Delia’s head rose at the sound of her CD playing, and she scrunched up her face in confusion. For a moment, she wondered why Ash was playing it, seeing how he’d never shown the least bit of interest in the CD, but she didn’t mind. She figured maybe Brock or Misty wanted to hear it, and other than being a little loud, she kind of enjoyed it.

"Look at this one, Del," Jay said, pointing with a grin at a photo of her and Jay, standing with Ash on his first day of kindergarten. Delia’s heart melted at the photo, and she gazed lovingly at it.

"I remember that day," she said.

"Remember when we thought how nervous he was going to be?" Jay recalled. "Heh, he was up before us that morning."

Delia laughed. "He always liked school. He really did. And he would’ve still been going if it weren’t for you!" She gave him a playful shove, and Jay broke into laughter.

"Ah, c’mon. That kid was born to train Pokémon."

Delia finished her laughter with a sigh. "I suppose so."

Ash’s heart began to pump as he realized that the song was just about ending. He tensed up, and started to tap his leg nervously. Misty grabbed his hand and held it still, catching him off-guard.

"Calm down, Ash," she said, smiling sweetly. "This is gonna work. I can feel it."

Ash took a deep breath, gripping onto Misty’s hand tightly. It was warm and comforting, and he squeezed it more and more as the song drew to a close. "I hope so."

In an split second (or as it seemed to Ash), Stars Fell on Alabama began to play, it’s mellow, soothing beginning purring from the stereo. Slowly, Brock made the volume higher, hoping that it didn’t seem like they were making it louder for them to hear. Ash gleamed at the sound of the song he had heard so many times in his life.

If Delia was startled by the first song, she was practically shot with this one. As soon as her ears detected it, she tensed, gulping softly. It was "their song." A small chill ran through her when she thought of it. It had never occurred to her that Stars Fell on Alabama came afterward, but now that she thought of it, she realized that she did know that.

She wasn’t the only one who knew it was playing. Jay’s head lifted, and Delia knew it, so she kept hers down, her eyes focused on another photo. She looked at Ash in the photo, and thought of how he was "conveniently" playing this song right now. Of course. Now she knew why he was playing it.

"He’s playing it for us," she muttered to herself, shaking her head. She didn’t know really what to think.

Jay picked it up, though, as muffled as it was. He shrugged. "Is that really a crime?"

Delia sat in silence for a moment, but the grinned a little. She shook her head. "No."

Jay was glad to see her grin. Little did he know, however, was the amount of strenuous pumping his wife’s heart was doing, and she shook nervously. The flood of memories poured into her uncontrollably.

"This is our song, ya know," Jay said softly. "Or . . . you . . . you didn’t forget that, did you?"

"No," replied Delia, looking at him shockingly. She turned back to the photos, the awkwardness of the moment radiating.

Jay smiled at her. "You wanna dance?" he asked with a shrug, and she immediately looked up.

Delia’s heart took a tremendous leap as Jay uttered those three words, three words she hadn’t heard in God only knew how long. She began to sweat a bit, and she clenched her teeth shut tightly.

"Oh, I . . . I don’t know," she replied with a nervous grin. "I mean . . . I -- I . . ."

"It’s okay," he said. "It won’t mean a thing. C’mon, it’s our song. We always dance to it." He spoke sweetly the whole time, calming Delia’s nerves a little. What made her even more fidgety was when Jay stood, holding out his hand invitingly to her. "I don’t think we’ve ever heard this song without dancing to it."

"Well, I -- I haven’t danced in a while," she said, getting a little hesitant.

"It’s just for fun," Jay assured her.

Delia closed her eyes and nodded. "All right, then." She giggled nervously as they found the openness of the living room. They laughed even more as their arms became tangled into one another, apparent that neither of them had danced in a long time. Finally, their hands found the right places, and they began to sway back and forth to the beat of the song, which had sped up a bit since they had gotten up.

Ash couldn’t believe what he was seeing. At first, they thought he was dreaming and he breathed in and out deeply.

"Misty? Are . . . are they really dancing?"

Misty turned to him with a wide, toothy grin and nodded. "Yes, Ash."

They looked back at Jay and Delia, who, although many inches away from each other, were dancing rhythmically to the gracefully flowing song. Brock stood in the doorway of Ash’s room, smiling down at Ash and Misty. For a moment, he pictured them as innocent, spying kids, and he grinned. And seeing the looks on their faces, he knew that all had to be going well.

Back down on the ground floor, Delia was finally settling into the dance, and relaxing her stiff body underneath her husband’s hands. At first, her heart had pumped widely, and her contradicting feelings fought intensely within her. But now, to her surprise, she was getting into it, the flow of the music and the fun of dancing all coming back to her.

"See, I knew you wanted to dance," Jay said smoothly, feeling her move more freely to the music. He smiled widely down at her, his brown eyes sinking deep into hers. For a moment, she felt the crave to turn away, but something in her kept her from doing so.

Delia found herself getting dizzy, actually.

"Hey, this is fine," she replied. "Remember when everyone was watching us dance to this at the wedding?"

Jay laughed. "I’m so glad we took dancing lessons! Could you imagine us dancing out there stepping all over each other’s feet and all?"

"Oh God!" Delia giggled. "That would have been so embarrassing! I mean, it already was a little, what with my parents taking pictures like they were."

They laughed together, not noticing that their uproar was drawing them closer together.

Ash saw this, and he beamed. "That’s it, that’s it," he cheered on silently. Misty looked up at him and grinned.

"Did I really step on your feet that much at the prom?" Delia asked him.

"I had to wrap bandages on them when I got home," Jay laughed. He shrugged. "But hey, I wasn’t any great dancer, either."

Delia smiled. "You got better," she said reassuringly.

Ash was in seventh heaven. Not only were his parents dancing, but now they were even reminiscing! What kind of unearthly dream was he having? But what happened next Ash had to brace for more than any surprise attack he had even experienced in all his years of training.

Without warning, Delia wrapped her arms around Jay’s neck.

Ash had no idea what was going on, and Misty immediately turned to him with an incredulous smile when it occurred. She stared into his shocked face, and slowly his eyes crept over to hers. They were glistened over in tears, but for once Misty was glad that they weren’t from sadness or fear. An emotional thunderbolt had just struck him.

"Ash?" Misty asked inaudibly, her smile becoming broader when she noticed the emotion criss-crossing all over his face. He had become speechless, seeing his parents embraced closely together, Stars Fell on Alabama close to coming to an end.

When he didn’t reply, Misty didn’t press him for one. Feeling her own eyes tearing up, she wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulder, grasping him tightly in a hug. She felt especially satisfied when Ash did the same, slipping his arm around her waist. He pulled tightly, also, bringing the two friends closely together.

"Stars may have fallen on Alabama," Ash suddenly said as he gazed down at Jay and Delia. "But tonight, they’re falling on Pallet Town."

Misty nodded, a small tear streaming down her face. "This is the sweetest thing you’ve ever done, Ash."

Ash took a deep breath, which Misty could feel vibrate through her whole body. They still had their arms wrapped around each other, neither of them thinking of releasing. Finally, however, Ash began to stand up.

"Let’s leave them be," he whispered.

Misty nodded in agreement, and with one more ecstatic glance, the two and their Pokémon headed for Ash’s room.

What Ash didn’t know was that Delia had simply placed her hands around Jay’s neck to repeat the way the two clueless teens had danced at the prom. Jay knew this, and he giggled.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "You learned how to dance, didn’t you?!"

"It’s just so funny how we just did whatever we wanted on that dance floor," she explained. "I forgot what you did, though. All I know is is that my arms were practically asleep when we were done."

Jay grinned. "I was doing this, I think," he replied, placing his hands on the lower part of her waist, resting on her hips. Delia recoiled a little under his touch, but it was so slight he didn’t even notice it.

Delia broke into nervous laughter, but immediately calmed herself. He laughed as well, and their arms returned to the previous way.

She grinned happily. "I was so happy today when I saw you get Pikachu back."

"Oh, you mean from Team Rocket?" Jay asked. He shrugged modestly. "Believe me, according to Ash, it was nothing."

"Not according to you, though?" she replied with a giggle.

"I’ve personally never had much contact with ‘em," he told her. "But that was pretty easy, though."

Delia smiled pleasantly. "You came at just the right time. That was great."

"I’d do anything for Ash," Jay answered sincerely, losing his smile and replacing it with a serious face. He looked down at their dancing feet, and even though the song was quite upbeat now, they danced rather slowly. "I love him so much."

Delia sighed sadly, and her eyes fell, also.

"I hate being apart from him," Jay continued, meeting her raised eyes. "I think about him all the time. Think about where he is, what he’s doing. What kind of Pokémon he’s encountering."

Delia looked at Jay’s face, suddenly seeing the face of the boy she had fallen head over heels for twelve years ago. She gulped.

God, he’s handsome, she though, grinding her teeth at the thought. She fought at it, feeling herself suddenly losing her mind as she had done when she was eighteen, so green and unaware of what love was. She flinched when she felt a sting of tears in her eyes, and she blinked them furiously. Stop thinking that!

"You know . . . you . . . you could’ve come around more," Delia told him. "I mean, I know how it was and everything, but I never meant for you to think that you couldn’t see Ash. I didn’t mean for it to be that way."

His sudden small speech had made her feel guilty. She wasn’t sure if that’s what he had intended, but she wanted to clear that up as quickly as possible.

"No, I could’ve come," Jay admitted. "But I didn’t feel right, that’s all."

Delia found herself falling into depression again. She had no doubt felt bad for Ash for all these years, wondering if the distant relationship between them was affecting him. It eased her, though, to see how happy Ash was, only infrequently asking innocently if Jay had called or written him a letter. His small face had brightened every time he had gotten a birthday or other holiday card from Jay, usually stuffed with a wad of cash. Ash seemed pleased at that, and didn’t seem the least bit upset.

What killed her the most was how much she saw Jay in her Ash. He looked just like him and acted just like him. She saw Jay in Ash every day, reminding her constantly of her husband, wherever he was.

Knowing the time would come, Ash’s eyes shut blissfully as Stars Fell on Alabama concluded, ending the same way it had begun. He was satisfied. The song had done its job, and he was pleased. So not to bring up any suspicion, he let the CD keep playing. His heart was beating furiously, a smile spread from ear to ear. He, Misty, and Brock were silent, all in shock. Who would’ve thought the plan would have been that successful?

Jay and Delia continued to dance into the next song, but as soon as Stars Fell on Alabama had ended, the dancing suddenly became incredibly uneasy. They had stopped talking, both looking off in different directions, neither of them attempting to break up the dance, though. Jay liked dancing with Delia again. He wondered if she knew that. He hoped she knew that. He gazed down despondently, figuring that most likely she didn’t feel the same.

But Delia had liked dancing with him. Although she felt uncomfortable all of a sudden, she was hesitant to stop. She couldn’t fight the fact that she wanted to keep dancing, but she didn’t know why. Did she like the fact that she was dancing with Jay, or just the fact that she liked to dance? Anxiously, she rubbed Jay’s warm, broad shoulders, a chill running through her spine. What the hell was happening to her?

As she rubbed his shoulders slightly, she clenched her muscles as she felt Jay rub her back in response. Oh no, had she given him the wrong message? What had she done? She shook her head and held her breath, not knowing what to do now.

"You know," Jay said suddenly, startling Delia. She looked up at him. He appeared saddened. "We . . . we really should get to work on the papers."

Delia released her hands from Jay, and they parted from the dance. The papers! She had totally forgotten! The memory of them flew to her head at that moment, and she blinked in confusion, smiling slightly.

"Oh yeah," she replied, brushing some hair out of her face. "I -- I forgot."

Jay nodded glumly. "Shall we then?"

Delia shuddered at his dull, dejected voice. What a rotten time. She glanced over at the papers, lying slightly scattered on the couch. Right beside them were the photos, and she quivered.

"Y-you know, I . . . uh, I--I think I’m really not in the mood to do those right now," she stuttered nervously, the whole time asking herself why she had suddenly become doubtful. "I’m kinda t--tired. You . . . you don’t mind if w-we . . . do this tomorrow do you?"

She rushed the last sentence, coming out in a mumbled jumble. A small ‘whaddah ya say?’ grin crept to the corner of her lips. Jay looked surprised at first, and she knew just why. She had practically hounded him all that day to get the papers done, and now she was going to put it aside just like that? She trembled, her conscience battling her furiously. For a moment, she felt like she was going insane. What was going on?

What am I doing? she thought. We really should get the papers done. What am I saying? God, I want to go to bed. I need to think.

Jay nodded with a concerned look on his face. "That’s okay. You look tired anyway."

Delia nodded. "Yeah . . . um, I’ll be fine."

Jay smiled warmly. "Go to bed then."

"Okay," Delia smiled back, and for a moment they stared at each other, the memory of the dance fresh in their minds. Delia immediately turned away, though, taking a deep breath and began to make her way to her room. The room she had spent three years of lonely nights sleeping in. Her walking became slower and harder. She could feel Jay watching her, and it felt good. She found herself blinking crazily again, wanting to whack herself in the head a couple times.

What’s happening to me? Why am I feeling this?

"Good night, Delia," Jay said, and she smiled. "I’ll kiss Ash good-night for you."

Delia froze in her tracks, a sudden rush of tears coming to her eyes. She turned back to Jay and he nodded, giving her a small grin and a friendly wave. She took a deep breath, and turned back around, smiling wildly at her insanity. She needed a good-night’s sleep more than she thought. Delia reached up and brushed her flooded eyes, leaving her cheeks slightly damp.

The thought of the tears disgusted her. She hadn’t cried since the night that Ash had called, and, well . . . she didn’t feel like doing it again. Thank God Ash had stopped asking about that. It was especially hard the first time, Delia not knowing how to tell Ash that she was crying because she was divorcing the man that twelve years ago she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with. The man who had swept her off her feet, making her feel happy and without a worry in the world, giddy and spontaneous, comforted and loved. Just like he had done . . . tonight.

Delia tried to fight it, but it was no use as she spun around to face Jay. Instead of meeting his comforting face, she found him seated on the couch again, the stack of photos in his hands once again. His back was turned to her, and while he looked through the pictures oblivious that his wife was watching him, she smiled, her eyes lowering. Her heart never ceased pumping.

"J -- Jay?" she asked, and he turned around in surprise. A look of concern spread across his face, but she smiled to reassure him.

"What’s the matter?" he asked.

She exhaled loudly, giving him an easy face. "You . . . you know, you . . . don’t have to sleep on the couch tonight if you . . . don’t want to."

What in God’s name did I just do?! Stupid, stupid! she beat herself up internally, feeling as if she was going to have a heart attack. She continued to try to beat the impulsive feelings down, but the damage had already been done.

To her relief, however, he shook his head, smiling warmly. "No, Delia. It’s okay."

"Oh . . . okay," Delia said quickly, reluctantly turning. Phew! But where were these disappointing feelings suddenly coming from?

Jay got up from the couch, half out of wanting to, and half out of feeling that he had to. Delia just stared at him as he walked over to her, taking her hands in his own. A little hesitantly, he kissed her cheek gently, making her shake pleasantly.

Wow that felt good, she though. Shut up! Shut up! No it didn’t!

"Thanks for being sweet tonight, Del," he told her. "And that’s just for being that. Heh heh, don’t die on me. That meant nothing."

Scratching her head, she couldn’t stop the sudden flush of pink that spread across her face. She shrugged nervously, and turned away as quickly as she could, heading for her room to leave Jay standing in disarray in the living room.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .