Here's the next part. Sorry it took so long. Haven't been very motivated this weekend.
65. Picture
Sebastian slouched at his desk, desperately wishing for a piece of ice he might shove into the back of his mouth to numb the pain. He was fully prepared to give whoever it was that had insisted in seeing him today a thorough talking to. No meant no, no matter who you were.
Unless, of course, your name is Giovanni. he sighed at the afterthought, admittedly a little bit jealous of his friend's power, even though *as* Giovanni's personal friend, he still had more privileges than most. Sebastian smirked when he realized that there were probably many out there who envied him, too. Somehow that made things better.
" Come in." he drawled when he heard the knock on his office door. Then entered a young man, probably in his late teens or early twenties, with the most atrocious hair Sebastian had ever seen. The lad was rather scrawny, Sebastian noted. It was hard to miss...the brown slacks he was wearing (girls' pants? the professor asked himself) were more like a pair of hip-huggers. There was also something familiar about him...something...that he couldn't quite place a finger on. He wasn't sure he liked that feeling.
" Professor Sebastian?" the boy was every bit as eager as Wendy had said. " Are you him?"
Sebastian motioned to the nameplate at the edge of his desk.
" I'm afraid so."
The professor frowned when the boy came in without an invitation and seated himself in one of the chairs across from his desk.
" I don't intend for this conversation to last long enough to warrant your sitting down." he narrowed his eyes. How rude.
" Oh, I'll be brief. Very brief. I just wanted to meet you...I've wanted to meet you for a long time. You're everything I imagined you'd be. You're a doctor? A real doctor? I was more excited than you can imagine when I found out! Oh, this is excellent. But there's not a lot of information, I'm afraid...what are you a doctor of? Can I ask that? Can I ask what it is that you do?"
His enthusiasm was almost annoying.
" If you had any business knowing my business, then you would already know." the conversation was making Sebastian a little nervous. His days with Silph were long gone and he worked full time for Giovanni now. Knowing that there was any information out there on him at all put him in a very uncomfortable position.
" Oh, I understand." the boy winked, almost as if it had been a joke. " Top Secret. Mad Scientist business only. You know, it took me forever to find this place. It's almost as if somebody didn't want anybody to find it."
" Yes, that was the intent..."
" What?"
" Nothing. How *did* you find...this place?"
Sebastian realized it would be easy enough for him to get in. After all, the location WAS a complete secret, known only to members, and while the agents were required to be in uniform at all times, there were people, like him for example, who had no uniform at all. This kid, dressed nice as he was with a tie and all, could have easily passed for one of his research assistants.
He would certainly have a word with Giovanni tomorrow about increasing the security around headquarters. Perhaps it would be a wise investment to have a card-swipe machine outside the main entrance where members should verify their identity before being allowed access to the building.
" Mother told me about where it was, but it was still difficult. I've been trying to find you for six months now...all I knew was that you were somewhere right outside of Viridian City. It wasn't easy."
Sebastian raised his eyebrows.
" Six months, you say?"
" Yes."
" Well, what exactly is it, then? You've met me. It's a pleasure and all that. Now if you don't mind, I have a-"
" Oh, but...well, I came here for another reason. Don't you want to know why I wanted to meet you?"
" There's more." Sebastian began to fidget with his pencil. " Of course. Since you're dying for me to ask...why?"
" I'm your son."
Sebastian froze and glanced up only with his eyes. Another smirk played across his features and he chuckled.
" Yes. And your mother is Cruella de Ville."
" Actually, she says I get this from you." the young man pointed to his black and white, two-toned hair. " She said you probably wouldn't remember. It was over twenty years ago, after all. But it's here, I have photographic proof...you're my father."
Sebastian frowned but said nothing as the kid reached in his pocket and pulled out a flimsy looking piece of paper, folded into quads and looking as if it would fall to pieces any minute. He unfolded it on the desk, and soon a very faded, but very familiar image jumped out at the Rocket scientist.
There he was, twenty-three years younger, lanky and without a goatee, fresh out of college. He remembered the place and the day. The picture had been taken in the sixth floor laboratory of the Silph building. He had been working for Silph exactly two weeks that day.
And there she was, hanging off of him like she was his girl.
His eyes were half-closed and he was looking off to the side, some sort of a scowl on his face and looking like he didn't even want to be there with her...but oh, he did. He was just never able to show it publicly, a problem he still had even today with any love interest.
He looked at her now and flashed back, could even hear her laughing as she followed him around the laboratory, clinging to him and giggling, calling him stupid pet names that he hated and swinging that ebony ponytail around provocatively.
He loved her. A lot.
Unfortunately, just a few days after he finally showed her this Giovanni had come along with a better job offer, and tired of being scolded and held back because of Silph's annoyingly restricting code of ethics, he left the company. He didn't tell her where he was going or even say goodbye. Sebastian knew it would be best that way...because she would have convinced him not to leave.
Now he realized that he had left her with quite the parting gift.
She went on to bear his child, and he, oblivoius to all of this, went on to work for Team Rocket while she became nothing more than a distant memory. He forgot the feelings he had for her and wrote it off as a mere fling.
Sebastian cleared his throat and sat up straight, coming back to reality. The boy who sat across from him was looking at him tense and expecting.
" Well, there I am. Though I can't say I clearly remember your mother..." he lied, and the younger man's face fell. "...I think I recall, vaguely, some sort of office romance....thing..."
" So you don't remember."
" No. I'm sure I have many illegitimate children running around Kanto and Johto. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to attend to. It was nice to meet you."
The professor was more than eager to get his bastard son out of his office and think things through, but the boy didn't move.
" You're...you're dismissed. Alright?"
" That's it?"
Sebastian frowned.
" You're twenty-something, now, it's a little late to play the daddy card. Do you want me to write your mother a check?"
" N...no...you're right." he admitted after a moment, and stood. " It was nice meeting you....Professor Sebastian."
That stung, for some reason.
" Yes. Goodbye." the professor broke eye contact and busied himself with papers on the desk.
The young man stopped at the doorway for a moment and turned.
" My name is Max, by the way." *
Sebastian tapped his index finger and said nothing. In the next instant when he looked up, Max was gone.
This was quite a revelation. What a hell of a week it had been.
Leaning back and staring at the ceiling, he started to think about her again, her voice, her face, everything about her as clear in his mind as if he had seen her yesterday...
Until he realized that he couldn't remember her name.
Suddenly the pain in his head seemed very miniscule next to the ache in his heart.
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*Not the same Max as in the anime. I just really like the name Max.
Well...I don't know what to think about this. It's almost 1 in the morning, so if it's not well written towards the end, forgive me.
Oh, and...I had to use the "Use Protection" icon. xD
But I like the idea, no? What do you think? I may write more about Max in the future.