Chapter 3: The Party

Upon waking up from the emotional night they all had, Jessie, James, and Meowth prepared to leave the Team Rocket cabin that they were staying in, before other agents came and found them there. They ate a small breakfast consisting of stale cereal found in the kitchen cupboards before finally heading out to see if they could catch or steal a pokemon for The Boss before the party that would occur later that night. James had also pocketed a good amount money he found under the mattress of his bed, but decided to keep it a secret until they were really in trouble. As they were walking out of the cabin and into the forest, Meowth, who had been smirking all morning, spoke up.

"So....did yous guys get da glass picked up all right?," Meowth asked as innocently as he could muster.

"Um.....yeah, it was swept up just fine, Meowth," replied James while Jessie blushed slightly. Meowth just snickered to himself then smirked even more at their responses to his 'innocent' question. "Meowth, why are you looking at us like that?! Cut it ou-.......Wait! Oh, Meowth! You were spying on us, weren't you?! Weren't you?!" James angrily asked.

Meowth burst with happy laughter, tears threatening to come from his eyes in joy.

"What? Did yous guys really expect me ta just go off ta bed, leaving yous two alone like that, and not spy?" Jessie and James both looked only mildly shocked. They should have known better. "I'm so happy for yous two! I have been countin da days till yous would finally tell each other how yous feel! Now we are even more of a team! By the way yous kissed each other, I'd say that yous are really in love and that it will last a lifetime!" With that, they all hugged and laughed, happy that they were now closer than ever and that now, they had more motivation to succeed.

After hiking for a few hours, they reached a city town called Amberton that had no gym or Pokemon Center, but was bustling just the same. It was a queer city with many businesses, large and small, and a few tall buildings. At one side of town there were the nice homes with decent honest people. On the other side of town there were the run-down apartments, homeless walking the slums of the streets, and a few small and dirty shops. Both of these communities were brought together by the busy city between them.

A few hotels, restaurants, and night clubs were scattered around the city. The rest of the city consisted of business buildings and stores. At the edge of town was a pokemon pet shop with many choice pokemon.

"Hey, Jessie, James. Look ova dere! See that pet shop? I think we should bust into dat place before going to da party. What do yous guys think?," asked Meowth. They weren't into the city yet, just on the border of the forest and the city outskirts.

"Sounds good to me. I mean, if we go to the party and get in trouble, then it would be a good idea to have some pokemon caught so maybe The Boss will go easier on us or they can protect us or something," Jessie agreed. James nodded and they began to plan their attack. They couldn't be caught, because if they were to enter Amberton again later that night for the party, they couldn't be recognized.

They decided to just send Weezing in to use a smoke screen attack, then they would rush in and take a few pokemon without being noticed. They had done it before, but they had recited their motto and the twerps had come and screwed things up. This time, they would not say their motto and there would be no twerps to screw things up.

Once they were nearer to the shop, they hid behind some bushes and sent out Weezing.

"Ok, Weezing, just go in there and use a smoke screen. And make it the thickest one ever, got it?," James asked his pokemon, who nodded in reply. They all had their fingers crossed that this plan would work. They all watched Weezing float through the store doors. Once they heard screaming and Weezing sending out smoke, they rushed into the store. They each blindly searched the store for any pokemon while holding their breath as best they could. Jessie and James each grabbed one pokemon while Meowth made sure they didn't get attacked by the other people in the shop.

A man in the shop stumbled into James and tried to beat him and take the Eevee he was holding.

"Meowth! Over here!," James coughed out through the thick smoke. They had to make their exit soon before they suffocated. Soon, Meowth was scratch-attacking James assaulter. Jessie had managed to fight off somebody trying to stop her and was making her way over to assist James and Meowth. James' attacker had now started strangling Meowth and shaking him for scratching.

The Eevee James had been holding had escaped when he tried to assist Meowth in getting rid of the man. Jessie finally found James and Meowth through the smoke, with difficulty, and led them out of the store. As they left, James called back Weezing and they made a run for the forest.

Jessie still had the mischievous Tediursa she had grabbed. Once they had run far enough into the woods till they couldn't hear peoples' screams for help, they hid behind some bushes and examined their catch.

"Yay! We finally stole something!," exclaimed Jessie.

"Hell yeah! We haven't actually succeeded in a long time! It feels great!," James also exclaimed. The Tediursa tried squirming out of Jessie's arms and was proving difficult to handle.

"Maybe we should celebrate later at da party, guys. Get dis ting in a pokeball before it runs off," Meowth suggested. They thanked Weezing and passed their time talking of everything and nothing at all, till the sun started to set.

"Jessie, I want to show you something. Come here." Jessie barely nodded as James took her hand and led her out of the safety of the bushes towards a large boulder in the forest, sitting themselves on it.

"What is it, James? What's wrong?"

"Shhh.....," he silenced her by placing two fingers over her red lips, then he replaced his fingers with his own lips. Meowth watched, from the secrecy of the forest foliage, his two companions kiss, silhouetted by the beautiful crimson and orange sunset. He felt extremely happy for his two friends because he personally believed that they were meant for each other and are soul-mates, and Meowth isn't one to believe in things such as destiny and soul-mates. After a few minutes of sharing the kiss, Jessie and James broke apart.

James took Jessie's hands, turning her towards him, so that she was framed by the gorgeous sunset. 'God, she's so beautiful,' he thought. A streak of red in the sky matched Jessie's hair almost perfectly and the other fiery colors complimented her hair and lips, while making her sapphire eyes seem like cool icy pools of water in a flaming atmosphere. Again, they kissed, not able to fulfill their want and love for each other.

"Look," James broke their kiss, pointing towards the lowering sun.

"It's really beautiful, isn't it?" James nodded absently to Jessie's question, for he was too transfixed on the beauty of the sunset.

They stayed on top of the boulder, letting time pass and Meowth join them, until the first star appeared in the darkened sky.

"As much as I want ta stay and watch da sky all night, we should probably get going to da party," stated Meowth suddenly, breaking the silence of the cool evening air.

"He's right, James. We really should go now," said Jessie as she got up off the boulder.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," James said as he stretched and got up.

With their new Teddiursa in hand, Jessie, James, and Meowth ventured out of the forest, into the city. Since they attacked the store under the cover of Weezing's smokescreen and because it was now dark outside, they didn't have to worry about being recognized, so they just removed their white Team Rocket logo shirts and walked straight into the city like they lived there. After almost forty-five minutes of wandering the city streets, following Meowth's lead, Jessie stopped, frustrated.

"Meowth! You said you knew where this party was! You better remember quick because you are the only one of us who supposedly does know!" Jessie had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot, showing her impatience.

"Calm down, Jess. It has to be somewhere around here. I heard of this party about a week ago from Mondo, but I only told you guys about it yesterday because I diddn't think we would be travelling through here, and I sorta forgot," Meowth nervouslt admitted, then quickly continued at the sound of Jessie's foot tapping the pavement faster. "Anyway, Mondo informed me that it was somewhere near the old abandoned clock tower," he paused and sheepishly looked to his two friends' expectant and impatient faces before continuing. "And that is all I know," he finished. Jessie glared at him for his unspecific information.

"Well, I can see the old clock tower a few blocks over, so we can't be too far away," James said, trying to liven up his companions. Jessie sighed again and started walking towards the tower.

After about ten more minutes of walking, they could start to hear the beat of music. They saw a very drunken and drugged man through the darkness exit a building and walk crookedly down the street, trying to call a taxi, even though there were none driving by. Only a few impoverished people lived in this part of the city, which was made up of mostly abandoned buildings and apartments. So, there were no cars or taxis driving down the streets. It would be at least three miles before a taxi could be spotted. The trio watched the man stagger off through an alley. They walked towards the beat of the music emitted from the building the man exited.

"Finally! We find the party at last!," exclaimed Jessie as she opened the door the man came out of. Raucous laughter and booming dance music met their ears. Inside, the building appeared to be an old warehouse that was set up for this party. The party was now well under way, as it was now ten-thirty.

"Ahhh....party life!," James said, letting the door close behind him.

"Bye guys, meet ya later in the morning at the 'hotel'," Meowth said before suddenly running off to his own activities., without giving Jessie or James a moment to protest or ask questions.

"Well, I guess we're on our own now," Jessie whispered in a sultry voice into James' ear, nibbling it slightly. James was a little bit surprised at her show of affection, but didn't mind.

"Oh no, what are we to do now?," James mischievously responded. He held Jessie to him and they shared a deep kiss.

"Come on, I want to order a drink." Jessie pulled James towards the bar. As they headed over to the bar, they passed a few rockets that they had seen or been acquainted with and many rockets they had never seen before in their lives. They also noticed that a crowd of Rocket girls seemed to be gathering around a table with a snobbish and drunken man talking away. They figured that this party was his. Everyone was either drinking at the bar, puking or having sex in the bathroom, or sitting at a table, but the majority of the people were dancing to the blasting music. There was actually a large amount of people and the building proved to be a lot larger than it looked.

Once they got to the bar, they screamed over the music to the bar-tender what they each wanted. They finished their drinks quickly and then went to the dance floor among many other sweaty dancing people. They danced the whole night, occasionally stopping for another drink. As the night wore on, they were slightly tipsy and were having a great time. Around midnight, they went to the bar for another drink and to catch their breath.

"Good party, huh?," James screamed so Jessie would hear him over the music. She nodded, finishing her drink. She was drunk by now and James wondered when she would start with the babbling. They had had the same amount of drinks, but James took alcohol better than Jessie did, which was why he was still only slightly buzzed. jessie smiled crookedly at James after finishing her drink.

"Jess? Are you okay? I don't think you should have any more alco-," James stopped short in an attempt to lunge forward to catch Jessie as she fell back from her bar stool. She groaned on the floor, holding her head and was somewhat dizzy. James helped her up into a standing position.

"I think we should leave now, Jess," stated James.

"But I wanna stay! I promise I won't have any more drinks," said Jessie as convincingly as she could in her slightly drunken state.

"Well.....I suppose we could just dance a while longer."

"Yay! Come on, let's dance!" They danced for about ten more minutes when they mutually decided to turn in for the night. They made their way out of the building and walked around the block to the 'temporary hotel'. Most of the Rocket members who attended the party had nowhere nearby to stay, so they decided to use the abandoned hotel building as a place to stay for the night.

"I hope there are still rooms left," said Jessie as they followed other Rockets to the hotel.

"I'm sure there will be some at the upper stories," James reassured his girlfriend. The alcohol was now wearing off of her and she would have been able to drive safely in mild traffic. Passing an alley, they caught a glimpse of a pokemon scurrying around, which reminded them of something.

"I wonder what Meowth is up to. He just ran off," said Jessie.

"He said he would meet us in the morning at the 'hotel'. Oh well, I guess he had other business to take care of," concluded James as they walked through the hotel's main doors. They searched in silence for suitable and unoccupied rooms to sleep in. On the third and final floor, they finally found an empty room. Now it was around 12:45 AM, but they were not tired yet.

The room had a small bathroom, one bedroom, a tiny kitchen, and a main room. It wasn't as trashy as they thought it would be, though, for there was still a bed, couch, and other various furniture in the rooms. The only light came from the window and a lamp in the bathroom. There was a chair by the window, which overlooked the nicer part of the city. The sky was clear and black with a humble scattering of stars and a full moon.

Jessie sat down in the chair to look at the lunar sphere. James stood behind her, watching her look at the moon. Absentmindedly, he stoked her long red hair and she closed her eyes and sighed, reveling in her love's touch. She stood then and faced him, moonlight framing her body, and she gently kissed James' lips.

"I love you, James," she simply stated.

"I love you, Jessie. I have always loved you," he responded. They joined again in a passionate kiss, letting their tongues mingle. 'God, I love her so much, it almost hurts. I've never really had anything to lose, but now......now I have my whole world to lose. That scares me, but I love her very much, and the feeling is mutual, so I won't worry about anything now. I love when she kisses me. Damnit! I need to snap out of this, she's talking to me,' James mentally hit himself for getting lost in his thoughts during their kiss.

"James, I want to go to bed now. Please come with me. You make me feel safe," Jessie repeated a second time.

"Yeah, good idea. I want to lay down also." They went to the bedroom and after making sure the bedding was clean, they laid down on the bed. Jessie snuggled up to James and laid her head on his chest and they held each other. A few minutes later, just as James was about to fall asleep, Jessie spoke softly. She was serious now and basically sober.

"The other night, James, when I woke up andbroke the glass, I had a dream." She stopped to see if he was listening and he gave a no to continue. "Well, actually it was a nightmare. But anyway, it made me worry about us. Us together and us in this job. I'm scared, James. I've never admitted or led onto it, but I have always been afraid in Team Rocket. Every time we encounter that damn electric rat, I just hope that we are all still breathing after hitting the ground after being blasted off. I hope everyday that we would just make it through , bit by bit. I worry about us and, well, I wish we were never force to join team Rocket. I wish I was never born into this. I hate it! All the guilt, humiliation, constant failure, and injury. Most of all, I hate Giovanni." She stopped and shuddered, spitting out his name. James kissed her head and held her closer. "I don't want my children to have the life I've had. I want out," she finished.

"I agree, Jess. I wish it would be easy to quit, but nobody quits and has a life afterwards. Someday, I want to get us out of here, though," said James quietly into Jessie's ear. "Jess," he continued, " I love you with all that I am, and I know we are meant to be. The thing is...I want to be with you forever. When we get out of here, I promise I will make you happy. I love you, Jess," James told her lovingly. She brought her head up to his and looked into his emerald eyes.

"I feel the same, James. I want an honest life with you, outside of all of this. I love you more than even myself, James. I don't think I admitted it to myself until the incident with the Boss. I understand you, and you understand me, James." They kissed again, this time with more emotion and hunger for each other than ever before. Eventually, they stopped to breath when they noticed the position they were in. Jessie was totally on top of James in a suggestive manner. Their eyes locked and no words needed to be spoken to express that they wanted one another. Jessie sat up, straddling James, and they undressed each other, enjoying the feel of their skin so close. They kissed again as James gently laid Jessie down on the bed underneath him.

"Jess, I know you have been hurt in the past, and I don't want you to feel pressured or hurt in any way. This is my first time, so I want it to be with someone I can trust and respect and who trusts and respects me. So, what I'm trying to ask is......are you sure you want to do this?"

"James, it is my first time also, and I want it to be with you now. I trust you, James. I'm a little scared, but I'm still willing to do this, James. I want to be close to you and I love you," Jessie reassured James.

"I love you, too." James looked over his love's naked and beautifully built body, unable to stand it any longer. He wanted her, but he didn't want to disrespect her or make their first time anything but pure and genuine. James was cut from his thoughts when Jessie spoke.

"James, I hate where we are right now," she continued quickly after noticing the confused look on James' face. "I mean, I hate this building and city and.....and our job.... Let's......let's pretend, could we? Let's pretend that we are in our own home, with a nice bed, a fireplace, and lot of windows." She paused to look deeper into James' eyes that showed nothing but love and a desire to make her vision come true someday. "And we have made it out of Team Rocket without fear of being hunted or chased all our lives. And.....and....we are happily married also," Jessie said, blushing at the thought, and glad that the only light was coming from the moonlight.

"Sounds like the perfect life to me, Jessie," James agreed. That night, under the full moon, two people became lovers while a certain feline had business of his own to attend to.

***

"Meowth, he has been found out. Giovanni will have the Elite after his life and others' lives as well for his traitorous actions," informed the man.

"I need ta get him outta dere, den!," said Meowth, planning to get a move on.

"Wait! One thing.....your friends.......I'm afraid they are in danger as well." Meowth nodded a thanks and sped off. "And good luck.....," the man said in a sad voice after Meowth had left, then drank another glass of brandy.

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I feel horrible about that! This chapter was a little longer than the others and I hoped you enjoyed it. Thanks again to Thorned Rose for helping me out and basically being my beta person. Well, please review. The next chapter will change the plot of the story completely, and I will post it asap.