Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
Cassidy wasn't really one who lived at her own house most of the time. She usually lived in the Team Rocket Headquarters in her room with Butch or she'd be on the road, travelling around to find Pokemon for Team Rocket. But since she and Butch were forced to take a vacation from Team Rocket, she decided instead of going off on a cruise with Wendy and Domino or to Butch's parents' vacation home with him in Undella Town up in Unova, she decided she'd just go home to her house in Celadon City.
When Cassidy had arrived there, old memories of her father making waffles and bacon on Sundays and the smell of her mother's famous pasta and meatballs rushed back to her. She had turned on a light and saw that everything was perfectly clean; spotless just how her mother loved it.
Cassidy walked into the kitchen and looked at all of the food her mother had bought. She saw that her mother had made her tomato sauce from scratch. She assumed that she'd be making spaghetti for dinner. She stood there in the large kitchen with the cream colored walls and the marble counters that was so familiar to her.
Cassidy wasn't surprised to find a note on the table that said her father had gone to work and her mother was out at the moment. She remembered when she was growing up, her parents were never home except on Sundays. Every other day of the week, she remembered being left alone most of the time with the nanny who didn't care whether Cassidy jumped off a bridge or ran out of the house and didn't come back until midnight. "Oh my my, Cassidy. Look how much you've changed! I haven't seen you in ages!" It was the cleaning lady Anna May who had been doing this job since before Cassidy was born. She had grown up with her. Of course, she had been much younger back then. Now, her dark purple hair had changed to gray, and she had aged. Cassidy assumed she must have been at least sixty by now.
"Anna, how are you?" Cassidy asked and gave the thin old woman a hug. She remembered that Anna May had never neglected her when she was younger whenever she was there every Wednesday, keeping the house in tip top shape.
"I've been well. I'm getting old, you know, the usual." She joked. "But enough about me, how are you doing? Gosh, I don't think I've seen you since the day you turned sixteen. You've got to be twenty two by now."
"Yeah, I am." Cassidy said. "I've been great actually."
"How come you've come back? Not that I mind, it's great to see you." Anna said.
"Well, my boss forced me to take a vacation along with everyone else. I guess he was in one of his good moods." She shrugged. "But I didn't really feel like traveling. I do enough of that while I'm working and I figured I should come see everyone."
"And how is little Jessie Jess?" Anna asked. "I haven't seen her for a long time."
"Don't mention her." Cassidy said. "We aren't friends."
"Oh, that's a shame because the two of you were great friends until she was sent to another foster home."
"Yeah." Cassidy didn't really want to argue with the older woman.
"I found something up in the attic. Your mother had no idea what it was, so I think you might."
"What makes you think that?" Cassidy asked her.
"I don't know, but I think you should see what it is. Your mother doesn't want to throw anything away that might be yours. She's finally having me clean out that old attic." Anna began to lead Cassidy up the stairs and to the attic. "For someone who's so clean, your mother sure knows how to keep a dirty attic." Anna chuckled a bit. She led Cassidy up the old stairs into the attic. Anna May turned the light on to brighten up the room a bit. Cassidy was surprised how dusty everything was up there. She hadn't realized that her mother kept so much stuff. She saw some piles that had been dusted off and another that hadn't been, all shoved in the corner with cobwebs on them.
"What box is the one mom wanted me to take a look at?" Cassidy asked.
"The one on the top of that pile." Anna pointed to the dusty one. Of course Cassidy's mother wouldn't bother dusting it off. She walked over to it and picked it up and placed it on the floor and sat down next to it. She sneezed a couple of times because of the dust that was picked up from the box. She saw that it was labeled "Cassidy's Amazing Box of Memories and Stuff" in her handwriting from when she was about twelve or so, right before she left for Pokemon Tech. "Well, I've got to get going home. It was great seeing you again, Cassidy." Anna May said.
"You too." Cassidy smiled up at the woman that was practically her grandmother. The older woman left Cassidy alone in the attic that Cassidy remembered being afraid of when she was a little girl.
She decided to open the box and sort the things out that she didn't want to make Anna May's job easier. Right before she did, her mother burst through the attic door and brought her into a tight hug. "Oh, my baby Cassidy!" She exclaimed. Of course, she was wearing an expensive dark red dress and heels and a ton of diamonds.
"Hey, mom." Cassidy said.
"Oh, I'm so delighted to see you! I see you were going to go through your box of things. I'll let you be for a while. I'll be in the sun room. When you're done, come see me! We have a ton of catching up to do!" She said and waltzed out of the attic. Cassidy rolled her eyes. Of course her mother would be the only one on the planet that wouldn't even want to talk to her only child after six years or so without even seeing her.
She turned her attention back to the box that she must have stored here before she went off to Pokemon Tech. Funny, she didn't even remember putting this box together but yet here it was with her girly handwriting with a heart over the "i's". She took out the first thing, which was an old picture of her and Jessie. She immediately tossed it in the soon to be pile of stuff to throw away. The next thing she found under it was a note. It was odd because it was addressed to her and from her.
Dear Future Me,
Hey, it's Present Cassidy, but in your case, Past Cassidy. Anyway, I am writing this because I want to see if I change after Pokemon Tech. My mother says that it'll change me into being a perfect little lady. But I won't let it change me. So, I'm basically writing this to prove her wrong.
First, I will remind myself why I don't really like my mother. I mean, she is a good cook and all, but she hates that Jessie and I are best friends. She told me to my face that she hated Jessie because she was a piece of street trash and will amount to nothing.
Cassidy was actually beginning to like her mother. It was odd, but she wished she listened to her mother and didn't put too much time and energy into Jessie.
But I know that Jessie will amount to something. She's a smart and talented little girl. I miss her a lot because she was moved to another foster family all the way in Hoenn.
Anyway, I remember the first time I met Jessie. She was a scared five year old who had been living in an orphanage until her abusive foster parents took her in. I found her crying in the street in a cardboard box…
A seven and a half year old Cassidy walked along the streets of Celadon City, kicking a rock as she walked along. "Stupid mommy and stupid daddy forgetting that I had no school today. It's a holiday for crying out loud!" She said to herself. She continued to mutter things that someone her age shouldn't be saying. She stepped on every leaf and pinecone that fell from the trees. The fall breeze forced her to wear her expensive jacket that she hated. All of a sudden, she heard crying from a small alleyway in between two large buildings. Being curious and not knowing better, she decided to go check it out. "Hello?" She called. "Anyone in here?" She stepped into the alley, walking slowly to try and make out where the cries came from.
Eventually, she looked down deep in the alley and heard the person crying. She looked down at a cardboard box and got on her hands and knees to get a better look. Inside, there was a small little girl with red hair and tears falling down her face. She looked at Cassidy and tried to back up further in her box. "Hey, don't be scared. I'm not gonna hurt you." Cassidy said as if she was talking to a Pokemon. The little girl flinched when Cassidy touched her arm. "My name is Cassidy." She smiled, trying a different approach. "What's yours?"
"Jessie." The little girl said in between sobs.
"What's the matter, Jessie?" Cassidy asked her nicely.
"My new parents hurted me." She cried. "Wait, pretend I didn't tell you. I'm not supposta tell." She added quickly.
"I won't tell." Cassidy said, knowing that she probably should. "You can trust me."
"I can't trust anybody." Jessie said sadly. "Nobody can be trusted."
"Do you have trust issues?" Cassidy asked her sweetly. "Because if you do, I kinda do to. You see, my mommy and daddy forgot to have my nanny come and watch me today because they forgot I didn't have school." She admitted.
"I trusted my mommy." Jessie cried. "She said she'd come back but she didn't. It's all my fault. The only reason she left was to make moneys so I could have a better life. But she's gone and now I gotta live with them."
"Hey, it's okay. You'll be okay." Cassidy tried to assure Jessie.
"What's your name again?"
"Cassidy."
"Cassie?"
"No, Cassidy."
"Cassie?" Jessie tried.
"I usually don't let people call me Cassie, but you can call me Cassie. I don't mind." Cassidy smiled.
"Okay, Cassie." Cassidy thought it was odd that Jessie changed the subject so fast. But then again, she was five and she didn't really have an attention span as long as hers. "Wanna see a picture of my mommy?" Jessie asked and crawled out of the box. It was the beginning of a seemingly lifelong friendship.
Cassidy shook her head, wanting to forget that stupid memory. She decided that she'd continue reading the letter so that she didn't start going down memory lane again.
Well anyway, I'm also writing this letter to remind myself what everything in this box is. The picture on top of this letter is me and Jessie. I have a whole photo album of pictures of Jessie, me, Pokemon, and just some random stuff I took pictures of with my digital camera before it broke. Funny, because it broke the day Jessie left after we took pictures of each other the day before.
There's a stuffed Pokemon in here. It's a Gengar. I know it looks creepy with just one eye, but I love it. I can't bring it to Pokemon Tech because that would be like social suicide, sleeping with a stuffed Pokemon. Please, I'm twelve not three.
And there's also just some odds and ends in here like some money (three hundred dollars to be exact). But the thing in here that takes up the most room is a suitcase. It has a bunch of things Jessie had to leave behind when she left because the social worker didn't let her take such a big suitcase with her this time when she left. The things in it belonged to her mother. I remember when I received the suitcase. Jessie didn't ask me to personally hold onto it. It was actually her old foster mother…
An eleven year old girl heard the door knock at around two in the morning. She was left alone in the big house by herself quite frequently. Her mother's logic was that since ten year olds could go on Pokemon journeys alone, why couldn't Cassidy watch herself during the day and night? So, she wasn't really scared when she heard a knock on the door.
Even though it was an odd hour, Cassidy decided to answer the door. She had been crying for a while because she remembered that Jessie used to call her in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep because her foster parents would be drunk and throwing things around. Just for the thrill of danger, she walked downstairs to the large French doors. She turned on the outside light and opened the door. Standing in front of her was Mrs. Henderson, or better known as Jessie's ex foster mother, standing there, obviously drunk, with a large dark blue suitcase in her hands. "Cassidy, what a pretty girl you are." She slurred her words.
"What can I do for you Mrs. Henderson?" Cassidy asked in a rude tone. She was not a fan of this woman.
"Little Jessica left this here because the social worker made her before she was shipped off to Hoenn." Mrs. Henderson began to explain. "And I don't want it. I know that you're good friends with Jessica, so I'm giving it to you to remember her by." She handed her the suitcase.
"Thank you." Cassidy said in shock. "I'll take good care of it." Mrs. Henderson turned around and stumbled away, without saying goodbye.
So, I promised myself that I'd take good care of this stuff in the suitcase and maybe give it back to Jessie if I ever see it again.
Now to see if Pokemon Tech changed me…my current traits are I'm nice, funny, loving, determined, happy, and assertive. Now, who was right; me or my mother?
With tons and tons of love to myself,
Cassidy
Cassidy knew her mother had won. After Pokemon Tech, she had become egocentric, bitchy, and aggressive. Folding up the letter and putting it next to the picture of Jessie and that old Gengar she subconsciously took out of the box, she decided that pile was now the keep pile. She took out the suitcase that was on the bottom and hesitated to open it. She knew it was probably the wrong thing to do, but she was part of Team Rocket and did the wrong thing all of the time. But for some reason, this was different. She couldn't bring herself to open it. Instead, she decided that she'd give it back to Jessie when no one was around of course because she didn't want to ruin her reputation.
Cassidy put everything back in the box except for the suitcase. She carried the box and everything back to her old room. She cringed when she saw the walls were still hot pink and the whitest sheets and blankets on her bed. What was she thinking when she had the room painted? Oh right, she was ten. And Jessie had helped her paint it despite her mother not wanting Cassidy to ruin the perfect lavender walls with the white trim.
She put the suitcase on the floor of her closet that was still filled with clothes from when she was a teenager. She put the box on her top shelf. She then descended down the stairs, bracing herself for her mother's false cheerfulness. She entered the kitchen where her mother sat, reading some cheesy romance novel probably for the fifteenth time. She was surprised to see her father sitting there, putting the paper down that he had been reading. "Well if it isn't Cassidy." Her father grinned. She sat down across from her parents.
"Hey dad."
"Oh I forgot to mention to you earlier that we're going to Amelia's mansion tonight for dinner." Her mother said. Cassidy rolled her eyes. She should have known that her vacation time that she wanted to be relaxing really wouldn't work out if her mother was around. Why did she have to come back?
"What do you mean we?" Cassidy narrowed her eyes at her mother. However, her mother was too oblivious and didn't read her emotions at all. She never could anyway. Cassidy knew she couldn't take a hint.
"We as in you, your father, and I." Her mother beamed.
"Darn, I have nothing to wear. Guess I can't go." Cassidy tried, but failed.
"Don't worry, honey. I bought you the most beautiful dress to wear for such an occasion. It's upstairs in my closet. It's the one all the way on the left. Oh, you will look so wonderful in it! Wear some of your diamonds!" Her mother said. Cassidy groaned and found herself walking up the stairs to her mother's room.
She entered the walk in closet that was filled with gowns, skirts, blouses, dresses, and shoes. Everything her mother owned was high in the fashion department. Everything her mother wore was in season. Cassidy remembered how her mother would waste so much money on her clothes, make up, and even her hair and nails. Everything about her was superficial, which was one of the reasons to why Cassidy left the house at such a young age to join Team Rocket, where everyone wasn't glamorous and didn't have the need to buy fancy things, just steal them.
She took out the dress which she had to admit was beautiful. It was a long dress that came down to the floor. It was a light, but bright, blue that went well against her skin. She changed into it after arriving back in her room. She put some diamond earrings in so that she didn't have to hear about her mother complain about her not wearing any diamonds.
After doing her makeup and hair, she went out to the limo that would be taking them to her mother's friend's mansion. Of course, Amelia couldn't live a few blocks away. No, she had to live about an hour away plus the driveway itself could be its own road.
Eventually, she got out of the limo after an awkward ride with her parents which consisted of her mother talking about diamonds, vacations, and herself; her father kept pestering her about her virginity, which she declined to answer or discuss. "Oh, look what Amelia has done with her garden!" Her mother gasped excitedly, eyeing the roses, daffodils, sunflowers, and tulips. They varied from white, to pink, to purple, to red, and to yellow. The rose pushes lined the front of the ridiculously large mansion. Cassidy didn't really consider that Amelia's garden based on the fact that the gardener probably did the work. "Isn't it just wonderful, Cassidy?"
"Of course." Cassidy said with fake enthusiasm. "It is just all so lovely!"
"I know!" Her mother squealed. Sometimes, Cassidy wondered if she was even related to this woman.
"Shall we go in?" Her father put his arm out to escort his wife inside. Cassidy walked next to her father on the other side of him. They walked up the many steps to the front door and were let in by the butler whom stood outside in a black suit, shoes, and tie and a white shirt.
"Good evening." He mumbled just as a butler should. Her father just nodded and she and her mother had nodded, acknowledging the man.
Inside, there were many women in formal and expensive dresses and men in expensive suits. Cassidy noticed that the women wore at least one accessory with diamonds. She forgot how fake everyone was in the world of rich people.
Despite her mother being great friends with Amelia, Cassidy had only met her once when she was about fifteen years old. "Amelia!" Her mother said once she spotted her friend.
"Juliette! How have you been?" The other woman greeted, dragging her husband over. The two men just nodded and began some small talk as their wives chatted away.
"I love what you did with the garden." Cassidy's mother complemented. Cassidy had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. No wonder when she was a child she skipped so many of these social gatherings her parents went to.
"Oh thank you." Amelia said. "And who is this?"
"My daughter, Cassidy. She finally came back home to visit. I couldn't tell you how much she scared me when she left without telling us."
"Oh, I just know the feeling." Amelia said. "My son ran away when he was about nine or ten. But he came back a few years ago and dropped by for the day."
"Where is James now?" Juliette asked.
"Oh, he's somewhere." Amelia said. Cassidy hadn't even noticed that her father and John Morgan had migrated to where a majority of the men were chatting. "So what has your daughter been up to?" She asked as if Cassidy wasn't standing right there.
"She hasn't really amounted to anything. I doubt she has her mother's talents or her father's skills."
"I'm right here." Cassidy mumbled. She hated putting on her innocent, pretty act to please everyone else, but she was on vacation and she didn't want to cause any trouble outside of work for the two weeks she had off.
"I know what you mean. My son, James, is the same. I do not know why he is so awkward at these social events. You would think he would be used to them by now."
"Cassidy usually skipped these when she was younger. She would rather spend time with that Jessie girl or she would hide somewhere and I just didn't have the time to look for her." Juliette said. Cassidy's fists clenched tightly, but she loosened them when she remembered where she was.
"James is going to have all of this someday." Juliette said to Cassidy.
"At first, his father and I wanted him to marry Jessiebelle and until he did, he wasn't going to inherit it. But we decided we would much rather have him inherit all of this instead of some other person. I just wish that he would settle down soon and marry." Amelia sighed.
"Oh, I know. Cassidy is twenty two and she hasn't even married."
"I was about her age when I had James." The two continued to chit chat while Cassidy tuned them out. She slowly slipped away from them. She hated people like them because all they did was criticize others. Those two were meant for each other.
"At least James has some time before he gets married. I don't know what I'm going to do with Cassidy. She is so…what's the word…hard to please, no man would ever want her." Her mother said.
"Well, I'm sure that someone…" Amelia started.
"Please," Juliette said, taking a sip of her wine. "I doubt she had a relationship that lasted for a month. She cannot even keep friends close. If she keeps chasing people away like this, she'll have no one."
"You don't even know me." Cassidy hissed towards her mother. "You can't assume that I have no friends or a boyfriend or anything!" She picked up her dress and began running, maneuvering through the people as best as she could in three inch heels. She could feel tears coming on, but she held them inside. She didn't need to cry over her mother's opinions. They meant nothing to her.
Cassidy walked outside quickly, using the other door to open it herself. She didn't need a man opening a door for her. She didn't know where she would go. She would not walk in those heels, that's for sure. She looked over at the dog house that was a mansion itself. She was surprised to see a Growlithe running towards her, jumping on her and licking her face. "Are you that Growlithe from last time?" She questioned as she chuckled a bit.
"Growlithe!" He said happily.
"Growlie, get off of her!" Someone said and the Growlithe got off of her chest. "I'm so sorry, miss. It won't happen again. Let me help you up." He offered her a hand. When she looked up into his green eyes, she immediately knew who he was and he must have recognized her because he suddenly became nervous.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him in her rude tone that she was accustomed to.
"This is my parents' home. I grew up here. Better question is what are you doing here?" James crossed his arms.
"You mean you, the bumbling idiot who works with Jessie Jess, are James Morgan?" She asked completely shocked.
"I don't need the insults, Cassidy. But yes, I am. Now for my question, what are you doing here?"
"My mother is best friends with yours apparently." Cassidy said.
"You mean you're Carter and Juliette Carlson's daughter?" James asked, putting his hand out again to help her up, which she took.
"Unfortunately." Cassidy said. Seeing James here reminded her of Jessie which then reminded her of that navy blue suitcase she had found that happened to belong to Jessie. "You wouldn't happen to know where Jessie is, do you?"
"I do, but I'm not telling you until you tell me why you were desperate to get out of there." James said, referring to the mansion. "I saw you running out of there pretty fast."
"It's nothing. Now tell me where Jessie is."
"Not until you tell me what I want to know first." James said.
"That's my business."
"Then I can't tell you." James said.
"Tell me or you're dead!" Cassidy said and pushed him to the ground. She kicked off her heels and she was ready to fight. James knew she was a girl who didn't mind if she got hit a few times; she'd just fight back harder.
"I can't." James said.
"Why not!" She yelled at him, pinning him down to the ground.
"Because I don't want you to ruin the rest of her vacation!" James yelled at her and pushed her off. He seemed to be very overprotective of Jessie.
"You don't understand." Cassidy said. "This is important."
"And what you don't seem to understand is she wants nothing to do with you!" James said, now pinning her to the ground. "She hates you, you hate her." He growled. "You hate her guts and make her life miserable." He spat at her.
"Please, she makes her own life miserable." Cassidy said, struggling against James' strong grip. She hadn't realized how strong he actually was. She had always assumed he was a wimp because Jessie fought his battles for him most of the time.
"Don't think for a moment that I didn't forget the stuff you did to her in Pokemon Tech."
"You don't know what you're talking about." Cassidy snapped.
"Oh, I do." James said. "I know that you did terrible things to her that I couldn't even imagine anyone doing once Jessie told me."
"Just tell me where the fuck she is!" She yelled in his face, arching her neck up to get her point across.
"Why should I do that?" She wondered how anyone could stay so calm about anything and everything.
"Because…I have my reasons."
"If your reasons are good enough, then I'll consider." Cassidy went silent. She didn't know if she should let James know about her past with Jessie. It was incredibly obvious Jessie didn't tell him about her past at all. He really didn't know about the abuse and the rapid maturity Cassidy had went through when she met Jessie.
"Well…" She had to know where Jessie was and avoid conflict with her at Team Rocket Headquarters where people always heard what went on with who. She didn't need the whole team to know that she had been friends with Jessie whom was disliked due to her harshness and never letting people really know her and shutting them out when they wanted to talk.
"I'm listening." James said.
"If you let me go, I'll tell you. I swear I'm bruising already." Cassidy said.
"Sorry." James said sheepishly and got off of her. She sat up and rubbed her arms as she looked into the night sky, looking at the stars. She remembered when she had told Jessie that her mother might be up there, just watching her. Jessie didn't believe it for a moment, though but she did admit that whenever she was scared and Cassidy wasn't there, she'd look up at the stars and think about her mother.
"I met Jessie when she was five or maybe four at the time. She lived with her foster parents and they hit her."
"You mean she was abused?" James asked.
"Mmhmm." Cassidy nodded. "For years until the system took her out of that house."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" James asked angrily.
"Let me finish. It's because she needed someone to be there for her. And that person was me. I didn't want her to never trust anyone again because I told when I promised her not to. I was like seven or eight, so I wasn't really thinking clearly. I would have rather her trust me and be abused than have no one to trust and be sent to another abusive household and have no one."
"So you took care of her? Like an older sister?" James asked.
"Pretty much. She would call me every morning. We were best friends."
"I didn't realize you knew her before Pokemon Tech. I just assumed you two met and clashed the first time you met. She told me what you did to her and I witnessed some of it. Why did you do that?"
"I'm not going to go that far and tell you that. That is personal." Cassidy replied. "But I will tell you that she has told me that she wished she was never born a couple of times when we lived in Celadon City."
"She told me that in Pokemon Tech. She said it was because of you. I told her not to take you seriously, but I think she did." James said.
"So the other day I found this old suitcase in my attic, well my parents' attic. Her foster parent gave it to me after she left because the social worker didn't let her take it with her. It's full of her mother's things."
"Her mother? She never really mentioned her to me." James said sadly.
"You see? She has major trust issues. She doesn't fully trust you to tell you those things. I guess after I betrayed her, she's afraid to do tell anyone, even you." Cassidy explained.
"Did you ever look what's in the suitcase?"
"No." Cassidy said. "It wouldn't be right." She looked down at her feet, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Her feet were killing her.
"She's still at Team Rocket Headquarters." James said. "Listen, she's had a rough few days. She's been with the boss the whole time. It's not my place to say what exactly has been going on though."
"I understand. I just want to give her the suitcase before everyone else gets back. I don't want to ruin my reputation, after all. And you better not tell anyone that we associated with each other over vacation, got it?" Cassidy said seriously, getting her aggressive tone of voice back.
"Got it." James said.
For the rest of the night, Cassidy just sat in the dog house mansion, falling asleep in there until the party was over. James had waked her up when he saw people leaving in their limos. She reluctantly found her parents and left with them in the limo. She noticed her mother had one too many drinks and she had passed out after five minutes in the car. "How can you possibly stand her?" She asked her father. He didn't say a word back. She just shrugged and turned back to look out the window. She couldn't see too much considering it was dark out and the windows were tinted.
When she got back to the house, Cassidy went to her bedroom and slept on the soft, plush king sized bed.
The next morning after showering and getting ready for the day, Cassidy began packing her things back up into her bags. She had forgotten how much she couldn't stand her parents. She had thought it would be a good idea to visit them for two weeks, or maybe a week at least, but it just wouldn't work. She knew she and her mother would clash soon because of anything. Her mother would probably point out her flaws even with a major hangover.
The door to her room swung open and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Funny that she could only be startled here, but while she was out on a mission for Team Rocket she could never be startled no matter how many times Butch tried to jump out from behind her. Funnier that she hadn't really thought about Butch. "Sorry for startling you." Her father said while closing the door behind him. He sat down next to her on the large, neatly made bed. "You didn't have to make that bed, you know. The maid would have-"
"I'd rather do things myself." Cassidy interrupted as she continued to fold her clothes into the bags.
"Leaving already?" He asked her.
"Yeah."
"I see." He said. "I don't remember you having that suitcase." He said referring to the navy blue one.
"I found it in the attic. It's Jessie's."
"I remember that girl."
"You and mother hated her." She said with hatred.
"And from what I remember yesterday, so do you."
"That's not the point." Cassidy said.
"I never hated her." Carter admitted. "I hated that she took away your childhood."
"What are you going on about?" She still didn't make eye contact with him and stared at the carpet below her feet.
"You basically mothered her."
"At the time, she didn't have anyone."
"And from what I remember, neither did you. I'm sorry we neglected you so much, Cassidy. It's just that you were well, different from other kids." Carter explained.
"Being different isn't a sin." Cassidy said, beginning to swing her feet back and forth as if she was a child.
"I know that now. I learned to accept your flaws after you ran away. And the reason I stand your mother is because I accept her flaws and I love her."
"Whatever." Cassidy mumbled. "It would have been nicer if you accepted me for who I was before I ran away."
"I'm sorry." He apologized. "Where are you going now? Back to Team Rocket?"
"How did you…?"
"I know everything." Her father smiled and went to give her a hug. However, she stood up and picked up the suitcase and her bag.
"I'm leaving. It doesn't really matter where I'm going as long as I'm away from here. It was stupid of me to come back. I forgot how fucked up this household is."
"You don't mean that, son."
"Fuck you." She said and walked out of the room and left the house altogether hastily. She slammed the door hard, hoping that her mother would scream from the agonizing pain of the hangover.
"Cassidy, I let you be the person you wanted to be for your whole life!" Her father shouted out the door. "You can go to hell for your choices! Don't ever come back! You're not welcome here ever again!" She heard him as she ran out into the streets of Celadon City. Cassidy had tears streaming down her face. She quickly wiped them away as they fell and she hoped no one noticed. She got on a bus to Viridian City to go back to Team Rocket Headquarters. Cassidy hated facing her past. It was something she didn't like to think about. There were some good times which happened when her parents weren't around. But when they were, well those were the times she wanted to forget but couldn't.
Cassidy was a pro at putting herself together. She quit the crying and went back to having the thick skin she was known for.
She arrived at Team Rocket Headquarters and put her things in her room. She just left her bags on her twin sized bed and took the navy blue suitcase with her, hoping to find Jessie. She walked around the halls and was surprised to see it was deserted. Nobody was there. It was odd because there was always a grunt or two around each corner. Had Giovanni given everyone a break?
Her footsteps echoed through the hallway. She was surprised (yet again) when she saw Mondo, the sixteen year old boy who did only small, minor tasks for Jessie, James, and the other agents. "Cassidy! What are you doing here? I thought the boss made sure everyone was gone!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing…just forget I said anything. What are you doing here?" Mondo asked.
"Looking for Jessie."
"She isn't here."
"I know she is. Trust me, I know. Now where is she." Cassidy was extremely intimidating. Mondo began to sweat and became cold. He knew this girl meant business.
"With the boss in his office, ma'am." He saluted her and scurried off as fast as he could. Cassidy chuckled to herself. She could scare people pretty easily and she liked it. She quickly went up the elevator to the boss's office. She hesitated before knocking on the door to his office because Giovanni was the only person she could think of that scared her (beside herself, but that's a different story). Slowly, she raised her arm and put her hand into a fist. Why should she be scared? It wasn't like she and Butch weren't Giovanni's favorite agents anyway. She found herself knocking on the door. Her heart began to beat fast and she gripped the suitcase a bit tighter.
"Who is it?" Demanded Giovanni.
"Cassidy, sir." She piped up and was glad she found her voice.
"I thought I gave you a vacation!" He roared angrily.
"You did, sir. But I just would like to speak with Jessie. Someone told me she was here."
"Why do you want to speak with Jessica?"
"I have something that belongs to her and it's really important." Cassidy said. There was a long pause before Giovanni allowed her to enter his office. She walked forward and saw that Jessie sat in the chair across Giovanni, looking like a nervous wreck which wasn't really typical of her.
"What are you doing here?" Jessie asked with an angry voice, forgetting Giovanni was sitting right across from her. "You have no right to be here." She stood up, but surprisingly Giovanni got out of his chair, to his Persian's dismay, and he put his hands on Jessie's shoulders.
"We're not going to start any fights." Giovanni said in an intimidating tone. Jessie glared at Cassidy whom for once didn't glare back. "Now, Cassidy, tell us why you came here."
"Well, I found this old suitcase." Cassidy said and lifted the suitcase a bit to emphasize it. "It was in a box of things of mine with a note I wrote to myself when I was twelve."
"This is all quite interesting, Cassidy. I'm so glad you interrupted my day with a fucking suitcase!" Jessie practically yelled the last two words that came out of her mouth.
"Well, if you'd let me finish you would have known the stuff in it belongs to your mother!" Cassidy yelled back at Jessie, fuming with anger.
"My…mom?" Jessie said in a small voice, reminding Cassidy of when she was little and nervous.
"You left it behind when you left Celadon, remember?" Cassidy said gently. Jessie turned around to Giovanni and looked up at him, a way a child would.
"Do you think you could give us some time to talk?" She asked him.
"Of course." Giovanni said. "I'll go take care of some business elsewhere." He said and walked out with Persian behind him, staring in a dazed state. Cassidy was too into talking to Jessie about this to even notice her boss' extremely odd behavior. Jessie stared at the suitcase as Cassidy went to hand it to her.
"Your foster mom gave it to me after you left." Cassidy admitted. "I found it and I thought you'd want it back."
"I was wondering what happened to it. But why?"
"Why what?"
"Why would you even consider giving it back to me? I'm pretty sure you hate me." Jessie said, taking the navy blue suitcase from Cassidy.
"I really don't have an answer to that. I just felt like I had to." Cassidy said, not making eye contact with the magenta haired woman. Jessie got onto the floor and put the suitcase in front of her, just staring at it.
"I think I'll go-"
"Sit down." Jessie demanded.
"I don't take orders from you."
"Cassidy, just do it." Cassidy found herself sitting on the floor next to Jessie. After a long silence, Jessie asked, "Did you open it?"
"No, I didn't. I don't think I ever did actually." Cassidy admitted. "Are you mad?"
"About what?" Jessie asked.
"About how I never told anyone back then, you know, when you were hit every day."
"No, actually."
"Why not?"
"After Celadon, I lived with some lady in Littleroot Town in Hoenn who thought it was funny to lock me up in a closet for months. Luckily, I found a way to escape."
"Did you ever wonder why you?" Cassidy asked her ex best friend. She studied Jessie's face and it turned into a look of disgust.
"Of course. I wondered how all of it happened. It's all because of my mother going on that one damn expedition to the Andes. If she just stayed…." Jessie trailed and opened up the suitcase quickly. The top made a small thump on the ground. Cassidy watched her pick up a picture. It looked as if Jessie was going to rip it, so Cassidy grabbed Jessie's wrists before she could shred up the picture.
"You'll regret it if you do." Cassidy said as she stared at the woman in the picture. She looked happy, but when she really looked deep into her eyes, she could tell that she was afraid, but determined, and a bit stressed.
Jessie stopped and held the picture tighter in her hands. "Why would you care?" She stared at the picture, barely blinking an eye.
"Honestly, I wouldn't have cared a few days ago. But after I found this, I remembered a lot. And I don't want you to hate me anymore." Cassidy said, looking away and down at the floor. Her pride wouldn't let her look Jessie, the loser she had thought she was, in the eyes. Cassidy knew that she was slowly destroying her reputation she had formed, and her thick skin; it was painful.
"You don't hate me anymore, or so you say. But I'm not stupid. I know you don't like me at all. I know you think that I'm just a piece of street trash just like everybody else. Well, guess what Cassidy. I'm not." Jessie turned to look at her. "I found out today that he is my father. I am something now."
"You always were something." Cassidy tried. "I don't even know why I'm doing this. And wait-who's your what?"
"The boss is my father." Jessie whispered and clutched the picture even tighter, if that was even possible. "I pretty much yelled at him for neglecting me for years. He says he was trying to find me, but why did it take so long for him to tell me?" Cassidy didn't know how to respond to that, so she kept silent. Of course, a snide remark wanted to make itself be heard, but she couldn't bring herself to actually say it to Jessie. Usually, she'd have fun telling Jessie her faults and flaws, but today she just couldn't. Cassidy hated her past with those memories that kept resurfacing in her head.
Cassidy watched as Jessie began taking the items out of the suitcase. There were some baby pictures of Jessie up to about age three or so. There were some old Team Rocket uniforms along with average clothes that her mother wore. But what was most stunning was a white wedding gown that looked as if it was for someone of a very slim size. It wasn't that amazing, just a simple white dress that came down to the floor. There was a box next to it with a diamond ring (which was pretty big). Jessie laid each item neatly on the floor, smoothing them out. She looked at the pictures and put them in a neat stack. Even though Jessie had grown up with slobs and a messy environment, she was pretty neat and liked things in order.
Cassidy watched as Jessie pulled out an envelope. She saw that there was money in it, along with two notes written in there. She watched as Jessie read them. She didn't ask what they said, but she knew one of them said how much her mother cared about her or something sappy. Jessie put that note down in between them and started to read the other. Cassidy glanced at the note on the floor and read it. It said,
My dearest Jessica,
You are too young to read still, but yet, I feel as if I should write this to you because I know that I may not make it back to you. But I probably will though because I know that I always make it back no matter what. Anyway, I am sorry for leaving for three weeks. I am trying to find Mew. When I do, we will have so much money and I will be able to buy you everything you could ask for. You deserve more than what I can give, Jessie. In this envelope is some money that I had been saving up for your future. There is one thousand dollars. It's my emergency money. So, if you're ever in an emergency use it. I'm sorry I didn't use it to buy you food the other day, but this is for emergencies and something really bad may or may not happen.
I love you, little Jessie Jess.
Love you always,
Your mother
No wonder Jessie hated it whenever she called her Jessie Jess in a mocking tone, but why she loved it when she called her that when they were younger. It was a somewhat touching letter. Cassidy wished that her mother was like that; always wanting the best for her. At least Jessie's cared about her. Cassidy's mother only cared about herself.
Cassidy watched as Jessie took out a photo album that contained pictures of Miyamoto and herself as a baby. She carefully looked at each picture. Cassidy looked over her shoulder and saw a picture of a much younger looking Giovanni next to a very pregnant Miyamoto who only looked happy. "So your mom and the boss dated, huh?"
"I guess so." Jessie said and sighed. "I want to know why he didn't stick around after I was born. I don't even remember him before I joined Team Rocket." She explained. Her voice shook as she spoke. "Out of all days, why did you have to bring this to me? You should have just kept it or burned it or something."
"Why would you want me to do that?" Cassidy asked.
"Because at least part of my life would still make sense. Before you came, I knew part of my life would be still in order with you hating me. But playing the nice part isn't what I expected from you."
"So you want me to be mean to you?" Cassidy asked, surprised.
"At least one person in my life would make sense after all of this. I called James and told him about all this a few hours ago. Now I know he'll treat me differently. Meowth is already wanting to prove himself to be my top cat, whatever that means, and the boss is just too nice for my liking."
"I think you're just used to getting abused, both mentally and physically." Cassidy said in a low voice.
"I don't know. All I know is my fucking life is a joke!" Jessie yelled and punched the floor with her fist. Cassidy found herself not only feeling terrible for all of the things she had done to the one person who accepted her as she was, but hugging Jessie, whispering things that Jessie needed to hear such as apologies from the past things Cassidy had done to her and things someone just needs to hear when they're upset. It was odd that Jessie didn't like the fact more people were caring for her than ever before, which wasn't saying much. But still, Cassidy would have liked to have someone a bit older than her that took care of her and accepted her, just like she had accepted Jessie.
There was Anna May, but she was a conservative, which meant she didn't really like people who were different than the norm. Her mother could care less. Her father, well, he just wanted a son back whom he had claimed was dead. "So you went all the way back to Celadon to see your parents?" Jessie asked her, breaking the silence.
"I did."
"You shouldn't have." Jessie said. "Even though we haven't been on the best terms lately, I still think you shouldn't have."
"Why do you say that?" Cassidy asked, knowing Jessie was right.
"Because I know how they treat you and I can't imagine that they changed." She was right, they didn't.
"He says he wants his son back, well, he implied it anyway just like the good old days." Cassidy said bitterly. Jessie had changed positions, using Cassidy's thighs as a pillow like she had done when she was little, staring up at her. "He called me son."
"Fuck him." Jessie smiled up at her. "Just don't go back to them. Even if you think you miss them or it's the right thing to do, don't. Your parents are worse than my foster parents."
"That's impossible, Jessie."
"No it isn't."
"Explain."
"Well," Jessie started, then sat up to look Cassidy in her violet eyes. "My foster parents were physically abusive. The physical hurt heals, well accept for maybe a scar or two, but other than that, it heals. But mental abuse never really goes away."
"You're right." Cassidy said. "For once." She smirked. Cassidy focused on the blue suitcase again. "What did that other note say, anyway?"
"Go read it." Jessie said. "I was like seven when I wrote it."
Cassidy picked up the letter with the terrible handwriting of a seven year old.
This money isn't for me anymore. It is for Cassie so she can be more of a girl. Hopefully mommy will understand that Cassie needs it more than me because her mommy and daddy only will pay for something that starts with an e, but I can't remember it. Cassie is my favoritest person in the whole wide world and I wanna give her the money.
Cassidy felt her heart stop and time slow down. She didn't really know what to say about that note. It was touching, in a way. She didn't realize that Jessie had really understood what she had told her back then. "Take it." Jessie said, handing her the envelope. "We both know that the boss owes me anyway."
"You sure? I mean, it was from your mother."
"She said it was for emergencies and I'd say this is one. Well, not really but you get my point."
"I like you this way better, Jessie Jess." Cassidy smiled. "You're like how you used to be; not making a lot of sense, but still making sense at the same time."
"And I like you better this way, acting like my big sister." Jessie smiled.
"Thanks for the money."
"Thank you for the suitcase and taking it all the way back here for me. I guess part of you still cared." She paused. "But," Jessie sure could talk a lot, "You can only use that money to go towards your surgery. Because if you don't I'll hunt you down." She said the last part with a serious face.
"Got it." Cassidy laughed genuinely for the first time since, well, she couldn't really remember. Cassidy realized that Jessie hadn't really grown up. She never had the proper role models as she got older. Even though Jessie would never admit it, Cassidy knew the girl was a bit naïve and childish. When Jessie got mad, she always had some kind of tantrum.
"How touching." Giovanni, the boss of Team Rocket, actually smiled. Cassidy felt herself get cold. She felt as if she was going to vomit. Had he heard all of that? She hoped that he didn't, but she knew that he did. She looked over at Jessie and saw that she looked a bit nervous, too. Cassidy couldn't find her voice. She just sat there silently, and she felt stupid and powerless.
"So let me get this straight," Jessie said with newfound confidence towards their boss, "Once you tell me that we're related, you think it's okay to randomly eavesdrop on me?" Jessie stood up to her full height.
"Since when did you think you could ever speak to me like that?" Giovanni said in his normal tone, which was intimidating.
"Since you think it was okay to eavesdrop on our conversation!" Jessie yelled back. Yeah, they were definitely related.
"I'm sorry," He said. "I don't want to start our relationship on the wrong foot."
"Okay." Jessie said. "But you can't do that. I'm not a little girl anymore."
"I know."
"You missed out." Jessie laughed at him. That must have hurt him a bit, but he didn't show it. Cassidy just sat there, still shocked. Jessie sat back down on the floor next to her and held her hand so that Cassidy knew that she was still there. Giovanni sat down on the ground, too which surprised both girls. He was totally out of character.
"I heard everything that you two were talking about, and I was shocked." Cassidy braced herself, thinking she knew what was about to come. "I was shocked that you two had been so close before Team Rocket. I thought you two had some kind of rivalry thing going on and hated each other." He finished.
"Well, we did hate each other for a while but everything's okay now. We don't hate each other anymore, right?" Jessie looked at Cassidy. She only nodded, still nervous around her boss. She figured that she'd let Jessie do the talking this time. "It's funny how you could just be so nice right now, but you're usually so mean." Good, Jessie was changing the subject. Cassidy was thankful for Jessie's randomness and mostly self centered attitude.
"Not everyone is my daughter." Giovanni said, his expression and tone of voice still so stiff and business like.
"Whatever." Jessie said. "All this stuff in the suitcase belongs to my mother. You can look at it if you want. I'll come back for it later." She stood up. "Come on, Cassidy. Let's go do something." Cassidy could only nod and follow Jessie out the office door. "Wait here a sec." Jessie went back into the office and shut the door behind her. Of course Cassidy was going to eavesdrop on the conversation. Who wouldn't? Besides, it was interesting to know what people say behind closed doors.
"What is it, Jessica?"
"Thanks for not saying anything about…you know…" Their voices were muffled through the thick wooden door, but Cassidy could hear them clear enough to make out what they were saying. She knew they were talking about her once she heard Jessie say that. She held her breath. It wasn't everyday one finds out that her former friend was secretly the daughter of her boss and the boss found out a secret about one of his agents that could change her life forever.
"Well it wasn't really a problem. Cassidy is one of my best agents along with her partner, Butch."
"Just do me one favor and keep it a secret. You weren't supposed to hear all of that. And don't change anything in her files."
"That's more like two secrets." She heard a muffled laugh. "But don't worry. I won't say anything. As far as I'm concerned, she's a valued agent. Everyone here has a past, that's why they're here. Trust me when I say that this whole thing about Cassidy isn't the weirdest thing I've heard." Cassidy smiled; her boss didn't care. That was good. She took her ear off of the door and stepped back when she heard Jessie walking towards the door. Jessie stepped out and shut the door behind her.
"Listen, if you don't want to talk to me when everyone comes back, I understand. I'm not really all that popular here." Jessie said, looking at her feet.
"You know, I don't care anymore. The whole reputation thing is stupid. I'd rather be friends with you than Domino or Wendy. They're kind of fake anyway." Cassidy shrugged, but inside her head part of her was screaming at her, telling her she did the wrong thing by even speaking to Jessie in the first place. But the other voice was telling her that she did the right thing. Besides, if she ever really needed to talk to someone, Jessie basically knew all of her past problems and almost everything about her.
"And Domino and Wendy aren't the boss' daughters." Jessie smirked.
"There's that too." Cassidy smirked back.
"Come on, I have a new room here that I have to show someone and James isn't here to celebrate with me, so you're going to have to do." Cassidy smiled at Jessie and followed her down the hall to her room.
How was it? Hopefully it was good and I get a couple reviews. There aren't too many Jessie and Cassidy stories and I think their possible past relationships are pretty interesting. Hopefully you guys do too ^_^