Chapter 2 – Crash Boom Bang

James sat at his desk typing on his laptop, trying to ignore his annoying roommate and his equally annoying partner prattling on about some girl she hated. James' workload had doubled since his own partner had been kicked out of Team Rocket, and he had a training mission report to complete. Wincing, he tried to drown out the screeching laughter coming from Cassidy.

"Guys, I'm trying to work here…" James said irritably, gritting his teeth as the pair laughed and responded with a chorus of 'ooooOOOOOooooohh's. Pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath, he tried to focus back on his report.

"Rumour has it she's been through about 10 partners so far." Cassidy ranted to her partner, Butch. "I'm not surprised, who would want to be stuck in a team with her?" she laughed wickedly.

"Hey James," Butch's rasping voice caused James to stop typing mid-sentence, and he sighed. "Heh, maybe you'll end up with this girl as your partner."

James winced again as Cassidy's shrill laughter reverberated in his head. He didn't know who they were talking about, nor did he care. He was meeting with Viper later that evening, and although he was curious to find out who his new partner was, any speculation had to wait. He had a report to finish.

xXx

James slumped against the door and ran his fingers through his lavender hair, trying to process what had just happened. Eyes wide with shock and breathing heavily, he launched himself towards the other side of his dorm and sank on to his bed, head in his hands, thankful that Butch and Cassidy were absent. The events of the last half hour replayed over and over in James' mind.

"Allow me to introduce you to James." Viper announced to the woman on the balcony overlooking the mountains.

At the mention of his name, James turned his head to face his new team mate and found himself staring in to sapphire eyes, eyes he never thought he'd see again. He froze. Half of him wanted to yell at her, demand explanations to years of unanswered questions. Half of him wanted to embrace her and never let go. But with Viper there he knew he could do neither. Instead he held her gaze, trying to read her, searching for a flicker of emotion behind her stony eyes. Time seemed to stand still, the thump of his heart and the brilliant sapphire the only things he was aware of, and he waited for her to make the first move.

"Why did she act like she didn't know me?" James whispered to himself, trying to calm his breathing. "Is it possible she doesn't recognise me?" His heart plummeted with the thought and he squeezed his eyes shut, allowing two tears to escape and slowly creep down his face. Balling his fists up and pressing them to his eyebrows, trying to fight off his worsening headache, he desperately searched his barely functioning brain for an answer. 'No, that's preposterous,' he reasoned, 'she must have been playing it cool in front of Viper. After all, didn't I also play along with her little charade? We couldn't have admitted we knew each other, not with Viper there.' Lifting his head and wiping his cheeks, he stared out of the window at the sunset, brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of his conflicting emotions.

Anger towards Jessie which he had not felt in years had swiftly returned upon seeing her, and he felt it coursing through his body and mind. He had eventually forgiven her for leaving, but seeing her again so unexpectedly… He clenched his fists as the anguish washed over him, ripping open all those wounds from 5 years ago. Unable to hold back a sob, he buried his face in his hands again. 'She was the only friend I had… and she just left!' Another sob escaped him and he swallowed hard, trying to contain himself. Yet, he was so thrilled to see her again, to know she was alright, and his heart fluttered with exhilaration. 'I've missed you so much Jessie, you've no idea how much…' Knowing he was close to completely breaking down and not wanting to be caught doing so, he stumbled to the bathroom, tearing off his uniform and hitting the shower button a little too hard. James placed his hands on the wall in front of him and hung his head, relishing the pressure of the almost-too-hot water on the back of his neck and shoulders, wishing it could wash away his heartache. Knowing he was safe, James wept freely, finally surrendering to his emotions, allowing his mind to wander to the morning that changed his life.

James woke from a troubled sleep, memories of his conversation with Jessie the night before swirling round in his mind. Pressing the button on his watch, the time glowed momentarily revealing it was just past 5am. James sat up, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness, replaying her words in his head. Her boyfriend Danny had recently left the bike gang, he'd had enough of Sunnytown and decided to head on to pastures new. James had comforted Jessie when he left, wishing there was something he could do to take away her pain. But then last night, to James' horror, Jessie admitted she wanted to follow him, that she was ready to give it all up and be with him. James begged her, pleaded with her not to go. They talked for hours, James reminding his friend of all the adventures they had shared together, telling her how she was still young and there'd be other guys, and he cried as he told her how much he'd miss her if she left. Thankfully, he seemed to get through to her, and she held him and promised him they'd always be best friends.

"Jessie!" James whispered in to the darkness, wondering if his friend was awake. "Hey! Jessie!" he hissed louder. There was no reply. James squinted through the dark shadows, trying to make out her sleeping form, panicking slightly when he realised he couldn't hear her rhythmic breathing. Heart in his throat, he fumbled for his torch and flicked it on, revealing nothing but an empty sleeping bag and pillow. As his vision started to blur, he leapt from his sleeping bag and half ran, half crawled over to hers, sinking down on to it as his flashlight caught a scrap of paper on her pillow, knowing what would come next but praying he was wrong. He could barely read it through his tears and the wobble of the flashlight as his shoulders shook with silent heaving sobs, but he got the message. She was gone. James flung himself on to her pillow and cried, cried harder than he ever had before, the words repeating over and over in his head: 'I'm sorry, I have to follow my heart, I hope you understand one day. Best friends always, Jessie xx'

The way James' shoulders shook now reminded him of that night, and sobbing he slammed his fist against the wall of the shower before moving his other hand to cover his mouth, her words still etched in to his brain. 'But… but what about MY heart?' he screamed internally, 'you broke my heart Jessie, you were my BEST friend, my ONLY FRIEND! I had NOTHING after you left…' His bitterness swiftly morphed in to sorrow. "Nothing…" he moaned, voice barely more than a whisper.

Exhaling deeply and urging his tears to stop, James lifted his head and ran his fingers through his hair a number of times, allowing the water to completely saturate his lavender locks. 'Pull yourself together James,' he chided himself, choking back a sob and sniffling, 'it was a long time ago, you were both children for Arceus' sake!' He closed his eyes as the water ran over his face, and in his mind he was suddenly back on that balcony, Jessie standing before him, the sheer brilliance of the sunset behind her amplifying her long magenta hair, the striking colours like fire save for the dazzling sapphire in which he was becoming so lost, and it suddenly struck him how breathtakingly beautiful she was. For some inexplicable reason, this only made James cry harder.

xXx

Jessie stood with her arms resting on the railing, staring at but not really noticing the sun setting over the mountains. Viper had just left along with James, and she made sure to maintain her confident façade until they were out of sight. Only then did she allow her confusion to betray her demeanour. Sighing, she rested her head on one hand, brows furrowed. 'Well this was… unexpected…' she frowned as she tried to pin down exactly how she felt, but to her surprise she felt nothing. 'I suppose it's just the shock,' she assured herself. It wasn't that she was indifferent, she just felt numb. Detached even. Like she would wake to find this was just a dream. Lips pursed together, she watched absentmindedly as a flock of Spearow flew above the mountains, black against the orange sky. 'OK Jessie, what's the game plan here?' she wondered to herself, drumming her fingers against the railing as she thought. She wasn't about to let her history with James ruin her chances of becoming a successful field agent. She had to accept James was now her partner, and her priority was completing the training programme. 'Providing he doesn't let me down like the rest of the losers they saddled me with,' she smirked. Her smile faded as she once again realised all the men in her life had let her down. '…Apart from one...' Without warning, she was overcome with guilt, and she squeezed her eyes closed as she wrestled the feeling back down, knuckles turning white as she gripped on to the railing. Jessie shook her head and swallowed hard. 'It doesn't matter, he's still a guy. Remember Jessie, rule number one: you can only rely on yourself.'

xXx

Jessie walked briskly back her dorm room, refusing to allow any emotion, any sign of weakness, to bubble to the surface. She rummaged in her wardrobe and threw her training gear and rucksack on to the floor and sat cross-legged with her back to Millie, praying that she wouldn't ask too many questions.

"So?" enquired Millie, "Don't keep me in suspense! Who's your new partner? Is he a keeper this time?" she teased.

Feeling Millie's eyes on the back of her head, Jessie continued unceremoniously stuffing her gear in to the rucksack. "He's just some guy."

xXx

Standing with his hands on either side of the sink, James stared in the mirror, peering through his dripping hair at his reflection. 'Pathetic…' he thought, looking in to his bloodshot eyes. Any anguish over Jessie had long since subsided, now leaving him irked at himself. Blowing strands of hair out of his eyes, he gave the man in the mirror a pep talk.

'You've come a long way since she left. Hell, it seems like a lifetime ago! You're not that scared teenager anymore James, you're a man! Now act like it!' He glared at his reflection, as though daring it to refuse or argue back, before grabbing a towel and throwing it over his head, rubbing his hair vigorously. Not that James was afraid to cry, or to show emotion. He was confident enough in his masculinity, despite what some people said or thought. Growing up, he was taught it wasn't 'proper' for a male to be emotional. After Jessie had left, the gang had heard him crying and were relentless, calling him a wimp and a cry-baby and howling with laughter at the sad little girly-boy. But as he got older James realised talking about or showing his feelings or being in touch with his emotional side didn't make him any less of a man. Wearing his heart on his sleeve used to be something he was ashamed of, but now he accepted it as a part of what made him who he was. His annoyance at himself was more to do with not seeing the bigger picture. James knew his partnership with Jessie was going to have its difficulties, but it was also a chance to rekindle a friendship that meant a lot to him. 'And I should be pleased about that!' Removing the towel from his head, he looked back in the mirror and stood tall, a new air of confidence and energy about him. 'This could be the best thing that's ever happened to you. A second chance! You're going to be the best damn partner she's ever had! And then…' he smiled at his reflection, 'and then you'll finally have your best friend back.'

xXx

Jessie lay in the darkness in the red trainee dorm room allocated to her team, staring at the underside of the top bunk. James hadn't arrived at the training academy yet, but she wanted to be asleep, or at least pretend to be asleep, when he got here. Her mind was restless and she rolled on to her side, facing away from the door. Where was he? 'Hmph, I bet he's refused to be my partner, or maybe even quit Team Rocket. What a surprise, yet another partner letting me down.' she thought angrily, gritting her teeth. With a jolt she heard the door open, and as the room was momentarily flooded with light she forced herself to remain still, breathing steadily, even throwing in a soft snore for good measure.

James looked around the room to get his bearings before closing the door, throwing them in to darkness again. His palms were suddenly sweaty and his chest tight. He'd shared a room with Jessie plenty of times before, but this was different, there was so much to talk about. He had seen Jessie in the bottom bunk, and although part of him wanted to wake her, to talk through the night huddled under a shared duvet as they did when they were kids, he knew it wasn't the right time. Sighing, James lowered his backpack quietly on to the floor in the corner, removed his boots and gloves and walked straight forwards to where he knew the ladders would be. He paused before climbing up, just able to make out her sleeping form, and he felt his heart flutter with excitement. Smiling at his old friend, he hauled himself up on to the top bunk and removed his training shirt and trousers, draping them neatly over the side frame of the bed. Settling down on to his pillow and staring at the ceiling, James lay awake for a long time, wondering how and why fate had lead their paths back to each other, unaware that Jessie was staring at the wall wondering the exact same thing.