The night sky hung luminously over Team Rocket as they sat around the fire they made from what little wood and tender they could find. Jessie sat on one side and James on the other, while Meowth, who was resting peacefully, to the side near a tree; a gentle purr came from him. Both the humans stared with a deep gaze into the fire. The burning embers soothed them from the cold, and their thoughts. It had been two days since they tried (again) to obtain the Pikachu that they hoped would put them back into a good light Giovanni, and help them get up higher in Team Rocket's organization.
James had been deeper in thought for the last few weeks than his teammates. He was in a state of depression that was beginning to affect his sleep, but hid it from the Jessie and Meowth. His thoughts became dedicated to wonder what he was going to keep doing with his life. He knew he was going to have to tell the rest of the team his thoughts, but he was worried about what their reactions would be—especially Jessie's.
"Jessie. Meowth," said James in a low voice. The woman and the feline Pokémon looked at him.
"What is it James," asked Jessie.
"I've been thinking a lot lately about the team."
"Wad about da team," asked Meowth.
James hesitated to speak, but then he final built the courage to talk.
"Do you guys ever wonder what our future might be for us? What might happen if we keep going on like this?"
"What are you saying," asked Jessie.
"Yeah, spill the beans," said Meowth.
"I don't know if I can do this anymore. I don't think I want to be a part of Team Rocket anymore."
Jessie and Meowth looked at him in shock.
"Why," asked Jessie, almost sounding angry. "Why the sudden thought of abandoning the team."
"I would never abandon you guys."
"Then why do you want to leave," She asked in a raised voice.
James quickly got to his feet.
"Because I'm sick of it," He yelled. "I don't see the point anymore. Day in and day out we try to get that twerp's Pikachu, and each time he foils us. Then we try stealing other Pokémon, but then him and the other twerps show up and foils us again even then; every time the same thing."
"We gotta keep tryin'," said Meowth. "If we get dat Pikachu, we'll be made for bigga things in Team Rocket."
"When was the last time we got any support from the organization, Meowth? We go hungry every day because we don't bring any Pokémon to Team Rocket, and the only way we survive is by doing odd jobs for a meager amount of pay and yet we still go hungry all because it goes to funding those damn machines you build. I don't care about a position in the higher ups anymore: I want a life. I finally realized I've wasted most of it with this damn organization. I came because I wanted to have a better life, but now I realize that we're no better off than we were before!"
Jessie got up to her feet, her face filled with anger.
"Damn it James," she yelled, "what else do we know? What are you going to do, huh?"
"I'm going to go to a town and try to settle down there."
"With what money?"
"With whatever money I can get."
"What about us? What about me and Meowth—you're just going to leave the both of us out in the cold?!"
James looked at Jessie, and saw that there were tears beginning to come out of her eyes. He knew for a fact that he wouldn't dare to leave his teammates—his friends—behind. He knew that he had been around them for so long that if he left their side, or they left his, he wouldn't be able to live with himself, but with Jessie he...
He could now see the tears flowing freely from her eyes. She turned away from him. He could hear her trying to stifle her sobs.
"Go away, James!"
"Jessie…"
"I said go away! If you want to leave me then go on!"
James felt a deep pain inflicted upon his heart. James looked at Meowth, who had a look of confusion on his face, and looked back to Jessie. He walked over to her, and stood behind her.
"Jessie, don't be like this."
"I SAID GO AWAY!"
Jessie quickly turned around, and slapped James across the face. James felt the sting of the hit burn his skin. He stood in shock from the blow. He looked at Jessie, and saw she, too, was visibly shaken from her actions.
"Oh God, James, I didn't mean—" She turned away and began to cry, covering her face with her hands. She turned away again.
"Jessie…"
"Just go away," she sobbed.
"Jessie, look at me."
She didn't budge. James moved right behind her and gently turned her around to face him.
"Jessie, I couldn't bear to leave you behind," he told as he stared deeply into her eyes.
"Why," she asked him, her voice wavering.
"Because I…"
"Because you what?" Her voice was nearly a whisper.
James saw something in her eyes: a sense of longing. He held her gaze for a few second before he instinctively planted his lips upon her own. It was a kiss that last for but a second, but as soon as James parted from her she immediately smothered his lips with hers. He held her against his body as the euphoria from their small, fleeting moment of passion increased between them. They never wanted to let go of the moment, but after a few seconds of passion the separated from their caress. He stared into her eyes with a passion he had longed to reveal to her.
"…because I love you, Jessie."
She looked at him with a gentle smile, and tears in her eyes—but there were not of sadness, but of immense joy. Suddenly, the young woman slapped him again. James looked at her again in shock, rubbing his face.
"That's for not telling me sooner, you idiot," Jessie said, who sounded irritated, with the deepest blush James had ever seen on her face. His own shock turned into a smile.
"Then will you come with me?"
"Yes," she said with a gentle smile.
They kissed each other again. They celebrated their confessions of love with their passion.
"What about Meowth?"
They broke their imbrace to look at the feline friend.
"You guys won't leave me, will ya," asked the feline with sadness in his voice. "I don't know anyting else other than Team Rocket." He looked as though he begin to cry.
James walked over to Meowth, and got down on his knee.
"I want you to come with me, too," James told him with a smile on his face.
The Pokémon looked him with a sincere innocence in his eyes.
"Do you really mean it," the feline asked.
James held out his hand to him.
"I could never abandon a friend."
The cat looked his hand and then ran to embrace James in a hug, wrapping his small arms around the man and burying his face into James's chest.
"Thank you," Meowth said with joy. "You're a good friend."
Meowth let go of him, and James could see tears in his eyes. James put his hand on the Pokémon's head, and began to pet him.
"Hey, quit it," Meowth said as he pawed at James's hand.
James gave a small laugh, and stopped teasing Meowth. He stood up, and began taking off his gloves, throwing them to the ground, and then his Team Rocket uniform shirt revealing a black t-shirt.
"James, what are you doing," Jessie asked.
James stared at the shirt with the large red R in the middle, and a small split in between the legs of the letter. It was almost nostalgic looking at the shirt—remembering the good times—but there were also bad times, which he felt were more frequent. In the end, he tossed it in the fire. He stared at it as it began to burn and shrivel. He unconsciously brushed of the black undershirt.
"Why did you burn your uniform shirt," asked Meowth.
"It's not me anymore," answered James.
Jessie took off her gloves uniform shirt (revealing a black tank top) and tossed it into the fire as well. James looked into her eyes, and she into his. They stared at each other with a gentle smile for what seemed like an eternity to them, but they were snapped back into reality when Meowth gave a full, hearty yawn.
"I think we outta get some shut-eye," said the feline Pokémon as he curled up into a ball near the fire.
Jessie and James agreed. James, after putting more kindling to the fire, got into his sleeping bag. Jessie walked over to him, and crawled into the bag with him. James held Jessie—the woman he loved with all his life—in his arms, never wanting to let go of the moment that almost felt like a dream. For the first time in many nights, he felt like he could sleep peacefully again.
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