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 19: That Could Be Arranged

Gonna throw on this cotton dress,
Put lilac scent on the back of my neck,
Walk barefoot down that mountainside,
Straight to your door,
Girl, you can't hide.

'Cause I do not forgive and I do not forget.
I will fight for love until the death.
Jezebel, save your charms
He'll be back here in my arms
Oh how quickly you forget,
He's not yours yet,
He's not yours, not yet.
…Chely Wright - Jezebel

"What do you think now?" Jack asked, pulling away from his makeshift curtain, holding the other half of a tarp in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other.

"You can't cut straight, can you?" Jessie asked. He rolled his eyes.

"It's good enough," he griped, "Now is there anything else you need?" he asked, testing out the curtain designed to give Jessie a little privacy.

"Not off the top of my head," she replied.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"No. Why?"

"I try and keep myself busy, especially during this time of year," he answered, sitting back down beside her. Jessie nodded.

"Right. Giovanni said that your 'anniversary' is coming up," Jessie remembered.

"Three days and I'll have spent twenty-two years here," Jack confirmed.

"And do I have to worry about you disappearing again in three days?" Jessie asked. He smiled and shook his head.

"No, I think I'll be good," he assured her, "Giovanni's warped anniversary doesn't trouble me nearly as much as…the other event."

"Which I will find out eventually, right?" Jessie prodded.

"Yes," Jack nodded.

"Now?" she hinted hopefully. He chuckled.

"Not now, but I could tell you something else, something that I suspect you will appreciate."

I got out of bed and stretched. It was nice to be back in my own bed for a change. I had resumed my duties as mother's negotiator, which was basically travelling all over the country schmoozing up to rich guys for money. It was a rare thing when I got to be at home, but now, for the first time in a month and a half, I was waking up in my rooms at headquarters. Not that I'd be home for long. Glancing at the clock, I realized that I had three hours before I would have to meet with the rest of my family for a road trip. I groaned and quickly changed into shorts and a t-shirt. Then I made my way to the grounds to begin my morning run.

I started running when I noticed that I was astoundingly out of shape, something which Blackthorn banker Peter Dryden thought was hilarious. I'd have the last laugh, though, and wipe those smug smirks off his and his dragon-tamer girlfriend's faces when I returned to the city to compete in the Dragon Race Battle.

"Dragon Race Battle?" Jessie asked. Jack nodded.

"It was a Blackthorn tradition back in the day. You had to run 20 kilometres and use a dragon pokemon to battle other trainers. I never did get a chance to compete," Jack explained.

"How come?"

Jack smiled, "You'll see."

Viridian City was only a couple miles from Mother's estate and I cleared the distance easily, entering the city at its outskirts. I had intended to turn back home at this point, but curiosity got the best of me. Miya's apartment was only a couple blocks away.

"You just couldn't stay away," Jessie smirked.

"Nope," Jack agreed.

I pounded the pavement and I found myself in front of her building. Should I go in? Should I not? Would she even want to see me?

"Mr. Sakaki?" a familiar voice questioned, and I turned around to see Amy Carson pushing her small son in a stroller.

"Amy," I greeted, "and your son…"

Shit. Forgot his name.

"How are you, Mr. Sakaki?" she asked warmly. I smiled.

"Fine," I said, "It's nice running into you. How are you?"

"I'm good. I was just dropping some papers off for Miya to sign on my way to drop Butch off at daycare," she explained.

"I see," I replied, "He's sure changed a lot since the last time I saw him."

"It's amazing," she agreed, "You blink and then the next moment, they've practically grown up."

"Yeah. Amazing," I agreed, "I should let you get to Miya. I wouldn't want you to be late."

"Well, I'm sure I'll see you later," she smiled, going into the building with baby Butch, who was happily sucking on his fingers. The kid did look a lot different. He had more hair, which his mother kept fairly neat, but it had a way of falling into his eyes. He was also bigger and he had a wide little grin. He certainly wasn't the same little blob I had held all those months ago. I smiled and cast a look up at Miya's window, and too my immense shock, I saw her standing there, looking down at me. I gave a little shrug and waved. I felt my stomach jump when I saw her wave back. Then I turned and continued on my way, every so often looking back over my shoulder.

I noticed that there were a few people up and about, which I had initially thought as odd for 7:00 am, but I was out at that hour so it couldn't have been so weird. I passed a dark van that had been sitting on Miya's street and then I turned the corner. I thought about little Butch Carson, who would probably be close to seven or eight months old. It was astounding to see a little boy in place of the baby he had been. I began to wonder if this feeling of amazement would become a regular one. Maybe, if I was lucky, I would see my child after it was born, but then who knew how long before I would get to see it again? Would I still be astounded by the changes in it after not seeing it for a month? Or two? Or three? Or twelve?

I looked back at Viridian and sighed, the thought bothering me a little.

"You probably should have thought of that before," Jessie commented.

"Hindsight is a wonderful thing," Jack agreed, rolling his eyes.

I made it back to Mother's estate with enough time to shower and change and trot down the steps to the entrance hall, where mother was sitting in a stiff chair, sipping a cup of tea.

"Morning, Mother," I greeted. She smiled at me, a warm smile.

"Good morning, my son," she greeted, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I had a good run this morning as well," I told her. She seemed genuinely pleased with this.

"You've started running again? That is good to hear. You always were a bit of an athlete," she said. I smiled.

"Just track, baseball, and swimming. Gio and Joseph did all the contact sports," I reminded her. Joe usually said that it was because I was too scrawny to hold my own in a football or hockey game. The closest I got to contact was baseball.

"That's right," she remembered with a frown, "They were always more inclined to that sort. Running is a much safer activity. More disciplined. I've been very pleased with your work, Jack," she complimented me. I grinned.

"I aim to please, Mother," I bowed. She looked at me for a long moment and I felt like I was being x-rayed.

"The road hasn't been kind to you, has it, my son?" she asked, sounding truly concerned. I put on a fake smile.

"It's been alright," I lied, "I feel good about contributing to the cause."

"You need to slow down," she said, "Settle."

I hid my cringe, "Mother, I'm perfectly fine-"

"Your brothers are both married with families," she stated, "and you are all alone."

"I've always been a lone wolf, Mother. I'm fine alone," I assured her, though, by the way she looked at me, I could tell that she knew that I was lying. She didn't press the subject, though, for Joseph had arrived with his wife, new baby, and Jade and Silver in tow.

"Gio will be along soon," Joe said, "He had a thing in Pallet Town."

I noticed Jade sigh and I glanced at her. I could see her biting her lip. She was not the carefree mother I knew her to be. She was tense, as she always was, around my mother. Isabelle, on the other hand, looked radiant as she and mother fussed over the new baby.

Giovanni arrived a few moments later, doing his best to smooth his rumpled suit and fix his tie.

"You are late, Giovanni," Mother griped.

"My apologies, Mother," he said with a bow, adjusting his collar. From my angle, I could see the hint of a bruise on his neck. A hickey?

"Who in their right mind would go and give HIM a hickey?" Jessie asked in revulsion.

"I've never quite figured that one out," Jack replied, "At the time, I had hoped that I was mistaken, but looking back on it, I have a guess or two."

The family piled into one of Mother's limousines. It was Hell.

The reason for the trip was to pay the Morgan family a visit and unfortunately, the Morgan estate was located fourteen miles north of Fuchsia city, which was a six hour car ride from Viridian. Add the fact that there were six people crammed into the back of the limousine, not including the two screaming infants. From what I knew of Silver, he was a quiet baby, rarely fussing for Jade. I attributed his current chaotic state to the incessant cries of his new cousin. Of course, Mother saw it from the opposite point of view.

"Would you calm the poor boy down?" Mother barked at Jade, "He's upsetting the baby!"

"I'm trying, Madam Sakaki," Jade growled, gently running slow circles over Silver's arm, but they did little to appease the boy. Giovanni was no help. He was glaring out the window, not at all happy about this trip. Joseph had had the little daughter that Mother had wanted, which did nothing to help my eldest brother's mood. He had been shoved out of the limelight, and as Joe had predicted, he did not take it well. Maybe Joe had been right about his other predictions, particularly the ones about me.

Despite myself, I thought of Miya. I wished that I had been able to talk to her that morning. It had to be getting closer to the due date and I hoped that she was prepared. I hoped that she had wisely spent the money that I had given her. What was I thinking? Miya was the most level-headed person I knew. She had probably set up her spare room with a crib and changing table. She probably had diapers and bottles and baby clothes all ready to go. I bet she even had a bunch of toys that the baby would not be able to appreciate for another few months. That made me wonder what kinds of toys and clothes that she had bought. Were there shirts with race cars and dinosaurs on them or were they covered in pink frilly flowers and butterflies? Were there plastic tools or plastic cookware? Did she paint the spare room pink or blue?

"In short, you were wondering whether you were having a boy or a girl in the most stereotypical way possible," Jessie summarized. Jack chuckled.

"Jack!" suddenly Jade's voice snapped me from my thoughts.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Can you hold him?" Jade asked me, taking her son from his seat, "You've had such a way with him these last few weeks."

"Err…okay," I agreed, gently taking my nephew from her. He looked at me with pure misery as his cousin carried on, but he rested his head on my chest and stuck a few fingers in his mouth. It didn't even bug me that there was now a little drool on my shirt. In the rare moments I was home, I found myself spending more and more time with Jade and Silver, mostly because of Gio's late work schedule, though I had my doubts as to whether he was actually working or not. I tried to ignore my brother's annoyed look as his son clung to me. I don't know what it is, but babies tended to calm down around me. As Silver quit screaming, Mother was forced to acknowledge that it was not Jade's fault that the baby was still crying. She did this not by apologizing, but by praising me.

"You have such a way with children, Jack. It's such a pity that you haven't found the right woman to settle down with," she said. Again, she was trying to get me to think about settling and for a moment, Miya's face painfully flashed across my mind.

"I guess I'm picky," I replied. Very picky. The right woman had to have long, curly purple hair, stunning blue eyes, and perfect lips that could make me sink to my knees. She had to have a wicked streak, but be loyal and kind. She had to be tolerant, yet firm with me. She had to be Miya. I felt my stomach turn over. I had lost that chance.

I sat there with Silver for a long time. Isabelle finally managed to calm her daughter and the family rode in silence towards the Morgan estate. It was a cool November afternoon and I passed Silver to Jade so that she could wrap him up against the cold. Then the entire family walked towards the front entry as the butler opened the door for us. The Morgans were waiting in their sitting room. Annette had regained her trim figure following the birth of her son and her light magenta hair was pulled into a neat bun. A bassinet was beside her, but a nanny, who looked suspiciously like a wynut, was tending to it. Thomas had stood to greet us.

"Such an honour!" he beamed, clasping each of our hands as Annette encouraged Jade and Isabelle to sit. I took a look in the bassinet at the baby boy. He must have been around four months old. He had bright, curious green eyes and little tufts of his father's blue hair. He was small for his age. Way smaller than Silver had been.

"A marvellous occasion," Annette agreed as we made ourselves comfortable, "I'm so thrilled for us, Isabelle," she gushed, gazing down at my niece.

"As am I," Isabelle agreed, "After all these years, we're about to be family!"

"Family?" Jessie asked warily.

"You'll see," Jack replied, smirking a little.

"We have all of the legal documents ready to be signed," Thomas said, gesturing for his expensive lawyer to come forward.

"Hence we gather to pay witness to the betrothal of Jessiebelle Rumika Sakaki, daughter of Joseph and Isabelle Sakaki, to James Kojiro Morgan, son of Thomas and Annette Morgan."

"NO!" Jessie gasped in horror. Jack winced. He wouldn't have been surprised if every zubat in a five mile radius picked up on that shriek.

"Ow," Jack cringed.

"Jessiebelle is your NIECE?" Jessie yelped.

"So I'm guessing that James's parents were Thomas and Annette?" Jack asked tentatively.

"Ugh! That spoiled, prissy, self-centered lunatic is your neice?" Jessie shuddered.

"That about sums it up," Jack nodded, "I guess she hasn't changed in the past twenty-two years."

Jessie blinked several times and then, for some inexplicable reason, Giovanni's words on her first day in the Andes played in her head.

'Well, Dear Brother, aside from checking up on your…ah…new roommate, I would like to inform you that our niece is to be married.'

"DAMMIT!" she cried, "FUCK! SHIT! DAMMIT!"

"Any reason why you're screaming out profanity?" Jack questioned, cringing again at the volume.

"Don't you remember?" Jessie asked him, "When I first got here, your brother said that your niece was going to be married. That's what happened to James! He got sent home to marry her! DAMMIT!"

"Well it wouldn't be much of a stretch," Jack shrugged, and then pausing for a moment, "So that's why you're here," he said, suddenly realizing why his brother had been so interested in Jessilina and her partner.

"Say what?" Jessie asked, her anger momentarily giving way to confusion.

"James and Jessiebelle have been engaged since they were infants and, as I understand it, upon the marriage taking place, he stands to inherit a lot of money."

"I don't follow. What does that have to do with me being here?" Jessie questioned.

"When James inherits his fortune, so does Jessiebelle. Giovanni is obviously under the impression that he'll get a chunk of change, which is why he had to split you two up," Jack explained, "It makes sense. No doubt that Gio realizes what the Morgan fortune could do for Team Rocket."

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Jessie moaned, "Dammit! I knew I should have married James when I had the chance!"

"I doubt that that would have changed things," Jack said.

"Bigamy," Jessie replied, "Giovanni wouldn't have been able to marry him off."

"Sure he would have," Jack argued, "You don't seem to comprehend just how much James stands to inherit upon his marriage. The money he stole from his family certainly has kept you afloat, but it pales in comparison to what he is actually worth. Giovanni would not let that opportunity slip away over something as trivial as James being already married. Gio would have killed you and married him off anyways. It's luckier that you weren't married."

"Fuck."

"Small world, though," Jack said, as if hoping that would lessen her mood, "It's not everyday that I get to meet the woman who stole James Morgan away from my niece. Strange little connection, don't you think?"

Jessie just slumped back against the wall and shook her head.

It was a rather stiff and formal affair with a lot of documents to sign, for everyone involved, even the witnesses.

"Why don't you place her with my sweet baby James?" Annette gushed to Isabelle, "It'll give us a chance to do the signin'."

"Marvellous idea, dear," Isabelle agreed, putting the baby in with James. It wasn't a marvellous idea. It wasn't even a good idea. It was a horrendously BAD idea. The second that Isabelle put Jessiebelle in the bassinet, James started screaming.

"That has not changed," Jessie commented. Jack smirked.

When James started screaming, Jessiebelle started, and then that got Silver going. I cringed and it took Isabelle, Annette, and Jade a long time to get the three infants to calm down. As for me, I retreated with Giovanni, Joseph, and Mother to Thomas's den.

"Children," Thomas shrugged heartily, "One day, they'll all be so much more."

"That they will, Mr. Morgan," Mother agreed, "Beautifully said."

I thought about Morgan's words. It was true. They all would be so much more. Silver would one day be a tall, strapping young man, like his father, but similar in temperament to his kind, sensitive mother, and he would be a great trainer. Jessiebelle would be a lovely young woman, probably resembling mother, as I've heard a lot about how much the baby resembles Mother when she was small. And James would probably look like Thomas, and more than likely, follow his father into the world of business before marrying Jessiebelle and having a child of their own. They would make a very smart couple and-"

"If you value your life, you will not finish that sentence," Jessie hissed through clenched teeth.

"Hey, don't get me wrong; I'm glad you corrupted the kid. He seems pretty happy with you."

And my child…my child would be a person. It wouldn't be stuck inside the womb. Maybe it would be a pokemon trainer. Maybe it…wait, it? This thinking about the future stuff would be easier if I knew if I was having a boy or a girl…but I guess I burned that bridge. A boy…well, I hoped he'd be bigger than me when I was a kid. Maybe he'd play sports, or maybe he'd run, like I did. Maybe he'd chase the girls like me…until he found the one that made his head spin. Hopefully he'd hold onto her. And if it was a girl…ah, hell. She'd be gorgeous, like her mother. Miya would have to beat the boys off with a stick. And she'd be smart and funny and…hell, she'd probably be a bit sarcastic, just like Miya.

But what did that all matter? I thought to myself as Thomas poured drinks. I wouldn't be there to see my boy or girl. Not likely, anyway. I walked away. Miya would be the one to cradle the baby as a newborn. She'd teach it to talk and walk. She'd be there for first days of school and bike rides and play dates. She'd be the one buying fancy clothes for dates and dances…

I'd be a nobody. I brought the alcohol to my lips and drank.

Would Miya marry some guy to be a father-figure? Would she choose someone else…someone who wanted to be a dad? The thought made my stomach turn. I had never considered that possibility before.

"Jack?" Joe said, jolting me from my thoughts. He held out a pen for me to sign the paper as a witness. I put my pen to parchment and bore witness to the arranged marriage of Jessiebelle Sakaki and James Morgan.

"You suck," Jessie managed to get out.

"I do," Jack nodded.

We exited the room and returned to the sitting area where the infants had finally calmed down. Isabelle and Annette were happily chatting, relishing in the quiet. I paused and looked down at the bassinet holding James and the one holding Jessiebelle and then at Silver, who was playing by his mother's feet. Someday they'd grow up. Someday they would be much more.

"Maybe James and Silver," Jessie said, "I doubt she's much of anything other than a snobby, boyfriend-stealing psycho bi-"

"Continuing on," Jack whistled, eyeing the dangerous redhead with a look of fear in his eyes.

It was exactly 6:58 in the evening -I know because I was watching the clock as the servants served us dinner- when I felt a cold shiver creep up my spine . At the same time, Baby James suddenly let out an inexplicable wail. Five minutes later and neither the nurse nor his mother could figure out what had set the baby off. He wasn't hungry or in need of a change. He wasn't hurt or sick. Then there was a phone call for Mother, urgent, according to the butler. She took it in the next room and five minutes later, she beckoned me to join her.

"Mother?" I asked, concern filling my features.

"Do you have a flying pokemon with you, Son?" she questioned. I nodded and fingered my skarmory's poke ball.

"Good," she said, "I need you to fly to headquarters in my stead. There has been some type of incident."

"What kind?" I asked.

"The urgent kind. Go!" she shooed me and I didn't need telling twice.

The trip that had took six hours by car took an hour and a half on the wings of my skarmory. I strode into headquarters, chilled to the bone and my hair windswept. I got to the lobby and there was chaos. Bullet holes and upturned furniture and I stepped in blood. I looked down at my foot and then up at the green-haired young woman I had talked to early this morning.

"Amy, what is this?" I asked, my voice thick, "What happened?"

"It happened so fast, Sir…one moment it was silent and then they were firing…it was hazy…"

"Amy! Amy, shh, calm down!" I said, grabbing her arms, "What happened?"

"It was all of a sudden. I was doing paperwork and these two men came in, shouting and then there smoke and guns…it was so fast…"

"Where'd they go, Amy?" I asked as calmly as I could muster.

"Oak, Ketchum, and Parker…they heard the commotion and fought back…they saved us…they dragged the men down to the dungeons," she got out, tears welling up in her eyes. I took a breath.

"Good," I said, praising the agents, "I'll head there…" I trailed off, looking down at the bloodstain on the floor, "Whose blood is that, Amy? Is it theirs? The shooters?"

She shook her head, her tears falling, "Oak was hit…in the arm…he protected me…"

"He'll be alright, then," I breathed, glad to know that the brave man would likely not succumb to his wounds.

"And Miyamoto…" she breathed and I felt my heart miss a beat in my chest, "She was dropping off some papers for her maternity leave…she was bleeding too."

"Where-?" I asked, the blood draining from my face and my stomach plummeting to my feet.

"Oak took her to Viridian with him while Ketchum and Parker dealt with the shooters…"

I nodded, my brain going fuzzy. I willed myself to think of something, anything. I had to think…focus…but I felt sick…so very sick…

"Sir?"

I turned around and Lana Parker and Heath Ketchum were standing there.

"We just came from the dungeons. We got 'em there, Sir," Ketchum said, his dark eyes full of purpose. I couldn't speak. All I could hear was my heartbeat in my head and I could only feel the lump in my throat. I had to find my voice…take charge…even when I wanted to run from the room.

"Is Motorcycle okay?" Lana was looking at Amy.

"He's at the hospital," Amy replied shakily. Lana approached the other woman and hugged her around the shoulders.

"I want this room cleaned up," I found my voice, "Take photographs and then clean it up. Mother will be back soon. This place can't look like a war-zone."

"Yes, Sir," Heath saluted.

"The bastards that did this…they're contained?" I asked.

"Yes, Sir."

"Good," I took a breath, "I know you're all worried. I'll take care of it. I'm going to the hospital."

I took a step and my head spun. I paused and willed it to stop and I willed for the bile to stay in my stomach. I had to stay strong. I had to focus.

"Mr. Sakaki, are you alright?" Amy asked me. I looked at her, but didn't really see her. My brain, on auto-pilot, responded with a lie.

"Yeah."

But in truth, I felt like my entire world had blown apart.

I pulled myself together.

And I ran.

"Wow," Jessie said, looking over at Jack, who nodded. He felt his stomach turn simply revisiting that night in his mind.

"You went to her, didn't you?" Jessie asked. Jack nodded.

"I did. But no more. Not tonight," he managed to breathe. Jessie smiled and took his hand.

"That's fine," she said, "but before you turn in for the night, I need you to do me a favour."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I need you to get me a knife," she requested.

"A knife? Why?" Jack asked, his brow knitting in concern. Jessie's eyes had a hard, determined glint in them.

"Because you won't let me play with fire," she said, "And now more than ever, I NEED to get out of here. James needs me now like Miya needed you."

"What are you going to do?" Jack asked, a hint of curiosity and fear in his voice.

"I'm going to chip away the wood around those planks of metal holding me to this wall," Jessie said determinedly, "And nothing you say is gonna stop me. I'm gonna chip away that wood, walk down the side of this mountain, and I'm gonna make that bitch pay for messing with my man. And I don't care if she is your niece. She's not going to sink her claws into him, arranged marriage or no."

Jack gulped and leapt to his feet to find her what she desired. She was VERY scary. He was kind of starting to regret revealing that they were both closely connected to James Kojiro Morgan.

TBC

AN: So Jack and Jessie have realized that they have James in common...probably not the connection most of you were anticipating, but that's coming up sooner than you think. But hey, Jess has learned what happened to James. She handled it well, don't you think?

Songs That Inspired This Chapter:
-Jezebel by Chely Wright. It's just perfect for the entire situation, right down to the name.
-Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap.
-Waiting on the Sun to Rise by Absence of Concern.