Chapter Nine

Mairin stared at the door of the lab as Alain shut it, and she felt her heart sinking down into the pit of her stomach. It tightened around her heavy heart, squeezing it in a tight embrace as tears began to sting her eyes. Mairin didn't say a word, her throat closing up, and she began to sway.

She had told Alain that she was pregnant, and he had just walked away without a word.

She felt like someone was slowly pouring a bucket of ice water over her, shivers racing down her spine. Her arms wrapped around herself, and a ringing filling her ears. She heard the other members of the lab talking, but yet sounds just blurred together. Mairin's eyes remained locked on the door, her vision blurring as the tears ran down her face.

It wasn't until Serena's hand touched her shoulder that she was jerked out of her thoughts.

"Mairin?" She said softly.

Mairin squeezed her eyes shut. "I... I..."

Professor Sycamore was making his way towards her, his eyes gentle and concerned. She pulled away from him and Serena, raising her arms up as he reached out towards her, mouth open to speak. Mairin swiftly shook her head, cutting him off before he could even speak.

"D-don't," she whispered, she didn't want any form of comfort.

Sycamore drew his hand back after a moment, mouth twitching before his lips pressed together. More tears were welling up in her eyes, and she tried to will them away. She was fine, she was fine... Mairin quickly turned her back away from everyone, hating the concerned looks being thrown her way. She just wanted to be alone, was that too much to ask–

"And sometimes we need to be left alone!"

Mairin stumbled as Alain's voice angry echoed through her mind– the memory of the fight surprisingly vivid. She let out a small noise as she froze, heart thumping. She couldn't help but glance back to see if Alain was somehow there, his voice having sounded so clear and real. Instead she was met with the gaze of everyone else, and she swiftly turned away once more.

"I– I just want to be alone," Mairin whispered to them.

She heard someone step towards her, and Max started speaking. "Mairin, I'm sure Alain is just–"

"Stop!" Mairin cried. "I don't want to talk about him!"

She could deal with this on her own, she didn't need everybody flocking to her the moment something didn't go her way. Didn't they understand that life was like that, not always how you wanted? She could accept that, she could live with it! If Alain wanted to walk away without a word then she'd just had to accept that, no matter how much it hurt. No matter how much her heart felt like it was about to burst, and just because the tears wouldn't stop coming didn't mean she needed comfort–

A sound of a Pokeball opening suddenly filled the room, and Mairin turned in time to see a beautiful Pokemon materialize in the center of the room, having just released herself from a Pokeball. The Pokemon was tall and elegant, soft pink eyes staring down at Mairin with a concerned look. She stared back at the Pokemon, a sharp pulse of pain forming at the base of her head. She let out a hiss of pain, hands clamping down over her head as the Gardevoir watched her.

Mairin knew that Gardevoirs were sensitive to emotions, and perhaps this one had sensed her racing ones. It didn't matter however, and within moments blackness was starting to dance across her vision as the pain increased. Her knees started her shake, darkness clouding her vision as voices cried out. The words were lost to Mairin however, the cries fading away as she was whisked away from consciousness.

A new scene was spread out before her– the familiar hallways of the lab. Mairin looked around in confusion– the searing headache now completely gone. She was swiftly making her way down the dark hallway, stumbling and tripping, and like in her dreams Mairin had no control over herself. She stared at the scene playing out, and she recognized just where she was headed– and soon she found herself outside of Alain's door, pushing it open.

"Who's–?" A sharp voice asked as she burst in, though it quickly softened. "Oh, Mairin," A figure stirred in Alain's bed, sitting up as Mairin rushed towards him. Mairin noticed that the bed was not the queen sized one she knew was there today. "Come here..."

Alain looked like he was about to roll out of bed, but before he could do more than sit up Mairin crashed into his arms, forcing him to sink back to the bed. Mairin buried her head into his chest, breaking down into sobs. His arms gently wrapped around her, rubbing her back as he cradled her close. Mairin was stunned as she broke down in Alain's arms– and he looked very unsuprised at this. It was at least several minutes before the tears slowed.

"A-alain–" dream Mairin gasped. "M-make it stop..."

"It's over Mairin," Alain whispered in her ear. "It's all over now, I promise..."

"M-my fault..." more tears welled up in her eyes. "Y-you should hate me... I'm a m-monster..."

Alain grabbed her shoulders, looking her fiercely in the eye. "No. You're not. Don't say that Mairin, don't you dare say that!"

Dream Mairin stared at him, her amber eyes dim and almost lifeless. She just stared at Alain, her eyes going from his and slowly down his face, until she was staring at his lips. She watched them, blinking dimly.

"Alain..." she whispered. "Kiss me."

Alain seemed startled at this sudden request, pulling back slightly. "Wha–?"

Dream Mairin quickly looked away. "N-no– wait– that was selfish of me–" she stuttered out, and her eyes pressed shut as her voice rose. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry– I'm so s-sorry!"

Alain's arms were back around her, pulling her roughly against him. "Mairin, you did nothing wrong..." he spoke as if explaining something to a child. "Nothing wrong..."

"Alain..." dream Mairin muttered. "I... I can't feel anything..." she looked up at him. "I feel so empty, and it hurts..." more tears were in her eyes. "When you... when you kissed th-then..." Her whole form tensed up as she spoke, eyes wide and distant with fear. Alain swiftly pulled her back to look her in the eye, but by then Mairin seemed to return to her shaking self. "I felt so warm..."

"...And you want to feel that again?" Alain finished softly, and dream Mairin nodded. Her eyes were towards the ground, looking ashamed– guilty– as if this were the worst thing she could ask for. Each limb was trembling with fear, and Alain cupped his hand under her chin so she was looking towards him. He looked hesitant, though his eyes gleamed. "Mairin, I'd gladly do it again, if that's what you want."

Her eyes were wide, but she gave a single nod.

There was a moment of stillness, and then Alain leaned forward. His eyes slid closed, while dream Mairin's stayed open as their faces came closer. Alain's lips pressed against hers, gentle and slow, and she continued staring straight ahead with open eyes. Alain looked as if he wanted to deepen the kiss, pulling her closer to him– but after a small moment he pulled away, nervously looking down at her as his eyes slid open. Dream Mairin hadn't moved an inch, simply sitting there with an empty expression. Alain's breathing seemed to be a bit uneven, his hand still against her face.

Tears formed in her eyes, rolling down her expressionless face. He wiped a few away with his thumb, and her voice was a whisper. "I felt something."

Alain nodded, his expression looking torn as he pulled his hand back. "I... I'm glad I could help..." he closed his eyes. "Mairin, you should get back to your room, Ruby will be worried if she wakes up with you gone."

Dream Mairin's expression hadn't changed once, just tears falling down her face. She nodded in almost a robotic fashion, rising to her feet. Alain stood as well, placing one arm around her as he guided her out of his room. They walked down the hallway in silence, footsteps pattering against the floor until they were at last outside Mairin's room, the door part way open. Mairin's dreamself looked towards Alain, the smallest of frowns on her face.

"Alain..." she whispered. "Will you kiss me again tomorrow...?"

He looked down at the pale girl leaning up against him. "If that will make you happy, then yes..."

Yet more tears were in her eyes. "Th-thank you..."

Alain said nothing, silently guiding her into her room– and that's when the headache came bearing down on Mairin all at once. Blackness filled her vision, and the strange dream-like scene she was witnessing vanished. Her head felt like it was on fire, and a gasp of agony escaped her. Sounds whirled to life, a panic in the air, much different from the blissful silence she had seen moments before.

Arms were around her, much rougher than the Alain of her dreams. They were strong though, pulling her up from the floor... when had she even fallen down? The headache was agony, but even through the pain she realized it was starting to fade. She was carried in someone's grasp and gently set on the couch, and Mairin started to blink her eyes in hopes of regaining her sight.

Everything was a blur, but slowly words started to come into focus.

"Mairin, can you hear me?" male voice, deeper– the professor. "Please Mairin, move, something!"

"I... I hear you..." Mairin whispered. "What happened...?"

Blackness danced away from her vision, a blur of colors starting to appear. She rubbed her head, the headache nearly completely gone now, but she felt so dizzy. Voices were still clamoring, but at least she could make out the slurred words.

"I am so sorry!" Max cried, his voice sounding almost horrified. "She– Gardevoir has never done something like that before," Max said, and she heard footsteps moving towards her. "Sh-she knows how sensitive you are to her energy, and she has always stayed away from you, but– but–"

"Gardevoir wouldn't let Max return her to her Pokeball," Serena explained in a soft voice. "She even hit Ruby with a Dazzling Gleam when she tried to attack..." A hand was on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, to go through two trances in one day..."

Mairin closed her eyes, waiting for her sight to focus. "Wh-what happens during the trances?"

She wanted to know what these scenes were that she kept seeing. Were they just dreams, her imagination? If so, why were they so vivid? Could they be something... more? Or was that just hopefully thinking?

"You black out," Max said, and he still sounded guilty. "And you just scream... usually," Mairin hated how pained he sounded, what happened with the Gardevoir wasn't his fault. "You just fainted this time, but still, I should have had my Pokemon under better control. Oh by Kyogre's seas, I'm so sorry Mairin..."

"It's fine," Mairin whispered. "The headache is gone..."

So they didn't know that she saw things... Either she hadn't told anyone about that– or it hadn't happened before today. Why was that? Perhaps things weren't always like this? Because she didn't blackout at all at the doctor's office, she just got a headache... but with the Gardevoir and Delphox she had been basically immersed in these dream-like states...

She opened her eyes, and she was finally able to make out the lab around her, even though the edges were still slightly blurry. She buried her head into her hands, trying to understand just what had taken place. It had seemed so realistic, something much more than she could have just made up. Her fingers twitched slightly, wondering if the idea was too good to be true.

But was she seeing memories?

The idea was so appealing... a way to peer at what she was missing... if that was even what she was seeing. Perhaps her mind was truly messed up from whatever had caused her the amnesia, and now she was just seeing things.

But... but the look she had seen on Alain's face during the trance...

It was the same look she had been seeing the last few days– clearly wanting to be close to her, but staying back. Her fingers curled against her head, mind whirling to block out everyone trying to speak to her, asking if she was alright. Like so many things she had faced the last few days, there was just several things she had to accept, not able to deny.

She had amnesia, and several years had past.

Everything had changed, including the people around her.

She was pregnant, and was going to be a mother.

But as she sat there she realized there was something she had been denying to acknowledge, even if it was something she couldn't ignore. It was right then she came to fully accept the fact, as she sat there on the couch with everyone around her.

Alain loved her.

Even though he had walked out just minutes before, she knew that this was true. Yes, it was something she understood when she had learned that she was married, but now she was embracing what that truly meant. He loved her– she was someone that he cared for, someone he wanted to spend his life with. Not just a friend he wanted in his life, but someone he wanted to be his life.

He had been spending everyday since her amnesia respecting the sudden boundaries she had thrown up, doing everything he could for her without crossing the lines she had suddenly set. Mairin sat there, wondering just how much that hurt him, to be unable to be close to the one he called his wife. Her hand went to where her baby was resting in her, they clearly had shared so much together in the times she had forgotten...

Yes, he may have just walked away, but that didn't mean that she knew why. It was just like the fight– his actions could be connected to something that might not even involve her... though she couldn't think of anything off of the top of her head. Was it because another boundary had been put up– one with their own very child? Or perhaps he was feeling the same overwhelming emotions she had to face on her own this very morning– and she too had walked out of the lab.

If what she was seeing in the... dreams were real, then that meant she had seen first hand how much he had come to care for her over the years– she had seen it in his eyes. If it were real then it meant that she had finally seen for herself a glimpse of what their relationship had been at one point in these last five years– and not just someone telling her how it had been.

She felt a head rest on her lap, and she opened her eyes to see Ruby, looking slightly worn from the apparent battle she had with the Gardevoir. However, the dark type's eyes were concerned, and much more relaxed now that the Gardevoir was back in the Pokeball.

"Ruby?" Mairin asked quietly. "Do you know where Alain might have gone too?"

Ruby pulled back slightly, hesitating, but then nodded. "Sol..."

"Will you take me there?" Mairin asked. "I want to talk to him."

"Mairin," Sophie said, stepping in. "You should be resting, and I'm sure Alain needs–"

Mairin closed her eyes. "If he doesn't want to talk I won't make him– but that doesn't change the fact that we need too," she pushed herself to her feet, a wave of dizziness washing over her. "I... I feel fine. I'm fine..." she was lying slightly, but oh well, she couldn't let them confine her to the lab. "Ruby, please take me to Alain."

She looked around at her lab family, and Serena, all who had that look of concern she had seen so much the last few days. Ruby went to her side, and without thinking Mairin pressed her hand around Ruby's horn. The Absol took a step forward, leading Mairin towards the door.

"Mairin..." Serena began.

"I'll have Ruby with me," Mairin said. "I'll be fine."

Serena smiled. "I know. Just... be careful."

Mairin smiled back, but she didn't linger– she didn't need the rest of the lab trying to stop her. She let them sit there, still slightly surprised by everything that was suddenly happening, and she opened the door. Ruby headed out, and for the second time that day Mairin found herself walking out onto the busy streets of Lumiose, this time with an Absol by her side.

Mairin wasn't sure where she had thought Ruby was going to take her– but the graveyard was the last place she had expected.

But the Absol came to a stop outside of the entrance of Lumiose cemetery, watching Mairin with her bright red eyes. The Pokemon tilted her head slightly, as if gesturing to Mairin to go in. She looked out the gloomy sight before her, rows upon rows of gravestones out on perhaps one of the few grassy areas of the city. A simple road wound through the silent place, trees sprouting along the path.

"He's in here?" Mairin asked in an uncertain tone.

Ruby nodded, looking quite sure of herself. Her eyes remained sorrowful though, watching Mairin with her bright gaze. The woman hesitated, taking a step towards the entrance, glancing back at the Absol.

"Aren't you coming?" Mairin asked uncertainly, and Ruby shook her head. "But... but how will I find him?"

Ruby simply looked down the path, and made no effort to move from outside of the cemetery. Mairin hesitated, looking down the path as well, mustering her courage. She took a step into the graveyard, and a sense of dread washed over her. Not the eeriness of the fact that this was the place for the dead, but rather as if everything was telling her that this was the last place she wanted to be.

She swallowed the sensation, and started down the path, eyes sweeping the silent cemetery for a sign of Alain. She didn't see anything right off, just the soft grass and the cold stones lining the graveyard. Her eyes drifted down to the flat ones that lined the edges of the path, small and worn compared to the towering ones beyond this small road. She felt her throat tightening as she read the dates of these smaller graves– some with only months or days between the birth and death date– even a few where the day was the same.

Babies.

Her stomach twisted, and a rush of fear crashed over Mairin. Why had Ruby brought her here... why would Alain even be here?! She was sick, this was making her so sick, her heart aching with a sorrow for those that laid around her. Her hands were protectively wrapped around her middle, steps increasing as she went further into the cemetery. There wasn't a hill per se, but there was a slight slope in the road as she made her way past the rows of stones, and her legs were starting to feel it. She paused as she reached the top of the incline, breathing heavily as she looked out over the rest of the graveyard that was now in sight.

And that's when she saw Alain.

He was at the bottom of the small hill– a ways from the path, sitting under a tree. His back was to her, and resting in front of him was a set of headstones, pressed close together. Mairin looked at him, a part of her still slightly surprised that this was the place that he had gone. She hesitated for a moment, before at least making her way down the path towards him. Her heart started to race faster– she still had no idea of what to say to him. But yet... she knew that they needed to talk.

He didn't move as she came towards him, her approach slow. He gave no sign that he heard her, simply remaining in the same place on the grass, gaze on the stones. It wasn't until Mairin set foot on the grass to go to him that he moved, though merely a small shift. She paused, a rush of cold fear taking hold of her.

"...Are you just going to stand there?" Alain asked after a moment, not turning around. She flinched slightly, though she knew she shouldn't be surprised– he always seemed to know when someone was around.

When she didn't reply he scooted over, tapping the grass next to him with his fingers. Her body moved forward even though her emotions were far from ready, and the next thing she knew she was sitting down next to him. The grass was cool against her skin, and his persona nor the aura of the cemetery made no effort to warm that. He still didn't look at her, gaze locked the stones. She felt her own gaze being pulled towards them, reading the words on the two gravestones.

Harper Hills Vide

Loving wife

Loving mother

Mairin looked over the years– this woman had been only twenty four when she had passed away– only a year older than Mairin was now. Her eyes shifted to the second stone.

Simon Alan Vide

Loving husband

The years showed that he had been in his forties when he had died– both had died relatively young, but yet there was still nearly twenty years between their deaths. Mairin stared at the stones a bit longer, not sure of what to make of them. A single white lily rested on top of the grave of Harper, while an unwrapped stick of gum was on top of Simon's.

"Mairin," Alain said quietly. "These are my parents."

She stiffened slightly, her eyes right away fixating on the grave of Simon. Her throat tightened, gaze shifting between Alain and the grave of his father– which was the one in front of Mairin. She inched back a bit, just remembering what kind of man Alain had said his father had been. He glanced at her for a moment, blue eyes unreadable, and he sighed.

"I... I considered not burying them next to each other," Alain muttered. "But... but my mother never saw the man he became. The last time she saw Fa- Simon– was when he was still the man she had fallen in love with," He closed his eyes. "She would have wanted to be buried next to him, so that's what I did."

"I'm sorry," Mairin whispered.

"It's surprising to see you here," Alain said. "You haven't been able to bring yourself to come in years..." For the first time since she had arrived he turned his head to look straight at her. "I'm glad you came, though."

"You're not mad at me?" Mairin asked, almost meekly.

He let out a short puff of air. "And just why, Mairin, would I be mad at you?"

Her hand went to her belly. "B-because I'm–"

He held up a hand. "Never mind. I understand why I gave you that impression," Alain spoke swiftly, looking away. "No, I am not upset at all..." His eyes slid shut. "I'm sorry Mairin, that was selfish of me to walk out like that."

Both hands went to her stomach. "Why did you, then?"

Instead of answering however, Alain asked a question of his own. "Mairin... do you want the baby?"

Her heart thumped, heavy in her chest. She already knew the answer– but yet she wanted to know how he felt before she said anything. Fear crawled up her throat, dragging any words she attempted to say down to her stomach. She struggled against herself, trying to figure out just how to answer the question.

"Be honest," Alain said after a minute of silence passed between them. "Do you want the baby?"

"Yes!" Mairin cried out, louder than she had intended. "It's my baby Alain, and I want her, I want my baby!"

She closed her eyes, arms still pressed tightly against her middle. She sat there, the silence of the cemetery ringing in their ears. She waited to see what he would say, the fear crawling back in her once more.

Alain didn't speak.

However, a pair of arms wrapped around her, Alain pulling her into a protective hug. She was pressed against his chest, her head tucked under his chin, arms squeezing tightly against her. She could feel him taking a huge breath, somehow managing to hug her even tighter. She could feel something digging into her shoulder– and right off she knew it was the leather necklace with the key stone and the rings. Alain held her for a moment longer, before pulling back– a huge smile on his face.

All at once she felt all her worries melt away– seeping out from her and into the earth.

He wanted their baby too.

"I should have realized that you were expecting on my own," Alain whispered, his hands going to her shoulders. "We... we wanted to start a family before... you lost your memories."

Tingles ran through her. "We did?"

"I... I was unsure at first," Alain said, eyes distant, but the smile was still there. "But ever since you hatched Poppy from an egg you said you wanted to be a mother... you wanted to hold your baby..."

His words resounded with what she was feeling at this moment– those emotions hadn't changed. She wanted the baby growing in her, the thought was overwhelming, but she wanted the baby. She simply nodded, acknowledging the truth of his words.

His hands pulled back from her shoulders, and they swiftly returned to his lap once he realized he was touching her. She didn't mind the contact however, but didn't know just how to voice that.

"I..." Alain began, and he bit his lip. "When I walked out earlier, I was... I was afraid that your feelings might have changed with your amnesia. I could only remember how you acted this morning, and I thought you were probably horrified with me," he flinched. "And after everything you've been through, I just couldn't bear the thought of you hurting even more... and I just didn't know how to handle that..."

"So you walked away," Mairin finished.

He closed his eyes. "I just didn't know how to handle everything..."

He looked guilty, as if being overwhelmed was somehow a crime. She reached out, grabbing his arm as she tried to find some way to comfort him. She had done the same thing, running off without a word of explanation, Alain didn't have to feel horrible for feeling the same. Besides, she was no longer fearing being alone with the child she was carrying, because Alain would be with her. Perhaps... perhaps she didn't remember their marriage, or feel the same way for him as he did for her... but he would be there.

She looked back towards the gravestone, wondering if that's why he had come here. He had lost his whole family, so perhaps he had come to be near his mother while he tried to make sense of the news she had given him. She looked over the gravestone of Harper, wondering just what kind of person she had been. She got no sense of eeriness like she had felt when she had first walked into the cemetery, the stone looking almost beautiful, especially with the lily resting on top.

"Alain," she asked, tilting her head slightly, knowing that Alain hadn't had flowers with him when he had left the lab. "Did you bring that flower for your mother today?"

He seemed slightly startled at the topic change, and glanced at the lily. "I- I always buy a flower when I come, there's a flower shop a block away from here and..." He shook his head. "I don't remember much about my mother, I was four when she died... but I do remember her planting lilies out in the garden and smiling at me."

Her eyes shifted to his father's grave, and she shifted slightly, wondering if she should even bring him up. Alain had placed no flowers on his grave, but the small silvery foil of the gum wrapper caught her curiosity.

"What about the chewing gum...?" She asked hesitantly, and Alain's expression clouded over.

At first he didn't say a word, and she lowered her head guiltily.

"...He gave me a package of gum once, when I was seven..." Alain whispered. "It wasn't much, I suppose, but it was one of the only times he wasn't d-drunk after mom's death..."

He didn't say another word, and Mairin didn't press the topic.

Silence filled the cemetery once more, the cloudy sky shifting overhead. Mairin longed for the sun, but she had a feeling that a storm would be coming before that. While it didn't seem like it was going to rain today, the grayness overhead suggested that it wouldn't be long before that happened.

Mairin didn't take her hand away from Alain's arm, and he made no effort to move it. So they simply sat there side by side, silence filling the spaces between their thoughts. There was a calm about Mairin, one she hadn't truly felt in days, and she was just starting to realize how peaceful it was just to be near Alain. So many of her memories involved her hyper antics, and she was startled to realize just how wonderful his silence could be.

She looked towards him, and the memory from her trance rose in her mind. Him cupping his smooth hand under her chin, leaning forward to kiss her...

She looked away, cheeks slightly flushed at the idea. What was she doing? Feeling bashful at the thought of him kissing her! She was carrying his child for Xerneas' sake, thinking of kissing him wasn't something she should act sheepish about! She didn't even know if what she had seen was real. She banished the childish thoughts from her mind, knowing that they had much more to worry about. Like the fact that she was going to be bringing a child into this world– and she couldn't even remember dating someone.

"...I guess we'll have to cancel your appointment tomorrow," Alain said after a moment. "I don't think any sort of scans they can do on will be safe for a baby. And since anything that involves a psychic is out of the question too, we probably won't be able to do anything until after the baby's born..."

He trailed off, but she understood what he was getting at. They now had no clear place to begin on learning the origins of the amnesia, let alone on hoping to restore her memories. This meant that she was going to be bringing a child into the world with parents that were married– but yet one couldn't even remember that. Both she and Alain clearly wanted this child in their life, yet Mairin saw him as a friend while to him she was so much more. She didn't even have to think long on it to know just how much of a struggle this would be.

But they had what, nine months to attempt to figure this out, right...? But still, they couldn't go on like this; her trudging along and locking herself away from the rest of the lab, and Alain's constant worrying over her. She... she was fine– missing a few memories– but she could go on in life. They were married, and clearly they had once held strong feelings for each other. If she could simply find that again...

Mairin looked at Alain, hesitating. "Alain?"

"Yes, Mairin?" He asked.

"Can I ask you something?"

He scanned her for a moment, eyes slightly narrowed, though his gaze was soft. She wondered if he thought she was going to ask about her past. It was no secret that he was keeping things from her, and he knew that she was aware of that fact. She wasn't even going to attempt to press it, because she had a feeling that he wasn't going to say a word, and she didn't want to ruin the small connection that had they had just formed.

"...Yes," Alain said. "Don't ever feel that you can't."

"Well, I was thinking," Mairin said, one hand plucking at the grass. "That nothing is going to change if we keep doing what we've been doing these last few days..." She trailed off. "What I mean, is, what I was thinking was perhaps we could try to..."

"Yes?" Alain asked, sounding slightly humored.

"Well maybe we could do this whole– er– thing, again?" Mairin asked, and she knew that her words made no sense. "Like, it would be again for you, but not for me. But– um– something was there once, and just because I can't remember anything doesn't mean we can't try..." She flushed. "I'm just rambling, aren't I?"

Alain smiled. "Yes, you are."

She drew her arm back, linking her fingers together. "Er... what I was trying to say is..." she chewed on her lip for a moment. "I think we should start at the very beginning of this whole... relationship thing? ...L-like maybe go out on a d-date or something?"

Alain seemed surprised at this, blinking as she spoke– his expression mirroring what it had been in the trance when dream Mairin had asked for a kiss– very surprised, but not looking at all dejected by the idea.

"You want..." he said slowly.

"I... I care a lot about you," Mairin said softly. "There's no reason to say that it can't grow into something more... and considering that we're married it clearly has before..." she shook her head. "Maybe it's stupid, but considering that I have nothing in here," she tapped her head. "And someone in here," she pressed her hand over her stomach. "I... I think that maybe this is something we should do."

She looked at Alain, and he was smiling– a true, happy smile. "Mairin, I think that's a wonderful idea," he said, eyes gleaming. "I'd love the opportunity to give you a proper first date. If- if you're really okay with that."

"I wouldn't say it otherwise," Mairin muttered, fingers twisting. She had a feeling that he was much more excited about the idea than she was.

But still... a date. As someone that had never had the opportunity before, it sent a surge of excitement through her. An uncertain smile flickered up on her face, and her stomach twisted slightly. She looked up at Alain, whose persona seemed to have brightened since she had first arrived. She smiled in return, and he pushed himself to his knees. After he stood he held a hand out to her, a small look of hesitation entering his eyes.

She reached up, placing her hand within his, and he pulled her to her feet. He smiled down on her, still managing to tower over her in height even after all of these years. They didn't say another word to each other as he led her back to the main path. She slipped her hand out of his, still not quite ready for that, but did she link her arm through his.

A slight frown crossed her face as they reached the path. "Alain... isn't the exit the other way?"

He paused, he had been heading down the path opposite of where Mairin had come in. He blinked, then closed his eyes for a moment, turning and they started heading back towards the entrance.

"Sorry..." he muttered. "Force of habit."

"...Habit?" she asked, looking up at him. His gaze was towards the ground, eyes flickering, and she glanced over her shoulder. Why would he go deeper into a graveyard out of habit? "Alain... do you know someone else that's buried here?"

He swallowed hard.

"...I ...I have more... family buried here," he muttered after a moment, eyes looking pained– clearly a topic he did not wish to be pressed.

Mairin stopped. "We don't have to leave now, if you usually go see them as well when you come here–"

Alain swiftly shook his head. "No Mairin, we don't have to. I... I miss them all," he looked at her, expression unreadable. "But I can come here anytime. But right now... right now those that are alive is where my focus should be."

Mairin nodded slowly in understanding, and then together they continued along the path of the cemetery– the exit soon coming in sight. There was Ruby, sitting at the gates, her scarlet gaze turned skywards. The Absol looked towards them as they approached, a small smile on the Pokemon's face.

And together, they all returned to the lab.