In a rare fit of inspiration, I decided to make this a short two-shot...but it's not going to move on.
He stared at his father, his young mind trying to think of a way to properly phrase the question. He had traits from both of his parents, well-mixed into a boy who would grow up and be a powerful Trainer in his own right. His mother's crimson hair, his father's blood-red eyes, quiet and thoughtful; it was like one Legendary or another had gotten it into their head that the child must be entirely different, mentally and physically, than his parents. For all intents and purposes, he was just a normal child with a penchant for deep thoughts and deeper actions...at long last, as the father had waited for his son's words, he heard them.
"Why do you stay with mommy and me?"
His gaze didn't leave the child's face, though he scribbled out a note in his type-like way; it was like looking at words on a computer screen, entirely neat and orderly despite all things that should have prevented it from being so.
Because I love her. And you.
"So you love her? That's why you stay here?"
Yes. But you know how much she hates you call her "mommy." It makes you seem like a baby.
"Why do you love her? How did you fall in love with her?"
He was, momentarily, taken aback. How could he hope to list all the things about Lorelei that fascinated and captivated him? Explain the moments that they shared, in the light or the darkness, to a boy who was just beginning to think about romance and crushes and things that his parents had never considered in their youth?
There was only one way, he realized; he would have to try.
I don't really know. One day I wasn't, and the next day I was. Maybe it was the way her eyes sparkle in the light, like they're bits of ice that throw the sun right back at you. Maybe it's the few smiles she gives me, or the laugh I know she holds in when she's got me pinned to a corner in our battles. She's never been mean to me, or impatient, or anything but helpful and considerate. I enjoy being with her, and around her, and I know she feels the same way.
"Is that why she wears the ring around her finger?"
He laughed, inside of his head, at the boy's connection and assumption.
...maybe. The ring stands for something else, though. The ring is a promise.
"That you'll always be together?"
No. Lots of people wear different kinds of rings, and some people who wear "special" rings might take them off because they stop loving the person it reminds them of. Like the one I wear around my neck, which was your grandmother's...I keep that one to remind myself that there are people who are close to me no matter how far apart we might be.
"So you're close to mom, even when she's far away?"
He nodded at the child's question, and waited for the next one to come.
"That doesn't make sense, dad. I thought you were supposed to love people who made you happy!"
Most people do, but there's some people who love people that don't make them very happy. Sometimes, the people they love can even make them sad. I'm lucky, though, because your mother makes me VERY happy...though I can't always tell that she feels the same way, since she likes to hide her emotions. Sometimes, I don't even know what she's thinking or feeling! It can be a little confusing sometimes, but that can make it a lot more fun.
"How do you have fun when you don't know something? You and mom have been together for EVER! Don't you know everything about each other?"
Again, he wanted to laugh. He cursed his muteness, but answered again; he had to write on a new sheet of paper.
No, we don't. In fact, I'm pretty sure that there's still a lot that I don't know about your mother. It's actually a lot like a battle: I don't know what's going to happen next, so I have to guess. She keeps me guessing, and it can be very exciting at times.
"But doesn't it get boring sometimes? It's like a puzzle that has no answer!"
With you around, James, there's never a dull moment. Whenever I get tired of being around your mother, which doesn't happen very often, it means that I get to spend time with you. That's just as much fun as being with her, and even more exciting than travelling around the region like I did when I was younger. In fact, I was a little older than you are now...but, to answer your original questions, I think I'll want to use a new sheet of paper.
After the boy had gotten his father the requested piece of paper, the man had smiled and written a note similar to the one he'd made all those years ago.
Lorelei,
James asked me why I loved you, and how I fell in love with you. At first, I didn't know what to say to him or how to tell him something like that. You probably would have been better at it, I think. You're much better at explaining things that I am. It was fun, though, since I got to think about you and all the reasons that I love you, so I decided to pick the ten things, in no real order, that answer that question best:
10: When you wake me up after I sleep in, the same way that I always do to you
9: The time we spent on Mount Silver (and that you managed to get me down from it!)
8: Getting to go around the world with you
7: You're one of the kindest people I've ever met
6: You are a wonderful mother to our son
5: When we fought against Team Rocket together in Icefall Cave
4: We had a picnic with Mewtwo, of all things, inside of Cerulean Cave (remember how nice it was to us?)
3: All of the ways you can keep me on the edge of my seat, waiting for what comes next
2: You've always been patient and caring and understanding towards me
1: Your existence is what validates my own
Love,
Red