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 14: Waiting
I can be tough
I can be strong
But with you, It's not like that at all
Theres a girl who gives a shit
Behind this wall
You just walk through it
All those crazy things we did
Didn't think about it just went with it
You're always there, you're everywhere
But right now I wish you were here
...Avril Lavigne - Wish You Were Here
Jessie slept late the next day. When she finally opened up her eyes, she was mildly surprised to find that it was past noon. She couldn't remember the last time she slept that late. Jack was nowhere to be seen, which was peculiar as the wood pile was fully stocked. Jessie shrugged it off and sat up yawning. Her sleep had been fitful at best, but at least she didn't wake Jack up again. Once had been bad enough.
She still couldn't believe that she actually told him about Giovanni. No one knew about that, not even James. She shuddered and willed herself to think about anything else.
After manoeuvring the chamber pot, she tore into the granola bar that Jack had left next to her bed. She was definitely thankful for Jack. Idly, she wondered if someone else was grateful for the older man's kindness. She thought of Butch and what she had learned about him. Apparently the green-haired man also had a stint in the Andes. What's more, he was alone, without his partner in crime. That spoke volumes. If Butch had been assigned to the Andes for a mission without Cassidy, then he was either in the Boss's trusted circle or he had been sent on a suicide mission. From what Jessie knew of Butch, he had always been overlooked by everybody. Viper, Namba, the Boss, and even Cassidy managed to botch up his name. Pun intended. He was also fairly submissive to Cassidy's whims, though to be fair, he was a bit more dominant that James. Jessie snorted. As much as she hated the blond, Jessie had to admit that she and Cassidy had similar strong-willed personalities that overshadowed most men.
Anyways, Jessie couldn't see Butch suddenly being thrust into the limelight, which meant that he had been sent on a suicide mission. The Boss wanted him dead, but why?
Who cares? Jessie told herself. Butch is nearly as bad as Giovanni. Jessie wouldn't be sorry to see either of them bite the bullet, as callous as it was. After all, had it not been for Butch and Cassidy, she wouldn't be stuck here on this mountain.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Jessie jumped as the phone in the corner started to ring. She crawled to the ends of her chains, but they weren't long enough for her to press the receiver. She huffed and wished that she could pick up the phone and make it stop ringing. Then she thought about it. The phone had no numbers, which meant no outward calls, and so far the only person to call the lonely shack had been Giovanni. She had no desire whatsoever to converse with him. Jack could deal with his asshole brother.
Jessie did her best to ignore the phone, but seeing as how she had NOTHING to do, she quickly became fed up with it. It took all her will not to throw a log at the stupid thing. It quit for an hour and then it started again. She gritted her teeth. Where the hell was Jack?
Another hour passed, and again the phone rang on the hour. Jessie groaned and flung a small piece of wood up in the air. She caught it with practiced ease. It had become a game for her…a very lame one.
"You better not have tried to off yourself, you idiot," she muttered to herself as Jack was still MIA. If he had killed himself, then she was screwed, plain and simple. The kitchen was on the other side of the room and she couldn't get outside to get snow for drinking water. She couldn't dispose of her own latrine, though if she really stretched herself, she might be able to make a small fire.
Fire. Huh. Interesting.
Jessie looked at the wood pile and then back at her wall restraints. Giovanni's grunts had bolted a steel bar to the wooden walls of Jack's cabin. She could burn around the steel bar. All it would take is a little fire and a little time and she would be free. Interesting. She reached for a log and a smaller stick. She had never tried rubbing sticks together to make fire. Usually she made James do it. She cursed herself. That experience would be pretty handy right about now.
Then the door opened and a cool breeze swept the room as Jack stepped inside. He glanced at her and then frowned.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I have an idea," she announced, "If I burn around the steel bar there, I can be free."
"Or dead," Jack added, "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with fire?"
"Didn't have a mother to tell me," she reminded him, "I'd be careful and then I'd be out of your hair."
"I'd have a hole in my wall," he argued.
"A window would look good here," Jessie replied.
"Do I have to move the woodpile?" Jack asked, crossing his arms. Jessie huffed and crossed hers.
"Fine. I won't set your shack on fire, but I had nothing else to do all morning so forgive me for thinking outside the box," she griped.
"Did you get the granola bar that I left you?" he asked conversationally as he grabbed a stick and moved to stand by the wall.
"Yeah, which begs the question, where the hell were you?" Jessie asked. He seemed to be trying to measure something out.
"I needed to think," he said, "and gather supplies. Since there is now a lady in the house, I should probably try to construct some kind of bath screen. Cleanliness is next to godliness," he quoted.
"Appreciated," Jessie commented, "But first could you-"
Ring! Ring! Ring!
"Answer your phone," Jessie finished as the cursed thing rang right on time, "It's been driving me nuts."
Jack's brow furrowed as he approached the phone. He was muttering numbers under his breath, which confused Jessie. Then he pressed the receiver and once again, Giovanni's face popped up on the screen.
"Ah," Giovanni said, his eyes trained on Jessie, "Perhaps I should have had the grunts put her closer to the phone."
Jessie refused to acknowledge that.
"You rang, Gio?" Jack asked, still frowning.
"All well, baby brother?" Giovanni questioned conversationally.
"Smashing," Jack replied sarcastically.
"Really? Are you sure? Because I just took a look at my calendar and by my calculations, there's an important date five days from now," Giovanni said, "Surely you haven't forgotten?"
Jack stiffened and he looked like he was about to be sick, "Course not."
"Which means that tomorrow is…"
"I know what tomorrow is," Jack managed to get out, his voice strained.
"Just a reminder," Giovanni said, smiling cruelly, "Happy Anniversary, Brother."
Then the phone clicked off. Jack stared at the screen for a moment before he turned back to Jessie, all of his previous energy zapped away. He looked like he was about to throw up, but his jaw was tight as he did his best to reign back his emotions. There was something in his eyes that had dimmed after his phone call.
"What's tomorrow?" Jessie asked, "And five days from now?"
"In five days, I'll have spent twenty-two years on this mountain," he said hollowly, "Time…it got away from me…I haven't had a calendar in so long…I thought I had more time…" he sounded weaker as he slunk into a chair and looked like he had the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. Jessie almost hated to ask.
"And tomorrow?"
"Worst day of my life," he said simply.
"Which was?" Jessie questioned gently.
"I don't want to ruin the story for you," he replied, "which reminds me…please?" he almost whimpered. Jessie reached over and grabbed his hand as she launched into the next part of her tale.
"You know, you don't have to hide under the covers the entire time," I told Meowth, who was still curled up underneath my blankets.
"I don't mind," Meowth purred contently. And when I say purred, I mean he literally purred like the cat-type he was. Go figure.
"I do," I growled in warning.
"Is dat what you're gonna tell junior when he or she wants to crawl in with ya in da middle of da night?" Meowth questioned, still not moving.
"There's a difference, furball. You are not my kid," I reminded him. Meowth cracked an eye opened and grinned.
"See Jess, dat's why youse is gonna make a good mom. You can be all tough and stuff, but den youse can be a big softie," he said. I snorted.
"Well, now I know which option you were rooting for," I commented. He stretched lazily.
"Hey, I'm not a big fan of getting poked and prodded by some gooey little human, but I gotta admit youse and Jim will make a beautiful kid dat I just might be able to make an exception for," he replied, flopping back down. That brought a smile to my face. It was nice to have his support, but there was something that kept that smile from widening.
"If we get to have it," I murmured softly. A human may not have picked up on it, but Meowth sure did. His eyes snapped open and I was only half-aware as his face knotted into concern. I was staring at the blanket and thinking of what the future held, of the Boss, who would surely come after us again. Then I felt Meowth's paw on my cheek. He was still half-covered by the blanket, but he did make the effort.
"It'll be okay, Jess. Jimmy…he'd do anyting to make ya happy," he tried to reassure me. I nodded.
"I know, Meowth, but there's just…" I sighed, looking for the words, "I dunno…there's so many other factors. James's parents will NOT willingly had over a pile of money so he can support his pregnant girlfriend. Then there's that fiancé of his, who has major issues. Not to mention the fact that I fell over twenty feet. Falling and pregnancy don't mix."
"If I know anyting about youse two, it's dat youse guys never give up and dat youse both are tough as nails. Even with his parents and dat goil, he'll find a way, and any kid of yours and James, even one dat's still in da womb, is gonna be just as tough as youse two," Meowth encouraged. I smiled weakly at the cat.
"Thanks, Meowth, but I'm just…preparing myself for the worst," I explained. He nodded sadly and curled up close to my body. It was nice having him there. At least I wasn't alone. The baby was not a sure thing. I knew that and because I knew that, I wanted to avoid getting my hopes up. I wouldn't get hurt that way.
James would have said that I was being ridiculous. He was the most hopeful and optimistic person I knew, so much that he was annoyingly so. Even when I was at my lowest, he could find a way to make me smile or keep going. How had he wormed his way so far past all my defences? Doofus.
He had been gone for maybe two hours now and I already missed him. Gah. Seriously, what did he do to me? I counted the days in my head. I figured that it would probably take him at least a day or so to get to one of his parents' summer estates (they had enough of them that finding one shouldn't be too hard). Then the flight back to Kanto from Sinnoh could take anywhere from four to ten hours depending on the type of private plane they had. Then it would take god knows how long to talk to his parents and dodge his manic fiancé. Then the return trip. All in all, his little venture would be at least three days, if not more.
Sadly, three days would be the longest we'd spent away from each other since we were sixteen. Why hadn't I figured out that I was in love with the idiot sooner?
After a couple hours of napping, I decided to take advantage of the fact that there was a TV in my room. Bad idea. The only thing on was a vampire movie marathon, and not the good kind where lots of people die. As a result I endured hours of watching a teenager with a very annoying blinking problem drool over the sparkly vampire who seemed unable to speak at a normal speed. Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for romance, but this was just…there aren't words to describe it. Then I started watching the sequel and I found a word: pathetic. It made me want to shoot myself and it made Meowth jolt awake.
"Who's screamin'?" he asked dumbly.
"TV," I replied, "She's upset because her vampire boyfriend just left her so she curled up on the ground and screamed."
Meowth cringed, "No wonder he left. Why are you watchin' dis?"
"Only thing on," I said, "and I heard that it wasn't so bad, but I'm about ready to find the person who told me that and bash them over the head."
"I'll help you," Meowth offered, putting his paws over his ears to block out the useless screaming.
"If I ever get like that because of James, I want you to promise to fury swipe me until I regain my senses," I ordered.
"Promise," Meowth vowed, "Now change da channel. Dat scream is hard on sensitive ears."
I laughed and obliged, flipping to the news. I blinked as I recognized the top story.
"Our top story tonight centers around the Blackstone Ridge Pokemon Reserve. Earlier today, panic and pandemonium reigned as fires and explosions erupted all around the main building. Preliminary reports indicate foreign gang involvement."
There was a shot of the burning pokemon reserve. Meowth and I exchanged glances as the shot focused on a news reporter interviewing Officer Jenny.
"The Sinnoh PD is going to do everything we can to bring the persons responsible for this act of terrorism to justice," Officer Jenny told the reporter.
"Among those responsible, there is reasonable suspicion that the Kanto crime syndicate, Team Rocket, were involved in the nonfatal blast. Eyewitnesses report seeing a blue-haired man fleeing the scene in a black Team Rocket uniform while others claim that Team Rocket was using the reserve as a venue to steal trainers' pokemon. Whatever the truth, the one thing that is apparent is the trouble and devastation that have come to Blackstone Ridge," the reporter finished. Meowth and I wore identical looks of shock.
"What the HELL did he do?" I fumed.
"Somethin' big, da dope!" Meowth echoed my tone, "I tink he went back to dat reserve! Dat's why he was so tore up when he got here before!"
"My thoughts exactly," I agreed, though I was still working out what that meant. The report just said that he was seen leaving the scene. That didn't necessarily mean that he did it. And as for Team Rocket controlling the reserve to begin with…that was news to me, but maybe that was how Domino, Butch, and Cassidy caught up with me and James so fast. Ugh, it was all so complicated.
"So the boyfriend blew your cover?" Jack questioned, looking up from his hands.
"Among other things," Jessie sighed, "I just thought he went after Butch and Cassidy, not the whole bloody organization."
Of course after the news report, I found resting to be a bit hard, especially now that the authorities were hunting down James. Idiot. When I got a hold of him, he'd be WISHING that the police had him.
Then there was a knock on the door and my eyes widened in horror.
"Team Rocket?" Jack asked wearily.
"Worse," Jessie replied, "Twerps."
Standing at the entrance of my room were the four twerps we had run across earlier: Brock, Dawn, Misty, and of course, Ash. Dammit.
"What are youse twoips doin' here?" Meowth hissed, his fur standing on end as he glared at our rivals.
"Err…"
"Um…"
"Uh…"
"We ran into James," Misty announced shooting a glare at her mute companions, "He told us that you were here."
"What?" I asked through clenched teeth. I was going to KILL him! Father of my unborn child or not, I was going to MURDER him!
"He explained everything," Misty said, eyeing me cautiously, "About Team Rocket and…uh…your condition."
"Did he now?" I managed to get out. Meowth gulped and moved to the edge of the bed.
"Eh, Jess, you should probably calm down-"
I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, "If I hear one more person telling me to 'calm down' or 'rest', I am going to MAIM someone!" I threatened, "I want out of this hospital NOW!"
"But da baby-" I clamped my hand over Meowth's mouth.
"James said you needed to stay here so you can get the medical care you need," Brock piped up.
"I'm fine!" I snapped, moving to get out of bed. My head was throbbing again and I was starting to see stars, but I'll be damned if I was going to let the twerps see me in my moment of weakness.
"It's okay, Jessie," Dawn said, "We're not going to hurt you."
I snorted at that one. She was eleven. I was 23.
"And we're not going to turn you over to the police," Misty assured me.
"Even though we should," I heard the twerp mutter. I did my best to glare at him as I struggled to my feet. Misty also shot him a glare.
"Should you be getting up?" Brock asked in concern.
"Yes," I snapped, gripping the handrail very hard as I steadied myself. My knuckles whitened and I knew that this was a bad idea, but I couldn't sit back down. That was weak.
"Jess, you alright?" Meowth suddenly asked, hopping back onto the bed. Dammit. Figured he'd notice.
"Fine," I managed, but I really was not fine. My brain was pounding against my skull and little dots swam across my eyes, making everything blurry and distorted. I blinked to get rid of them, but it only got fuzzier.
"Jessie?" Misty asked in concern. Her voice was muffled, drowned out by the pounding. I took a step and fell as everything went black.
"Pride finally got the best of you, eh?" Jack asked. Jessie scowled.
"Unfortunately."
I opened my eyes and was painfully made aware of Dr. Chase shining a light in my eyes. I scowled and tried to wave him off, but my arm felt like it weighed a ton.
"Is she going to be alright?" Brock questioned.
"She should be fine," Chase said, "It's a good thing you caught her before she hit the ground, young man," he praised Brock, who blushed.
"Yeah, he's great," Dawn said dreamily, gazing at Dr. Chase.
"Not as great as you, Doctor," Misty complimented, just as dreamily as the blunette as she stared at the handsome doctor.
"What happened?" Ash asked from the corner of the room. I just noticed him in my periphery. Him and that stupid electric rodent of his.
"She was trying to do too much. I was afraid this would happen if we released her," Chase said, "Jessie, can you hear us?"
Loud and clear.
"Yeah," I moaned, focusing on Meowth who let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Do you know what happened?" Chase asked.
"Fainted," I managed, trying to sit up.
"That's right," he said, "You need to rest up, for both yourself and your baby," he chided, "I'm going to run some blood work just as a precaution."
"I like a doctor that's prepared," Misty gushed.
"You're so responsible, Dr. Chase," Dawn complimented. The doctor smiled nervously at the pair and then he proceeded to stick me with a needle. Then he left.
"So James was telling the truth," Ash said, " You really are knocked up."
"Ash!" Misty scolded.
"Of course she is!" Meowth spewed, "An' den youse twoips come in here and work her up just after we see dat report about da reserve-"
"You know about that?" Dawn asked.
"Saw it on TV," I managed to finally sit myself up.
"We ran into James after it happened," Brock explained to me, "He said that Team Rocket was behind the reservation and he wanted to make them pay for what they did to you guys."
"James?" Meowth and I said incredulously. James didn't have a vengeful bone in his body and now everyone was trying to tell me that he was some vigilante fighting against a crime syndicate. It was a lot to take in.
"He seemed really weird," Dawn commented, "Eh, weirder than normal."
"He was pretty stressed out," Misty elaborated. He was stressed out?
"Where'd he go anyways?" Ash asked, "He said you were here and that he wanted us to look in on you while he was gone."
He did what now? Dammit James!
"He went to his parents to try and get him and Jess some money so dat dey can start a family," Meowth explained.
"That's so sweet," Misty smiled.
"Aren't his parents loaded?" Ash asked.
"Very," I confirmed.
"But what about that fiancé of his?" Brock wondered. All the twerps shared identical shudders of horror. Okay, maybe they weren't that bad if they hated her, but then most people hated her.
"That's the million dollar question," I murmured.
"Aren't you worried that he'll marry her?" Dawn asked. This was why she was my least favourite female twerp.
"I'm more worried that he'll run off a cliff to AVOID marrying her," I grumbled. Meowth smirked.
"But he wouldn't be running properly," Brock supplied and despite myself, I cracked a smile. So did Ash and Misty. Maybe the twerps weren't so bad after all.
They ended up staying in the area for the next three days and they visited often. Despite being twerps, they were actually nice company.
The doctors, however, I could have done without.
"Hi there!" a waaaay too perky blond doctor exclaimed bounding in the room after Dr. Chase on my third day in Blackstone Memorial. Thankfully my headache had ebbed a little bit after getting some rest.
"Hello, Dr. Chase," Misty and Dawn greeted. He smiled a winning smile.
"Hello, Ladies," he greeted, "Hello, Jessie."
"Hi, Doc," I said.
"I'd like to introduce an associate of mine, Dr. Olivia Summers," he introduced the too perky blond by his side, smiling over at her. He was banging her, I decided instantly. Poor Twerpettes. Apparently, they had the same idea; they were both eyeing the new woman with distaste. Brock, however, was eyeing the new woman with a different expression.
"Hellooooo, Doctor!" he was in her face in a second with a bouquet of flowers that he pulled out of the vase they had brought to my room. Slick. Misty sighed and Brock's crogunk popped out of its poke ball, intent on jabbing his master out of his…well…current love-drunk state.
Then, the unthinkable. Dr. Olivia Summers giggled in response, causing everyone in the room to gape in surprise.
"Well, aren't you cute," she said before turning to me, "It's so totally nice to meet you! All of you," she added, looking sideways at Brock, who was grinning like an idiot.
"Um…uh, Dr. Summers in the obstetric department and has gone over you blood work," Chase explained, frowning slightly as he surveyed the scene. Oh, so he wasn't banging her; he was HOPING to bang her.
"So eloquent," Jack commented, cracking a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Shut up. You're getting your story, aren't you?" Jessie told him.
"Right, so I took a look at you tests and everything looks fabulous. Cell counts are good and hormone levels are normal for a woman in the early weeks of pregnancy, Mrs. Logan. According to the tests, you're about four or five weeks," Dr. Summers delivered the news.
"Fantastic news!" Brock exclaimed, "You're so smart, Dr. Summers! Pretty too!"
Dr. Summers blushed at the praise. I felt nauseous. Everyone else was still staring at the pair of them in shock.
"Great," I got out, but neglected to say, 'assuming I get the keep the kid'.
"It is a bit early for a sonogram, but if you want, we could try it," she offered. I balked at that for two reasons: the first being that I wasn't sure I wanted to see the baby that I may or may not be able to have. The second was that any woman who blushed and giggled at the super corny Brock Harrison had to have something wrong with her head and I did not want an insane person treating me.
"You know, I think I'm gonna wait," I answered as politely as I could.
"You could test me anytime," Brock told the doctor, who giggled again. I definitely made the right choice.
The next two days were an exercise in controlling my gag reflex.
The twerps still visited, but now I had to endure Dr. Summers coming to my room on her breaks so she could flirt with Brock. Misty, who usually ended up pulling him away by the ear when he started creeping on girls, actually encouraged the whole thing.
"That means that Dr. McDreamy is single," she explained when I asked her about it. Her and Dawn still had their little crush on Dr. Chase. He was cute, I allowed, but he wasn't James. James, who had be gone for five days. James, who I was going out of my mind worrying about.
Meowth tried to distract me. We actually had bets going about the twerps' love lives. Meowth, ever the secret romantic, said that Brock and Dr. Summers would be ready to tie the knot by the time James got back. I said that by that time, one of them would regain their senses and dump the other. Another bet was when Dr. Chase would catch Misty and Dawn stalking him. Meowth had a lot of faith that the doc couldn't be oblivious for much longer; I had a lot of faith that, as a man, the doc would NEVER notice the adolescent girls crushing on him. The third bet centered on Ash, who tried to hide the jealous look on his face whenever he saw his female companions flirting with the doc. Meowth bet the look was meant for Misty. I said Dawn because personally, I thought Misty could do better. She was a successful gym leader, and following puberty, she really filled out from the scrawny eleven-year-old she had been when I first met her.
But as entertaining as it was to gamble on the twerps' love lives (the loser would have to eat the hospital mystery meat), I still missed James. I still lay in bed in the middle of the night, thinking of him and all the nights we spent together, even before that night down by the river.
He had always been the constant thing in my life, the one person I could rely on. It had taken me ages to truly trust him…nearly ten years.
We went to Pokemon Tech together and met when I beat up the bullies who were beating on him. He was a scrawny little thirteen-year-old and a little wimpy, but he had a wicked streak.
"Wanna do something crazy?" he had asked me one night as we sat together beneath the stars in the parking lot, drinking a bootlegged bottle of beer. I looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Like what?" I asked. He nodded towards a Mercedes Benz in the parking lot.
"That car belongs to Matthew Kobin's parents," he explained. Matthew Kobin was probably one of the most obnoxious boys I had ever met. He had been the ring leader of the gang of preps that targeted James.
"And what do you have in mind?" I asked. He grinned and suddenly he was on his feet, picking the lock of the car door.
"What are you doing?" I hissed, "You're going to get us in trouble!"
"If we get caught," he allowed, popping the door open and sliding in the driver's seat. He looked at the passenger's seat expectantly. I smirked.
"If," I repeated, hopping in the seat.
We had taken turns driving it and barely made it out when I crashed it into a pole. We didn't care. We laughed our heads off and then James found a tire iron and we took turns smashing the car. Then we ran when we heard sirens, laughing our heads off. Revenge was sweet.
Coincidentally, we failed the final exams the next day. Then we ran away from the school, looking for something better. We ran into a bike gang and joined.
James was looking down at his bike as if it would attack him.
"What's your problem?" I asked. He looked fearfully up at me.
"I…I…" he couldn't get it out.
"What?" I snapped. I regretted it when I saw that he was close to tears.
"I…I can't…I don't know how…" he whimpered. I blinked.
"You don't know how to ride a bike?" I asked incredulously. The thought was absurd! Even I learned how to ride a bike, granted it had been a rusted reject from the kid up the road that was two sizes too big. James shook his head.
"It's not hard," I said, "I'll teach you," I announced. So that's what I did. Seventeen falls, twenty-four scrapes, and three pretty serious crashes later, I had to admit defeat.
"Okay, James…well…uh…hold on a sec!" I had an idea. Two hours later, I had installed training wheels on his bike. He grinned and hugged me in excitement for the first time.
Those early memories made me smile, especially when I remembered the time he crashed into a geeky little pokemon trainer gloating about his jigglypuff. Then I remembered the night I left the gang without him in the middle of the night. I had needed to get away, be something bigger. That fell through. The I joined Team Rocket and went through ten partners before I met the one who stuck, my old gang buddy, James. Then it was crazy scheme after crazy scheme, trying to win favour.
And then we fell for each other, pretty much ripping each other's clothes off after six years of being partnered together. What I had always thought was regular tension had turned out to have a lot of sexual undertones.
I sat on my sleeping bag and tried to comb my hair. James was looking at a maple syrup bottle. Meowth was licking maple syrup off himself. That's the last time we tried to use something sticky to slip up the twerps. I had enough trouble getting it out of my hair without having to chop off my beautiful locks.
"Alright, I'm going for a bath!" I fumed, throwing the brush aside in frustration. I stormed through the forest towards the nearby lake. I felt disgusting. I had maple syrup in places I had never thought I could have maple syrup. Ick. I stripped down at the water's edge and waded into the cool water up to my knees. I shuddered and stopped, not going all the way in. Instead, I scooped the cool water up onto me.
"I thought you were having a bath, but this is definitely better," James said, causing me to whirl around, covering myself.
"What are you…"
"I like activities where you get naked," he answered with a shrug as he kicked off his shoes and stepped in the water next to me.
"I can tell," I replied as I raked my eyes over him. He smirked and wrapped his arms around me, nuzzling his head in the crook of my neck.
"You taste like syrup," he told me.
"That's why I was going for a bath," I replied.
"A bath implies that you go in the whole way in," he informed me. That got my attention.
"Oh no! James, no!"
Too late. He launched his attack and we landed in the water, him fully clothed and me completely naked.
"You suck!" I pushed him away, shivering. He laughed that laugh of his and went for a kiss. I was ready this time and ended up dodging him and dunking him under. He came up spluttering.
"That wasn't nice!" he accused, advancing on me.
"Neither was pushing me in!" I reminded him as he walked backwards. He went for another kiss and this time is was successful. I felt my back make contact with a large rock near the edge of the lake and his grin was delicious. He shrugged off his jacket and I helped him with his shirt. Then his pants came off. Best bath ever.
No wonder we were having a kid now. We never missed an opportunity to catch the other with their pants down. Now I just missed him. It had been five days. Where was he?
The sixth day passed without hearing from him. When the twerps left, I was glad. Then I could let down some of the façade and stare out the window in depressed silence.
Please come back, I kept begging in my head, don't be like everyone else…please don't be like everyone else.
Meowth just watched me with pity on his fury face. I didn't even have the heart to knock that pitying look off his face.
I was in deep.
"Of course you missed him," Jack murmured, "Especially after that performance in the lake."
"Oh, it was good," Jessie admitted with a smile.
"Did he come back?" Jack asked.
On the sixth night, I woke up with a start and looked around for what startled me awake. Meowth had leapt to his feet and was glaring at the door, his claws unsheathed. I felt fear prickle up my spine as my eyes landed on the door. Someone was outside my doors…and it was long passed visiting hours. What could I really do in the face of an intruder? I still wasn't in top shape. There were times where I still got a little dizzy. Protecting myself was barely an option. Sure, there were my pokemon, but they would only last for so long. Then the door opened and a man stood there. He was wearing a fake green moustache and wig and he was dressed in sweater and jeans.
I relaxed.
"Hey beautiful," he greeted me.
"Hey, just hold on a minute, dere, bub-" Meowth's protests were cut short as James took off the wig and moustache and approached the bed.
"Finally!" I gasped as I latched onto his neck, "You're not allowed to do that again! And we have to have a very long talk about the twerps! And…other things!"
He laughed.
"Oh…good disguise dere, Jim," Meowth admitted sheepishly. James chuckled.
"Thanks, Meowth," he said, "How are you?" he asked me, "Is everything okay?"
"The doctor said that I should be fine other than a headache for a couple weeks. Stitches are out, which is good, and according to the latest blood test, I'm pregnant," I summarized, "What about you? Are you okay? What did they say?" I asked, but he was already grinning.
"I'm great. I got the money," he announced, laughing giddily. I blinked and suddenly I was laughing too. He kissed me. Everything was suddenly right in the world. James was back, we had money, and now we could have a baby.
"How on earth did youse get dem to give you dat money?" Meowth gasped, forcing us to break apart. Good timing, furball.
"Deceit," James shrugged, "They've lied to me enough. Figured I'd return the favour."
I suddenly grabbed his left hand and inspected it.
"No ring," he stated proudly, "Oh, Jess, you should've been there! You would have been so proud!"
"I already am," I told him, kissing him.
"Yuck!" Meowth moaned, "So what's da plan?" he asked. Seriously, could he not give us five minutes? James shot me a wicked grin and grabbed the bag that he had dropped on the floor. Then he grabbed a pacifier and shoved it in Meowth's mouth.
"That won't stop him," I commented. I was right. He spit it out, spewing mad.
"What's da big idea?"
"Disguise," he said simply, "There's two Rockets from accounting hanging out in the parking lot, so we need a disguise."
"So what's with da binky?" Meowth asked. Binky? Really? Oh Meowth.
"Our disguise is as new parents taking home their new baby and since you're about the right size…"
"Jeez, you've really got kids on da brain, don't you, Jimmy?" Meowth griped as he allowed himself to be wrapped in a blanket and bonnet.
"You mean I have to pretend that he's my child?" I groaned.
"That is the idea," James replied. Great. Why did irony love me so much? Did I not say that I refused to even compare Meowth to my own child?
I changed into my costume, which made me a brunette, while James got a wheelchair, which he swore up and down was part of the disguise. I'm not sure if I believed him or not. In a matter of minutes, we were headed to the lobby, where James slipped enough money to cover my stay. Then James slowly and cautiously wheeled me through the parking lot.
"Where are we going?" I hissed.
"Just wait," he whispered back as we passed two people, who looked vaguely familiar to me. The guy was short with orange hair and brown eyes while the girl had black hair and dark skin. I think I'd seen them around Team Rocket headquarters.
"Congratulations," the guy said, nodding towards baby Meowth. I smiled and nodded.
"Thanks," James said, beaming, "We're thrilled."
"What's his name?" the female asked. Shit.
"Waldo," James said quickly and I had to suppress a groan when I saw a kid reading a 'Where's Waldo?' book as his mother guided him through the hospital doors. Original, James.
"Waldo?" the pair echoed.
"Our little Wally," I cooed, through a fake smile as I looked down at Meowth, who had an eyebrow raised.
"That's so sweet," the girl said.
"Could we get a picture?" James asked, passing over a disposable camera to the guy. Then we posed for a picture with our new 'son'.
"Thank you," I said as pleasantly as I could to the couple. Then Meowth made some whimpering noises.
"Well, we should get this little guy home," James announced, "Good to meet you!" Then he wheeled me away towards a parked SUV.
"Keep up the act just a bit longer," he whispered as he unlocked the door and took Meowth from me, "Hold still while I strap you in."
After that was done, he helped me into the backseat as well and then went to return the wheelchair. Not bad, James.
"Jess, tell me you ain't gonna let him name da kid Waldo," Meowth whispered, spitting out the pacifier and twisting out of the blankets.
"Absolutely not," I assured him as I lost the wig.
"Good," Meowth said, "Da poor kid would get teased with a name like dat."
James returned and hopped into the driver's seat and pulled out, "Suckers," he chuckled.
"Impressive," I commented, "You are not naming our baby Waldo."
"We could call him Wally," James shrugged.
"No!" Meowth and I said together. To my surprise, there was also a bark from the back trunk area that sounded as if it was agreeing with us.
"What the-"
Then Growlie, James's beloved childhood pet growlithe, appeared behind me. James laughed, "Okay, I'm out voted," he surrendered, easing to the side of the road and looked back at us. Growlie hopped over the seat and licked my face. I laughed. He was like his master.
"Did you haveta bring da mutt?" Meowth asked.
"Of course," James said, "We need a good guard dog. And he's not all I brought," James added a little nervously.
"What-"
And then a little boy with bright turquoise hair and big green eyes hopped over the back seat from the trunk area.
"Who da heck is da kid?" Meowth asked loudly. The boy didn't answer. He just looked nervously down at his hands. It was James who answered.
"Jessie, Meowth, I'd like you to meet Teddy Parker, my little brother."
"Brother?" Jack asked curiously.
"Kind of a big deal considering that James was the only child of an aristocratic couple," Jessie explained, "It seemed that our lives just kept getting more and more complicated."
"I'll say," Jack agreed. Jessie frowned, noting that he still looked a little worse for wear. Giovanni's phone call had flipped a switch in Jack. He still had the unnerving, distant look in his eyes, like he was a thousand miles away in a place where not even Jessie's story could distract him.
TBC
AN: So here is my longest chapter to date...and it has Jessie's views on certain movie (which only got included because it just fit this chapter so well), as well as a twist, in the form of James's little brother. He's a cutie, just like his big brother. So, naturally, I guess most people are wondering what happened when James returned home. That will probably get addressed in either the next chapter or a companion one-shot. I'm quite fond of the story though :)
Songs that inspired this chapter:
-Wish You Were Here by Avril Lavigne. On the whole, her new album was a bit disappointing, but I love this song. It's so Jessie.
-You Get What You Give by The New Radicals. It kind of inspired young Jessie and James destroying the mercedes.
-Waves and the Both of Us by Charlotte Sometimes. Inspired Jessie and James in the lake ;)