Author's Notes

I'm finally ready to start posting this. I've been working on it since last year, and thinking about working on it since XY started more or less.

This is a canon (more or less) divergent AU, diverging sometime around the end of episode N. It gives the characters a different Kalos experience. Honedge and evolutions play a major part. I realize they were in the first XY movie, but I haven't even seen it yet and could portray the pokemon species very differently than the actual anime series does. Oh well.

Fair warning in advance for a love triangle of sorts.

Threads of Fate

1

They often hugged to celebrate. And why not? It was almost innate to James, rushing over to Jessie during an outburst of emotion, whether positive or negative. Just having her physically close to him heightened his joy, or comforted him as he fretted. Besides, it wasn't as if he were forcing this interaction. Jessie seemed to have the same reflex, so they were in each others arms instantly during various situations. Touching Jessie was just natural.

They'd done so less since arriving in Unova, however, there were reasons for that. After a long stretch of bad luck they were finally on the boss's good side. They were involved in his major plans for the first time since the St. Anne disaster, more or less. More team members were involved, and the boss checked up on them more and more. So of course, when Jessie turned away from him when they'd been given the order to go to Unova, he knew the reason, and adjusted, just standing tall next to her.

They were elite, after all. They had a job to do, and a professional appearance to maintain while doing it. James controlled his impulses, not acting on them as he'd started to do without even thinking about. Their entire group had to show pride in their work, and maybe various public displays of affection wouldn't reflect that.

But they all had to come together when they'd finally defeated Team Plasma. Well, with a little help that James didn't feel he'd even have to mention when he drew up the report for the boss. When they were alone, deciding to go back home with yet another success, James hugged Jessie, and even Meowth joined in as they all gave a happy shout together.

He didn't want to pull away, even as Meowth hopped off their shoulder and began going through their bag. James thought he saw Jessie's face flush red, then moved closer before touching her forehead. "Are you alright, Jessie?" he asked.

"I'm fine, James," Jessie said. As she pulled away, James let go, studying her closer, because even if she wasn't sick, there was something off about her.

"One of you two find that computer so I can type up that report," Meowth said, focusing the attention on it.

"I already finished it," James informed.

"Oh, no way!" Meowth said, pointing at James accusingly. "You're not gonna let the report go without input from the rest of us. Right Jess?"

Jessie shrugged, looking away. "I don't care. James's other recent reports seem to go over well enough at headquarters."

"Well, you can bet I care! I want to make sure the boss knows just how valuable we are and just what he needs to do with us from here," Meowth said.

"Fine, Meowth. Why don't you look over everything then?" James suggested. As his friend hesitantly nodded, James took out the laptop, getting what he'd thought was the final draft on the screen. Meowth sat, absorbed in it, even as they finished dinner, fed the other pokemon, and the sun set.

"You done yet, Meowth?" Jessie asked loudly as she sat with James, just staring at him and kicking some rocks.

"Not until everything just purrfect," Meowth muttered.

Jessie sighed, again shrugging as she returned her two pokemon to their pokeballs. She turned to James. "Hey," she began, then looked down as she spoke to him. "Want to turn in then?"

"Sure," James said. He'd just been daydreaming mostly as he watched his pokemon play. He returned them as well, and then stood up, walking over to the tent with her. As they got in together, James turned around, making himself comfortable.

Just as he closed his eyes, Jessie spoke. "Hey, James?" she said softly.

"Yes, Jessie?" James said, turning around and facing her. Just as he did, he noticed that strange expression that he couldn't quite place. Jessie's face wrinkled up, and she turned on her back, gazing upward. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?" James asked as he observed her.

"I'm just fine," Jessie said, her typical terse tone convincing him of her words. Her expression soon lightened though, and she even looked a bit concerned. "Hey, James, I'm just wondering... Why did things change between us?"

"What? Nothing changed though, right?" James said.

"Don't play dumb," Jessie said, frowning as she gripped the blanket that was shared between them. Looking back at James's face, Jessie frowned, then chuckled, before turning and trying to hide her laugh.

"Jessie?" James said with concern.

"It's not an act, is it?" Jessie said.

James's eyes widened as he remained silent, unsure of what to say. He wished he knew just what was on her mind, and didn't want to spoil the good mood by reacting to her words, though he did feel a little hurt at the implications. "Um..." he began, struggling for some words.

Jessie continued the conversation for him. "Just think about it, then maybe you'll know what I'm talking about. Just now... I can't remember the last time we... Um, acted like that, though we used to all the time."

"You mean hugged?" James said. He thought he was imagining things in the dim moonlight that peeked into the tent, but it almost looked like Jessie was blushing at his words. Would she be embarrassed at all, just with a topic like that? "It's something else, right? I mean, you know why we don't do that much anymore, right?"

"Why don't you just tell me," Jessie muttered loudly.

"We, um, well, we needed to be more professional. It's not the right time or place for something like that," James said.

"Oh," Jessie said. A silence followed. "I get it now, James. I'm just wondering though, would there be a right time and place for something like that?"

"Yes, of course," James said. "Like just now. And plenty of other times, really. I didn't stop because I didn't like you."

"So you do like me?" Jessie said.

"Ah... Yes," James said after a pause, though he wasn't at all hesitant in that fact. Jessie had been his partner for so long, and he didn't know what he'd do without her. It was just Jessie even asking it seemed strange, and he couldn't quite piece together the context of what she asked. Had he ever acted like he hated her or something? Well, it wasn't as if they'd never fought. James began to think back on those times. Maybe he'd said something in a more recent fight that she'd really taken to heart. But all he could remember doing was trying to get her to finally do her share of whatever menial task he'd gotten tired of that day.

"I like you too," Jessie said after her own a moment of pause, in a soft but sweet voice that dissolved James of his worry. "And as far as times and places go... Right now, we've finished all of our work. Meowth isn't going to bother us for a while, it looks like. So we're alone. It seems like a good time and place to me. What about you?"

"A time and place for what? Hugging?" James said.

"And maybe a little bit more," Jessie said.

James felt his own face flush, though he wasn't sure why. He did like the idea of cuddling up close to her. He liked it even more as he thought about it further. His heart started to beat faster, and he swallowed nervously, though he soon convinced himself that he wasn't nervous at all. It was just Jessie after all, someone he wasn't at all uncomfortable with, doing something they'd done many times before.

Except this was certainly a different context. Just hugging her to share their experience in a moment of joy or fright was one thing. She had to be talking about something else, as this certainly wasn't the time or place for that. That was something more spontaneous, not asked for. Thinking what Jessie's true request might be, James found himself becoming flustered. "Je-Jessie," he began.

Jessie moved closer, putting her arm around him. James jerked in shock a moment, but then relaxed, sighing happily. He decided to be a bit spontaneous himself, and moved his own arm, pulling Jessie closer. They stayed that way a while, before Jessie rolled back onto her back. "James," she began. Glancing over and meeting eyes with him, she continued. "Don't you ever get lonely? I mean, working for Team Rocket is undeniably the coolest job ever, but being on the road, not having anyone else in your life, it is kind of lonely, isn't it?"

"Not at all!" James insisted. Despite any hardships, his life was anything but lonely at that point. "I'm not alone, really. I have my pokemon, and of course, you and Meowth."

James paused. Jessie appeared to be considering what he'd said, though he couldn't see her well in the dim light. James squinted, trying to make out her expression. Jessie only looked upwards, but eventually spoke again, in that soft voice. "I wonder if I could be happy, with just you."

"You don't only have me," James said. "But if it had to be the case, I know I could be happy with just you."

Jessie's head tilted back toward James. James was certain he could see her expression clearly, a surprised one. "Do you really mean that, James?" she asked.

"Of course," James said, though he blinked in confusion. Was it really that unbelievable? "I love you, Jessie. I, well, I couldn't do without you."

Jessie's mouth fell open, but then she sat up again, clutching the blanket. She gave a short, nervous laugh. "I hope you don't think I'll get all hot and bothered just for you, James," she said, looking in the opposite direction as she did.

"I don't," James said, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Well good, because I won't," Jessie insisted, clutching the blanket tighter now.

"Okay," James said, wondering if he should say anything more than that.

"But I really do like... I like you a lot. So I'd like it if we could just enjoy each other's company. You know what I mean." Jessie seemed to relax again, leaning down again and sighing.

"I'd like that too," James agreed. He did know what Jessie meant. They hadn't really been enjoying each other's company much, having put everything they had into the job since arriving at Unova. It wasn't as if they had been nasty to each other either, just held that cold, professional indifference. They could change that from there on out, as the situation allowed for it.

Thinking about making that change, James felt some excitement. He felt even more as Jessie scooted near, snuggling against him. He was comfortable, even feeling her breath on his neck. He could ask her what she was thinking, if she was really comfortable with this literal proximity to him. But she had made the move, and he honestly did enjoy this affection, so just decided to enjoy her closeness for the moment. James didn't really think about it, just relaxed, even as Jessie's face came close to his.

Then, before he realized it, it had already happened. As if by some reflex of her own, Jessie had kissed him. James did nothing a moment, almost frozen before he'd realize what had happened. When he did, he decided he hadn't disliked it, though it was kind of a strange thing to do. "Je-Jessie?" he said, confused again by her silence.

Finally, Jessie's fretful voice broke through, though after she'd pulled away from him again. "What is it, James? Did you have a problem with that or something? Wasn't getting to kiss me good enough for you?" she asked.

"No- I mean, it was good," James said, hugging Jessie gently again, relieved that she wasn't so angry that she'd ignore him. "I was just surprised. For a minute there we were acting like one of those couples that can't keep their hands off each other."

"Well what have we been talking about all this time?!" Jessie demanded, shaking off his grip.

James's eyes widened in a clueless, curious expression. Before he could respond, someone else came crashing through the tent. "Hey, James! Wake up! I finished making the changes. You need to look at them, stat!"

"What are you doing, Meowth? Haven't you ever heard of privacy?" Jessie shouted.

"How much privacy do you need to sleep? I'm waking you all up anyway! This is more important. You want the boss to know exactly where we stand as soon as possible, right?"

"Whatever then," Jessie said, crawling out of the tent before standing up and stretching.

"Jessie," James called after her.

"Just go and do what that big mouth says already, James," Jessie said casually. "Meowth is right, that report is more important than anything we were doing in there."

"Yeah, so get moving," Meowth said.

James nodded, then went over to the laptop to review the report that he thought he'd already finished. He couldn't concentrate on it though. Not even Meowth's berating was enough to get him to focus his mind on words on the screen in front of him.

James tried to glance to see what Jessie was doing, but she wasn't in sight. He frowned. He really hadn't wanted to upset her, and really had agreed with what she'd said. Being close to her was something he wanted, not just then with that conversation, but for a long time. He thought they'd had a fairly intimate relationship already, but liked the idea of becoming even closer and not letting work get between them.

What he didn't like was the idea of their relationship dissolving, or them growing apart. James wanted to go talk to her again, straighten things out. Did she want to kiss him again? The one kiss had been kind of nice. He'd kiss her again, absolutely. Even make out with her. He hadn't done it before, even with someone else, but how difficult could it be? However Jessie wanted their relationship to be, James felt he wanted it to. Because he wanted her.

"Well, what do you think then, James? The boss will know how valuable we are when he reads this, right? The way I put it was better than just what you did, huh?"

With Meowth's question, James's attention went back to the screen in front of him. "Um, let's see," he said, scanning the words in front of him, trying to read them instead of just look at them. "Where did I leave off again?"

"You didn't finish yet? Get with it!" Meowth shouted, slapping James's head with a rolled-up magazine.

James shouted, rubbing his head before he tried to do just that.

Jessie walked though the woods, no place to go, really. She decided she just wanted the exercise. As the light dimmed when a cloud came across the moon, Jessie wondered if she should really be wandering out alone at night to begin with. Well, her pokemon could take care of any undesirables that she couldn't herself, she concluded, and continued on her way, with the same frustration as before.

Why couldn't it just be easy. James admitted he liked her - loved her even! So, the natural result of that should be the two of them 'expressing' their love a certain way, a very natural way. Though when Jessie had just begun, James had just acted like she was weird or something. Jessie gave a quick shout, kicking a tree in frustration as she thought back on the situation, trying to bury her own embarrassment.

Had she misread him? James should have known what she was talking about, dense as he was. He seemed to, also seemed to enthusiastically return her feelings, going overboard with that declaration of love, even. But still, he'd rejected her.

Or had he? Jessie tried to figure it out, before abandoning those questions in her confusion. It really should have just been easy. They admit love for each other, then fade into their passion, just like that. Jessie felt an attraction to James, and why wouldn't he feel the same? Most men would find her hard to resist. So why had James rejected her?

Well, he hadn't really. Not exactly. Though he'd acted like he'd tasted something bad when kissing her, he'd later insisted that he'd liked it. And before that, he'd even said he wouldn't want to be without her. Jessie smirked, thinking about the over-the-top way those words sounded, though she was sure her partner had meant it all in earnest.

No, it really wasn't as disastrous a situation as she'd originally thought, Jessie decided when thinking the events over a third time. James was just a little slow when it came to this. Jessie calmed, though still feeling a bit frustrated. There was plenty that was going right in her life, even if romance wasn't one of them. Going back to base, the boss would have to be pleased with them. Another exciting assignment had to be waiting for them.