Chapter 13
Love and Hate
Hey everyone thanks for reading. And a special thanks to RintinDestiny for helping me with this chapter. Please R&R sorry if I don't update often anymore.
The room fell silent as they all stared intently at me. The tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"Where does father work." Ash said insistently. I hesitated for a moment.
"Claire," Lance said reassuringly as he put his fork down politely on the empty plate.
"Ash," I said carefully. "Dad isn't exactly all you hoped he would be… dad is the boss of team rocket." I said getting it out and over with. Ash, Misty and Brock gasped and looks of shock crossed their faces. Ash sank down in his chair absorbing the information while the other two went wide eyed in disbelief.
"You have got to be kidding me." Ash said amazed. I shook my head. Everything was silent and all three of them stared at me for a while. Finally I couldn't take it anymore.
"What?" I asked.
"Your father is the leader of team rocket…and you're his daughter." They trailed off.
"W-what?" I stammered, as they stared at me distrustfully.
"The apple never falls far from the tree." Brock quoted.
"You guys have to be kidding me I am nothing like my father!" I said defensively. "I didn't even know he did this until after I met you."
"You lived with him." Ash said suspiciously.
"He hid it from me! I swear I didn't know!" I nearly screamed starting to go into hysterics. They stared at me uneasily.
"She is telling the truth." Lance said sternly. "She didn't know. I was the one to show her the truth. She is helping me fight her father and already has faced him once. After she found out she hasn't even returned home." Misty and Brock relaxed a little and leaned into their seats while Ash stared at Lance coldly as if expecting it was a lie. His brown eyes questioning Lance, weather he was truly trustworthy.
"So what you guys are just going to believe him? He might be working with them." Ash asked Misty and Brock.
"Ash, we told you." Misty said stubbornly.
"Lance is the Pokémon champion and for all intense and purposes our boss since Misty and I are gym leaders." Brock finished.
"Yea but-" Ash tried.
"Don't associate me with those team rocket low lives." Lance said his voice like acid. "I have devoted my life to fighting them I will not let an amature accuse me of treachery. Anyone who works for team rocket is low and selfish and I will not help them." the room fell silent and all eyes fell on me. My lips were pressed together and I was struggling to hold a sob down. My eyes were brimming with tears that I tried desperately to blink away. I took a few deep breaths trying to remain calm. I could picture each word in the same acid tone being thrown at my father and the image tore me apart. Lance's eyes softened.
"Claire no...I didn't mean...I'm sorry I didn't mean about your father…I...Claire." Lance said at a loss for words.
"I'm ok." I lied I know I shouldn't care. It was true and I knew it was true. But that made it all the more painful. I know I can't trust my father. All of them stared at me worry and sadness showing in their eyes.
"Claire." Lance said reaching out and putting a hand on my shoulder. I stood up abruptly.
"Excuse me I'll be right back." I said flatly and stiffly left the room and found myself alone in the bathroom. I stood in front of the mirror and gripped the sink my eyes watering, small droplets hitting the tile sink.
Stop it! I thought to myself stop it stop it! I ordered myself as the tears began to fall faster, heavier. I heard the door open and close behind me and I felt a hand on my shoulder. In the mirror I caught a glimpse of her red orange hair.
"Claire." Misty said "we're sorry. Lance didn't mean it like that." I pulled from her grip and turned away not wanting her to see me cry. Why am I so weak? I thought I know it's the truth my father was a bad guy I have to except that.
"I'm fine." I said my voice wavering.
"No you're not." Misty said softly. "It's ok to cry Claire. He is your father he hurt you we understand why you are crying."
"I'm not crying!" I blurted out as I choked on a sob.
"Claire." Misty said and I knew there was nothing I could do.
"I am so weak." I muttered bitterly. "I know he is evil, I know we have to stop him. I- I- I HATE HIM!" I yelled out then lowered my head tears streaming.
"No, Claire. He is your father you love him no matter what he does that's how it works. You don't have to hate him because of this. It's ok. He will come around. He does something wrong so we will stop him but that doesn't mean you have to stop looking at him like your father. I let the sobs come and I cried and Misty wrapped me in a hug. "It's ok." Misty coxed. After a few minutes I managed to stop and began taking short shallow breaths. I looked in the mirror and my face was streaked my hair disgruntled and my eyes puffy and red. I washed my face with cold water to rid the traces then retied my hair into a tight ponytail.
"Are you ready?" Misty asked I nodded and she reached for the door.
"Wait." I stopped her. "Can you keep this between us? Whatever slim chance of it there is?" Misty gave a friendly smile then reached for the door again.
"Wait." I stopped her again. "Misty." I said quietly. "Thank you…" and we walked out of the bathroom to find the boys talking and laughing. The room was warm and comforting compared to the cold bathroom and paper lanterns hung from the walls lighting the dark room with a dim yet somehow cheerful light. The Pokémon ran around the table and across our feet playing and I sat back down beside Lance Misty sitting beside me.
"Claire, are you, ouch" Ash started but was cut off by a kick under the table from Lance and Misty.
"I'm fine." I said casually as I took a bight of the ice cream that had arrived while I was in the bathroom. It took a few minutes but finally normal conversation broke out and I found myself laughing and enjoying myself.
"So Ash," I found myself asking. "What is our mother like? She seemed nice but I don't really know her." the question seemed to catch Ash off guard and he didn't really know how to answer. After a moment of thinking he answered.
"I don't really know," Ash answered.
"How can you not know?" I asked while I laughed. "You lived with her." he laughed in response but responded.
"I never really thought about it before, I guess She's friendly, always inviting friends over for dinner and tea. She LOVES Gardening if you missed the forest of a back yard. And," Ash hesitated. "I guess she is strong and brave for letting me go…Oh and she always tells me to do my chores!" Ash added embarrassed we all laughed.
For just a moment I imagined what would have happened if our roles were reversed, if I had been the one to stay with mother and Ash with Father. I could just picture helping her in the garden, and cleaning the house, cooking dinner, playing Pokémon cards. But of course then I wouldn't know my sister Ruby either and the idea of losing her and all my memories with her. The hot summer days in the pool the long rainy days playing hide and seek in the house, her excited face when father came home always brought a smile to my face and losing that seemed like losing my life.
"What about dad?" Ash asked. "What's dad like?"Suddenly I knew what Ash meant when he said he never thought about it.
"Well," I said. "He was secretive that's for sure, protective, and he was always calm and …understanding." I said struggling for the right words. I couldn't keep the respect from my voice as I spoke. "But…" my voice falling "He was always away on biasness, Ruby and I really didn't see him much but when we did he would either lock himself in his study or he would make sure we all had a good time like a family." Lance stared at me a bit surprised at the admiration in my voice. "He never actually forgot about us." I tried to explain. "But sometimes he didn't know what to do. As if we were pets left to him from someone he loved. He loved us and all but didn't always know what to do with two daughters." They nodded trying to understand.
"You sound like you look up to him." Ash observed. "But he works for team Rocket."
"You don't get it Ash." Brock said. "This is who he is as a father not as a boss of team rocket." I nodded shyly. I began telling them the story about the summer day when dad spent hours trying to hook up a pool and sprinkler until finally giving up and using his own Pokémon to fill the pool and act as a sprinkler, and that afternoon when Ruby and I struggled to be first in the picture. Our hair wet and matted, large smiles stretched ear to ear and it was good enough for everyone to be happy. They seemed to begin to understand.
"Well what about Ruby?" Ash asked. For a moment I thought of my little sister.
"Well she's always been there for me and me for her. We were rarely ever apart. Not only was she my sister but she was my closest friend…Don't get me wrong she can still be a pain sometimes never failing the annoying little sister act." I added on jokingly. Misty laughed.
"Sounds like my sisters without the heart to heart part." She joked. We all laughed and continued talking the topics stretching from favorite color to favorite Pokémon down to food.
"The Pokémon café will be closing in five minutes." A voice rang out over the intercom.
"Oh it's that late already?" Misty said startled.
"I guess we better get going." Brock said and we all began to leave. Lance left quite a tip for the waitress and we called back out Pokémon and headed towards the rooms we rented. We passed a hall of video phones on the way and I stopped and stared at them.
"What's wrong?" Lance asked me and I stepped towards the phone.
"I want to call Ruby." I admitted reaching for the dial. They nodded in agreement.
"I only got to see her once it would be nice to talk to her." Ash said
"And we never got to meet her Misty said indicating her and Brock.
"Nor have I." Lance said. I punched in my home number. The screen fizzed and a bell rang and after a moment my sister's face appeared on the screen. It was finally something familiar in this strange new world.
"RUBY!" I called happily.
"Claire?" Ruby asked yawning. She wiped her eye and looked at me her eyes widening. "Claire! Where are you? How are you? What's going on?" she stopped and looked at my friends. "Who are they?" she asked with a mix of curiosity and distrust.
"Hey Ruby. I'm fine I am in cerulean city Pokémon center, and these are my friends." I said gesturing to Ash, Misty, Brock, and Lance.
"Hey Ruby remember me?" Ash asked looking into the camera.
"Umm…yea your Ash right? My brother." She said uncertainly as if she wasn't quite sure whether to believe it. I nodded and she looked at him more confidently.
"And this is Misty and Brock." They both waved.
"Nice to meet you." Misty chirped.
"Sup?" Brock greeted.
"And this is Lance." He let a ½ grin pierce his passive face.
"Hey," he greeted. Ruby smiled and waved at them. Ash paused for a moment deep in thought.
"Claire, what's taking so long?" She asked me.
"I'm sorry Claire I miss you too." I confessed.
"And Dad came back home he seems…different…sad, I think he misses you too Claire why don't you come home?" Ruby said trying to find the right words to fit my father.
"Father's home?" I asked a little stunned.
"Yea he is in his room." Ruby answered.
"Ruby I am coming to get you." I said. "Would you like that? You could come with us and see the world."
"Why can't you just come home?" she asked curiously. I shook my head.
"No I can't come home just yet."
"Ok then I guess but I don't have Pokémon."
"It's ok we will get you Pokémon, and there's good food, and camping and-"
"Will there be Pokémon?" Ruby cut in.
"Yes," I answered smiling. "Lots of Pokémon."
"It sounds like fun." Ruby answered.
"Ok tomorrow I will head back to get you ok. And don't tell dad."
"Why can't I tell dad?"
"Just don't ok…it will be a surprise."
"But wont dad be sad when we are both gone?" I didn't know what to say thankfully Ash changed the subject.
"Hey um…Ruby." he began. "Can you hold on a sec while I try something?" he asked Ruby nodded slowly. Ash took control of the phone and punched in another number the phone rang again as the screen split. ½ was static and ½ was Ruby. The ringing stopped and a woman answered the phone.
"Hello mom?" Ash asked.
"Oh Hi Ash are you ok? I have been worried s-" she cut off when she saw Ruby's ½ of screen and me and my friends in the back ground. Ruby seemed just as surprised as I was. Not expecting Ash to call her.
"Who- who are you?" Ruby said looking from me to mom as if struck by our similar appearance.
"Ruby," I said carefully. "This is mom." Ruby looked as if I just told her I was dying and she win the lottery. She was shocked but didn't know whether to be happy or angry.
"R-Ruby?" Mom stuttered. She nodded. Mom leaped from the chair she was sitting on. "Oh my lugia, Ruby are you ok?" Ruby nodded to shocked for words. "You've grown so much I wish you were here." Ruby seemed shocked by her kindness.
"M-mom." Ruby finally said. "Why did you abandon me?" mother looked as if Ruby just shot her.
"No honey, you don't understand. If I could have I would have kept all of you but the divorce wouldn't let me. I never wanted to leave you." The words seemed to bring closer to a subject Ruby had been scared of all her life. She always worried that there was a reason we didn't know mom. That she wasn't good enough for her. There was a ringing and mom seemed startled.
"I'm sorry Prof. Oak is calling I will tell him to call back later please hold on don't go anywhere." She demanded and she disappeared replaced by a call waiting screen.
"So that's mom?" Ruby said quietly, more a statement then a question. I nodded. "She seems…nice." Ruby said.
"Ruby!" a voice called from her side of the screen. "Ruby who was on the phone?" a familiar voice called and Lance and myself went stiff. My father came into view and Ruby stepped aside for him.
"It's Claire dad, look." Dad stared at me shocked for a moment. "Dad don't you want to say hi?" Ruby asked.
"Claire…" he looked at the others. "Who are they?" he growled. In the back I could see Ruby back away startled by his anger.
"I guess you wouldn't recognize your own son." Ash said bravely stepping forward. Dad's face went white.
"Ash?" my father seemed startled Ash looked at him fearlessly. "It's you, I haven't seen you since you were a baby."
"I know who you are. Your stupid goons keep trying to steal my Pokémon." Dad didn't know what to do, what to say. He opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out. It was obvious he didn't want Ash to know.
"Please listen to me." he begged.
"No dad, we know already." I said calmly my eyes closed while I thought.
"Ash, you won't listen to your old man?" Ash's eyes lit almost with fire and he said.
"Giovanni, you are no father of mine. You had no part in my life and it won't start now."
"That's where your wrong." Dad said quietly.
"Dad we have to go." I said flatly reaching for the hang up button.
"Claire don't." Father pleaded. The second ½ of the screen suddenly buzzed to life and mom appeared and I hesitated.
"Sorry about." She stopped dead at the sight of my father. "Giovanni." she said startled. She stared at him a caring look in her eye. My father's eyes softened equally startled.
"Delia." My father said. Then my finger hit the button.
And the screen went black.
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