Friday, March 23rd 2001

      Following a tradition that had been in place since they were fairly young, James was the first to awaken and he kept his part of the tradition by watching his best friend's sleeping form. Granted, he now did it with difficulty since his vision was almost as good as ineffective without the aid of his glasses, but he still felt more comfort out of knowing Jessie was safe. His eyes were raw from the crying he'd done last night, and he suspected that his partner would be suffering greater than he was whenever she woke, as she'd appeared distraught when he returned the night before. He was torn between two feelings; on one hand, he had loved Jessie for as long as he'd known her, and wanted nothing more than to raise his child with her, but then again she'd always had strange moods with him whenever she felt like it, and it was times like those he felt like his love was unrequited. Another dilemma in his life was learning that Tyra also bore a child, and although he wasn't altogether certain that it was his, the only other people it could have been wouldn't want to go near their victim again, so he was the only suitable father-figure it could have. He still had strong feelings for her, and even though they weren't as strong as he felt for Jessie, it seemed like he'd prefer to be with Tyra, owing to the fact that he'd loved her when Jessie had repeatedly rejected him in different forms in his mid- to late teens. To make matters even more confounding and complex for him, he needed to consider the fact that she had been hired to assassinate his fiancée by his very own parents, and a betrayal like that made it hard for him to know if she'd go behind his back in the future. He didn't have anyone to confide in regarding this situation, seeing that the only people he could call 'friends' were those he worked with, and he wasn't going to admit any more of his personal problems to Elora, as she would go ballistic if she knew the customer who he'd fought with was also contending for his heart. As for Matt, well, he was looking forward to the next time they were alone together and off-duty so he could exact his revenge. The more he thought about what Tyra said about him, the more he remembered seeing his face in the video tape that brandished one of his friends being degraded. The image in his head of it occurring was crystal clear, and since seeing it, he had been tormented by it frequently (in lieu of the fact he'd only seen it on normal speed once, he cursed his mind for remembering it with such clarity). He ran his hand over his face to wake himself up a bit more, but unfortunately his self-scanning opportunity was brought to an abrupt end when he felt Jessie twitch under his touch.

      She sat upwards slowly, struggling to recall why her eyes were so painful to open, and when she did remember, she felt depression hold her in its familiar evil grasp whilst she fought to remember what the outcome of their argument had been. Her clothes clung to her skin since she had spent a good deal of the night sweating from being fully clothed and sharing body heat under a blanket on a humid night, and she was drawn out of her desires of having a shower when she heard James asking her if she was all right. She shrugged to act as her response to his question, before harshly adding that she felt like a wreck from crying so hard, and that it was out of hurt from his comment regarding someone he didn't even know, as opposed to out of remorse for causing the inconsequential argument between them. James' body became tenser, as her comment acted as an involuntary reaction to her reminder of his cruel jibe the night before. He remained silent momentarily, trying to find a response that wouldn't sound thoughtless or vindictive since he didn't wish to further agitate her by any means, but in spite of this she found annoyance in his silence. She angrily stood up to pull her shoes on, and as she closed the top of her coat over, she felt James lightly grasp her arm and begged her not to leave. She flipped her arm back brusquely to remove his offending touch before saying that she shouldn't have spent the night with him even once after how he betrayed her, and then she stormed out to leave him more confused than before. Without thinking properly, he grabbed his keys and followed her in his bare feet, cursing every other moment as he stood on something that caused pain to shoot up his leg. His speed was greatly hindered by the facts that:

He still suffered from the time he'd had his leg jammed in a wild pokémon gin trap He was wearing his uniform from the night before, which certainly wasn't sitting right on him, and He wasn't wearing his glasses, and found it a great difficulty to run in a path that didn't contain an obstruction. (As it was, he ran into quite a number of things that made his mood even blacker)

      It was raining in torrents as he raced after her and when he finally caught up with her, his feet were almost numb with the cold. A sudden sense of déjà vu overcame him as he remembered an equally meaningless argument they'd had in the past that had resulted to him sprinting after her in a similar manner. At least this time, there were no dangers of the possibility of his pokémon being stolen and viciously torn apart by someone he'd once thought of as a friend. In spite of the fact that Jessie was wearing footwear, she was still marginally shorter than he was, but in her eyes, just because he was taller than her it didn't mean that she had to treat him higher than dirt. She glowered at him as he held her arms together against her own chest in such a manner that she was unable to move them without being in pain from his strong grip on her forearms. In utter exasperation with having no means of moving her upper limbs, she spat in his face and told him to leave her alone, but he seemed unaffected by her show of disgust, and didn't even bother removing her saliva from his face. Instead, he muttered:

      "I've had that and worse done to me Jessie, so it's not going to make me let you go. What the hell are you acting like this for?"

      "I've had enough of this, get the fucking hell off me"

      "Not until you explain why you're acting like this for no reason. You were fine last night, what's changed?"

      Something inside of Jessie snapped, and she pressed her foot down hard on top of his, which successfully caused his grip to loosen and allowed her to fiercely squeeze his throat. His phobia kicked in almost immediately, and his fist twitched as he fought his urge to hit her (his instincts not to hurt her more than he had to seemed to step into the light), but he did push her backwards to eliminate the risk of him seriously hurting her as his fears consumed his thoughts. He was stumped as to a plausible reason why she acted like she hated him without good reason, and his pain was dissolving into a simmering wave of anger, causing him to push her with more force than intended. There was a sharp smack as her back slapped against the sidewall of some building, and he repeated his demand for a reason why she was acting like she was.

      "Get away from me, now"

      "Just please tell me why you're doing this first. Why did you bother finding me a couple of nights ago if all you wanted to do was tell me you're pregnant and then leave like this?"

      "I don't know why I came near you in the first place, you're scum"

      "What have I done?"

      "You know full well what you've done, now back off"
      "Actually I don't, what's the matter?"

      "If you ever want to see me again, stay away from me. I might change my opinion of you at some point, though it's unlikely"

      "Just tell me what the fucking hell I've done Jessie, and if it's reasonable, I'll comply with your wish"

      "This is what I think of you"

      She leaned forward as though she were going to kiss him, a façade he didn't believe for one minute, and she crushed his feelings in her next actions; she pulled the engagement ring off her finger and tugged once at her chain roughly to make sure it snapped a couple of seconds later before hurtling the jewellery into the nearest drainage point in the road. The loud accompanying splash created as it fell through the grid and into the culvert echoed inside James' head for a moment or two before he grabbed her and held her tightly against the wall in a way that she was unable to move. Terror flashed across her eyes as he held her silently, and she was already regretting discarding the items, for losing a picture of her deceased friend if not for losing highly expensive jewellery that bore a colossal amount of sentimental value. His head was swamped with the potentialities which lay before him of how to vent his anger, but he amazingly managed to muster enough self-control to walk away from her without hitting her, which was the action ringing in his ears for him to do. He didn't look back once as he journeyed back to his pathetic apartment, as he knew the cocktail of confusion and betrayal would cloud his thoughts too heavily to see her again at that point in time. His feet were both cut from broken glass on the ground and numb with the cold, a combination that worked in his favour as the blood from the cuts was being produced profusely. Back on the street, Jessie kept a prolonged gaze after him as tears mingled with the heavy rain on her cheeks. She knew she shouldn't have attacked him like that, but after what she had learned the day before stung worse than where he had squeezed her shoulders. She wished she hadn't been so stupid as to pretend like everything between them was going to be fine when he returned from work, because in spite of loving him, she found it difficult to admit she could stay with the man who had…it was enough to make her shudder even thinking about it. She decided to ignore the fact the street was crowded and that people were staring at her as she knelt at the drain to see if she could see her jewellery, but alas her search came to no avail as the flooding water had carried it down the system. She was soaking as she wandered into her cold, unattractive apartment, but it was only when she began to take off her soaking clothes whilst running the hot tap for her shower that she heard a noise behind her, indicating she wasn't alone. She fastened her jeans and held her t-shirt against her chest to conceal the fact she wore only her bra on her upper half before turning around to examine who was in the flat with her. She gasped in fear when she saw who it was; it was the employer of the man James had seen her with, and he didn't look entirely pleased with her.

      "Why are you here bitch?"

      "I can ask you the very same question"

      He backhanded her sharply for her insolent answer, and as she waited for the right excuses to fill her head, he said through gritted teeth:

      "You know that you were hired to be with that piece of trash, so why are you here, alone?"

      "He's uh…working"

      He hit her even harder, and she crouched on the floor to protect her stomach, and her depression created by the situation sparked another wave of tears down her face.

      "He's finished working there for this week, you know that as well as I do. Now why the hell are you here?"

      "I f-f-failed. I c-can't do this t-to him, even if h-h-he…"

      "You're paid for a reason, don't forget that. And don't forget who pays for this flat. You have nothing whore, understand?"

      "I'm n-n-not--"

      "If I say you are, then you are. Now take it and be damn grateful, whore"

      He grabbed her by her wet hair and manipulated her more into his direction via a painful method before forcing her into fellatio, and to ensure she didn't act up, he stood on her right wrist for the duration of it. When he was done with her, he lifted her up by her throat without any difficulty and thoroughly enjoyed the sight of her struggling for air before throwing her back into the shower where her back slammed against a wall for the second time that morning. Her head felt funny to her as she was close to passing out from cracking it against the wall, but the only thing that kept her awake was the threat of what could happen to her baby—as well as her body—when she wasn't conscious to protect them. The scalding water pouring onto her head felt unbearable to the pain that was already in her system, and although her ears were ringing in agony, she managed to hear the sound of her employer saying 'trust me, you'd better not fuck this up again bitch, unless you'd like an abortion with infected knives and no anaesthetic?' moments after his lips had stopped moving. She only struggled to move after he had slammed the door (it only came out like a whisper to her ears) and when she was kneeling in a state of worrying instability, she vomited into the toilet to remove the bitter taste her sexual abuser had demanded she swallowed. She felt pathetic even though she'd been in worse situations throughout her life, and usually when she didn't even feel remotely this low, she had her locket to open, and she was able to see the pictures of her friends to lighten her mood. Now she didn't even have that, or her ring to kiss when she needed assistance, she felt like that dirt was respected than she ever would be, and after the way she had irrationally walked away from James, she felt like she was dried up, tied and dead to the world. She shivered erratically as she hugged her knees, a side effect from both the rain and the misery she felt within, and she shallowly acknowledged that all she wanted right now was the familiar warm embrace from the man she loved with all her heart. But he'd never forgive her if she were successful in her mission, as there would never be the option of forgiving herself for even contemplating completing it. The only choices she had were to either complete it and die alone, or to fail and kill her child as a direct result, and that was only one of the certainties that would befall her fate.

      Tyra caught sight of her reflection as she walked past a shop window on her way to the nearest pokémon centre, and she looked as wretched as she felt in the atrocious weather. She wasn't as depressed as she usually would be when she set out to steal pokémon for Giovanni like she was now, owing to the fact she had been in James' arms and treated like a human for a while when she had visited him in the tavern, but she still wasn't keen on the notion of making herself a living through theft. She knew the routine that she was about to go through like the back of her hand, and as the rain poured down even harder, she increased her walking speed and even changed her route to the one where she'd cross the city in the forest, where she'd have the shelter provided by the tall trees to cut down the time she'd be out against the elements. She was nearly there when she caught sight of something glittering at the edge of the riverbed, and in spite of the dreadful weather, her curiosity overcame her and she went over to clear water to investigate what had caught her attention. Tangled in the midst of a thicket reeds was a long chain bearing a locket, and she recognised it instantly; weeks of following James like a stalker provided her with knowing everything he purchased like the back of her hand. She crouched down as she fished it out to avoid kneeling in the immersed grass, and regardless of the fact the normally clear slow moving river was rippling inconsistently from the rain, she detected a far less conspicuous item submerged by the patch of reeds. Tyra was perplexed by her discovery; there was not one doubt in her head that they belonged to Jessie, even before she read the inscription to verify her suspicions, but why would they be here, most certainly not on her body? The chain was broken and not undone, so was there a chance that foul play had occurred with its removal, and if that was the case did James have anything to do with it? She decided that she couldn't afford to be later for her mission than she already was, and pocketed the jewellery to return to their owner/buyer later, if she saw either of them in a good mood. She sprinted the rest of the way to the pokémon centre to avoid the wrath of the swollen raindrops dripping from the high branches of the mighty trees contained in Viridian Forest.

      Team Rocket Specialist Laboratory, Segregation Unit…

      Cassidy was huddled on the ground and she shook in terror; she had her back against the cold wall in the cell that was illuminated only with artificial lighting, mentally screaming out questions to which she desperately needed to know the answers whilst simultaneously knowing that to scream them would agitate the enraged subject further. He was armed with quite an array of weapons to attack her with, the least fear-provoking being the clearly labelled syringes filled with a vast number of poisons, and she was the only one in the room to face his unsheathed venomous attitude. He'd somehow managed to dismantle the shackles that held him in place, and the countless injections she had put into his system over the last two months had finally taken full, uninhibited effect, and to put it simply, she had created a monster from evidently supplying him with too much of the serum after he had woken up. If she had fled to the other end of the laboratory, she would have at least been able to hit the panic button for assistance, and since this was the segregation unit, the walls were soundproof and there was no break in that security measure at any point. In a brief summary of her circumstances, she was utterly defenceless against her attacker—she didn't even have her stiletto with her that she normally wore along the inside of the lining of her right boot. The lighting was killed as he smashed the switchbox, which made the atmosphere more haunting to the sobbing woman, knowing that the serum enhanced his eyesight, making him able to see as well in dark as he could in light. She clutched her metal-backed file against her chest in case he launched an attack (this way her heart and most of her vital organs were protected) and made a mental prayer that she'd make it out alive. She screamed for all she was worth in the darkness as she felt a sharp slice across her face, and when the file clattered to the ground he attacked her viciously, splattering her notes with her own warm crimson blood, and she felt she was in total agony as he hacked her to shreds…

      Anthony glanced at his watch out of boredom, deciding how best ask the secretary, Lindsey, out without certain rejection; these uneventful hours of being a security guard was one of the most tedious jobs he'd ever attempted, and if anything did happen he never found out what it was. Today was no exception to that regime, but suddenly his senses became far more alert and he couldn't figure out what had triggered that reaction. Perhaps he'd heard the distant cry of a pokémon or human being tortured and it registered as unnatural in his brain. He was working in a corridor beneath the headquarters today, and was carrying out his shift outside the most prestigious laboratory. He'd worked there before, but today, something felt not quite right…it was as if he felt like the quiet floor was evil for want of a better term, and it made him feel slightly uneasy. He couldn't place the song, but the lyrics 'there's demons in my head and it's more than I can take' zoomed into his head whenever he heard the slightest noise, even if it was only something trivial like a guard shifting their weight, and he felt completely on edge. Inquisitiveness became his prime emotion when the other guards headed up to the main building to change shifts, and once he could guarantee he was alone, Anthony opened the door to the farthest laboratory to see what the secret experiment was, and he initially thought it was empty due to the darkness until he realised he couldn't recall Cassidy leaving it. He pressed the button on his flashlight to make it easier to see the room, and he saw nothing spectacular as he examined the oblong room. He felt perspiration beading along the back of his neck and he squirmed in discomfort as it dripped down his neck, and he felt like he was in a realistic horror movie as his heartbeat was quickening over nothing, but then again he'd never been one to have nerves of steel. He dropped his flashlight in shock as he uncovered the experiment crouching in a stance that made him look like he wanted to pounce at him; his dilated eyes looked feral and blood stained his naked skin, making Anthony believe that his idea of evil had materialised before him. Anthony took a few steps backwards as the experiment took the flashlight in his possession and illuminated the notion that all he'd have to do was move slightly and Cassidy's jugular would be severed. Her eyes pleaded silently with Anthony as she had barely any life left in her tattered body, and she could see most of her lustrous blood clotting on her chest and felt petrified by the sight of it, and if she didn't know that one sound meant instant death, she would have panicked and her hysterics would undoubtedly lead to the loss of her life. The less than happy subject hissed out one word that was a demand in itself:

      "Giovanni"

      Anthony nodded and told him that he'd guide him safely to the person behind the experiment, but only if he'd assist Cassidy out concurrently, and Anthony was surprised when the request was allowed immediately. He sheathed his weapon as Anthony rolled up his sleeves to pick Cassidy up and cradled her in his arms as he stumbled out of the laboratory; in spite of the experiment's frustration and seething rage, he didn't want to have to kill the blonde scientist. Anthony made sure to regulate the speed they walked at in case they elicited the fearsome portcullis, and he could feel his arms shaking as Cassidy grew startlingly heavier.

      At the reception desk, Lindsey amused herself by reading the personal failures of each team member by hacking into the database held within the mother computer from her own, and when she reached James' account, she noticed a particularly vicious account of how pathetic he was in Giovanni's eyes. Jessie's disturbed her even more when she reached it; the information in it contrasted greatly with her partner's, and her application photograph had been swapped to one of the ones Chopper had taken the previous September and submitted to Giovanni. Another account that caught her attention was Anthony's, not only because of his striking features that she could sit and watch all day (she frequently did on quiet days when he worked on the main floor) but also because of the interesting observations on his performance. She copied his photograph into a file on the computer she was doing the hacking from before sending it to her e-mail address whilst she had the opportunity. She was deciding whether or not she was brave enough to read the notes on her own performance when she saw a request for her to open the iron gate flashed up on the computer. She hit enter to confirm the application and the door swung open in front of the three beings from the segregation unit, and the secretary froze in her spot whilst visibly blanching, left speechless upon seeing the horrific image before her that would forever be painted on her memories. With the weapon unsheathed and pointed at the terrified female, Lindsey was left with no choice but to accompany the trio to Giovanni's office and to tell the guards that the situation was perfectly under control. She rested her hand on a section of the wall outside the daunting room that made a miniscule camera focus on their location, and she knew that she could safely do this without fear of being spotted—only Giovanni and herself knew of its existence. She then knocked to pretend to alert Giovanni that he had visitors, even though the room was almost soundproof. She had complained that she couldn't concentrate on her work when she could hear him torturing/raping (depending on the gender) his less successful employees, and he later decided that he didn't like her knowing more than she needed and complied with her request. She was, after all, a disgraced member, and the only reason he still hired her was for her almost unnatural proficiency in computing as well as her unequalled memory and quick-thinking abilities, which often came in use in sticky moments when the police force bothered him at the Gym. As the mechanisms controlling the door's locks eased open, Anthony bit his lip in worry as he entered the room, only this time it wasn't him being afraid of Giovanni's commentary on his performance. Cassidy was unconscious and unbearably heavy, and what was worse his hands were slipping on their hold; her blood had covered most of his body and destroyed his uniform, but most importantly was it was acting as a lubricant and he knew that if he dropped her, it would create too much of a shock to her system. Giovanni genuinely looked afraid when he saw the state of his favourite scientist's torso torn in ribbons, but it actually was out of fear for her life and not his own. The evil experiment turned to the teenagers and ordered they took Cassidy to the hospital wing as soon as possible, and to guarantee that he would be left alone with Giovanni until they had finished, that any disturbances would result in unnecessary loss of life, and he viciously swore that it would not be his own that'd be at risk.

      To ensure that the locks were all opened before he got there, Lindsey raced ahead of Anthony who was struggling with transporting Cassidy in a safe yet speedy manner as she was becoming stiff and like ice to the touch, and he'd readily admit that he was afraid of holding a corpse since death was what he feared the most out of life. When at last he reached the emergency room deep within the heart of the building, Lindsey was already calling up Cassidy's account for the nurses, using her technical skills to complete the process in almost half the time. In spite of the overwrought matter at hand, she allowed herself to release some of her inner tension through brief mirth when Anthony cried out as he got a miniature waxing session; he handed Cassidy over to the professionals—the blood that had been clotting on both of his exposed forearms had stuck to the back of Cassidy's white (well, crimson) coat and when she had been taken out of his possession it took the blood with it. He flushed when he heard her laughing at him, but it didn't take him long to realise that she was neither doing it deliberately nor was it created out of malice. She went over to him (he had moved to a quieter corner after suffering the humiliation of having people hear him scream like a little wussy boy) to examine his arms, and where blood no longer remained on his skin, it was mainly lacking in hair or had blood clinging to the pitiful few that remained. He was glad that his face had been red before she had approached him, as his cheeks would have certainly attained that hue from her proximity as she touched his arm. He watched her face as she studied the drying blood on his shirt, and he was caught completely off his guard when she began unbuttoning his shirt. Although her exterior was relatively tranquil, inside she was cheering with delight of the thought of her seeing his toned muscles, and when he asked her why she was doing it, she said that it was better he changed his shirt before he got the hair torn off in other places. As they headed towards the cupboard containing spare uniforms for every member of the organisation, he decided to pluck up his courage and finally asked her:

      "Doyoufancydoingsomethingtonight?"

                                                                          **

      Tyra felt exhausted as she finally entered Team Rocket Headquarters; it was apparent that the police force had seen the same formula applied in other robberies in pokémon centres; nevertheless she had successfully exited the building with each creature she had stolen. The only difficulty she had encountered was making her getaway without losing any of them, as she didn't want to give her superior a reason to take his anger out on her. She waited at the reception for clearance to go towards Giovanni's office, yet she felt more uncomfortable than usual as she sensed a higher rate of fear in the air than what it should be. Tyra felt irritated that she had to wait, so whilst the reception was unoccupied, she leaned over the desk to send the request for admittance directly herself, and she marched forward without any problems when it was granted. The sight that greeted her eyes as she entered the room filled her heart with dread; it had been one thing to see him in the laboratory, but to see him in natural light was eerie. His Prussian blue eyes glinted as the rays of light cascaded over him, and he might appear angelic if it wasn't for the purely twisted look of evil throughout his features. He curled his lip and spat out a greeting to her, still half-disgusted that almost all of his skin was so sorely visible, and Giovanni's evil voice cut through the tough shell she had spent twenty minutes building up like it was nothing.

      "It was most unfair for me to assign you with Butch, it would be better all around if you worked with someone you know a little better. Meet your new partner"

      "No…"

      "Listen to me, you ineffectual effluent, I haven't forgotten about yesterday's stunt, so I'd abide by your orders if you know what's good for you. I don't know how you got out after activating the portcullis, but I'm willing to let it go since you completed your mission successfully today"

      "Yes sir"

      "As you can tell, the one I gave you two days ago is no longer applicable, as we won't need the medication for your partner therefore you don't need to raid the sanctuary in Jojoba town. Here is your new mission, and I believe you won't protest about this mission as much as you usually do Tyra"

      The way he said her name etched a hole in her soul—she knew that he wasn't speaking truthfully, and her very spine seemed to quake as he paused to tell her the new mission. In fact, she was greatly surprised when she learned what the mission was; it was so simplistic and it was something that she didn't object to at all, yet she knew that if she completed it she would consider herself a traitor. What was worse was that she was presented with three identical miniscule devices that acted acutely as both a tracker and a transmitter, so that Giovanni could hear every word of her mission as it unfolded, and her location if she didn't even attempt to start it. The reason she was given three was so she could have them in three different areas of her body in case there was a problem with one. A fact about the devices that wasn't disclosed was this: if she attempted to remove them from their locations after they'd been activated without permission, they'd explode whenever they were set against a different surface without providing even the slightest warning. Much to her disgust and horror, she was ordered to allow him to position them on her, and when she used the presence of her 'partner' as an excuse for him to let her do it herself in privacy, she heard a snicker from her so-called partner, who said:
      "Like seeing you would excite me"

      With trembling fingers, she undid the fastenings on her soaking coat and took it off before she sat on Giovanni's desk as asked, feeling low and vulnerable whilst he busied himself attaching one on the inside of her boot, and the feel of a man's hand at the top of her thigh made her feel sick. She was further nauseated when he demanded her to remove her uniform, and when she stuttered out that she didn't feel it necessary, he retorted that it didn't seem likely she'd wear something that revealed her work in this mission, and unfortunately, she was inclined to agree with him on this occasion. She could barely pull off her gloves due to the rate her fingers were shaking at, but there was a noticeably increase in her speed when he ran his hand further up her leg, and she nearly cried out when he touched her, but she knew that any show of discomfort was a sure-fire way of inviting him to do as he pleased. Then again he seemed to be doing anyway. He knew that she was deathly afraid of him from her past experiences, and that made this all the more gratifying for him. He didn't need her to remove her uniform at all for where he intended putting the other two devices, this was his idea of making her suffer for escaping his trap so easily the day before. When she sat in only her boots and underwear, trying to conceal as much of her body as possible with her hands, Giovanni decided on a final cruel trick to put her through. He leaned forward and lifted her up by her rear before tossing her on the floor, saying maliciously:

      "Go buy something sexier. You'll hardly succeed if you think they're sexy"

      "But…what's it matter? I-I-I don't want to look good, y-you know why"

      "So? You're meant to look like a siren, not like something found in the garbage bag"

      "I-I d-d-don't even have any m-money with m-me"

      "Here's fifty, just make sure you buy something that would make someone want to go near you, and if what you buy doesn't agree with me, you'll learn how to buy better, understood?"

      "Y-yes s-s-sir"

      She picked up the note he threw at her and went to pick up her uniform as she crouched, since it hid more of her body even if her wet hair stuck to her back, and she felt like a fistful of ice shot right through her system when he stood on it, and he tossed her coat at her, telling her that it was all she was allowed. As she put it on and ran out of the door whilst fastening the buttons, he called out:

      "Don't forget we're tracing you if you don't feel like coming back"

      As she sprinted in the rain, she silently wept since she knew it was being recorded and didn't want to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry, and in the office, her partner sat on the windowsill and said:

      "I thought what she had on was sexy"

      "So did I, but if I told her that it would spoil the fun I'm about to get when she comes back"

      James sat in the waiting room, nervous and anticipating what was going to happen at the same time. Of all the days for him to get dumped like he had, he would have preferred it to be any but this, the day he needed to have someone with him as he went to get blood tests taken to verify whether or not he had contracted anything from Deryck six months ago. Anxiety soared in his system whenever he saw a doctor leave his surgery, or when the door opened with someone that needed assistance far greater than he did; he pitied the other people, yet at the same time he just wanted to get it done so he could leave. He recognised a few people from working in the pub, but he wasn't familiar enough with them to put a surname on any of them, even though he was able to name a few of the young women's numbers from being given them so often. When he was finally called into surgery, his slight anxiety was replaced with total trepidation; sitting like this was too familiar to him, and the doctor's face frightened him even more. His face was hideously scarred from an accident when he was younger, and there was a tattoo of a small 'x' underneath his right ear—there was no mistaking it, it was definitely the same person James knew and he feared what was about to be said. The doctor picked up James' arm and roughly pushed his sleeve up to expose a vein to stick the syringe in, and he complained about there being a discoloured patch on his elbow, undoubtedly from years of drug abuse. James mentally squirmed as he said that, as he wondered why more about his past hadn't been said, since he had been one of his fellow dealers when Chopper had gone off to care for Carlotta. Although he didn't mind needles in the slightest, it was still frightening to see an ex-junkie like himself putting a needle into his arm, even if he was subtracting from instead of adding to his blood stream. When the required amount was taken, the doctor stuck a plaster on his arm and told him that the results would be mailed out to him over the next few days, depending on how quickly they were analysed, and just as James was about to leave the surgery, the doctor added:
      "No, in case there's any doubt in your mind, I haven't forgotten our history. I'm not going to tell du Paor you're back in town if that's what's worrying you, or at least I'm assuming you haven't become afraid of needles recently. Not likely after all the stuff you used to pollute yourself with"

      "My past died when I nearly did in the alley"

      "As did mine when I was accepted into a medicine school. The past can ruin our futures, so I won't mention it to anyone, I suggest you do the same. I'd lose my career if even a fraction of it was discovered"

      "Thank you, as always I'll follow your wishes. You've saved my skin many times in the past, so I still feel partially in your debt"

      "Just stay alive, okay?"

      "I have no intentions of leaving this world yet"

      As James walked the long way back to his apartment, he noticed the sky was brightening up a bit, even though it was still heavily clouded the rain had finally ceased. He wasn't paying attention to anything in particular since he knew the route like the back of his hand, and he apologised sincerely when he walked into someone. He looked surprised to see a very weather-beaten looking Tyra, and she seemed to perk up when she saw him and greeted him warmly. The concoction created by dark emotions in James' head made him act in a way he wouldn't have imagined the day before; he leaned forward and kissed her gently. She suddenly became very aware that he might recognise her boots as part of a Team Rocket uniform, and moved closer to him to hide them from his sight. She knew that she was supposed to return to Giovanni because of the tracker, but the feeling of James' embrace around her with his lips covering hers was just too tempting for her to leave. He noticed her shivering against his skin and saw that her jacket was far wetter than his was, so he began to take his off as he offered it to her. She smiled shyly and politely declined the offer, saying that she couldn't do it, hoping that she wouldn't have to explain why, but of course, he was too nice to her and insisted that she should take it. She didn't find his touch even the slightest bit revolting as he carefully undid her coat, to be honest she found the slight brushing of his fingers against her bare skin quite arousing, and it was only when he had the coat nearly a third of the way unbuttoned that he asked her if she was wearing anything underneath as he had yet to discover material. She cautiously checked that nobody was close to them before moving the coat slightly away from her body to show him what she had on (she smiled to herself when she realised from his reaction that at least one person found her sexually attractive) and he whispered into her ear:

      "Why must you make me want you?"

      "Because if you don't, I don't know anyone that would"

      "You're beautiful, every man who's straight would want you"

      "They use me once then toss me away"

      "It was different when I did it"

      "Maybe, but it still hurt to think I had a future with you, then you hurt me the next day"

      "I loved you the next day, until you had Jessie at gunpoint"

      "I take it things aren't going so well between you?"

      "What gave you that idea?"

      "Look at how you're holding me in public; you wouldn't do that if you felt you had a true chance with her, and I found these this morning"

      He took the jewellery from her hand and shoved them in his pocket, trying to banish them from his thoughts for the moment, and without saying a word, he pulled her into another passion-hungry kiss. Tyra suddenly panicked that she was keeping Giovanni waiting, and she couldn't lie to him if she was bugged as he'd have evidence against her, so she broke away from him and said that she needed to get back to her apartment, and that she'd only popped out for a couple of necessities. He instantly knew it was a lie but he didn't press it in case the reason she was in her underwear had to do with another man, even though it wasn't likely after her past. She promised she'd go into the pub later that night and, as they'd previously arranged, she wouldn't approach him if he was near Jessie, and after she'd left, he felt hollow; he wanted two women yet couldn't fully love either from their actions. He fixed his jacket and continued the lonely walk back to his sanctuary, wondering what he should do if he saw Jessie again, and whether or not to give her the jewellery back. Tyra, on the other hand, almost floated back to the most daunting building in the entire city after her brief liaison with James, and their kisses had given her enough courage to face Giovanni with almost anything he could throw at her. It was just as well, because when she showed him what she'd bought, he grunted out:

      "Good, you do have style. Now put them on"

      After the embarrassing procedure of being naked in front of both her employer and partner, she stood in front of Giovanni and let him append the tiny devices to the flimsy material, she was shocked at how the small aerials flipped themselves backwards and fused together, and although she had watched it happening (mainly to ensure he didn't expose her if it wasn't necessary), she could barely see where the device was, never mind the fact she couldn't feel it. After he had affixed the third and final device, he told her that the one on her boot hadn't been activated yet, since it was highly unlikely that she'd wear them except for work, so she was to connect it herself as soon as possible. As she left the office in her uniform again, a great load lifted off her shoulders when she considered the fact her liaison with James hadn't been recorded, and that she'd probably see him again that night. She just felt guilty about lying to him the night before, even though it hadn't been too much of a lie, and she swore to herself that she'd tell him the truth before he found out himself.

      James was incredibly bored as he worked on his night shift, as Jessie failed to turn up and since it was so busy, he couldn't take a minute off to see if she was in the vicinity. Matt had wisely permanently exchanged all of his shifts with a different barman to avoid working at the same time as James, as he could tell from the night before that his life would be in danger if they were left alone. The only thing about Matt was that if he had been the one to rape Jessibelle, it meant that he had links with du Paor, and that was one person whose path James had no desire to ever cross again in his lifetime. Elora seemed to be working him harder than usual, and he assumed it was due to his disappearance from work on two different occasions that week, even if he'd promised to work on his next night off. She certainly seemed displeased—no, upset described her better—when Tyra turned up in the last ten minutes of opening hours, seeking James when he was finished his shift. Tyra looked nothing short of stunning to him as she'd really made an effort to look good, and her pulse was racing as he came over to her to kiss her lightly on her lips when Elora went to answer a phone call. He mouthed a quick apology before he went around collecting used glasses from empty tables, and as always, he smiled when he reached the booth he'd spent with Jessie the night they were drunk (he still didn't know he'd been drugged). When the pub was finally declared closed, he declined the offer for them to have an after-hours drink with the other workers as he'd much rather to spend some time alone with her.

      It was bitterly cold as they left the warm pub together, and they walked around the city for a while and avoided the areas where James knew never to go near if they wanted to remain unscathed. They found great comfort in each others company as they talked as if the past twelve months hadn't existed, and when it began to pour rain again, they headed into Viridian Forest to have some shelter since they were nowhere near James' apartment, and he wouldn't have felt comfortable asking to stay at hers for a while. He made another move on her, but this time his actions were obviously more heated even though he didn't touch any of her more intimate areas. She melted under his touch and trembled slightly as she ran her hands over his body, both out of nervousness as well as the thrill it was leaving her with as she did it. It was only after she moved his hands to her advantage that she remembered about the trackers, but she was so content with the situation that it wasn't a great worry to her at that point. It was only when she shivered slightly that he saw that her clothing was a tad distorted, and he cheekily said:

      "You must really like torturing me, because I know for a fact that's not what you had on earlier"

      "How do you know?"

      "Do you honestly expect me to forget an image like that? That's what kept me going all evening in that blasted pub"

      "Yeah right"

      "I'm honest, I love you and your body's just so…"

      "Did you just say you loved me?"

      "Yeah"

      "Are you serious? What about J…"

      "If the next word you're about to say is Jessie, then don't. I'm not sure if even our friendship is salvageable. She cut me up pretty badly since…well, you know when. If you want me to take it back I won't, but you can pretend I didn't say it if you want"

      "Why would I take away the best thing I've heard all year? You know how I've always felt about you"

      "I know. I still hate myself for hurting you so badly"

      "You didn't hurt me too much, I knew the rules when we got together, but to have you near me is more than I could hope for after what we put you through"

      "We could be closer, but I can wait"

      "Actually, I think I'll choose to ignore that last part"

      "Cheeky…"

      "What were you about to call me?"

      "Yet incredibly sexy woman"

      "Yeah right"

      "It was, to tell the truth. You're really attractive"

      "Doubt it. You're just trying to get me in bed"

      "I said I'd wait didn't I? Try to accept a compliment once in a while, I indisputably like the way you look"

      "Do you want to come back to mine?"

      "Are you certain it's what you want? I don't have anything with me"

      "Positive, and we can buy some. Or at least you can, you made a fortune in tips tonight"

      "That's nothing to what I sometimes get, believe it or not. And I don't even talk to the customers!"

      After sex and before Tyra fell asleep, James admitted to her that he hadn't slept with anyone else since their fling, and this made her feel even more ecstatic that it was something else they'd had in common. As she began to feel drowsy, she asked James to turn off the bedside light, as she'd much rather learn to remember lying in his arms in the dark than being raped. She made herself stay awake until she noticed a change in his breathing that indicating he'd fallen asleep before quietly saying 'mission accomplished' in the direction of where her underwear lay on the ground. She snuggled closer to James as she fell asleep, knowing that in the morning, things would probably be colossally different for them both, and not necessarily in a good sense. Sleep came easily to her due to the circumstances, but at the back of a mind, a thought niggled at her, and it was saying 'can I ever have sex without someone recording us?'