Settling Down

Chapter 5: The Next Step

The next day, Serena woke up fairly early and decided to head straight to the shower. As she walked to the bathroom and past Ash's room, she was surprised to hear faint snoring. It was very rare that she was up before him. He must have been super tired from the last two days, she thought. Serena hoped he was sleeping well and continued towards the bathroom. She put on a playlist from her phone and got the water running. Serena was slowly starting to get used to the idea of staying at Ash's house. She had no idea how long she was staying for, but could probably stay there forever. Serena was very comfortable and happy there, but at the same time, she didn't want to overstay her welcome. She pondered on it as she rubbed shampoo into her hands and washed her hair. Delia was more than okay with accommodating her, but she didn't realistically see herself living there long term. Maybe she and Ash could look into getting their own place... but would Ash want to live with her? Alone? Wasn't that more a thing couples did? Serena thought of every possibility and then found herself getting distracted again by the idea of being together with Ash.

Serena decided to stop worrying about the future, as she rinsed the soap off her and turned the taps off. She wrapped a towel around her and dried herself. Then she put on a fresh pair of clothes and brushed her teeth. She examined herself in the mirror and straightened her hat, but then gasped and put her hand on her chest. She'd almost forgotten to put her ribbon on! Serena quickly rectified it and tied it on. Now she was ready to begin her day. She considered waking Ash up, but thought this could be a good opportunity to really get to know Delia. She was so kind to let her stay, it was only right that she was as respectful as she could be in appreciation of that. Serena hummed a song to herself and strolled out, feeling like today was going to be a good day. Something was smelling good as she stepped out into the hallway, so Serena assumed Delia was cooking breakfast.

As she approached the kitchen, she could hear muffled voices. Now who could be in the kitchen with Delia this early in the morning? Serena thought of Professor Oak first. He did come to visit Delia a lot, but as she got closer, she didn't hear the voice of a man at all. She reached out for the door and was a little hesitant to push it open. Then she wondered if Misty had come back. She didn't live too far away, so it was possible. Serena was ready for her - if it was her anyway. She decided she couldn't wait any longer and made her way in. Delia was sitting at the table with another woman about the same age as her. They were both drinking coffee and stopped talking to see who was there. Serena squealed and ran over to the woman.

'Mumma!' she cried, happily.

Delia was happy to see Serena so happy. Grace stood up and embraced her daughter in a loving hug. They hadn't seen each other for a long, long time. Serena squeezed her tight.

'You're hugging me a bit too tight there, Serena!' laughed Grace.

She looked down at her daughter and saw she was quite emotional. Grace kissed her head and soothed and mothered her. Then she heard quiet sobbing.

'Hey, hey? What's wrong? I'm here now.'

'It's just that I've felt so bad that I haven't come to see you all this time,' muffled Serena, into her mother's chest.

'It's okay, baby. You had to go achieve your dreams and be amazing. And I've been keeping an eye on you too. I just wish you told me you were coming here!'

Serena wiped a tear from her face and let go of her mum. Grace flicked a strand of hair away from her face and brushed Serena's cheek delicately with her fingers.

'Oh, yes! I'm so sorry! I was meaning to tell you. But the last few days have just been a whirlwind!'

'It's okay, Serena. Professor Oak passed the message on to Professor Sycamore and he told me you were here. I was hoping to make it yesterday for the party, but my flight got delayed. Thought this would be a nice surprise.'