It had been a long day and night for Jessie, and by the time she, James, and Meowth made it to Hulbury and found a place to stay, she felt like she was about to collapse. Still, she'd been more exhausted than this before, and she stayed on her feet, paying for two rooms with some of the money they'd stolen from Donovan and kept for themselves. Normally, when they stayed somewhere, they only got one room, but they had the money to spare now…and Jessie and James wanted to keep their Pokémon separate from them today.

They had a lot to discuss.

While James settled Meowth, Wobbuffet, Morpeko, Rookidee, and the newly-recruited Applin into their room, Jessie went to her and James's room and took a shower, washing off the lingering venire of lighter fluid, smoke, and sweat. Unlike usual, though, she felt a bit bad about scrubbing away the grime from work - for once, they'd won, they'd pulled a job and succeeded spectacularly enough that their boss had vowed never to fire them no matter how many more times they failed, and it almost felt wrong to wash the stains from that victory away, but Jessie's vanity won out. Even so, when she got out of the shower and started putting on a fresh uniform, she eyed the one she'd discarded and thought that maybe she wouldn't wash it, just leave the soot stains and stink of lighter fluid as a trophy of what would no doubt always be her and James's greatest achievement.

Clean and exhausted, she went to the mirror, though she didn't apply fresh lipstick or put her earrings back in. Instead, she just stared into her own, deep blue eyes for a long minute. Yes, they were still different, the girl she'd seen behind them for so long was gone and would never come back. Her ordeal had changed her, permanently.

But maybe that didn't have to be a bad thing…

The sound of James entering their room dragged her away from her introspection, and she emerged from the steamy bathroom to greet him.

"Everyone's all settled in," he told her without prompting. "I made sure Morpeko understands it's not allowed to eat Applin's apple, and left it plenty of spare food just in case."

"How's Rookidee getting along with everyone?" Jessie inquired.

"Oh, it's already part of the team!" James assured her brightly. "It never stopped finding ways to help us out even before it made you catch it, and it and Wobbuffet are fast friends, they always talk to each other in their spare time."

That her Wobbuffet had formed a relationship with Rookidee in the month Jessie had been separated from the hapless blue blob made a twinge of sadness twist in her chest. "I see," she mumbled, going to sit on the bed. The sheets were woven from a material that was probably Cottonee down, the blankets and stuffing likely made of the wool of a Mareep or Wooloo, and she felt elated at the downgrade. Silk sheets and feather mattresses would be forever tainted for her…

"Are you done with the bathroom?" James asked.

"Go ahead," Jessie sighed.

James didn't press her, and she was grateful for that; as tired as she was, her mind was still racing, it was hard to even close her eyes. Being out of that torture prison after a month of captivity was surprisingly difficult to adjust to - her mind was still processing everything that had happened, working to accept the fact that she was finally free, safe from that monster's abuse…

It seemed like it was only a few seconds before James came back into the bedroom, though she could tell from a glance at his damp hair that it had probably been a lot longer. His expression was grave as he sat down beside her, his gloved hands reaching over and clasping hers.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he murmured.

"No," she grumbled, turning her face down again. "I'm…just tired. I'll be fine. It's been too long since I last slept - even when I spent five days in Donovan's Cinder Room, I was allowed to sleep sometimes, on what I can only assume was a daily basis."

She didn't look up to see his expression, but the way his grip on her hands tightened conveyed more than enough. "Those first five days," he said softly, "when Rookidee didn't come back with any information…"

"I wounded Donovan's ego," Jessie said, and she smiled, again clinging to the small flame of pride that had partially sustained her through the torture. "He couldn't stand for it, he had to make me pay, no matter the risks."

"I'm so sorry, Jessie," James whispered.

"I'm okay," Jessie repeated, not knowing or caring if it was a lie. "I survived, at least…"

Suddenly, crazily, something occurred to her exhausted, overwhelmed brain, and she stood up and quickly started shedding the uniform she had just donned, piece by piece.

"Uh…Jessie?" James asked. "What are you doing?"

"The last human to see me completely naked was Donovan Star," Jessie answered, peeling her way out of her thigh-high boots and socks. "I don't like that that's a fact about my life, so I'm rectifying it now."

"Naked?!" James exclaimed.

"I wasn't even allowed to keep my underwear on during extended torture," Jessie responded, unable to stop herself from shuddering at the memory even as she unhooked her bra. "Which I guess was fair, since I only would have soiled it anyway…and at least he never watched his Indeedee clean me up, but still."

Tossing her panties aside, Jessie finally turned to face her partner, completely bare.

They had seen each other naked plenty of times before, of course - roughing it on the road together for years, it was just inevitable. The first couple of times, it had been awkward, but soon enough, they'd come to just live with it, politely averting their eyes from each other's private areas when living together meant bathing together. They hadn't looked at each other with this new facet of their relationship between them before, though, and that, Jessie assumed, was why James's eyes were perfect circles as he took in her exposed body.

Slowly, James got to his feet, looking almost dazed. His emerald irises misted over as he took a few small, shaking steps towards her…and then, suddenly, he crumpled to the ground, curled up in a ball, and started wailing.

"Uh…James?" Jessie asked hesitantly, it now being her turn to be bewildered. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Oh - Jessie-!" James choked between howling sobs. "You've just - been through - so much-!"

"Huh?" Jessie blinked, then looked down at herself…and immediately understood.

From her neck to her toes, her body was a mottled patchwork of colors, mostly varying shades of purple, black, and blue. Here and there were spots of green and yellow, where old bruises had been allowed to mostly heal, though of course they would have been the next spots to take the brunt of Donovan's beatings - it had never fully occurred to her just how measured his blows always were, that he was so practiced and precise in his abuse that he was able to ensure that every blow landed on flesh that could be damaged, until now. Elsewhere, spots of unnaturally vibrant purple, laced with bits of red, marked where she'd been shot up with refined Toxapex venom to ensure that her abuse would be mind-numbingly painful. Taken as a whole, her skin didn't even look like it belonged to a human, it would have appeared far less out of place on a Pokémon. It would heal with time, but…but now James had seen the full extent of what she'd endured.

Jessie didn't like feeling vulnerable, and the only thing she knew how to use to protect herself was anger.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm the one who had to actually live through it!" she spat at her still-weeping partner. "And yet you don't see me reduced to a blubbering mess on the floor!" Well, she'd been a blubbering mess on the floor of the Cinder Room during the torture itself, but that was something she could forgive herself for - Donovan's brutality had known no limits, his methods designed to reduce humans to unthinking husks, a little blubbering was okay when his treatments had been intended to do far worse.

"I'm so sorry, Jessie!" James cried out, tears still gushing from his eyes. "It's all my fault!"

"How is it your fault?!" Jessie demanded, allowing her fury to rise, taking comfort in the familiar old rage. "We've been over this already, you tried to stop me from enrolling in Starstruck Academy and I didn't let you, there was nothing you could have done about it!"

"W-When I got you out…the first time," James whimpered, his eyes still pouring clear saltwater onto the floor of their motel room. "I…I…If I'd just…waited until he was gone…he wouldn't've found you…!"

"He would have," Jessie huffed, folding her arms. "To Donovan, I was his property, and there was nothing he wouldn't have done to reclaim me - and you heard him, he had eyes all over Galar, everyone was in his pocket thanks to his money. He's not like your parents, James, he's stable and cunning in ways your lunatic mother and father aren't, he would have found me whether he'd known how I got out or not, sooner or later."

"But…But when he…when he came back," James continued, sniffling. "If I hadn't been there for him to threaten, he…he wouldn't have been able to convince you to go…!"

"If you hadn't been there, our Pokémon wouldn't have been, either," Jessie retorted. "I would have been defenseless, and he would have taken me either way. James…" She forced herself to soften slightly. "What happened to me isn't your fault; there isn't anyone to blame for any of it except Donovan…and me. The only thing you did was rescue me from him, twice." Scowling, she ended the moment and added, "Now cut the waterworks and put your hands on me already!"

Whimpering, James looked up at her, his eyes full of tears. "Put my hands on…?" he choked. "But…But Jess, I…I don't want to hurt you…"

Something occurred to Jessie then, something entirely foreign and strange to her: James felt pain at the thought of her being in pain, seeing evidence of her suffering brought him suffering in response, because he cared about her. For someone to care about her like that, so much so that they would share in her anguish…

Feeling herself start to choke up, Jessie again turned to anger to quell the emotions that would leave her dangerously vulnerable. Even so, she couldn't muster much venom in her voice when she lifted her nose and scoffed, "You say that as though you even could. Trust me, James, after everything I've been through, you couldn't hurt me if you tried."

"I…I suppose…" he managed, but he did manage to get to his feet and reach for her, his gloved hands barely touching her skin as he feared aggravating her bruises.

Gloved hands.

Memories flashed across Jessie's mind - Donovan's gloves, the Cinder Room, agony so intense she couldn't even remember she was human. She stiffened and jerked back without thinking, she couldn't help herself, even knowing that this was James, not the monster who'd tried to beat her into submission.

"What's wrong?!" James yelped, jerking his hands back.

"It's nothing," Jessie choked. "Nothing, I…I'm fine."

"Jessie," James said sternly, not having any of it.

Jessie sighed heavily. "Donovan always wore gloves when he tortured us," she admitted. "That's all."

Squealing in horror, James scrabbled at his gloves, desperate to peel them off. As he did so, something heavy pressed down on Jessie's chest.

"I still wonder why," she murmured softly, not really intending to speak out loud.

"Huh?" James asked. "What do you mean?"

"I just wonder…did he wear gloves to protect himself from his poison, or because he didn't like touching us?" Jessie whispered. Her eyes began to burn, and she screwed them shut. "I know it doesn't matter," she bit out. "It doesn't make any difference whether he hated touching us or not, he enjoyed torturing us and he was a monster and I never want to see him again! But I…I can't help but wonder…!" Her fists clenched hard enough to trigger the fading injection sites on the backs of her hands. "It's so stupid!" she sobbed.

"It's not stupid," James said calmly; his hand, now bare, rested gently on her arm, and she blinked her eyes open to meet his steady gaze. "It doesn't make a difference if it would have changed anything or not - if you wonder about it, then it matters to you, and that's not stupid."

"I don't know why I wonder," Jessie whimpered. "I don't know why I care."

"It doesn't matter why you care," James assured her. "If you do, then you do. Jess, you've been through so much…" His fingers drifted up and down, stroking her skin ever-so-gently. "There's no sense torturing yourself even further. If you want to know, if it would give you some sort of closure, then…maybe we can get an answer out of him."

"No," Jessie growled. "I don't want to see him ever again."

"I just want you to be able to leave all this behind," James told her. "If this question is going to haunt you-"

"I'm fine!" Jessie snapped, burying her pain with wrath as always, and she grabbed at him. "Stop talking!"

She clamped her mouth over his, stifling whatever protest he was about to make and pulling him close. His hands, still so gentle, so mindful of her injuries, both soothed and frightened her as he responded, returning her embrace and her kiss, grip soft, lips ravenous - being close to him chased away the pain of what she'd been through, yet she still felt afraid of truly trusting him, of letting herself accept just how much he cared. If she let him into her heart, allowed him to become part of her as she could already feel him becoming, and then she lost him, as she always lost everyone…

Anger, ever her guardian angel, rose and burned those thoughts away, driving her to snarl against James's mouth and start tearing at his clothes. Why think, when she could just lose herself in primal desire? It was safer to make the most of this moment and not worry about implications or feelings - she knew what she wanted, here and now, and she was going to have it; that was all that mattered.

Before long, she didn't need anger to drown out her thoughts anymore: once she'd peeled away James's undershirt and pressed her body against his, skin-to-skin at last, white-hot desire erased everything perfectly adequately. Even awareness of her injuries faded, and Jessie found herself frustrated that James didn't grasp her harder, knowing she would feel no pain, wouldn't feel anything but him. When his tender caress ran over her exposed breasts, she felt a shiver right down to her core, and she moaned as she ripped his pants and underwear away from his waist, leaving him to kick off the rest of his garments on his own.

Suddenly, almost cruelly, she pulled back, palms to his bare chest as she pushed him away half a step - he'd gotten to look at her, now she would look at him. She knew most of his body so well, but down between his legs…

Almost fascinated, Jessie eyed her partner's equipment; after a moment, she even reached down and brushed her fingers along the length. A soft whimper reverberated from his throat at her light touch. He was enormous, to the point that Jessie wondered how something so large could possibly fit inside her at all - but it had, earlier that night, and perfectly so. A smile tugged at her lips, amusement at the irony of the fact that the manliest thing about James was easily and by far his actual manhood.

Her exploration done, Jessie reached out and grabbed James by the shoulders, all but tackling him onto the bed. Everywhere her skin met his, she burned with a delicious fire more intense than the one that had consumed the Star manor; devouring his sweet tongue, she wrestled with him, needing his touch more than air. They tumbled together for a couple of minutes, almost struggling, until Jessie suddenly realized that they were both trying to position themselves so the other would be on top. Once this occurred to her, she rolled to be underneath James, then flung out her arms and legs, bracing against the mattress so she couldn't be turned over again.

Panting, James sat back to look at her, realizing he was failing to make them roll further. "Jess…?"

"I want you on top," Jessie stated.

"It's okay, Jessie," James protested, but a flicker in his emerald eyes told her he was lying.

Jessie gave him a cruel smile; if he was going to play games, then she would out-play him. "I'm not doing it for you," she huffed with total dishonesty. "James, I've been awake since before this time yesterday, I spent hours getting beaten up by Donovan before hauling heavy loads all over the place to take him down, then spent the rest of the night sorting and cataloguing the spoils. I'm tired, I'm sore, and all I want right now is to lie back and let you do all the work."

While none of this was the real reason she was insisting James be on top, it was all entirely true, and knowing this, James faltered. "I…I suppose…when you put it that way…" he stammered.

"You took a nap yesterday before coming to get me, didn't you?" Jessie sniped. "You have more energy than me, so it's only fair that you do the hard part." He had, of course, gotten some sleep in preparation for the long night they'd had coming, Jessie didn't even need him to confirm it. "Don't get used to it," she added wickedly; "you won't be on top next time."

James tried and failed to withhold a whimper of fear at the suggestion, and it crossed Jessie's mind for a moment that they would need to figure out how to fix the situation in the future. Then, with a nod of surrender, James lowered himself back down onto her, his mouth pressed to hers again, and she stopped thinking. Moaning, almost shivering in anticipation, Jessie lifted one leg and wrapped it around his waist, positioning them both perfectly. The previous night, out in the woods, had been quick and spontaneous, but to do it like this, bared to each other and with deliberation, left her wanting so badly it felt like she might explode if he didn't take her now.

Slowly, very slowly, James eased himself into her. Even after clearing the entrance, he still moved so painfully slowly, too slowly, there was almost no friction at this speed. It seemed to take a whole minute before he was fully seated inside her, and then he began dragging his way out at an equally lethargic pace.

"Would you hurry it up?!" Jessie snarled, tearing her lips away from his.

Immediately, James squealed in terror and recoiled away from her, sitting back and pulling out of her, his body reflexively curled up in fear.

Jessie took a deep breath, reminding herself with tremendous effort that she had to be mindful of his own issues too. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," she ground out, trying to calm down. "I'm not demanding anything of you, James; if that pace really does anything for you, fine. It just doesn't do much for me, that's all."

"I'm sorry," he whimpered.

"Apology accepted," Jessie sighed. "I would like you to move faster, but you don't have to. Does going that slow really do anything for you, though?"

"Well…" James had uncurled by now, but his lips twisted uncomfortably.

That was all the answer Jessie needed to know she'd understood him correctly. "You don't have to be so gentle," she told him. "I want you, James, and I want this; I don't want you to treat me like I'm made of glass."

He hesitated a moment, then lowered himself onto her a third time. They oriented themselves again, and finally, finally, James gave a forceful thrust that made Jessie cry out with pleasure.

Next door, Meowth had curled up on a corner of the mattress the five Pokémon of Team Rocket were going to have to share, half-dozing as he listened to Wobbuffet and Rookidee explain to Applin what exactly the worm in the apple had been looped into. Rookidee was dressing it up with talk about how it was an honor to serve such a strong, spirited mistress like Jessie, while Wobbuffet (surprisingly) was the one who kept things more down-to-earth and honest about what it was like to be part of Team Rocket. Morpeko chimed in sometimes, when it wasn't busy gorging its way out of Hangry Mode, but Meowth left it all up to them to settle in, just trying to get some sleep on his own.

Then, all the chatter in the room was cut off by the sounds of loud groans and thumping coming from the room where their humans were staying.

"Morpek?" Morpeko, no longer hungry for the moment, squeaked. What was that?

"Rooki rook?!" Rookidee exclaimed, much more alarmed. Do they need help?!

"Don't worry about dem," Meowth grumbled, and everyone turned to him. "Da two a' dem are just doin' it like a coupla Lopunny, and we're gonna hafta get used ta dat." He scowled. "I woulda thought dey'd be too tiahd to have anoddah go-around, but I guess dey gotta get it outta deir system…"

"Peko?" Morpeko asked at the same moment Rookidee chirped, "Rookidee?" What are you talking about?

"Wooooo…" Wobbuffet just gave a wordless exclamation of amazement, its jaw dropping as it turned to stare at the wall beyond which the ruckus was only growing louder.

"Took 'em long enough, huh, Wobbuffet?" Meowth smirked. "Ta be honest, I'd long since given up on both of 'em."

"Wobbu wobbu!" Wobbuffet nodded in agreement. Me too; I'm glad they finally figured it out.

"Same heah," Meowth sighed. Then he glared at the wall and added, "Though if dey don't quit makin' all dat racket, I'm gonna go poundin' on dier door in a minute ta tell 'em ta keep it down."

"Rook rook?" Rookidee demanded. What's going on?

"You explain, Wobbuffet," Meowth sighed, turning over and trying to cover his ears.

While Wobbuffet explained the Pidgey and the Beedrill to the other three Pokémon, Meowth eyed the wall again, wondering why motel walls would be made so thin. It only took a minute for Morpeko and Rookidee to understand, and soon they were giving their own exclamations of surprise.

"Rooki-dee-dee-dee!" Rookidee chipred. I didn't know their relationship was like that!

"It's been a long time comin'," Meowth admitted to the tiny bird Pokémon, turning back over. "But it was pretty inevitable, da two a' dem have always gone togeddah like a Plusle and a Minun. I just hope dey'll be considerate for deir Pokémon once dey get ovah da honeymoon phase. And dat da honeymoon phase doesn't last too long."

"Rooki rooki rook!" Rookidee chattered at him. "Rookidee dee dee, Rookidee!" You should be happy for them! I for one am delighted that my queen has her perfect prince!

"Whatevah," Meowth grumbled, turning back over. But as one final scream from both humans pierced the offensively thin wall of the room, hopefully marking the end of the noise, Meowth found himself smiling nonetheless.

He was happy for them. After all, they were a trio, and Meowth loved his human partners in his own way; if they were happy, then so was he.

Back in Jessie and James's room, the two were coming down from their explosive high, cuddled close together, their bodies drenched in sweat. As they settled in for some long-overdue rest, still hazy with the afterglow, Jessie heard herself speak.

"Hey, James?"

"Hmm?" her partner murmured, shifting closer to her.

"I just thought of something," she told him, cracking her eyes open to look at his beautiful, flushed face.

"What's that?" he inquired.

"I was just thinking…of a way you could be free of her, like I'm free of him," she said.

"I'm listening," James said, his calm tone belying the desperation that lit up in his emerald eyes.

"If…you and I got married-" Jessie began slowly.

A horrified shriek burst out of James's throat, and he pulled away from her.

"-then she wouldn't have any claim on you," Jessie finished. "She couldn't be engaged to a married man." Noting the abject terror of his expression, she hurriedly added, "It was just an idea, I'm not asking anything of you. If you're not ready-"

"I'm not ready!" he squeaked in a shrill falsetto.

"Then never mind," Jessie stated. "Forget I even mentioned it. It was just a thought." She yawned, settling deeper into the bedding, and after a moment, James rejoined her. "I just want you to be free," she murmured to him, tracing her hands over the lean muscles of his arms. "I'm free now. I want you to know what that's like."

"I-I'm free enough," he managed, still trembling at her mere suggestion. "I'm with Team Rocket, and I'm with you. That's all the freedom I need."

"Whatever you say, my heart," Jessie whispered tenderly, nuzzling him and kissing the crook of his neck.

Wrapped up in each other, naked and whole, Jessie and James finally allowed themselves their well-earned sleep.