Over the next few months, Rachel became like a third member to the team. She followed James like a lost puppy and Jesse became more and more isolated, while James seemed to become more and more hapy.

Meowth felt conserned for the red head who stared so deepy into the fire every night, her usually fiery spirit was being smothered and her enthusiam for even the job began to detierirate. Meowth watched James give Jesse curious glances, but they would be interuppted without fail by Rachel a few seconds after they started.

One night Jesse jumped up in a rage from the fire. Her arms folded as she pulled her team rocket jumper off and threw it to the floor. Curiouse, Meowth approached her. She pulled off her gloves and her boots and took the bucket of water sitting beside the fire and flung it over her head. Her red hair reacted instantly to the water and lost it's form and fell down hr back, dripping. She then headed for her tent.

"Jess?" Meowth asked feebly, but she ignored him and returned soon after dressed in some civillian clothes. Her normal black team rocket shirt and a pair of tight jeans, she was fixing her hair into a neat ponytail and brought in her hands her makeup bag. Meowth coughed and called her again, "Jesse whatcha doing?"

She seemed to give a small smile. And applied her makeup carefully to her face. "I'm going out.I'm sick of being the only one in this camp who is'nt having fun. I'm going on a night out" she said determinly. She pulled out her stilettos that she only wore with her fancy get up and placed them on her feet, tying the buckle and giving a satisfied smile. "If you dont want to get a kick in the face, you'll hand me my perfume and hairspray" she said poitning to where her perfume sat in her smaller bag containing lots of loose articles.

James' tent ruffled and he appeared from it, looking drowzy and hair a mess. "What's going on?" he yawned pulling himself out of the tent, wearing his black shirt and his blue boxers. Jesse was'nt phased. She'd seen him in his boxers a million times before. She refused all eye contact with him.

"I'm sick of being here. I'm going out, and dont bother waiting up for me either! Your not the only one going to have fun!" she said this accusingly and James gave her a clueless look. She huffed in response. He looked at her while she was all made up, she was very sexy...he blinked. She had even let her hair down, which was somthing only he was privalaged to see a few times.

"But Jess I dont-" he started. but she cut him off with a harsh stare which made him stop speaking instantly.

For a few mmoments they both said nothing. Then he decided to voice his conserns again. "What if something happens?" he asked.

Jesse sighed. "James what the HELL do you think is going to happen to me? I can take care of myself thankyou! I don't need you!" when she said the last few words she thought it made her sound abit pathetic. And of course what made her feel worse, was that it was a lie. Thus the reason she wanted to be so far away from him right now.

James felt hurt by her words. He knew reently she had been feeling rather down, but there ws no need to say such a thing. From time to time it would be nice to know he was needed, that there was an actual purpose to his life. That was why he liked Rachel, she was full of life and positive energy, somtimes she was abit overpowering, but that was fine, he liked the way she always had something to show him or somthing they could do together...it was somthing Jesse and him was losing rapidly. All they're lives seemed to be recently was waking up each day to do the same thing over and over and to fail each time. Rachel showed him the happier side of life. The side that was painless and fruitful. He scowled and an uncontrollable rage built up inside him, and for once he didnt care he was showing it.

"Fine go out and have your fun! It'll be better here without you anyway, moping around and being all depressive! Guess what Jess I dont need you either! Somtimes I don't know why we're still together after all these years?" he yelled. But stopped himself when he heard himself say "together after all these years" he sounded like a husband. Like a boyfriend. Jesse was shocked to hear him say such hurtful words and stood to square up to him. She looked at him straight in the eye, nose to nose. He could feel her so close and she was intoxicating. Why had he said together?... bad choice of words?

"We have never been together James. You will never understand me and that will always keep us worlds apart. And somtimes I look at you and think thank God." she growled. Her words breathed on him and he began to feel another emotion bubble underneath his skin. He looked at her eyes as they galred at him. She was an enigma, she confused him to no extent. It was the thing he loved about her, how she was so unpredictable. She was right, he didnt know her, he didnt claim to know her either. Only because she had pushed him away.

"Mayeb if you took off that mask you wear, I would be able to understand. I can't be closer to you if you push me away" he mumbled. She looked at him hard.

"We all wear masks, James." she replied calmly. Meowth had watched the whole scenario and was keeping quiet for once in his life. He was fascinated by the human emotions. Here they stood, so close they could both end their suffering and just kiss. But instead they stood glareing at each other, both saying in they're own way that the other didny understand, but from Meowth could undertand, both of them wanted the same thing, but neither wanted to be the first to do it. Hence forth the cat pokemon could interpet that because were both so simular, neither of them understood themselves either. He yawned and silently made his way to bed. He wasn't about to witness anything special tonight, both as stubborn as each other, it would take some time before they would understand what Meowth had learnt from them tonight.

"Stupid humans" he whispered to himself as he shook his head and climbed into his tiny little Pokemon tent.

Jesse broke her glare from James and steped to his side. He shut his eyes and breathed out, feeling his bravado leaving his system. Jesse had been so close, he has wanted so much to kiss her, but why? Why when she was being so malicious? Why when they were arguing? His mind raced with questions, but he had suddenly forgotten why they had even been arguing in the first place.The situation had been tense, but not wih anger...

As Jesse pushed some money into her jeans pocket and stormed out of camp, she secetly asked herself the same question as her partner. My God, he was right there...so close.. she thought as she moved angrily thorugh the woodland and back towards the city they had passed early during the day. She pushed her thoughts to the side and focused herself on tonight. No matter what, she either wasnt coming back to camp that night, or if she did, she was bringing someone back with her. She refused to give James the satisfatcion of seeing her lonely again the next day.

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Chapter 2 done. Please please will somebody review!

Nikki-Vixen