The True Test of Love

L.R.T.

Jessie just watched her partner sleep. They were in a hotel, which for them was very rare. They had found some money on the ground and using the fine logic of "finder's keepers" got a hotel for the night. They didn't have enough money to afford a room with two beds, so they were stuck with one. James didn't seem to care that he had to share a bed with Jessie. She did.

She sighed as she watched him sleep. Why? Why is it so hard? she pondered in the darkness. James and Meowth had drifted off long ago but Jessie still laid awake, miserable at her own stubbornness. She hated herself for not having the guts to tell James how she felt. Sometimes she became so depressed she cried herself to sleep.

Jessie took a deep breath. She was going to do it, even if it killed her. Just as she leaned over to kiss James awake, a thought popped into her head...Giovanni. What would he say? He was never too fond of Rocket relationships and often fired any lovebirds that decided love was better than working for him.

She laid back down. She had lost her nerve.

Jessie decided to get some water. She quietly got up and went into the bathroom. She closed the door and broke down into bitter tears.

"Damn you, Giovanni!" she screamed.

James heard the outburst and ran into the bathroom, opening the door just in time to hear Jessie declare, "I love James and I can't tell him because of you! You son of a -"

"Jessica, I love you, too."

"James, hi," Jessie said nervously. "You probably think I love you, right?"

"Yeah, kinda. Seeing as that's what you said."

"Well, uh, I was just rehearsing for a play. Yeah, a play."

"Okay."

Jessie narrowed her eyes. "You think I'm lying."

"Yeah, I do."

Jessie sighed and sat on the side of the bath tub. James joined her.

"Jessie, I said I loved you. And I meant it. Regardless of what you were actually doing."

She looked at him and opened her mouth to say something but just looked into his gorgeous green eyes and her spirit softened. "You really love me?"

"Yeah. Why would I lie about a thing like that?"

She shrugged. "Because you think of me as your best friend who rags on you and used to beat you with her purse at Pokemon Tech and now beats you with fans and mallets and pans and whatever is available at the time."

"I do."

"Oh," she replied, confused.

He took her hands in his. "That's why I love you. You aren't afraid to speak your mind or kick butt or what have you. I love you because you're so amazingly beautiful and perfect and I've loved you since day one, Jessica. I love you so much it physically hurts. Right here in my gut." He pointed at his belly. Jessie giggled. "I want to be with you more than anything on this planet, Jessie."

Jessie tried to hide her tears but one managed to slip away. James wiped it away with the back of his hand. "Oh, James..." Jessie sniffled.

"Jessie, can I kiss you?"

She laughed. "Of course. Why did you feel you had to ask, silly?"

"Well, it'd be our first kiss. Together. I just -"

Jessie kissed him smack on the lips. They looked at each other, trying to fight their emotions and urges knowing Meowth was in the next room but their hormones just couldn't be stopped. They kissed passionately and began to take off each others clothes.

"James?" Jessie asked as James kissed her neck.

"Huh?"

"What about the boss?"

Those words made James's blood chill. He stopped kissing his soul mate and stared into the toilet. "I guess he wouldn't like this much, huh?"

Jessie nodded sadly.

James stood up. "Well, screw him, Jessie! I want to be with you and I want to make love to you and if he has a problem with that he can just kiss my ass!"

Jessie hugged her man tightly. "That's my James!"

Meowth stepped groggily into the bathroom. His eyes widened at the sight of Jessie in James's arms, her nightgown almost down so far you could see her breasts and James shirtless with his pants unzipped.

"Yous twos are poiverted!"

"For your information, Garfield, James and I are in love!" She stuck her tongue out at their Pokemon friend.

"Love? Yeah, I knew dat. Ain't nottin' new to me."

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"Yous twos were obviously hooked on each otta da minute you saw one and otta."

Jessie gazed at James and he gazed back. She brushed his hair out of his face. "You know what, furball? I guess we were."

James grinned at her and she grinned back. The two kissed.

"Oh, brutta. Now I gotta deal wit' dis junk!