Dark Pasts, Hopeful Futures

by Thorned Rose

Consequences of actions must be faced and acknowledged in this extremely dark Rocketshippy sequel to A Diary Of Two Hearts. Six months apart can harden the gentlest of hearts, so how do they cope with the harrowing challenges they face?

13. 1st April, 2001

                                                 Sunday, April 1st 2001

      The first thing that crossed James' mind when he woke up was he wasn't holding Jessie, which made him wonder why she wasn't in his arms and worried for her safety. He nearly dislocated his arms as he sat upwards, and the reason why he wasn't holding her became shamefully clear; he was handcuffed to the bed. He thought about the night before and couldn't recall a thing, which scared him as he usually had a perfect memory and he didn't remember seeing the item at all, so he assumed she'd bought it. Then it struck him that he couldn't remember a thing about what must have been their wedding night, making him frantic at the thought of it. Had someone invaded the room and kidnapped Jessie? He tried to focus in on the area around him but the colours were wrong and he wanted to vomit, feeling unbearably dizzy as his body threw a battle against the remainder of the acid. The colours swirled in front of him so he shut his eyes to try clear his thoughts. When he opened them again, the blur was less nauseating and he realised he was wearing his glasses, and he heard a sound he couldn't decipher. He grunted in his confusion and heard the sound again, only this time it was tenfold clearer.

      "So I see you're awake now is what I said, and it appears your hearing's not what it could be. Pity about you"

      "Huh? Jessie? What's wrong?"

      "Not so talkative today are you? That's a shame, because you were opening your heart last night, you let me know a few home truths that you've hidden from me all this time. I know we weren't meant to start a marriage hiding things from each other, so why did you?"

      "I…I honestly don't know what I said Jess, I can't recall a thing. I'm sorry if I hurt you with anything, it wasn't intentional let me assure you"

      "Let's just omit your drugs habit as an answer to this question okay? What have you hidden from me?"

      "Oh gods what did I say? I honestly can't think of what it was honey, maybe it wasn't true?"

      "Tell me right now what you know about my mother. Don't say whatever I've told you either, because you knew what she looked like when I didn't show you a picture of her, ever. I don't even have one of her myself"

      "Jessie I'm so sorry, I really don't know what made me tell you. It's true; I've known what happened for a couple of years but I couldn't hurt you by telling you. Forgive me, please. I didn't want to make you feel all that pain again"

      "So you wanted me to live my life hoping for her to return, like I have done up until you decided to throw everything at me on what was supposed to be our honeymoon?"

      "Did I tell you all this freely or did we have an argument? I really can't remember a thing, please don't cry Jess"

      "It doesn't matter, it just hurts to think that I've married a man I don't even know"

      "That's not true; there's hardly anything else I haven't told you, and I'm quite sure there's stuff you haven't told me"

      "Tell me about any exes you have which you did more than kiss"

      "I thought I'd made it clear that I've only slept with you and…her"

      "Don't mention that whore unless you want an annulment, and trust me I nearly applied for one last night. I didn't ask the ones you fucked; I asked for the ones you did more than kiss"

      "Do you mean men or women?"
      "You HAVE swung both ways?"

      "It wasn't something I'm overly proud of Jess, but when you've got no money, you've failed in work but you can't die because the woman you love is studying to become a nurse in another city. When you're faced with such conditions, and you're that woman's closest thing to family; if that meant whoring myself for other people's sexual gain just to make certain I'd make it out alive see her again, so be it. I hated every minute of it, but it was all worthwhile when I saw you, especially since I was clean"

      "Touching as you tried to make that sound James, I wasn't including that part of your past when I posed the question, as I'd stated prior to asking it. Can you think of anyone, or indeed anything I should know about?"

      "I've been engaged before, twice, and chickened out of both weddings. Both because I love you and not them, but the second time I was a bastard about it and left her without warning. Not surprisingly, she tried to beat me up the next time we were talking to each other, which was almost a year and a half ago. Could you please remove the handcuffs Jess? My arms are killing me"

      "No, you're staying there until I've got all I want from you. Who was it the second time, do I know her?"

      "I honestly don't think you'd remember her, you've seen her twice and we weren't talking to her. I deliberately didn't go over to her when you were near; my cowardice came through in all its shameful glory once again"

      "Did you love her?"

      "At the time yes I was in love with her, very much so. I couldn't settle with her though, no when I knew my heart truly belonged to you. I swear you can't imagine how I'm feeling regarding to ruining our first twenty-four hours as a married couple, especially when it's what we've wanted for years. I've always followed a policy where I never wanted to hurt you, but now it seems I can't follow what I believe in anymore"

      "I told you to cut the sentimental crap James, I'm still very much pissed off at you and it will take a hell of a lot more than a few moments of sweet talking to get me to stay married to you after last night. I'm horrified I know so little about you, and if we were going to get married today and I knew what you said, I don't know if I'd have done it"

      "You want me to pour my heart out? That's what I'm trying to do, and a lot of my heart is devoted to you. It is how I truly feel and not 'sentimental crap', as you so wonderfully put it"

      "Lose that tone if you want to know what our daughter's going to look like"

      "It's frustrating because the fresh start we promised each other involved not bringing up the past, but that's all you're doing now and it makes me very uncomfortable thinking about it. Did I tell you I got left for dead for not giving some drugs to kids? It was damn hard to resuscitate me from the damage inflicted that night, take a close look at my body if you need proof. My eyes aren't good enough now, but I could see them clearly even after they faded. I felt fear each day, wondering when you'd dress a little too close to me and see them, when you'd find out what lowlife scum I really am"

      "I think you're scum at the moment for two reasons more than any other right now. One's my mother. The other, as far as I'm aware, does not involve drugs but is illegal and you haven't told me anything about it other than the disturbingly graphic yet somehow vague details you gave me last night"

      "You've lost me. I've never killed anyone and I should hope by now you knew I've been a thief, having been my partner for long enough where pilfering was our profession"

      "It doesn't involve theft, unless you stole her virginity"

      "Two women, all times were consensual so why are you making suggestive comments about me being a rapist? I've never made you do anything you didn't want to before have I? My conscience couldn't handle it if that's the case"

      "You haven't, though I now know the reason why you rarely let me do anything other than make love to you"

      "Because I worked with whores Jessie, I'd hear them crying when they'd earned money for degrading themselves for men's pleasure. I didn't want you to feel the same and that's the total truth. I'd feel even worse because you're sheltering our baby, and because of what you did in our time apart"

      "It's true I hated doing it to strangers and people I worked for, especially when I despise them as much as I do. But the real reason you don't want me to do it is because I'm not good enough at it for your liking"

      "What are you on about? I consider you highly skilled and have never complained have I?

      "No, but you've had better"

      "Don't be ridiculous, what gave you that idea? If you're trying to get me to confess to whether or not ex-girlfriends have given me sexual favours, I'll make no secret of it. I've given them too"

      "Yes, now we're finally getting somewhere. Who taught you everything you know? Who made pleasing women not seem like an unbearable chore? Who was it you suggested I seek for assistance on performing better, and how I should get bigger breasts to look more like her?"

      She knew the disturbing comment regarding what he did with a certain family member was true instantly from the way colour vanished from his face; he obviously knew what was being implied and was too guilty to even attempt denying it. It made her want to retch at the thought of it—she was glad she'd never laid eyes on her, otherwise perverted mental images would infiltrate her mind of thee two of them at it, even if him losing his virginity to her was still valid. She choked back heavier sobs which broke his heart to listen to, and she either chose not to hear him trying to comfort her, or she was genuinely too caught up in her misery to acknowledge anything else.

      "Jess, I'm sorry for whatever things I said last night. I'm sorry you had to see me like such a jerk, and I'd take it back if it could help things, but it can't so I won't pretend like everything I said never happened. They did. I don't see why I suggested you try to look more like her; I prefer how you look, even now when you look like you've eaten a mountain. I love you and you alone, and if you ever changed your physical appearance to please me, it would be the day I leave you. You can look whatever way you want, just as long as you're happy with it, not sacrificing your feelings for someone else's"

      "You still said it James, what's in a man sober comes out when he's drunk"

      "Jessie I don't feel like I'm suffering from a hangover, and I should have from the amount I must have drunk to not be capable of remembering what went on last night"

      She stayed silent for a minute, trying her hardest to believe her husband but still felt disgusted at the truth. She couldn't decide whether he really meant what he said, or if he was just covering his tracks to try and smooth talk her into accepting him back. She wanted to say that she'd suspected strongly his drink had contained more than just alcohol but then she'd have to explain why she didn't mention anything sooner, and have the tables turned. She knew he was trying to be open with her without hurting her feelings, but to what extent would he reveal with that risk of making her feel unhappy?

      "I was with her when I went cold turkey from drugs, she was there to make sure I didn't go back or try anything crazy when I couldn't take something to make me feel better. I couldn't love her in the standard sense of the word, she was a blood relation after all, but I'm glad she didn't tell my parents where I was or throw me out when I needed help. I don't know if I'd still be alive if I hadn't had someone to turn to"

      "It's my turn to be honest with you; I don't think you were drunk last night when you said all those things"

      "But I told you I can't remember a thing"

      "I think you were high"

      "How can you accuse me of taking drugs on our wedding day? I've been clean since I was sixteen, that's nearly three years now"

      "I think the champagne was spiked, you told me you only felt as good as you did last night when you played the incestuous role, or when you sampled a new batch of drugs to sell. It makes sense; you were never as mean or as out of control as you were last night"

      "Out of control, is that what you said? I didn't hit you or anything, did I? Oh Jess I'm so sorry"

      "No, it was nothing like that. You didn't care about what you said, or how it affected me when I heard it. You've never mentioned anything so willingly before, or scratched upon your relationship with her. If she wasn't your aunt, you'd still be with her, wouldn't you?"

      "Please stop bringing her up, she's not a part of my life anymore, and she lives nowhere near where we are so I may never see her again anyway. I love you Jessie, I hate having sowed so many feelings of mistrust in your head. If you don't feel able to forgive me for hiding things from you for so long, I'll make it easier for you and sign a form for annulment, if it's what you want"

      She cried even harder at the thought of her marriage not even lasting for a whole day, then as he tried to comfort her again, she stood up and walked out of the hotel room, folding her coat's panels against her front to protect her from the harsh wind. James sat up sharply to go after her, momentarily forgetting about the handcuffs. He was pulled back by his own force and dislocated both of his shoulders in one smooth moment, and his throat was too dry and sore for him to call after her. He struggled to keep his arms' ability to move, but then the nausea overpowered him as the swirling was much for him to deal with in his weakened state. His thoughts were not with concerns for whatever drugs were in his system, but worrying about whether or not she'd walk back into his life, or if this was truly it for their relationship.

      Butch awoke with a lighter feeling than he'd felt in weeks, almost like an enormous lift had mysteriously vanished from his shoulders overnight. He grinned cheerfully to himself, knowing the reason for his unexpected happiness was his ten minutes with Cassidy. It had been heartbreaking to see her leave again, but he knew better than to follow her when Meowth had granted him ten minutes, and ten minutes alone. Plus, this way he may be rewarded with another, longer visit from her in the future since he'd followed his instructions most agreeably. She'd been a far better kisser than he'd imagined in the duration of all the years he'd known her, which made him even sorrier that he waited until she was faced with death to reveal his feelings to her. Still, at least he was proving himself to her by standing with her as she overcame her greatest challenge to date, and then at the end of it all, he'd be able to join her in wedlock, their love clear to all who looked in their direction. Of course, he wouldn't think like this if he knew Cassidy was buried in a plot of ground in the Team Rocket graveyard, reserved for the select few members that earned their worth in their careers, whilst staying on the good side of the leader. Miyamoto was going to be dumped in one of the mass graves around the country where rebels were sent, until Giovanni pleaded with his mother to allow her some dignity. She was buried in the prestige plot, but with insults filling up her headstone. Soul-destroying wouldn't come anywhere near the effect it would have on Jessie if she ever found this out, as it would be for Butch if he found out he was having wet dreams about a scientifically modified pokémon.

      Jessie returned to the honeymoon suite approximately an hour and a quarter later after doing as much soul searching as her mind could handle, with a firm decision regarding their marriage solidly embedded in her head. She'd wished she'd put more layers on before leaving it in the first place, as the wind was unbearably bitter, filled with a sharp bite that felt typically like blustery April weather. She'd wished the truth had been nothing more than a sick April fool's joke on her, but she felt it was probably for the best that she knew more than she had before, since it meant he hid less from her if for no other reason. She also pondered how much he still hid, and wondered what else he could have felt like sharing with her if he hadn't started tripping from the drugs or fallen asleep when he wore himself out too much with crying.

      She walked over to the bed and placed her fingers lightly on his lips, forbidding him to speak without voicing it. She didn't apply much force either, making it clear she wasn't too annoyed with him for the present, and then she told him how hurt he'd made her feel, especially when he'd compared her to an ex. He started to protest but she pressed her hand further down on his mouth, sternly but still with an air of playfulness about it. She explained she'd run her irritation out of her system and she wasn't going to shame herself by admitting to others she'd cancelled her marriage before she gave it a chance, so she was willing to forget the incident if he was. He nodded, his vision better and being able to define her shape out of the surrounding blur, making him capable of seeing the certain look that danced across her eyes. He sucked on her fingers covering his mouth, then noticed she was undoing her damp coat, exhaling that he owed her a honeymoon night, and they'd better make sure they had one whilst they still had the suite. The matching grin on his face made it evident that he had no problems with her plan, especially when she failed to remove the handcuffs for their session. He actually forgot his shoulders were dislocated after a while, the process was that enjoyable.

      Tyra awoke with great difficulty, and when she was finally fully alert she was completely paralysed, except for her eyes. She panicked at not knowing what was going on, and not being able to even twitch her finger to end her corpse-like state. It took her the best part of fifteen minutes to calm down and attempt to think rationally as to why she got like this, then she realised that although the deadly poison the dart had sent coursing through her body hadn't killed her, this must be a nasty side-effect to the survivors to ensure they didn't interfere with her plans again. How long was she going to suffer like this, would she starve to death from not being able to prepare food? Would she dehydrate, and if so would the rate of acceleration be altered to how it normally should take because of the poison? Or would she stay immobile like this for longer, as her body wouldn't need vital nutrients for survival as badly from her state of suspended animation? The thoughts scared her, and the whole nightmare was worse to endure when her heart accelerated, making her fear a heart attack on top of all her other fears. If she died now, her life would have been totally meaningless; she needed to exact revenge before she could close her pulse to fate.

      Lindsey felt eyes watching her from two directions all morning as she continued to work on breaking the code James wrecked the system with; they couldn't pay for replacements of the machinery he ruined—not because of the expense as it could easily be afforded, but the police had become suspicious when they'd purchased the system the first time around and caused more grief than what they felt like repeating. She grinned to herself like a schoolgirl when she considered the aspect of Giovanni watching her, so she was trying her absolute hardest to succeed in what she had been unable to do for a few days now. She couldn't compose any real reason why she glowered so heavily when she forced Giovanni out of her thoughts for a few seconds and remembered Anthony stared at her with adoration constantly. She'd fancied him for months, so why did she almost immediately turn off him when they'd hooked up together after dreaming about it for so long? Granted, she'd seen the potential promotions if she kept twisting Giovanni around her little finger (she wasn't sure how she was doing it), but what could a low-class security guard ever have that would be worth her while?

      She tapped one of the keys impatiently whilst she considered what other methods she could use to separate the links of coding and make it easier for her to solve, not attempting to break one of the chains, but to make it look to her superior that she was busy at work. Maybe if she was able to look busy enough, Anthony would refrain from running over to her side to talk and question her like he'd done on his two minute break as he swapped places with another guard all week. Suddenly something completely unexpected happened; a loud beep was emitted by the computer and the screen went a mind-boggling green. When the green reverted back to what it should look like, she noticed the most complex code had been dealt with, and it shouldn't be too taxing for her to solve the rest. Giovanni came over to see what the colour and sound had been related with, and complimented her on her skill by delivering a swift kiss and an obligatory squeeze of her side to try and prove his dominance without hurting her too much or making her angry. He'd never run that risk until he learnt of her greatest weakness to exploit it mercilessly as a form of sadistic foreplay to her death; he had to milk it for all it was worth, otherwise her ghost would surely haunt him until his dying day, and knowing his luck, she'd haunt him long after that as well.

      The newlyweds sat beside each other on a bus to Sunset City, both having considered the name as seeming like somewhere ideal to settle down and start their family together. James still felt more than slightly delicate but felt worse about him unwittingly taking drugs and causing his wife to feel terribly upset and give evidence he'd often lied to her more than he had done in the whole of the time they'd been together up until then. His shoulders were still causing him agony but he felt he should endure a lot worse for hurting the woman he loved, especially when he couldn't think of anything that'd cheer her up. She was over the hardest part of his secrets now, after spending the morning crying her heart out at the river with nobody around and no voices to hear except for the ones of her honest inner feelings. She wondered whether or not she wanted to know whatever else he hid from her, and if they'd hurt her more than what he'd chosen to share with her. She felt herself drifting asleep in his arms, exhausted from all of the crying she'd done, the throbbing of the bus assisting her in her travel to slumber.

      James listened to her soft breathing, eternally grateful she'd decided against performing an annulment on their marriage. He couldn't believe he'd acted so inconsiderately towards her, even in his subconscious state of being. He felt like he'd let himself down more than he had her, partially because he'd broken his inner promise of never letting her be upset as a result of something he'd done or said. Partially because he was afraid he'd slipped back into the habit of hurting everyone around him, but he was most afraid that the small taste of drugs had been enough to sweep him back into the obsession that dominated his later teenage years.

      He kissed his wife on her forehead as she nestled against him in her sleep and rested his hand on her stomach, feeling her heartbeat from her breast pressing into his side, and feeling his daughter kick for attention, proving to the world she existed. Not once in all the years he spent growing up would he have imagined having a wife and child before he was even nineteen, but what was more unbelievable was the thought of him successfully settling with the woman he'd spent almost all of his life loving. He noted she was doing something she seldom did, usually only when she was more exhausted than tired—she was talking in her sleep. He held his breath out of habit as he strained to hear what she was saying against the engine of the vehicle, then he smiled to himself as she murmured something when their child delivered a particularly hard kick to her stomach; it would seem that her subconscious had already selected a name for their child without first consulting the father. Still, it sounded pretty and would probably suit her, and strangely he didn't feel any sort of acrimonious resentment towards her for not involving him in it, probably because he was still sore at not being there for almost every day of her pregnancy thus far.

      Sickened to the stomach didn't come anywhere close to describing the emotions Anthony felt as he endured the semi-hardcore performance in his clear vision between what was supposed to be his girlfriend and ultimate employer. She'd cracked several more codes after the hardest had been solved in that absolute fluke earlier, now it was time for her break and the first part of her reward for a job well done. The other security members were entirely impervious to this, as it was something that frequently went on in the corporation. Anybody that passed comment on it or voiced an objection were relieved of the pressures of their job or their life, or worse, placed as a test subject in the evil laboratories that lurked beneath the floor they stood on. He certainly didn't want to become the topic of the scientists' banter for whatever research or experimentation they'd carried out on him, yet it was breaking his heart to bear witness to such situations. Holding Cassidy as she became a bloody state of lifeless matter was easier to watch than the girl whose virginity he'd lovingly and gently taken becoming a whore right in the middle of his shift. He bitterly hoped that she was being paid enough to act, and that her cries of joy weren't real, since they sounded like they were genuinely filled with more passionate ecstasy than she'd ever done in any of the times they'd slept together.

      James' mother viewed the young couple from the balcony of the most exquisite restaurant in the city, taking particular note of what hotel they deposited their luggage in, noting with repugnance that it was long past an hour when they exited the building. As much as she'd despised him for messing up her life by being born at a most inappropriate time, she felt further antipathy by him screwing street trash as if he was of common, worthless descent and screwed like a good-for-nothing nidoran. She also resented the trash he chose, waltzing around with her swollen stomach on display for the whole world to see as if it was the proper way to act. She'd been made to stay in a dark room for twelve months when she was eleven-and-a-half years old, so when her disgraceful bundle was in the world, he'd spend the first couple of months developing his senses. He was not allowed to see the breast from which he suckled even though he would never be able to remember it, as nudity of the opposite sex was strictly forbidden until his wedding night, where he should be working on her heir, even though she felt like murdering him for merely existing. She'd felt like murdering her husband more, as his inapt lusting had caused their lineage to forever be tainted from an accident of pre-marital origin.

      She excused herself from the table upon seeing her son and daughter-in-law begin what would probably be a whole afternoon's shopping, and then she headed for the edifice's restrooms. She waited until it was empty and then allowed an uncharacteristic batch of tears to flow down her cheeks, somehow still maintaining a certain air of elegance with the procession. How had she become so callous, unwanted and unloved by almost everyone who occupied matter in the planet? The solitary child she'd ever had, if she wanted to hold onto her precious reputation and not remarry after the correct amount of time for grievance required for her husband's demise, was never going to speak to her again in pleasant terms and it was all her fault. Another reason why she resented him now was because he was in a happy marriage that hadn't involved her or another member of the upper class community, and there was little she could do to get his attention without snarling threats escaping from his mouth. Of course, she possessed the power to destroy his little nest of mirth now; she was just waiting for the opportune moment to deliver it as she only had one shot at using it. Could she really destroy their happiness now? She was thirty-one, without another chance of giving birth even though she had a good few years until she hit the menopause, so should she ruin the son's marriage when it had only begun? She dried her eyes and exited when she looked immaculate again, feeling incredibly hollow and she realised her resentment of the marriage was directly linked with the longing in her heart to know what love with someone of her own choosing was like.

      Meowth followed his former partners at a distance, his sharp hearing detecting all that was said between them without any particular effort required on his behalf. He'd left Butch for the day, as he found the boy's babbling regarding his gratitude for providing him with his girlfriend for the night rather irksome to say the least. He'd felt incredibly tempted to tell him that it wasn't any trouble for him to arrange it, as the ditto had been yearning for a new way of toying with his mind. His jealousy soared within him again as he saw his ex-friends walking in and out of every property agent's in town, chattering away to each other about the houses they'd looked at, and how they'd be almost able to afford whichever they wanted with the savings in James' account. As the evening wore on, the couple made the feline even more jealous by entering shops and examining products that would come in use for when the baby came, such as a crib for her, toys and clothing. They were so caught up in their sentimental thoughts that they failed to notice Meowth stealing James' wallet and safely darting back into the crowds.

      He felt no guilt whatsoever in rummaging through his belongings, carelessly flicking through the photographs stored, quite sure that Jessie hadn't seen some of the pictures in there or if she had, her temperament was a lot better and considerate than it had been when he'd been her friend. He took a provocative image of a woman he didn't recognise and placed it over the one of Jessie that was at the very front to see how she'd react to him. He took all of the notes out of the back and crumpled them to fit between the pads on his paws; he didn't need the money, but would rather his friends had nothing to pay for things to spoil the baby with when they didn't care about him. He extracted the cards and scratched them all deeply along the magnetic strip, just to certify they couldn't afford it. When he was done with his amusement, he hurled the wallet through the air and hit Jessie squarely in the back.

      "Ouch! What was that?"

      "What's wrong honey? Is the baby kicking a little too hard?"

      "No, something just hit me in the back, yet I can't see anyone around that looks like they could have done it"

      "Are you okay? Hey that's mine, I didn't even feel it go missing"

      He flicked through the sections and grumbled at being left with only a handful of chunk change left when he knew he'd had a lot in paper money. At least the pesky pickpockets hadn't stolen his cards, so when they went to pay for anything, he'd at least have them as backup. He was glad he'd paid for that night in the hotel already; he knew the banks would be shut at this point so he would be strapped for cash until then. He hooked his arm around Jessie's waist whilst maintaining a firm grip on his wallet in case more burglars assumed him to be easy prey and chose not to return it. He hadn't noticed the picture change yet, but if Jessie did and he had to explain who it was he'd land in very hot water—it was the only picture he'd dared to keep of his aunt, and strangely enough it was the cleanest one he'd ever owned of her, otherwise he'd have kept another.

      As it turned out, they happened upon a few items of baby clothing that were almost completely out of stock and not likely to be reordered so they both agreed they should buy them, so they'd have something ready for when their bundle of joy would enter their lives. They queued for forty-five minutes as the last of the crowds went to purchase their goods as it was nearing the store's closing time, both giddy at the notion of making the first official preparation for their forthcoming child. When they hit the checkout at long last, James handed over his bank card and apologised for not having cash on him, but he'd been pick-pocketed in their store whilst browsing. The store clerk gave a bright but horribly insincere smile and gave an even more unbelievable apology that was apparently right from the bottom of her heart. She ran the card through the machine four times but each time it told her that a fatal error occurred throughout the transaction and that the card wasn't useable. He apologised and handed her all of the cards, feeling more than a little annoyed when the same thing happened in all of the attempts, and he was told to return to the store in the morning with cash, as he was holding up all of the remaining customers. He reluctantly complied with the request, on the condition they put the clothes aside with their name on it so they wouldn't be replaced on the shelves and sold before they returned. Both felt a sense of disappointment as opposed to enraged or annoyed with the thief's maliciousness, as if this was a bad omen with regards to their life as a married couple with their first-born. Avery dark omen indeed.

      Butch enjoyed a warm shower in Meowth's absence, spending the time merrily debating the possibilities of asking Cassidy to marry him without making him sound like a desperately lovesick teenager or giving his employer a decent reason to ridicule him. He felt his lower body shift at the thought of sleeping with her and he moaned slightly as the hot water hit off it, as it enhanced his feeling yet he didn't want to seem more like a teenager by touching himself until he removed it, even though he was in a shower and could clean up easily. He turned the water off and began to towel himself off as he resisted his body's urges and eager demands. He stepped into his room and as a force of habit closed the door behind him, even though the only other person around would be Meowth and well, he was a pokémon so it wouldn't be all that embarrassing at the end of the day. He thought he heard material move even though he knew that wasn't possible when he was the only one there, so he turned around to sate his curiosity nevertheless.

      He was astounded at the sight that lay before him; spread out on the bed for his pleasure was the love of his life wearing nothing other than a diaphanous slip that hid nothing other than the skin beneath the thin strips of white fluff that ran around the neckline and very bottom of it. He thought she looked very erotic right then, and his male urges increased tenfold as she played with the straps. She whispered that the doctors had given her new breasts with clever but expensive cosmetic surgery, so she was wondering if he'd like to try them out. He didn't think anything other than what she'd told him, like how her skin would be untouchable for a couple of weeks if the surgery really had occurred, and how fondling them would most certainly not be a feasible option for quite some time thereafter. He assumed Meowth had arranged the whole thing as he knew he'd be away for most of the day and had forbidden Butch from leaving the room, for any reason that may arise. All he considered was the naked blonde he longed to be with right in front of him with her legs spread and begging him to do what he'd wanted to do for years. Meowth would actually be the more annoyed and angry of the two when he found out his two most useful pets had slept together; that wasn't supposed to happen yet in his plan.

      That evening, Jessie and James amused themselves by poring over the information they'd gathered on a few houses they'd considered as possible homes for them to grow 'less young' as Jessie put it, still denying the fact that one day she'd grow old and be the not-so-proud owner of an unflattering set of wrinkles. They found many complaints with the room but neither could be bothered going downstairs and reporting it to the owner, as it would mean time apart from the other, and they were in the midst of a really cosy atmosphere. He found himself wrapping his arms around Jessie's stomach and pronouncing his undying love for her more regularly than he did any other night, and although it always rang pleasure in each of their hearts, neither knew why they felt it stronger that night. Perhaps the feeling of their looming parenthood appeared closer than before after an evening of looking at countless things she'd definitely require when she arrived in the world in two short months, and it could have made them more sentimental.

      Meowth was more than irritated; he was livid with rage when he came back to the room and discovered Butch had defiled his best living weapon in his short absence, but also horrifically aware that this was a treasonous act performed by the ditto deliberately, as he hadn't told it to transform into any shape in particular before he left. He stormed off and mixed Jessie's cocktail of nebulous thyroproxine and poison, unaware that whilst he smouldered away with ideas of what to do to the pokémon for performing a mutiny, he mixed the two bottles up and injected two syringe worth's of nebulous thyroproxine and no poison into the container, and did not notice it was wrong until long after he'd returned from giving the concoction to her.

      James pulled back after a long, passionate kiss to say he loved them both again, but then he cheekily added that he didn't know why she needed him when she'd carried and named their child without any assistance carried out on his behalf.

      "What are you talking about now? You've not been taking in anything other than oxygen have you?"

      "Nope, I'm clean as far as I know, unless the thief slipped me something I didn't feel, taste or remember swallowing"

      "Thanks for that useless information, now could you possibly be so kind as to tell me what you're on about now? We haven't even tried naming her yet"

      "Not together we haven't, but I heard you talking in your sleep. It seems you've called her something by yourself; I think it sounds beautiful anyway"

      "What is it then? I don't know how you expect me to remember it when it was just a passing comment in a dream no doubt"

      "You said it like it's firmly her name, as if it's something you call her every night when you're half-asleep and want her to calm down and let you get some rest"

      "Please tell me then honey, you know what suspense does to me!"

      "The same thing oxygen, food, television, drink and everything else under the sun does—makes you horny!"
      "Not what I was implying, but now that you mention it…"
      "Okay, in a second then. Alyssandra"

      "Sorry?"
      "Alyssandra, that's what you were calling her when you wanted her to stop kicking her"

      "Alyssandra?"

      "Yes"

      "You're right, it does sound like I left you out in naming her, but you're right again in the sense that it suits her and is beautiful. I guess I've got good instinct"

      "You certainly do, but now you're going to have a good time, and this time I think you should be the one handcuffed. Just don't sit up too quickly in the morning; I knocked both shoulders out of joint doing that"

      "Yes sir, but please go easy on me. I'm a virgin"

      He started laughing at the ridiculously false statement she said—he didn't know what pointed out it was wrong more, the swell of her pregnancy that was created through sex, or her flirtatious expression, trying to seduce him without having to tell him to do it again. He agreed to her request and said that he was afraid she hadn't done it before, since he didn't want her blood causing a mess over his body when he removed her virginity, unaware how sincerely he'd mean not wanting her blood on him in the next few hours.