Disclaimer: I know this isn't highly original, but I thought I'd give the story a whirl before it drove me nuts! Pokemon is owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures. Yay for them.
Notes: This is a driving story, as in I came up with the idea while driving and had to write it to get it out of my head. It's a bit short and hurried, but oh well. This is not a story for the younger viewers, but has that ever stopped you people before? I'll try to lay off the using of 'damn' as someone's last name, Shadowcat... enjoy this glimpse into weirdness! Romantic? I guess it is a little...
The Assassin's Heart
by: Sforzie
She sat on the ledge that surrounded a luxuriant fountain. Her red hair was tied in a long coil that traveled down her back. Jessie sighed, petting the Meowth kitten that sat in her lap. The Meowth was eyeing the water uncertainly.
"Now now, my little Meowth, there's nothing to worry about," Jessie said in a soothing tone. The kitten mewed and peered over her thigh at the water. A pair of shiny black eyes watched back. Jessie smiled as she watched the Dragonair swim around underneath the water's surface. It was nearly invisible underneath the splashing fountain, but she knew the Pokemon was there.
The Meowth calmed and Jessie looked around the back yard. The grounds were magnificent, and she sighed wistfully as she wished that it all belonged to her. At that it didn't-it belonged to her boyfriend of three long years. Mitch was an informant for Team Rocket and was paid handsomely for it. Jessie had built up a great deal of leave time in the past seven years or so and had decided to take the month off. The Meowth, the Dragonair, her clothing-all were gifts to her from Mitch.
Jessie smiled dreamily as she thought of him. He was tall and nicely built. His dark purple hair was nicely trimmed and his bright grey eyes always made her feel better inside. The money and presents helped too. This caused a continuing nagging feel in Jessie's mind. She wasn't sure if she was in love with Mitch or just the idea of being in love with him. Either way it beat being alone and living in a cold apartment in Rocket City.
"Meeeowt!" the kitten drew Jessie back as it climbed up onto her leg. The Meowth was barely three months old, as the coin on its head had not formed yet. In the few days that she'd had it the kitten had become incredibly attached to Jessie.
"You silly thing, what are you doing now?" Jessie laughed softly as the kitten stalked down her leg. It paused to play the with satiny edge of her skirt before proceeding down to her knee.
"Meowth! Meowth owth!" the kitten chirped loudly. It leaned towards the fountain, trying to catch a glimpse of its 'prey'. The tips of the Dragonair's ears and horn protruded just above the surface of the water. The Meowth hunkered down on Jessie's knee, its tail wiggling excitedly.
"Dragoooonn!" the other Pokemon's voice floated up from the water. The Meowth yelped in surprise and backpedaled, falling off of Jessie's knee. Jessie giggled as the kitten poked its head back up over Jessie's leg and peered around in confusion.
"Meow?"
"Aaaaaiiiir..." came the squeaky reply. The kitten brightened suddenly.
"Meoowth!" it shouted and jumped up onto Jessie's knee. "Eowth!" It howled in surprise as it lost its grip and tumbled down into the water.
"Meowth!" Jessie cried in alarm as the little Pokemon fell into the water with a splash. She leaned over the side, looking for the kitten. The churning waters pulled the Meowth down and it quickly disappeared. "Meowth?"
"Air!" the Dragonair's voice cut through Jessie's panic. She looked and found Dragonair on the other side of the fountain. The Meowth kitten was clinging to the Dragonair's snout.
"Oh, thank you, Dragonair!" Jessie exclaimed in relief as she rushed around to the other side and pulled the drenched kitten off of the Pokemon's nose.
"Air!" Dragonair said brightly.
"Meeeowth!" the kitten wailed. It trembled and tried to shake the water off of its feet.
"Oh, its okay Meowth," Jessie cooed, brushing the water from its fur. "Dragonair saved you, silly. You're okay."
"Meow," the kitten mewed.
"How about I take you back inside and use the hair dryer on you?"
"Eowth!" the Meowth had a strange attraction to Jessie's hair dryer.
"Good, I'm glad you agree."
**********
Jessie was half-way back to the sliding glass doors on the rear side of the house when she noticed the figures hiding in the bushes.
They sprang quickly on Jessie, who dropped the Meowth in shock. The kitten hid in the long grass as the two men grabbed Jessie. Both had short black hair and were wearing the black Team Rocket uniforms.
"What do you want?" Jessie wrenched her arms free from their grip.
"Well if it isn't Jessie, Mitch's bitch," one of the men said.
"What do you want?" Jessie repeated loudly.
"Where's Mitch?" the other asked. Jessie noticed that they were both holding their guns in wait.
"I-I think he's with the Boss," she said.
"You think? Don't you know?"
"No," Jessie shook her head. "He left this morning."
"Uh huh," one of the two said. He didn't sound convinced. "Shouldn't you be working, Jessie?"
"I took the month off," Jessie snapped, her hands balling into fists at her sides.
"Is that so," the other said. He stepped a little closer to Jessie, leering at her. "Then I'd suppose you have a lot of free time, eh?"
"Why you dirty little bastard!" Jessie's face colored and she took a swing at him. His partner grabbed her and held her arms against her back. The one she'd attacked leveled his gun at her. Instead of firing the weapon he struck Jessie hard with the butt of the gun. The skin at her hairline began to darken, and she screamed in pain.
"Dragonair!" the water Pokemon emerged from the water. It looked angrily at the two Rocket agents.
"What do you want with Mitch?" Jessie shouted.
"Oh, he'll know what we want," the man holding her hissed into her ear.
"Just tell him this," the other man said. He leveled his gun and fired. The bullet hit Dragonair dead below its horn. The Pokemon hit the water soundlessly.
"Dragonair! No!" Jessie struggled against the grip on her arms. Another blow was dealt to her forehead, and Jessie blacked out.
***********
"Meooooooooowth!"
"Meooooooooowth!"
"Meowwwwwoooowwwwoowwwwwth!"
The echoing yowls of Jessie's kitten Pokemon was the first thing that Mitch heard when he stepped out of his car a few hours later. At first he thought that perhaps the Meowth was just howling at the Pidgeys in the trees, but when he didn't hear any angry Pidgey replies Mitch began to get concerned. He pulled the gate to the backyard open and looked around. Everything seemed alright.
"Meeeeooooowwth!"
Mitch noticed the kitten sitting in the grass a few yards from the fountain. It was facing away from him.
"Meowth, baby, what's wrong?" Mitch called. The kitten stopped in mid-howl and turned.
"Meowth, Meowth, Meowth!" the Meowth bounced up and down at seeing Mitch. He noticed that it was a panicked jump rather than a happy one. Mitch rushed over to the kitten. That was where he found Jessie.
She was on her back, eyes tightly shut. Her hair had come undone, and there was a horrendous bruise on her forehead.
"Jessie!" Mitch cried out in alarm. He sunk to his knees next to her and felt for a pulse. It was there-she was just unconscious. "Jessie, wake up!"
"Oohh.... my head..." Jessie's eyes fluttered open after a minute. She winced at the blood in her left eye. "Mitch?"
"I'm here, it's okay," he whispered. "What happened?"
"They came..." she said softly.
"Who?"
"Two men from Team Rocket," Jessie said slowly. "They... they wanted to leave you a message..." Her eyes suddenly got large. "Dragonair! They shot Dragonair!"
"What?" Mitch looked toward the fountain. A long purplish-blue mass floated on the surface of the water.
"I'm sorry Mitch," Jessie sighed. "I couldn't stop them...I wasn't armed." There was a pause. "Where's Meowth?"
"Meeeowt?" the kitten crept through the grass and stopped at Jessie's side. She smiled.
Jessie wrapped her arms around Mitch's neck as he helped her up off the ground. She gave Mitch a kiss on the cheek and followed him silently inside.
***********
It had been seven years ago when the Boss had decided to separate Jessie and James. He had come to the conclusion that they were slowing each other down and canceling out each of their own personal potentials.
They had been back from another recent failed attempt at stealing Pikachu for about two days. It was late in the day, and Jessie was waiting for James and Meowth to return from getting dinner. No, she didn't expect for them to remember to bring her something, but she was waiting for them nonetheless. It was nearly seven at night, and Jessie wasn't thrilled about the idea of going out in Rocket City alone. Her gun and Pokemon weren't even good enough company.
When James did return, Meowth was not with him. He had a sullen look on his face and wouldn't look Jessie in the eye. Almost as soon as he had returned, James made short work of packing his belongings. Jessie had looked on, speechless. He was almost to the door before Jessie had been able to find anything to say.
"James! What you are you doing?!" Jessie shrieked, grabbing her partner by the arm.
"I'm leaving," James said softly, looking away from Jessie. He pulled his arm loose and opened the door.
"What? Why?!"
"I just have to," was his barely audible reply.
No further words were exchanged as James closed the door and left Jessie. She hadn't seen him since, not in seven long years.
***********
The Dragonair disappeared during the evening-Jessie did not ask how or why. She had went to one of the Team Rocket doctors-who had said that she didn't need to worry about a concussion-and the Pokemon's body was gone when she returned.
Mitch looked troubled that night at dinner. The Meowth sat in Jessie's lap, eyeing the variety of food on the table. Jessie was in the middle of devouring a dumpling when she noticed that Mitch wasn't eating.
"What's wrong, Mitch?" she asked softly. He looked up at her from across the table.
"Nothing," he said. Jessie knew he was lying. After all she was still a member of Team Rocket, vacation or no, and she was supposed to be able to tell when someone was lying. It didn't matter if it were Mitch or someone she had just met.
"You can tell me," Jessie said, a touch of 'you can't fool me' in her voice. "Is it about me?"
"Meowth," the kitten complained as Jessie swatted it away from the soy sauce.
"No, it doesn't have anything to do with you," Mitch said. The truth, but Jessie was still bugged.
"Mitch-"
"Jessie, please," Mitch sighed. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"Hurt?"
Mitch studied his empty plate for several minutes. "This afternoon... they came to kill me."
"What? How do you know?"
"The Dragonair," Mitch said. "They'll be back tonight to finish the job."
"What? Why?" Jessie rose out of her seat, sending the Meowth to the floor. "Why do they want to kill you? You're an informant, I thought they need you..."
"They don't anymore," he said bluntly. "The issue that I was informing them on has been dealt with and brought to a close. Now they have to cut all their ties, and clear their tracks."
"Clear their tracks.." Jessie's face fell. "What about me?"
"I don't think they'll hurt you, unless you try to stop them," Mitch said. "You're still an important agent for Team Rocket, aren't you?"
"I guess so..." Jessie leaned on the table. "But can't you run away?"
"They'll find me," he said quietly. "I'd rather make this easy."
"Easy?! You call being murdered 'easy'?" Jessie looked at him in disbelief.
"Think back to your own training, Jessie," Mitch said. She bit her lip.
"I suppose you're right," Jessie said sadly.
"Don't feel bad about this Jessie, I knew it would end for me sooner or later." Mitch covered Jessie's hand with his own. A tear formed in the corner of Jessie's eye.
"I wish it didn't have to be like this," she said quietly.
"As do I," Mitch whispered.
"What do you want me to do?" Jessie asked.
"There isn't anything that you can do," Mitch said. "Just.... don't try to stop them. You'll be safe if you don't interfere."
"I won't..." Jessie replied evenly. She returned to her seat. The Meowth was waiting and jumped back into her lap. She looked down at the kitten, her eye still watering. Jessie reached up and gingerly felt the lump on her forehead.
***********
Jessie walked down the stairs slowly. Her white nightgown clung to her as she took each step in an even, careful manner. She could see Mitch standing in the kitchen. He was holding his chest, looking at a man who was in the shadows. Jessie stopped at the foot of the stairs. Mitch turned and looked at her.
"Mitch, no!" she cried, moving towards him.
"Jessie, don't interfere," Mitch said, his voice pained. He held a hand out to stop her. Jessie balked, stopping as she saw the hand. It was covered in blood. Jessie swallowed, looking at the gunman.
At first he wasn't visible. Mitch fell to his knees, and it wasn't until he stopped moving that Jessie got a better look at the killer. Her breath left her lungs.
"James?"
***********
Jessie sat up in bed, breathless. The sudden movement made her head hurt, and she muttered something under her breath. It took a moment for her to realize-
"It was just a dream," she sighed. James wasn't there-in fact Jessie wasn't even certain if he was still alive. If he was, James was likely far away from here, doing something of an important matter.
Jessie looked at the clock. It was nearly dawn. She sighed and lay back in the bed. Jessie had nearly dozed off again when her Meowth suddenly lifted its head off the pillow and looked toward the door. Jessie froze, swallowing nervously.
"Meowt," the kitten said in a mock-growl. "Meeeeowth." It stared at the half-open door and out into the hallway. Jessie lay frozen in bed, wondering what was going on downstairs.
It didn't take long for her wondering to be answered. Meowth hunkered down in the sheets just before a gunshot echoed throughout the house. Jessie bit her lip.
"Stay here, Meowth," she whispered, pushing the kitten firmly onto the pillow. It tried to get up and follow, but stopped after being pushed down again. Jessie got out of bed and pulled her robe on. The robe was the same shade of dark blue as her nightgown-both had a small red 'R' embroidered into the fabric. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders, covering her forehead.
Jessie moved as silently as possible down the stairs. The floor was cold on her bare feet, and she was quickly at the bottom step. She peered into the living room--it was empty. Jessie got to the corner and stopped. She could hear someone's even breathing. It was familiar-but not Mitch's breathing. Jessie wanted to look around the corner to see the gunman, but something held her back. Mitch's request for her not to interfere rang in her ears.
Jessie watched the floor in front of her. The kitchen had been dark, but now a band of morning light was beginning to creep across the floor. Jessie stilled her nerves and stepped around the corner.
Mitch was laying on the floor, a small puddle of blood oozing from a hole in his head. He was clearly dead. The assassin had his back turned to her-he was going through one of the cabinets. Jessie clenched her hands at her sides, eyeing the man in the growing light. The gun was still in his hand, light glinting off of its smooth surface. After a long minute's consideration, Jessie cleared her throat. The man froze, pulling his gloved hand down from the cabinet. He turned.
The man's expression mirrored Jessie's own shock.
"J-Jessie?" the gun clattered to the floor. "What are you doing here?"
"You killed Mitch," Jessie said, her mouth hanging open. "Why?"
"It was my job..." he said, seeming to put two and two together as he looked from Mitch to Jessie.
"James.... why you?"
He was stiff, unable to switch his gaze from her. "It was my job..." he repeated. Jessie's eyes watered again, and she turned away. She knelt down next to Mitch's still form, unable to cry.
"I'm sorry, Mitch," she whispered to him. James stepped toward her. He was wearing a completely black uniform-fitting for an assassin. "Get away from me!"
"Jessie..."
Two other men appeared at the sliding glass door-Jessie hadn't even noticed that the door was unlocked. She got to her feet. They were the men from earlier, the ones who had killed Dragonair.
"Get out of here!" she screamed. "All of you, get out!"
The men grabbed Mitch's body and began to drag it out the door. Jessie lurched at them, but was held back by James. She kicked him, but he held fast.
"No!" she shouted. "Let go of me!" James held her wrists tightly until the men had finished their part of the job. They had even went so far as to clean up the blood and take the gun. She distractedly admired the thoroughness that was part of their training. Once they were gone James pushed her to the floor and went back to his business of rummaging through the cabinets.
"What are you doing?" Jessie asked, rubbing her head.
"The Boss said that I could have anything I wanted from the house, since most of it belonged to him," James said, not looking at her. He pulled off his gloves and started to go through the refrigerator. Jessie watched him for several minutes as James contentedly ate the leftovers from what Mitch hadn't eaten for dinner that night. Finally she got to her feet and approached him. James turned, swallowing a mouthful as she tapped him on the shoulder.
"What?"
"I just wanted to ask you something," Jessie whispered.
"Ask away," he said. Jessie leaned closer-her nose almost touched his.
"Why?" the question was loaded-for him it could have meant a lot of things.
"Why-why what?" James wondered.
Jessie pursed her lips, staring him in the eye. "Why are you so weak?"
"Weak?" he looked at her uncertainly. "I just killed your-your-boyfriend-and you're calling me weak?"
"Yes."
James looked at her for a moment, and then leaned forward. He pressed his lips against Jessie's, holding her neck as he kissed her. She hesitated for a moment, and then pulled herself away.
"Coward," she spat, licking her lips. James arched a brow curiously.
"I am because I have to be," he whispered to her. Jessie trembled, wanting to slap him but unable to move. Something in her mind wouldn't let her-it didn't matter if he had left her and come back only to kill her boyfriend-it was James. She had missed him for so long...
"Get out of here, please," she said, trying to keep her voice from waivering.
"You can't make me," James whispered. His face was still too close for comfort. He reached his other hand up and rested his fingers on Jessie's cheek. His fingers were cold from the fridge and she jerked at the touch. "I missed you, Jessie. Did you ever miss me?"
She trembled under his touch as he caressed her cheek. "If you really missed me you would have contacted me."
"You know were aren't supposed to talk to each other anymore," James whispered, sounding regretful.
"That never stopped you before," Jessie said.
"Times change."
"They do."
His fingers trailed up her cheek, and Jessie wanted to cry. She had missed him. James fingers went further up, and Jessie hissed in pain. Her eyes clenched shut, and James stopped in surprise. He brushed the hair back from her face and eyed the lump on her forehead.
"Who did this to you?"
"Your assassin friends," Jessie whispered, keeping her eyes shut. James made a slightly strangled noise as he looked toward the sliding door. He bowed his head, his hair brushing against her chin. Jessie looked at him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't know."
"I know," she whispered in return. He tilted his face up, brushing his lips against hers. A cry escaped her lips. "You need to go, James."
He was pressed closer to her than either had realized. "But Jessie..."
"You know you can't do this," Jessie whispered weakly, her voice faltering.
"I need you, Jessie," James murmured, his other hand on her back now.
"I know," she whispered, "but we both know that this can't happen. Not now... not anymore."
He pulled back from her, studying her face in the early dawn's light. There were tears in his eyes that Jessie had not noticed.
"I'm sorry, James," Jessie whispered. He shushed her, pressing his finger on her lips.
"That's all we can be, my dear Jessica."
"We can't go against the Boss's commands," Jessie said. It was the only other thing that her broken heart could think to say. James nodded, and stepped away from her.
"I wish you didn't hate me, Jessie." His voice was sad as he pushed the door open.
"I don't hate you, James."
Jessie watched James disappear out the back door. For a moment she was unsure as to what to do.
"Meowth?" the kitten's voice came from the top of the stairs.
"It's okay," Jessie called, surprised at how empty her voice sounded. The kitten arrived quickly and wound around her ankles. Jessie looked from the spot where Mitch had fallen and then to where James had stood. The refrigerator was still open. Jessie picked up the Meowth, holding it to her chest as she thought. She went over to the fridge, her hand resting on the handle. She hesitated.
The refrigerator door remained hanging open as Jessie left the room.
End
Notes: This is a driving story, as in I came up with the idea while driving and had to write it to get it out of my head. It's a bit short and hurried, but oh well. This is not a story for the younger viewers, but has that ever stopped you people before? I'll try to lay off the using of 'damn' as someone's last name, Shadowcat... enjoy this glimpse into weirdness! Romantic? I guess it is a little...
The Assassin's Heart
by: Sforzie
She sat on the ledge that surrounded a luxuriant fountain. Her red hair was tied in a long coil that traveled down her back. Jessie sighed, petting the Meowth kitten that sat in her lap. The Meowth was eyeing the water uncertainly.
"Now now, my little Meowth, there's nothing to worry about," Jessie said in a soothing tone. The kitten mewed and peered over her thigh at the water. A pair of shiny black eyes watched back. Jessie smiled as she watched the Dragonair swim around underneath the water's surface. It was nearly invisible underneath the splashing fountain, but she knew the Pokemon was there.
The Meowth calmed and Jessie looked around the back yard. The grounds were magnificent, and she sighed wistfully as she wished that it all belonged to her. At that it didn't-it belonged to her boyfriend of three long years. Mitch was an informant for Team Rocket and was paid handsomely for it. Jessie had built up a great deal of leave time in the past seven years or so and had decided to take the month off. The Meowth, the Dragonair, her clothing-all were gifts to her from Mitch.
Jessie smiled dreamily as she thought of him. He was tall and nicely built. His dark purple hair was nicely trimmed and his bright grey eyes always made her feel better inside. The money and presents helped too. This caused a continuing nagging feel in Jessie's mind. She wasn't sure if she was in love with Mitch or just the idea of being in love with him. Either way it beat being alone and living in a cold apartment in Rocket City.
"Meeeowt!" the kitten drew Jessie back as it climbed up onto her leg. The Meowth was barely three months old, as the coin on its head had not formed yet. In the few days that she'd had it the kitten had become incredibly attached to Jessie.
"You silly thing, what are you doing now?" Jessie laughed softly as the kitten stalked down her leg. It paused to play the with satiny edge of her skirt before proceeding down to her knee.
"Meowth! Meowth owth!" the kitten chirped loudly. It leaned towards the fountain, trying to catch a glimpse of its 'prey'. The tips of the Dragonair's ears and horn protruded just above the surface of the water. The Meowth hunkered down on Jessie's knee, its tail wiggling excitedly.
"Dragoooonn!" the other Pokemon's voice floated up from the water. The Meowth yelped in surprise and backpedaled, falling off of Jessie's knee. Jessie giggled as the kitten poked its head back up over Jessie's leg and peered around in confusion.
"Meow?"
"Aaaaaiiiir..." came the squeaky reply. The kitten brightened suddenly.
"Meoowth!" it shouted and jumped up onto Jessie's knee. "Eowth!" It howled in surprise as it lost its grip and tumbled down into the water.
"Meowth!" Jessie cried in alarm as the little Pokemon fell into the water with a splash. She leaned over the side, looking for the kitten. The churning waters pulled the Meowth down and it quickly disappeared. "Meowth?"
"Air!" the Dragonair's voice cut through Jessie's panic. She looked and found Dragonair on the other side of the fountain. The Meowth kitten was clinging to the Dragonair's snout.
"Oh, thank you, Dragonair!" Jessie exclaimed in relief as she rushed around to the other side and pulled the drenched kitten off of the Pokemon's nose.
"Air!" Dragonair said brightly.
"Meeeowth!" the kitten wailed. It trembled and tried to shake the water off of its feet.
"Oh, its okay Meowth," Jessie cooed, brushing the water from its fur. "Dragonair saved you, silly. You're okay."
"Meow," the kitten mewed.
"How about I take you back inside and use the hair dryer on you?"
"Eowth!" the Meowth had a strange attraction to Jessie's hair dryer.
"Good, I'm glad you agree."
**********
Jessie was half-way back to the sliding glass doors on the rear side of the house when she noticed the figures hiding in the bushes.
They sprang quickly on Jessie, who dropped the Meowth in shock. The kitten hid in the long grass as the two men grabbed Jessie. Both had short black hair and were wearing the black Team Rocket uniforms.
"What do you want?" Jessie wrenched her arms free from their grip.
"Well if it isn't Jessie, Mitch's bitch," one of the men said.
"What do you want?" Jessie repeated loudly.
"Where's Mitch?" the other asked. Jessie noticed that they were both holding their guns in wait.
"I-I think he's with the Boss," she said.
"You think? Don't you know?"
"No," Jessie shook her head. "He left this morning."
"Uh huh," one of the two said. He didn't sound convinced. "Shouldn't you be working, Jessie?"
"I took the month off," Jessie snapped, her hands balling into fists at her sides.
"Is that so," the other said. He stepped a little closer to Jessie, leering at her. "Then I'd suppose you have a lot of free time, eh?"
"Why you dirty little bastard!" Jessie's face colored and she took a swing at him. His partner grabbed her and held her arms against her back. The one she'd attacked leveled his gun at her. Instead of firing the weapon he struck Jessie hard with the butt of the gun. The skin at her hairline began to darken, and she screamed in pain.
"Dragonair!" the water Pokemon emerged from the water. It looked angrily at the two Rocket agents.
"What do you want with Mitch?" Jessie shouted.
"Oh, he'll know what we want," the man holding her hissed into her ear.
"Just tell him this," the other man said. He leveled his gun and fired. The bullet hit Dragonair dead below its horn. The Pokemon hit the water soundlessly.
"Dragonair! No!" Jessie struggled against the grip on her arms. Another blow was dealt to her forehead, and Jessie blacked out.
***********
"Meooooooooowth!"
"Meooooooooowth!"
"Meowwwwwoooowwwwoowwwwwth!"
The echoing yowls of Jessie's kitten Pokemon was the first thing that Mitch heard when he stepped out of his car a few hours later. At first he thought that perhaps the Meowth was just howling at the Pidgeys in the trees, but when he didn't hear any angry Pidgey replies Mitch began to get concerned. He pulled the gate to the backyard open and looked around. Everything seemed alright.
"Meeeeooooowwth!"
Mitch noticed the kitten sitting in the grass a few yards from the fountain. It was facing away from him.
"Meowth, baby, what's wrong?" Mitch called. The kitten stopped in mid-howl and turned.
"Meowth, Meowth, Meowth!" the Meowth bounced up and down at seeing Mitch. He noticed that it was a panicked jump rather than a happy one. Mitch rushed over to the kitten. That was where he found Jessie.
She was on her back, eyes tightly shut. Her hair had come undone, and there was a horrendous bruise on her forehead.
"Jessie!" Mitch cried out in alarm. He sunk to his knees next to her and felt for a pulse. It was there-she was just unconscious. "Jessie, wake up!"
"Oohh.... my head..." Jessie's eyes fluttered open after a minute. She winced at the blood in her left eye. "Mitch?"
"I'm here, it's okay," he whispered. "What happened?"
"They came..." she said softly.
"Who?"
"Two men from Team Rocket," Jessie said slowly. "They... they wanted to leave you a message..." Her eyes suddenly got large. "Dragonair! They shot Dragonair!"
"What?" Mitch looked toward the fountain. A long purplish-blue mass floated on the surface of the water.
"I'm sorry Mitch," Jessie sighed. "I couldn't stop them...I wasn't armed." There was a pause. "Where's Meowth?"
"Meeeowt?" the kitten crept through the grass and stopped at Jessie's side. She smiled.
Jessie wrapped her arms around Mitch's neck as he helped her up off the ground. She gave Mitch a kiss on the cheek and followed him silently inside.
***********
It had been seven years ago when the Boss had decided to separate Jessie and James. He had come to the conclusion that they were slowing each other down and canceling out each of their own personal potentials.
They had been back from another recent failed attempt at stealing Pikachu for about two days. It was late in the day, and Jessie was waiting for James and Meowth to return from getting dinner. No, she didn't expect for them to remember to bring her something, but she was waiting for them nonetheless. It was nearly seven at night, and Jessie wasn't thrilled about the idea of going out in Rocket City alone. Her gun and Pokemon weren't even good enough company.
When James did return, Meowth was not with him. He had a sullen look on his face and wouldn't look Jessie in the eye. Almost as soon as he had returned, James made short work of packing his belongings. Jessie had looked on, speechless. He was almost to the door before Jessie had been able to find anything to say.
"James! What you are you doing?!" Jessie shrieked, grabbing her partner by the arm.
"I'm leaving," James said softly, looking away from Jessie. He pulled his arm loose and opened the door.
"What? Why?!"
"I just have to," was his barely audible reply.
No further words were exchanged as James closed the door and left Jessie. She hadn't seen him since, not in seven long years.
***********
The Dragonair disappeared during the evening-Jessie did not ask how or why. She had went to one of the Team Rocket doctors-who had said that she didn't need to worry about a concussion-and the Pokemon's body was gone when she returned.
Mitch looked troubled that night at dinner. The Meowth sat in Jessie's lap, eyeing the variety of food on the table. Jessie was in the middle of devouring a dumpling when she noticed that Mitch wasn't eating.
"What's wrong, Mitch?" she asked softly. He looked up at her from across the table.
"Nothing," he said. Jessie knew he was lying. After all she was still a member of Team Rocket, vacation or no, and she was supposed to be able to tell when someone was lying. It didn't matter if it were Mitch or someone she had just met.
"You can tell me," Jessie said, a touch of 'you can't fool me' in her voice. "Is it about me?"
"Meowth," the kitten complained as Jessie swatted it away from the soy sauce.
"No, it doesn't have anything to do with you," Mitch said. The truth, but Jessie was still bugged.
"Mitch-"
"Jessie, please," Mitch sighed. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"Hurt?"
Mitch studied his empty plate for several minutes. "This afternoon... they came to kill me."
"What? How do you know?"
"The Dragonair," Mitch said. "They'll be back tonight to finish the job."
"What? Why?" Jessie rose out of her seat, sending the Meowth to the floor. "Why do they want to kill you? You're an informant, I thought they need you..."
"They don't anymore," he said bluntly. "The issue that I was informing them on has been dealt with and brought to a close. Now they have to cut all their ties, and clear their tracks."
"Clear their tracks.." Jessie's face fell. "What about me?"
"I don't think they'll hurt you, unless you try to stop them," Mitch said. "You're still an important agent for Team Rocket, aren't you?"
"I guess so..." Jessie leaned on the table. "But can't you run away?"
"They'll find me," he said quietly. "I'd rather make this easy."
"Easy?! You call being murdered 'easy'?" Jessie looked at him in disbelief.
"Think back to your own training, Jessie," Mitch said. She bit her lip.
"I suppose you're right," Jessie said sadly.
"Don't feel bad about this Jessie, I knew it would end for me sooner or later." Mitch covered Jessie's hand with his own. A tear formed in the corner of Jessie's eye.
"I wish it didn't have to be like this," she said quietly.
"As do I," Mitch whispered.
"What do you want me to do?" Jessie asked.
"There isn't anything that you can do," Mitch said. "Just.... don't try to stop them. You'll be safe if you don't interfere."
"I won't..." Jessie replied evenly. She returned to her seat. The Meowth was waiting and jumped back into her lap. She looked down at the kitten, her eye still watering. Jessie reached up and gingerly felt the lump on her forehead.
***********
Jessie walked down the stairs slowly. Her white nightgown clung to her as she took each step in an even, careful manner. She could see Mitch standing in the kitchen. He was holding his chest, looking at a man who was in the shadows. Jessie stopped at the foot of the stairs. Mitch turned and looked at her.
"Mitch, no!" she cried, moving towards him.
"Jessie, don't interfere," Mitch said, his voice pained. He held a hand out to stop her. Jessie balked, stopping as she saw the hand. It was covered in blood. Jessie swallowed, looking at the gunman.
At first he wasn't visible. Mitch fell to his knees, and it wasn't until he stopped moving that Jessie got a better look at the killer. Her breath left her lungs.
"James?"
***********
Jessie sat up in bed, breathless. The sudden movement made her head hurt, and she muttered something under her breath. It took a moment for her to realize-
"It was just a dream," she sighed. James wasn't there-in fact Jessie wasn't even certain if he was still alive. If he was, James was likely far away from here, doing something of an important matter.
Jessie looked at the clock. It was nearly dawn. She sighed and lay back in the bed. Jessie had nearly dozed off again when her Meowth suddenly lifted its head off the pillow and looked toward the door. Jessie froze, swallowing nervously.
"Meowt," the kitten said in a mock-growl. "Meeeeowth." It stared at the half-open door and out into the hallway. Jessie lay frozen in bed, wondering what was going on downstairs.
It didn't take long for her wondering to be answered. Meowth hunkered down in the sheets just before a gunshot echoed throughout the house. Jessie bit her lip.
"Stay here, Meowth," she whispered, pushing the kitten firmly onto the pillow. It tried to get up and follow, but stopped after being pushed down again. Jessie got out of bed and pulled her robe on. The robe was the same shade of dark blue as her nightgown-both had a small red 'R' embroidered into the fabric. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders, covering her forehead.
Jessie moved as silently as possible down the stairs. The floor was cold on her bare feet, and she was quickly at the bottom step. She peered into the living room--it was empty. Jessie got to the corner and stopped. She could hear someone's even breathing. It was familiar-but not Mitch's breathing. Jessie wanted to look around the corner to see the gunman, but something held her back. Mitch's request for her not to interfere rang in her ears.
Jessie watched the floor in front of her. The kitchen had been dark, but now a band of morning light was beginning to creep across the floor. Jessie stilled her nerves and stepped around the corner.
Mitch was laying on the floor, a small puddle of blood oozing from a hole in his head. He was clearly dead. The assassin had his back turned to her-he was going through one of the cabinets. Jessie clenched her hands at her sides, eyeing the man in the growing light. The gun was still in his hand, light glinting off of its smooth surface. After a long minute's consideration, Jessie cleared her throat. The man froze, pulling his gloved hand down from the cabinet. He turned.
The man's expression mirrored Jessie's own shock.
"J-Jessie?" the gun clattered to the floor. "What are you doing here?"
"You killed Mitch," Jessie said, her mouth hanging open. "Why?"
"It was my job..." he said, seeming to put two and two together as he looked from Mitch to Jessie.
"James.... why you?"
He was stiff, unable to switch his gaze from her. "It was my job..." he repeated. Jessie's eyes watered again, and she turned away. She knelt down next to Mitch's still form, unable to cry.
"I'm sorry, Mitch," she whispered to him. James stepped toward her. He was wearing a completely black uniform-fitting for an assassin. "Get away from me!"
"Jessie..."
Two other men appeared at the sliding glass door-Jessie hadn't even noticed that the door was unlocked. She got to her feet. They were the men from earlier, the ones who had killed Dragonair.
"Get out of here!" she screamed. "All of you, get out!"
The men grabbed Mitch's body and began to drag it out the door. Jessie lurched at them, but was held back by James. She kicked him, but he held fast.
"No!" she shouted. "Let go of me!" James held her wrists tightly until the men had finished their part of the job. They had even went so far as to clean up the blood and take the gun. She distractedly admired the thoroughness that was part of their training. Once they were gone James pushed her to the floor and went back to his business of rummaging through the cabinets.
"What are you doing?" Jessie asked, rubbing her head.
"The Boss said that I could have anything I wanted from the house, since most of it belonged to him," James said, not looking at her. He pulled off his gloves and started to go through the refrigerator. Jessie watched him for several minutes as James contentedly ate the leftovers from what Mitch hadn't eaten for dinner that night. Finally she got to her feet and approached him. James turned, swallowing a mouthful as she tapped him on the shoulder.
"What?"
"I just wanted to ask you something," Jessie whispered.
"Ask away," he said. Jessie leaned closer-her nose almost touched his.
"Why?" the question was loaded-for him it could have meant a lot of things.
"Why-why what?" James wondered.
Jessie pursed her lips, staring him in the eye. "Why are you so weak?"
"Weak?" he looked at her uncertainly. "I just killed your-your-boyfriend-and you're calling me weak?"
"Yes."
James looked at her for a moment, and then leaned forward. He pressed his lips against Jessie's, holding her neck as he kissed her. She hesitated for a moment, and then pulled herself away.
"Coward," she spat, licking her lips. James arched a brow curiously.
"I am because I have to be," he whispered to her. Jessie trembled, wanting to slap him but unable to move. Something in her mind wouldn't let her-it didn't matter if he had left her and come back only to kill her boyfriend-it was James. She had missed him for so long...
"Get out of here, please," she said, trying to keep her voice from waivering.
"You can't make me," James whispered. His face was still too close for comfort. He reached his other hand up and rested his fingers on Jessie's cheek. His fingers were cold from the fridge and she jerked at the touch. "I missed you, Jessie. Did you ever miss me?"
She trembled under his touch as he caressed her cheek. "If you really missed me you would have contacted me."
"You know were aren't supposed to talk to each other anymore," James whispered, sounding regretful.
"That never stopped you before," Jessie said.
"Times change."
"They do."
His fingers trailed up her cheek, and Jessie wanted to cry. She had missed him. James fingers went further up, and Jessie hissed in pain. Her eyes clenched shut, and James stopped in surprise. He brushed the hair back from her face and eyed the lump on her forehead.
"Who did this to you?"
"Your assassin friends," Jessie whispered, keeping her eyes shut. James made a slightly strangled noise as he looked toward the sliding door. He bowed his head, his hair brushing against her chin. Jessie looked at him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't know."
"I know," she whispered in return. He tilted his face up, brushing his lips against hers. A cry escaped her lips. "You need to go, James."
He was pressed closer to her than either had realized. "But Jessie..."
"You know you can't do this," Jessie whispered weakly, her voice faltering.
"I need you, Jessie," James murmured, his other hand on her back now.
"I know," she whispered, "but we both know that this can't happen. Not now... not anymore."
He pulled back from her, studying her face in the early dawn's light. There were tears in his eyes that Jessie had not noticed.
"I'm sorry, James," Jessie whispered. He shushed her, pressing his finger on her lips.
"That's all we can be, my dear Jessica."
"We can't go against the Boss's commands," Jessie said. It was the only other thing that her broken heart could think to say. James nodded, and stepped away from her.
"I wish you didn't hate me, Jessie." His voice was sad as he pushed the door open.
"I don't hate you, James."
Jessie watched James disappear out the back door. For a moment she was unsure as to what to do.
"Meowth?" the kitten's voice came from the top of the stairs.
"It's okay," Jessie called, surprised at how empty her voice sounded. The kitten arrived quickly and wound around her ankles. Jessie looked from the spot where Mitch had fallen and then to where James had stood. The refrigerator was still open. Jessie picked up the Meowth, holding it to her chest as she thought. She went over to the fridge, her hand resting on the handle. She hesitated.
The refrigerator door remained hanging open as Jessie left the room.
End