It was very quiet. And awkward. Jessie looked to the left and shifted uncomfortably. She knew things were a bit tense between her and her partner in crime, James after she almost quit Team Rocket to live with Dr. White. She couldn't quite figure out what, but it seemed to her that James was angry at her. Sure, she almost left her two best friend's in the world to run off with some doctor guy, but if James truly was her friend she would want her to be happy. Right? Jessie sighed and stared off into the horizon. Come on James stop being so stubborn, Jessie thought.
Later, the trio had stopped in a forest to rest for the night. Each of them doing their separate tasks to make the night a little less uncomfortable. No one said a word to each other, but tension was clearly in the air. Soon they had a small fire going, which helped the cold night be a little less unbearable. The rocket trio sat around the fire. The silence continued. As time passed, the fire was getting dim. "I'll go get some more firewood," James said abruptly, getting up from his spot and marching off into the woods.
Meowth looked at Jessie. "Boy, sumthin' really gots him bugged" he said to her.
Jessie sighed and looked down. "I know…" She stood up and followed James into the woods. "James! James!" She cried out.
James turned around. "What Jessie?" He asked, a hint of malice rolled off his tongue, stinging Jessie in the heart.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He replied.
Jessie sighed. "I know that's a lie. You've barely talked all night. Now tell me, what's wrong?" Again, James said nothing. "Is this about me wanting to run off with Doctor White?" Silence again. "Because honestly James if that's what's bothering you then you're really being selfish," Jessie spat.
"Really? Because I think you're being selfish right now!" James retorted.
"Why? Because I wanted maybe a chance of happiness? Because I thought maybe I could quit Team Rocket, maybe even start my life over?! Yeah, I'm being so selfish for putting myself before the beloved 'team'." Jessie was outraged. This was her life. Not anybody else's.
"You didn't even talk to me about this…" James whispered. "You were just going to leave. You weren't even going to say goodbye to the two people who care about you the most." He clenched his fist and turned away from her.
Jessie sighed and looked away. Then, she said something that even for her was hard to say. "You're right." James turned back around. "James….I'm sorry….I just thought, maybe, I actually had a chance of really doing something with my life. Doctor White gave me hope, that maybe someone would actually love me, that I could start over. That…I wouldn't be a loser anymore."
"Jessie, you're not a loser." James said to her.
"Yes I am. Just look at my life. What have I accomplished? Nothing. I just really screwed up, and now I'm stuck in this whirlpool of crime that I can't escape." Jessie looked down. James stared at her; he could see small tears forming at the edges of her blue-crystalline eyes.
"Jessie…" James started to say, but trailed off. His heart was pounding in his chest. His hands became sweaty. Say it. Come on James, say it.
"What Ja-"
"Jessie I love you!" James cried out, immediately recoiling into himself, scared of her reaction.
Jessie was stunned. "W-what?"
"I-I….I love you." James whispered.
Jessie was just shocked, unable to move or say anything. Someone loved her. Something she had been longing for for so long. At once, all of her bottled up emotions came pouring out. She lunged at James, hugging him and sobbing into his shoulder. "I-I'm sorry." She sniffled. James said nothing and just hugged her tighter. "It's just been so hard. My life sucked. I was never give any chances, always kicked to the side. That's why I wanted to be with Doctor White, because I thought he saw someone in me. Someone that could be worthwhile." She looked at him and kissed his cheek. "It turns out, I was looking at the wrong person the whole time."
"Jessie, I will always protect you. I love you, and I always will. We're in this together, no matter what." He looked at her face and wiped a tear away. "We're a team after all."
"I love you James."
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed, a review would be very much appreciated! :)