter if not just the end, I'm sure you already know what just happened. Almost the entire rest of the story will be based on that, but not time traveling all over the place. Note the ages of characters in the summary. This is meant to take place approximately five years after Sun & Moon.

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