AN: I'm not going to say much here, as I don't want to give away the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Someday

"James?" her voice was uncharacteristically soft and quiet as she sat on the bed next to him. Her blue-haired companion gave no indication that he had even heard her. His once-bright green eyes were still fixed on the wall.

"James?" Jessie repeated, this time moving to take his hand in hers. He looked down at their intertwined hands and felt a pang in his chest so acute that he had to bite his lip to keep from whimpering.

"We have to get dressed," she told him softly. His stomach twisted into knots at her words.

"N-no," the whimper escaped from his lips as he shook his head. He felt her other hand reach over and gently caress his neck, forcing him to still. Her head rested against his.

"We have to," she told him again, "Come on. Get up," she softly coaxed him. He whimpered again. The sound cut through her. She leaned into him, her head coming to rest in the crook of his neck. He could feel her warm breath on his bare skin and his own breathing quickened.

"Just one step at a time," she murmured before she sat back up and got to her feet, dabbing at her eye with the front of her nightgown. He immediately felt the loss and looked up at her like he was a lost puppy and she had promised to lead him home. He watched as she grabbed a shirt from the chair, a white button-up one from one of their disguises. She draped it over his shoulders and stared at him for a moment, her perfect red eyebrows raised over her sapphire eyes. He understood her silent command and obediently forced his arms through the sleeves. Satisfied, she helped him do up the buttons, probably knowing that his clumsy fingers would not be working that morning. She paused for a moment when her hands were over his chest. His heartbeat quickened and he knew that she could probably feel it. She took a breath and continued until she had finished the buttons. She retrieved a pair of black dress pants and put them on his lap.

"You put those on and I'm going to go get dressed," she told him before she disappeared into the bathroom.

James stared at the closed door and then back at the pants she had given him. Knowing better than to disobey her, he slipped them on, every so often glancing back at the door. It unnerved him to have his partner out of his sight, even for a few minutes.

"Good job, James," she praised when she reappeared wearing a long black dress and her hair in its usual curve.

"Now what?" he asked, his voice hoarse and thick as he looked to her for direction.

"Tie," she told him, grabbing a scrap of black silk and putting it around his neck. She tied it into a perfect knot with her slender fingers.

"I wish this was different," he murmured.

"Me too," she agreed, grabbing the black dress jacket that went with his pants.

"I hate suits," he mumbled, standing to put the jacket on. It felt odd to stand, his legs feeling funny as the blood rushed to them.

"Well, you look good in them," she complimented, smoothing out his jacket, "Shoes are by the door," she directed him, grabbing a black wrap from a chair. He nodded but didn't move towards the door, knowing that the closer he got to that portal, the closer he was to saying goodbye. When Jessie turned back to him, she saw that he was still standing in the same spot, a pained look on his face. She could feel her heart breaking all over again. She walked over to him.

"Sorry," he murmured when she approached. She ignored him and kissed his cheek before she took his hand and led him towards the door. The moment her lips touched his skin, his stomach clenched again and that pang in his chest returned. He wished things were different. She used him for balance as she slipped the dark heels onto her feet. He didn't move.

"James, you have to put on the shoes," she told him.

"How do you do it?" he asked. She blinked in surprise.

"What?" she asked, hoping he wasn't asking how to put on his shoes.

"This," he managed weakly, "Act as though nothings happening."

She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked up at him, "Because you need me to," she replied. Her answer surprised him. He blinked and looked at her, truly looked at her, for the first time all morning. She had been careful with her make-up, but he could still see the faint outlines of the dark circles beneath her eyes. She was biting her lip, yet he could still see it tremble. She looked nearly as bad as he did, but she was better at hiding it. He felt a little guilty.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Don't be, James," she said, shaking her head, "It keeps me from losing it."

"Thanks," he said, stepping forwards to hug her. She returned the embrace and for a moment they just stood there, his head resting on top of her head, which was nestled against his chest.

"I love you, Jessie," he whispered.

"I love you too, James," she murmured back, her voice a little muffled, "Aw, shit!" she moaned, pulling away from him and dabbing at her eyes with the wrap over her shoulders. He let out a small foreign-sounding chuckle and pulled her back towards him.

"I hate you sometimes," he heard her mutter, but the words were choked out through a sob. He felt tears spring to his own eyes, but he held her against his body firmly, never wanting to let her go. It took her a few moments to pull away and wipe at her eyes again.

"Why did I think mascara was a good idea today?" she cursed herself. He chuckled again.

"You look beautiful," he assured her, meaning it. A wry smile appeared on those red lips.

"I'm a mess," she said frankly, "And you have mascara smudges on your shirt."

"Well, we have to match, don't we?" he shrugged, smirking a little at the black smudges on the white shirt he wore.

"Put on your shoes, you dolt," she ordered, but the smile was still on her lips. He obeyed, feeling incredibly light-hearted for the first time in days.

"Finally," she muttered, opening the door. He grabbed her hand before she could walk through it. She stared back at him in confusion. He brought her hand to his lips. She couldn't help the shiver that crept up her spine the moment his lips met her skin. Their eyes met for a moment, blue and green staring at each other, connecting. Jessie wanted nothing more than to close the distance and kiss him, feel his lips on hers, but she couldn't, the time and her own irrational fear of him stopping her.

"We should go," she whispered. He nodded and followed her into the hotel hallway, still holding her hand, unwilling to let go.

TBC