The next day, Serena was out on her lunch break while Shauna covered for her. She left Thom Avenue station to go to the hot dog stand nearby to order her usual hotdog, chips, and soda, but while her stomach was looking forward to food, her mind was focused on Ash. Ever since she came home the night before, she couldn't stop thinking about him. Half of her wanted to reminisce on everything she did with him and Pikachu that night, but the other half of her wanted to drive out those memories as if they were impure thoughts.

Serena moaned as she struggled with her mind, but when she took a turn to the street where the hot dog stand was, she found Iris and Axew sitting on a bench next to the stand. The purple-haired woman wrote on a clipboard with a can of soda standing beside her feet, while the tusk Pokemon sat next to her, happily munching on a hot dog. Seeing her boss as the key to her relief, Serena rushed over to Iris, who saw her running from the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Serena. What's up?" She asked.

"I'm having an affair," Serena spat out.

Axew stopped eating it's hot dog and turned to Serena, confused, while Iris was unsure what she said.

"An affair?" Iris asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I like Ash," Serena confessed.

"Ash? Who is Ash?" Iris asked.

"He's Calem's brother," Serena answered.

"Calem, the coma guy?" Iris asked.

"Yes," Serena said.

"So?" Iris asked.

"So, Ash thinks I'm engaged to Calem," Serena said.

Iris looked at Serena, baffled, and asked, "You're telling me that you now like the brother of your crush whose family thinks you're engaged to?"

"Yeah," Serena said.

"Serena, what are you doing to yourself?" Iris asked.

"I don't know!" Serena whined. "What do I do, Iris?"

"Tell the truth," Iris said.

"I can't do that," Serena said. "Literally all of yesterday was meeting Ash, him being suspicious of me because of my landlord's idiot son, the two of us making up, and having a really nice time together. If I tell the guy I like that I have been lying to his family, after all, he will never speak to me again. Then there's Sonia..."

"Sonia? Who's Sonia?" Iris asked.

"She's Calem's godmother," Serena answered.

"What about her?" Iris asked.

"She knows the truth, but she told me not to tell the family because they see me as if I brought their son back by being a part of the family," Serena said.

Iris stared at Serena, bewildered by what she had just heard. She put down her clipboard and stood up to face the honey blonde woman.

"Serena, you are born into a family. You don't just become part of one like you become part of the marines," Iris said.

"You're the one who told me to play along," Serena said.

"Yeah, to keep them company, not to get lost into the lie," Iris said.

"Then what should I do?" Serena asked.

Iris looked away and scratched the back of her head before giving Serena a shrug.

"Pull the plug," she said. "Forget your crush, forget your other crush, forget what the godmother said, just end it before it gets worse."

Serena looked at Iris as if she told her to murder someone and said, "You are twisted."

"I'm twisted? You're cheating on a vegetable," Iris said.

"Ugh. That's it. I am done taking advice from you," Serena declared.

The honey blonde woman stormed away toward the hot dog stand, not saying another word to her boss. Iris sighed and shook her head before she sat back down and turned to Axew.

"I worry about her," said.

"Axew, ew," Axew said.

Serena bought her lunch and found a bench closer to the train station to sit on. She took a moment to let out her frustration over Iris with a loud sigh before she silently prayed thanks for her food and started eating. As she took a large bite of her hot dog, though, she thought about whether or not she should take Iris' advice. She knew that telling the truth would be the best thing on paper, but she didn't want to let down the Ketchums she was growing fond of. Serena then wondered if it was possible that she only thinks that she liked Ash just because she had a nice time with him.

"Maybe if I spend more time with him, I might change my mind and just see him as Calem's nice younger brother," she thought. "If I want that to happen, though, I would have to see him again, and who knows when -"

"Serena!"

"Mr. Mime!"

Serena turned her head to see Delia and Mimey walking over to her. Serena put her foot down and stood up just in time to receive a tight hug from Calem and Ash's mom.

"Hi, Mom. How are you?" Serena greeted, used to calling Delia by that name at this point.

"Better now that we found you," Delia replied. "Your co-worker told us you were on your lunch break, so we hoped you weren't too far away."

"Mr. Mime," Mimey said with a nod.

"Aw, how nice of you," Serena said. "Did you drop by just to say hi?"

"Actually, that's just part of it," Delia said. "Did Calem ever say about when everyone's birthdays are?"

"No, I don't know any of your birthdays," Serena said.

"That's alright," Delia said, smiling. "I'm asking because Grandpa Ramos's birthday is this Wednesday."

"The day before New Year's Eve?" Serena asked.

"That's right," Delia said. "Now, I know it's only a couple of days away, but we're planning a birthday dinner for him, and we'd love it if you'd come."

"Absolutely," Serena instantly replied.

"Wonderful," Delia chirped. "In that case, I'm wondering if you can chip in fifteen dollars?"

"What for?" Serena asked.

"For tickets to Ula'ula Island," Delia explained. "Grandpa Ramos has always wanted to go to Malie Garden there, so we pitched in for two tickets for him to finally go see it and for Mimey to look after him while he's there."

"Mime, Mime," Mimey said.

"Aw, that's such a great idea," Serena said. "I'd be more than happy to pitch in."

"Thank you, sweetie," Delia said. "We're gonna have it at seven just like with Christmas. You're more than welcome to bring Fennekin with you."

"Sure. Fennekin would love that," Serena said as she took out her wallet and handed fifteen dollars to Delia. "We'll be sure to be there."

"I'm happy to hear it," Delia said. "Anyway, we better let you continue your lunch break. See you on Wednesday."

"Mime, Mime," Mimey said.

"See you then," Serena said.

Serena waved goodbye to Delia and Mimey as they walked away. As soon as they were out of sight, she let out a growl and hit herself on the head.

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" She shouted in her mind. "Two days ago, you were uncomfortable about Mom - I mean, Calem's mom, inviting you to a family event, and now you accept an invitation just like that?! Maybe Iris is right. I am getting lost into the lie."

Serena huffed and sat back down, going back to her lunch. She hastily ate the rest of her hot dog and washed it down with some of her soda before she opened her bag of chips. As she chewed on a handful of chips, however, her annoyed look softened into a look of curiosity.

"Then again, Ash will be there."

*******************************************************************************

Come Wednesday evening, Serena and Fennekin were walking down the street to the Ketchum's house, wearing their family sweaters. The little fox Pokemon was smiling as it walked, looking forward to playing with the other Pokemon, but Serena's mind was on Ash. She hadn't seen him, or anyone else in the family since Delia invited her to the birthday dinner. The honey blonde woman wondered if she would have an opportunity to talk to him.

The two of them took a turn at Jamison Drive and walked over to the front porch before Serena took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. They waited a few seconds before the door opened to reveal Ash wearing a red sweater with a gold "A" at the center. Serena immediately felt her cheeks turn pink from Ash suddenly appearing only a couple of feet away from her while he gave her a toothy grin.

"Hey, Mom's right. You do like to be punctual," he said. "And you two decided to wear your family sweaters, huh?"

"Well, Christmas wasn't too long ago, and it felt fitting since this is a family get-together," Serena said. "I see you're wearing yours too."

"Yeah, Pikachu and I are wearing ours to make up for not being here for Christmas," Ash said. "Anyway, come on in. Everyone's waiting in the living room."

Ash opened the door further to let Serena and Fennekin in. He took Serena's hat and coat, earning a sweet look from her before the two of them and Fennekin went into the living room. Fennekin immediately began playing with Mimey, Piplup, Yamper, and Pikachu, who was wearing a red-orange sweater with a gold "P" at the center, while Delia, Dawn, Sonia, and Grandpa Ramos, who weren't wearing their family sweaters, got off from the couches to greet Serena.

"Serena, welcome!" Delia greeted as she pulled Serena into a motherly hug. "And you and Fennekin are wearing your sweaters!"

"Well, this is a family celebration not too long after Christmas, so I thought it was appropriate," Serena replied.

"Aw, aren't you just the sweetest!" Delia exclaimed.

Sonia gave Serera an approving look before she hugged the honey blonde woman, glad that she was still playing along. Dawn quickly followed, pulling Serena into a tight hug before leaning into her ear.

"Ash told me about your suggestion," she whispered. "Don't worry. I'm gonna make him tell Mom even if I have to tie him to a chair."

Serena broke the hug to smile at Dawn, saying, "Good. I hoped I could count on you."

"What are sisters for?" Dawn replied with a wink.

"Alright, alright, break it up, girls. Birthday boy wants a hug too," Grandpa Ramos said.

"Of course, you do," Serena said before she hugged the old man. "Happy birthday, Grandpa Ramos."

"Aw, shucks," Grandpa Ramos said, pretending to blush.

"Alright, now that we're all here, let's go eat," Delia announced.

The Pokemon immediately stopped playing and followed the humans to the dining room. Ash helped Dawn fill up bowls of food for the Pokemon before joining everyone else at the dinner table. Delia had Serena sit next to her again, while Ash sat opposite Serena, and Dawn sat next to him. Serena felt her heart skip a beat when Ash sat down and gave her another toothy grin after he sat down. Everyone grabbed hands, bowed their heads, and said grace before Delia lifted up the lid of the large pot standing at the center of the table.

"Spaghetti!" Ash and Grandpa Ramos shouted with stars in his eyes.

Serena snorted out a laugh before leaning over to Sonia, who sitting next to her on the other side.

"I take it they love spaghetti?" She asked.

"I don't know. Do they?" Sonia replied, making both women snicker. "Yeah, they love the stuff, and so did Red. It kinda runs in the family."

"Ah, so that must be why we're having it for Grandpa Ramos's birthday, huh?" Serena asked.

"Pretty much," Sonia answered.

The family and Serena passed their plates to Delia, who filled them with spaghetti. Grandpa Ramos and Ash started inhaling their food until Delia told them to eat slowly in a motherly way. Serena smiled as she watched Ash eat smaller bites. She could tell that he wanted to eat faster, but he wouldn't dare disobey his mother.

"I shouldn't find this to be cute, but I do," Serena thought.

She quietly giggled as she picked up her cup to take a sip right as Delia decided to strike a conversation.

"So, Serena, have you and Calem decided where you're gonna go for your honeymoon?"

Serena choked on her water, which almost spurted out of her nose. She coughed violently for a moment before she put up a smile.

"Excuse me," she said. "No, we haven't discussed it yet."

"Seriously? Not only have you guys never traveled as a couple before, but you haven't even talked about where your honeymoon is going to be?" Dawn asked.

Serena shrugged and said, "We just can't decide. There are so many places to choose from."

"I can understand that," Delia said, smiling. "Red and I had our honeymoon in Anistar City. We went to see the Great Sundial when the sun was setting. I thought that crystal was beautiful-looking with that orange sky, but Red would say it wasn't as beautiful as me."

"Aw," Serena said.

"You know, Leon and I were planning to go to Wyndon, but that's coming from a Galar woman from little old Postwick," Sonia said.

"My sweet Satine and I went to Coumarine City," Grandpa Ramos said. "We looked to see the Pledging Tree when it was lit up with tons of lights at night. Of course, we really would have loved to go to Alola to see Malie Garden."

Delia and Serena looked at each other and covered their mouths to keep themselves from laughing, while Ash, Dawn, and Sonia smirked at each other. Grandpa Ramos looked up from his pasta and saw the way everyone was acting.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it, Ramos," Delia said. "By the way, Serena, do you think you could find a nice girl for Ash for me?"

"Mom!" Ash said with his mouth full.

Serena felt her cheeks heat up and kept her eyes on her food to avoid looking at Ash or his mother.

"Well, I don't really know Ash's type," she said.

Ash turned his eyes to Serena and saw her hiding her face with her hair. His cheeks turned a faint shade of pink as he wondered what was making her act so timid. He then looked around and realized everyone else at the table was waiting for him to respond. He stammered for a moment before he cleared his throat and spoke as if his answer was no big deal.

"I like girls with orange hair. Really skinny ones," he said.

"Oh, I see," Serena said quietly, her eyes still on her food.

But Dawn looked at her brother, confused, and said, "No, you don't, Ash. You like blondes."

Serena stopped chewing and looked up to see Ash trying not to look embarrassed.

"No, I don't," he said.

"Yeah, you've always liked blondes," Dawn said. "Lilia, Bianca, Korrina, you've never tried to go out with any of them, but you liked looking at them. Where have you ever seen someone with orange hair?"

"Uh, your friend, Zoey?" Ash answered, unsure.

"Zoey's hair isn't orange. It's vermillion," Dawn rebuked.

With his lie called out, Ash stuttered at his sister, unable to counter her. Serena looked down at her food again to hide another blush, feeling a glimmer of hope in her heart. Delia looked at her two children, confused, before she shrugged it off and turned to Serena.

"Well, we all know who you're type is, don't we, sweetie?" she said.

"Oh, Mom," Serena said, looking away from Delia with her face turning beet red.

Delia giggled at Serena's reaction as though she had watched a little child do something cute.

After another ten minutes, Serena, the family, and their Pokemon finished their food. Mimey, Piplup, Pikachu, and Fennekin left the dining room to go back to playing in the living room. Ash and Grandpa Ramos sat back on their chairs and sighed as they pat their bellies.

"Man, you make the best spaghetti in the world, Mom," Ash said.

"My grandson is right, Delia. Your cooking always was one of the reasons why I'm happy my son married you," Grandpa Ramos said.

"Oh, I know it was," Delia said in a matter-of-fact tone. "And there's cake and ice cream next, but first, it's time you opened your present."

"Present? Oh, now you didn't have to do that. I'm too old to be getting birthday presents," Grandpa Ramos said.

"Not to us, you aren't, Grandpa Ramos," Dawn said.

Delia stood up from her seat and left the dining room for a minute before coming back with an envelope. She walked over to Grandpa Ramos's seat and handed the envelope to him. The old man looked at the envelope curiously before opening it and took out two plane tickets and a pamphlet for Malie Garden. Grandpa Ramos hung open before looking up at a grinning Delia.

"Is this what I think it is?" He asked.

"It sure is," Delia answered. "You and Mimey are gonna fly to Ula'ula Island in March, where the two of you are going to see Malie Garden."

The old man's face lit up as he smiled widely as if he was a little boy with the toy he always wanted.

"I don't believe this," he said. "How could you have afforded this?"

"We all chipped in for the tickets, including Serena," Dawn said.

Grandpa Ramos put his hand in his heart and said, "Oh, bless you all."

He stood up to give Delia a hug before moving around the table to hug Dawn, Ash, Serena, and Sonia. When Grandpa Ramos hugged Serena, he gave her a tighter hug and whispered, "Thank you, granddaughter." Serena felt a pinch in her heart for the title she didn't deserve, but she kept her smile to show that he was happy for him. When Grandpa Ramos finished hugging everyone, Delia left the room for a moment and came back holding something behind her back.

"Now, this isn't a birthday gift, Grandpa Ramos, but I thought you'd be happy if I picked now to show everyone this," she said.

She moved her hand from her back to reveal the picture of the family, Serena and Fennekin standing behind the Christmas tree in a frame. Grandpa Ramos, Dawn, and Sonia exclaimed words of happiness as they walked over to look at the picture better. Serena stayed at the dinner table and smiled as she watched everyone else take turns looking at the picture.

"Look at them so happy," she thought. "I wonder if this is like this for every Christmas photo they take."

Her gaze then turned to Ash, who was walking to her with a smirk. She felt her cheeks heat up again as he stood next to her.

"Nice picture," he said.

"Yeah, it is," Serena said.

Ash's smirk turned into a devious grin, and he said, "And you know what? You're right. You're not very photogenic."

Serena frowned and hit Ash's arm with her hand, making the raven-haired man laugh.

***********************************************************************************************

After Delia showed the new photo to everyone, she hung it up on an empty spot on the hallway wall between other family photos. Everyone went back to the living room, where the Pokemon were still playing, and began playing board games. When Serena saw that it was 10:25, she decided that it was time for her and Fennekin to head home. She called a cab and continued her Pachisi game with Grandpa Ramos, Dawn, and Ash until the taxi arrived.

"You sure you can't come for New Year's?" Delia asked as the family walked Serena and Fennekin to the front door.

"Sorry, but I already have plans with some of my coworkers," Serena replied.

"Oh, that's a shame," Grandpa Ramos said. "Then we'll see you in the new year."

"Yeah, I'll see you all in the new year," Serena said.

Serena put on her hat and coat before giving Delia, Grandpa Ramos, Sonia, and Dawn each a hug. When she finished, Ash opened the door for her, and she gave him a kind look and took a step outside before Dawn spoke.

"Look, you guys, you're under the mistletoe!"

Ash and Serena looked at the blunette woman confused before they looked up and saw mistletoe hanging above the door frame. Serena felt her cheeks heat up again, and Ash chuckled nervously.

"Well, go on, you two. Kiss," Sonia said.

Serena's cheeks turned redder, and she said, "We don't have to do that."

"Yes, you do. It's tradition," Dawn said.

"But, it's not Christmas anymore," Ash said.

"Doesn't matter," Sonia said.

"Yes, it does," Ash said.

"Why don't we let the birthday boy decide?" Delia suggested.

Everyone turned to Grandpa Ramos, who scratched his chin, pretending to think about his decision.

"Well, if it's up to the birthday boy, I say don't just stand there, boy! Kiss her!" He declared.

Serena and Ash look at each other with nervous grins. The honey blonde women's cheeks had turned beet red while the raven-haired man was scratching the back of his head. They gulped simultaneously before Serena reluctantly took a step closer to Ash, and he tilted his head and leaned in toward her.

When their lips were inches apart, Ash and Serena paused for a moment to brace themselves before they closed their eyes and went for the kiss. Serena's heart was beating rapidly, and her blush covered her entire face at the gentle feel of Ash's lips. When Ash released the kiss, she immediately turned her head away from everyone to hide her cherry-red face. Delia and Dawn said, "aw," simultaneously with the auburn-haired woman's hands clasped together. Sonia watched with a playful grin, while Grandpa Ramos smirked as if to silently say, "atta boy." Ash gave his family a bashful grin before Serena collected herself and turned to face the family.

"Well, good night," she said, struggling to keep a calm face.

"Good night, Serena," Delia, Dawn, Sonia, and Grandpa Ramos replied.

"Mime mime," Mimey said.

"Piplup," Piplup chirped.

"Arf arf," Yamper barked.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said.

Serena turned to Ash, and her cheeks turned pink again as she hastily said, "Bye."

"Bye," Ash said with a smile.

Serena briefly smiled back before she and Fennekin went outside and headed to their cab. The family waved goodbye until the car was out of sight. Grandpa Ramos, Dawn, and Sonia then went back to the living room with Piplup and Yamper to continue the game, while Delia and Mimey went to the kitchen to wash dishes.

However, Ash kept looking at where he last saw the cab for half a minute before he closed the door. He then walked down the hallway to where the new family photo was hanging and stared at it. Pikachu stood next to him by his legs, looking at its partner curiously. Ash turned his gaze to a picture of him and Calem from twelve and fourteen years old, respectively, and snickered.

"Hey, Pikachu, do you remember back in the sixth grade when kids like Kiawe and Burgundy would challenge me to a Pokemon battle where the winner takes the loser's lunch money?" He asked.

Pikachu looked at its partner, confused until it remembered what Ash was talking about and nodded.

"Pi. Pika, Pika, Pikachu," it said.

"Yup. No matter how hard they tried, we were always the ones to leave the battle with the other person's lunch money," Ash said with a toothy grin.

Pikachu smirked and shook its fist in the air, proudly shouting, "Pika!"

Ash laughed at his partner's boastful response and said, "Yeah, those kids had no idea what they were doing. Of course, eventually, the teachers found out, and we got sent to the principal's office and then went home to get an earful from Mom."

"Pikachu," Pikachu said.

For several seconds, Ash and his partner were silent, reminiscing their younger years, until the raven-haired man spoke again.

"After the principal finished rebuking us, he said, 'Why can't you be more like your brother, Calem? Always focusing on his studies and not wasting time on Pokemon battling?'' Ash said. "Back then, I was perfectly alright with that. After all, Pokemon battling has always been my passion, and I was proud of Calem. He was the one with the straight A's, the spelling bee trophies, heroically saving those Skwovet, and so many girls chasing after him, and all that jazz. I was never envious of anything that Calem had."

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu said, smiling.

Ash gave his Pokemon a smirk and a nod before turning his head to look at the new family photo. His smirk disappeared as he gazed at Serena standing in the middle, holding Fennekin while Delia had her arm around her. He let out a heavy sigh as he stroked the picture where Serena was, thinking about the kiss.

"Until now."

**************************************************************************************

Back in Calem's apartment, Meowstic was napping in one of the kitchen cupboards again. The phone suddenly rang for several seconds until it stopped with a click and Calem's voice came out of the speaker.

"This is Ketchum. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you."

*Beep*

"Calem? Hi, it's Miette. Is your answering machine working? Look, I'm going to fly to Kalos soon, and I'm shocked you haven't called me back. I'd really like to hear from you about us getting married, and I'd like to see my Meowstic when I make it to Lumiose City in a couple of days. Call me, my sweet fiancee."