Disclaimer: How many times do I have to repeat myself?
I don't own them! I don't even try to catch them all! Bugger off!
Trials and Tribulations: Chap 3: The morning after.
In our last chapter, we find out what happened to our
intrepid trio. Brock scored with Nurse Joy, but Ash and Misty were interrupted
by Team Rocket before they were able to ...ahem. In an effort to get Jessie and
James to get together (and leave them alone), Ash tried to reveal their
feelings towards each other but it didn't work. Jessie ran off into the woods
and James tried to take out his anger on Ash. A fight ensued, but Ash managed
to calm him down, but the question still remained. Why does Jessie not return
James's affections? To what extent did Jessie go to keep the team together five
years ago? What will the group do when they find out that Brock had sex with
Nurse Joy? Will these questions stop? If so when? And why? Find out below!
______________________________________________________________________________
Five years ago, Team Rocket HQ.
Team Rocket Headquarters was much larger than most
people realized. Including the large building that people entered to, the
surrounding 20 acres also belonged to Team Rocket. The large building, ten
stories in full height, also ran another ten stories underground. On
sub-basement 4, resided the unrivaled leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni. His room
was clearly the largest in all of the building, seeing as to how it took up the
entire floor.
The only
door to his room was flung open and a young woman was unceremoniously thrown
out, naked. She landed hard on the clean wooden tiles outside. The door was
quickly shut, leaving the figure in the dark hallway. She hugged her knees,
covering her self. The door swung back
open, and the resident of the room threw some clothes at the curled up figure.
"Well,
Jessie, you were a pretty damn good lay. At least we find out what you are good
at," Giovanni said looking down at her and sneering.
Jessie just
sat there and struggled into her clothes, trying not to show anymore of herself
to Giovanni. Finally she asked him, "Does my team stay together, sir?"
Giovanni
knelt down beside her. Then quick as a snake he grabbed her strewn hair and
yanked her head back. Jessie stifled a gasp of pain. He let go of her hair and
began to fondle her.
"You know, we
have to do this again. Next time, my dear, next time. And yes, your team stays
together all because your nothing but a whore. A stupid, promiscuous, cock
sucking bitch. Now get out of here. I don't want people to think that I deal
with prostitutes."
He stopped
and got up. As he went inside, he
stopped, and looked behind. "You know. I think you enjoyed it too." He slammed
the door behind himself.
Jessie got
up, tears streaming down her face. Walking on unsteady legs, she managed to
find her way to one of the many bathrooms in the HQ. Thankfully empty, she went
into a stall, lowered the cover, sat on it and cried. She sobbed for a good
long while, almost an hour.
When she
finished, she went over to the sink. Jessie looked into the mirror, at first
not recognizing the face that stared back at her. This person's face was all a
mess, a nasty bruise forming around her eye, cheeks puffy and tear streaked,
eyes blood shot, and a split lip with blood and other fluids, running down her
chin.
Remembering
what the other fluids were, she dashed back into the stall and threw up. Jessie
brought up as much as she could. Feeling weak and nauseous, she struggled back
to the sink. The rocket washed her face, not even looking into the mirror.
Jessie grabbed some paper towels, and dried her face. After looking herself
over, she wiped the blood between her legs.
Fresh tears
sprang to her face as she did this, realizing that to be with the one she was
saving herself for, she gave up herself to stay with him.
______________________________________________________________________________
Jessie and James cabin, the
woods
James paced
the floor of the cabin, the old boards, creaking under his weight. He took
another look at his watch, checking the time again, the fourth time that
minute. He sighed in exasperation. James was dressed in a black cashmere
sweater and designer blue jeans. His sneakers squeaked a little as he turned.
The male
rocket was waiting impatiently for his best friend to get back, so they could
catch the concert. James huffed and sat down in a chair, one of three in the
cramped living room. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a bedraggled Jessie.
"What
took...OH MY GOD!!" was his cry as he saw her. Jessie was a total mess; her
normally immaculately groomed hair in disarray all over her face and her
uniform totally messed up. He rushed over to her, ready to give any assistance
if needed.
"I'm fine,
really. Just a bit of an accident, that's all," was her reply.
"Like hell
it is! You look like if you went through a cement mixer!"
"Look, I
said I'm fine!" was the angered reply.
#Well, her
temper is still there, so she is fine #, he reasoned. As relief flooded through
his body, he realized he almost lost her, his best friend, and the woman he
loved. He hugged her tightly, as if she might go away and never come back.
His embrace
comforted Jessie, but when she looked up at James, she saw the Giovanni's head.
Anger, frustration, and helpless rage boiled up in her, as she looked at his
hated face. He was sneering at her, taunting her, making sure she knew well who
was in charge.
In the corner
of her mind, Jessie realized it was James, but the rest of her didn't care. She
pushed him off, with a quick elbow to the gut. He stumbled back, the pain
spreading through his stomach.
"Don't touch me."
The voice
that spoke to James wasn't that of Jessie's but that of some ice-cold person. A
voice that gave no room for question. A voice filled with cold fury. The worst
kind.
"Geez, I'm sorry Jessie, but you didn't have to act
like that *oomph*..." he began but was cut off when she uppercutted him in his
jaw. James felt something give way, and ice-cold pain erupted in his face. He
fell heavily on the ground. He looked up at Jessie, hurt radiating through his
eyes. No compassion or mercy met his gaze, just blood-shot eyes filled with
hate.
She tried to
kick him while he was down, but he leapt up, as fast as he could.
"Jessie, please..." he started, but a front kick to
his stomach shut him up. Moving silently and rapidly, she punched him in his
broken jaw, snapping his head back. Jessie grabbed his arm and held it up, as
she punched his ribs repeatedly, like if he were a punching bag. She jumped
behind him and jerked his arm up as high as it could go, and beyond, breaking
the bone. She dropped the limp arm, and held him up, as she once again went in
front of him. Jessie head butted him in his nose, pulping it. As James started
to drop, she stepped down hard on his foot. He dropped like a rock, and in the
process broke his ankle.
James was in
a haze of pain and hurt. He was about to go to the blissful darkness that
beckoned to him, but then something tore him back.
"Weak."
He felt pain.
"Pathetic."
He felt more pain.
"I should have done this since I first met you."
Nothing but pain!
James opened
his eyes, trying to place the voice with the face. He hoped it wasn't who he
thought it was, but, the voice, the familiar features.......... it was her.
Like she taught him years ago, he did it.
"Please, Rumika, I'll do as you say... just stop
please!" he begged with his last bit of strength.
Visions of
his early youth spun in front of his eyes, Rumika lashing his back with that
accursed whip of hers, him, all strung up like a puppet. Her, going over and
over again, about how this was good for him, it would teach him the proper
"social grace and manners" he required to be a proper gentleman. Those nights
spent, tied up, his back wet and sticky with blood, his face wet with tears.
Jessie
snapped out of it when she heard what he whimpered. She looked down at him.
Then she looked down at herself.
#My God, what am I doing...# she thought.
______________________________________________________________________________The
Present:
Jessie woke
up in a cold sweat, the memories, and now dreams, back unbidden. She was in the
small Team Rocket encampment, a mile or two away from the pokemon center. It
was simple enough, just a trailer, a canopy and three sleeping bags near a now
burnt down fire.
The young
rocket got up, and stretched her back, getting the kinks from her restless
sleep out of her system. She turned at the other two sleeping bags, a sorrowful
expression on her face.
#All of that
for nothing. It comes down to this, # she thought. With a sigh she rolled up
the bags and made a small breakfast for herself.
Brock woke up with a start, his surroundings unfamiliar with him,
and a pressing weight on his chest. He looked down, Nurse Joy, asleep on his
chest, a smile on her face. The pokemon groomer gently slid her off of him and
got out of the bed. As he gathered their clothes up from around the small room,
a wide grin spread across his face, reminders of the night before.
Slipping on a pair of trunks and a t-shirt, he grabbed the keys
to the next room, and started to whistle a tune. Brock unlocked the door, and
popped his head in, hoping not to disturb his friends, who he hoped would be
asleep. They were asleep on the bed, Ash's arm around Misty's waist, but he
also spotted James and Meowth on the ground.
James was enjoying a rather peaceful, dreamless slumber when
rough hands reached up and grabbed, shaking him out of sleep.
"Aw come on Jess – just five more minutes and I promise I'll make
whatever you like," he whined, still half way asleep. Two slaps to his face got
him right up. "Alright, alright, but you don't have to be so rough about it
…Hey wait a minute you're not Jessie!"
"No duh! Now what are you doing here?" Brock angrily demanded,
glaring furiously at James.
James raised his hands in mock surrender. "Just ask the two on
the bed."
Brock went over to the bed, his fierce gaze still frozen on
James, watching his every move. The turquoise haired rocket did the same thing,
rubbing his sore face.
"Yo, Ash! Wake up, Team Rocket's here!" Brock said, shaking Ash.
Ash woke up, careful not to awaken Misty. He turned around, seeing who woke him
up.
"Oh, morning Brock. Uh James and Meowth are going to be with us for a while. Love problems and the such," Ash said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He gently shook Misty, trying to get her out of bed. Then he froze, realizing what he was about to do. Brock was already stepping back, slowly and warily.
"Ash, have you gone nuts! You almost woke her!" Brock whispered furiously.
"I think we better just step back…. Maybe she didn't notice…" Ash said, hoping wistfully. Then just as to contradict him, Misty stirred, and woke up, angry beyond measure.
"CAN'T YOU SEE A LADY'S TRYING TO GET HER BEAUTY SLEEP!" she screamed, getting big on the two.
"Didn't she read the note?" Brock whispered to Ash.
"Yup," he replied, a grin forming on his face.
Two ours later, the group was downstairs, enjoying a hearty breakfast of pancakes and sausages, while informing Brock of the situation with Jessie. Brock of course told them what happened to him last night (of course heavily edited), but was met with guffaws, snickers and all around disbelief. Brock just shrugged, secure of the fact that what happened, happened.
After a quick shower and change of clothes (except for James) they headed down to the Team Rocket encampment. As expected, they did find Jessie there. Ash and Co. left James and Jessie to talk, going a bit deeper in the woods. Meowth though was a bit reluctant to go, knowing full well what Jessie's temper could lead her to do.
The two rockets stood there for a while, their eyes cast downward. Then James began to speak.
"Look, Jessie, I know that I never told you anything, that is, on how I feel about you, truly feel about you, and I know that it must have been quite a shock for you to find out how you did last night. And you are right, I am a bastard for not telling you, but you have to understand, I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship. But something was nagging me before. I always thought that if I ever got the courage to say how I feel, I felt you would feel the same way. And I think you do."
James looked into her eyes, hoping beyond hope that she would say the five words he wanted to hear, right there, right then: "I love you too James."
Instead she said the eleven words he wished were never created: "I'm flattered, but I don't feel the same way about you." The male rocket could literally feel his heart almost break in two. He staggered back, almost like if he was in real physical pain. "But Jessie, I love you! And I know you love me too!" he managed to get out in a high-pitched whine.
"No, I don't
James. So stop now, before you make more of an ass of yourself," she replied.
"Yes, you do!
I just know it!"
Jessie was
starting to lose her temper, but struggled with what little self-control she
could muster. "Look, if you felt so before, if you were you so certain about
it, why did you keep it a secret?"
"I
thought..." James started to stammer out before being cut off by Jessie.
"You
thought. YOU THOUGHT! You know what James, idiots like you shouldn't think;
especially seeing you either don't do it right or you think the wrong thing.
Now shut the hell up, and lets just get on with our lives! Geez you're thick!" she practically
screamed.
James stepped
back his eyes welling up with tears. Then he uttered four words he never
thought he would say to Jessie: "You cold hearted bitch."
How James
said it, Jessie almost didn't understand exactly what he said, but then it hit
her. She reached her boiling point. She tried to slap him, and she almost did,
her hand almost coming out of nowhere. Except, James intercepted her hand, and
grabbed it, applying bone-crushing pressure. Jessie felt the pain race up and
down her arm; totally shocked that James defended himself against her. She was
even more surprised at what he said to her.
"How dare
you! YOU! I don't believe this! I have tolerated more than I should have, and
yet I continue to forgive you, for everything, from the hitting me upside my
head, calling me names, taking advantage of my kindness. I even forgive you for
the time when you almost killed me! All because we are, were, hell, I don't
know, best friends!" The male rocket was furious at his partner, all the while
unaware he was still squeezing her wrist.
Jessie was
slowly sinking to her knees, the pain in her arm so great. "Please, James
you're hurting me!" she whimpered, with holding a scream.
"It's about
time!" he almost spat out, but he released her arm, throwing it down. Jessie
held her arm close to her. She looked up at him, hurt in her eyes. "You
bastard, you almost broke it!"
James looked
down at her and tapped his ribs. "You broke these remember."
Jessie turned
her head away in shame. James continued. "You know, up till two minutes ago, I
could have shown you where the scars from the most intense pain in my life
were. In fact let me show you." With that, he peeled of his white outer shirt
and lifted up his black undershirt, and turned around.
His back was
covered with white, puckered scars from Rumika's whip, and other unidentifiable
markings. Jessie stifled a gasp and a sob for her friend. All she could think
of is what she put him through and what her doppelganger had done.
"Now I finally have proof that the worst scars are the
ones you don't see." He tapped his chest. "Unless of course you gut me. Just answer me this, Jessie.
Why?"
"That is the
reason why I cannot return your love. I do love you, but I can't," she said
lowering her head to hide her tears.
#She does love me! I don't believe it! # James thought. He knelt down beside her, and hugged her. Jessie burst into tears, and sobbed heavily on his shoulder, saying she was sorry for everything. James just hugged her tighter.
Well folks that's the end of chapter 3. A couple of
questions still remain: Will Jessie tell James what she and the Boss did? How
will James react? What is everyone going to do when they find out what
happened? And where is Rumika (Jessiebelle – duh!)? Read chapter 4! Send all
comments, suggestions, and all out flattery}:} to Shagti2@aol.com and all flames to shoveitupyour@ss.com!