1 Chapter Thirteen: Rescued
James edged out onto the bridge as it started to sway under his added weight. He reached Jesse and grabbed hold of her hand. "James I'm scared," she repeated.
"It'll be ok" James replied even through he was terrified himself. "We just have to be careful that's all"
As he spoke the plank of wood they were standing on gave way. Jesse screamed clutching James' hand tighter as they fell but then they stopped falling. Jesse opened her eyes and looked up. James was still clinging tightly to her with one hand whilst the other had hold of the underside of the bridge. Jesse uttered a small sob as a feeling of déjà vu over took her. She was once again hanging over that waterfall and this time there would be no one to save her and James. They were going to die. But then Jesse realised something else. James was struggling to pull them both up but with one hand this was going to be impossible. Jesse tried to reach the bridge too but she couldn't.
"James" she said her voice trembling, as she knew what she had to do. If James wasn't holding her then he could pull himself up. Jesse would have to make him let her go.
Ash opened the door to the Pokemon centre and tried to sneak inside so that the others wouldn't see his bleeding jaw. Brock was trying to chat up Nurse Joy and Meowth was sitting by the window. Only Misty noticed. "Ash what happened?" she cried running over to him. "What did those two do to you?"
"Nothing I didn't deserve" Ash said softly. Misty didn't understand this and just looked at Meowth. The cat was watching Ash with the ' what did you do now?' look.
"I'll get Nurse Joy to have a look at that. What happened?" Misty repeated
"James punched me"
Misty was about to ask why, she didn't know James very well but knew that James was the gentler of the three. Ash must have really upset him for James to punch him. They were interrupted when Meowth screamed. "Jesse! James!" he cried and got up. He raced outside. Ash ran after him followed quickly by Misty, Brock and Nurse Joy. Meowth screamed again once they got outside and found the two of them hanging under the bridge. Meowth tried to go to them but Brock grabbed him "Meowth if you go on it then it will fall"
"Jess, Jimmy!" Meowth screamed again his eyes filled with tears. "Someone help them!"
"Its hopeless" Misty whispered.
"No, no!" Meowth cried. He too had seen what Jesse had. James had a chance if he let her go but James would never do that and so they would both die.
"There is a chance," Ash said suddenly as he looked at the river. The waterfall was so fast that they would be dragged under the moment they hit the water, then they would get smashed to bits on the rocks. The bank was narrower at the bottom of the waterfall. A plan was forming in the young trainers mind. "I've got an idea" Ash said it would work he was sure of it "Misty I need you to go inside and find me a net or something. Brock I need to borrow Onix"
"What are yous going to do?" Meowth asked tearfully.
"Save them" Ash replied determinedly.
"James" Jesse started. How was she supposed to tell him to do this? If the roles were reversed there would be no way in hell she would let James fall to his death. "It'll be ok Jess" James tried to reassure her but Jesse could feel him trembling. "We're a team. We've overcome everything that's been thrown our way before why not now?" he said quoting what Jesse had said to him earlier.
"James we're going to die" Jesse whispered. She didn't have to imagine how much James' fingers must be aching now. Jesse remembered all too well how soon they would loose their grip and they would both fall to their deaths. "I know" James replied. "But we'll still be together"
"No" Jesse said sharply "You don't have to die. Just let me go and you can pull yourself up"
"Jesse no!" James cried his fingers were loosing their grip now. He struggled to hang onto the bridge but they would fall any minute. "James I love you but you have too. Think of Meowth"
"I killed you once, I won't do it again"
He still thinks he has to make it up to be about what happened before Jesse realised. I have to make him see that this is the only way. "Jesse I love you. How can you ask me that?" he cried as she struggled to pull her hand from James' grip but this only made him hang on to her tighter.
"James damn it! Listen to me! I love you so much but you haven't got to do this. I told you I forgive you about what happened the first time. I don't want you throwing you're life away like this"
"Jessica I could never let you go. I am not doing this to make it up to you. I'm doing it because I love you. If you think that is throwing my life away then so be it. We'll be ok as long as we're together. When I thought you were dead I was so lost. I thought I had lost part of myself. We're more than a team. We belong together. Whether its in life or death I don't care. I just want to be with you. Is that throwing my life away Jesse?"
Jesse sniffed and let the tears fall. That was the most beautiful thing James had ever said to her. She tightened her grip on his hand as she felt James' fingers tearing from the bridge. "I love you James," she said as they fell.
"I love you Jesse" he replied.
Jesse opened her eyes when her back hit something. James landed beside her but she felt no pain. Jesse sat up and realised that they had landed in a net used for trapping wild Pokemon. Jesse saw that Bulbasaur, Meowth, Chikorita, Poliwhirl, Geodude, Cyndaquil and Noctowl were on the other side of the waterfall holding onto one side of the net. Onix was on the other side with the twerps.
"Climb onto Onix" Brock called to them. The stunned couple did so and soon had their feet on firm ground again. Then Onix laid itself a little further away from the waterfall so Meowth and other Pokemon could climb back over. The water from the fall must have been hurting the rock Pokemon but it held on until all the Pokemon were safely across. As soon as Meowth was over he ran to them. The three of them stood sobbing for a few minutes. The twerps looked uncomfortably on.
"Are you guys ok?" Ash asked timidly.
"Yeah I think so" Jesse replied. Brock and Misty had backed off sensing that Ash needed to speak with the three of them alone. "Dat net idea saved yous" Meowth said.
"Thank you" Jesse said to Ash and she actually meant it.
"I couldn't watch you guys fall," he said. "And I'm sorry for all the hurt I caused you. Misty and Brock are right. I need to grow up a bit before I can become a Pokemon master"
"I tink da events of today and da week have helped us all grow up a little" Meowth said.
"No hard feelings then?" Ash asked.
"No" Jesse and James agreed. "We'll go back to how things were."
"You mean forget about all this?"
"Look…Ash" James said. "We're Pokemon thieves and we have been ordered by our Boss to steal you're Pikachu. We can't ever be friends but I don't think after today we can truly call you our enemy. You saved our lives and I think we're willing to forget about what happened before. Well I can anyway. Jesse?"
Jesse nodded "Back to how things were then"
"Thank you" Ash said humbly. "You know you three aren't really that bad after all"
He turned to walk back to the centre. Misty and Brock were there to meet him. Misty asked if they had sorted everything out.
"Yeah but he could have said sorry for hitting me" Ash muttered.
"He never learns" Misty said to Brock guessing that Ash probably deserved getting punched.
"Same old Ash" Brock agreed.
"Well it hurt" Ash whined. Misty and Brock just shook their heads.
Nurse Joy invited Jesse, James and Meowth to stay the night in the Pokemon centre since it was too late to call Mondo now but they were going to first thing tomorrow. And then there was the Boss. He would be so mad with them and the fact that Jesse ran off whilst receiving medical treatment. The kids had the sofas so they had to make do with the floor and some blankets. However grateful Ash was for their silence on what he did he was still not willing to give up a comfy place to sleep for the night. Meowth fell asleep first out of them. Jesse found that she couldn't sleep. She glanced over at James who was lying a couple of inches away. Jesse wondered if he was asleep. She scooted over nearer him and snuggled up beside him. "Jesse?" James asked sleepily.
"Did I wake you?"
"No I couldn't sleep"
"Me neither James. I keep thinking about what happened today. I should never have asked you what I did. I couldn't have let you fall"
"You were only trying to protect me" James replied.
"It was wrong James and I was wrong"
Jesse remembered what she had called him before. It had been lazy, stupid, incompetent, pathetic excuse for a man. Jesse couldn't have been more wrong. James was anything but the above.
"James I didn't mean to call you all those things"
"Hush Jesse" James said kissing her on the lips. Jesse melted in his arms at the touch of his lips on hers. She sighed happily realising just how lucky she was to have a man like James love her. Jesse pulled him closer and kissing him back.
After a few minutes Jesse heard an "Ew that is gross isn't it Pikachu?" coming from the twerps sleeping quarters. Jesse and James looked at each other before grabbing a pillow each and throwing them in Ash's direction. The pillows came sailing back a few seconds later and smacked the sleeping Meowth.
"What da hell is going on?" he demanded.
Jesse and James looked at Ash, Misty and Brock before all yelling "PILLOW FIGHT!"
Meowth groaned this was going to be a long night.
The next morning Jesse called Mondo to come and get them in the balloon. The twerps were also getting ready to leave for Johto once again now that Pikachu was better. Jesse and Meowth decided to go and wait outside for Mondo whilst James cleared away the last of the blankets and pillows for Nurse Joy. Ash and Brock also went outside but Misty hung around and refolded the blanket she was holding for the third time. "James" she said at last "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yes" James said feeling puzzled. The red haired twerp normally had nothing to say to him and even if she did it was something bad. I'm probably going to get a lecture for hitting her boyfriend or something James thought. "That night…I know what Ash did. I was looking for him and I saw him push Jesse. I also saw you jump in after her. Ash had gone by then. I raced down river looking for you guys. I found you unconscious in the water. I used Staryu and Poliwhirl to get you out. I was going to get help because you looked really ill. But when I came back with Nurse Joy you were gone. I just thought you might want to know"
"Thank you" James said nervously. "When I woke I did wonder who helped me but I was so scared that I didn't think to wait around"
"That's ok" Misty said. "I was going to tell you what Ash did but well he's my friend and I didn't want to get him in trouble, I was going to have a word with him myself but Meowth beat me to it I guess."
"James?" Jesse came in then. "Mondo's got here now. We have to go and report in to the Boss".
James groaned that was something they could do without.
"You don't like your Boss huh?" Misty asked softly.
"More of a case of he doesn't like us" James replied as he and Jesse went to the door of the centre. Mondo was giving the twerp evils when they got outside and the boy in question was pretending not to notice. Meowth was already in the balloon and was looking impatient. "Hurry up yous twos" Meowth yelled at them. "Mangy cat" Jesse muttered "Remind me to pound him later"
James giggled and they got into the balloon.
"See you in Johto!" Misty and Brock called waving them off.
"Great" Jesse said to James. "I swear they enjoy waiting for us to show up and then shocking us with that Pikachu"
"Look on the bright side" James said putting his arm round his girlfriend. "Its probably the only excitement they get on their Pokemon journey."
"And plus imagine travelling with dat twerp" Meowth added. "I'd rather file da Persians nails dan put up with dat twerps bragging".
Soon the Pokemon centre was out of sight. Mondo set the balloon down near the shop.
"This is it then" Jesse said nervously.
"You'll be fine Jesse" Mondo said. "You both will," he added as an after thought. Despite the fact that it was clear that Jesse was with James it didn't stop Mondo from still having a crush on her. Meowth opted to stay outside with Mondo when Jesse and James went inside. The cat said the Boss didn't speak to him anyway and probably wouldn't even notice that he was there.
"Here we go" Jesse said as she knocked on the door.
"Come in" Giovanni called. Jesse put her hand out to open the door but James got there first.
"James?" she started but he cut her off.
"I want to look after you for a bit Jess"
Jesse smiled and let James take the lead as they entered the Boss's office.
Authors Notes: Almost done now. Just one chapter to go now. I will try to get it up by the end of the week, as I am half way through writing it. It will be a little longer than this or my other chapters but the longer the better right? ^_^
James edged out onto the bridge as it started to sway under his added weight. He reached Jesse and grabbed hold of her hand. "James I'm scared," she repeated.
"It'll be ok" James replied even through he was terrified himself. "We just have to be careful that's all"
As he spoke the plank of wood they were standing on gave way. Jesse screamed clutching James' hand tighter as they fell but then they stopped falling. Jesse opened her eyes and looked up. James was still clinging tightly to her with one hand whilst the other had hold of the underside of the bridge. Jesse uttered a small sob as a feeling of déjà vu over took her. She was once again hanging over that waterfall and this time there would be no one to save her and James. They were going to die. But then Jesse realised something else. James was struggling to pull them both up but with one hand this was going to be impossible. Jesse tried to reach the bridge too but she couldn't.
"James" she said her voice trembling, as she knew what she had to do. If James wasn't holding her then he could pull himself up. Jesse would have to make him let her go.
Ash opened the door to the Pokemon centre and tried to sneak inside so that the others wouldn't see his bleeding jaw. Brock was trying to chat up Nurse Joy and Meowth was sitting by the window. Only Misty noticed. "Ash what happened?" she cried running over to him. "What did those two do to you?"
"Nothing I didn't deserve" Ash said softly. Misty didn't understand this and just looked at Meowth. The cat was watching Ash with the ' what did you do now?' look.
"I'll get Nurse Joy to have a look at that. What happened?" Misty repeated
"James punched me"
Misty was about to ask why, she didn't know James very well but knew that James was the gentler of the three. Ash must have really upset him for James to punch him. They were interrupted when Meowth screamed. "Jesse! James!" he cried and got up. He raced outside. Ash ran after him followed quickly by Misty, Brock and Nurse Joy. Meowth screamed again once they got outside and found the two of them hanging under the bridge. Meowth tried to go to them but Brock grabbed him "Meowth if you go on it then it will fall"
"Jess, Jimmy!" Meowth screamed again his eyes filled with tears. "Someone help them!"
"Its hopeless" Misty whispered.
"No, no!" Meowth cried. He too had seen what Jesse had. James had a chance if he let her go but James would never do that and so they would both die.
"There is a chance," Ash said suddenly as he looked at the river. The waterfall was so fast that they would be dragged under the moment they hit the water, then they would get smashed to bits on the rocks. The bank was narrower at the bottom of the waterfall. A plan was forming in the young trainers mind. "I've got an idea" Ash said it would work he was sure of it "Misty I need you to go inside and find me a net or something. Brock I need to borrow Onix"
"What are yous going to do?" Meowth asked tearfully.
"Save them" Ash replied determinedly.
"James" Jesse started. How was she supposed to tell him to do this? If the roles were reversed there would be no way in hell she would let James fall to his death. "It'll be ok Jess" James tried to reassure her but Jesse could feel him trembling. "We're a team. We've overcome everything that's been thrown our way before why not now?" he said quoting what Jesse had said to him earlier.
"James we're going to die" Jesse whispered. She didn't have to imagine how much James' fingers must be aching now. Jesse remembered all too well how soon they would loose their grip and they would both fall to their deaths. "I know" James replied. "But we'll still be together"
"No" Jesse said sharply "You don't have to die. Just let me go and you can pull yourself up"
"Jesse no!" James cried his fingers were loosing their grip now. He struggled to hang onto the bridge but they would fall any minute. "James I love you but you have too. Think of Meowth"
"I killed you once, I won't do it again"
He still thinks he has to make it up to be about what happened before Jesse realised. I have to make him see that this is the only way. "Jesse I love you. How can you ask me that?" he cried as she struggled to pull her hand from James' grip but this only made him hang on to her tighter.
"James damn it! Listen to me! I love you so much but you haven't got to do this. I told you I forgive you about what happened the first time. I don't want you throwing you're life away like this"
"Jessica I could never let you go. I am not doing this to make it up to you. I'm doing it because I love you. If you think that is throwing my life away then so be it. We'll be ok as long as we're together. When I thought you were dead I was so lost. I thought I had lost part of myself. We're more than a team. We belong together. Whether its in life or death I don't care. I just want to be with you. Is that throwing my life away Jesse?"
Jesse sniffed and let the tears fall. That was the most beautiful thing James had ever said to her. She tightened her grip on his hand as she felt James' fingers tearing from the bridge. "I love you James," she said as they fell.
"I love you Jesse" he replied.
Jesse opened her eyes when her back hit something. James landed beside her but she felt no pain. Jesse sat up and realised that they had landed in a net used for trapping wild Pokemon. Jesse saw that Bulbasaur, Meowth, Chikorita, Poliwhirl, Geodude, Cyndaquil and Noctowl were on the other side of the waterfall holding onto one side of the net. Onix was on the other side with the twerps.
"Climb onto Onix" Brock called to them. The stunned couple did so and soon had their feet on firm ground again. Then Onix laid itself a little further away from the waterfall so Meowth and other Pokemon could climb back over. The water from the fall must have been hurting the rock Pokemon but it held on until all the Pokemon were safely across. As soon as Meowth was over he ran to them. The three of them stood sobbing for a few minutes. The twerps looked uncomfortably on.
"Are you guys ok?" Ash asked timidly.
"Yeah I think so" Jesse replied. Brock and Misty had backed off sensing that Ash needed to speak with the three of them alone. "Dat net idea saved yous" Meowth said.
"Thank you" Jesse said to Ash and she actually meant it.
"I couldn't watch you guys fall," he said. "And I'm sorry for all the hurt I caused you. Misty and Brock are right. I need to grow up a bit before I can become a Pokemon master"
"I tink da events of today and da week have helped us all grow up a little" Meowth said.
"No hard feelings then?" Ash asked.
"No" Jesse and James agreed. "We'll go back to how things were."
"You mean forget about all this?"
"Look…Ash" James said. "We're Pokemon thieves and we have been ordered by our Boss to steal you're Pikachu. We can't ever be friends but I don't think after today we can truly call you our enemy. You saved our lives and I think we're willing to forget about what happened before. Well I can anyway. Jesse?"
Jesse nodded "Back to how things were then"
"Thank you" Ash said humbly. "You know you three aren't really that bad after all"
He turned to walk back to the centre. Misty and Brock were there to meet him. Misty asked if they had sorted everything out.
"Yeah but he could have said sorry for hitting me" Ash muttered.
"He never learns" Misty said to Brock guessing that Ash probably deserved getting punched.
"Same old Ash" Brock agreed.
"Well it hurt" Ash whined. Misty and Brock just shook their heads.
Nurse Joy invited Jesse, James and Meowth to stay the night in the Pokemon centre since it was too late to call Mondo now but they were going to first thing tomorrow. And then there was the Boss. He would be so mad with them and the fact that Jesse ran off whilst receiving medical treatment. The kids had the sofas so they had to make do with the floor and some blankets. However grateful Ash was for their silence on what he did he was still not willing to give up a comfy place to sleep for the night. Meowth fell asleep first out of them. Jesse found that she couldn't sleep. She glanced over at James who was lying a couple of inches away. Jesse wondered if he was asleep. She scooted over nearer him and snuggled up beside him. "Jesse?" James asked sleepily.
"Did I wake you?"
"No I couldn't sleep"
"Me neither James. I keep thinking about what happened today. I should never have asked you what I did. I couldn't have let you fall"
"You were only trying to protect me" James replied.
"It was wrong James and I was wrong"
Jesse remembered what she had called him before. It had been lazy, stupid, incompetent, pathetic excuse for a man. Jesse couldn't have been more wrong. James was anything but the above.
"James I didn't mean to call you all those things"
"Hush Jesse" James said kissing her on the lips. Jesse melted in his arms at the touch of his lips on hers. She sighed happily realising just how lucky she was to have a man like James love her. Jesse pulled him closer and kissing him back.
After a few minutes Jesse heard an "Ew that is gross isn't it Pikachu?" coming from the twerps sleeping quarters. Jesse and James looked at each other before grabbing a pillow each and throwing them in Ash's direction. The pillows came sailing back a few seconds later and smacked the sleeping Meowth.
"What da hell is going on?" he demanded.
Jesse and James looked at Ash, Misty and Brock before all yelling "PILLOW FIGHT!"
Meowth groaned this was going to be a long night.
The next morning Jesse called Mondo to come and get them in the balloon. The twerps were also getting ready to leave for Johto once again now that Pikachu was better. Jesse and Meowth decided to go and wait outside for Mondo whilst James cleared away the last of the blankets and pillows for Nurse Joy. Ash and Brock also went outside but Misty hung around and refolded the blanket she was holding for the third time. "James" she said at last "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yes" James said feeling puzzled. The red haired twerp normally had nothing to say to him and even if she did it was something bad. I'm probably going to get a lecture for hitting her boyfriend or something James thought. "That night…I know what Ash did. I was looking for him and I saw him push Jesse. I also saw you jump in after her. Ash had gone by then. I raced down river looking for you guys. I found you unconscious in the water. I used Staryu and Poliwhirl to get you out. I was going to get help because you looked really ill. But when I came back with Nurse Joy you were gone. I just thought you might want to know"
"Thank you" James said nervously. "When I woke I did wonder who helped me but I was so scared that I didn't think to wait around"
"That's ok" Misty said. "I was going to tell you what Ash did but well he's my friend and I didn't want to get him in trouble, I was going to have a word with him myself but Meowth beat me to it I guess."
"James?" Jesse came in then. "Mondo's got here now. We have to go and report in to the Boss".
James groaned that was something they could do without.
"You don't like your Boss huh?" Misty asked softly.
"More of a case of he doesn't like us" James replied as he and Jesse went to the door of the centre. Mondo was giving the twerp evils when they got outside and the boy in question was pretending not to notice. Meowth was already in the balloon and was looking impatient. "Hurry up yous twos" Meowth yelled at them. "Mangy cat" Jesse muttered "Remind me to pound him later"
James giggled and they got into the balloon.
"See you in Johto!" Misty and Brock called waving them off.
"Great" Jesse said to James. "I swear they enjoy waiting for us to show up and then shocking us with that Pikachu"
"Look on the bright side" James said putting his arm round his girlfriend. "Its probably the only excitement they get on their Pokemon journey."
"And plus imagine travelling with dat twerp" Meowth added. "I'd rather file da Persians nails dan put up with dat twerps bragging".
Soon the Pokemon centre was out of sight. Mondo set the balloon down near the shop.
"This is it then" Jesse said nervously.
"You'll be fine Jesse" Mondo said. "You both will," he added as an after thought. Despite the fact that it was clear that Jesse was with James it didn't stop Mondo from still having a crush on her. Meowth opted to stay outside with Mondo when Jesse and James went inside. The cat said the Boss didn't speak to him anyway and probably wouldn't even notice that he was there.
"Here we go" Jesse said as she knocked on the door.
"Come in" Giovanni called. Jesse put her hand out to open the door but James got there first.
"James?" she started but he cut her off.
"I want to look after you for a bit Jess"
Jesse smiled and let James take the lead as they entered the Boss's office.
Authors Notes: Almost done now. Just one chapter to go now. I will try to get it up by the end of the week, as I am half way through writing it. It will be a little longer than this or my other chapters but the longer the better right? ^_^