Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Nor do I own Shakespeare. Ashura the Mew has been borrowed from Dragoness with her permission. Lucius is co-owned with Mia. Callie, Flory, Poppy, Poptart and any other unfamiliar characters belong to me as does the storyline. The concept of Pokéspeare is mine too. Some parts of the chapter are authored by Jenn and used with her blessings but it's mostly me. I do not own the song the Chapter title is taken from – Savage Garden's Break Me, Shake Me. Nor do I own 'Can't Fight the Moonlight' by LeAnn Rimes.
Chapter Fourteen: When the Madness Stops
"Simple," Drake leaned back in his chair. "You promise to at least hear me out before you try to throw me out."
Jenn smirked. "I wouldn't have to try, because I would throw you out the first go." The blonde enjoyed the slight scowl that came over the Orange Crew Leader's face.
Drake tried to keep his voice level. "You're making things more difficult than they need to be. We just agreed to a truce; let's try to stick to it for more than a minute?"
The American girl just rolled her eyes and snorted.
"If you resent me so much then why don't you just leave?' Drake raised one dark brow. "You gave me your word Jenn; now do you really want to help Trish and myself or not?"
"Alright," she muttered reluctantly and slunk down into her seat.
"The fact of the matter is...I need your help. The problem is that I don't know exactly what the problem is; the only thing I know is that I have no memory whatsoever of what happened those nights. Not the Chikorita Nightclub, not the fight with Trish...I know it's hard to believe but that is the honest truth."
"It's not just hard to believe, it's also convenient!" Jenn chipped in with an overly sugar coated tone.
Drake closed his eyes and sighed. "This is going to be a long day."
Jenn batted her long lashes innocently. You have no idea, she thought darkly.
Meanwhile, in a cave on a nearby island, a certain blonde was waking from unconsciousness to find herself tied to a chair in a dim location. She lifted her head to take a look at her surroundings. "Where am I?"
The wide stone cavern echoed her question, but did not answer it. Someone did, but his voice did not echo. It seemed to flow over her skin in a physical way and she shivered.
"Welcome to my parlour," the smooth voice said. "Said the spider to the fly."
She winced. Why was everyone talking about spiders?
A lean man with long red hair appeared in front of her and smiled down at her with sparkling emerald green eyes. "I do hope you like your accommodations."
"I've had better."
An elegant red brow lifted. "I'm sure you have."
"Who are you?" Jenn glared. "And what do you want with me?"
"As for who I am," the man stared down at her. "I'm sure you can figure it out yourself. You and your friends have been...talking about me...for quite a while now."
Jenn's brows furrowed together and she exhaled sharply. "You're Lu!"
"Precisely," Lu turned his back to her. "You're not as dim-witted as you make yourself out to be."
"And what, exactly, do you mean by that?" Jenn demanded.
He turned. "You play the dumb blonde rather well."
"What do you want with me?"
"Oh it's not what I want from you, it's what I want you to do."
"I won't help you." Jenn said. "I won't help you hurt my friends."
"Really?" Lu looked disappointed. "And here I had hoped you would prove to be as easy to overtake as two of your friends."
Jenn narrowed her eyes. "Who?"
"Dear, oh dear...Am I at liberty to say whom?" Lu cocked his head to the side. "Rudy and Jaime."
"Rudy and..." Jenn gasped. "Rudy, I can understand since he's not even a friend, but Jaime? I can't believe it."
"I would, of course, compensate you with whatever you want." Lu went on. "At least one gift has been bestowed on you from me already."
"What is that?" Jenn asked warily.
"A certain dance with a certain gym leader comes to mind," Lu said, tapping his chin with a finger.
"Even you know about that?" Jenn groaned. "Oh, why me?"
"Know about it!" Lu laughed. "Silly mortal! I made it happen!"
Jenn blanched at the words. "No...no, that's impossible..."
"Of course it's not impossible, I..."
"No, not that!" Jenn shook her head. "I was right! Drake was under a spell!" Then the blonde groaned. "I knew I should've placed a bet on it."
Lu stared at the girl, an incredulous look on his features. "You are a strange mortal."
Jenn shrugged. "I get that a lot."
"It really doesn't matter anyway," Lu continued. "Regardless if you agree or not, you will succumb to my plans."
"No I won't!" Jenn said. "Whatever you do, you'll never get away with it!"
Lu leaned close, his breath warm on her bare shoulder. "I already have.."
Jenn watched him as he sauntered off. "What did you do?"
He didn't stop walking.
"WHAT DID YOU DO!"
The evil Fae paused and looked over his shoulder. "Why bother telling you?"
"If you…"
"What I mean, mortal, is that I'll simply show you."
Jenn's nostrils flared in a mix of fear and anger as a wide panel appeared in front of her. It resembled a wall mounted television. The light space flickered and then images appeared on it, sharp and fully detailed. There was also sound.
Lu was pleased with the shocked expression on the blonde's face. "What do you think of that?"
She frowned, "I'm thinking being evil
isn't that bad. I mean…Plasma TV's conjured out of thin air? Intense."
"So I have you, then?"
"In a word…No." Jenn sneered at the Fae.
"As soon as I get out of these ropes, you are in for some serious hurting!"
"Aaah, aah," Lu said in a singsong tone, wagging his finger at her.
"Those are enchanted ropes. They'll be around your wrists and ankles until
I disenchant them."
"And that would be?"
"Once you cooperate, of course."
"Of course," the blonde sighed. " I
really hate you magical users."
Lu only smiled.
Back in a nondescript hotel room, a blue
flower in a blue terra cotta pot suddenly shivered and vanished in a blue mist,
only to emerge from the mist as a blue coloured Pokémon.
Ashura looked around and flew over to the large window overlooking Pummelo Bay. He stared
out into the distance, his gaze focused on the horizon.
Joanne walked up behind her Pokémon, saying nothing to disturb him. She'd seen
him in trances like this before and knew better than to disturb him before he
was ready to talk.
Ten minutes went before the small Pokémon turned to face his human. 'Strange
things are afoot.'
'Wake
up.'
The voice that interrupted Umbreon's nap was familiar and annoying. She chose
to ignore it and try to refocus on the dream at hand. One
which had a certain blonde in a vice versa deal with Umbreon. The Dark
Pokémon snorted with contained mirth at the sight of herself calling out to
"Jenneon" only to replace it with…
Umbreon sat up, suddenly in a bad mood. There was no way to mess up Jenneon as
the blonde had messed up Umbreon. The Dark Pokémon looked over at the being
responsible for waking her up.
Lilac eyes gazed at her. 'About
time you woke up. I was beginning to think I'd need a Pokéflute to wake you.'
"Stick the flute up your…" She
broke off when she noticed a few more Pokémon hovering around her sister. Three Growlithe and a…a blue Mew? 'If I'd have known we had company…'
'You'd have had a better attitude?'
'No,' Umbreon stood up, stretched. 'I'd
have taken a nap in my poké ball and really ignored you. What do you and your
entourage want?'
'Jenn is missing,' Espeon
said, leading her sister and the rest to an area overlooking the villa.
Just then, a tinkling laugh floated out from the villa.
'No,
she's in there,' Umbreon said patiently. 'I think I know what her laugh sounds
like by now.'
Espeon looked at the others, as if for support. The strange Mew, who was
hovering three feet above ground, floated over to Umbreon's side. 'Take a closer look.'
Umbreon sighed and trotted into the kitchen through the open French doors.
There was the group, sitting in the living room watching television. Jenn,
Trish, and Shannon were watching a funny video program. A Houndour walked into
a closed glass door and the blonde burst out laughing.
Espeon sat next to her sister and cocked her head. 'Notice anything different?'
'She's
wearing tasteful clothes?'
Indeed, the blonde was wearing something that didn't have flowing sleeves or flared
pants. Actually, she was wearing a grey track outfit, something she didn't
normally wear.
'Look
at her energy.' Espeon said patiently.
Umbreon sighed, but did so, paying attention to the natural energies that
flared around each individual human. The Dark Pokémon stifled a gasp, for her
human had a taint to her energy, as if it were being manipulated.
Espeon ushered her sister outside, where the hovering Mew looked at Umbreon
with a patient gaze.
'That's not my human,' Umbreon
said, feeling nauseous at the contamination to the energy.
'Precisely,' the Mew said. Behind him, two of
the Growlithe whined low as the third nuzzled them sympathetically.
'We'll find Jenn safe and sound,' Hamlet reassured Mac and Beth as a new and squeaky voice joined them out of the darkness.
'He's right, and if we all work together,' a familiar yellow electric mouse scampered up to them.
'Hey Pikachu,' Mew greeted as he performed a lazy mid-air somersault.
'What are you doing here?' Umbreon asked, curious as to why the Grand Master's favourite Pokémon was doing here alone.
'I'm here because Ashura the Mew here first came to Ash when he found out what had happened. Ash being the Chosen One and all; and as it is Jenn that is missing, he'd instructed me to help find her.'
'What is the deal between those two?' Mac cocked his head.
'Oh I think they're more like kindred spirits than anything else,' Pikachu giggled. 'Although Jenn does have a bit of a crush on my Pikapi...'
'So what are you guys going to do?' Umbreon asked.
'We are going with Mew and Pikachu to look for Jenn,' Espeon informed her sister, stretching her legs as she did so.
Umbreon flattened her ears against her dark head. 'Heeey waitasec what do you mean we? I didn't say I was coming along!'
'Too bad, you are,' Espeon yawned. 'We two along with Mew, are the only ones with Psychic Abilities. And Pika's shockingly good at what she does.'
'Why do I have to go and look for Jenn?' Umbreon whined. 'I can't believe I've got her for a human! First of all, she couldn't remember what Pokémon she had chosen. Secondly she can't get my name right and messes it up something spectacular and thirdly she goes and gets herself kidnapped!'
'I can't believe you said that,' her sibling looked shocked. 'No human being gets themselves get kidnapped on purpose! Besides you promised the Chosen One you would look after Jenn for him no matter what!'
Umbreon sunk down onto the ground and rested her head on her front paws. 'Yeah but I didn't think he was serious!'
'Well he was and you're gonna help whether you like it or not' Espeon nudged her to her feet.
'You are so mean,' Umbreon growled.
The next day...
"I tell you, it was a waste of time! Jenn..." Puck trailed off with a sigh as he walked with Mia and Trish along the main boulevard.
"What was a waste of time?" Trish interrupted, curious as to why the blonde's name was mentioned.
Mia elbowed him sharply in the ribs and Puck winced. "Ah...nothing important. Uh...Jenn wanted me to uh...play Tomb Raider on the Playstation." He had forgotten that Trish was not to know about the failed attempt at curing her ex-boyfriend. He had kind of forgotten the Australian was with them at all, she had been so quiet.
Originally the intention was for it to be just Mia and himself. However Mia had been spooked by yet another nightmare and insisted that she could not let Trish out of her sight; thus she dragged along a reluctant Australian with them on their date.
"Oh," and Trish left it at that.
"How about we go into Jigglypuff Jeans?" Mia suggested as they came upon that famed coffee establishment.
"Sounds good to me."
The three friends entered and placed their orders before taking a seat. A few minutes passed before Mia noticed her eldest friend perk up a bit and look at spot beyond Puck and herself.
The brunette followed her friend's gaze, and turned around in her seat to where a man in his late thirties or early forties was speaking to a group of people. Whatever he was saying, his audience was completely transfixed.
"Do you hear that?" Trish gave the first genuine smile Mia had seen in the past few days. "He's quoting Shakespeare..."
"Really?" the teenager brightened and listened carefully. The man was indeed quoting the Bard - and if ever there were two huge fans of Shakespeare and all his works, it was Trish and herself.
"Now there is the way to a woman's heart," Trish sighed and Mia nodded vigorously.
Puck stared hard at the man. "Hey, I know that guy."
"You do?"
"Yeah, why that's William Shakespeare himself. I magiked him here by accident and managed to persuade Cal not to send him back," the chestnut-haired Fae looked smug.
His two friends blinked in disbelief. "But that can't be..." Trish breathed.
"Why not?"
"Because he has short hair and modern clothes."
"He wanted to fit in, and you can thank Jessie for that!"
"Wow." Mia's eyes sparkled. "I never knew Shakespeare could be so hot!" And without further ado, she pushed back her chair and raced off. She tackled the playwright with a flying glomp. "BILLY BOY!!!"
Puck blinked. "Heeey, what's he got that I haven't?"
Trish smiled and calmly sipped her coffee. She had been expecting something like this to happen. "He's William Shakespeare and you're not."
"But I'm a Shakespearean character!" the Fae wailed. "I can quote the Bard!!"
"Awww, methinks someone is jealous."
"No I'm not." Trish just gave him a Look. "Okay so maybe I'm a bit jealous"
"I really don't think you need to worry about Mia ditching you for some Elizabethan playwright."
"You sure about that?"
"Of course I'm sure! As Mia's been waiting for you for these past two years without so much as looking at another guy."
"But what about Mikey?"
"That doesn't count. She was bewitched. And stop interrupting me!" the Australian glared at the Fae who shrank back. "As I was saying, if Mia's waited for you all this time and worn your ring, I don't think she's going to dump you now."
"True."
A sparkly-eyed Mia came back with Bill Speare in tow. "Hey can you believe this??? This is William Shakespeare in the flesh! I'm so geeked!"
"Hey Bill," Puck grinned. "How you going?"
"Oh well thank you," the playwright replied. "I was just reciting some poetry to some people when I was accosted by this charming young lady…you know her?"
"Yeah, she's my girlfriend."
"Nothing more? I thought I saw a ring on her left hand."
Puck and Mia flushed bright pink as Trish stopped sipping her coffee and stared at them. "Are you two…engaged?"
"No! At least…I don't think so." Mia squeaked nervously before turning to Puck. "Are we?"
"I dunno." Puck turned beet red.
"What did you two say that time you left two years ago?" Trish asked patiently.
The young couple thought hard. "I believe I promised Mia I would come back to her." Puck said finally.
"And I promised I would wait for him," Mia added, turning a slight shade of pink.
"Well then," Trish looked satisfied. "Sounds to me like the two of you are engaged in a manner of speaking. While Puck hasn't asked you to marry him, you two have promised yourselves to each other and he has given you a ring."
"You're not mad?" Mia ventured.
"Of course not," Trish blinked. "Why would I be? I'm not your mother."
"It's not that," the teenager fidgeted. "I just thought you might be upset with things not working out between you and Drake."
"Some things just are not meant to be," Trish shrugged as she drained the last of her coffee.
"To be or…" Bill began only to be interrupted by the two girls.
"Not to be. That is the question…we know," they chorused.
"Hey…you didn't let me finish!"
In a cave to the north of Pummelo…
"You mean to tell me that Jaime has been posing as me?" Jenn's gaze flickered between her red-haired captor and the images she was seeing onscreen.
"That's right," Lu sounded smug.
"And she's managing to get away with it in front of all my friends and Pokémon?" the blonde's eyes widened. "That's just not right!"
"And why not?"
"Because I'm unique! There is supposed to be no other person like me in the world! And anyway she's Canadian and I'm American. We don't speak the same, the gang would be able to tell us apart."
"No they won't. I've cast the spell so that Jaime assumes your whole identity. She thinks like you, she speaks like you, she acts like you."
"You're not going to get away with this," Jenn scowled.
"Oh but I've managed to get away with so much already," the Fae laughed. "So many things like Mia's personality change, Trish's illness, the spell on her boyfriend to make him believe that she was cheating on him."
"YOU caused them to break up??"
"Why yes," Lu looked very pleased with himself. "A fine piece of work I must say…I caused the illness to make it look like she might be pregnant. I also cast a spell on Drake so that he would always see relations between his girlfriend and his best friend as being less than innocent. I made Jaime and Rudy appear to be Trish and Danny that night – Drake believed me to be Rudy."
Jenn wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Eww…they didn't really sleep together did they?"
"Of course not."
"Now I really believe you when you say that Jaime is under your influence. She would have to be well medicated in order to do anything with Rudey!"
Lu shook his head. "You really are the strangest mortal."
"I know." Jenn felt the anger slowly grow within her as she stared at the man. So he was the cause of all the current misery Trish was experiencing! The blonde couldn't believe that someone could take such joy in causing another person great pain. Cissy had been soo right, Drake was not responsible for what happened at the nightclub or the dance – Jenn now knew who was really to blame. She made a silent vow to herself that she would do everything in her power to make Lu pay.
The setting sun cast a dusky glow over the city as the Pokémon Grand Master stood on the balcony of his private villa. Normally Ash would have enjoyed the beautiful sunsets that Pummelo was renowned for, but his mind was preoccupied by the increasingly serious situations that were happening to his friends.
He prayed for the safety of a tall, American blonde, currently missing; and the small band of Pokémon which included his Pikachu who were determined to find her.
The dark-haired man had no idea when he would hear back from the group of furry crusaders, he only hoped it would be soon and that the news would be happy.
He had managed to explain away his preoccupation to a hormonally irritated Misty as 'League problems'. Which was partially true as he had had to stand in for Drake at a few Orange League meetings this week, due to the Orange Crew Leader being laid low by ill-health.
He couldn't tell his wife the real reason behind his worries, for Misty was more and more tetchy as the final months of the pregnancy drew near. "Raging Hormones" Brock had advised him before being struck down with a Misty Mallet.
And there was no way he was going to tell her it was to do with Jenn; remembering her over-the-top outburst in public the last time he was with the blonde.
How could he explain to her the strong bond of friendship between them? Misty would never believe him when he said that Jenn was a kindred soul rather than some secret mistress of his.
Admittedly there was chemistry between them, which sometimes flared into romance but Ash knew it would never lead to anything. And he knew that Jenn knew that too - for he was a married man and married men were off-limits. Had he been a free agent, things might be different but he wasn't.
He chuckled to himself as he thought of the public image that Jenn was a man-eater. Those who were close to the girl knew that was not the case. She was also not really a dumb blonde as she liked to portray.
The Grand Master took one last look over the darkening city skyline before going back inside. "Jenn, wherever you are, I hope you will be found safe..."
Across the city, Trish was also standing outside gazing at the night sky. She couldn't help but feel that something was not quite right in the grand scheme of things. It didn't help that she couldn't figure out what that something was.
The dark-haired Australian rubbed her temples, maybe she was just overtired. She had been trying to get as much rest as possible to get over this dang illness but it didn't seem to be working. Even if she did a Rip Van Winkle and slept for one hundred years she felt it wouldn't do much good. Callie had refused to work any more magic on her until she had built up a satisfactory level of strength and stamina.
A loud melancholy howl echoed in the distance from some lonely dog in the suburbs. Trish shivered and rubbed her arms and went inside.
Mia bounded over to her and gave her a hug. "There you are! I was wondering where you had gotten to." The brunette trailed off as she felt how cold the girl was. "You okay? You feel like a block of ice."
"Yeah, I think so," Trish said shakily. "I don't know what came over me, but my blood just seemed to run cold."
Mia frowned. "Maybe you're getting sick again."
The dark-haired Australian blanched. "Geeze I hope not!"
"Anyway, let's get you off to bed just in case," the teen steered her older friend firmly towards her room.
"Yes, Mom."
Jenn sighed as she watched Lu pace up and down. "You know, your hospitality really sucks? I'm bored here!"
The Fae raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to entertain you?"
"Yeah, I paid good money for this!"
Lu was puzzled. "What do you mean you paid good money? I didn't get a single cent from you."
The blonde sighed. "You don't have a sense of humour do you."
"Should I?"
Jenn frowned. "You're right. The big bads never have a sense of humour…so if you're done gloating how about letting me go. Now."
"My dear girl, who said about ever letting you go?" the red-haired Fae's smile was cold which sent a nasty shiver down her spine. "As for gloating, I have only just begun!"
"Like what else?"
"Oh I have something very special in store for a certain friend of yours."
"Kicking Rudey into the next universe?" the blonde brightened.
"No, I said friend."
"Darn, and here I thought you said fiend."
Lu stared incredulously at his captive. "You really are the most peculiar mortal I have ever met. How on earth does Trish put up with you?"
"Because I'm worth it."
"It will be worth your while to see this."
The screen flickered and showed a night scene, the mist laying low and thick on the ground as the sounds of breaking waves far below indicated to Jenn they were near some cliff top.
She gasped as the familiar figure of her friend appeared through the mist, walking along the cliff pathway until she disappeared into the fog in the distance. A huge shadowy form followed close behind, its menacing roar turning Jenn's blood to ice in her veins.
The American girl gasped before turning to her captor. "What was that thing??"
"That you will just have to find out. Certainly Trish will not be around to tell you."
Jenn felt sick. "If you do anything, I'll make sure you'll wish you'd never been born."
"Oh but I shall and there is nothing you can do to stop me."
Puck lay back on his bed and stretched luxuriously. There was something to be said for this human habit of 'doing nothing' he had to admit. Two huge blue eyes suddenly appeared in front of his face. 'Mew?'
The chestnut-haired Fae almost had a heart attack. "Don't do that to me!!"
'Awww' the blue eyes soon were joined by the rest of the blue Pokémon. 'Why does everyone jump when I greet them?'
"Perhaps it's because you fail to give us any warning of your coming?" Puck glared as he sat up. "What do you want this time?"
'We need your help.'
"We?"
In answer there was a shimmering light before they were joined by three other Pokémon - an Espeon, an Umbreon and a Pikachu.
"And these are?"
Flower Mew did the introductions. 'The Espeon and the Umbreon are siblings and belong to Trish and Jenn respectively. The Pikachu belongs to the Grand Master.'
'Hi!' the yellow electric mouse in question chirped.
"So what can I help you with?"
'Jenn is missing and being held captive by Lucius on an island north of Pummelo,' Mew explained.
"What do you mean Jenn is missing?" Puck interrupted. "I was with her the other day to see Drake and she was incredibly unco-operative. Because of Jenn giving him such a cold shoulder, Drake ended up cutting the meeting short. We simply weren't getting anywhere."
'That wasn't the real Jenn' Pikachu stated softly. 'It is an impostor made to look and act like her.'
The chestnut-haired Fae was silent for a moment. "That does make sense, I mean why would she be so insistent that we go and help Drake, then the next day do all she can to sabotage it?"
'Exactly,' Mew nodded. 'Most likely Lu would have her entrapped by some magic, which is why we've come to you. We may be psychic but we aren't magical creatures.'
"Sure, count me in."
Lu yawned as he relaxed on his recliner, casting a lazy eye over Jenn's futile struggles to free herself from her bonds. "You won't get free that way, you know. The only way you are going to get free is..."
"Save your breath," the blonde scowled. "There is no way in hell that I'm gonna help you."
"Not even if I tell you of the innumerable rewards that would be yours if you do?" the lean Fae rose and walked over to her. "I can do so much with magic..." He leaned close and whispered in her ear. "I can give you your heart's desires."
"I desire that you let me go and leave my friends alone."
Lu ignored her and continued. "I can make you a billionaire so that you would never have to work again. I could give you the huge mansion that you've always wanted. I can make it so that you are dripping in diamonds and expensive jewellery. I could give you the hottest looking men in the world to serve your every whim."
The American girl shifted uncomfortably. There was a part of her that was very interested in his offer.
"Just think, you could have everything you've ever dreamed of and more," Lu added, sensing his captive was slightly weakening. "No one else but I can give this to you...all you have to do is say that you'll help."
Jenn gritted her teeth. "It's not gonna work. I won't betray my friends."
"Forget these so-called friends," Lu waved dismissively. "Who needs friends anyway? I have no friends."
"And with how hospitable you've been?" the blonde said mockingly. "I can't see why a guy like you wouldn't."
"I did away with them long ago, when they started to get in the way of my ambitions," he paused and took a sip of water. "What good are your friends for? Tell me this, can any of them offer you what I have?"
"No, but they're always there for me and that's what counts! Friends make the bad things in life bearable."
"Then where are your friends now?" Lu laughed. "Not good friends are they if they don't care if you're missing."
"Hello? Anyone up there?" Jenn snorted. "That's because you're tricking them into thinking Jaime is me!"
"It's a pity you won't reconsider helping." The man walked in front of her and idly ran his finger along the spine of a very sharp knife. The blade gleamed a bright blue where his finger had traced its surface. "For the only other way out is death. A death most slow and painful."
Deep down Jenn was terrified but she refused to let it show. She needed to keep her wits about her if she was to get away from this madman. Somehow she had to get away and get back to Pummelo to reveal the truth about the whole situation. To expose Jaime for who she really was, to warn Trish and the others of the things she'd learned from Lu's boasting...if she wasn't already too late.
He stopped three feet from his captive, then made a slashing gesture with the knife, cutting the air. The air shimmered bright blue in a fading path made by the knife and Jenn gasped out suddenly, for while she had thought that the evil Fae had been practicing, in reality he had magically cut her. The feeling ran along her upper left arm and when she looked at it, she saw the cut the knife had made, and saw the trickle of blood tracking down her arm. She looked back at Lu with eyes widened by terror.
"See?" A crafty smile spread across his face, "Magic can be fun." The smile faded like the blue light made by the knife had faded. "And you shall experience as much fun as you can handle before bowing to me. You will join my side."
"Never," Jenn ground out, though fear made her whisper the word. "You coward, hiding in a cave with all your delusions of grandeur."
Lu's lip raised in a snarl and he slashed twice more, the magical glowing tracks burning bright before fading. The magic washed over Jenn with an almost physical sensation, like sitting on the shore of an ocean and feeling a wave pass over. It was not gentle though and burning pain laced her shoulders.
Just then Lu stopped in his tracks, dropping the knife. "It couldn't be..." he snarled. "My sworn enemy here already?"
"Who?"
"Puck." The name was hissed with pure venom. "He's on the other side of the island, I can sense his magic aura. I shall not let him ruin my carefully laid plans this late in the game!" Lu stalked to the entrance of the cave and vanished.
The blonde slumped against her chair in relief. That was too close for comfort. Her relief turned to fear as a long shadow came in through the cave's entrance. Then...
"Pikapichu?"
Jenn sighed from sheer relief. There was only one Pokémon in the world who called her that. "Pikachu! Over here!" she called out in a low voice, just in case Lu was still in the vicinity. She knew that the mouse would still hear her as a Pokémon's hearing range was far greater than a human's.
Soon a small yellow fur ball came scampering into the room, closely followed by an Umbreon, an Espeon and a familiar chestnut-haired young man.
"Puck! What are you doing here?" the blonde blinked. "Lu said you were on the other side of the island…"
The Fae smirked. "That's what we want him to think. He thinks he's chasing me but in fact he's chasing after a Pokémon I've cast a spell on…" He broke off as he noticed the blood trickling down her shoulders and arms. "What did that brute do to you?"
"Just get me outta here!" Jenn whimpered and Puck could sense the girl's terror. He bent down and began the incantation to loosen the enchanted ropes as the Pokémon stood guard at the entrance to the cave.. First things first, get the girl back to safety and heal her wounds. There would be plenty of time for questions later.
It seemed like an eternity for Jenn (but was only a few seconds) before the ropes finally glowed and disappeared. Puck helped the tall girl to her feet as the Pokémon gathered around. A small blue Mew appeared in a shimmer of light and performed a lazy flip. 'Ready to make a speedy exit?'
Puck nodded and held Jenn firmly around the waist. "Ready."
The world vanished for Jenn then reformed to reveal the inside of a large and airy office. The blonde blinked. "Wow, that was intense."
"Jenn!!" She turned to see Trish sitting there on the couch with Ash and Callie. The Australian started towards her friend when Puck raised his hand to stop her.
"Don't hug her just yet, Trish. She's been badly hurt."
Puck guided Jenn to the other sofa and gently sat her down. He knelt down in front of her and placed his hands over the wound on her shoulder. "This may hurt a bit."
A gentle heat emanated from his hands, Jenn wincing slightly as it penetrated deep in into the jagged cut, knitting the flesh together. After a minute or two he moved onto the arm and she saw that her shoulder was completely healed with no scars at all.
"Wow, maybe I should make you my doctor from now on," she grinned, causing Puck to blush.
"I'm no doctor," he murmured as he finished healing her arm.
"You do a pretty good imitation of one then!"
"There you go, good as new," he smiled and rose to his feet, moving out of the way just in time before Jenn was enveloped in a tight hug by her best friend.
"It's good to see you back!" Trish beamed.
"Some air would be nice too," the blonde managed to wheeze out, she was being hugged so tight.
The Australian let go with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."
"How did you know I was missing?"
"Ash asked me to meet him at the office this morning, and he explained to both Callie and myself what Mew told him." Trish explained.
Jenn turned to the Grand Master who was standing quietly behind her friend and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you for looking out for me," she whispered.
"No trouble at all," the dark-haired man returned her embrace just as tight. "You're my friend, and you mean a lot to me."
The blonde smiled as she hugged Ash back. Lu could shove his comments about her friends up his ass. Her friends cared about her and she had two living examples in front of her. "You mean a lot to me too. You have such a sexy derriere."
"Excuse me?"
Jenn flushed. Curse this light-headedness. "Uh…nothing."
"I thought you said…"
Luckily for Jenn, Trish chose that moment to interrupt with a suggestion. "How about we all sit down and let Jenn explain exactly what happened?"
"I think that's a great idea!" the blonde said quickly and sat down, followed by the others.
"First thing is, just who or what, has been pretending to be you?" Trish started.
"Would you believe it if I said it was Jaime?" Jenn answered.
Her friends all blinked. "Jaime??"
"Jaime's name has been cropping up a lot lately," Trish frowned. "She was the one who gave the fake pregnancy test results to Drake."
"That's because she's completely under Lu's evil influence," Jenn explained. "So she's been doing his bidding. She even agreed to let him magik her and Rudy to look like Trish and Danny that night."
"Ewwww," both Trish and Ash grimaced.
"I know!" the blonde pulled a face. "What I can't understand is why she agreed to help him."
"So how did Lu manage to kidnap you?" Callie questioned.
"I'm not really sure," the American confessed. "It must have been after I went to sleep, because I woke up to find myself tied to a chair in his cave."
"Did he give you a reason?"
"Yeah, he wanted me to help destroy my friends," Jenn said softly. "I refused to, then he tried to tempt me by offering everything I ever wanted. When that didn't work he threatened to kill me…and he would have too, if not for the distraction by Mew." Ash squeezed her hand gently.
"He was such a creep," she continued. "He was boasting about all the things he's done, like Mia's 360 personality change, Trish's illness…" Her blue-grey eyes widened and she turned to her best friend. "Promise me one thing, Sis. That from now on you won't go on any nightly walks by yourself."
"Sure," Trish replied quickly, hearing the urgent tone in the request.
"He showed me a vision," Jenn shuddered at the memory. "It was foggy, it was night and you were out walking by the cliffs. A few minutes later, this huge…beast…comes tearing along after you. Lu wouldn't tell me what it was and he boasted that you wouldn't be able to tell me what it was either."
"What do you think it was?" Ash asked.
She shrugged. "I dunno – but it was about the size of a big cat or something."
Trish gave her a reassuring hug. "I promise not to go out for moonlit walks along the cliffs. It's not really my thing anyway. And I also promise to watch out for any tigers or lions that may come after me."
"Good." Jenn hugged back.
Lu stalked back to his cave in a foul mood. He had been unable to find any trace of his number one nemesis on the other side of the island. He would have just loved to have wrung Puck's neck for interrupting his torture session. Never mind, he would just inflict his rage on his helpless victim waiting in his cave. It wouldn't do for Jenn to survive for she knew too much.
The red-haired Fae stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the empty chair. "WHAT??!!!"
Anyone present on the island would have heard curses and other unprintable things being shrieked loud and long.
Jenn waited until Trish had left with Ash and Callie for her medical check-up before pulling Puck to one side.
The Fae looked at her warily. "Can I help you?"
"Yup!" the blonde slid her arm through his. "You and I are going to cure one Pummelo Gym Leader."
"But didn't we…?" Puck trailed off as he remembered that it wasn't the real Jenn the previous time.
"Nope," the blonde dragged him towards the door. "But first I need to grab something from home."
They found Drake stretched out on his office sofa from another migraine attack. The dark-haired man looked blearily at his two visitors, "If you've only come to insult me, I'm really not in the mood."
"Forget what happened last time," Jenn spoke up first. "That wasn't really me, that was Jaime. Lu cast a spell to make her look like me."
"Jenn was being held captive in Lu's cave on another island," Puck added. "I had to go and help rescue her with some Pokémon pals."
Drake said nothing.
"Listen, I know the truth now about what happened. I know that you were placed under a spell by Lucius to make you believe that Trish was unfaithful. I know that he was behind Trish's illness, made up the fake test results, and made Jaime and Rudy appear to be Trish and Danny that night you were taken to the bungalow." Jenn renewed her pleas in an effort to get Drake to believe her.
A faint smile flickered over the Gym Leader's face. "So you believe me when I say I would never do anything that would deliberately hurt Trish?"
"Yes I do." And she meant it too.
"And you'll let Puck do whatever he has to cure me?"
"Yes."
The dark-haired man sat up and flashed her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Jenn. I guess I wasn't really surprised by the 'fake' Jenn's reactions. I mean after all what happened at the club."
"Well yeah, that incident has cured me of any craving for alcohol for the rest of my life!" Jenn snorted.
Puck sat down next to the Orange Crew Leader and placed his hand on his temple. He nodded to himself after a minute then gave his instructions. "Okay, what I'm going to do is begin the incantation and you have to focus on breaking the spell." Drake nodded and the Fae began the recitation.
Jenn hoped that Puck would succeed; for the safety of her best friend depended on it.
A slight frown creased the Fae's features. "There's some barrier that's preventing me from completely dissolving the spell."
The blonde suddenly knew how she could help things along. "Come on Drake," she encouraged. "You can do it. Do it for your future, because despite everything that's happened, Trish still loves you."
"Really?" There was a glimmer of hope.
"Uh-huh. She admitted it herself. And very soon she'll be needing you more than ever."
Drake frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Lu plans to kill her by having a huge creature chase her over a cliff on a foggy night. He showed me as much." Jenn hoped that the information would be enough to help Drake overcome this final psychological barrier. The Orange Crew Leader, she knew, would do anything to protect those he loved.
"What?!"
From the triumphant look on Puck's face, Jenn knew that he had broken through. "Done!"
Drake sank back against the sofa and sighed in relief. "Thank heavens for that! God that was a horrible experience! It was like I was trapped in my own body…I'd see the truth but I couldn't stop myself rejecting it or accepting what Lu wanted me to see. There were times when I was in complete control but I could never remember what happened. When I tried, I would get struck down by these excruciating migraines."
"The migraines were caused by the spell struggling to keep its hold over you," Puck explained. "Lu wouldn't want you to remember what happened just in case you tried to go and make amends."
Drake looked at Jenn. "Jenn? I'm really really sorry for what happened? Can you ever forgive me?"
"Sure I can. Just don't hold me back when I rip into that Lu when we get him okay?" she grinned.
"I wouldn't dream of trying to stop you," he promised.
"Good. Now just make sure you're over at our villa tomorrow night so we can unmask Jaime. Trish and I worked out a plan of sorts."
Drake fidgeted. "Ah…I might come over another night if that's okay with you."
"No it's not okay. You are coming whether you like it or not," Jenn said firmly, withdrawing something from her bag. "Are you a Gym Leader or a Chicken?"
"A Gym Leader but I'm also not suicidal!"
"There's no time for you to think of some elaborate apology! Not while a person's life is in danger." Jenn uncoiled the item as she spoke.
Puck raised one eyebrow. "Is that a whip?"
The blonde smiled sweetly. "Yes it is. And if Drake doesn't agree to come tomorrow night, then I will just have to use it."
Drake gulped. "I'll be there."
Jenn pouted. "Darn, and here I was totally hoping I could practice my whip skills."
"You would." The Orange Crew Leader grumbled. "So how do you propose to thwart Lu's plans for Trish?"
"Well the most important thing is that I got her to promise me not to go out by herself at night and especially not near any cliffs."
"That's a very good start."
"Then I figure if we keep our pet Aussie on a tight leash by not letting her go out alone; Lu can't take us by surprise," Jenn finished.
"Do you think Trish will agree?" Puck asked dubiously.
"She'll just have to agree. I'm not gonna have any of my friends end up dead because of that jerk, 'nuff said!"
Trish waited hopefully as the doctor put away his stethoscope and then scanned the blood test results. "Well?" she ventured.
The doctor smiled. "Your health has improved greatly since the last check up two weeks ago. Though there's still a little way to go before I would pronounce you back to full health."
"Thanks. I just can't wait to get rid of this illness once and for all."
Ash and Callie were waiting outside for her when she finished, and both rose to their feet.
"What did the doctor say?" the Grand Master questioned.
The Australian grinned. "I'm almost back to normal!"
Callie returned the grin. "Fantastic! Now I can finally take the rest of that spell off you. How about we return to Ash's office and get started?"
~*~
Jenn and Puck were waiting for them there, the blonde jumping up at the sight of her best friend. "What did the doctor say this time?"
"That I've almost got this thing beat!" the Australian girl beamed.
Jenn smiled to herself at the almost giddy tone in her friend's voice. Not that she blamed her one little bit for it had been two very long months while Trish had battled against this mysterious and seemingly incurable illness. Now at long last the end was in sight.
"Ready to be cured?" Callie asked.
"Absolutely."
"What do you plan to do afterwards?" Puck asked.
"I'm going to go out and celebrate!" Trish exclaimed. "After two months of being practically confined to the house – you're going to have a hard time keeping me at home!"
Jenn grimaced. It might be harder to keep her friend from danger than she first thought.
The next night, the group gathered at the villa as planned while the fake 'Jenn' was out of the house. Chris, Shannon and Mia had by now, been informed of the situation and were in on the plot. It was universally agreed that no matter how strong the spell, a person's true personality and nature was still there deep inside. If the incentive was strong enough, then that true nature would always prevail. Both Trish and Jenn thought they knew just the thing that would force Jaime to show herself for who she really was.
"So what are we waiting for?" Trish questioned.
"We're still waiting on someone," Jenn explained.
"Who? Ash, Callie and Puck are already here."
The doorbell rang and Jenn jumped up to answer it, but not before shooting a look at both Chris and Mia, who nodded back.
Trish's eyes widened when the blonde ushered the last person she expected to see in the world into the living room – Drake. The Australian went to rise and escape but was promptly pinned down on either side by Chris and Mia.
"Oh no you don't," Mia wagged a finger at her eldest friend.
"Traitors," Trish grumbled as she sank back down on the couch.
"You still love us," Chris grinned cheekily.
"I dunno about that."
"Hey Drake," Shannon greeted him with a warm smile.
"Hey Shannon," the Pummelo Island Gym Leader returned her smile though his dark eyes never left a rather disgruntled Australian across the room. "Long time no see."
Jenn sat down, ignoring the death glares coming her way. "I suppose you're wondering what Drake's doing here, Sis."
"Too right, I am."
"Remember how I said that you weren't allowed to go on night walks? Well I've changed that to you're not allowed to go anywhere on your own. You need a bodyguard of sorts." She gestured towards Drake. "This man has agreed to do it, and he certainly won't let anything happen to you."
Trish exhaled noisily. "Are you out of your mind?! After what happened at the dance, do you really think I want to be in the same room as him, let alone spend time with him? For another thing, why would he care about what happens to me."
"Because I love you." Drake said quietly. "And that is the honest truth."
She shook her head in utter disbelief. "You…"
"He's telling the truth, Trish," Jenn interrupted. "Lu had put a spell on him to make him think you were being unfaithful. That was one of the things Lu-lu was crowing about to me. Puck broke the spell yesterday."
"And you didn't tell me this?"
"Of course not!" the American girl snorted. "If I had, you would have jumped on the first plane outta the Archipelago. Couldn't have that happen."
"I would have too," Trish muttered. "So what you're saying is that everything that happened was because of Lu. That Drake was acting against his will the whole time?"
"That's right," Jenn nodded.
The dark-haired girl was silent for a moment and when she spoke again there was a slight quaver in her voice. "I don't know what to say…I don't even know what to think."
Mia patted her hand. "That's okay. First we need to take care of Jaime, then we'll leave you two alone to talk."
"That's right," Shannon looked at her watch. "She said she was due back at 7, which is in about fifteen minutes."
"Okay," Ash clapped his hands decisively. "Everyone to their places please!" The Grand Master whistled for Pikachu and Espeon to follow him into the backyard with Drake, Jenn, Chris, Callie and Puck. The group then scattered and hid themselves throughout the garden.
Trish stayed on the couch and Hamlet leapt up next to her and nestled his head on her lap as she picked up a book. Mia pulled out a sketch book and pencils and settled herself at the dining room table, while Shannon sat at the computer.
This was how 'Jenn' or rather Jaime found them when she stepped in the door, five minutes after 7pm.
"Ah, Jenn you're back!" Trish looked up from her book, one hand idly scratching Hamlet behind his ears as he liked best. "Are you going to be in for the rest of the evening?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Trish, Shannon and I were going to go to the Verona Caf to hear Bill Speare read some of his works," Mia piped up.
"So we were wondering if it's okay with you, if we left our Pokémon loose," Trish continued.
"Sure!"
"Thanks," the dark-haired girl shooed Hamlet off the couch before rising and brushing down her slacks. "Oh, just one more thing – Ash's Pikachu is here to visit her little ones."
"Okay."
Trish, Mia and Shannon grabbed their wallets and keys before waving goodbye to 'Jenn'. As soon as they reached the gate, they doubled back and went quietly around the side of the house to the backyard and joined the others.
Jaime sighed and sat down on the sofa facing the glass sliding doors that led to the backyard. Man, it was hard work pretending to be someone else – even if you had a spell to aid you. She had to constantly remind herself that she had to be Jenn, not Jaime.
Her eye fell on the coffee table where a set of baby doll dresses were lying with a child's birthday card. Looking closer she saw that it was for Trish's little niece. A 'Pika' caught her attention and she saw Pikachu sit herself near the door as she watched Pepita and Satochu play together.
Jaime felt the prickling of a familiar urge come over her, as her eyes darted between the doll's clothes and the striped back of the little Pokémon. It had been a looong time since she was able to dress up Pokémon in doll's clothes which was what she loved doing best – besides drawing.
Should she act on this urge? Surely Lu couldn't begrudge her indulging in a little time of being her own self. She reasoned that with no one around to see her, it wouldn't hurt to do it just this once. Picking up a frilly pink number she quietly slid open the doors and walked towards the electric mouse. "Hey Pikachu…"
'Pi?' Pikachu turned and in a blink of an eye she was dressed. 'Pika!'
"Hold it right there!!!" a familiar voice called out. Jaime froze when she saw her friends emerging from the bushes.
"The game's up, Jaime," Ash came over and freed Pikachu from the dress.
"But I'm not Jaime," she stuttered. "I'm Jenn!"
"Nuh-uh" and her eyes widened when Jenn stepped out of the darkness. "I'm the real deal. I know that Lu placed a spell so that you looked like me while I was being held captive."
Jaime couldn't think of anything to say as Callie and Puck stood on either side, a faint glow beginning to surround her as they worked on the spell. Before the watchful eyes of her friends, Jaime slowly transformed back into the familiar auburn-haired girl they all knew. The Canadian blinked then sank down to her knees on the soft grass shame-faced. "I don't know what to say to you guys except that I am utterly sorry for everything."
Jenn stepped forward. "That's okay, Jaime. You're not to blame – Lu is. He's the real enemy."
The girl looked up and gave a small smile. "Thanks. That means a lot to me."
Mia cleared her throat. "How about we all go inside and have some soda or something" she suggested. "I think that two certain people need to talk."
"Ah yes," Jenn grinned as she looked at Trish and Drake. "I agree with Mia. Let's go!"
When all had been shepherded inside, Mia immediately rushed to one of the open windows and peered out.
"Hey, I thought you said we should leave them alone," Puck protested.
"We are! But I wanna see what happens!! Besides you know those two probably need a helping hand after what happened. Trish can be very stubborn when she wants to."
"She's right," Jenn knelt down and started rummaging through the CD rack. "Now where are all those icky love songs."
Five minutes had passed since they were left alone and still nothing had been said between Trish and Drake.
"So…," Drake said a bit nervously in an effort to break the awkward silence. "Nice night we're having?"
His ex-girlfriend gave a wry smile. "You need to work on your lines a bit more."
"I know, but at least we're talking."
Trish sighed. "I'm sorry, but what can I possibly say when my head and emotions are in a complete spin over what I just learnt?"
"I know how you feel."
"I'm just finding it all a bit overwhelming," her voice wavered slightly. "I believed you really hated me after that fight. It felt like you meant every harsh word. And now I find out that you were under a spell the whole time and that you still love me? I...don't know what to think. I feel immense relief but at the same I can't forget all the pain you caused, however unintentional." Trish shrugged helplessly and her voice dropped to a near whisper. "What am I supposed to feel? That I both hate you and love you?"
Drake reached out and drew her to him in a gentle embrace. He felt Trish start to shake as the tears that had been threatening all night, finally began to fall. He sighed, "I wish I knew what to say to you to make things better. All I can say is that I am so terribly sorry. If I could have prevented all that happened, I would have."
"What's happening??" Shannon whispered as she strove to see over the huddle of people at the window. "I can't see!!"
"Me neither!" Chris grumbled. "If Jenn and Mia would stop hogging the prime window spots, we might be able to see…oooph!"
Jenn withdrew her elbow from Chris's stomach region. "Are you saying that I'm fat?" she asked in dry voice. "No one insults the Goddess Jenn, least of all little brothers who should know better."
The Scot gave a sheepish laugh. "Ah yeah. I should know better, shouldn't I?"
"After all," the blonde turned back to the front. "Who protested that her ass looked too big in a skirt?"
Chris reddened under Callie's amused gaze. "Let's not bring that back up, shall we?"
Mia peered through the binoculars and squealed excitedly. "Ooooh, Drake's got his arms around Trish!"
"Are they kissing?" Jaime asked, with hope in her voice. She had been filled in on just what role she had played in the break-up and was feeling immensely guilty.
"Nope."
Jenn grabbed the binoculars off Mia, looked and heaved a deep sigh. " Those two are hopeless. I knew they would need some help. Jaime, press the play button on the CD player, okay?"
"Okay."
The blonde blanched when the opening bars to Don't Want You Back began to blare out of the stereo. "NO, not THAT one!!"
"Sorry."
Both Trish and Drake blinked when the music began to come from the villa louder than usual.
"What the…?" The Pummelo Gym Leader frowned.
The dark-haired Australian raised her head from his chest and listened carefully. "That's one of Jenn's CDs. 'Back to Your Heart' by the Backstreet Boys."
"The who?"
"Ask her later and she'll fill you in." She gave a wry smile, "and I think I know why it's playing." She shook her head and shouted towards the villa. "What do you think you are doing??"
"What does it look like??" came the answering holler from the peanut gallery at the windows.
"It's not gonna work, you know!"
The response was miffed. "And WHY not?? It's ROMANTIC!!! So hurry up and kiss already!!"
"Oy," Trish shook her head at the antics of her friends. She did love them all dearly though, which is why they knew they could get away with so much.
"They're nuts," Drake laughed.
"I know."
"Anyway, enough about them." His dark gaze turned serious. "What do you say to the suggestion that we start over again?"
Trish was quiet for a moment. "I…guess I could agree. It might take a bit of time though before things are back to the way they were."
"And I don't blame you one bit for feeling
that," he hugged her tightly. "So how about a private dinner, say tomorrow
night, back at my place?"
She smiled. "I'd like that."
He inclined his head towards the villa. "I promise that we won't have these peeping toms around to disturb us either."
"That's even better," Trish laughed.
A wicked glint came into the Orange Crew Leader's eyes. "How about we give them something to make their night worthwhile. Nothing too much of course, but then maybe they'll leave us alone."
"Good idea."
The two shared a small kiss which sent the watching friends wild.
"WOOHOO!!!" A slight pause before one lone voice piped up. "So when's the wedding?"
Drake shook his head again. "Where did you find your friends? They're completely bonkers."
"Hey, they're your friends too!"
"True." The dark-haired man slipped his arm around her waist as they walked back. "But you knew them first."
"Love me, love my friends," Trish grinned.
The two walked back inside to be glomped by a pleased Mia. "Now this is how things should be!"
"So what do you two have planned?" Chris asked slyly.
"Well I thought we'd go out…" Drake began before he was interrupted by Jenn.
"Uh-uh," she shook her head. "This Trishy won't be going anywhere at night."
"But…" the girl in question began to protest.
"Don't start arguing with me, Sis – this is for your own good!" the American girl folded her arms across her chest. "You know what Lu has in store for you and I won't let it happen!"
"But you said earlier that it was okay if Drake was with her," Shannon pointed out.
"Yeah, well I changed my mind, okay? After what happened to me, I'd be crazy to not take his threat seriously."
"Oh come on, Jenn," Puck interjected. "Have a heart, I mean those two just got back together and they want some time to themselves."
"Hey!!! I totally have heart!" the blonde huffed. "It would never let me put a friend in any possible danger! Especially not when I know what would happen."
Trish sighed. She knew better than to argue the issue any further. When Jenn was determined, there was just no budging her. "Okay, I promise that I won't go anywhere at night."
"Promise?" Jenn arched an eyebrow.
"Yes! I promise!" Trish insisted. "I promise by all that you hold dear."
"Good! That's just what I want to hear," her friend looked satisfied then frowned in confusion. "…I think."
"I guess I'd better get going," Drake sighed. "I've got a meeting first thing in the morning."
After he said his goodbyes, Trish walked with him to the door. Once they had stepped outside she turned to him with a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry about tomorrow night, but you know how protective Jenn can be."
Drake checked to see that no one was eavesdropping before leaning close and whispering in her ear. "Who says that we can't?"
She blinked. "We can?"
He wrapped his arms around her waist. "There is no way I am going to miss out on spending tomorrow night with you alone. There is so much that I have to make up for and Jenn doesn't have to know."
"Just how are we going to do that?"
Drake kissed her gently. "You have an Espeon, use it."
It was the afternoon of the next day and Trish was standing in front of her wardrobe trying to decide what to wear, when Jenn padded into the room and threw herself across her friend's bed. "What's up?"
The Australian jumped slightly. "Oh nothing much…uh just sorting through my clothes."
"Kay." The blonde grabbed a large stuffy puppy and rested her head on it. "Say, T?"
"Yeah?"
"You're not mad at me for not letting you go out at night are ya?"
"No, why?"
"Just thought you might be," Jenn let out a deep sigh. "It's just that I don't want to see Lu cause you any more pain. You've been through so much already."
Her friend dashed over and gave her a quick hug. " Don't worry about it. I know you only have my best interests at heart."
"I do!"
Trish turned back and pretended to peer closely among her shirts as she tried to quell the rising guilt over tonight's secret rendezvous. She felt bad about having to sneak behind her best friend's back and Jenn's previous statement just made it even worse. Jenn was just trying to protect her after all.
But Trish also knew that if Jenn found out, she would never let her out of her room, much less the house. The chance to spend time alone with Drake and really talk things over was something that she wanted very much. As last night's events proved, that was just not possible if they stayed here. 'Forgive me Jenn, for I am about to sin. But you should know that you cannot protect me from everything.'
In a cave on a remote island to the north of Pummelo, Lu was sitting there fuming. Jenn escaping from his clutches was the biggest blow to his plans, and one from which he might never recover. Doubtless she had told her friends which explained why he now had no control over either Drake or Jaime.
The red-haired Fae's fury rose over the thought of the American blonde who had taunted him. That meddling mortal could ruin all. He was startled by the splintering of glass and glanced down to see he had broken the glass he was holding. As the blood trickled from the wounds he vowed his revenge. Someone was going to pay and this time he would demand nothing less than the ultimate price.
Lu smiled coldly. "The time for playing games is now over. This is the beginning of the end."
Evening had settled over Pummelo and Jenn was sitting on her bed reading a book when Espeon trotted in and sat down, waving her long tail. 'Esp!'
Jenn blinked at her friend's Pokémon. "Uh, what do you want?"
The red jewel in the Psychic Pokémon's forehead began to glow whereupon the blonde found her eyelids grow heavy with sleep. She sank back against her pillows with a muttered "I'll just take a little nap." Soon she was sound asleep and Espeon looked very pleased with herself.
'What are you doing?' Espeon turned to see her twin Umbreon trot into the room. The Dark Pokémon glanced at the slumbering human then her sibling. 'Did you hypnotise her into a deep sleep?'
'Yep.'
'Not that I'm complaining, but why?'
Espeon grinned at her sister's comment. Umbreon still did not have a high opinion of her owner. 'Because otherwise my human would not be allowed out of the house to meet her mate.'
'Trish has a mate?' Umbreon blinked. 'I thought she was like Jenn and didn't have one.'
'They were fighting for a bit but now they're back together.' Espeon explained. 'But Jenn won't allow Trish out of the house at night.'
'That sucks.' Umbreon wrinkled her nose. 'How can I help?' While she didn't have much respect for her human that didn't extend to the others. And anything she could do to play pranks on Jenn, she was in on. Umbreon still had not forgiven her owner for the 'Undieon' comment.
Espeon patted her sibling on the back. 'You're the greatest! Just make sure that she stays in a deep sleep okay? Hopefully it will last until I teleport Trish back.'
'What about the other humans?'
'It's okay. Both Shannon and Mia are out with their respective mates.'
'Why does everyone else except my human have mates?'
'She did for a time but the jackass dumped her. Unfortunately she has the tendency to pick either the real jerks or ones that are unattainable.'
The two Pokémon left and went into the bedroom next door. Trish was there and ready in a halter neck black dress and heels and the two creatures trotted up and sat at her feet.
'Esp!'
'Umb'
The dark-haired girl smiled and leant over to give her Pokémon a gentle scratch behind her ears. "Good girl!"
'Esp Espe Espeon.'
"Oh?" Trish looked over at Umbreon. "So Umbreon wants to help?"
'Umbreon!' The Pokémon yapped happily.
The Australian girl chuckled as she gave Umbreon a scratch behind her ears. "You really don't think much of Jenn do you? But I assure you that you couldn't find a better person in the world."
The response was a snort.
"Hey, I've known her longer than you have!"
Trish went to wash her hands then misted on some of her favourite perfume when her cell phone rang. It had been agreed that Drake would ring her when he had arrived. She answered and listened for a bit before hanging up. Grabbing her evening bag, she faced the Pokémon. "Okay, let's go. He's waiting outside." Espeon was recalled into her Poké Ball which was placed inside the purse.
Trish crept quietly down the stairs with Umbreon on her heels and opened the front door. She turned and smiled at the Pokémon. "Don't wait up for me."
Umbreon rolled her eyes as the door shut with a gentle click. Humans.
Drake had arranged for a nice, quiet, candlelight dinner back at his villa and had retained the services of only his chief butler and chef for the night. They were the closest and most trusted of all his household stuff and could be relied upon to be utterly discreet. The Orange Crew Leader wanted to keep this dinner as private as possible.
Which suited Trish just fine as they were able to talk about what had gone wrong as they ate. The explanations from both sides helped to iron out any remaining misunderstandings they may have had.
"Just one more thing," she smiled as Drake squeezed her hand gently. "Why on earth would you think something was going on between Danny and me?"
Drake reddened slightly and gave a sheepish laugh. "Well it was mostly due to Lu's spell but part of me was rather resentful that he could spend so much time with you while I couldn't."
"You were jealous?" Trish was amused.
"Ah, I guess you could say that." The Orange Crew Leader admitted. "You two were together so much that I thought that you had decided that he was the better man."
She shook her head with a smile and squeezed his hand. "The thought never even crossed my mind. In fact, if you ask Danny, I complained most of the time that you weren't there instead!
"Really?"
"Really. And most of the time I was feeling so sick that the only thing I did was sleep."
Drake looked hopeful. "So can you ever forgive me for what happened?"
"I already have."
"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that," the dark-haired Gym Leader took a sip of his wine. "I was afraid I might have lost you for good."
"I did toy with the idea of leaving the Archipelago for good and never coming back," the Australian girl conceded.
"Just as well you didn't! When I apologised to Bec, she demanded that I get you back or else she'd never speak to me again. Liana threatened the same."
Trish chuckled. "Oh I love those sisters of yours."
"They're okay," Drake grumbled good-naturedly, earning himself a light thwack on the arm.
"That is such a typical older brother comment."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I should know, I have two of them." Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "You're lucky they don't know what happened here otherwise you would have been in huge trouble."
Drake gulped. "Say no more. I know how protective your brothers are." He understood perfectly as it was the same with his family. Liana, being the youngest was fiercely protected by her siblings. He rose from the table and held out his hand. "Shall we go inside?"
The Orange Crew Leader led Trish into the living room where the lights had been dimmed and lit candles were scattered around the room. A large vase of roses on the coffee table spiced the air with a delicate perfume.
The dark-haired girl smiled. "You've really gone all out tonight.."
Drake grinned as he pressed the 'play' button on the remote, taking his girlfriend into his arms as the music began to play. "You deserve it."
Swaying in time to the music, Trish rested her head against his chest and sighed in contentment. He held her close and the two stayed that way for a while.
The second song began and she recognised the opening bars to LeAnn Rimes' Can't Fight the Moonlight.
Under a lover's sky gonna be with you
And no one's gonna be around
If you don't think you won't fall
Well just wait until the sun goes down
Underneath the starlight star bright
There's a magical feeling so right
Feel it steal your heart tonight
She raised her head and met his gaze. "You trying to tell me something?"
"What do you think?" Drake smiled as he began to kiss her.
Shannon yawned and glanced with bleary eyes at the glowing display on her alarm clock. 3am. My stomach would have to decide it needed an early morning snack. The brunette stretched then stumbled slowly out of bed and padded quietly down the stairs and into the kitchen.
"Are you going to be okay?" Drake asked Trish as he dropped her off at the front of the house.
She leaned over and kissed him. "I'll be fine, I'll just get Espeon to teleport me into my room. Though I really should have been back hours ago, why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
"You looked so peaceful and I didn't want to disturb you, especially after the long night we had," the Orange Crew Leader protested.
"That's very sweet of you, but a few hours more and Jenn would have woken up!"
He smiled. "It was worth it, though."
"Every single minute," Trish gave him a
tight hug. "See you later?"
"Definitely."
She watched as he drove off before pulling out a minimized Poke ball and
releasing Espeon. The fox-like Pokémon yawned and greeted her mistress happily.
'Espeon!'
"You know what to do," Trish scratched her gently behind her ears. The Pokémon nodded and the surroundings blurred and reformed to outside her bedroom door. The Australian girl gave the creature a pat and had just recalled it when a familiar voice made her freeze.
"Trish?" Shannon squeaked in surprise. The brunette had just come back upstairs with a sandwich on a plate when she saw her eldest friend suddenly appear before her. "Where have you been? We thought you were asleep…"
Trish shook her head with a smile and placed one finger against her lips.
Her younger friend blinked then understood. "Ooooh!"
"Now you won't tell, will you?" Trish warned.
"Oooh never!!!" Shannon promised. "Cross my heart."
"Good," the dark-haired girl smiled as she stepped into her room. "I'll talk to you later."
"Bye." Shannon grinned and shook her head as she went back into her own room. Eating her sandwich she chuckled over the thought of her eldest friend having to sneak out of the house like some teenager. She wouldn't tell on her, no siree, not when she could tell her friend was very happy. The secret was safe with her.
Jenn finally came downstairs at 10 in the morning.
"Morning Sleepyhead," Trish greeted as she sipped her usual cup of coffee. "Did you have a good sleep?"
"Mhmmm," the blonde stretched. "Never had such a good long sleep before! Great dreams too."
"Well it's a lovely day today," her best friend noted. "The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and as long as I have coffee all is right with the world!"
Jenn gave her an odd glance. "This is a change from yesterday. Someone seems to be totally chipper this morning. It's not natural."
"Nothing wrong with that," the Australian defended herself.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say that either someone got lucky last night or had too much coffee!" Jenn declared.
Shannon leaned forward. "It's the coffee as usual, Jenn. Besides, this time I accidentally gave her too much sugar."
The blonde gave the younger girl a withering glance. "You should know better than to do that, Shannon. Honestly, she's bad enough on just pure coffee!"
Later that afternoon, Trish wandered into her bedroom with a mug of freshly brewed coffee, Ophelia on her heels. Placing the mug on her bedside table, she knelt down in front of her bookcase. "Which one shall I read?" she mused to the Pokémon before selecting one rather well-worn volume.
Settling herself on the bed with Ophelia curled up on the floor, she took a sip of coffee before opening the novel. So quickly engrossed was she, that she failed to notice her surroundings blur and change.
The book fell with a soft thump on the bed, startling the small Growlithe. Ophelia leapt up onto the bed and pawed the book frantically, wondering where her mistress had vanished to. The Fire Puppy lifted her nose and began to howl as if her heart would break.
To be continued…
Author's Note: I've noticed that each successive chapter becomes bigger and bigger. I also hereby wash my hands of any responsibility for embarrassment suffered by the real life peeps who appear within. They did after all give me permission to use them and for me to quote one of them 'to do my worst to them.'