Now and Forever
By RocketFAN
Don't own anything but my own ideas :-) Enjoy!
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" The trio of bumbling thieves shouted as a powerful thunderbolt attack sent them flying hundreds of yards from where they had just encountered Ash, Brock and Dawn.
Later, they were sitting in a small cabin that had been their shelter for the last few nights. It was warm and cozy and offered them some comfort, but not much.
"I'm so tired of those twerps always getting the better of us!" Jessie sighed angrily.
"I suppose it's just our lot in life," James said while dropping his head to his lap.
"Well… I'll go to bed, then," Jessie sulked as she plopped down in her bed and yanked the cover over her chilled body.
"Come on, Jess… don't be so upset," James said while sitting down on her bed with her and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I'm just so tired of being such a failure," Jessie said in a more discouraged voice that was shaking slightly.
"You're not a failure, Jess… we both are," James tried to crack a small joke to try and get her to smile. He could not help but smile when she let out a small laugh.
"Oh, James…," she said as she sat up and turned to face him.
"You are something else, you know that?" She chuckled and wrapped her arms around him in a loose hug. They had been friends for over 10 years and were as comfortable with one another as two people could be. They had never had a seriously romantic relationship, though they had kissed a few times and had been a little more touchy feely with each other than usual lately. However, they had never been intimate with each other in fear of changing their relationship for the worst or making things awkward between them. They had considered it more than once, and had actually tried to take it all the way once a few years before, but they had both sort of panicked and did not go through with it.
Jessie knew she could always count on James to be there for her no matter what the situation. His loyalty to her astonished her at times. He was such a kind person and deep down, she knew he had a heart of gold. He could always manage to make her laugh when she was feeling down, and his pure devotion to her and the team was unshakable.
"It's so cold tonight," James said as a chill ran through the cabin and caused him to shiver.
"I know," Jessie replied as she looked over at Meowth, who was sleeping happily on James' bed, wrapped in several blankets.
"Hey, that mangy cat stole my bed!" James whined irritably as Jessie could not help but chuckle.
"Just sleep here with me and we can keep each other warm," Jessie said with a heavy sigh as James looked slightly surprised at her request. They had shared a bed many times in the past, but not one so small. They were going to have to practically sleep on top of each other to both fit on the twin size bed.
"Jess…?" James said softly as Jessie snuggled up next to him.
"Hmm?" Jessie mumbled sleepily.
"Goodnight…," James whispered in her ear while kissing her softly on the cheek.
"Goodnight," Jessie replied as James' lips lingered on her cheek, caressing it rather sensually.
"I love you….," James whispered and nuzzled his nose into Jessie's neck.
"Ah, your nose is cold!" Jessie screamed and giggled as James rubbed his nose with his hand and laughed softly.
"Will yous two cut the noise factor over 'dere?" Meowth yelled at them from across the room.
"I thought you were asleep!" James yelled back at Meowth.
"Well I was until you two's love 'boyrds started giggling over 'dere!" Meowth yawned and fell back asleep.
"Well, excuse me!" James yelled loudly at the sleeping cat Pokémon.
"He's such a pain in the ass sometimes," James groaned as he wrapped his arms around Jessie and pulled her close.
"Goodnight, Jess," he said softly while kissing her a few more times on the cheek.
"Goodnight, love," Jessie said before yawning and drifting off.
Three hours later, Jessie was sound asleep and snoring softly, while James was wide-awake and just staring at the ceiling. He had too much on his mind to relax and succumb to the sleep his body and mind so desperately needed.
What am I doing with my life? James thought to himself as he recalled the events of the day that led them to be beaten again by a couple of twerps.
"Ugh…," James groaned louder than he meant to, causing Jessie to stir awake.
"James? What's wrong?" Jessie mumbled, her words slightly slurred.
"N-nothing… sorry I woke you," James replied dejectedly.
"Are you sure? You seem a little… distracted," Jessie said as she rolled over to face James, who had a blank look in his deep, emerald green eyes.
"Have you ever thought about leaving the Team and just living 'normal' life?" James' question caught her off guard.
"Leaving the Team? What are you talking about?" Jessie asked him in utter shock at his proposition.
"I-I just don't know if I want to do this anymore," James admitted softly while avoiding eye contact with Jessie, who was staring at him with a puzzled look on her face.
"Where's this coming from?" Jessie asked him as the look on her face became even more perplexed.
"I… n-never mind," James sighed, feeling defeated by his own feelings and laid back down with his back to her, who was still looking rather confused.
Jessie sighed as well and did the same. James could be so dramatic sometimes. After all their years together, Jessie and James knew each other better than they knew themselves. Jessie knew that James was overly emotional, often moody and sometimes downright whiny. However, she smiled to herself as she thought about some of his personalities' more positive attributes.
He was sensitive and caring. He was always genuine, funny and never disrespected her. She knew he would sacrifice himself in a second if it were necessary to keep her safe from harm. He was not a typical member of Team Rocket, who were usually sneaky, insensitive, selfish and evil. He often tried to put on a front that he was all these things… but she could see right through his act and into his heart of gold.
"James?" Jessie said softly while turning back around and gently placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"What?" James asked her flatly with his back still turned to her.
"I love you," Jessie whispered in his ear and lightly kissed it, which sent a chill down his entire body, causing him to involuntarily gasp sharply.
"Jess…," James said meekly and turned to face her. Even in the darkness of the room, Jessie could see that James was blushing slightly. She smiled and scooted closer to him before laying her head on his shoulder. Jessie could feel his heartbeat quicken as she reached up and stoked his face, tracing her index finger lightly along his perfect features.
"W-What are you doing?" James asked her nervously as her gentle touch became more passionate.
Jessie did not say anything, but chuckled at how nervous her sensual show of affection was making James.
"Uh…I-I …," James stammered as Jessie became more and more amused by his reaction to her suggestive actions.
"What's wrong?" Jessie finally asked him as her amusement turned to guilt at the feeling of him trembling slightly.
"I-I don't... I mean…," James tried to answer her, but his mouth would not let him.
"Too fast?" Jessie asked him simply.
"Uh, y-yeah, I think so," James finally learned to talk again and chuckled softly.
"I'm sorry," Jessie apologized while moving away from him with a disappointed look on her face.
"I didn't mean stop…can we just take things a little slower?" James said while pulling her back against him and kissing her on the cheek. He felt bad for making her feel like he was rejecting her affection.
"Of course…how much slower?" Jessie thought they were taking things slowly.
"Well… we've never really done anything… like that," James said with a hint of laughter in his voice.
"Well, there's no better time to start," Jessie played on James' growing amusement of the situation.
"We have to be quiet, though. We would not want to wake Meowth," James said while looking over at the other bed to make sure the cat Pokémon was asleep.
"Yeah… that would be awkward," Jessie snickered as James pulled her closer.
"So…uh…," James looked at Jessie awkwardly as he shifted uncomfortably.
"Yeah… I guess we…don't know what we're doing," Jessie tried to break the awkwardness by stating the obvious.
"You either, huh?" James' question also acted as a confession that he was a virgin.
"Well… growing up in foster care my whole childhood, I never had anyone to have the… 'Talk' with," Jessie admitted hesitantly.
"What about you? Didn't your parents tell you anything?" She tried to turn it back on him.
"Not really… my parents were not exactly the kind of people to talk about that kind of stuff. They were more like the kind of parents that tell their children that the stork dropped them on their doorstep so they could avoid the awkwardness of talking to their children about sex. Kind of selfish of them, really." James explained to Jessie, who was laughing hysterically into her pillow to avoid waking up Meowth.
"What?" James asked her with an amused smile on his face. Jessie was not without a sense of humor, but he rarely saw her laugh so hard. He smiled even wider when he realized what a cute laugh she had.
"You!" Jessie laughed so hard, she involuntarily snorted when she tried to regain her composure. "You crack me up sometimes, James!" Jessie said as her laughing subsided into giggles and then little snickers.
"Did you just snort?" James chuckled at how such an unattractive sound could be so adorable coming out of her. Jessie blushed and buried her head in the crook of his neck as he used one arm to pull her closer and the other to stroke her long, dark reddish hair that had loosely fallen over her shoulders.
"So…kiss me already!" Jessie said after gathering her courage to turn to James and make the first move. James took a shuddering breath before pulling Jessie on top of him and kissing her awkwardly on the lips for the first time. Jessie could tell that James was a very inexperienced kisser, but he was definitely trying to make it work.
"Jess…," James gasped in surprise as she started groping him roughly and kissing him more passionately than he was kissing her.
"Just go with it, James…trust me," Jessie told him softly while pulling his shirt over his head. After tossing his shirt on the ground, she could feel his heart racing as she pressed her chest to his while running her hands through his hair.
"I-I trust you," James tried to sound sincere, but Jessie could hear the shaking in his voice as they became more seriously engaged with each other. She decided to ignore it this time rather than stopping again and ending up back on opposite sides of the bed.
"Come on!" Jessie urged her partner to become more involved as he seemed almost frozen under her. After he still did not move, she took over the situation and guided his hands down her body to give him an idea of what she wanted him to do.
"You really want me, don't you?" James said in a voice that made Jessie smile with a sense of victory. She had finally broke his nervousness and he began to take more control of the situation, running his hands up her back and pulling her shirt up and over her head.
"You know it!" Jessie giggled and hugged him tightly around the neck, allowing him access to her bare chest, which he took full advantage of. It was as if, after all these years together, they were finally discovering each other in the most intimate and romantic way possible.
Jessie was nervous, but she tried not to let it show. She was afraid that if she chickened out, there might never be another chance to try again. Her hands were shaking a little as she pulled the string that tied James' pajama bottoms on and hooked her fingers into the loosened waistband.
She could hear his short anxious breaths as she slowly slid them down and off, tossing them by his shirt.
"Do you want me?" Jessie whispered into his ear as he ran his hands up her legs and underneath the short white skirt she always wore.
"I always have," James said as his hands roamed around her sexy thighs and perfect butt.
"Ah!" Jessie gasped in half/surprise and half/pleasure as James' fingers began to caress her.
James grinned and pressed harder as Jessie started moaning and panting.
"J-James…," Jessie said as her moans intensified. She cried out as James' slid his fingers inside her and stroked the highly sensitive area.
"Sorry!" James quickly withdrew his fingers thinking that Jessie's moans were cries of pain.
"For what?" Jessie looked at him quizzically.
"I-I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry…," James was racked with guilt at the thought that he had caused her pain.
"You-you didn't hurt me," Jessie chuckled that James mistook her sounds of pleasure for those of pain.
"Oh… I-I thought I did," James sighed with relief as his face blushed. He was a little embarrassed at how little he knew about how women reacted to sexual pleasure. When Jessie noticed James starting to retreat from the act, she decided to take more control over him and straddled his lap. She did not give him a chance to protest before lowering herself onto him and slowly guiding him inside her.
"Uhh…," James gasped in both shock and pleasure as his eyes widened. Jessie wrapped her arms around James' neck while rocking her hips back and forth, causing him to move in and out of her. As she thrusted harder against him, James was overwhelmed with the most intense feeling of pleasure he had ever experienced.
"J-Jess…," he gasped and tried to push her off him, but to no avail. With her pinning him down, he was helpless to stop it. Jessie did not seem to realize why James was trying to separate them… until it was too late.
"Oh…," Jessie's eyes widened when she realized what had just happened. She was so lost in the ecstasy of the moment, she did not think about the fact that they were not using any kind of protection.
"Yeah… 'oh'!" James panted, slightly irritated at Jessie.
"Oh, my god… I am so sorry! I thought that-I thought you were just…," Jessie's feelings of pleasure and satisfaction quickly turned into panic.
"Shhh… its okay, I'm sure there is nothing to worry about," James tried to calm Jessie down so she would not wake Meowth. The situation was awkward enough without his presence.
"Yeah… it was just one time," Jessie tried to further convince herself that there was nothing to worry about.
"I…I guess we will just have to wait it out," Jessie still had a look of apprehension on her face.
"I wouldn't worry too much, Jess. Come on, let's go to bed," James said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the cheek.
"Goodnight, James," Jessie still could not hide the worry in her voice.
"Night," James said and sighed softly.
Two weeks later, Jessie and James had all but forgotten about the incident of that night and were back to their normal routine of following the twerps as they made their way to Celestic City.
"Come on, Jess, what's the holdup?" James turned around to find that Jessie had fallen several yards behind him.
"I'm coming! You are just walking too fast and my feet hurt! " Jessie snapped at James irritably as she continued to lag behind him.
"What's wrong?" James asked her as she caught up to him.
"Nothing…I'm just tired," Jessie replied as James noticed the bags under her eyes.
"Didn't you get any sleep last night?" James was slightly confused at Jessie's fatigue. She had slept for at least 9 hours the night before, but still seemed to be very tired.
"I thought I did… but I guess it wasn't enough," Jessie sighed and sat down on a large tree stump that was sitting to the side of the path and took off her long black boots with a sigh of relief.
"Are you feeling okay? Maybe you've got a cold or something," James sat down beside her and put his hand on her forehead, which was cool to the touch.
"You don't have a fever," James concluded and tried to think of something else that could be causing her fatigue.
"I probably just need to get more sleep," Jessie said while rubbing her aching feet.
"Why are your feet so swollen?" James asked her when he noticed that her feet were red and puffy.
"I don't know but their killing me!" Jessie groaned and continued rubbing her feet. At that moment, James was suddenly hit with a horrifying thought.
"Jessie?" James said in a voice that was full of dread.
"What?" Jessie replied, slightly alarmed by James's tone of voice.
"You…uh…you don't think…? Y-you don't think you're pregnant, do you?" James asked her nervously.
"Pregnant? Of course not!" Jessie completely dismissed ridiculous question.
"Well… I'm no expert or anything… but I've heard that when women are pregnant, their feet swell and they get tired more easily than they usually would.
"Well, I suppose it is possible," Jessie recalled the night that they had unprotected sex two weeks earlier.
"Y-you don't really think I am, do you?" Jessie's voice became full of panic as she realized just how possible it was.
"I think you should take a pregnancy test," James suggested.''
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Jessie agreed and they made their way to the nearest store to pick one up.
When they walked back to their cabin on Route 210 on the outskirts of Celestic city, Jessie wasted no time and went into the bathroom the second they walked in the door.
"Okay… let's see here," Jessie read the instructions on the box and took the test out of it. "You have to pee on it?" Jessie found the instructions a little odd, but followed them. She removed the little cover and did as it instructed.
"Well?" James asked her anxiously when she walked out of the bathroom holding the test.
"We have to wait 5 minutes," Jessie sighed and put the test down on the table.
"Uh…," James groaned as he kept his eyes on the little white window that would determine the fate of their entire lives.
"Please…," Jessie pleaded to herself as she closed her eyes and looked down at her lap, unable to face the results.
"Jessie…," James' voice said it all.
"No… really?" Jessie's heart sank as she forced herself to look at the test. It was her worst nightmare… a little red plus sign.
"Jess?" James tried to offer her some comfort, but she pulled away and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
James was still in shock from seeing that little plus sign. That little symbol meant their lives would be forever changed. He had not said a word to Jessie since she had disappeared into the bedroom nearly 2 hours ago. He knew she would want to be left alone for a while, so he respected that and had not tried to get her to talk to him. However, he was growing concerned and decided to check on her.
"Jess?" He said while knocking lightly on the door to the bedroom. Jessie did not respond so he slowly opened the door and walked in.
"Are you okay?" James asked Jessie, who was lying on the bed with her face buried in her pillow.
"Jess…," James sat on the bed and gently put his hand on her trembling shoulder.
"What are we going to do?" Jessie finally responded to his presence.
"I don't know… but whatever we do, we will do it together," James replied and rubbed her shoulder, trying to offer her as much comfort as he could.
"It's my fault," Jessie whimpered tearfully and turned to face him.
"No, Jess… it's not your fault," James said while wiping the tears from her face.
"It is my fault! I should not have pressured you into having sex when you didn't want to!" Jessie sobbed, furious at herself for letting this happen.
"You didn't pressure me, Jess. I have always wanted us to be together that way. I love you so much and don't regret anything we did. We- we just should have known better and been more careful," James was racked with guilt for not thinking of using some kind of protection.
"How could we be so stupid?" Jessie shook her head when she thought about how careless they had been.
"We weren't stupid, Jess… just naïve," James' statement actually made Jessie feel a lot better. He was right…they were naïve. Not as much not to know that unprotected sex can lead to pregnancy, but as much as to not think twice about doing it.
"Do you think we should… we should not have it?" Jessie wasn't sure how James felt about the idea of her having an abortion, and did not know how he would react to the suggestion of it.
"I-I don't think I could do that," James shook his head at the thought of killing his own flesh and blood child.
"I don't think I could either," Jessie was somewhat relieved that James felt the same way she did about it.
"So, we will just try to make the best of it. I know we are far from being anywhere near ready for this… but it might not be such a bad thing after all," James wrapped his arms around Jessie's waist and rested his hands on her still toned and flat stomach.
"That's our child," James said to her as the reality of it finally started to sink in.
"Our child," Jessie whispered and laid her hands on top of his.
"Can you imagine how beautiful she's going to be?" James asked her with a growing smile on his face.
"She?" Jessie said with a raised eyebrow.
"Or he," James laughed softly while beginning to wonder if it was a boy or a girl.
"We can't tell anyone," Jessie's tone became more serious.
"What about Meowth?" James asked while realizing that Meowth had no clue as to what was going on with the situation. He was easily deceived and usually oblivious to everything going on around him that did not involve food.
"Well, I suppose he'll find out sooner or later," Jessie cringed at the thought of pregnancy's most horrifying side effect… gaining weight.
"Well… how are we going to keep it from everyone once it becomes… obvious?" James was starting to get nervous as the reality of the situation really began to sink in.
"I…I don't know," Jessie felt so lost. She needed the one person in the world who could always make her feel that everything would be okay… her mother.
"I wish my mom was here," Jessie said tearfully as she buried her head in James' shoulder.
"She could help me through this… she always knew what to do," Jessie was only a young child when her mother perished in the snowy mountains of Kanto while on a mission for Team Rocket, which whom she was an elite agent. Jessie spent the rest of her childhood being shuffled between abusive foster homes and poverty-stricken orphanages.
"I'm so sorry, Jess," James' heart broke for Jessie as he held her tighter. Though he did not consider his own childhood "ideal," he always had a mother and father who he knew deep down, would always love and care about him. They would always be there for him if he needed them. Growing up filthy rich, he never had to experience the pain of hunger, the loneliness of not feeling wanted, or the heartache of not being loved.
"But… I-I love this baby already," Jessie admitted with a sniffle and a small smile on her face.
"So do I," James replied softly and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"It's a part of us…forever. Maybe this baby is the best thing we've ever accomplished," Jessie chuckled and shrugged her shoulders sarcastically.
"So… this is real, huh? I mean… we-we're going to be parents?" James felt a sudden strike of dread as reality finally knocked him aside the head.
"Parents…us…," Jessie seemed just as bewildered as James did. They both sat in silence for a while with their hands entwined in the others when light, approaching footsteps caused them both to turn around.
"Every'ting okay over here?" Meowth became slightly concerned when neither of the replied and he saw the looks on their faces.
"Uh… yeah, everything's fine, Meowth," Jessie said shakily while exchanging a quick glance with James, who was trying to hide his nervousness.
"Hmm… ya know, I've known yous two for a long time, and I get the feelin' you're hidin' somethin' from me," Meowth said with a curiously raised eyebrow.
"Oh, um…," Jessie and James locked eyes and Jessie nodded apprehensively.
"Well, Meowth… uh…um…," James turned slightly red as he tried to find a way to explain to Meowth what he and Jessie had done.
"Meowth… let's just say that we are going to have a new… team member," Jessie tried to bail James out with the vague explanation.
"What? Da boss is adding a fourth to our cozy little trio? Who is it?" Meowth completely misinterpreted Jessie's sugar coated way of telling him she was pregnant.
"Well… we don't know yet," James played along with Jessie's misguided admission.
"When will we?" Meowth's question was the perfect opportunity to lower the boom on him.
"In about 9 months," Jessie said with a small snicker she could not suppress.
"Nine months? Why would-?" Meowth's eyes got as big as saucers when he realized what Jessie meant.
"W-whoa…wait a minute…you mean—you…yous two had—did…," Meowth felt like he was going to pass out from the shock and disturbing mental image as Jessie and James exchanged awkward looks.
"Well… you know…we just sort of… got caught in the moment and stuff…," Jessie explained as James blushed and tried to avoid eye contact with either one of them.
"So… what are yous gonna do?" Meowth's shock had turned into concern.
"We haven't really figured that part out yet," James replied sheepishly.
"What if the boss finds out? We'll be kicked off the team!" Meowth said as his eyes grew even wider.
"He won't," Jessie said quickly.
"And how do you expect to manage that?" Meowth asked her with a raised eyebrow.
"Look…in the past we've gone over a year without seeing the boss face-to-face. So as long as we don't have to see him, there is no reason for him to have to know," Jessie explained rather logically.
"What are we gonna do? Hide in a cave for 9 months? And then what are you plannin' on doin' wit the kid? Dressing up it up in a costume and telling everyone it's our new Pokémon?" Meowth ranted on as Jessie grew more irritated by the second.
"What makes you think I have all the answers?" Jessie growled at him as the two began arguing nose to nose.
"Well, your da one who put us in dis situation!" Meowth yelled back as his claws came out in defense.
"ME? I don't know where you get your information, Meowth, but I didn't exactly act alone in this!" Jessie screeched while shooting a glare at James that would be fatal if looks could kill.
"WAIT! JUST STOP THIS!" James shouted louder than either Meowth or Jessie had ever heard him shout before. They both became silent and looked at the ground.
"Look… if we are going to get through this, we will need each other's support. We-we'll figure it out," James said in a much lower and calmer tone.
Meowth suddenly felt terrible for blowing up at Jessie when he saw the genuine fear in her eyes. She had enough on her plate to deal with without his bitter criticism. After all, she was the one who would have to carry the baby for nine months and then give birth to it. James was right… she needed their support now more than ever.
"Gee…I'm sorry, Jess," Meowth muttered while Jessie remained silent.
"Meowth… why don't you go find some more fire wood. I need to talk to Jessie…alone," James said quietly as he pulled Meowth aside.
"Sure thing, Jimmy," Meowth sighed and reluctantly left the cabin.
"Meowth is right, James," Jessie said sadly while sitting down on the bed.
"What do you mean?" James asked her hesitantly, hoping she was not thinking what he thought she was thinking.
"As much as I hate to admit… we can't do this," Jessie admitted while fighting back tears.
"You're not suggesting that we…that we… terminate this pregnancy?" James could not bear the thought of having the life he and Jessie created simply destroyed as if it were nothing.
"We should just do it and get it over with!" Jessie said irritably while folding her arms and looking away from the devastated look on James' face.
"But, you just said you already loved this baby!" James was completely taken aback by her sudden change of heart.
"Well… you can't have everything you love!" Jessie shouted tearfully and stormed into the bedroom with James hot on her heels.
"Jessie!" He grabbed her by the shoulders from behind and forced her to look him in the eye.
"Who says, huh? Who says you can't have everything you love?" James had finally taken control of a situation instead of submitting as he usually did.
"You… you just CAN'T!" Jessie sobbed as he held her firmly by the shoulders and pressed her back against the wall. He was not going to let her dominate their relationship anymore. It was no longer just the two of them… it was not all about them anymore.
"Yes, you can," James said softly and released his rough grip on her.
"You can… and you will," he added as she fell into his arms and held onto him as if her very life depended on it.
"We will…," she whispered shakily before pressing her lips against his flushed cheek. He held her for what seemed like a lifetime before her body finally stopped trembling.
"We will…," James repeated her words with a small smile.
A/N: Hey! This was originally going to be a OneShot, but I am just too excited to wait so I am going to post it in 2 (possibly 3) parts. This is part one…