Greetings! Just a wee note before we start, I'm quite (read: very) behind on the anime. I wanted to make this as canon as possible but having only seen Indigo, Johto, and Training Daze (plus one or two other episodes containing references to their past) I realised there wasn't much point trying to use anything after those in case I got it terribly terribly wrong! So, anything that happens in later series probably won't be referenced here. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1 – New Beginnings

Jessie squeezed the last pair of boots in to her rucksack and sighed. Was this just another hair-brained idea destined to fail, just like everything else? Sinking on to the worn sofa, images from her past flashed through her mind. The devastation she felt after failing the audition for theatre school, knowing that in a matter of days she had lost both a chance for love and a chance for fame. Then she had her heart set on becoming a nurse, but a rejection from the usual nursing school coupled with her fierce determination set her on a slightly unorthodox path. Even though she failed to graduate, she smiled as she thought of the Chansey she had befriended, and her gaze lingered on the side pocket of her rucksack, where she knew her half of the broken pendant was safely tucked away in her trinket box. Her smile faded as another failure flashed through her mind, and the words "lowest scores in the school's history" echoed in her ears causing her to grit her teeth with anger. She sank her face in to her palms and groaned, closing her eyes and rubbing them with her slender fingers. A lavender hue flew past her eyelids and she inhaled sharply, quickly banishing the image from her mind.

Standing up, Jessie scanned the room for any items she had forgotten to pack. 'Not that I own much in the first place…' she thought to herself. All her belongings had just about fit in to the rucksack and the holdall lying by the door. Walking around the room absentmindedly opening drawers, her mind wandered to her childhood. 'Growing up in poverty, well, you don't acquire much in the way of material possessions.' Her gaze settled on the bags, and she chuckled to herself. Most of her possessions in recent years had been acquired in a more… dishonest way. Not that she was exactly proud of being a thief, but she had to admit, she was good at it. After leaving her foster home, Jessie had to learn to fend for herself. She knew she couldn't go back to eating snow to survive, not again. So she stole what she needed, and nothing more. Eventually the guilt became a distant memory, and she was able to make sure she had decent clothes and shoes too. She was a growing girl after all! But her flair for stealing reached new heights during her time in the Sunnytown bike gang. Closing the wardrobe doors and leaning back against them, she smiled as she remembered the adventures the gang enjoyed. They weren't bad kids per se, just a bunch of misfits having fun, as teenagers do. She eventually became their leader which is where she first got a taste for being in control, for dominance. It wasn't something she had ever experienced before, and she liked the feeling. Everyone admired her, especially… She rubbed her eyes and tried to force the image out of her mind again, but this time it stayed put.

Jessie sat on the mezzanine in the abandoned warehouse, looking down as various members of the gang chatted animatedly together. They had triumphed over a rival gang that day and were celebrating the victory with a few bottles of booze that Jessie had 'acquired' earlier that evening. One of the gang finished setting up a beat-up old CD player that James had found and fixed up, and some catchy pop song filled the enormous room. Jessie took a swig of the harsh liquor and grimaced as it burnt the back of her throat, unaware of the footsteps approaching behind her due to the loud music. A hand touched her shoulder and she spun around in shock, finding herself staring in to a frightened pair of emerald eyes.

"I'm sorry Jessie!" James squeaked, quickly withdrawing his hand. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

Jessie laughed. "Sit down you wimp.'' She patted the dusty floor beside her and smiled up at him.

Returning the smile, James sank down on to the floor beside Jessie, swinging his legs over the edge of the balcony as Jessie had done. "You were great today Jessie, we won because of you.''

Jessie snorted in dismissal. "It was a team effort. More importantly, it was a team victory!" she grinned, offering him the bottle.

James screwed his face up and stuck out his tongue in disgust. "You know I can't drink that stuff," he whined. "My parents' only had the best wine in our house, I'm not used to cheap…" He stopped suddenly and looked embarrassed. James hadn't told Jessie much about his life before Pokémon Tech, but she suspected he came from a posh family. Every once in a while he let something slip, plus there was the way he spoke and his mannerisms. James wasn't like most other boys she knew. Other kids noticed this too, however any teasing soon stopped after Jessie threatened to punch anyone who said anything mean to him or about him.

Jessie playfully smacked his arm, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Well, it's a good job you have me as your best friend" she laughed, reaching in to her rucksack and bringing out a small bottle of red wine. "I didn't want you to be left out.'' She held the bottle out to him and giggled as his eyes lit up and a wide grin spread across his face.

James took the bottle, offering many words of thanks. His smile faltered slightly, "but Jessie, I don't have a corkscrew, or a wine glass!" Sighing, Jessie took the bottle back off him and unscrewed the lid (James gasped at the idea that wine could come in a screw lid bottle) and took a large swig out of it, and offered it back to him smirking. James blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Thanks Jessie. Where would I be without you?"

Jessie couldn't help but notice the admiration in James' eyes, his gaze lingering on her for a fraction too long. She turned back to the scene below them, blaming the warm feeling in her stomach on the alcohol. She took another swig of her liquor, chuckling as she watched some of the other gang members dancing.

James rummaged in his rucksack. "Actually Jessie, I have something for you too." He found what he was looking for and turned back to her, a nervous smile on his face. Jessie looked at him quizzically as he handed her a small box, and she gasped as she opened it.

"James! They're stunning! Thank you so much!" Jessie exclaimed, holding up the green earrings so she could see better in the dwindling light. "Wait… where did you get these? Did you steal them?!" Her eyes widened at the thought.

James laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, yes I did!" Jessie thought she saw a brief triumphant look flicker over his features. James wasn't a thief. He was only in the bike gang because she was. The thought of getting in trouble frightened him and he usually stayed well out of the way of any illegal activities, instead trying to fix up any items the gang brought back from scavenging. "I… um…" James cleared his throat. "I just wanted to thank you. For today I mean. And I saw these and thought they would look so elegant on you… Er, what I mean to say is, that you might like them…" He trailed off, looking embarrassed.

Jessie smiled to herself and hooked the earrings in to her ears. James cleared his throat again, staring down at the people below. "You're my best friend Jess. I just wanted to show you how much our friendship means to me." He glanced up at her just as Jessie turned to look at him. "They look really good on you." James smiled, before quickly looking back down.

Jessie lightly punched him in the arm and laughed. "Thank you James. I love them!" she said, grabbing her bottle and offering it over for a *clink*. James' smile turned in to a grin as he reached for his wine and gently touched her bottle with his. As he took a drink, Jessie watched James' face screw up at the taste of the cheap wine and she burst out laughing, causing him to laugh too. Jessie leaned in to him, taking another drink from her bottle. "You're my best friend too James" she said affectionately, and they both sat and watched the party, recounting the days victory between them.

Jessie sighed. That was her biggest failure, no doubt about it. It had been 5 years since she last saw James. Striding over to her rucksack, she retrieved the trinket box from the side pocket and opened it. Next to the broken pendant lay the earrings. Tucking a strand of magenta hair behind her ear and putting them in, she walked over to the grimy mirror, admiring the reflection. Occasionally, she found herself wondering what he was up to, but quickly pushed the thought from her mind. She didn't like to dwell on the single biggest mistake of her life, of the friendship she had abandoned. Reaching up to remove the earrings, she paused. 'Maybe… Maybe I'll keep wearing them. Just for a little while...' After glancing in the mirror one last time, she reached for her coat and put it on. It was time for her new life with Team Rocket. This time, she couldn't fail! Team Rocket was in her blood. Maybe it was even her destiny. The look on Giovanni's face when Jessie revealed she was Miyamoto's daughter! He was very eager to enrol someone with such potential in to the team! There was a large part of Jessie that blamed Team Rocket for her mother's disappearance all those years ago, but the truth was she just couldn't keep going the way she was, failing at everything she tried. At least Team Rocket would provide her with some stability, something she had never had before. And if she could be even half the woman her mother was, well, there's no chance she could fail this time. Jessie hoisted the rucksack on to her shoulder and lifted the holdall, and with her head held high started the long journey to Viridian City.

xXx

Jessie opened her eyes, produced her mallet from a hidden pocket and smashed her alarm clock in to smithereens. It had been a week since she had arrived at Team Rocket HQ, and she shared a dorm with a girl called Millie. Jessie reached down and opened her bottom drawer, selecting a new alarm clock at random from the pile. The door opened and Millie came bouncing in, her shoulder length green hair swaying as she handed Jessie a mug of coffee.

"Morning!" Millie chirped. "Better get up sleepyhead! You don't wanna miss your appointment."

Jessie groaned. She had forgotten she had a meeting with Sergeant Viper. Grumbling to herself she swung her legs out of bed and sipped her coffee, watching Millie bound across the room and wondering how someone could have so much energy at that time of the morning. She supposed she should be excited about finding out who her partner would be and to receive their training schedule, but she was not a morning person. 'Well,' she thought to herself as she stifled a yawn, 'At least we have the party later to look forward to.'

xXx

That evening, Jessie and Millie gasped as they entered the hall. The room was decorated in red black and silver with hundreds of black balloons with red 'R's on them. The bar ran along the wall to the left, and to the right were long buffet tables filled with more food Jessie had ever seen in one place before. Trainee Rockets chatted in groups around smaller tables, a few tapping their feet to the live band on the stage. There were a couple of girls up dancing, and Jessie suddenly felt underdressed in the bargain she had found in a charity shop. Smoothing out the front of the pale blue dress, she turned her attention to the bar instead, grabbing Millie's hand and fighting their way through the crowd of new recruits.

"What's your poison?" Millie yelled in Jessie's ear. Jessie reached for her purse but Millie insisted this was on her.

"Surprise me!" Jessie yelled back, grateful for the offer. She didn't have much money left, the small amount the new recruits received going on essentials such as hairspray, and her new dress. "Thanks Millie!" As Millie ordered, she noticed her new team mate Tristan in the queue a few places behind her. Jessie smiled and gave a small wave. During their meeting earlier he had come across as rather arrogant and cocky, but she supposed she could put up with that providing he didn't let her down. She turned back to Millie and laughed, as Millie handed her a bright blue cocktail with various straws and umbrellas sticking out of it.

More people were up on the dance floor as they made their way towards the tables. As they scanned the place for somewhere to sit, they heard an excited squeal of "Oooooh, donuts!" and a blue blur rushed past Jessie, almost knocking her over and causing her to spill half of her drink over the girl dancing next to her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" cried Jessie, as she grabbed a tissue from her bag and started trying to dry off the angry-looking blonde girl.

"You're sorry?!" the girl screeched furiously as she turned to face Jessie. "Do you have any idea how much this dress cost?!"

Jessie paled as the blue liquid seeped through the expensive looking white dress. "It wasn't my fault. Some guy pushed…"

"I don't give a damn what your excuse is, bitch!" the girl roared in Jessie's face. Jessie took a step back, eyes wide with shock. The blonde girl looked Jessie up and down and sneered. "I'd say you need to pay for a replacement but I don't think you could afford it." The black-haired girl she was dancing with shrieked with laughter.

Any traces of guilt Jessie felt were quickly replaced with anger. Narrowing her eyes, she took a step forwards. "You need to watch how you're speaking to me, bitch" Jessie spat, feeling Millie take a hold of her arm. The blonde girl and Jessie glared at each other, until Millie managed to pull Jessie away.

"She's not worth it Jessie, just leave it" Millie warned, pulling Jessie towards two empty seats and setting her drink on the table. "Let's just have fun, yeah?"

Jessie took a deep breath and pushed her anger to the side. Sitting down next to Millie, she raised what was left of her cocktail. "I'll drink to that!" she answered, and Millie raised her drink too. As she sipped her drink, she watched as the angry blonde and her friend gathered up their bags and stormed out of the party.

A few drinks later and the party was in full swing. Jessie and Millie decided to take a break from dancing and headed over to the buffet tables, grabbing a plate and piling it high with sandwiches and nibbles. Making their way back to their table, they sat down and watched the group of Rockets on the dance floor.

"Man my feet are killing me!" Jessie exclaimed, kicking off her heels and stuffing a sausage roll in to her mouth. All this dancing had given her an appetite!

Millie took a sip of her drink. "Tell me about it!" she laughed.

Neither of them noticed the angry blonde, donned in a clean equally-expensive purple dress storm up behind them. Smirking, she emptied a full glass of red wine over Jessie, causing her friend with the black hair to cackle with laughter. Shaking with rage, Jessie stood up and turned to face her, as the black-haired girl handed a second glass of wine to her friend. Before Jessie could react, the blonde girl threw the contents over the front of Jessie's dress.

"Nice one Cassidy." sneered the girl with the black hair as the two turned triumphantly around, the blonde girl flicking her hair as she did so.

Jessie stood in shock, conscious of dozens of eyes on her. She was only vaguely aware of Millie standing in front of her, trying in vain to wipe Jessie down with a handful of napkins. Blinking back tears of embarrassment and feeling something inside of her snap, she grabbed a pork pie from her plate and launched it at Cassidy, hitting her hard in the back of the head. Cassidy stumbled forwards, grabbing on to her friend for support. As she whipped her head round to glare at Jessie, Millie spied a few security grunts heading over. Quickly she grabbed Jessie's shoes and bag and hauled her towards the exit, breaking in to a run as one of the grunts shouted for them to stop. They didn't slow down until they were safely back in their dorm room.