Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with a new chapter. I am a little out of my comfort zone with this one but I think that's a good thing! I've always wanted to tackle the subject of James' parents from the Pokemon anime, who I have named Johanna and Charlie. It's no secret that they can be neglectful, demeaning and controlling towards their son but even after having a life of his own, he wishes that things could be different. Not only for how they treat him but how they treat each other as well. But as you'll read here, that wish might not be one too far out of reach! I hope you enjoy :3

Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned :3

The lavender haired male let out a sigh as he and his wife rather abruptly left the restaurant that they had been dining at with company. I say the word "company" here lightly. I myself had a good deal of it. Completely coincidentally, I had joined Ash and Misty for their night out and a bite to eat and across the room; they soon noticed that Jessie and James were sitting in the restaurant also. But unlike how my best friend's had me, the two ex-rocketeers didn't have the same easy-going company.

What Jessie and James were engaging in was the annual meet up with the lavender haired male's aristocratic parents. It did not seem to be going well. Ash and Misty tried to hold hands across the table and engage in sweet conversation with one and other but after not much time at all, they grew distracted by the tension between the other party.

My ears pricked up immediately. Misty's did as well. She heard some things. She heard some things coming from Johanna and Charlie that were directed towards their son and his family and it did not sit well with her. It did not sit well at all. She wanted to intervene but Ash subtly persuaded her not to.

They did, however, come to an agreement. They came to another agreement. So my raven haired best friend whisked his own wife away after asking for their food in a takeaway box and left me to oversee the rest of the night – before Misty had some harsh comebacks for her best friend's parents.

Needless to say, I witnessed it ending almost as badly as it began. And it ended with Jessie and James leaving the restaurant entirely and with me on the female's shoulder after sticking up for the lavender haired male with her against his parents. We had a hurried exit. We had a really hurried exit. And unlike my best friends, the other couple didn't take the time to take their food with them!

James let out more sighs as I remained on Jessie's shoulder and he held her hand, walking out to his car with her. His other hand was in his pocket. His long locks were shielding his face. He had been awfully quiet throughout it all. He was at a stage in his life where normally, he would fight back. But that didn't happen that time. That time, he felt like a little boy all over again. And he couldn't be bothered to say anything.

Jessie felt as though he was going to keep up that façade with her. She thought that he was going to keep quiet and be unable to speak for the rest of the night. But he proved her wrong. He felt his car keys in his pocket while his other hand remained entwined with hers but he didn't do anything about it. He didn't pull them out. He didn't unlock his car. Jessie watched. Jessie waited. Jessie watched and waited for her husband's next move.

And a few seconds later, bravely and with another shaky sigh, he pushed all of his long locks from his eyes. And he managed a half smirk at her.

"So… My parents are a hoot, huh?" he asked her and after he tilted his head at her and managed a bit of bravery, he proved to her that he was determined not to let his parents ruin their time together when it was just the two of them. He let go of her hand and took the other out his pocket. I hopped onto his shoulder instead after he took his dinner jacket off for her. "What a gas."

"They're adorable. They just get cuter and cuter each time we do this." She commented with the same mock-amusement and she tilted her head back towards her husband. But she silently studied him for a few moments while he put his jacket on her. She took the time to lightly reach out and touch his cheek. But she didn't want to make a big deal. "Remind me once again, why don't we do that more often?"

James managed a laugh. I was impressed when he managed a laugh while doing the buttons of his jacket up for Jessie too. I knew that it was just to occupy his hands with something to stop his mind from wandering and I admired him all the more.

Why didn't they do that more often? Why didn't they indeed? What started off as an annual meet up that James' folks liked to have ended up in what could only be described as a barrage of insults and pointing out how differently they would've picked their son's life for him. He could get over that. Really, he could get over that. But he couldn't get over when they started commenting on his children. That was when he grew quiet. That was when he stopped talking entirely.

So it was incredibly resilient that James was able to laugh about it. But like it was always wonderful when there was someone trying to feel brave, there was another person there making sure that they felt genuinely brave. And that person was Jessie.

The magenta haired female used to be and still could be very brash and insensitive and ballsy. But those traits had mellowed out overtime (or she knew when they were worth her while instead) and she knew when to be thoughtful and considerate. She knew what it was like for her lavender haired husband. And she knew how much it bothered him, though he was trying his best to laugh past it.

Once he was done putting his dinner jacket properly on her, she took the time to squeeze his hands before he unlocked his car. But that seemed to be the last thing on his mind.

"Just… Just don't worry about it, okay, James? I know what's on your mind. But it doesn't need to be. Just forget about it… Just…" the magenta haired female tried to express to her partner in crime how she was feeling and the empathy that she was feeling but because that kind of vulnerability didn't come easy to her, she was struggling to say the right words. She sighed out herself. She got ready to try again. And even though James appreciated this and reached his own hand out to her cheek to show this, he stopped her.

"Just… Just don't, Jess." He mumbled to her and he looked at her but then his eyes drifted away. He pulled his hands away from hers. Jessie's brow furrowed. The last thing she wanted was for him to go distant all over again. That was the last thing she needed. James looked down at the ground and he furrowed his brow. He clenched his jaw also. But like how it was often proven that they gained each other's strengths and weaknesses when they became one, he proved that he was not willing to go down without a fight. He took a deep breath and managed a brave smile at her all over again after pushing his hair from his eyes. And while Jessie furrowed her brow, he reached for her hands a second time. This softened her expression.

"I want you to promise me something, okay? I want you to promise all over again that we're not going to end up like them? I don't want to do it. I don't want to have to do it. When I look at my life I-"

"James…" the magenta haired female felt the need to interrupt him again when we both saw that despite James was talking and articulating himself, his expression had gone rather vacant all over again. It was like he was saying words that had been on his mind for a long time and he was reciting them as if they were a movie reel. He wasn't really feeling them. He was and he wasn't. That was the problem. His eyes seemed to come back to his wife again after she said his name. His brow creased with a delicate frown as he listened. She explained. "We're not going to end up like them. We're going to end up like us."

Jessie reassured her husband and she made sure to squeeze his hands yet again before she took hold of the sides of both of his face and planted a firm kiss to his forehead. He shut his eyes and breathed out. I knew that there were tears filling behind his closed lids. I could feel it. I could imagine it.

But I saw for real when he squeezed her hands back and composed himself before opening his eyes once more. And he had another smile for her. But that time, it was a genuinely brave one. She had instilled truthful determination inside of him. And it was brilliant.

Automatically, Jessie's hands trailed down from touching her husband's cheek and she rubbed his arms as she realised that he was most likely cold after giving her his best dinner jacket. And after trying to warm him up with her touch, she pulled him closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. And then the two of them engaged in a kiss.

They engaged in a sweet kiss which ended up in James feeling more sincerely composed. He was looking forward to returning home to his family with his wife, no matter how his parents perceived them. He reached down and took hold of Jessie's hand, even instinctively reaching next to his ear to give my cheek a scratch too.

"C'mon trouble. Let's get out of here. Let's get in the car before my parents come out." He mumbled to his wife through half-gritted teeth but it was rather humorously nonetheless. I smirked sympathetically. Jessie smirked, agreeing. And as her husband turned his body towards his car, before he had the chance to reach into his pocket, the magenta haired female took the keys out and unlocked it. He tilted his head towards her right away and understood what she was offering without having to say any words. I liked that about them. "Are you sure? Even after I subjected you to your delightful in-laws?"

"Stop it." Jessie said firmly as she tried to make her husband move past what had happened and forget about it but she still couldn't help but smile. Then, she nodded her head and pushed her hair from her eyes, letting me hop back onto her shoulder as she opened the passenger seat for James. She gestured for him to get in with a subtle wink. "You should take it easy. I definitely saw you downing more wine than I was when your dad was describing him and your mom's honeymoon."

"Yeah…" James responded quickly and he pulled a face. He squeezed his wife's hand and then didn't hesitate to oblige and climb into the seat opposite to where he normally sat. He tilted his head and waited for Jessie to climb into the driver's seat of his car for him to reply properly. He waited until after she put the key in the ignition too, and then he shuddered. "I definitely need to take it easy after being reminded of that."

Jessie laughed. Following her lightly pinching her husband's cheek and laughing and I had climbed into the back of the car for safety reasons, she put her car seat on and made sure that James had also after the evening that he had had. He remembered. He remembered to do that. Unfortunately, he was beginning to remember a whole lot more.

As he shut his eyes in the passenger seat and pressed his forehead against the glass, he remembered. He remembered it all. Everything that his parents had said. The way that they had taken digs at his grandparents. The way that they tried to probe about his children. The way they tried to judge Meowth and some of his closest friends. He remembered it all. He obviously swallowed.

"James…" the female ex-rocketeer said the lavender haired male's name all over again when she understood that he was overthinking without having to look at him. She had started the car. She had got ready to reverse out of the parking lot. But she quickly knew that her attention was needed elsewhere. She shut off the engine all over and sighed, rubbing her forehead. She wasn't annoyed. She was just hoping to forget about it as much as she was urging James too. "Stop worrying about it. It's not going to do you any good. They imagined you turning out a little differently. So what? It's their loss."

"Do you think they were always like that?" the long haired male suddenly asked and he opened his eyes too. He took his forehead off the cold glass of the car window and I noticed that his breath left a mark as he sighed. After Jessie blinked back at him and proved that they were not always on the same page, he elaborated. His fingers found each other and twiddled. "Of course what they said about me and we and our kids are bugging me but it's not just that. I can't believe how they were with each other too. Do you think they were always like that? Subtle insults? Degrading comments? Bitterness? Sarcasm? Do you think they were always that way?"

Jessie remained quiet for a few moments. She looked away. I didn't. While the magenta haired female looked at her lap and tried to think of an answer that was accurate to her true opinion, I looked at the lavender haired male. He looked rather desperate. He didn't look desperate for just any answer. He looked desperate for the truth. He looked desperate for a perspective – any perspective. I breathed out. I had a feeling that the answer was already inside of him. It just took the right person to get it out. And that was Jessie.

She looked up from her lap. She wasn't twiddling her fingers like her husband was; she was playing with her hair. And after pushing her long and magenta locks out of her face, she looked right at James. And she possessed that same assertiveness and confidence that I knew from long ago. She shrugged. Her eyebrows rose. She didn't have her own answer. So she offered one that was pretty necessary.

"I don't know, James. Were they always that way?" Jessie questioned him and she spoke in a tone that, to an outsider, could have been perceived as abruptness. But neither James nor I took it as such. We heard it as honesty. And that seemed to be the right thing for us. As her blue orbs fixed almost knowingly on her husband, the lavender haired male's face suddenly crumpled. But it didn't crumple in a broken way. It was more like an enlightened one. He shut his eyes all over and rested the back of his head against the head rest behind him.

"You know what? I don't know. I don't even know. As a kid, I barely remember them together. And if they were together, then they were both agreeing on how much I wasn't turning out the way they wished." James replied and Jessie surely felt sadness in her heart upon hearing this. I certainly did. I for one didn't understand how parents could have a child and wish that they were one way and not accept them if they weren't. It was completely the opposite of how I had seen the Ketchum's do things. James' fingers lightly pulled on a strand of his hair while he continued. "I just think it's sad. I just think it's sad how things can turn out like that. How you meet someone and supposedly fall into such pure love that you wait until marriage and then it ends up in subtle digs and impatience and even shin kicks under the table. I don't want to end up like that. I don't ever want to end up like that."

And then the way that James opened his eyes and looked at his wife with such painful desperation caused Jessie to understand that she couldn't wait for him to figure out his own answers a second time. He needed to be reassured. So she did exactly that. He deserved it from the way that he had been treated by the other women in his life in the past.

"We are not going to end up like that, I promise you that. I will tell you that until I am blue in the face. You don't have to worry about that, James. We have been and always will be us. We are not them. And we will end up like us." She mumbled back to him but she reached over from her side of the car to lightly stroke the back of his ear. James let out a quiet sniff as he tried to keep his emotions from completely spilling out. He hesitantly looked at her. He stupidly felt uneasy about doing that after the way that his parents made him feel.

But then he realised that he could trust her wholeheartedly, just like she could trust him. He breathed out and shut his eyes briefly, showing off an expression of gratitude. His fingers stopped playing with each other and softly cupped her chin instead.

"I… I know you're right, Jess. I just can't help but wish that things were different. For them, I mean. I don't really care about me because thank god, I got out. But I still care about them. And I wish things were different."

And in that moment, the lavender haired male showed off a quality that I had known to exist since even his Team Rocket days. In the same way that he still bestowed his beloved Growlithe on his parents to take care of them, he still wanted what was best for them. Even though on many an occasion, they had been the worst when it came to him.

And in that moment, the magenta haired female showed that though she was caring and understanding and accepting of her husband's relationship with his parents, she also got the impression that it would take a miracle for them all to turn a new leaf.

But that didn't stop her from hoping . For her husband's sake. And for her own. She didn't have parents around. She had in-laws around. But they weren't exactly overjoyed with her as a daughter-in-law. And that was something that she secretly felt pain about. But she was still just as firm as ever.

"Well… Then close your eyes and wish for them to be different. If that helps you, then do exactly that. Shut your eyes and wish that they were different. Wish that your parents were true partners in crime like us. And wish that they could have great companionship too." Jessie murmured to her husband as she tried to start the car all over and right away, the lavender haired male obliged. He shut his eyes. He showed off a slight subtle smile, also. He liked how she complimented their duo in the midst of supporting him with his parents. "And that's the last that we will speak of this matter tonight. No use letting what's done and gone ruin what is happening and what could happen."

And so, James did exactly what his wife said. Needless to say, in his heart he felt like it would just be a hope and a dream to wish that his parents got along like they did before even he came along but he believed it was worth a shot. And not because it came from his wife's mouth. But because he thought his parents deserved to have one person rooting for them. Because he also figured that there was a chance that they were not so different after all. And maybe they had people wishing for their relationship to be destined to fail also.

And because I enjoyed Jessie's last words so much and thought they were so wisely ambiguous, I shut my own eyes as well. As I rested my cheek against the side of the car door and felt in my body the way that the vehicle moved and turned and drove home, I quickly fell off to sleep. My eyes shivered. My eyes fuzzed. My eyes twitched. Slumber was quickly approaching. And then I was engulfed in it. And when I was asleep, I knew that I was because I was dreaming. But I still couldn't be sure if I was dreaming or I was seeing a future reality.

I saw a room. I saw an unfamiliar room. It was a regal room. My goodness, it was a regal room. It was exquisite. My guess that it was a bathroom because I could faintly hear the water running and the scent of a very unique and rich bubble bath. The wallpaper was nothing like I had seen before. It was decorated in trees and foliage and there was a hand painted bridge decorating behind where the sink was residing. Yes, it was most definitely a bathroom. And a majestic one at that.

And then all of a sudden, I could hear a voice. Before I saw anyone – let alone anyone recognisable – I heard a voice. I had definitely heard that voice before and not too long ago from when I was sleeping but in my mind, it was taking forever to place it. I focused. In my sleep, I focused. But it was after I stopped focusing and just continued to dream that I somehow found things a whole lot easier.

"Bugger it. Oh. Ohh. There it is. There it is in all its exquisite and heart throbbing and jaw dropping glory. That is quite a sight, I must say." The British accent voice spoke before chuckling approvingly. I still couldn't place the voice. I still couldn't place the person. I still couldn't place the place! So I just listened. Then I heard a sigh. I definitely heard a sigh.

"You better be looking at the same thing that I'm looking at. And I don't mean at you!" someone responded in a Southern accent and it was as soon as I heard that one that things quickly became more clear. They drastically became clearer and clicked when someone – most likely the female of the two – clicked her fingers.

It was then that I began to see as well as hear. It was then that I realised that it was indeed a bathroom. It was a regal bathroom belonging to a mansion. And judging from the hot water sounds and the delicate water sloshing, there was a person – or rather two people – in the bath. I was correct. And everything sprung into place.

Charlie smirked to himself and raised a pompous eyebrow as he indeed continued to look into the round mirror that was on display next to the thing that his wife was looking at instead. I didn't know if he had been agreeing with Johanna and looking at the new art work hanging on the wall but pretending to look into the mirror after she had commented on it. It could be one or the either with him! I knew him well enough to comment on that.

I was wrong about one thing though; I could see when my eyes focused all the more. There was just one person in the bath and it was James' deep lavender haired father, his long arms draped over the sides of it. But the tub was big enough and deep enough so he was mostly veiled from me, except some chest, neck and his head.

Johanna was standing over him in her bathrobe and taking out her earrings, actually looking at the new piece that they had recently attained. She kept her mouth pressed into a straight line and didn't give her husband the attention that he wanted but her eyes glistened with a smirk, even if her mouth showed otherwise.

"I do feel sorry for that poor old boy. He's missing out on such a charming piece that will no doubt be an heirloom for many generations to come. All because he doesn't know his Botticelli from his Banksy!"

This time, Johanna did indeed smirk and she finished taking her earrings out, putting them on the ledge which hung under their new prized possession piece of artwork. After looking in the round mirror a few more moments and twiddling the ends of his moustache to get attention, Charlie soon decided to give up. And he let out some more chuckles instead, reaching for the beverage on the tray next to the bath and taking a sip.

"Hard times for that old bean, hard times. But it serves him right! One doesn't always get what they want. And what did he expect bidding for it up against you and I?" he began and this got his plum haired wife's attention. He briefly put his glass or something or other back down and smirked once again. He sat further up in the bath, making another light splashing noise. His voice got slightly higher as he wholeheartedly believed in his words. "We're as thick as thieves, you and I. Two of a kind. Peas in a pod! Good luck going up against us. You'll be shown what's what. What?"

I knew James' father to be a highly educated and aristocratic man. Well, that's at least how he acted anyway! I knew that he came from humble beginnings. And he was certainly no better than anybody else that I knew. I had worked out early on that it was all an act. It was all an act. And I figured that if he believed it and he wasn't harming anyone, then it was okay.

Johanna listened to her husband blathering on but she looked down at him with a dash more fondness than I had ever seen before. And a genuine kind. Not like when they gloated to Jessie and James about how together and unified they were.

The plum haired woman let out a sigh but she nodded her head, taking the hair ribbon off her wrist and using it to tie her locks up into more of a messy bun than I had seen before also. Her eyes twinkled, though she didn't admit to it directly. Her shoulders shrugged.

"Well… You and I have always worked well together, dearest. And I must say that it was rather fun going on that… Dare I say? Little heist. Almost like old times." She said with a shrug and after tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear that became untucked, her fingers reached down to the tie of her robe. Charlie got enthusiastic all over again. He sat further up in the bath but I still could see no more than his upper body.

"Oh, my dear! It was like old times, wasn't it? What's say you come on in here and it can be even more like old times? What do you say? Before the bath gets as frosty as all of the people at that auction, as it were?"

I wondered if Johanna ever got irritated by her husband's long-winded way or speaking, or if she found it endearing? I didn't get any indication of either way and perhaps for the best. Like James, I worried that I would find out I had the same bad habit of forgetting their bad moments when I saw some relatable ones.

I still didn't get any indication or either way Johanna felt about the way that her husband navigated his way through words. But after Charlie took another sip of his cocktail and put it back on the tray and looked up at his wife hopefully and rather simpering-ly, she let out a sigh. But she obliged. She joined him in the bath and I looked back at them both when they were decently shielded by the high rising bath.

They both got settled. Charlie picking up his amber coloured drink and intending to finish it off while Johanna made herself comfy, resting her toe nail painted feet near to her husband's chest. The deep lavender haired male surprisingly made sure to offer her the last few drops of it for her to finish before he did it himself. And he didn't seem displeased when she obliged!

He watched her swirl the liquid around a few times while holding the stem of the glass before drinking it. And then he shut his eyes, looking rather blissful. And that time, it wasn't because of his reflection or the newly acquired extremely rare painting to hang in their mansion.

"Oh, my love, it really is like old times, isn't it?" he asked her and opened one dark green coloured eye before both of them fixed on her. More splashing noises could be heard. He didn't add more water to their tub despite his talk of it getting chilly. He smiled at her, his moustache quirking upwards at either end. "It hasn't been like this for as long as I can remember! It feels like an eternity since it's been just us."

"Oh, Charlie…" Johanna began with an eye roll but she couldn't stop herself from smirking herself. After putting the empty drinks glass on the tray herself and Charlie having an even bigger smirk on his face, she leaned back against her end of the tub. Her arms rested over the sides and near his. "It's been us for many many years now! That son of ours left a long time ago."

And immediately upon hearing a mention of the lavender haired male – no matter now casual – my whole body got ready. My whole body got ready to be protective, just like it had at the restaurant. And just like Misty had there too. But I needed to remind myself that it was just a dream. It was just a dream, almost movie-like. Or was it?

The deep lavender haired male smirked, lightly poking his wife's toes as they continued to rest on his chest. His long arms then went to drape back over the side of the bath. He didn't have another drink to occupy his hands with so they began to draw light circles on the side of the tub.

"Oh, don't I know it? It's been years since I've had to hear you prattle on about how little you want a son like me! I always found that very careless of you. Surely, that would have been your dream come true?"

"Not exactly." Johanna commented back but the first time I believed to be in forever, she had a smirk and a twinkle in her eye. It was like she was not telling the truth. She often didn't do that but that time was different. I was seeing a different side to her. And it unsettled me. It definitely had to be a dream. She pretended to splash her moustache adorning husband as his mouth hung open, offended. "Besides, you're the one who was always prattling about how little you wanted him to be like his domineering mother!"

"I would never have called you such things! I admire a strong woman, I really do. I just knew that that trait never showed its face in our little lad. It was useless you thinking that it would ever arise." He said with a shrug and Johanna narrowed her eyes. But she was listening. Charlie continued, getting restless with drawing patterns on the side of the marble bath and stroking the hairs of his moustache instead. "Either way, it was useless us trying to make him like either of us. He was like both of us. He was like none of us. And maybe that was the way that it was meant to be!"

I breathed out in my sleep. Dream Johanna and dream Charlie were certainly a lot more easy-going. You could see traits of the people that James had described and I had gotten to know but they were a lot more reasonable. If only they were like that in reality. And if only they were like that for James to see and hear.

"Well… It's not really our problem now, is it? He left us a long time ago. He's now got not only one but two people to keep him in check!" the plum hair coloured female reminded her husband and after he showed off that open mouthed expression once again and nodded his head, making sure his hair was still sleeked back, Johanna continued, much like Charlie had done before. She breathed out and shrugged. "It was oddly civil and gentlemanly of him to invite us to the wedding of those friends of his. But I'm glad we got out of there when we did! I'm glad we went on our little heist and obtained our masterpiece before he asked that other girl to be his. Could you imagine?"

"Oh, could you imagine indeed, my darling?" Charlie added to his wife's words to agree with her and he couldn't stop himself from reaching back for the cocktail glass and trying to get some or any dregs out of it. I wondered if he always had to be doing something or saying something. It appeared so. He settled back against his edge of the bath, letting out a casual sigh. "But still. One less thing for us to worry about, what? At least now he has two people to turn him into the gentleman that he aspires to be. And I can't say that I don't wish that one or both of them succeeds."

"So true, Charlie, so true. I guess that's what happens when you make an offspring with a rogue such as yourself. You're destined to make a little rogue-let!" Johanna commented and this caused the deep lavender haired male to chuckle. His eyes fixed on her. The plum hair coloured lady then seemed to duck her head or at the very least tilt it, before she spoke to her husband, waving her hand dismissively. "Anyway, enough about that boy! You and I are fresh off the adventure of a caper at the beginning of the week. And it is simply just you and I. How was your day?"

And for the first time in my life, I had the same reaction as Charlie Morgan. In my sleep, I believe that my mouth was hanging open. Charlie's did also in my dream. Johanna couldn't stop herself from stubbornly clenching her jaw and looking down before rolling her eyes, and pushing past whatever she was feeling inside. Her hand went to the back of her own hair.

"Don't look at me like that. You know I don't like the small talk and the chit-chat and that kind of nonsense. But if you must be so annoying about it, why don't you tell me about your favourite other thing about your week? Aside from the fun you have had with your darling wife, of course."

I didn't just see some things about Johanna in that dream that I had never seen before. I realised some things also. I had figured out Charlie rather quickly; he was a man who needed his suits and his wife and his moustache to feel secure in his wife. On the other hand, it took a while to fathom out Johanna. But in my sleep, I wondered if she was a lot less self-assured than she made out? I would wonder that for quite a while longer.

Charlie let out a sigh. Charlie tried to let out a sigh and disobey his wife's words. But he couldn't do it. He just couldn't do it. He ended up smiling at her. And then when that smile faded, he looked at her sincerely. He touched his chin rather than his moustache. He looked up at the ceiling as he thought.

"Well… I can tell you what I disliked that the most and that is the vulgar Unova region! That place is not for me. Far too crowded and uncivilised and…" Charlie (for once) couldn't think of the right word and waved his hand disapprovingly. But he continued, again for once, wanting to talk about something he liked rather than something he disliked. "But it was all made rather enjoyable with you by my side. You and I alone together in that unpleasant region. Of course, you and I had that tiff which made it less enjoyable! And I must say that when I went down to the bar, I thought about having an attempt to woo another kind of woman to get back at you… But I just couldn't do it. I'm sorry to say, I just couldn't do it! But I tried, I really did!"

Their relationship was beyond alien to me. I didn't understand it. Though it was a dream, I didn't understand it. But as though it was real life, I knew that I didn't have to understand it. I just had to accept it. However, I could still dissect it. And I realised, everything that those two said was all nonsense! It was all talk. It was all an act. From both of their sides. They cared about one and other deeply. And I felt that they just had to care about their son too.

After listening to her husband's words and narrowing her eyes all over again, Johanna let it go and sat further up in the bath, giving him even more of a genuine look than I had seen before. She pushed her hair from her eyes, edging closer to him. For once, Charlie didn't move.

"It's a terrible tragedy, isn't it? Falling in love with your own spouse." Johanna commented with almost a teasing eyebrow raise as she watched her husband's dark green eyes seem to get bigger. He momentarily sat up in the bath, making much more of a prominent splashing noise than he did before. He didn't hesitate to answer quickly.

"Johanna… It really is beginning to warm up in here…" he couldn't stop himself from commenting and moving closer to her, his voice growing a lot lower than I had heard before. He seemed to be thinking. He seemed to be thinking about one thing, I knew it. But Johanna had other ideas. She subtly and casually reached over the edge of the bath for something. I thought that it was going to be another cocktail. Charlie's eyebrow rose curiously. He tilted his head on one side when she produced a razor and foam but that didn't seem to damper his mood. "My love… You know I'm all up for new experiences but I don't think-"

"Charlie…" Johanna said his name to stop him and I was glad! He still didn't seem to be getting the message so as his head continued to tilt at her, the plum hair coloured aristocrat moved closer to her husband, gesturing to him with the razor and foam in her hands. But after she looked into his eyes, she realised that she could have to clearly explain. She sighed before smiling sweetly and holding it nearer to his upper lip. She didn't look away from his gaze. "Mr Morgan… Your moustache. If you would be so kind as to let me? I really want it to be like old times and without that thing looking at me!"

Instantly, the deep lavender haired male held a finger to his upper lip before stroking one of his prized possessions. I believe that in my sleep, I did too! My dream was really getting to me. Charlie looked back at his wife and pieced together with her words and her objects, even he couldn't be naïve to what she was asking.

She was asking him to trim the moustache. No, she was asking him to completely shave the moustache. She wanted it to go completely. He didn't know if he could do it. That was his place. His place was with her. But his place in the world was certainly secured by that facial feature that he held so dear to him. He let out a sigh and decided to finally be honest. He met her eyes.

"Mrs Morgan… As you well know, I am a man of few words. And despite it all, I am a man of few things. I like things just do. I like things select. And I like this moustache. I love this moustache. I don't want to part with this moustache. I deeply love… my moustache." Charlie told Johanna and she couldn't stop her face from falling. She thought she was about to hear loving words rather than his usual flirtatious teasing. He saw that expression quickly and acted in putting it right. He moved closer to her. He didn't touch her. But he looked at her. "But I've come to realise… That I… Deeply… Love you… More…"

Johanna looked back up at her husband. She tried to stop it, she really did. But she couldn't stop herself from softening. She softened when she saw him smiling back at her. And that was vastly different from what I had seen at the restaurant. That was unsettling. But in a strange way it was refreshing too. I was beginning to hope that I would continue dreaming.

The plum hair coloured female lightly reached out and touched the hair above her husband's lip. I was inwardly surprised that she was allowed. She breathed out.

"You would… You would really do that for me?" she asked Charlie and though I was sad that James wasn't seeing the same dream that I was having, I knew that I was going to tell him all about it. And how somehow and somewhere, his parents could be capable of a new and innocent kind of love. The deep lavender haired male was quick to shut his eyes to show his sincerity. He nodded his head.

"For you… There is nothing that I would not do." Charlie told Johanna and he didn't open his eyes. But that somehow spoke more volumes of how honest that he was being. And naturally, Johanna caught on and she understood. His eyes were still closed so he didn't see her put the razor and the foam down too. And move closer to him as well. But he soon opened his eyes when he heard the splash and felt her hand on his knee.

"Well in that case, Mr Morgan… Then I would be delighted if you kept it." She told him and after Charlie seemed to shyly chuckle and then ask her if it was really what she wanted, she nodded her head. Her hand moved from his knee to his shoulder instead. She looked at him, for a rare occasion, seemingly asking for reassurance and validation. Maybe they weren't so different from Jessie and James after all. "You'd really really do that for me?"

And before Charlie even said the words, you could see on his face what exactly his answer was going to be. In my dream, those two were worlds apart from how they were. But I felt in my gut that their potential was there. And it was there not only if James wanted it but if they wanted it for themselves too. And I hoped that they would. Because it would make for a lot of fun tales!

"For you, my Johanna… There really really is nothing that I would not do." The deep lavender haired male told his wife and his own hands went to her shoulders, innocently massaging them before the backs of his fingers traced further down her shoulders. She pushed past shivering and looked back at her husband, telling him just one more thing.

"Then I would truly be delighted if you kept it." Johanna told Charlie and with that, her one hand moved away from his shoulder to the back of his neck instead. And then both her hands was on his face. And following that, both of their lips were on each other.

James' parents were engaging in a kiss and quite the tender and loving and even rather sweet kiss. They did it again and again, moving closer to one and other as they did so. And then when they finally pulled away, Johanna's cheeks were lightly blushed. Charlie just looked full of bliss. He shut his eyes, his shoulders sinking in complete relaxation.

"Johanna… I have never been so-"

Johanna interrupted him by being unable to resist it and showing that yes – truly – if they wanted all of that playfulness and light-heartedness in a relationship then it could be there. She couldn't stop herself from scooping some water up in her hand and splashing her husband right in the face while he sighed blissfully.

He got drenched. His face got splashed. His hair unravelled. But for once, he didn't care. He did the same back to her and then tackled her with a hug before their lips found each other once again. And neither of them cared when their bathroom floor got drenched with water too!

And as I drifted off deeper into slumber and into a state that had no more visions, I knew that that dream was unexpected but strangely refreshing nonetheless. My mind had imagined a world where James' parents, while still very much themselves, were full of laughter and playfulness and much more acceptance towards their son. They didn't have to argue. They didn't have to bicker. Though, of course they would sometimes, they had great companionship on their side.

Like Jessie and James, they could be as thick as thieves. Like Jessie and James, they could be two of a kind. Like Jessie and James, they could be true partners in crime. And they could be themselves too, loving and caring for each other and accepting each other rather than changing one and other.

It was a good dream. It would be a dream that I would be describing to James so he too could have faith that that reality was out there for his parents, like it was for him. But the thing is, it wasn't just a dream. It was going to be a reality. It was going to be a lot sooner than James thought. And it would happen once he stopped wishing for them to be a certain way. And that would happen when they stopped wishing he was a certain way as well.

The End.

There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 This story is inspired by two of my favourite films. The real life part is inspired by "Blow" and the dream is inspired by "Mortdecai". The couple in the latter film completely remind me of and inspire me when it comes to James' parents. And in that film, there is a bathtub scene. I've always wanted to turn that into a story of my own and I finally did. Is it a dream or is it reality, who really knows? I will say though, that in a way, I do believe that James kind of did cause the tensions in his parents relationship. The thing is, they're both such different people that they could never agree on how to raise a child. But despite being different, they are equally determined, image-driven and often judgmental! And this continues even after they start to fix their own relationship, as well as understanding their son a little more. You can't expect them to change completely. My headcanon for them is that Charlie is an art dealer and Johanna is an aristocratic gallery owner. In fact, he married into her wealth! They're certainly colourful characters. In the anime they appear united and in love and I believe that they are. But I believe that they can be quite potent together also. At least they learn to be together eventually when their son learns to let them be, as well as them doing that with him :P Thanks again and I will be back on the 28th to update Dear Daddy so see you then!

AmyBieberKetchum signing out :3