Morning at the Team Rocket headquarters went with a busy pace. Jesse had just finished filling out all the necessary paperwork for her new position, and she went into Giovanni's office to hand them in.
She bowed respectfully before entering, and then upon receiving the signal to
approach, she hurriedly closed the door behind her and went up to Giovanni's
desk.
"Just filing my paperwork, sir," she announced needlessly, and she
began carefully separating the slips and putting them in their corresponding
place. As her hand crossed over his desk, Giovanni grabbed hold of it. Startled,
she snatched it away, and took a defensive step back. Giovanni took every
precious second in the world to raise his head back up at eye level, like a
large dinosaur whose body didn't quite receive the brain's message in time.
"I apologize, Jesse," he said in his empty rumble. "I didn't mean
to startle you. I just happened to notice your ring…"
Jesse mechanically covered her ring with her other hand.
"Yes, well uhm…James gave it to me, sir."
Giovanni made a soft clucking sound with his tongue, and his Persian slinked
over to him in response. He began kneading the thick fur behind the Pokémon's
ears, and then once again turned his attention to Jesse.
"That was…nice of him." He shifted forward in his seat until he was
looming over her menacingly. "As a congratulatory gesture?"
"No, uhm…actually sir…he asked me to marry him."
Giovanni gave a thunderous laugh. "Well, that is a surprise. My…"
Jesse fidgeted uncomfortably. Then Giovanni turned grim.
"You know, I've been noticing a change between you two lately. I suppose it
was only a matter of time."
Jesse was almost insulted that an ogre like Giovanni would pick up on something
like that before her.
"I've also noticed those other two getting a bit closer." He looked as
though he couldn't be bothered to remember their names. "Cassidy and
Butch."
Jesse's nose reflexively wrinkled with disdain.
"I want you to know that I don't approve of
this."
"Don't approve…?!" the defiant question
almost left her mouth before she caught it.
Pushing a button on his intercom, Giovanni delivered
his order to the secretary.
"Send in James and Meowth, and the other
two."
"Yes sir."
Jesse looked towards Giovanni with a look of
uncertainty. He did not return the look, however. He merely fixed his cold stare
ahead of him. A low flood of mumbles announced the coming of the four Rockets.
Butch and Cassidy entered together, and James lagged
behind. Meowth quickly followed before the door shut on his tail.
"You called for us, sir?" Cassidy asked.
"I've been meaning to talk to you lately. Come
forward."
They did as they were told. James rushed to Jesse's
side.
"I've noticed lately that the atmosphere around
this place has been less than professional," Giovanni started. "And
now this! Members of Team Rocket marrying each other! Simply saying it out loud
sounds absurd!"
James took Jesse's hand and squeezed it gently. Butch and Cassidy exchanged
somewhat embarrassed glances with each other. Meowth simply glared hatefully at
his boss's proud pet.
"I've given this thought, and I've decided that
while Team Rocket may be many things, it is most definitely not a place for
foolish romances!"
James felt the fire of hate and anger warm his body.
"Foolish?"
"James, shhh!" Jesse pleaded.
"That is why I have decided to put an end to the
male/female team-ups. From now on, James will take his missions with Butch. And
Cassidy shall pair up with Jesse."
James pulled Jesse to him and held her close. Butch put his arm around Cassidy protectively.
"B-but boss…" Meowth approached Giovanni's
desk. "What about Meowth?"
"Meowth?" He pondered a moment, scratching
his chin. "I suppose you'll have to choose."
Meowth looked towards his two human companions. It was
strange, but he felt an equal sense of loyalty to both. He finally decided that
while he could deal with Cassidy, he could never tolerate Butch. He was too much
of a puppet, and besides that, his voice made him want to eat a bullet.
"I…I'll go wit' Jesse," Meowth said
reluctantly.
James heart crashed into his stomach. His eyes shut
softly and he felt his whole body shut down.
"I'm sorry, James…really," Meowth looked
sadly at his forlorn friend.
"I understand," he said weakly.
"Then it is settled. I trust that the living
arrangements shall also be dealt with accordingly?"
The team replied with a sullen "Yes, sir".
"Then you are dismissed."
The night was suitably cold when James came to collect
his things. Jesse and Meowth stood by the door watching him heap the last bit of
luggage onto Butch's oversized truck.
"It fits," she thought to herself. "A
big dumb truck for a big dumb man."
Meowth shook hands (paws?) with James and wished him
luck, then left he and Jesse alone.
Butch and Cassidy said their goodbyes, and it was time
for Jesse and James to do the same.
"I can't help feeling you should stay here,"
Jesse said. "It's enough that you're by yourself, without having to adjust
to a new house and everything."
James shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same
anyway."
He opened his arms, and Jesse walked into them slowly,
as though she were wading through the gentle tide. They held each other for an
eternity that wasn't nearly long enough. The obnoxious honking of Butch's horn
cut their last moments short, and breaking away with a final kiss, James was
off.
"I'll come back," James said as he stepped
into the truck. "I'll come back for you, I promise."
Jesse nodded sadly.
"Oh, wait a second," James told Butch. He
reached into his shirt and pulled out one of his trademark roses. He handed it
to Jesse.
"Keep this for me," he said with a grin.
Jesse allowed herself to smile a little.
"I will."
The ride to Butch's place was long and quiet. If James
had cared enough to notice, he would have seen that Butch was equally upset
about the split-up, but he was too absorbed in his own thoughts.
Things started to get testy when Butch came close to
sideswiping another car.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" James yelled
over the blaring horns.
"Would you lay off?!" Butch asked trying to
swerve. He slowed to a stop at the side of the freeway, with several shouts of
"Moron!" and other choice insults zooming past them.
They sat in renewed silence for a moment.
"You know, you almost got us killed, Botch,"
James pointed out suddenly, his voice full of scorn.
"I'm aware of that, thanks," Butch said with
equal contempt. "And it's BUTCH, not Botch."
"It wouldn't matter if we were dead, would
it?"
"No, but we're NOT, so get over it."
The simmered in their mutual dislike for each other a
few moments before Butch started up the car again.
"Why don't I drive?" James asked.
"I don't trust female drivers," Butch
replied coldly.
"F-female??"
James's screams of anger were muted by the screeching tires as they pulled out haphazardly onto the speeding highway.
Things were scarcely going better for Jesse and
Cassidy.
"What do you think you're doing?" Jesse
asked, doing a very poor job at hiding her disgust.
Cassidy refused to acknowledge Jesse with anything
that might be mistaken for her giving a damn, and so she kept going about her
task without looking up.
"I'm unpacking, of course. I thought that these
pictures of Butch and I would look very nice on this otherwise drab mantle
place."
Drab? That was JESSE'S mantle place, and where did
Cassidy get the nerve to litter it with those hideous photos?
"This is where I keep the pictures of James and
I." Jesse explained everything quite slowly so that Cassidy could
understand.
"I don't see any pictures of you and James
here," Cassidy said. The stupid thing!
"Well, they're here starting now." Jesse ran
into her bedroom, and after rummaging around a bit, came back.
She placed several framed photos side-by-side, making
sure not to leave any room for Cassidy to stuff her trashy pictures into.
"That's not fair!" Cassidy whined.
"It's my mantle, too!"
"Well, I'm afraid there simply isn't any more
room," Jesse told her, adjusting the frames just so.
Cassidy left in a huff and stomped off into the
bedroom. Score: Jesse 1, Cassidy 0.
James wrinkled his nose at the sight of his new home.
It was dark and musty, and the furniture resembled something you'd throw to a
Growlithe to chew on.
Butch walked in, apparently immune to the filth. He
muttered something that vaguely sounded like "Make yourself at home,"
and then he threw James's luggage by the couch and plopped down into it.
It was quiet for the longest time; Butch sitting
there, watching football, James standing and looking around.
"Is there a problem?" Butch asked giving
James a tired, agitated look.
"Do you ever clean this place?" James asked.
His eyes darted around as though the dust would leap off the furniture and
smother him.
"No," Butch said pointedly. "We're
usually too busy going out and being successful."
"Oh, ho, ho," James muttered. "I
suppose I'll go and un-pack. Which room is mine?"
"There's only one room."
"Well, where did Cassidy sleep when she lived
here?"
Butch turned around with a look that asked, "Do
you REALLY need me to tell you?"
James squinched up his face, sufficiently grossed out by the thought. "Well," he said, "since you seem to be attached to that couch, I guess I'll take the room."
"No WAY you're getting MY room!" Jesse
shouted angrily. She yanked Cassidy hard by the arm.
"Ouch! Fine, I'll take this room." Cassidy
reached for the doorknob.
"That's James's room," Jesse told her.
"James isn't here."
"Yes, because of you."
The women stood and stared at each other, anger
burning through their eyes like fire.
"Listen." Cassidy said it firmly and
painfully slow. "I'm sleeping in a room. I don't care who used to sleep in
it, so long as it has a god damn bed. Now either pick one, or I'll pick it
myself."
Jesse stood rigidly still. Then, reluctantly, she made
way for Cassidy to walk into James's old bedroom.
Cassidy walked in, slamming the door shut behind her.
"Dumb blonde," Jesse muttered between
clenched teeth. She sat down on the couch; the very same couch that James had
been on that morning. Hot tears fought their way through her eyes and she lay
down, burying her face into a pillow.
"Everything is falling apart…"
"This shower is falling apart!" James stood
in horror in front of a busted up shower, with the head loose and falling off
the pipes.
"Just screw it back on, ya pansy." Butch
called from inside.
"This is ridiculous," James muttered
angrily. He grabbed his towel closely around his waste and climbed up onto the
edge of the bathtub. He tried twisting the showerhead back into place, but his
foot got caught on the faucet and he fell, taking the head off completely and
falling backward into a spray of hot water.
"Aiyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"What the friggin' hell…?" Butch got up
and wandered towards the bathroom.
"Hey, listen, I don't know what you and Jesse did
in the shower, but do ya mind keeping it down?"
When James didn't answer, Butch stormed in. "Hey,
didja hear me?"
He stopped short. James was unconscious, having hit
his head against the tiled wall, and the hot water was burning his skin.
"Oh, Jeezus…" he rushed over and tried to
get James up on his feet. "C'mon ya lily ass! If you don't wake up now,
we'll both regret this!"
He was having difficulty getting James out of the way,
so he turned off the water first. Then steadily, albeit reluctantly, he worked
his arms around James's waste and got a solid hold on him, dragging him out of
the tub.
"This is the ultimate low in my career."
Butch got the phone and dialed the Team Rocket medical center. After explaining
the situation, the woman on the line told Butch that they would be sending an
ambulance right over.
Butch sat in the waiting room, reading a magazine.
After a while, a nurse came out.
"He's alright." She told Butch. "He's
got a nasty bruise on his head, and his skin is a bit burned, but nothing too
serious. You can take him home tonight."
"Fantastic." He got up slowly and stretched.
"Thanks, nurse."
She smiled and bowed her head respectively. "You
can sign him out at the front desk over there." She showed him the way.
As Butch finished signing, James walked out groggily
with a bandage on his head.
Butch sighed. "Alright, Miss Daisy. I'll drive us
home."
It was dark by the time they had gotten on the
expressway home. James fidgeted in his seat.
"What the hell's the matter?" Butch asked,
not taking his eyes off the road.
"My skin hurts a little."
"You'll live." Butch cranked up the volume
on the radio.
When the song was over, he lowered it again.
"Alice in Chains," he announced with a grin. "Those guys are
incredible."
James nodded a little. "Uhm, Burch?"
"Butch."
"Right, Butch, sorry…" What came next was
even more painful. "Thank you."
"For what?" Butch asked. The he realized.
"Oh, yeah whatever."
"Yeah…"
After a while, James spoke up again. "I know
you're upset about Cassidy."
Butch didn't say anything. James continued.
"I don't like this arrangement either."
"Yeah, it wasn't my first choice."
"But, maybe if we team up, we can find a way to
get things back to how they were. And I can marry Jesse…"
"And I can get back with Cassidy…"
Butch thought for a moment. They were stuck together,
no matter what. They could at least find a way to work things out…
"Alright," he said finally. "A truce
then."
James smiled. Even Butch smiled.
"So," he said. "Ya got a plan?"