Username: NobleJanobii
Character: Amy Risa
Story Title: The Insomniac’s Nightmare
Word Count: 2100
Rating/Content Warnings: Like PG-13 I guess for implied bombing and a dead body
Story:
Spoiler:

Amy smiled at Theresa across the table. They were sharing a candlelit dinner at one of Lumiose’s finest with a view of the Prism Tower. The gold and red interior of the building made the candlelight all the more brilliant, and illuminated all the faces of the couples that dined there while keeping it dark enough that there was a sense of privacy. With the addition of mirrors and a few chandeliers with low light, it was the perfect romantic dining experience for any couple.

Amy took a sip of her wine, unable to take her eyes off her girlfriend. Theresa has let her hair down, the black locks draping over her shoulders and framing her face. She was wearing an aquamarine necklace, fake of course but unless you saw the price tag you would never know. Not that it mattered to Amy, as even these fake jewels were about to bring out the blue in Theresa’s eyes. Best of all, she was wearing Amy’s favorite dress, a blue dress designed by the famous CC that hugged Theresa’s ever curve. An expensive dress for sure, so Theresa only ever wore it for special occasions. Amy took great pride in knowing their anniversary dates counted as such an event.

Amy had dressed up as well, wearing her finest faux topaz jewelry, with the exception of her earrings. Those were very real and had been a birthday gift from Theresa the year prior. She had spent hours working on her hair with her best friend Brent’s alter, Victoria, in order to tame the flaming orange locks into a beautiful updo. Victoria had such a way with long hair, it was such a shame that she was in a biologically male body. Amy also wore one of her favorite dresses for the occasion, a slim bright green strapless dress that fit just right. She knew Theresa liked it as well, but Amy in particular found it to be quite a flattering dress on her because of its accentuation of her butt and pronouncement of her breasts causing both to appear larger than they actually wore. Though this was really more necessary for her chest, a little extra to the butt never hurt.

“You look absolutely stunning tonight,” Amy said, causing her girlfriend to giggle.

“Amy, please, this is the fifth time already since we left the house tonight.”

“But I must speak the truth!” Amy protested.

Theresa rolled her eyes and smiled at Amy. “You’re getting just as bad as Brent.”

“Just as bad? Please, I taught him everything he knows.”

“And it is really showing right now.”

Both girls laughed before sipping their wine again. The date proceeded like a dream, their food tasting better than they had expected and the restaurant living up to its reputation. They discussed a variety of topics, everything from future plans to move into a larger studio apartment where Amy could really spread out and tackle her design work, to little things like paperwork at Theresa’s office. Such mundane topics always seemed interesting to Amy when Theresa spoke about them. Even as boring as filing paperwork on a noise complaint from a fireworks show on the southeast side of Lumiose could be made interesting for Amy so long as it was Theresa telling the story.

As they finished their desserts and gazed upon the Prism Tower, Amy found herself not wishing for this perfect date to end. Surely there was a way for them to extend this precious time where it was just them together. And then, in one swift motion, it got so much better.

Theresa reached into her purse and cleared her throat, seeming a bit more nervous than before as she fiddled with something in her lap.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke. “Amy Risa, time and time again I’ve found you have made me the happiest woman alive. I never anticipated I’d meet the woman of my dreams where I met you, and I certainly didn’t anticipate to be vomited on by her, but your persistence cause me to take greater interest in you. And so, here we are, a couple years later, and after the recent scare at the department with a few Team Flare stragglers, I realized it was time to do something I should’ve done sooner.”

Amy’s heart was pounded in her ears in excitement, practically bursting when Theresa stood up and got down on one knee next to her. Then, she said the magic words. “Amy Nikki Risa, will you marry me?”

Amy has never felt happier than in that moment. It was perfect. It was happening! It was finally happening! She opened her mouth to respond when a scream erupted in the restaurant.

“BOMB!!” a woman screamed, pointing outside. Amy and Theresa looked outside to see flames erupting across the city. It was being bombed! But there was nothing in the sky, were they planted?

A sharp beeping pierced the air causing Theresa to quickly knock over their own table. Glass and silverware shattered and went everywhere as the table turned over, but on the other side lay the source of the beeping, another bomb. Theresa’s eyes widened and she immediately tackled Amy away from the bomb.

Then it exploded. And everything went dark.

Amy’s consciousness barely clung on as her ears rang so loudly and dust coated her lungs. She cracked open her eyes and found the beautiful interior of the restaurant had been replaced with a dark gray smoke cloud. Dirt and dust were everywhere, making it difficult to see.

Amy wheezed and tried to move, only to realize Theresa was still on top of her. Blinking slowly, she tried to shake her girlfriend. “Theresa,” she croaked, “Theresa wake up.”

Panic began to take over Amy’s senses when she got not response. She shook her girlfriend more, calling her name repeatedly but getting no response. Finally it occurred to her to check Theresa’s pulse. Shakily placing her fingers on Theresa’s neck, she tried to locate the pulse, but found nothing. Maybe she was just doing it wrong! Amy kept telling herself that as she tried to figure out some other way to make certain Theresa was alive. She had just proposed! They had plans, a future, and their lives to live. Theresa couldn’t be gone yet. She couldn’t be.

Amy turned Theresa’s head some and opened her mouth. Holding her hand over Theresa’s mouth and nose, her heart sank when she felt no breath. No… she needed to use glass! That’s more sensitive than her hand. Looking around, Amy found the shard of a nearby mirror and picked it up. Holding it close to Theresa’s lips, she stared at it closely. No fog formed on the glass.

Tears began to well in Amy’s eyes. “Theresa!” she croaked out again, starting to cough more from all the dust. Clutching Theresa’s hair, she shook her more. “Please, no, please! Theresa! Wake up!”

Amy felt a sharp pain on her finger and looked down to see she had cut her finger. As tears trickled down her cheeks, a single drop of blood escaped the cut. It moved in slow motion, sliding down to the tip of her finger and dropping down to the ground. As it hit the gray floor, suddenly everything vanished.

***

Amy woke up gasping and in a cold sweat. She coughed a couple times and sat up, grasping her chest as panic and adrenaline coursed through her. Slowly, her breathing returned to normal. She gazed around the room and recognized it to be the Oreburgh Pokemon Center. Right, she wasn’t in Kalos anymore. She was in Sinnoh. So that had been a nightmare then.

Amy lowered her arms to her side and looked at the clock. She squinted at it in annoyance. 3 AM, it read. Great, she had only been asleep one freaking hour. “Stupid insomnia,” she muttered as she climbed out of bed. Amy exited her room and walked to the bathroom. Turning on the sink, she washed her face and collected herself. Taking a couple drinks from her hands as well, Amy took a few deep breaths and stared at herself in the mirror.

“You’re alive. You’re in Sinnoh. Everything is fine. You’re alive. You’re in Sinnoh. Everything is fine. You’re alive. You’re in Sinnoh. Everything is fine,” she repeated to herself quietly. After chanting the mantra a few more times, Amy walked back to her bedroom. While the bed was tempting, she knew she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep right away. Instead, she opened her window and gazed outside.

The cool night air felt crisp against her skin. A soft breeze blew her red hair back away from her face. Other than a few industrial sounds from the mine and a few cars here and there, the town was relatively silent. It was peaceful, a stark contrast to the Lumiose City she called home.

Amy let out a long sigh after a few minutes. She wondered what Theresa was doing right now. Was she worried about her? Was she getting enough sleep? Was she taking her medications? Did she miss her too?

Amy knew the other officers at the South Lumiose station wouldn’t allow Theresa to overwork herself if they could help it and ensure she took care of herself. Officers Spade and Clover had been Theresa’s friends for years. If anyone was going to take of her, it’d be them. But even then, there wasn’t much they could do for Theresa’s mental state. How was Theresa’s reacting to this? Was she leading the search? Or was she keeping lawful integrity and removing herself from the investigation? Amy wasn’t sure, but she knew they probably would never guess she had been taken to another dimension. It was too outlandish.

How long would they be gone for, Amy wondered. If it was years, would Amy be pronounced dead? Would Theresa move on? Amy frowned and gazed over the town. She wouldn’t move on, because she knew the reality of the situation. But Theresa didn’t. If she really thought Amy was dead… would she? Amy couldn’t say she wouldn’t if the roles were switched.

Warm tears trickled down Amy’s cheeks. She sat there quietly for an unknown amount of time, the cold air making the warmth stand out even more. She couldn’t even take solace in saying they were looking at the same moon and stars, since even the constellations here were different from the ones at home. She cried in silence until the tears no longer came and fatigue finally set in. Not having the energy to weep any further, Amy turned and climbed back into bed, hoping sleep would take her soon. Gazing at the clock, she saw the time. 4:37 AM. That was an hour and thirty seven minutes closer to getting back to Theresa, Amy told herself. It was the only way she could keep herself going and lull herself back to sleep in the cold empty bed. She closed her eyes and lay in silence, but sleep never came.

Sitting up again, Amy pulled her journal from her bag and began to write another letter to Theresa again. Perhaps this journal would be enough to convince Theresa to stay with her. She really wished she could send them now, but maybe in the future the opportunity would arise. Wormholes seemed to be a frequent thing so perhaps there was a chance a new one would appear soon that connected home. If she couldn’t get through it then maybe at least the notebook could. She just had to hope. Signing off on the latest entry, Amy looked at the clock again. 5:02 AM. Twenty five minutes closer.

Sliding her journal back into her bag, Amy accidentally knocked over one of the pokeballs. Hunter sleepily opened his eyes as he took form on the floor. Gazing up at Amy, he seemed confused why they were up so early.

“Sorry,” Amy said to the unspoken question, “I couldn’t sleep so I was writing in my journal. I’ll return you so you can go back to sleep.”

The croconaw quickly shook his head. Climbing into the bed with Amy, Hunter curled up beside her. He growled and pat the bed with his tail, indicating he wanted her to lie back down. Amy tried to look at the clock again as she lied down, only to find that Hunter was now blocking it. Something about not being able to see it set her at ease. Closing her eyes, sleep came swiftly this time, and brought with it much sweeter dreams.