The rapping on the door woke Rose. She lit the lamp and went to the front door.
"Who is it?"
"Timmy."
She opened the door. Timmy, Ash and Pikachu rushed in.
"Are you being followed?"
"Not as far as we know," said Ash, taking off his mask.
"Oh, you're hurt. Sit down."
"Could we have a drink?" asked Ash. He and Timmy sat on the lounge.
Rose brought two cups of water and a bowl for Pikachu. She went to the cupboard and got some ointment. She cleaned Ash's burn with a wet cloth while he gritted his teeth. She the jar of ointment.
"This prevents pussing and fever."
Ash groaned as she applied it. "Have you got any pain salve?"
"Oh sorry, I should've put it on first."
They heard footsteps, then a knock on the door.
"Quickly," she whispered, "Ash and Pikachu, hide!"
"Ash, hide these," said Timmy, passing him the masks.
Rose cleaned up the glasses and packed away the ointment while Ash pulled himself and Pikachu up into the roof cavity.
"Timmy, take your clothes off and get into bed."
"What... but..."
"It has to be realistic. Hurry!"
Her tone was serious enough to overcome his embarrassment. He proceeded to undress.
There was another knock on the door, louder this time.
"Don't look," said Timmy.
"Take everything off and get under the sheet," she whispered.
Above them, Ash moved the loose panel back into position. She went to the door.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"Open in the name of the king!"
Rose checked the ceiling. It looked normal. She looked at Timmy. He was in bed. She opened the door. There was a military officer with two men.
"Captain! What's the matter?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you at this time of night, Rose. It's about Princess Misty."
Rose feigned an alarmed look.
"Assailants broke into the palace and kidnapped her."
She gasped. "Who could have done this?"
"We don't know. One thing's for sure, it didn't look like the work of the Resistance. Have you seen or heard from Misty tonight?"
"No." She shook her head. "Do you think she'll be all right?"
"The Resistance wouldn't harm her, but someone else... I'm sorry Rose, but I have orders to search your house."
"Come in. There's no-one here except me and my boyfriend."
"Your—" The captain looked inside and saw Timmy in bed. "I apologize, Rose, but I have my orders."
The two men came in and searched quickly.
"I heard she was sick."
"Between you and me, Rose, that was a rumour circulated by the palace to try and prevent what happened tonight."
The men finished searching and went out the door.
"Goodnight," said the captain, "and again, sorry for the intrusion."
"Goodnight, captain, I understand. Please find her and make sure she's all right."
She shut the door. She waited a few minutes in heart-throbbing silence. When she was confident that it was safe, she called Ash down.
"Thanks, Rose," said Ash.
She didn't answer. She got some pain salve and applied it to Ash's wound. She tied a clean cloth over it as a bandage.
"You and Pikachu, please go to sleep. I'm very tired."
Rose seemed a little short. She did say she and Misty were close. Ash figured this must be overwhelming for her. He and Pikachu lay on the couch. Straightaway, Ash became conscious of the tiredness of his body. He fell asleep almost instantly.
Rose went and sat on her bed. She leaned against the wall behind her, pulled her knees up and began to cry.
All this time, Timmy had been lying still under the sheet, hopelessly embarrassed by the whole ordeal. He felt like he wanted to disappear. Then again, Rose's sobs moved him. He wanted to do something, he had to something. A nice girl like that did not deserve to be upset.
"Rose?"
"I'm sorry, Timmy, it's all so sudden, so confusing."
"Hey, you've done nothing to be sorry about."
"I... I just didn't have time to think... is this the right thing to do? Will she be safe? What will happen to our people?"
"Misty's with Brock tonight. She's in good hands. He'll make sure she's safe."
"Why are you helping us?"
"We want all the kingdoms to live in peace and prosperity. So we're gonna help you overthrow the king and put Misty on the throne. We had to free her first to make sure she's kept safe." He left out the part about himself on the throne—that didn't seem so appropriate right now.
She started sobbing again. He felt an urge to reach out and wipe away her tears. But if he touched her in his present circumstances, what would she think? Somehow, struggling against his fears, he found the courage to do what felt right, and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his finger.
"I'm glad," she said, "that there's some goodness somewhere in this world. I haven't been too badly off, even though I've chosen to live among the people, but the people of Cerulean have suffered for a long time."
"I'm not sure what to say, Rose," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder, "but I'm willing to help in every way I can."
She stopped crying. "Let's get some sleep."
"Where can I sleep?"
She put her hands to her face. "Don't put me to trouble, Timmy. Stay where you are. I'll trust you." She reached to a chest of drawers next to a bed and fished out a nightgown. "Put this on," she said. She turned out the lamp and slid down under the sheet.
"Can't I put my clothes back on?"
"No, they'll smell worse than you do."
Embarrassed beyond belief, Timmy meekly accepted the garment and put it on. He was glad it was pitch dark. Resigned to his fate, Timmy lay down and rested is head on his pillow.
Rose's breathing told him she was almost asleep. She turned to her side, facing him, and rested her head on his shoulder. He was so exhausted, he was in no position to protest. He just shut his eyes and fell asleep.
♦
Timmy woke up to the sounds of pidgey chirping. He opened his eyes. It was bright. He must have slept long. The smell of cooked food was enticing him out of bed. He reached down to pick up his clothes.
"Hey! Where are my clothes?"
"Good morning, sleepyhead," he heard Ash say from the other room.
"Come and have some breakfast," Rose called out.
"So... uh... where are my clothes?"
"I've washed them for you. They're in front of the stove drying. Sorry, but Ash is wearing my only dressing gown."
He walked over to the other room. Ash was seated, his back to him, and already eating. Rose was serving food on two other plates. Pikachu and Squirtle were sitting in the corner of the room, eating from some plates on the floor.
Ash turned to see him and smirked. Timmy blushed. He was stuck between the food drawing him closer and the embarrassment pushing him away. Finally Rose looked up from serving his breakfast and smiled at him. There wasn't a word he could think of to describe it, but whatever was in that smile was enough to make him forget everything else. He came and sat next to Ash and gratefully accepted the plate of food set before him.
"Squirtle!" said Misty's squirtle.
"Oh, you want some more?" said Rose. Squirtle nodded. "What about Pikachu?"
Pikachu looked up blankly at the sound of its name.
"Where was Squirtle last night?" asked Timmy.
Squirtle pointed to a basket in the corner.
"How come some monsters understand people?" asked Ash.
"Monsters that grow up with people don't seem to have trouble," said Rose.
"Do you think Pikachu will understand me one day?"
Rose shrugged. "Just be patient." Tell you what, there's a book Misty sneaked out of the palace library shortly before they caught her. She said it might come in useful."
Rose went to the main room and emptied the bottom shelf of her small bookshelf. At the back was hidden a thin book. She handed it to Ash.
Taming and Training Monsters
"You might be interested in this," she said. "You can read it while I'm out. Oh and keep Pikachu hidden. Timmy, would you like to come out with me?"
"What... urr... go out... uh... together..?"
"Settle down," she said. "I need someone strong to carry the shopping. I have a feeling I better stock up."
Timmy sat there dumbly, trying to figure out whether that was a crack or a compliment.
"Now if you two strong guys don't mind carrying the hot water, you can have a bath—after I've had mine."
♦
It was evening by the time Rose and Timmy had returned. They carried in two bags each of various items, mostly food. Ash helped them put it away.
He noticed a difference in the way Timmy and Rose related to each other. Timmy's eyes sparkled whenever he looked at her. Rose smiled whenever she spoke to him. There was no hesitation or embarrassment when they touched. He had seen that sort of thing before in Pallet Town, and it woke in him the awareness of the lonely emptiness in his life.
After dinner, Ash went to lie down on the couch.
"They're coming at ten o'clock," he reminded Timmy. "I'm going to take a nap. This is going to be another long night." Pikachu saw Ash lie down and bounded over and curled up next to him.
"Maybe I should too," said Timmy. "Rose, mind if you use your bed?"
Rose smiled and nodded. He lay down and soon she came to sit next to him.
"Thank you, Timmy. I had a wonderful day with you."
"I'm the one who should thank you. All I did was tag along."
"You know we only have less than two hours left together. Will I get to see you again?"
"Rose, I promise, whatever happens... I... I'll do my best to come back to you."
She lay down on the bed next to him. She turned to face him, her face grave. "I don't want you to go."
They lay still facing each other for a few moments, then, as one, made to move closer. They faltered.
"Can... c-can... I...?" began Timmy. He summoned his courage. "Can I kiss you?"
She answered by bringing her lips to his. They embraced and stayed that way, exploring the sensation, until its pleasure inundated their hearts.
Rose looked towards Ash. He was fast asleep.
"Timmy?"
"What is it?"
"When we went to the apothecary today..."
"Yes?"
"I took a contraceptive. Just in case things turned out this way."
He remained stunned.
"In case... somehow... we never see each other again, I want at least one night together we can always remember."
He just stared at her.
"Do you want to go ahead?"
He didn't want to spoil the moment by trying to talk. Plucking up the courage, he met her lips again with his. The two of them began to kiss and caress as if there was no tomorrow.
