Fated
Summary: Jessie finds herself in exile, forced into captivity with a mysterious stranger. With nowhere to go and seemingly no hope of escape, they share the stories behind their miserable fates. Hers is filled with questions. His is filled with answers.
Chapter 9: Late
All he could see were his dreams goin' up in smoke.
So much for ditchin' this town and hangin' out on the coast.
Oh well, those plans are long gone.
And he said,
There goes my life.
There goes my future, my everything.
Might as well kiss it all good-bye.
There goes my life
...Kenny Chesney - There Goes My Life
For the next little while, Jack and Jessie made small talk as they sorted through the crate of food, but Jessie was rapidly becoming bored of both the nowhere-conversation and the tedious task.
"So, what happened next?" she finally asked, "You know, with Miya."
"Um…well, let's see," Jack thought, trying to pinpoint which event came next. The only one of real significance came about seven weeks after that dinner at his mother's house.
"Okay, so after the dinner at Mother's, Miya and I continued to see each other in secret. It was just easier that way. Things would have gotten complicated for Miya if it got out that she was sleeping with the boss's son and things would have been complicated for me if Mother found out that I was sleeping with a subordinate. We spent three weeks together before she was pulled away on a three-week mission. I missed her. A lot. More than I expected to, actually, although that could have been because my brothers were driving me insane…
"Why hasn't he found out yet?" Giovanni seethed, clenching his fist.
"He said he wanted to be surprised," I said lazily, watching from the balcony as Joseph taught Heath Ketchum about types. Ketchum's beedrill was doing pretty well against Joe's slowpoke…though most pokemon did well against Joe's slowpoke.
"I knew as soon as possible that I was having a son," Giovanni pouted, "It's been nearly five months! He should have found out by now!"
"Tell that to him," I said. It had been the same old argument all week. Honestly, you'd think Isabelle was having Giovanni's kid.
"Maybe Mother will knock some sense into him," Giovanni mused.
"Are you really getting Mother involved?" I groaned.
"She can control him. She'll tell him to get his lazy ass in gear," there was a mad look in his eyes.
"Lunatic," I moaned under my breath as I got to my feet. His eyebrows shot up.
"What did you say to me?" he asked dangerously.
"You heard me!" I snapped, "I'm going home," I announced, not even waiting for Giovanni's approval. I exited the gym and walked towards Viridian Forest mumbling under my breath. My brothers needed lives! Every little thing was about impressing my mother! Why did they always try to one up each other? Why did they have to kiss so much ass? Why were they so obsessive?
Wait a sec…why was I so obsessive? I didn't care about what my brothers did…right? So what if they tried to impress mother. I didn't care about…
"Oh, fuck!" I groaned, kicking a rock as I walked. I did care about what my mother thought. I wanted it all, Team Rocket, the gym, everything! When did that happen? I swore again as I entered headquarters and made my way to my door. What I didn't expect was the woman standing outside my door. I raised my eyebrow, all thoughts of my brothers suddenly forgotten.
"Can I help you with something, Miss Miyamoto?" I asked casually, sidling up to her. She smiled up at me.
"Ah, you've returned at long last, Mr. Sakaki," she said sardonically, "I hate to bother you, knowing that you've had a hard day's work talking to people while us lesser agents merely endured physical and emotional peril."
"It's no bother at all, Miss Miyamoto," I said politely, bowing, "Is that why you've come to see me? Your work is too easy and you think that as Madam Boss's son, I have the ability to…ah…make things harder for you?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. Her blue eyes twinkled mischievously as she smirked up at me.
"You seem to have an ability to read minds as well, Mr. Sakaki. That is indeed what I am here for," she said. I couldn't stop the grin on my face.
"Well, then, why don't you come inside and we'll discuss things further," I suggested, unlocking the door and motioning her inside. She shot me a secret smile as she passed me, which I found myself returning. As soon as I shut the door, Miya turned at the same moment I reached out to pull her towards me, our lips meeting in a fiery, passionate kiss.
"God, I've missed you, Miya," I panted, pinning her against the door. It had been three weeks since I saw her last…three of the longest in my life. She gave me a smouldering gaze, her blue eyes meeting mine.
"Don't talk, Jack," she ordered, "I can think of a million better uses for your mouth," she said, roughly pulling my lips down to hers.
I didn't get much sleep that night, not that I was complaining. I woke up the next morning with a grin on my face that only got bigger when I looked down at the woman who was sleeping next to me. The sun was shining in through the window, casting a warm glow on the entire room. I was really enjoying just watching the way the sunlight danced over her face and made her skin shine golden. She truly was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on.
"Quit staring at me. It's creepy," she ordered, snapping me out of my daze. She didn't move or open her eyes. She just lay there in the exact same position as she had been when I was admiring her.
"How'd you do that?" I asked, moving closer to her and wrapping my arms around her waist, spooning up against her.
"Superpowers," she answered, still not moving or opening her eyes. I felt an amused smile creep onto my face as I dropped my head to nuzzle the spot between her shoulder and neck.
"I have a superpower for you," I told her, kissing her neck.
"That's not a superpower," she said, clutching the blankets a little tighter to her as if they had the power to put her back to sleep, "That's biology."
"I'll let you be on top," I bargained, allowing my hands to wander.
"Let me?" she scoffed, "You'll have to do better than that, Sakaki," she sighed as she snuggled against her pillow. I raised an eyebrow. Was I really bargaining for sex?
"I'll do that thing you like," I added.
"There are many things I like," she replied. Okay, got to admit, that made me feel good.
"The tongue thing," I clarified, "Twice."
"Keep talking," she ordered, now leaning back against me. I grinned, knowing I'd already won.
"Well, by the time we finish, we'll already be late, so sex in the shower is a must," I mused.
"Definitely," she agreed.
"And then we can meet up for a little lunch…I was thinking along the lines of chocolate sauce and whipped cream," I said, "Maybe some strawberries to make it a healthy lunch."
"All the better to torture you with," she teased, cracking an eye open.
"Speaking of torture, I could pick up a pair of handcuffs for later," I offered.
"Only if you're the one getting cuffed to the bed," she replied, turning in my arms. As much as I hated that condition, I had to agree.
"Deal."
"So, you were saying something about superpowers?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. Her laughter rang out as I flipped us over.
Needless to say, we were late when she left to meet her team and when I left to meet Heath Ketchum in the gym for his training. I will say this about the kid, his battling was getting better. Still not great, but I'd take what I could get.
"Krabby!" Heath cried out as the little crab pokemon fainted.
"Arcanine, return!" I said, recalling my pokemon. Heath sank to his knees in despair.
"I lost again," he moaned. I walked up to him and smiled.
"Hey, at least you're getting better," I told him, "You did beat Marowak," I reminded him.
"I guess I did," he shrugged, still disheartened. Just then, the video phone at the side of the room began to ring. I walked over to answer it, frowning.
"Here, use these to revive your pokemon," I said, tossing a few revives and potions at my charge, who nodded.
"Mr. Sakaki," my mother's secretary answered. I smiled.
"What can I do for you, Amy?" I asked kindly. She had had her kid a couple weeks ago and was beginning to regain her previous look. She was still the most devote servant to my mother, despite her new obligations to her son. I couldn't for the life of me remember the kid's name.
"Madam Boss instructed me to tell you that you are going to be expecting Miss Catherine shortly with some new recruits," Amy told me. I frowned.
"Miss Catherine?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied, "She'll be bringing the new partners of Mr. Ketchum and will be assisting you in their training."
"Oh. Okay, um-"
"Hello?" a voice called from the entrance of the doorway.
"That must be her. Thanks, Amy," I quickly shut off the video phone and moved to the center of the room, where Heath was standing awkwardly across from Catherine and two unfamiliar people. I nodded at Miya's partner, who smiled at me.
"Mr. Sakaki," she greeted, "I trust that Madam Boss told you that we would be working together with the new recruits?" she asked.
"Just this second, actually," I replied, "Are these them?"
"Yes," she replied, "I'd like you to meet Lana Parker and Theodore Oak," she introduced, gesturing to the two agents behind her. Lana Parker had long turquoise hair tied at the back and large, inquisitive amber eyes. She was wearing a simple white t-shirt and gym shorts. She hardly looked older than seventeen. Theodore Oak, on the other hand, had brown hair spiked up, brooding dark eyes, and was wearing a tracksuit that had a motorcycle emblazoned on the back. I frowned, recognizing the last name. What was Samuel Oak's son doing here?
"Heath Ketchum," I introduced my charge, who nervously waved at the pair. Catherine smiled kindly.
"It's nice to meet you," she said, "Now, the three of you have been chosen to be partners, which means that you'll be working together to carry out your missions," she explained, "Your partners kind of become like your family because you're always together. You train together, work together, eat together…you get it. So, if Mr. Sakaki here approves, I would like to begin with some teamwork exercises," she said, looking to me for approval.
"There's an obstacle course just outside," I said, "Let's see how fast you three can complete it."
I led Catherine and the three new grunts out to the back of the gym where an obstacle course had been set up. It was pretty much impossible to complete alone, which was part of the appeal. After sending the grunts on their way, Catherine and I stood watching them.
"Any idea when their first mission will be?" I asked, frowning as Oak refused Heath's help over the barrier.
"Not a clue," she said, "but I'm hoping it won't be soon," she cringed as Lana tripped over Heath in a tire-run.
"So why are you here helping me babysit?" I asked, "Where's Miya? And Daphne?" I tacked on. Catherine raised an eyebrow at me, but then she shrugged and blushed.
"I'm afraid I'm going to be sitting on the sidelines for the next little while," she replied, "My husband and I are expecting," she said. I raised my eyebrows at this.
"My congratulations," I said, "I didn't know you were married."
"He's not a Team Rocket member or anything," she shrugged, "He works in a mine near Mt. Moon. Anyway, I just found out a week ago and I just told Madam Boss today, so she immediately put me on a 'less strenuous job'," she snorted, "I have a feeling I'll be bored to death after seven more months of this."
"Well, this really isn't that exciting," I commented, shaking my head as Heath fell behind while Lana and Oak wadded through a mud pool, "I'm sure your team will miss you very much."
She laughed, "If there's even a team to go back to," she replied, "Miya and Daph are probably going to end up killing each other while I'm gone."
"What happened to 'your team is like your family'?" I asked, laughing too. She shook her head.
"Well, every family has to have that one person that can drive everyone else up the wall," she chuckled, "I mean, you still love 'em to death, but sometimes you just wanna throttle them."
"I know the feeling," I replied, thinking of my brothers. I stepped forwards and shouted at the new team that had finally collapsed at the end of the course, "That was pathetic! My grandma could do that faster than you! Again!"
"That really was pathetic," Catherine commented, collapsing into a chair, "This is going to be a looong seven-months."
I privately agreed.
Jessie snorted, "And here I thought my team was the original pathetic ones."
"These three were pretty bad," Jack laughed.
After dismissing the new grunts to the showers, I bade Catherine goodbye and rolled up to Miya's apartment. She was already waiting outside and had changed into a pale green dress. She got into the passenger's side door and I leaned over to kiss her on the lips.
"It should be illegal for you to wear dresses like that," I commented. She smirked.
"I'm an elite member of a crime syndicate," she reminded me, "When do I ever do anything legal?"
I laughed, "You have a point," I replied, shifting the car into gear.
"Where are we going?" she asked. I smirked.
"A little place I know," I told her. She raised an eyebrow.
"Not gonna tell me?" she questioned.
"Nope," I replied. She frowned and pulled her mouth into an adorable pout.
"But Jaaack," she whined, not in an annoying way, but in a very seductive way. Then she slid over so she was pressed against me. I increased the pressure on the accelerator.
"I'm not telling," I said firmly, despite the fact that her fingers were lightly running down my arm.
"Are you sure?" she taunted, her full red lips inches from my ear. I shivered at the feel of her warm breath.
"Five minutes," I managed to get out.
"I hate being surprised," she told me seriously.
"How could you hate being surprised?" I asked, frowning.
"Not all surprises are good," she said simply. I signalled to turn left onto a dirt road.
"This one is," I replied. Two more miles and then I would be home-free. She was silent for a moment, taking in the country side.
"Are you taking me up to the Green Ridge?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I chuckled.
"It's one of the most romantic spots in town," I defended.
"It's where horny teenagers go to lose their virginity," she reminded me. Not that I needed reminding. It was where I lost my virginity.
"Well, you into role playing?" I asked, smirking as she laughed.
"Oh, Jack," she said, shaking her head as I parked near the edge. I reached into the backseat and grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
"Just watch the sunset with me. It'll be…what's the word…oh yeah, romantic," I said, "Then we can get drunk and do it in the back seat," I suggested. She scoffed.
"Romantic," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she watched me pour the golden liquid into the glasses. I handed her a glass.
"Here's to…you being back," I toasted.
"Glad to know you missed me," Miya said, bringing the glass to her lips, but then she stopped and looked down into the glass, apparently deep in thought. I frowned.
"Something wrong?" I asked, putting my arm around her shoulders, "You seem a little distracted."
She looked up at me and started to shake her head, but then stopped, "I was just thinking."
"Should I alert the press?" I teased. She glared at me and I amended, "What are you thinking about?"
"Just my team," she admitted, "There's a bit of drama going on."
"Oh, like with Catherine leaving?" I asked. She looked a little taken aback.
"How do you know about that?" she asked.
"Oh, well since she's pregnant, Mother reassigned her to help me train the new agents," I explained with a shrug, "Seems everybody's popping out kids lately. It's like an epidemic. Jade just had Silver, Isabelle's due in five months, Amy just had her kid…what was his name again? Bob? Or was it Bill? And now your partner. Must be something in the water."
Miya chuckled, but there was something off about it. Then after a moment, she spoke, "About Catherine…well, it sort of got me thinking…" she trailed off.
"What, about how you and Daphne are going to kill each other?" I teased. She shook her head.
"No, not about that…but it got me thinking and…I'm late, Jack," she told me.
"What?" I asked, not really comprehending, not sure if my ears had deceived me.
"I'm late," she repeated, setting her drink on the dash and looking at her lap. I was sitting there with my mouth half-opened looking very much like a goldeen.
"Uh…I…uh…uh…uh…you…I thought you were on…the pill," I managed to finally stammer. She sighed.
"It's not one-hundred percent effective," she said, "As I found out when I read a pamphlet this afternoon."
"So…are you?" I asked, my voice at least an octave higher than it should be.
"I have to take a test," she said.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
There was no way I could have a kid. No way. That was all well and good for my brothers but not for me. I was a lone wolf. Lone. Not with kids. No. Shit.
"Jack," Miya said my name, but it barely registered. I looked at her, my eyes the size of dinner plates. For the first time ever, I saw fear on her features, a fear identical to mine.
"I think we should go back to town. Take a test."
"So was she pregnant?" Jessie asked in rapt attention, the task of sorting through rations long forgotten as she stared expectantly at Jack. This was better than the corny soap-operas that James used to make her watch. Jack gave a weak chuckle.
"I'll tell you the answer to that after you tell me your story, Jessilina," he said. Jessie gaped at him.
"WHAT?" she yelped, "You CANNOT leave me in suspense like this!" she protested. He laughed.
"Tell your story to me as I cook supper. I could use the entertainment," Jack told her. Jessie still gaped at him as she watched him get to his feet and grab a packet of instant noodles. Then she shook it off. Like always, she had a plan, a plan to get even.
TBC
AN: So things are about to get REAL interesting on both fronts ;). Hope you enjoy!
Songs that inspired this chapter:
- It Takes a Man by Chris Young.
- There Goes My Life by Kenny Chesney. Both are incredible country songs.