"I'd like to introduce you all to David Green and Amanda Collins. Amanda will be working as part of the reception team, and David will be working in the IT department. I'm sure you'll all make them feel very welcome!" the HR manager, Tanya, finished with a smile. Despite her chirpy introduction, less than half of the people in the bustling office acknowledged the new staff members as they hurried between desks with important paperwork or sat in concentration with a flurry of fingers typing out the latest headlines. "Don't let that put you off," Tanya winked at the Rockets as she continued on their tour of the premises, "we're a great bunch here at The Kanto Times, I'm sure you'll both be making friends in no time! Right David, this is you here." She opened a door at the end of the corridor and ushered him in. "Anything you need, give me a shout!"

James raised his eyebrow at Jessie as Tanya turned to lead Amanda back towards the reception area, and Jessie flashed him a quick smile before following her guide away from her team mate. 'Now we're on our own…' Jessie mused, pretending to listen to Tanya's enthusiastic witterings as they walked.

Upon arriving back at reception, the pair noticed the rest of the reception and admin staff gathered round something and emitting squeaks of joy.

"Isn't he just the cutest?"

"He's so friendly!"

"Can we keep him?"

As Jessie and Tanya approached the huddle, Jessie stifled a laugh as she saw Meowth being petted and stroked and cuddled by the group of giggling girls. Maintaining her composure, Jessie smiled warmly at the crowd as Tanya introduced her.

"So who's this little guy?" Tanya joined in the cooing.

Jessie couldn't resist. "Oh look at the itty bitty Meowth, isn't he just adorable?" she squeaked, enjoying the flicker of annoyance on her team mates features. She knew she'd pay for it later, but boy was she gonna have some fun first!

xXx

James flopped face down on his bed with a groan, pulling his glasses and wig off so that his hair fanned around his head in all directions.

"Still nothing, huh?"

"Nn." James' response was muffled by the pillows.

Jessie frowned. It had been almost a month since the mission had begun but so far James had been unable to find anything of note. None of the keywords Giovanni had provided had turned up results during James' search of the servers and email back up files.

James lifted his head and brushed his hair out of his eyes, turning to lie on his side facing Jessie and Meowth. "It would really help if we knew what we were supposed to be looking for." he grumbled. "I even ran a search on Team Rocket through the article archives on the off chance that something caught my eye… But I highly doubt whatever it is we're supposed to find has been published."

"So whadda we do now" Meowth asked from his perch on the desk.

James sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Now I have to search everyone's machines individually, in case there's something saved locally that I'm unable to access via the server. I can do it remotely from my office as long as they're logged on, but we need to ensure they are not at their computer when I access their machine."

Jessie reached down to pull a file from her handbag "Which is where I come in." She shooed Meowth from the desk and opened the file, Meowth hopping on to James' bed instead and making himself comfortable on the pillow. "I have everyone's schedules from now until Christmas, when they're in meetings, when they're on holiday, we just need to work around them. Easy!"

"I hope so" James replied, stifling a yawn. "It doesn't help that I keep having to fix actual IT issues. Dean, that junior editor who started shortly after us? He managed to download another virus late this afternoon." James rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I've told him repeatedly not to click on any dodgy links. However, you can score him off the list, I checked his machine once I'd fixed it."

Jessie scribbled out his name. "Only 81 more staff to go." she said with an enthusiastic thumbs up.

James exhaled a small chuckle. "Like you say, easy."

Jessie closed the file and moved over to sit on the bed names to James. "I was gonna suggest going for a drink, seeing as it's Friday night, but I think you might be…" James let out a huge yawn as Jessie finished "…a bit tired?" She grinned at her partner, nudging his shoulder with hers.

"What time is it?" James eyes found the small clock on the bedside table. "Almost nine? I didn't realise it was so late." He rubbed his eyes again before facing Jessie. "Apologies."

"Don't worry about it, you need all the beauty sleep you can get" she teased, reaching over to fix the rogue strands of lavender that were still sticking in all directions, the gentle caress of hair and the accidental graze of nails on scalp causing James's eyes to flutter closed, and a deep sigh emanated from his chest. "Get some rest, we have to report to Giovanni tomorrow."

James didn't open his eyes, just murmured his agreement, already well on his way to unconsciousness. With a final stroke of James' hair, Jessie stood and collected her belongings, turning on the bedside light on her way to the door. She gave one last look at her team mates as she turned out the main light, James now flat out on the bed, Meowth curled up next to his head. "Night, boys" she whispered, before gently closing the door.

xXx

Jessie had just started on her fourth vodka when she heard a familiar voice to her right. Glancing discreetly at the man who was ordering a drink at the neighbouring barstool, she recognised him as Owen, one of the reporters from the Kanto Times.

'Good job he doesn't know I'm Amanda, or I'd be stuck with him all night' she breathed a sigh of relief as she sipped her drink, turning slightly away from him so as to avoid any interaction. Owen was an ok reporter but his ego far outweighed his actual talent. He was constantly showing off about his latest sports car or fancy gadgets that he was able to afford due to his freelance private detective work for high-paying clients, or telling elaborate stories that made him out to be some sort of hero, and he had this attitude that he was better than everyone else, especially the administrative staff such as Amanda. He was also a bit of a letch.

The barman returned with Owen's drink as Jessie downed her vodka. She wobbled slightly as she stood, the full glass she'd just downed hitting her at once. Thankfully Owen was busy interrogating the barman about a man he was searching for and hadn't noticed the opportunity to hit on a drunk woman. Grabbing her coat, she hastily left the trendy bar and stepped in to the cool night. Now that the initial head-spin of that last vodka had worn off she felt good, a nice buzz flowing through her veins as she began the short walk back to the hotel, guided by thoughts of a comfy bed and a lie in the next morning.

xXx

"Amanda dear, are you alright?" Ashleigh asked as she hung up the phone after her call ended, turning her swivel chair to face her colleague. Deirdre's face appeared over Ashleigh's shoulder as Jessie lifted her head from her hands, wincing at the light as she faced her fellow receptionists.

"I'm fine girls, I just have a headache." Jessie exhaled a deep breath before lifting her handbag to rummage through it. "Had it all morning but seems to be getting worse, but I'm sure I'll feel better once…" she trailed off as her rummaging intensified. "Crap!"

Deirdre rounded Ashleigh's chair and laid a sympathetic hand on Jessie's shoulder. "Need some painkillers? I have some excellent meds in my car…"

"What are you, a drug dealer?!" Ashleigh snorted.

Deirdre smacked Ashleigh lightly on the arm as she laughed, "would pay better than this job! No but I have some super strength ones for my migraines, they'll sort you out."

Jessie looked up at Deirdre like she was her saviour, before wincing again and putting her head back in her hands. "That would be amazing Dee, thank you. Ashleigh, I have a bottle of water in the kitchen fridge, you wouldn't mind…"

"Of course hun, but are you sure you're ok here on your own?" Deirdre and Ashleigh exchanged worried glances.

Jessie waved her hand, "Go, I'll survive until you get back. And if I don't, you can fight over who gets my stationary."

The trio laughed as Ashleigh and Deirdre went their separate ways, Jessie peeking from behind her fingers to ensure she was alone. "James, over to you."

"Copy that!" came the reply in her ear, and Jessie saw movement on the screen to her left as James began his search.

The minutes went by as Jessie tapped her fingers on the desk, switching between watching James' progress and watching the front door for Deirdre's return, as well as keeping an ear out for Ashleigh's footsteps. "One down, one to go" reported James as Jessie's eyes flicked to the movement on Deirdre's computer screen.

"Still all clear… wait!" Jessie paused, listening as she recognised Ashleigh's giggle from the other end of the corridor. "Crap, one's on her way, how much time do you need?"

"Can you give me…" Jessie heard movement on the other end of the mic, images of James rubbing his hands over his face sprung to her mind as he continued "…three minutes?"

"With my acting skills you have nothing to worry about" she whispered as she stood and rounded the desk. "It's showtime!"

Jessie stumbled and reached out a hand to steady herself on the wall, just as Ashleigh re-entered the reception area. "Amanda! Are you alright?" Ashleigh yelled as she rushed to Jessie's side.

"M'fine, just needed some fresh air" Jessie mumbled as she slid down to sit against the wall, Ashleigh kneeling in front of her.

"Here," Ashleigh unscrewed the water and held it out to Jessie just as Deirdre came running through the doors, "drink this."

"Do you need an ambulance? I'll ring an ambulance!" Deirdre cried, almost in hysterics, and she took off towards the reception desk.

"NO!" Jessie yelled, a bit more forcefully than she intended to. "I mean, I'm fine, just some meds and a bit of fresh air and I'll be fine, really!"

Eyes laced with concern, Deirdre hurried over to kneel beside Jessie, and she popped two pills in to Jessie's hand. Jessie took a few calming deep breaths before slowly taking the pills one at a time, trying to buy James as much time as possible. There had been no confirmation from James that they were in the clear yet. Jessie closed her eyes and leant her head against the wall. "Thanks ladies. What would I do without you?"

Ashleigh and Deirdre stood and held out their hands to pull Jessie up, Jessie making sure to add just the right amount of wobble. "Come on," Deirdre said, "let's go get some air, Ashleigh can cover us for a bit."

Ashleigh folded her arms, raising her eyebrows at her colleague "oh really?"

"Yes really!" Deirdre stuck out her tongue.

Unsure of what else to do to keep them occupied, Jessie launched herself at her colleagues, enveloping them in a group hug. "You girls are the best." As they hugged her back and crooned their responses, Jessie finally heard James' voice in her ear.

"All clear, no findings, 79 to go."

xXx

With precise aim, Meowth batted the ball of string through the open office door and under a cupboard, before dashing in to the room hot on its tail. He skidded to a halt in front of the furniture, conscious of the eyes of the man working at his desk now on him.

"Hey there buddy, what are you doing in here?" Jeff asked as Meowth scrabbled under the cupboard with his front paws. With his best defeated look on his furry face, Meowth turned to Jeff and gave him the saddest eyes he could muster.

Jeff rose from his chair, grinning at the scratch cat as he crossed his office. "Don't worry, I got you lil' buddy."

"Meowth!" came the grateful reply, and James began his search upon hearing the sound.

As Jeff reached his arm under the cupboard, Meowth eagerly began to assist, pawing at Jeff's arm and jumping on his back and generally being a nuisance. After a few seconds Jeff had succeeded in grabbing hold of the string ball but Meowth, much to Jeff's dismay, managed to accidentally hit it out of his hand once it was in reach.

"You really aren't helping" mumbled Jeff as he repositioned himself and stretched his arm further. "Oi! Get off!" he laughed as Meowth jumped on his head, and Jeff sat up to dislodge the scratch cat.

Meowth gave him his best innocent look. "Meowth!"

Jeff scratched Meowth behind the ears, Meowth closing his eyes in response. "Now, you gonna let me get this for you buddy? I got work to do here." Jeff smiled as he observed the pokémon reacting to his affection. "Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather pet you all day but I got a deadline to worry about." With one last head-scratch, Jeff lay back down and reached towards the ball, Meowth making sure to get in close to observe. At long last, Jeff's fingers found purchase and he pulled his arm out, grinning triumphantly. He rolled it gently towards Meowth before standing and dusting off his trousers. "Enjoy!"

Jeff was halfway back to his desk before a heart-breaking "yowwwwth…" stopped him in his tracks. Reluctantly, he turned around to see eyes brimming with unshed tears and the ball of string nowhere to be seen. "You've gotta be kidding me" Jeff muttered, rubbing his forehead and making his way back over to the distraught pokémon. He sank to his knees and stretched out on the floor again, and reached his arm under the furniture. Meowth bounded happily on to his back, ears pricking up as he heard James' confirmation.

"All done, no findings, 64 to go."

xXx

Jessie internally rolled her eyes as she opened the gallery on her phone to show picture after picture of some random newborn baby she'd downloaded from the internet. Arranging her features in to giddy happiness, she ran to the door of the room occupied by four female reporters.

"He's here! I have a nephew!"

Within seconds she was surrounded by cooing women, all eager to hear the story of Amanda's sister and her newborn. She angled the phone so that all excited faces were facing away from the computers. "I can't believe it, I'm an AUNTIE!" she cried, wiping away an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye, knowing that James had now begun his search upon hearing the code word, and she launched in to the elaborate tale of the difficult birth and the shenanigans of the husband forgetting which room she was in and the narrowed down choices for names, all the while flicking through photo after photo.

"Search complete, no findings, 51 to go."

xXx

Meowth peered in to Dominic's office and lined up his shot. With precision aim, he batted the ball of string under a set of drawers and bounded excitedly after it, crouching his upper body down to the ground and wiggling his butt in the air. Meowth began scrabbling and clawing under the furniture with earnest, making as much noise as possible. When the sound of fingers on keys continued, he turned to the owner of the office with tears in his eyes. Still, Dominic paid him no attention.

'I can't use my voice, Jimmy knows dat's da cue to start soichin'!' He considered his options, slightly offended that his charming playful manner was having no effect on this particular reporter.

He was just about to jump on to Dominic's desk to get his attention when Jeff knocked on the open office door and approached the desk. "Here's those files you wanted Dom" he said, handing them over. He spotted Meowth as he turned, and exhaled a laugh. "You again?"

Meowth groaned internally as Jeff reached down to retrieve the string ball. "You gotta be more careful with this thing, buddy!" Meowth put on his best excited face as the object of his desire was retrieved, and Jeff threw it in to the corridor.

"Thanks Jeff" said Dominic, as he followed Jeff and Meowth to the door, ushering them out and shutting the door once they'd left. Jeff gave Meowth a farewell scratch behind the ears as he walked back to his office, leaving Meowth glaring at the offending closed door.

"Sorry Jimmy, didn't woik"

xXx

The nights grew shorter and colder in Saffron City as November descended upon them, and the streets bustled with people wrapped up in scarves and gloves as they hurried home from work. Jessie watched the busy street below from the warm comfort of James' hotel room as she cradled a hot cup of coffee, briefly closing her eyes in bliss as she took in the heavenly aroma. James had insisted on a quick shower on their return to the hotel after spending most of the day crawling under desks to connect new phone lines, and Jessie was happy to kill the time with a warm drink and a bit of stargazing. Unfortunately, the skies had clouded over as she was making her coffee and she had resorted to watching the people below instead, who were now disappearing under umbrellas as the rain began to fall.

Sipping her coffee, she turned her attention to the bright lights of the city, which were now shimmering and flickering through the raindrops rolling down the glass. Her eyes followed one particularly large drop as it ran its course down the window, flashes of yellows reds and blues shining through on its descent. Another sip of coffee made her sigh in contentment. There was something so calming about watching the rain, as long as you were inside and not stuck outside in it. Jessie watched as the drops became streams, the heavier rain causing a patter on the glass, and her mind drifted as she sipped her coffee, revelling in the comfort brought by all of her five senses.

Rivulets of water cascading over blue hues, through unfocused eyes as her mind continued to drift of its own accord, and a few minutes had passed before Jessie realised her thoughts were now in the other room, with James. Blinking quickly as she came to her senses, she shook her head clear of the inappropriate visions, her confused features coming in to focus in the reflection of the window. She frowned at her coffee. 'Can't blame the wine this time…'

The door opening behind her startled Jessie from her musings, and her eyes followed James' boxer-clad reflection as he walked across the room, rubbing his hair with a towel, and he sat on his bed with his back to her and reached to open his drawers and pull out some clothes.

As Jessie turned around, her eyes were drawn to the faint scars rippling over his shoulder blades as he manoeuvred the t-shirt over his head, conflicting emotions coursing through her mind and body. Snapping herself out of it, she finished her coffee and set the empty cup on the desk, grabbing her folder and making her way to sit next to James on the bed, who was now sporting a pair of pyjama bottoms adorned with Growlithe. "Wow you really like Growlithe, huh?" she laughed as she opened the folder on her knee.

James shrugged, grinning at his attire. "Perhaps I should have applied for the police force instead." The two erupted in to giggles, until Meowth's signature knock announced his arrival. James opened the door as Jessie perused the list of names, scoring off the ones she'd checked that day.

"Meowth, James, who else did you search today?"

"Um," Meowth jumped on to the bed next to Jessie, as James took his place on her other side, and they glanced through the names, "we got Julie, Ian, Matthew… who was dat last one Jimmy?"

"Margaret." James confirmed, Jessie scoring off the names and counting up the remainder.

"I took anudda go at dat Dominic guy but jeez da man is immune to my charms!" Meowth pouted.

"There's 23 left to check" announced Jessie. "That Friday lunchtime pizza and donut thing is going well, an excellent idea if I do say so myself" she grinned.

"Still can't believe you got da Chief to agree to dat" Meowth shook his head in wonder, "not dat I'm complainin!"

"The reception girls are complete gossips. All I had to do was find out his weakness, in this case, pizza, and exploit it" she laughed wickedly. "We've managed to search most of the bullpen whilst they were gorging themselves."

"Mmmm," agreed James, "another two or three Fridays and we should have that room completed. Speaking of, don't forget to save me a…"

"Slice and a donut tomorrow," finished Jessie, "I won't, have I forgotten yet?" She turned to look at her partner. "Oh! That reminds me, there are rumours about us!" She giggled as she playfully knocked in to James' shoulder, his eyes widening. "Well, not us us, but Amanda and David. I've told the girls I'm just being nice by saving you food but they're not convinced. I swear they just love anything even remotely gossipy."

"It's not my fault I'm trapped in that office" grumbled James as Meowth snickered at them.

"I did wonder if we could use that to our advantage somehow, maybe as our excuse to leave after the mission is complete, you know, strangers meet at work, fall in love," James balked as Jessie continued "decide to travel the world together before getting married, how romantic!" she clasped her hands together to her face as she said the last word with such melodrama, not noticing as James swallowed and tugged at the neck of his t-shirt. "But no, I still think our best plan of action is for us to leave separately to avoid raising suspicion."

"Yes I agree!" James exclaimed, a little too high-pitched, and he cleared his throat, trying to ignore the weird look Jessie was giving him. "Speaking of gossip, any hints of anything on the grapevine?"

Jessie rolled her eyes. "'Fraid not. Not unless you're interested in who's sleeping with who."

James turned his attention to the scratch cat. "What about you Meowth? Any secrets spilled that you've been privy to?"

"Nope, nada. I got some top secret story 'bout corruption in da police, apparently dere's a rogue Jenny on da loose, heh, imagine dat! But I ain't hoid anythin' about Team Rocket while I bin list'nin in. Oh, and dat guy Owen was tellin folk he got a new lead on a private case for da foist time in years."

"Is there any chance he could be our lead?" wondered James.

"Nah, apparently dis woik he's doin is for some dumb broad," Meowth paled as Jessie glared at him, and he put up his hands in defence "his woids, not mine! Anyway, yous know what da guy's like, can't keep a secret to save his life!"

"Plus he's a complete idiot, there's no way he's our guy." Jessie agreed.

James folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at Jessie. "Well we'd know for certain if somebody distracted him so I could search his computer!"

"But he's so sleazy and so annoying" Jessie whined, stamping her foot. "Why can't Meowth do it?" she pouted.

"Stop procrastinating! He's probably the easiest one to distract! All you have to do is start a conversation with him and he'll be in your personal space and telling you every boring detail of his life before you know it!"

Jessie clenched her fists. "Fine. I'll do it tomorrow."

"That's the spirit!" James patted her shoulder, "It's like ripping off a band-aid."

"A stinky sleazy annoying band-aid with a face I wanna punch." she muttered under her breath, before turning back to the list. "Anyway, I reckon we can definitely get another few scored off tomorrow. And Jill is back from maternity next week so we'll be able to get to her computer. Doubt it's her but we should still check."

James cast his eyes over the list, frowning at a certain name. "But how are we going to get to Dominic? That's three failed attempts now."

"Ugh I was so close with my sprained ankle outside his office, he'd stood up from his desk and everything, but that idiot Dean had to get to me first and save the day. My hero" she sneered.

Silence descended over the trio, the minutes ticking by as ideas came and went in their minds. Until the silence was broken by Jessie leaping to her feet and striking a victory pose. "I've got it!"

James and Meowth glanced at each other and shrugged, before springing to join in the pose.

xXx

Dominic was working quietly, engrossed in proof-reading an article he'd just finished when an almighty clatter sounded in the corridor, followed by the angry screech of a woman scorned.

"YOU GIVE THAT BACK YOU MANGY FURBALL!" echoed up the corridor, a cacophony of footsteps approaching, until suddenly Meowth burst in to Dominic's office clutching a Kanto Times work pass in his jaws. Jessie skidded to a halt outside the door, glaring daggers at the feline crouched by the desk.

"What in the hell is going on?" Dominic exclaimed in confusion, as Meowth launched himself on to Dominic's desk and promptly knocked over a glass of water, drowning the keyboard in a puddle and causing Dominic to scoot his chair back as the water spilled on to his legs. "Oh for the love of…"

"Got ya!" Jessie shouted as she grabbed hold of Meowth, yanking the pass from his mouth. "Oh no, Dom, here, let me help you!" she dropped Meowth on to the floor and grabbed a handful of tissues, trying to soak up the mess on his desk. Dominic scowled as he stood, wiping down his trousers.

Jessie checked her watch. "Oh, don't you have that meeting with Edward now? Look, I'll sort out this mess, wouldn't want you to be late!" she smiled sweetly at Dominic before lifting the phone and pressing the extension for IT. "Hello David? Hi, its Amanda calling from Dom's office, we've had a bit of a mishap. Would you have a spare keyboard?" Jessie watched as Dominic grabbed a couple of folders and muttered his thanks, continuing to wipe down his trousers as he left the room. "Splendid. Hurry now won't you?"

A few moments later James arrived, keyboard under his arm, and sat on the chair Jessie had just finished drying. He swapped over the keyboards then began typing in his search, eyes darting over the screen as more folders and dialogue boxes opened.

"Anything?" Jessie asked from her lookout post at the door.

James continued to enter key words and phrases. "Not yet."

Unseen by his teammates, Meowth crept closer to a locked cabinet on the far side of the desk, ears pricking at something he couldn't yet identify. He pressed an ear against the door, eyes widening. "Hey guys…"

"Not now Meowth," James hissed as he watched error message after error message appear on the screen. "OW! What was that for?" James rubbed his calf where the sting of a surprise fury swipe throbbed.

"Dere's somethin' in dere!" he motioned to the cabinet, and James, injury forgotten, pressed his ear against the cold metal.

Whirring.

James moved his head back as Meowth jumped on to his knee and extended his claw, and within 30 seconds had managed to unlock it. The two peered inside, eyes widening as they took in the sight of a second smaller server. "Oh no…" In a flash, James was back typing frantically at the keyboard. "Yes, I see it. No! Dammit!" he raked his hands through his hair and exhaled. "I can see the drive, but it's password protected. And I have no way of accessing it from my computer, it's a completely separate area." The last few search boxes closed and confirmed what he already knew, that there was nothing saved locally on Dominic's machine.

"What's going on?" Jessie hissed from across the room, only hearing bits and pieces of the conversation.

James closed down the folders and cleared his search history before turning to take another look at the server, checking for wires and where they lead, making a note of the model name, anything that might come in useful. "Ok Meowth, lock it up." James sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to Jessie. "We're going to need a new plan."

A/N - 3 years and 7 months. Sorry for the wait! Life got in the way, and is still in the way, but your eyes do not deceive you - there actually is a new chapter of Undisclosed Desires! Can't promise there'll be regular updates but dammit I will finish this fic!