Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy
Written by BansheeGirl
A/N: Yay! Third chappie for my lovely story! Please enjoy, and don't forget to leave me lots of lovely reviews when you're done!
Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or 2 if you're really interested in a disclaimer for this ficcie!
Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy
Chapter 3: We Meet Again
The woman had opened the large oak door and swiftly entered her office before James even realised that Miss Avalon had arrived for their meeting. Breaking from an anxious reverie, James peered up just in time to see the professional-looking woman flash past him without a glance. He listened as the heavy door swung closed automatically behind his chair.
The woman appeared quite exasperated, as if she thought the meeting to be nothing more than a mere nuisance. Still not looking toward her guest, she rummaged through some folders spread out across her desk.
"So, Mr. Morgan…" Miss Avalon finally began, her face displaying a nonchalant expression. She looked to have found the folder she had been searching for, and sat herself down in the long-backed chair behind her desk. "How was your trip here?" She was still preoccupied, her eyes quickly scanning a leaf of paper that she had withdrawn from the black folder.
James opened his mouth to answer the question, yet faltered as he began to take in the woman's appearance. On first glance he had merely been surprised that such a young person was running a company like Paramount Corps. on Saunders, but with a quickening heartbeat he realised there was much more to be surprised about…
Miss Avalon did not notice as James failed to answer her question. He was falling into a greater and greater state of astonishment as he gazed over her deep scarlet hair that was pulled back into a neat bun, her eyes that were the colour of sapphires, and the very stylish business jacket and skirt she wore.
He knew those features.
"…Jessie?" He spoke, rather tentatively.
The woman finally looked up at James, her cool expression immediately leaving her face apparently at the sheer utterance of the word 'Jessie'. As she too, realised just whom she was sitting in a room with, James struggled to identify the haunting look he saw in her eyes. The look flickered away almost instantaneously, but whatever it was it made James suddenly feel very unsettled.
It was a long while before either of the pair spoke. Jessie was the one to finally break the silence.
"James," she said, matter-of-factly. She said it more to herself than to James, as if it confirmed the unexpected revelation.
James shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He felt the tension in the room immediately thicken. He felt almost suffocated by it.
Jessie inhaled a long, deep breath. With this she appeared to regain some of her calm composure. With a frosty expression she spoke again. "Well, what a small world. How ironic…" A disturbing smile materialised across her face as she looked down to the black folder resting in her hands, and remembered just why James was here today.
A cautious frown formed on James' features as he forced himself to maintain some sense composure himself. He could not fathom the events of the late – an order to attend a mysterious meeting with the head of one of Saunders City's largest companies, who turns out to be none other than his Team Rocket partner from more than seven years ago?
James became increasingly frustrated at the realisation that he was still at a loss in figuring out exactly why he was in Jessie's office in the first place. Intuition told him to be prepared for the worst. Yet strangely, he felt an odd comfort in seeing his old friend from all those years ago.
"So… you're the CEO of Paramount Corps. of Saunders?" James finally articulated, running a hand through his lavender hair.
Jessie smirked callously at the man sitting across from her. "Obviously." She spoke in a tone that made James rethink his apparent comfort in seeing her.
James' eyes moved from Jessie's rigid glare to stare at the small space of floor in front of him. This certainly was not an easy situation. He struggled to find some easy way of approaching the unexpected state of affairs, but could find none. He lifted his head and opened his mouth to speak but again found himself unable to think of anything appropriate to say. Jessie watched on unamused.
"Look James, I'm sure you understand that I am a very busy woman," Jessie said, pushing herself up from her chair and walking around toward James. She half-leant, half-sat against the front of her desk, a little to the left before where James sat. As she looked down at her former partner-in-crime in anticipation of a response to her statement, the lavender-haired man realised this move placed her in a far more domineering position.
"Yes," he finally answered.
Jessie studied her nails as she spoke, "So you'll understand that you are wasting my valuable time as you sit there opening and closing your mouth like a Goldeen?" Her eyebrows remained raised until James nodded concededly. "Excellent. I'm glad we have that sorted out."
Jessie leant back over across her desk to retrieve her black folder. Sitting back up against the front edge of the large desk, she flipped it open and prepared to speak once again. James however, decided to put one thing straight before anything more was said.
"Listen Jessie, I'm not having you talk down to me like this. I came all the way in here for you, and I'd at least expect some sort of respect in return. I know that this is a very difficult situation, but-"
"-I would stop right there if I were you, James," Jessie interrupted in a stern tone. Her eyes narrowed with a look of resent. "You have no idea what this meeting is about – and until you do I'd advise not to get on my bad side by ordering me around like that. And you did not come in here for me; you came in here for my company."
James remained silent as he stared up at the fiery-haired woman.
"Just watch it, James. You're on my territory, and in the case that you hadn't noticed I hold quite a great deal of power here. Don't even dream that you can order me around." She spoke in an irreconcilably harsh tone – one which James realised was all too familiar.
Suddenly, James saw a flicker of some unidentifiable emotion in Jessie's eyes. It came and disappeared in an even more fleeting fashion before, but there was no mistaking that James had seen it. It was at this point that the anger in Jessie's expression faded – only to be replaced with the same indifference she had acted with previously.
She looked back down at the folder in her hands. "Now, to business…"
James sighed quietly. In the few minutes that he and Jessie had been reunited, it almost seemed like nothing had changed at all. A whole world of memories suddenly crashed down around him. He pushed them away, trying to focus on the matter at hand. The 'business', as Jessie was calling it…
"Now… I understand that you're the head councilman of a little village in the Crystal Mountains…" Jessie said, running her finger down a page in her folder, "…Fieldsville?"
James nodded pensively.
"A nice little spot, Fieldsville?"
James' brow puckered. Why was she asking him this? He examined her unmovable expression, and decided to play along with her little game.
"Well… yes, it is. In fact, I'd say it's just about perfect. I'd rather live nowhere else in the whole world." He spoke with a careful confidence.
Little did he know just how that confidence would be shattered in only moments.
Teehee! Gee whiz, this revision process really IS taking so long for me to do. I don't think I can even call it 'revision' anymore, because I'm really changing everything! And I mean everything! So from now on, just forget that this ever existed as another story! Brand new (kinda) for your reading pleasure! Woo!
Please feed me lots'n'lotsa yummy reviews! I'll give you lollies! Lots 'n lotsa lollies!
Okay, I think that's about it for now! Just one more thing – if you're constantly on the lookout for great rocketshippy fics like me, check out the new C2 that Tear, Eevee and myself have formed. It's called 'A Rocket Romance'. Check it out!
Till Next Time,
BansheeGirl.