Chapter Forty Four – Family Reunion
Hayden, Lily and Keenan were in the main lounge of their hotel room; Iara watched as Keenan packed some necessities and supplies into his belt bag on the sofa while Hayden and Lily sorted their inventories on the coffee table.
"What's going on today anyway?" Keenan asked in confusion as he packed a can of lemonade into his bag.
"First of all, we're going to meet Nidoqueen at the Pokémon Centre and see how she's faring after last night's...well, just last night," Lily explained. "Whether or not she ends up staying with me is up to her; I only caught her because your father told me to."
"What was the alternative?" Hayden asked hypothetically.
"I'm not insinuating you made the wrong call, Tiger; it just surprised me, that's all," Lily said gently.
"And then what?" Keenan asked curiously as he added a small purple gateau to his belongings.
"Your mother could use a new skirt," Hayden said cryptically.
"Oh, please," Lily chuckled. "I can fix it"
"How?"
"Hayden, if I can make a plush toy and even a complete attire from scratch, I can fix a torn skirt; I grew up in a boutique, remember?" Hayden laughed nervously.
"Y-Yeah..." Lily's smile shifted from a playful smirk to a soft smile as she faced her son.
"But, now that you mention it, a nice family outing with just the three of us does sound nice." Hayden still felt despondent about the fact that his family remained incomplete; without Alexa, his family somehow felt empty to him.
"Hopefully, it'll have better results than OUR evening," he said glumly as he zipped up his bag.
"I don't doubt it for a minute, Tiger," Lily winked towards Hayden. Keenan took hold of his wallet, shaped like a miniature fossil of a turtle's shell, and stared at it instead of placing it into his bag with his other items. Lily soon caught him staring at his wallet, but, while his back was turned to her, she was unable to establish how he was looking at it. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
"Nothing," Keenan said truthfully as he finally placed his wallet into his bag. "I was just thinking about getting Alex a present," he said as he zipped his bag up. "Y'know, to welcome her back!"
"Like she'd even accept it," Hayden muttered to himself.
"Maybe she won't, maybe she will; who's to say? It's the thought that counts," Lily smiled kindly. Keenan seemed to light up.
"So you think it's a good idea?" he asked hopefully.
"Absolutely! She'll at least appreciate the sentiment, regardless of what you end up getting for her, right, Hayden?" she asked as her glance quickly turned to her anxious husband. He nodded nervously in response. Keenan's wide grin soon turned into a frown of irritation.
"...oh, great..." Hayden and Lily looked at him in confusion. "I just realised I don't know what she'd like..." Iara chuckled to herself with amusement.
"Aw, sweetie, I'm sure she'll like whatever you end up giving her," Lily said sweetly. Keenan pondered on his predicament for a little while as Lily finished packing her belt bag.
"...I think I have an idea... It's vague, but it's something, right?"
"Right," Hayden agreed unconvincingly. Lily looked up at him worriedly as she clipped her belt bag around her waist.
"I thought you were keen to talk to Alexa...?"
"You're forgetting one crucial detail, Lily; in order for me to talk to her, she and I kind of need to be in the same room," Hayden said sardonically. Lily smiled as she sighed.
"Be patient, Tiger; she'll accommodate you when she's ready to." Hayden nodded submissively; he knew he had no choice but to wait for his daughter to return, yet he feared that she may not return at all.
With the sun shining brightly in the clear blue sky above, Robbie galloped so fast he felt as though he was galloping on air; he hardly felt his hooves touching the ground. Reese and Ava held onto Robbie's flowery antlers tightly as they felt the wind blowing against their faces, while Keith and Alexa were decently shielded by the back of Robbie's head. Robbie darted through Nimbasa City for what felt like the umpteenth time and dashed through the relatively crowded Join Avenue; several of the shoppers who narrowly avoided being run over by a rushing Sawsbuck tried to angrily yell at the riders – however, nobody riding on Robbie could clearly hear exactly what people were shouting at them.
Eventually, Robbie shot out of the crowded tunnel marketplace and onto the more spacious Route 4; instead of angry profanities, people watching the prancing stag were either left speechless with awe or complimented the Sawsbuck's overall health. However, much like in Join Avenue, nobody on Robbie's back heard a word said about or to them.
The speedy jaunt through Castelia City was also without incident; the streets weren't as crowded as Join Avenue and about as spacious as Route 4's main road. The pedestrians nearby were almost exactly like the ones from Route 4; awestruck by the breathtaking sight of a Pokémon as majestic as a Sawsbuck racing through the city right in front of them. One resting Trainer's Furfrou companion showed complete indifference to the Sawsbuck's fleetfooted sprint, while the eyes of his Snubbull, wearing a cute baby blue fairy dog costume that was only just about her size and a matching ribbon on her head, shone brightly as she watched the Season Pokémon tore passed her; the Trainer himself, however, failed to notice the sight as he munched through a box of freshly baked Poké Puffs.
In the end, Robbie slowed to a gentle trot before halting to a gradual stop outside his destination; The Castelite Hotel. Keith dismounted from Robbie's back and held his hand out to Alexa to assist in her own dismount.
"And here we are at your destination," he said teasingly.
"Do your fares include tips?" Alexa jested.
"Haha, no; for you, it's on me," Keith winked.
"Well, thanks for dropping me off, Keith. Really, I appreciate it," Alexa said sincerely as Reese and Ava slid down the back of Robbie's neck to sit just behind his head.
"You're welcome," Keith said nicely. Alexa's smile weakened as she looked up at the plentiful windows at the front of the building; her family's hotel room was somewhere at the higher part of the hotel – it was probably even one of the windows that only just escaped her line of sight.
"I hope they're in..." Keith looked at her with concern. "Dad has the room key." Keith quickly chuckled before clearing his throat; he didn't want to sound inappropriate, now of all times.
"Do you want me to go up there with you?" he offered. Alexa looked over at him with a kind smile.
"Thanks, but...this is something I need to do on me own." Keith's eyes widened slightly; not only did she look more confident about the very idea of facing her father again, but her voice matched the look!
"Are you sure?"
"Positive," Alexa nodded. Keith was a little more surprised than before; she didn't even hesitate in her response! He soon smiled softly and nodded.
"Okay. I'll be sticking around Castelia City for a while; if you go to and wait for me in the Pokémon Centre, I'll be heading there before we go back to Driftveil without a doubt – so, if you need me, that's where I'm guaranteed to end up, okay?"
"I will. Thanks, Keith; you really are so good to me," Alexa said sweetly. Keith walked slightly closer to her and pecked a gentle kiss on her cheek; unlike when the gesture alarmed her outside Troy's Daycare Centre, Alexa smiled and returned the gesture just before Keith could move away from her. Robbie, Reese and Ava smiled at the very healthy interaction between the two teens; Ava was almost moved to joyful tears.
"Good luck," Keith said lovingly.
"Thank you," Alexa said appreciatively as she began to make her way to the hotel's revolving doors. At the exact same time, Keith walked alongside Robbie as they headed back into the city's centre.
Snubbull raised her head expectantly as she saw Robbie walking passed her again and kept a sparkling eye on him as Keith spotted a certain building to his left; XCommunications. Keith began to make his way towards the building, another idea having sprung into his head.
Walking through the hotel lobby made Alexa feel ever so slightly awkward; the last time she was in this uniquely designed foyer was when she stroppily stormed out of her family's hotel room and of the hotel itself during the aftermath of a heated argument. During her steady walk to the elevator doors, she looked at the Florges statue to settle her nerves; she somehow found comfort in looking at the impeccably sculpted statue of the Garden Pokémon and doing so made her smile for a fleeting moment as she eventually arrived at the elevator. Pressing the elevator call button on the wall, the doors quickly opened and allowed her access; she walked into the elevator and pressed another button before the doors closed after her.
As she felt the elevator ascending, she placed a hand over the zip of her belt bag, but halted herself before she could take the zipper in her thumb and index finger; for a blinking moment, she considered going against her word and having Ryder and/or Jollie out of their Poké Balls to be beside her while she reconciled with her family. She looked up at the ceiling, as if she were looking at her inevitable destination, as she contemplated her decision further. She soon removed her hand from her bag and let her arm hang loosely at her side; she was determined to remain true to her word and stared at the doors in front of her with the matching demeanour – once they opened, there was no turning back.
"If that's everything, we might as well get this visit over and done with." Those were the first words Alexa heard from her father as the elevator doors opened. She saw that only one of the hotel rooms in the entire corridor was open; it was obvious that the open door belonged to the family's hotel room. Alexa left the elevator and silently began to walk towards the open door, keeping as close to the wall as possible to avoid being spotted.
"Hayden, you forgot something!" Lily called with a chuckle.
"Did I?" Hayden wondered as he looked back into the hotel room. "ACK!" Hayden ran straight into the hotel room, leaving the door to slowly close behind him by itself. Alexa swiftly and silently ran towards the door and caught it before it could close properly. Keenan looked back at the doorway, noticing the lack of slam, in confusion; he soon disregarded it as Hayden walked over to Lily.
"Honestly, Hayden, are you sure you got enough sleep last night?" she teased.
"S-Sorry," Hayden said sheepishly as he accepted his wallet from his wife. "My head's all over the place, I guess..."
"The only place it should be is on top of your neck, Tiger; that's Human Anatomy 101, bound to be," Lily jested again.
Alexa stood quietly outside the room, hearing the casual banter between her parents; listening to their voices made her feel more relaxed, but hearing the complete absence of strife strengthened her confidence to walk across the threshold. However, she chose to wait a little bit longer and listened intently.
"Hey, Dad? Maybe you need to think one step 'a head' next time," Keenan joked. Hayden raised an eyebrow and smirked at his son's pun.
"You're really resorting to that? Really?" Keenan and Iara laughed at the playful retort.
"Oh, stop it, you two! Besides, that joke's older than my parents combined," Lily said teasingly.
"Et tu, Petal?" Hayden asked playfully.
"Anyway, since we actually have everything this time," Lily began as Alexa slowly and silently moved towards the room's threshold. "I'd say it's time we-"
As all three of them turned to face the doorway, they saw Alexa slowly entering the room, looking exactly like she did when she first left...except...instead of being infuriated with everyone around her...upon her face was a gentle smile and more loving eyes; it was almost as though she was a different person from the day before! Hayden was left utterly speechless at the sight of her and the reality of her presence, Lily smiled with relief and Keenan grinned widely as Alexa's other foot stepped into the room, allowing her to finally let the door go and close behind her.
"ALEX!" Keenan immediately ran towards his sister and flung his arms around her. Alexa very nearly fell backwards as she softly caught her overjoyed baby brother and returned his embrace delicately. "You're back! You're really back!"
"Hey...!" Alexa crouched and lightly touched foreheads with Keenan, finally calming him down a little bit. "I-I'm truly sorry I worried you so much," she apologised remorsefully. When she established eye contact with him, she was slightly surprised to see that his wide grin remained unhindered by her apology.
"I'm just glad you're back!" Alexa stroked the top of his head as she smiled warmly at him.
"Me, too," she whispered. Keenan's eyes lit up; despite what took place little under twenty four hours previously, she meant those words!
"See? I told you she'd come back, didn't I?" Lily said sweetly as she approached her two children. Alexa stood up properly as Keenan fully released her from his hold; Alexa looked into her mother's eyes as she felt more regret, but she didn't let it get the best of her.
"Mum..." Lily walked over to her and cuddled her gently. Alexa returned the hug with the same level of delicacy.
"Oh, sweetheart...!" Despite being proven correct about Alexa's return, Lily finally succumbed to her parental worries as she slightly held onto her daughter tighter. "Are you all right? Did you sleep well last night?! Have you had anything to eat yet?!"
"Yes, o-on all counts," Alexa said before Lily could ask her a third question in her haste.
"I thought you trusted her?" Keenan asked.
"Oh, sweetie, I do, but that doesn't mean I wasn't worried!" Lily soon felt Alexa's grip tightening a little bit.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Hm?"
"For worrying everyone...and especially for my behaviour..." Lily and Alexa loosened their embrace to look at one another with the same level of remorse in their eyes.
"Ours wasn't any better, sweetheart," Lily said as she placed a gentle hand on her daughter's cheek. "I'm deeply sorry that our negligence drove you away from us..." Alexa gently held her mother's hand as she carefully removed it from her cheek.
"I know you didn't mean it...not really..."
"Of course we didn't, darling...! But doesn't change the fact that it did...and I apologise..."
"...it's all right," Alexa said with acceptance. She soon moved away from Lily and stepped forward to face her astonished father. Keenan, Iara and Lily watched almost anxiously as Alexa began to converse with Hayden.
"...hi, Dad..."
"...Alexa..." Alexa slightly lowered her head in shame and held her right arm with her left.
"I'm sorry...about everything that happened yesterday," she said sincerely. Hayden felt himself quivering in place. "I was wrong to keep you – all three of you – in the dark about Sinnoh for so long...and the way I just stormed out of the hotel like that? ...m-my behaviour was deplorable..." Hayden took one step forward. "...I'm...I'm sorr-"
To Alexa, Keenan and even Lily's surprise, Hayden suddenly and virtually dragged Alexa into his arms as he held her in a loving embrace. To Alexa's horror, however, she could hear her father...crying?!
"L-Lexie... ...I'm so sorry...!" Alexa was at a complete loss for words, knowing his apology, though tearful and shaky, was truthful. "...I'm so, so...so sorry...!" Alexa felt his hand resting on the back of her head, which, oddly enough, seemed to make her feel secure in her father's arms. "...I-I took my anger out on you instead of assuaging your fears...! ...I...i-instead of helping you, I hurt you...and made you feel even worse about yourself...!" Alexa gently wrapped her arms around Hayden's shoulders and neck, unknowingly missing the tender injuries on his back. "...w-what parent even DOES that to their child...?!" Alexa nestled her head softly between his shoulder and neck as she felt her eyes watering; her tears fell from her eyes as they closed lightly. "I'm so sorry, Lexie...! ...I love you so much...!" Hearing those thoughtful words almost made Alexa break into sobs herself, but she stayed strong as she moved one hand to the back of Hayden's neck, almost touching his hair.
"...I love you, too, Daddy..." All of a sudden, Hayden felt as though his heartstrings had been pulled tightly; in a vain attempt to halt his tears, he rested his head on his daughter's and very slightly tightened his hold on her.
"L-Lexie...!"
Seeing the emotional reunion between father and daughter touched Lily as she looked on with tears threatening to escape her eyes. Keenan looked on with a wide grin, though it appeared warmer than the one he wore during his reunion with Alexa. Iara looked on trying not to burst into tears; she held a paw over her quivering mouth as her eyes watered with her tears.
After about half a minute, Hayden finally raised his head from Alexa's, but kept his eyes on her above anyone else in the room.
"...Lily..." Lily looked at Hayden in confusion. "...go on ahead..." Alexa was suddenly confused, but Lily nodded understandingly as she quietly escorted Keenan and the whimpering Iara out of the hotel room; Keenan gave his father a smile before the door closed behind him.
With Lily and Keenan out of the room, Hayden gradually broke his hold over Alexa and brought her over to the sofa; the pair sat next to one another, their bodies partly facing one another and their backs away from the backrests behind them. Hayden wiped his eyes before he made eye contact with Alexa.
"W-Were you all right?" A-After-"
"Yeah..." Alexa wiped her eyes with the heel of her right hand. "I had something to eat before I went to see Keith at Aunt Naomi's hotel..." She felt herself blushing just thinking about what she was about to say next. "...I-I, uh...I spent the night with him..." Hayden was mildly alarmed.
"Was he okay with that?"
"Uh, I-I think so...w-we didn't plan on it, it just...happened... A-Anyway, he, uh...he treated me to breakfast and dropped me off here afterwards..."
"So he took care of you? E-Even after what I did to him?" Alexa nodded, which somehow made Hayden feel both at ease and more remorseful about how brutally he treated Keith. He sighed as he lightly closed his eyes and smiled. "...I'm glad."
"W-What about you?" Alexa asked worriedly. "I-I can't even imagine how much my behaviour hurt you..."
"Not enough to say no to an evening out with your mother," Hayden replied gently. "She took us to The White Swanna on the Village Bridge." Hayden suddenly frowned. "...but it wasn't long before my guilt spoiled things..." Alexa became concerned when Hayden buried his eyes in his palm. "I...I feel rotten, Alexa...rotten and putrid about how I mistreated my daughter..." Alexa was close to devastation; to her, Hayden's guilt was so prominent it could be seen from an aeroplane. "...and...and how I handled everything she told us..." Hayden's arm fell limp over his knees. "Your mother helped me find the resolve to make things right with you, but..."
"But?"
"We got caught up in a scuffle between two wild Pokémon," Hayden continued with a nervous smile. "A Crawdaunt and a Nidoqueen. I gave your mother one of my spare Poké Balls to capture the Nidoqueen before Tidus, Clyde, Tiffany and I defeated the Crawdaunt." Hayden faced the alarmed Alexa. "Now your mother's gone to check on Nidoqueen with Keenan. All three of us were before..." Hayden sighed before smiling warmly and placing a soft hand on Alexa's cheek, stroking it with his thumb. "...I'm really happy you've come back..." Alexa raised an arm towards Hayden's shoulder and back area.
"Me, too, Dad-"
"Aaagh...!" Hayden suddenly flinched as Alexa's hand, though tenderly, touched his back. Alexa quickly recoiled her arm as she looked up at Hayden, almost in fright.
"Dad?!" Hayden chuckled sheepishly.
"Heh, sorry... I forgot to mention; I got hurt during the scuffle." Alexa suddenly hopped both of her legs onto the sofa and knelt directly in front of him as she gave him a panicky look.
"But y-you're all right, right?! Y-You're not bleeding or-" Hayden suddenly, yet softly, stroked his hand across Alexa's head; the confusing timing of the gesture was enough to silence her panicky ramblings.
"No, I'm fine; just a few grazes and a bruise – your mother can attest to that."
"Aw, Dad, why didn't anyone tell me?!" Hayden chuckled; he found her concern touching, yet barely necessary.
"Your mother didn't want us to bother you," he said honestly.
"But, Dad-"
"She wanted us to give you space from us...and for you to come back in your own time." Alexa seemed to calm down as she moved her legs off of the sofa, sitting on it properly again.
"...Keenan freaked out this morning, didn't he?"
"Yep," Hayden replied bluntly.
"Heh; called it."
"Heh," Hayden chuckled. Alexa's amused smirk was short-lived as she suddenly frowned.
"...Dad?" Hayden glanced down at her worriedly, having noticed her sudden change of mood and tone. "I really am sorry about everything..."
"I am, too, Lexie..." Hayden carefully pushed some strands of Alexa's hair away from her face as he looked at her directly with a very solemn look on his face. "...remember what I told you in Join Avenue?"
"Huh?" Alexa looked up at her father in confusion.
"It's unhealthy to be so constantly pessimistic. It's important to remember those words...we both need to...now more than ever..." For some reason she couldn't quite fathom, Alexa began to feel emotional; her eyes began to water and felt sobs in the back of her throat.
"Dadddy...!" Hayden gently pulled her close to him; as Alexa began to nestle into his chest, he began to stroke her back and, consequently, her hair. While secure in his arms, Alexa's sobs died as quickly as they came and she smiled.
"Alexa...I don't want what happened yesterday to happen ever again... I...I want you to know that, despite what happened yesterday, you can talk to me and your mother about anything that's bothering you... ...and I promise not to overreact like that again... But I need you to promise me that, from now on, you tell me if anything – and I mean anything – is on your mind, be it good or bad... Do you promise?" Alexa's smile grew wider, though she felt her tears beginning to irritate her eyes.
"I promise."
To be continued...