The Greatest Loss II: The Greater Loss

L.R.T.

I sat there on the tree branch and looked out across the forest. Jess, Meowth and I had been "blasted off again" by the twerps and were now stuck in a tree. Of course, Meowth was complaining and yelling and saying how it was all my and Jessie's fault his brilliant plan had failed. Since our talk, Jess didn't seem to care as much that we lost. She'd just say, "well, now what, boys?" and shrug it off. Plus every morning now, I was woken up to a pillow fight by Jess. It was so wonderful. It was like we were kids again. Meowth, on the other hand, wasn't at all fond of the new Jessie. Namely because she still hit him with blunt objects, but also because he felt she wasn't as intimidating to the twerps anymore. Jess didn't care and neither did I, actually. Let Giovanni do his worst. I was happy, Jessie was happy, Meowth was being harmed, life was good. I lost my train of thought when Jess kicked me. I looked to her and grinned.

"What's up, Jess?"

"I just wanted to know what you were thinking about."

"I was thinking of a brilliant plan to get us out of this tree," I said, smiling broadly.

"Den we're doomed!" Meowth said.

"You be quiet, Meowth!" Jess said, kicking him.

"Ow! Hey, while we're here, let's talk about dat!"

"What?" Jess asked, though she probably knew what he was getting at.

"Dis! You ain't actin' like Jessie!"

"Things happen, Meowth. People change."

"But da boss ain't gonna like dis!"

Jess looked away. I knew Meowth had said something wrong.

"Meowth, be quiet, this isn't the time or place! Now mister brainy, you think of a way out of here since I'm so incompetent!"

"Gladly," Meowth said, cutting the branches we were stuck on with his claws.

We all landed with a "thud" on the ground.

"I didn't know they were that tough…"Jess said, rubbing her head.

"See! Ya losers would've been stuck in dat tree for days without me! Now come on! We gotta get back to HQ and give da boss our report!"

"What report? We've failed again, we get yelled at, we sulk, end of story," Jess said.

I had been silent for a little while now as we walked. I was thinking about how miserable and scared of Giovanni we were. I had decided to bring up the subject of quitting. I knew it was risky but I had to. I hadn't had those dreams of Jessie being shot in the longest time so I thought it was worth a shot at least.

"Guys…why don't we go into Giovanni's office…and say we quit?"

Jessie and Meowth stopped in their tracks. They both turned around.

"Are you serious, James?" Jessie asked.

I nodded. "Giovanni's got us scared to death. I know it's risky but…I think it's the right thing to do...only if you two want to."

Jessie looked to me, then back to Meowth. "I'm in."

Meowth looked down. "I guess I'm in, too. I can't let you two knuckleheads be runnin' around lose in da city all day and night."

I grinned and challenged Jess to a race to HQ, which of course, she beat to me to. I should know better than that but I guess I don't.

After standing outside Giovanni's office for more than an hour, we all decided we'd sleep on the quitting thing and tell him tomorrow. I yawned and took off my shirt, getting ready for bed. Jessie came into my room in her nightgown and sat on my bed.

"Hey, Jess," I said.

"James…Giovanni's not going to be happy tomorrow…is he?"

I shook my head. "Not at all."

She sighed and bit her lip.

"Jess…come on, what's wrong?"

She looked at me. "James…Giovanni could shoot us dead right there at point blank."

"I know…"

"James, I'm a virgin."

I almost fell over. "Jess…what does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't want to die a virgin…" she said, looking down.

"Jess…it's no big deal…it's probably good you die one…"

"But…I'll feel like even more of a loser! James…tonight…could we…could I - I mean…"

"Jessie…you want us to…make love?"

She looked to me, her face a bit red, and nodded.

"But Jess…why me? I'm not a great guy or anything. You should lose it to someone you really love."

"Love comes and goes most of time. If I lose it to you tonight and we make it out alive tomorrow…" She took my hands. " I would know…I lost it to someone I honestly and truly cared for."

I smiled and hugged her. "Jessica, you know I will…I feel the same way…" And so much more…I thought to myself, caressing her soft crimson hair.

She blushed about as red as her hair. "So…how do we start exactly?"

I blinked. "How am I supposed to know? I may be a ladies man but I've never done this before, either…"

"Well, first we should probably…lay down…"

"Yeah, good idea!" I said. We both laid down on the bed and just stared at the ceiling, feeling rather awkward. "Jess…?" I said.

"Yeah?"

" What's wrong with us?"

"What? Besides the obvious?" she sighed.

"Jessie, come on, I'm serious…I mean…we're good looking people. People our age would jump at the chance to have sex…but why aren't we all over each other?"

"I don't know."

I rolled to my side and took her hands, staring into her eyes. "Jessica…I - I love you."

She just stared at me for a while. I almost thought of saying, "gotcha!" and running like hell but I just stayed there and looked into her eyes.

Jessie slowly leaned forward and kissed me passionately on the lips. I blushed a bit at first but then I passionately returned the kiss, wrapping my arms around her and holding her close. As if it were impulse…or possibly just built up love and lust, we began strip each other of what clothes we had on. It was all moving so fast…I wasn't even sure if we were thinking…or maybe we were. I gazed into her eyes as I slowly entered her, making sure not to hurt her. That was the last thing I'd ever want to do. Then we started to make love. It was slow and rhythmic. Our two bodies…souls…everything became one. I had thought with all the love I had for her, it would be more…rough - but it wasn't at all. It was like our bodies had been waiting for this moment forever and now that it was here, they knew exactly what to do. Even if we didn't.

I fell back onto the bed and panted, sweating a bit.

"Wow…" Jess whispered.

I nodded, speechless. The moment I'd been waiting for years now, was finally here and all I could do was lay there, grinning like a total moron.

Jessie smiled at me and kissed me. "What are you grinning about?"

I grinned more, but this time at her. "As if you don't know…"

She smiled once more as we put our arms around each other. We didn't say anything for quite a while. Nothing really needed to be said. It was just one of those moments when silence was the best thing. I sighed happily and played with her long hair.

"James…what if Giovanni does something?" Jessie asked, breaking the silence.

"If he so much as touches you, I will kill him," I said very seriously. "I will do anything I have to to make sure that that man dies."

Jessie looked up at me. "You'd kill someone…if they hurt me?"

I nodded. "I want them to feel the pain they made me feel. Jess, if I lost you…I'd die along with you."

She hugged me. "I'm gonna be around for a long time yet."

I hugged her back as tightly as I could without hurting her. "I know…but I love you so much…"

"I love you, too, James. And nothing is going to keep us apart. I promise." She smiled, kissing me.

I felt a little better, though I was still very nervous.

"James, I'm scared…" Jessie whispered as we sat in Giovanni's office, waiting for his arrival.

I held her close. "Hey…it'll be okay. Remember? Nothing is going to keep us apart."

She smiled and kissed my cheek. Meowth eyed us rather strangely.

"What's wrong wit you two? You're actin' all mushy and junk."

Jessie and I smiled. "You'll find out when we're done with Giovanni, " I said.

Meowth shrugged and looked up as we heard the door close. Giovanni, in all his glory, walked in, and took his seat behind his large desk.

"Now what did you three morons want to see me about?"

I gulped and stood up. "Giovanni, sir…we would like to quit. We're miserable here and we're probably on the verge of getting fired anyway so we thought we'd save you the trouble by quitting," I said, trying my best to hide my utter terror.

Giovanni eyed all of us for about three minutes. Then he got up and walked over to Jessie for some reason.

"And you agreed to this?"

She nodded, glaring at him.

He stroked her cheek then, which burnt me up. How dare he touch my Jessie? I grabbed him, spun him around and punched him right in the jaw.

"James!" Jessie screamed.

Giovanni held his jaw and yelled, "Guards!"

Three bulky men came in, bearing large rifles.

"Kill them all!" Giovanni's voice boomed.

I grabbed Jess and Meowth and we ran past the guards. I could see the door right in front of me. Then I heard a gunshot and someone fall. I spun around and saw Jessie lying on the ground in a pool of blood. My nightmare was coming true! I picked her up in my arms and Meowth and I ran out of that damned place. I ran into the Pokemon Center across the street and yelled for Nurse Joy.

She ran out and gasped.

"Please…you have to help her…please, Nurse Joy…please…" I begged.

She nodded and called for her Chanseys, who ran out using their stubby feet, wheeling out a stretcher. I gingerly placed Jessie on the stretcher and kissed her forehead.

"I love you…" I whispered. Then they took her into a back room, leaving me and Meowth to just stand there.

"Wow…" Meowth said, breaking a fifteen minute silence.

I sat down and put my head in my hands. "Oh god, if she dies it's my fault. It's all my fault, Meowth…"

Meowth hopped up next to me. "No it ain't, James. Ya didn't know that Jess would get shot. Ya said yourself you didn't have dose dreams for a while. So why go blamin' yaself! Jess probably won't even die! She's a tough goil, you and me both know dat!"

I nodded. "I'm just expecting the worst, that's all. That way, if she does pull through…I'll have that much more to be happy about."

I stood there looking in disbelief. There was her gravestone. My beautiful, wonderful, talented Jessie was gone…and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I placed my rose on her grave.

"I love you…" I whispered.

I woke up to my own yelling. Jessie ran in and sat on my bed next to me. I was weeping and shaking and sweating profusely.

"Shh, shh...it was just a bad dream…" Jessie said soothingly, rocking me back and forth.

"You - you were dead…"

She smiled. "Not that dream again."

"But it was so real…"

"Maybe it's a sign that we shouldn't quit."

I nodded. "I'm miserable here but…without you, I'd be even more miserable."

She smiled and kissed my forehead. "Night, James."

I smiled and kissed her cheek. "Night, Jess…sweet dreams."

When she was gone, I sighed and laid back. I wish a few parts of that dream were real. Someday I'll tell her. Someday Jessie and I will make love and it won't be followed by me losing her, I know it. I curled up in my blanket and went back to sleep.

I never had that dream again.