Negotiations
Cassidy takes charge of the situation, "Butch, untie Jessiebelle's ankles, get her upright, and we'll take her inside."
Butch complies and is soon guiding the silent and dejected Rocket executive by her bound wrists toward the house. Jessie draws James aside, "You OK James?" she asks.
James looks thoughtful, "I guess I'm fine, she didn't really hurt me," he pauses, "What I did detect was an aching desire for romantic fulfillment from me. I thought all she wanted from me was obedience and devotion. It turns out that I'm the happy ending to her personal fairy tale."
"Hmph! What's the difference to you?" Jessie replies, half-smirking.
"Not too much perhaps. But you know, maybe it's partly up to us to change the ending of the story."
"Oh yeah, like I can sway that iron determination of hers," Jessie says with irritable resignation.
"I suppose you're right."
Cassidy is guiding Jessiebelle through the kitchen door with her hand in the middle of the woman's back. Jessiebelle seems detached from her surroundings, she moves mechanically as if in a trance. Butch opens the door of the guest-room selected as Jessiebelle's confinement. "OK Butch, if you please, get Ms. Rumika onto the bed and bind her ankles to the bedposts. I don't want her causing trouble by rolling around."
As Butch cinches the knots, Jessiebelle speaks up, "Ah know Ah've been a bad girl. This is just what I so richly deserve. Y'know mah daddy had to do the same thing to me when Ah was small..."
Cassidy blanches and quickly puts her hands over her ears, "I don't want to hear this," she groans squeezing her eyes tightly closed.
"It's true. Ah was such a handful, and daddy was so busy, he'd leave me lahk this fo' hours."
Jessie looks pityingly at the captive and asks, "Um, Jessiebelle? When did you leave this wonderful daddy of yours and start living with James' parents?"
James jumps in, "It was when I was eight. I recall she was a such a shy girl when she first arrived."
"Guess Ah was pretty quiet at first. Ah was seven. Mah aunts took me from daddy, 'for mah own good' they said, and they arranged for mah upkeep with Jared and Felicia."
"And when did the Morgans see fit to engage you to James?" Jessie wonders.
"Ah was ten. Jared and Felicia simply adored me, and told me what a wonderful mannerly girl Ah was, and that what James needed was my manners. Ah distinctly remembah Felicia's words when she told me Ah was to be James' bride, 'Now child, you must help James become a true gentleman. You're gonna have to whip that boy into shape. Lord knows, I've tried myself.' It wasn't five years befoah James skedaddled, a couple of years after he failed at Pokémon Tech."
James sighs, "That's when I knew my parents had lost all patience with me. Jessiebelle went absolutely mad in her efforts to make me into a gentleman. My parents furnished a room to help her break me. I packed a few things and ran away," he stops, looks warmly at Jessie, and proceeds, "I was waylaid by a bunch of toughs on bikes at Sunnytown. They beat me up and dumped me in front of their boss, a woman they called 'Big Jess'. She looked at me, dusted me off, and said 'I remember you from Pokémon Tech! You're the sweet kid who blew off the entrance exam when I did.' She talked to me, turned to the others and said, 'This kid's just a castoff and runaway like the rest of us, let's show him the ropes.' And I've been with Jessie ever since."
"Why did you leave me James? Ah was so lonely without you. No happily evah aftah! Not ever!" and tears flow.
"I was never going to be the gentlemen you wanted Jessiebelle, and you were hurting me. I had to leave."
"Now Ah've lost mah Gio too! Ah've been unfaithful, and not been honest about the bay-beee!" Jessiebelle wails, "He surely don't want me back. Ah guess that means you all will have to kill me," her voice trails off as a new freshet of tears falls.
"Um, Nobody's killing anybody," James stammers, looking helplessly at the others.
Cassidy, looking a bit pale, makes a cutting motion with her hand and indicates they should leave with her thumb. She looks at her prisoner with a strange mixture of anger and pity, and follows Butch, Jessie, James, and Meowth into the hallway, closing the door behind her.
"What are we going to do about this?" Cassidy demands, "Is she right about the Boss not wanting her?"
"Naw. Da Boss still wants 'er back," Meowth opines.
"Why?" An incredulous Cassidy challenges.
"Simple. Da kid."
"You really think so?" asks Butch.
"Sure of it. Ya ferget, I know Giovanni from way back. Even before he inherited da gang from his mom. He wants ta keep it a family bizness, and he ain't gettin' any younger. Besides, she suits him fine."
"Does he love her more than power or the gang?" Butch continues in disbelief.
"Mebbe not, but he does care, even if he wouldn't admit it," Meowth is confident. "He once cared fer Meowth too ya know. If ya don't fail him too often he's loyal to ya. I messed up a lot before he sent me Jim and Jess's way. Can't help it if I'm a loser," he sniffs, "At least dis loser's got great pals."
"Meowth..." Jessie murmurs laying her hand on the Pokémon's head, "Nobody stays a loser forever."
The doorbell interrupts the conversation, James sighs, "I'll get it," he offers.
It's Joy, "I couldn't stand waiting any longer, so I asked May if she'd looks after Miya. It seems you must have captured this Jessiebelle?"
"Yes, we have her. She's pregnant, which means she's in violation of Team Rocket rules as well, although it is the Boss's kid I guess."
"Might I see her? I'm curious to see this monster woman."
"It's up to your daughter, she's pretty much in charge," James notes.
Cassidy has wandered into the front hall and overheard this discussion. She looks a bit tired, "Sure mom, it's OK, but we've cut the monster down to size. She's pretty worked up, and none of us can offer much comfort, since we all have, um...issues with her."
Mother and daughter walk to the locked guest room. Cassidy inserts the key and opens the door. Jessiebelle has closed her eyes tightly and is holding her bound hands to her forehead. She murmurs a self-lacerating catechism, "You're bad. You're selfish. No one loves you..." Cassidy looks at Joy as if to say, "I had no idea she would react like this." Joy calmly walks to the bed, sits down softly and curls her fingers in Jessiebelle's red locks and strokes the young woman's head. "Wha..who?" Jessiebelle starts as if she touched an electric fence.
Cassidy speaks up, "Jessiebelle, this is my mom. Joy Yamato."
"Your mom's a Pokémon nurse? Ah had no idea."
"Guess you never peeked at my file."
"Not much call to, and Gio didn't want me to," Jessiebelle explains.
Joy continues stroking Jessiebelle's scalp and looks up at her child, "Cassidy, I think we could untie her. She's not going anywhere."
"I guess it brings on ugly memories," Cassidy notes glumly, "I suppose we can trust her."
"Oh thank you! You are too kind!" Jessiebelle says gratefully.
"Not at all," Cassidy says blushing self-consciously, frowning as she undoes Butch's strong knots, "Not at all."
Joy looks sharply at Cassidy, "Kinder than you think Cass."
Cassidy straightens and looks at Joy and Jessiebelle, "If it's all the same to you, I don't want to eavesdrop on this conversation. I'll just step out now."
"Of course dear," Joy says, "Well Jessiebelle, why do you have such a low opinion of yourself?"
The door clicks shut behind Cassidy as she faces the blank wall of the hallway. Cassidy turns to Butch, who has stationed himself in a straight-backed chair guarding the door. "So what do we do about contacting the Boss?"
Butch looks at her shrewdly and says, "I've been thinking on that. With his resources the Boss will know where she is in less than twelve hours. That limo driver ain't gonna stay mum about where he dropped her off when Giovanni barks at him over the visiphone. I think it's best to wait for the Boss to call."
"I suppose you're right," Cassidy sighs. She pulls up another chair, sinks into it, and intertwines her fingers with his. "What kind of a mom do you think I'll be Butch?" she asks as she lays her head on his shoulder.
"Tough, but fair. No nonsense, not much sentiment. Always got a good answer for every question. And you'll protect the kid with your body if I lose my temper."
"Oh, you'd never be like that, it's been years since you lifted a finger against me. A little shouting is all you do sometimes. I'll help you dear," she looks up, staring quietly into his deep dark eyes, "Why did you stop, uh...hurting me...it was so sudden."
"I realized you loved me, and you weren't the spoiled rich girl I fancied you were. When I found out all you ever wanted was me... well, all I could ever want was you."
She looks at him and her eyes moisten, then she kisses him passionately. They are startled by the door opening. Joy gasps, then recovers, "Well, I suppose I'd eventually stumble on you two making out. It just took fifteen years for it to happen."
"So, what did you find out?" Cassidy says with curiosity.
"That father of hers was a little girl's nightmare. You don't want to know any details," Joy sighs. "This in spite of a lot of money. Her aunts removed her from him out of desperation, but they weren't interested in raising her. They arranged for the Morgans to care for her. The Morgans loved her docility and encouraged her to try to control their unruly only son. She came to view herself as a princess rescued by a king and queen from an ogre destined to marry the prince. But to win the prince, her task was to make him behave like one. The way she became docile was due to the ogre, so she resorted to the ogre's methods to win her prince." She pauses reflectively, "This Giovanni, your Boss, the way she talks about him...well, he really seems to admire her. In a odd way, he's good for her."
"Maybe I should go back in there and talk to her," Cassidy muses.
"No need. In spite of her troubles, she finally drifted off to sleep," Joy says, "Let her rest." Joy looks carefully at Cassidy, "Let me see that cut on your cheek. It needs attention," she notes primly.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Late in the evening the phone goes off. Jessie is sitting on the bed next to the visiphone, she yawns and flips the speaker, "Hello, this is Jessica Musashi, do you have any idea what time it is?"
An electronically altered voice barks, "You shouldn't give out your name so easily to unknown callers. You should be expecting my call. You have gotten soft out of my service."
Jessie reaches blindly behind her and shakes James, already under the covers, "Cassidy! Butch! Get in here!" she insists.
Jessie switches on the visual. Giovanni is half in shadow and is absently stroking the head of his Persian. "Um, Hi Boss. Looking for Jessiebelle?"
"Of course I am!" he explodes, "What have you done with her?"
Cassidy enters the room, still in uniform, but looking dishevelled. "Hi Boss, want to know what's up?"
"You never have feared me Cassidy," Giovanni growls.
"Not enough to lose my cool at any rate. Here's the deal, we have Jessiebelle, if you want her back all you have to do is allow Butch and I to resign from Team Rocket and promise to leave us alone. In return, we give you Jessiebelle and keep our mouths shut about Team Rocket."
"Is that all? Why do you wish to desert us?"
"If you must know, I'm pregnant."
"Given the desperation of your act you must actually want this brat."
"Absolutely."
Giovanni pauses, "Where is Jessiebelle? Have you harmed her?"
"No. But see for yourself. Butch, would you please produce our houseguest?"
Butch guides an unsteady, but intact Jessiebelle into the room, "Well," Giovanni starts,
"Jessiebelle, are you ready to return to me?"
She looks thankfully at him as he leans forward allowing his face to emerge from the shadows. He is handsome in a rough-hewn way, his eyes betray a consuming dark ambition, and drive, but there is a hint of concern in them as well. "Ah don't know. Ah've been hidin' somethin' from you..."
"And what is that?"
"Ah just found out Ah'm pregnant, a week ago. Ah'm sorry Giovanni, but Ah just cain't harm this baby."
"Hmmm, As much as I dislike inconsistency, there is such a thing as a fool's consistency. The rule is that no Team Rocket member can have a child. The solution is quite simple. Jessiebelle, you're fired!"
Jessiebelle goes pale, and Cassidy curses under her breath. Giovanni continues, "I am no romantic, but now that you are no longer in my employ I suppose I must ask you to marry me. Do you accept?"
Jessiebelle looks up and turns bright pink, "Oh my! Of course, Ah'd be honoured!"
"By the way — Butch, Cassidy — you're fired as well. Keep your lips sealed and you will find my word is better than most people believe. Send me a signed oath promising to reveal no Team secrets and I'll be done with you."
"Thank you sir!" says Butch saluting.
"I suppose I should thank you for getting Jessiebelle to admit to her pregnancy. She is far too timid around me," he pauses, hits a button and goes on, "I will switch you to my secretary to arrange Jessiebelle's transfer. Butch, Cassidy — I admire your chutzpah for this little operation of yours. You still had it in you. But, a rule is a rule. Farewell."
With that Giovanni's image is replaced by a prim looking young woman with light pink hair wearing a black, high-collared jacket with a small red "R" on the collar. "Ms. Rumika should be on the first train out of Pallett for Viridian tomorrow. That would be, uh, 13:00. Is that acceptable?"
"Of course," Cassidy says with relief.