Author's Note

I'm super glad that I've broken out of my writer's block, and I'm happy to return to chapter seven. So here it is.

Uploaded

(01/22/2023)

Updated

(02/15/2023

The update was due to an actually very informative review and pm I'd gotten, and it opened my eyes to a few things. So I wanted to come back and change a few things, make everything feel a bit realer. As of now, it hasn't been a few weeks since Hugh awoke without his memories, but a few days. Added a small scene where Scarlett comes back once before she leaves, and edited minor things.

Legend below

"Good morning, Darling..." = Normal Speech

''Keep your head high!'' Normal Thoughts

Chapter 7

He awoke with a sharp gasp of breath, sitting up so abruptly that he yanked the blankets up off the other side of the bed. His eyes were shaking, staring at nothing in particular, sweat gathering on his brow.

His heart was pounding in his chest, hands felt clammy as they clenched the blankets. He swallowed thickly, breathing in through his nose.

The blaring red glow from the side of his bed gained his attention, slowly, as if pulling on a chain attached to a collar around his neck, bringing his gaze to their face of the clock on his nightstand.

It read 5:20 am… (Wednesday) a few days after he'd awoken without his memories.

He blinked for the first time since he awoke, hand slowly drifting up to run his fingers through his wild mane of dark-hued hair. He let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, the sensation leaving a cold chill in his heart.

It was early in the morning, and the sun was still two hours away from breaking the horizon.

But…

He couldn't sleep…

He locked up for a moment as the bed shifted, groaning as a large weight moved behind him. The tension left slightly as the warm comforting flesh of his wife's chest pressed into his exposed back, her chin resting atop his crown of purple hair. Her head slowly slid off his head, resting on his shoulder.

"Baby… Come back to bed, it's cold without you…" Sabrina hummed softly into his ear, her eyes closed as if barely able to fight off the comforting embrace of sleep. Her arms wrapped around him, hugging him from behind.

He turned to glance at her, putting on the best smile he could manage. Although, as dark as it was in the room, she couldn't even see it. Perhaps that was for the best, seeing how forced it truly was.

"Hey, Sabrina… Sorry for waking you." He mumbled gently, leaning into her touch. Their cheeks pressed together, the young man sighing as a little twinge of bliss filled his heart. He felt a small genuine smile grace his face as he studied that closed-eyed face of this beautiful woman, the lady that called herself his wife.

That was the one thing that continued to help keep his head on straight, grounding him in this reality. He could see just how tired she was, the woman having already fallen asleep leaning on him. She tried to hide it, but she'd been so unbelievably stressed out since learning of his memory, that she didn't have any time or energy left for herself. She'd been helping him every day, whether that be by helping him acclimate to his life, or helping the others in the house.

For the past few days, when she'd come to bed, she'd practically collapse into its frame. At those times, she wanted nothing more than to grab onto him and cuddle until she eventually fell asleep.

She knew how much he was struggling, but she never once pointed it out. He appreciated how she was always there to help him, gently pushing him in the right direction, or correcting him when he got the girls' names wrong.

He'd been doing his best to not mix them up, but he was guilty of confusing Mia and Mya more than once now. He was just glad that they loved him enough to not break down into tears upon hearing his slip-up every time. It nearly broke him when they did, his first night back home.

Thinking about those two rambunctious wolves put a small smile on his lips. They were among the first to try and go back to how things were beforehand. They cared more about their relationship with their dad, more than grieving about the memories that were lost.

He sighed, blinking heavily as he glanced at the nightstand once again.

(6:00 A.M.)

He sighed, gently turning to Sabrina. She was sound asleep, having fallen asleep leaning on his back. It took a few moments, but he eventually maneuvered her back into bed, gently resting her head on the pillow. He noted that she was heavy, easily too much to carry if he still had the body of his sixteen-year-old self. Fortunately, this adult body came with the strength befitting of one renowned as the Hero of Unova, go figure.

He slipped out of bed, feet quietly landing on the ground. He had set out a pair of clothes the night prior for him, that way he didn't have to risk waking Sabrina by rifling through his drawers for a pair of pants in the morning.

Once dressed in his usual attire, he stopped by her bedside before he made his way out. She was still passed out, her soft breathing the only sound in the room. He leaned down, placing a quick and gentle peck on her cheek, before sneaking out of the room.

As the door to their room shut, his eyes gained a determined glint. "Okay…" He whispered to himself. "Let's do this." He whispered confidently.

He made his way to the kitchen, stopping at a corner stand beside the kitchen counter. There was an expensive stereo system resting on it, and after a few short moments of cycling through the music, he found a list to settle on. It was a chill wordless soundtrack made by a rather well-known band originating from Virbank City.

He set it just loud enough for him to hear, but soft enough that the rest of the house wouldn't hear it until they decided to join him for breakfast.

He smiled a little smile to himself, cracking his fingers as he opened the fridge. Unlike his first day, that he remembered anyway, the fridge was fully stocked now. And it had to be, seeing as he was the head of the house where nine different Pokémon lived.

He let the background music take him away as he deftly got to work, pulling out large bundles of ingredients to get to work creating a breakfast worthy of ten.

A light and gentle air filled the house, the wafting scent of a good breakfast filling the walls. By the time he was done, all he had to do from that point was wait for the food to finish cooking. With that in mind, he slipped back into his bedroom, careful to not wake the sleeping woman.

He poked his head into his bathroom, eyeing a pair of medical bottles with the names Mya and Mia written on the front. Quietly so as not to wake Sabrina, he procured one pill each from the bottles, before returning to the kitchen.

The smell of the cooking food had gained the attention of two furry sleepyheads, the twins shuffling into the living room together, both half awake, leaning on each other for support. With a glass of water he had set aside prior, he smiled as he approached the two.

"Good morning girls." Hugh greeted softly, holding his hand out to them. "I've got one for Mia." He said, holding a pill out to the red-furred wolf Pokémon. "And for Mya." He smiled, turning to the tan-furred wolf Pokémon. The act of addressing them correctly was enough to wake them up just a bit more, smiles splitting their maws. Once they took the pills, he offered them a glass of water to make it easier to down.

"Morning dad…" Mia yawned, offering him a sleepy grin.

"Hiya daddy." Mya hummed, just a tad bit more alert than her lazy restless red twin. The moment they had both downed the pills, Hugh suddenly found himself in a tight hug, instigated by Mya.

Hugh was surprised for a moment but allowed himself to melt into the hug just a second later. He threw his arms around them, hugging them tight until either of them decided to pull away. He closed his eyes, taking in their warm presence, breathing lightly.

"I'm glad you both are feeling happy this morning." He muttered into Mia's long white hair. Eventually, they pulled away, letting him get back to what he was doing prior. He didn't express how he missed their warmth already, a light smile immediately taking over his features, lest they grow concerned.

"Breakfast will be done soon." He said, turning back to the kitchen. "Oh, can one of you go see if Midna is awake yet? She's been sleeping in late, I don't want her to get into any bad habits." He asked, returning to attending to the cooking food.

"Kay." Mia beamed, blinking slowly, still not fully awake. While she went to do that, Mya snuck off somewhere deeper into the house, likely to wake up one of the other girls.

Hugh's expression tightened, and the light in his eyes dimmed as he focused nearly mindlessly on the food. Truth be told, he was worried about the shortest member of the family.

Midna had been sleeping in much longer than she usually did, at least compared to what he was told of her usual sleeping schedule. She tried to play it off, but he knew something was wrong.

Last night, after he and Sabrina had crawled into bed together, he found it impossible to sleep. His mind was dwelling on things he'd noticed from the resident shorty, and it wouldn't let him sleep without first bringing it to attention. If one member of the house was suffering, then he was going to know about it, and he'd suffer too until he'd exhausted all ways of offering help.

So, as he lay half naked in his bed staring at the ceiling, he found himself unable to sleep. Naturally, his wife noticed his distressed mood and addressed it. Because, if he wasn't sleeping, then she wasn't sleeping.

"Baby, please… Something's worrying you." The bed shifted as she rolled over to face him, head resting in her hand as she propped herself up slightly. The blankets slid down her form slightly, but he found himself unable to focus on anything but his troubled thoughts. Seeing as she'd failed to gain his attention, she sighed quietly, shifting to sit up in bed. He only noticed once she pulled him into her lap, his back resting against her smooth white stomach.

She leaned over him, wrapping her arms around him to comfort him. He didn't need to explain with words for her to know and understand that he was suffering from something, and she wasn't going to let him go until she learned what.

For a Gardevoir, mind reading was easy, and she could easily scour his thoughts to find the exact source of his worries. But they were married, and she felt it a breach of trust to attempt to do so without his express permission. More than that, she wanted to communicate with him on a personal level, something that was lost with mind reading.

"Baby, please? Tell me what's wrong." She tried again, resting her chin atop his head.

Hugh sighed, leaning back into her touch. Even at times of stress and anxiety, he found it easy to get lost in her presence, and the warmth and comfort of her touch. It was one thing that had made sleeping at night easier with her beside him.

He explained that he was worried that Midna was suffering from depression, and he pointed out all the signs of why and how he'd reached that conclusion.

He told her that he was worried because of her increasing lack of energy in the morning, her difficulty getting out of bed, and how she'd been locking herself away in her room for hours at a time, something he'd learned was practically foreign to the girl.

He wasn't sure exactly why she was changing, but he had a sinking suspicion that it was due to his memory loss. He was sure that she was upset about him forgetting her, and he wasn't sure how to approach her to comfort her, and how to make things right.

"Oh Darling, that's what I love about you." Sabrina sighed happily, voice quiet to not wake the rest of the house. "You worry so much about us." She cooed quietly, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. She hugged him a bit closer, drawing warmth in his embrace, something he didn't fight.

Her eyes gazed forward in the darkness of their room, finding her eyes drawn to a particular spot on the wall. There was a photo hung there, one taken months ago, with everyone in it. And of them all, Midna was spotted sitting atop his shoulders, legs wrapped around his neck. He had a grin on his face, but it was outshined by her brightly grinning mug.

Sabrina hugged him just a bit tighter. "Darling… I think she's feeling left out. She used to be your favorite, she probably misses you." She said quietly.

"You think so?" He asked back softly.

"Mmhmm."

He thought for a moment, mind drawn back to when he was a kid. When he'd been sad back then, his mom had let him sleep in their bedroom until he felt better. If Midna was feeling left out, he needed to take the steps to show her that despite his memory, he still loved her and that wasn't going to change.

"Sabrina?" Hugh spoke up suddenly.

"Yes, Darling?"

"Do you mind if Midna sleeps with us for a little while?" He asked. He paused, judging her reaction to his proposal. She didn't seem to dislike it, and from the way she hugged him tighter, he gained the impression that she may have liked his idea. "When I was little, my mother would let me sleep with her whenever I was sad. I know Midna's not that little, but maybe it'll make her happy?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Darling." She hummed beautifully. His eyes widened in surprise as she spun him around, now placed in her lap, facing up to her. He felt a spark warm his heart when he saw the genuine smile on her lips, tears prickling the corners of her eyes. "Oh dear, I think you're making me fall for you all over again." She laughed softly, wiping away her tears. "The way you think of everyone else before yourself, oh, I love you, Darling." She cooed, leaning down to place a long kiss on his lips.

Hugh's eyes widened in surprise before he allowed himself to melt into her warm and loving embrace. He could never reject her kisses, and he enjoyed them every moment of every night.

He didn't say anything, melting into her warm arms. He had even more concerns pointed at others in the house, but this was his current most important one. Midna was the youngest, either in age, or mentality. She was probably far older than he was when he shared a bed with his parents, but she didn't change how it made him feel. He needed to make her feel wanted, and he was going to do just that.

And, glancing at the smiling face of his wife, he realized that she was going to as well.

"Morning dad…"

Hugh snapped back to the present as a presence appeared from behind him, the Weavile he was thinking of clutching at his side, eyes blinking blearily up at the man of the house through her cute large round glasses. His surprised features quickly melted into a soft smile as he reached down to ruffle her head, something she leaned into.

"Whatcha up to- eep?!" Midna drawled off, only to squeak as his hands slipped into her armpits, the man quickly scooping her up into his arms.

"I'm cooking breakfast, and you're going to help me grab the plates." He grinned cheekily at her startled blushing face. "Sabrina likes having the plates up at her level, which makes it out of my reach. So you're going to help me." He said with a bubbly smile.

"D-Dad! Put me down!" Midna whined, face blushing bright red. "I'm not a kid!" She defended.

Hugh's face fell, a faux destroyed look covering his face. "Oh…" He sighed disappointedly. "I was hoping you'd want to hang out with me today, but I guess you're too old for that… I guess I can get by by myself…" He went on, going to set her down.

"W-Wait!" She quickly jumped in, nervously poking her claws together as she averted her gaze. Hugh had to actively try to keep the smug grin off of his face. "I-I guess I wouldn't mind…" She muttered, a little pleased smile marking her lips.

Hugh smiled brightly, picking her back up. "Great!" He exclaimed. "Now, get up here. We have breakfast to prep!" He said excitedly. He lifted her up, resting her on his shoulders. She blushed bright red, but she couldn't contain the happy grin that broke out across her face.

It was that scene that Scarlett walked out to, the Zoroark dressed in a black and blue form-fitting unitard, with a loose fitting white and cyan colored long-sleeved crop top on over that. Resting on her forehead was a pair of shades that served to hold back her wild mane of red and black locks.

Hugh paused halfway as Midna passed him down the plates, turning to smile at Scarlett.

She returned it, but he could tell it was forced. "Good morning Hugh." She said lightly, moving past him to the front door.

His expression fell slightly. "Where are you going? Breakfast will be done in a minute…" He asked, tone concerned.

"I've got a shoot today, and if I don't go now, I'll be late." She said hurriedly, grabbing her keys as she approached the front door. "I'll pick up something at the studio." Was the last thing she said before disappearing out the door.

However, the door opened just as fast, the woman coming right back in. He watched her with surprise written all over his face as she quickly walked up to him, pulling him into a quick hug, almost as if she was reassuring herself he was real. Then she was gone without another word.

Hugh watched her go, unable to hide the disappointment that crossed his face. He'd tried so hard this morning to get everything done soon enough for her to join them, but he supposed it wasn't enough.

Sensing his mood shift, Midna patted him lightly on the head to regain his attention. "Don't worry about her, she's fine. She always leaves this early." She waved off his concerns. "Now come on dad, the others will be awake any minute!" She hummed enthusiastically.

Hugh sighed, turning back to the kitchen. While his hands busied themselves with preparing the food, his mind was drawn back to the expression that crossed Scarlett's face for that brief moment.

He couldn't help the sense of uselessness that overwhelmed him in that moment, knowing that something was wrong yet he wasn't one hundred percent sure what he was supposed to do to fix the issue, or how he'd go about doing it. And if he tried coming at the problem the same way he'd begun here with Midna, a thing he'd discussed with his wife the night prior, he may end up making everything worse.

What weighed on his heart, however, was the fact that it wasn't just Scarlett and Midna that seemed to be suffering. They all pretended like they were fine, but he knew better. Whether big or small, each of them were suffering in ways big or small.

He knew that it was likely a wall built between them all due to his lack of memories, and although it was unfair of them to resent or grow distant from him because of that, he couldn't hold it against them for seeing it that way. It was a hard time, and life would never be the same as it was before.

He knew that, but it still hurt to see them push him away and grow discouraged and distant because of this. His heart ached whenever they pushed him away, and it made persevering every day that much harder to bear.

But he didn't stop trying. It was his responsibility as head of the household, and more than that, it was his duty as their master to work and strive to rectify everything that had fallen apart, and to struggle to keep this family together. Even though they were hurt and seemingly wanted to run away from the pain, he wasn't going anywhere.

He was going to fix these broken bonds, and mend their bleeding hearts.

Even if it killed him in the end…

It was the warm and delicious scent of freshly cooked food that woke her from her sleep, the scent filling the house.

She blinked blearily, sitting up in bed, resisting the urge to shiver as the blankets fell off of her chest. Despite where they lived, she usually never felt cold in bed.

But, one glance to her left explained this lack of warmth. Her eyes widened at the empty spot in her bed, husband missing entirely from his spot. She was always the one to wake first, usually greeting his groggy morning eyes with a steaming plate of food.

But he wasn't there, and for some reason it made her heart drop slightly. She wasn't sure why his unexplained absence made a little panic enter her heart, but she couldn't push it aside once it had.

She closed her eyes, leveling out her breathing. She opened her mind's eyes, searching out his presence with her psychic powers.

Relief washed over her heart when she found him just down the hall, a sigh escaping her lips. She wasn't sure why she had to assure herself of his presence, but she couldn't help the fear that has snuck into her heart. And, more than that, it didn't leave until she was sure he was still here.

She took in a slow deep breath, long slender legs sliding out from beneath the soft linen bed sheets. She couldn't help the little shiver that ran up her spine when her unclothed feet touched the ground.

She was slightly embarrassed to say that in her urgent nature to find her husband, she nearly stepped into the hallway with nothing but her skimpy nightwear that would not be appropriate to be seen walking around in.

Feeling a little lazy despite herself, she tossed on her default green and white slip on dress, not willing to spend another minute in her room alone.

She slipped out into the hall, the door to her bedroom clicking shut with a soft sound. Now the smell that woke her was much stronger, and the first thing she picked up on was the sound of giggling.

Her pace hastened as she found her gaze drawn to the dining room, and she peaked in, leaning against the hallway arch as she quietly observed.

And instantly, her heart was soothed. She found herself smiling uncontrollably as she watched her dear husband playing with the youngest member of the family, Midna giggling madly as she sat on his shoulders, unable to escape him as he tickled her relentlessly.

As heart warming the sight was, she found her gaze drawn to the massive breakfast made on the kitchen counter beside him.

Now she knew where he'd gone, why he wasn't in her bed that morning.

He'd gone ahead and got up early, deciding to let her sleep in while he took the initiative to make the family food. And, she was deeply pleased to see that he'd gone ahead and acted on the conversation they had last night.

From what she could see, it was working wonders, Midna's pleased giggles filling the house walls.

Sabrina's eyes widened, tears lightly trailing down her cheeks. She brushed her hands against her smooth white face, wiping them away. She couldn't manage to remove the large happy smile that split her lips. She quickly wiped her tears away, lest she give Hugh the wrong impression.

"Good morning, Darling." She greeted softly, cheeks warming as she approached the man. She couldn't remove the smile from her face as the man turned around to face her, a smile growing on his face. His smile quickly seemed to take on a more concerned tone, and she realized that she probably had tear stains on her face.

"Sabrina? Are you alright?" Hugh asked quickly, hands reaching out to grasp hers immediately. He looked up to her, open blatant concern filling his eyes.

"Oh Darling, I'm just fine." She smiled widely, leaning down to peck him on the lips. His surprised face blush was far too enjoyable that she couldn't stop herself from giving him another one. "No, I'm just fine Darling. I've just realized something really important to me." She explained softly, wrapping him in a warm loving embrace.

His cheeks warmed brightly, his eyes so open and full of expression. She deeply enjoyed the realization that she could make him look so puzzled by her loving displays of affection. "O-Oh yeah? What's that?" He asked, a hitch in his voice.

Her smile widened.

"That I'm falling in love with you all over again." She expressed softly, a deep burning passion filling her eyes that Hugh couldn't possibly look away, getting lost in her eyes.

"Alright, you love Pidgeys! G-Go make out somewhere else…" Midna groaned loudly, whining from atop Hugh's shoulders.

Sabrina's smile gained a mischievous look, eyes glowing. "Looks like somebody's feeling left out." She announced in a singsong tone. "You get a hug too." She smiled, snatching the dark furred Pokémon from the man's shoulders.

"S-Stop it!" Midna hissed, trying and failing to escape Sabrina's grasp. "S-So embarrassing…" She huffed, cheeks warming as she averted her eyes.

She wouldn't be defeated, she wouldn't express how much she loved being held by the woman she'd come to view as her mother…

But…

From the teasing glint in the eight foot woman's eyes, she gained the impression that Sabrina already knew that fact very well…

And with burning cheeks announcing her failure to hide this fact, she allowed herself to melt into the warmth of the loving woman's embrace. If she could be hugged like this every night, then she could probably go to sleep peacefully.

She promised herself that she wouldn't cry, and yet little tears began making their way down her black furry cheeks. Thankfully, no one noticed…

Not a few minutes later saw the rest of the house awoken from a mixture of all the noise and the delectable smell of food. Next thing Hugh knew, he was serving the multitude of sleepy faces with a small genuine smile of his own…

When Scarlett finally returned that night, she was met with a quiet sleeping house, everyone having long since turned in for the night.

Carefully, so as to not wake the rest of the house, she set her keys on the table beside the front door. She pulled off her crop top, hanging it by the door.

All the lights were off, making it slightly difficult to maneuver around the house. However, upon slipping into the living room, the quiet was broken by the soft snoring of the twins, the girls having once again fallen asleep atop each other on the couch. A blanket had been pulled over them.

She smiled silently, before sneaking into the kitchen. She'd been out so late that no one was open once she got back to Undella. Her eyes widened slightly when she entered the kitchen to find the small stove lamp on, giving off a small amount of light. It was enough to catch her attention and draw it to the small note left on the counter beside the fridge.

With her red claws she picked it up.

"Scarlett, I left some food in the fridge for you. I didn't know when you'd be home, so I made something for you. Hugh."

Despite the darkness of the house at such a late hour, the smile that split her face lit up the night.

She realized that despite everything that had happened, and the life that had been practically erased, it felt wonderful to learn that she hadn't been forgotten in all of that…

Chapter

7

End