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Last Blast Off: After Team Rocket, part 6
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James looked over his room, sitting on a fancy bed, its four posts sticking up like spires from the burgundy carpet. There was an elegantly upholstered chair in one corner, and the drapes, as nice as everything else in the room, lined the window like a lacy frame.

It had been a long time since James had lived in such luxury--and he hated it.

"What was I thinking...why did I decide to come here?" James asked himself, staring at the floor. He hadn't been there very long, and he knew he had made a mistake. "I'm such an idiot! I belong here as much as a snowball belongs in hell...but...I guess I don't belong in Team Rocket, either..."

And he knew that the worst was still coming...

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," James said, his voice raised. It opened slowly. Through it stepped a girl in a long, hoop-like skirted dress, with big beautiful eyes and red curly hair...

For just a moment James was lost in the idea that it was Jessie...that face, that hair, those eyes...but the harsh reality sank in all too quickly. It wasn't at all who James had wished it would be, but instead...Jessiebelle.

"Oh, James! I've missed you so, darlin'. Why *do* you keep runnin' off before I can finish teaching you proper manners? It's as if you don't want to be a gentleman, James."

James hopped up from the bed, not sure of how to respond. "Oh...Jessiebelle. I've...uh, missed you..."

Jessiebelle smiled seriously. "Oh, James! I've just got so much to teach you before the weddin'! Oh, it'll be so lovely and proper..."

It was like stabbing a set of knives right into James' chest. It was almost a physical pain he felt as Jessiebelle mentioned the thing he really dreaded—marriage.

James tried forcing himself to smile, but he could only get his mouth to slightly twitch. What had he done?

"Anyway, James--it's time for dinner! It's spaghetti—he he, now I'll teach you how to eat it in the right way like I always said. Isn't it just so excite'n?"

James couldn't stop from wincing.

"Well, come along, darlin'...let's get down to the dining room to dinner."

Jessiebelle took James' hand and dragged him down the large staircase.


***

Jessie had reached the last straw. She couldn't believe that she had ever wanted to go off and try to live by herself, and she missed virtually everything from her old life. She had just wanted to try something new with her life, maybe with less failure as a result, but she absolutely hated it so far.

What ate at her the most, though, was how she had just left her friend behind. James had been her best friend for almost as long as she could remember, and they had worked together for years. When they were older and had worked for Team Rocket, they had lived together, but it had been professional. Jessie had been afraid...afraid that if after Team Rocket, if she and James had stayed together...

Jessie hadn't really wanted to become romantic with James, and that was what she was sure would happen if he came with her, but now he was all she could really think about. She didn't like where her life was going, and she wanted to be happy again.

But was it too late?

Poor James—because of her, he had been practically forced to return home. She had done that to her best friend.

Jessie stood up, determined, grabbing all of her things and shoving them into a suitcase.


***

At the dinner table, James wore a handsome blue suit, his hair was combed (though not looking any different than usual, really), and Jessiebelle was by his side, monitoring his every move.

"No, no, dear—you need to wind it around your fork more gracefully than that! Don't _stab_ the peas, James, *scoop* them. Cut that first!!! Wait! You can't eat *that* with a spoon!!!"

James rolled his eyes, not really able to ignore Jessiebelle's words of 'advice'. He tried to eat as nicely as he knew how to, but what he did obviously wasn't good enough.

Finally, dinner was over, and James left the table as quickly as he could. He made his way out the back door from the kitchen and into the garden.

The moon was nearly full in the velvety-black sky above, and James was alone besides the soft chirping of crickets around the yard. Rectangular bushes surrounded a white gazebo, moonlight shining down on it, and James made his way to it, sitting down on the gazebo's bench and looking out into the night. Could he ever get used to living at home?

He thought and thought about what had happened and what he was doing. He kept telling himself that he would grow used to it eventually...come to like his parents, perhaps. Maybe even love Jessiebelle...

"How could I... after all they've done to me..."James said aloud.

A barking noise sounded from the other side of the garden, coming closer to the gazebo.

James scanned the flowers and bushes at once. "Growly?"

The Growlithe jumped up from behind the bushes and bounded at James, knocking him back out of the gazebo, licking his face.

"Ahhh...eh he he he ha...hey!" James laughed, now surrounded by flowers and dirt on the ground.

Growly rose off of James, barking happily.

"I missed you, boy! I've come home again, you know, to stay." James scratched the Growlithe behind his ears.

James stood up, his dog by his side, and paced around the garden, taking in its beauty in the moonlight. Sure, the mansion was a beautiful place, but it had never felt that way to James. He had never agreed with his parents--especially when they promised him to Jessiebelle when he was so young. He had never agreed to the engagement, and to escape from his fate he had just run away...

What if he hadn't ever run away, though? Would he and Jessiebelle be...married? Would they live in a nice house, have a bunch of snobby kids and be millionaires? Would he be happy?

'No,' he thought, 'because I never would have met Jessie, and had so much fun in Team Rocket, and actually lived my life the way I wanted to..."

At least he had been able to have fun for a while. Now, it must be time for him to stop, and just settle down.

Growly whined, and James leaned over to pet him. "I may be here for a long time, Growly," James said hazily, "longer that I want to be."


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To be continued...
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