Hi all. I've just heard about some drama in the community going on Twitter and such regarding TMWolf. I have since taken down my shoutout to them and removed their OC from my story. I'm sorry to those harmed by her actions and I hope none of you have gone on to harass her in anyway. It's best to block and move on. That being said, if anyone would like to talk to me about anything know that my DMs are always open.
Now, I'm sorry for not posting yesterday. This week was a terrible week and I just didn't have the energy to even think about this chapter. I appreciate your patience with me posting just a day late. There's more bonding and fun in this chapter so I'm happy to end the week on this note :)
"P-please... let me live."
The voice sobs over the sounds of a crackling fire. There's no warmth around Layla as she opens her eyes to a ceiling, familiar and bleak. She can't move, her body, only her eyes as she seems to float around. The fire lashes at her, reaching up to rip her to the ground, to suffocate her.
"It wasn't me!"
She knows this voice and that sets her into motion, struggling against the invisible restraints as she floats through the daycare lobby to the office. The fire rises up to the ceiling as the begging grows more desperate and loud in her ear. Soon, her own cries join Camden's.
"Layla did it! Kill her!"
She hears a gunshot ring through the corridor, her body moving upright to see the hole in the wall meant for her. Blood drips from it, hers? Did it go through her?
The door swings shut behind her as she stands in the doorway, Cam left in the position she last saw him in. Terrified, staring down the barrel of Archer's gun waiting for the moment.
Did it hurt? Did he die instantly?
The shot rings out in Layla's ears and the lights shut off, drenching her in darkness. That's when the red eyes appear, striking terror in Layla's soul as Houndoom emerges from the darkness, teeth gleaming and well visible. There's blood dripping from his mouth and that releases Layla from her chains.
She falls to the floor, just feet from the pokemon as it stalks forward and takes a snap at her. The room around them changes to her old home, the photos on the wall and the stairs leading to the second floor. Her eyes flash to the pokemon in front of her and she feels younger, the age she was on that day.
Houndoom lunges and, just like before, she tosses her arms up again.
Layla sits upright, chest heaving and eyes wild as she searches her bedroom for Archer. The dream stays heavy in her mind, clouding her sight as she hoists up the blanket and cuddles Pocha a little harder. Tears escape her eyes as she breathes through the panic, replaying the dream over and over to not forget it.
It's a repetitive dream, so it's not hard. It always ends with Houndoom jumping on her, just the way the first one did years ago.
Her mother said Archer wasn't the man in the room with her, the description from that day isn't close enough to match. The Houndoom couldn't be the same one, they may all look similar, but there are subtle differences in every pokemon of its species to know the difference.
Still...
"No, no!" she tells herself.
It's been just a week since the funeral, a little bit longer since the attack and Layla can't get the idea of Team rocket infecting her life for the second time. The gut feeling that it's the same Houndoom doesn't leave her. Even the pokemon seemed to recognize her, making the same snapping pattern the first one did, she can't deny that.
Still. The recreations of the two nights play over and over in the night, depriving her of peace.
Pocha chirps at her, nudging her leg from his spot at the end of the bed, trying to comfort her. She smoothes his feathers out, marveling at the heartbeat under his skin and letting it bring her back to the present. Even if it's the same pokemon, being emotionally distraught won't help. She has to keep a clear head to find the answer.
That's what she's going to do, she realizes it now as she gets up for her day, still on break from work thanks to Lex and Mark. Eusine has made it his goal to keep Layla busy while convincing her to not take the daycare management job. It's really sweet and annoying, as all of Eusine's good deeds go. The real pick me up is Morty coming along on their hangouts.
Ever since that time he helped her feel better, she's been sending extra food along with Eusine to give to him. It's the least she can do to keep him from thinking she's emotionally out of control. Especially if they're Eusine's friends, at least two of them need to be sane to keep Eusine in line.
"Lay-la!" Eusine sings, bursting into her apartment. His voice floats up from the entryway as she finishes getting ready. "We're here!"
She enters the main room to smile at them. "Thank you for announcing it, I wouldn't want to walk out here naked."
Morty coughs and holds up some containers. "Thanks for making the food, I appreciate it."
"Of course," she grins, accepting them back. "So, what's the adventure today?"
"You're not supposed to be his friend," Eusine pouts. "I'm supposed to get the meals. He has a steady job."
"Which you would have if you submitted your research to Celadon, or Goldenrod, University," she points out. "You'd probably have a doctorate with the work you do."
"Titles, titles..." he trails off, waving his hand away from him. "Anyways, what are you thinking? I wanna wait on the Ruins."
Layla pauses at the counter and turns back to them. "I think the Houndoom that attacked me years ago is Archer's Houndoom, even if Archer wasn't at my house those years ago. It would mean that-"
"Team Rocket was behind the attack," Eusine interrupts with his own realization. He glances up at Layla, shocked and impressed. "How long have you been thinking about this?"
"Since the night of the daycare attack," she admits. "I haven't been sleeping well. I keep having the same dreams over and over again about it."
"So then who-"
"Wait, wait," Morty steps in. "What attack?"
Eusine and Layla share a glance, stopping their train of thought to roll back and give Morty the details. It's a bit complicated so they look at each other to debate how to go about easing him into the story. After a few seconds of delay, Layla shakes her head.
"Did you guys have breakfast?"
"I was going to ask if you wanted to try the place on the corner?" Eusine gestures with his thumb. "Hana's?"
She brightens. "Oh, sure. Perfect table talk."
"We don't have to if it's not," Morty supplies, but Layla shakes her head and Eusine heads for the door. "Well, alright then."
Layla puts the containers away and follows them out, putting Pocha in his ball and grabbing her bag.
As summer begins, the heat has yet to fully hit, but the sunlight is still blinding as she steps into the sun. Dressed in white capris, a floral button up and round shades, Layla feels ready for the season. Whereas, the boys next to her seem ready for fall with long pants and sweatshirts.
"How are you guys not sweaty?" she asks as they approach the restaurant.
It's homey and bright, plants hung around the walls, pictures of family members between the spaces the plants take up. A Jumpluff sits on the counter with a hostess, greeting customers, while other staff run around serving food. The smell is exquisite, piquing Layla's interest as they get seated.
"We're used to the heat," Eusine shrugs, sitting beside Morty.
Layla tries not to stare too much over the menu at them. While Eusine said he was best friends with Morty, and while Layla's aware of Eusine's past relationships with others, boys, girls, outside the box or in between, he's never one for labels. Still, she's curious and it's cute! Morty doesn't seem his type at all, quiet, reserved and a bit shy. Usually, Eusine's partners are more extroverted and opinionated.
It's a nice change of heart.
"Oh, gotta make a delivery," Eusine grunts, slapping his menu down. He turns to Morty. "Order something for me?"
"Yeah, I got it," Morty waves him off.
Eusine slips off to the bathroom, leaving Layla staring between the two of them to figure out what's happening. Her gaze averts when his eyes flash up to hers and she hides behind the menu, smiling. She can admit she'd be a little sad to know Morty was off the market, but if he keeps Eusine happy, she'll get over it.
"Um, they have tea," she breaks the silence, hoping he didn't see her checking the two of them out. "Do you order tea from places or are you too good for that?"
He peeks at her from over the menu, his purple eyes mesmerizing. "I was just looking at that. I was thinking of getting Earl Grey. You?"
"I was going to ask you what you think I should get?" she shrugs. "Or just get coffee."
"Not coffee," he grimaces. "I'll order a tea for you then."
"Like you're going to order for Eusine?" she grins.
He rolls his eyes. "He never goes to the bathroom before leaving somewhere, so this happens a lot."
She can't help but giggle. "It's cute."
Their waitress comes by at that point and Morty does a bulk of the ordering, including Layla's tea, before she orders for herself. Eusine returns not long after that, happy to see a coffee waiting for them as the other two sip their waters. Layla watches them, really curious now to know if they're dating. They're not affectionate when she's around, a boundary Morty placed or just Eusine being Eusine. They do move comfortably when the brunette settles in...
"What?" Eusine glares at her. "Stop staring at Morty. He's shy, you have to romance him first."
"Oh? Is that what you did?" she asks.
Eusine scoffs. "Hardly."
"He doesn't know how to do that," Morty rolls his eyes. "His idea of flirting is going on a rant about how humans should worship legendary pokemon."
"I'm just saying, they maybe wouldn't have disappeared if we treated them better," he defends himself. "It's such a dying practice."
The waitress brings the tea and Morty pulls Layla's cup to himself to prepare it his way. Layla feels strange watching him do something for her while Eusine watches and she blushes. Her eyes fly to Eusine but he's busy on his pokegear, unaware of what's happening and she feels crazy. There's no way this is more than what it seems, and she feels dumb for even thinking of it.
"Okay," Morty grins, sliding it to her. He does it carefully to avoid it spilling and laughs at Layla's apprehensive look. "It's not poison."
"That's what he always says," Eusine mutters into his coffee.
"Whatever."
Layla eyes them while she takes a sip. this time the tea catches her off guard with being a bit bolder in taste, almost like coffee. It's not too sweet, it's earthy with a hint of bitterness. She grins.
"You like it?" Morty raises a brow.
She nods back. "It's delicious. What is it?"
"If I tell you, you won't need me anymore."
"Well, it's not like I can make it like you can."
"All the more reason for me to not say anything, I'm sure you'd pick it up right away."
"Okay, but what if I want more?"
"I'll make you some."
She narrows her eyes at him, unsure how to take this bout of banter in front of Eusine. The moment is interrupted as their food comes, Layla ordering a decadent french toast, Eusine getting a meat lover's omelet and Morty getting eggs benedict and toast on the side.
Silence follows as they perfect the meal to their preferences, Layla spreading the syrup over hers before digging in. She watches the two in front of her, Eusine splattering ketchup over his eggs and buttering his toast before following her lead while Morty takes a big bite of toast. A piece of it falls to his shirt and she grins when Eusine reaches over to flick it off, mumbling about being unable to bring him anywhere.
"Okay," she breaks the silence. "I have to ask," her eyes dart from each of them, their faces open and confused, "how long have you two been dating?"
Morty chokes on his toast, scrambling for the tea to drink while Eusine snorts so loud a couple of heads turn. At their reactions, Layla feels dumb again for assuming things.
"We're not dating," Eusine laughs, tears coming to his eyes from his laughter. "We're best friends. Only. No benefits either."
"I-I'm not his type," Morty coughs, wiping his mouth.
Layla giggles. "Sorry, you two were just acting so domestic."
"Ew," Eusine grimaces. "No offense to Morty, but it's as he said, he's not my type."
"While that's true," Morty holds up a finger. "You do act like a doting boyfriend to me."
"I do not," he huffs. "You're just a mess."
"Morty?" Layla snickers. "A mess? Don't lie like that."
"If anything he's the mess-"
"We're here to talk about Layla," Eusine clears his throat. "The attack."
"Eusine."
"No, it's okay," Layla stops Morty's scolding. "So, ready?"
His gaze slides from his best friend to hers and she feels her breath catch looking at them. It's not often she comes across purple eyes, it's a rare color just now growing in the populace. They're so... mesmerizing.
Morty nods and the clink of forks on the plates pulls Layla from her dreaming of his eyes to tell the story. While she tells it, she tries to ignore the flutter she feels knowing Morty isn't, at least, dating Eusine. Though, she doesn't follow that train of thought and what it could mean. She barely knows him and so she pushes it away in favor of the issues at hand.
"Wow," Morty breathes, leaning back and staring at his empty plate. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" she frowns at him.
"That's traumatic, and for no answer? I can understand why you want to see if Houndoom is the same," he replies, worry clear in his voice. "Have you spoken with your mother about it?"
She sits back, his words hit hard because they're right. She never got the answers she needed when she was younger. Her parents pushed for an investigation, but it's a blur after that with appearances by Wesley and Aaron. Maybe they would know something, but Juniper works for them now, so if they know, then she would know.
"I don't know if my mother would tell me if she did know," she admits, leaning back to finish off a water she ordered.
"So, you think she knows something?" Morty raises a brow.
"I'm not sure."
"I think it's worth asking," Eusine speaks up. "Your parents love you, they moved to a new city to keep you safe after what happened. I'm sure they'd be open about it with you."
"So, I shouldn't do research into Team Rocket?" she replies with an upward lilt in her voice.
"No."
"Yes."
Their conflicting answers surprise her, Morty saying no and Eusine saying yes, true to their differences. She glances at them, gesturing for them to go ahead and explain themselves.
"They're dangerous," Morty starts first. "You're better off talking with your mother about it."
"They've had years to talk about it with her," Eusine opposes. "Most of Team Rocket's records are public knowledge. You can do your own search, people look them up all the time, you'll be safe."
"If this is the second time she's been targeted by them, that can't be coincidence. If she looks them up, it'd be like walking into a trap."
"So I'm just supposed to sit and do nothing?" she poses to them.
Morty shakes his head. "Talking with your mother about it and letting her do her job, isn't doing nothing."
"I mean," she tilts her head, voice high pitched. "It-it kind of is."
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You two are just the same."
"So, I'm going to look some stuff up at the library today," she beams. "Are you going to join me?"
"Yes," Eusine states in a hard tone. "This is serious, Layla. If this isn't a coincidence, then Team Rocket wants something from you and you're in danger. Archer killed your manager for taking something from him, probably money. If you go down this path..."
He could go after her.
She knew it would be a possibility, but that's not what this is about, it's about Houndoom. The question is simple, was it Archer's Houndoom that attacked her family? That's it. If it isn't, the search is over. If it is, she can then give it to her mother to take care of. She'll have her answer and that's it, case closed.
"Yeah, I'll take the chance," she shrugs. "What are the chances it's the same one?"
"You'd be surprised," Eusine replies, his voice somber.
They finish their drinks and decide to head out, Layla looking forward to looking up some things on Team Rocket. She may have lived through the craziness that was the Team Rocket takeover. It was a crazy time and she hadn't really read about the lead up the Silph Co. fiasco. It'll be interesting to relive the past through the eyes of the press.
She gets up to pay and the waitress waves her off, gesturing to Morty's retreating figure with Eusine beside him. "He paid for it all."
"That asshole," Layla mutters, thanking the waitress before running after them. "Excuse me." The two pause, Eusine looking bored and Morty looking guilty as she races up to him. "You didn't have to do that. I don't tell that story for pity points."
His eyes widened at her. "Th-that's not what I was doing. I was just... I'm sorry. I can give you your receipt?"
He digs into his pocket for a wallet and Layla feels guilty at his rush, clearly he was just being nice and she ruined it. Instead, she places a hand on his arm and offers a gentle smile. "I'm sorry, Morty. That was rude of me, we barely know each other and... It's no excuse. Thank you for paying for breakfast."
"I think we're past the 'barely know each other' stage," he shrugs. His shoulders relax and he digs his hands into his sweater pockets. "I mean, I'll have to share more of my trauma, I guess."
It's Layla's turn to roll her eyes. "Shut up. Let's go."
Eusine takes over for most of the research, leaving Layla to wander around the library looking at books. The building is several stories tall and known for its tropical cafe in the center, stretching to the first three floors. It always smells like some sort of sweet treat between the shelves.
It's bustling with people around this time, the sound of coffee cups clanking, hushed conversations and pages turning soothes Layla. It's like the library exists on a different plane. A different world with no dangers, interruptions or fears...
"Psst, Layla," Morty calls her over, a few shelves behind Eusine.
She feels like a spy, running over to him. "Did you find something?"
"No," he shuffles. "Did you assume we were dating because you like Eusine? Do you need a wingman?"
Layla stares at him, laughter bubbling in her chest at his words and just the situation in general. She thought he was dating Eusine and now he assumes she has a thing for him and, not only that, he's ready to help her get him. Her hands fly up to her mouth to quiet her giggles, bumping her hip with his. He looks confused but starts laughing too, her laughter contagious as she tries hard to keep quiet and not disrupt the heavy silence.
"No, Morty," she laughs. "I don't have a crush on Eusine, I just thought you guys were dating because of how domestic you guys can be."
He tugs at the neckline of his sweater. "We've just known each other for a long time. I thought you and him were because of the food..."
Realization hits and she nods, folding her lips and leaning against the bookcase. "No, we're not. Eusine has deemed the both of us not his type."
"Ah," he breathes, mimicking her position. "I guess I was just as curious."
They stand like that for a few seconds before bursting into a fit of giggles once more. Layla holds her stomach, the hilarity of the situation settling in and the stupidity she felt now shared with him. Their laughter dies down and she glances up at him, their eyes twinkling until Morty breaks the moment with an awkward cough.
"We should go check on him," he suggests. "I won't try and set you up."
"Oh, thanks," she clears her throat, toying with a curl around her finger. "I won't try it either."
With hands shoved into his pockets, Morty wanders around the shelf with her beside him. They stand behind Eusine, listening to his muffled muttering and his fingers flying across the keyboard. On the screen, Layla spies a notepad with a list of places on it where Team Rocket hit and then some others.
"What do you have there, Houdini?" she whispers over his shoulder.
He holds up a finger as he types a bit more, hits print and exits out of the screen. The chair squeaks a little as he twists around to regard her. "I have a list of places and incidents to look into. It's a start."
She nods, excitement bubbling inside her. "Thanks, Houdini."
"Be sure to ask your mother first," Morty interjects. "It could save you a lot of time."
"She already said Archer wasn't the man and I doubt she saw the Houndoom long enough to know..." she trails off. "I'll bring it up and we can see what happened."
He seems satisfied with that as Eusine passes the list to her. She folds it's up and slips it into her pocket. There's no need to involve them in her activities, it'll be lots of walking and traveling anyway.
"Okay, let's head home then," she states. "I'll call my mom later and go through this list on my own. How about some lunch?"
The boys share a look before nodding vigorously at her. "Yes, please."
Layla sets to cooking something simple. Some pasta, meat and vegetables for the boys to take with them. Eusine excuses himself to the bathroom, leaving Morty to help her in the kitchen with the dishes and garbage. They work in tandem, seldom running into each other as Layla commands the kitchen and Morty follows suit.
"Hey," he breaks the silence after sometime. His gentle voice refrains from startling her over the sound of meat sizzling and veggies cooking. She tilts her head towards him while keeping an eye on the food, inviting him to continue. "You've revealed a lot of personal things to me. The daycare center I get because of my work and then meeting you, but the attack on your family. That's a lot."
They've known each other barely a month and hung out a few times more in that time. Both of them get along with Eusine, two best friends of his throughout significant portions of his life. That's bound to bring them together and get them to bond even in the slightest time together, which they have.
Layla didn't feel an obligation to tell him anything while hanging out, rather, she wanted to share those things with him. In the instance with the hallway after the funeral, Morty took that in stride, stepping in when she needed someone the most. She thinks of that as the test to see if he was genuine or not, and he passed.
"Yeah. That's okay," she shrugs. "if you think it's too much though...?"
She's not sure where the rest of the sentence was going, maybe too much to handle? Too much too soon? Too intense, he'll need therapy? But he seems to know which one of those is right as he shakes his head.
"No, not at all. I just, uh, wanted to acknowledge it. This stuff couldn't have been easy and I appreciate your trust."
His words take her by surprise for a second, her chest warming at him and his acknowledgement. "Of course. Thanks for sticking around and not calling me crazy."
He frowns. "I would never."
"I'm kidding!"
"I'm serious," he grins. "I would never think you're crazy for things that have happened to you."
"I appreciate it, Morty."
He smiles, feeling content and happy with the conversation, and does as she says to help pack up the food. In no time, Eusine comes back, whistling some tunes and already planning his next research venture. He accepts the food containers and the two of them ditch out to continue their own lives, leaving Layla to stare at the list Eusine made and wonder what she should do.
Telling her mother would be sensible, about her suspicion at least, she's already confirmed Archer isn't the man that attacked them that night. It's just the Houndoom she wants to know about.
It's an intimidating thought, confronting her mother on a subject pertaining to her area of expertise with no evidence. Juniper wouldn't get angry, she would definitely shut the idea of Layla investigating it down, though.
While Layla is an adult living in a separate city, she'd feel guilty running around behind her mother's back. Her eyes slid to the note again, Eusine put it together and he was right about taking this path. The pang of regret hits her then, not something she wanted to talk about earlier with Morty around, but it'd be safer if she didn't do this.
But what's some snooping around really going to do?
Not much.
So she decides to put off telling her mother until she gets a shred of any kind of evidence. Maybe, this is her way of coping MIranda had talked about earlier in their sessions about Layla being a curious person. Layla wants facts, her mother will listen to facts just the same. In her eyes, it seems fair to get them herself.
Layla gets out a notebook from her junk drawer to start making notes on all the places: Vermillion, Lavender, Celadon, Silph... She'll start small and go up from there.
What's the worst that could happen?