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 22: A Helping Hand
Put your brave face on
The one you wore when you stole my heart
Won't you hold my hand?
We'll jump together into anything that could possibly happen
You take my over anaylse away
It's you and me
Against the world today
Feels like i'm running with my high heels on
And they're chasing us waiting for it to all go wrong
You're my umbrella against their sticks and stones
As long as we keep smiling, they'll never know
Put your brave face on
Put your brave face on
...Delta Goodrem - Brave Face
Every so often, Jessie would look over at Jack and watch as he ate and then as he cleared away the dishes. Should she tell him that she shared the EXACT same name as his daughter? What would she say? 'Hey, Jack, you know, I lied to you when I first got here. See, my name isn't Jessilina. It's actually Jessica Musashi Lillis…you know, the same name as your baby daughter…'
"You're oddly quiet," Jack commented. Jessie shrugged.
"Say Jack…what happened to your daughter?" she asked, frowning. Jack sighed.
"Well, seeing as how I've been on this mountain for twenty-two years, I would hope that she's grown up somewhere."
"So she'd be twenty-two?" Jessie asked. He shook his head.
"Nah, she'd be twenty-six now. Tomorrow is December sixteenth. Her birthday was in November. The twenty-first," he said. Jessie felt an unpleasant lurch in her stomach. Her birthday had been on November twenty-first. James and Teddy had helped the twins bring her breakfast in bed…with disastrous results. She had spent all morning cleaning bed sheets and two syrup covered kids.
"That's a long time," she said. He nodded.
"Too long," he agreed, stretching and yawning, "You mind if I turn in? Kinda tired."
"Sure," she said softly. She watched as he turned out the lights and settled into bed.
Jessie didn't sleep that night. She thought. A lot. She was too preoccupied with the fact that her FATHER was sleeping just across the room. Her father. The man who gave her life. Giovanni had had her shackled to her father's shack.
Fuck.
Giovanni was her uncle. She shuddered a little at this, hating that she shared the same DNA as the psycho, sadistic bastard. She rolled over on her side, conscious of the chains that rattled with her movement. She wondered if Giovanni had known that she was his niece all along. Was that why she and James had been allowed to live for so long after constant failure? But then that didn't explain why he had taken advantage of her all those years ago when she had just been a new recruit…
Maybe he hadn't known back then. Maybe he only figured it out after…or maybe he knew exactly what he was doing. Jessie shuddered again. He had probably known all along and thought it'd be great fun to fuck up his brother's kid. She was ninety-nine percent sure that he had known enough when he had sent her to live up here in the mountains. And of course, he had known about James, who was probably the real reason why their trio survived as long as they did in Team Rocket. Giovanni had to keep James alive so he could marry Jessiebelle and inherit millions.
Jessiebelle. Her cousin, Jessiebelle.
"This just keeps getting better and better," Jessie mumbled to herself. She would be lying if she said that she had never noticed the fact that she and James's whip-happy fiancé looked alike. She denied it, yes, because Jessiebelle was a raving lunatic, but the (Jessie shudders at this) family resemblance was too much for most people to ignore. James never compared the two, though, which was something considering he had spent most…well, all of his life being tormented by her cousin.
"My fucking cousin," Jessie swore, "My boyfriend is being forced to marry my cousin. My father and I are in exile thanks to my uncle…my uncle…"
Ick. The fact that she was so intimately connected to both Giovanni AND Jessiebelle made Jessie feel a little queasy. Well, at least she wasn't related to Cassidy or anything.
Jessie shook her head and decided to focus on something other than her fucked up relatives. She began thinking about her mother, Miya. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the things that Jack described. The light blue gaze, the purple curly hair, the playful smirk…although maybe that smirk had been solely reserved for her father…
She cringed. She didn't really want to think about her parents having sex, but even as she thought it, she remembered bits and pieces of Jack's story, particularly about the rooftop, "Okay. Sooo not thinking about that," she murmured to herself. She sighed and then focused again on remembering her mother and father.
She screwed her eyes shut and tried to retrieve a long forgotten memory, but nothing made sense. She remembered something warm and purple and then something cool. Snowgasfort, maybe? But that had come later, when Jessie had lived with Miki, her first foster mother. She frowned. How old had she been when she was placed in foster care…and why? From the way things sounded, her parents had loved her from the minute she was born. Jessie looked over at Jack, sleeping soundly, and wondered where it all went wrong. Why was he here on this mountain? What happened to her mother? Was she banished somewhere too?
And why couldn't Jessie remember anything about them?
She found that thought most troubling. As a child, it would have been comforting to have something, some memory of a warm embrace or a familiar scent, to help ease the loneliness. She wondered how life would have been for her if she had grew up with her parents. Would she have been the heir to the Team Rocket empire? Would she be an executive and forced by her grandmother to compete with her cousins for her inheritance? Would she have had brothers and sisters? Would she have met James sooner, or would she not have met him at all? Would her childhood have been happy?
She sighed and continued to ponder the 'what ifs' until morning. She was awake when Jack rolled out of bed with a moan.
"You're up early," he muttered, stretching.
"Hard to sleep," she shrugged, looking over at him. He raised an eyebrow and put on a clean shirt.
"Nightmares?" he asked, "I didn't hear your chains."
"No, I just had a difficult time falling to sleep," she told him, "Nothing major."
"Why don't I believe you?" Jack sighed, smirking lazily over at her. Jessie opened her mouth and closed it again, not really knowing what to say.
"If there's anything you want to talk about, Jessilina, I'm always willing to listen," he offered. She fiddled with the corner of her blanket. He sounded like a dad. Maybe she could tell him…but how would he react? Would he be happy? Or would he be upset at her for getting into this situation? She thought about the last time she had opened her mouth and upset him. He had stormed out and returned with a dangerous look on his face. And why had he been sent to exile in the first place? What had he done to get Giovanni to send him there? Would he even tell her if she told him that he was her father? And speaking of Giovanni…Jack knew what that bastard did to her all those years ago. How would he react to that?
"I'm good, Jack," she lied. Coward! She scolded herself. She could have told him…took a chance.
"Alright," he shrugged, "Well since you're actually up when I am, what do you want for breakfast?" he asked.
"Are pancakes an option?" Jessie asked hopefully.
"My specialty," Jack bowed, "Gio sends a lot of pancake batter. Unfortunately, he always forgets to sent a new frying pan."
"So how do you cook them?" Jessie asked. He grinned and crouched down in front of the fireplace and chose a couple small pieces of wood to stick on the fire. Then he moved a large, flat rock to a more central position on the hearth. Jessie hadn't even noticed it before now.
"As soon as I have a good flame going, I stick half of this in the fire to heat it up while I get the batter ready. It works quite well. Better than using a pot," he explained, "The one bad thing is that it takes awhile, but I'm going to assume that this time, I'm going to that I have a little entertainment."
"Huh?" Jessie asked, confused. He smirked.
"What happened next, Jessilina? Were you still scared of being a parent?" Jack clarified.
"That's old news. I had a whole new reason to be scared," Jessie revealed, "and it all starts with an event that takes place in Silver Shoal every year."
I stood on the deck sucking on a cherry lollipop, courtesy of Teddy's Halloween candy, and watching as James, Teddy, and the pokemon scuttled around on the sand as the sun dropped in the sky. Growlie was at my side, as he usually was nowadays, and Meowth was sitting on the rail beside me, his eyes scanning the horizon as his tail twitched.
"Are you done yet?" I called down with a whine.
"Almost," James called up as he and Wobbuffet carried a bench near the outdoor fire pit. I cringed, knowing what was going to happen before it did. Wobbuffet tripped over his stubby blue feet and James tripped over a stray log. The bench fell to the sand and James and Wobbuffet were sprawled out on the ground, moaning in pain. I sighed. James and Wobbuffet didn't have the best coordination alone; together, they were a disaster. I felt a familiar movement in my stomach and smiled.
"Yeah, Daddy's a clutz," I murmured, gently stroking the spot where I felt on of my twins moving.
"I tink Daddy just sprained his ankle," Meowth snickered as James came hobbling up onto the deck
"I'm fine," he assured me as he grabbed one of the many blankets that had been placed on the patio table, "Ready when you are, Darling," he said. I scowled. Out of all his pet names, I hated that one the most. It just sounded so…annoying and old-fashioned. 'Oh, Darling could you get me my paper? What's for dinner, Darling?'. Ick. Not that James would ever expect me to cook. We had long ago learned that we were safer when I stayed far away from the kitchen.
James and I settled on the bench together, covered by the blanket, and after assuring him that I was indeed warm enough, we watched Teddy roast a marshmallow. Growlie settled by our feet, not at all bothered by the heat that the fire was throwing off. The other pokemon were all over the yard. Mime Jr was perched on Teddy's shoulder, finding the little boy just as interesting as he usually found James. Carnivine and Wobbuffet were making a sandcastle and Seviper slithered through the sand, every so often poping up in random spots to snap at the odd rattata. Meowth yawned lazily and munched on a raw hotdog while preparing another one on a stick. He sat down beside my foot, intending to roast his food. Growlie didn't seem to like the cat being that close to him for he let out a low growl. I could see the hair on Meowth's neck bristle.
"What did youse say to me, Mutt?" he hissed. Growlie let out another short yip. Meowth gritted his teeth.
"Why don't you move, ya overgrown fleebag?" Meowth replied. Growlie actually let out a snarl.
"Oh, knock it off, you two!" I scolded them. They had been like this for awhile, sniping at each other and on occasion, even taking the odd swipe. Apparently what they said about cats and dogs was true.
"Tell dat to dat smelly, doity-"
"Shut up!" I snapped, "You're both getting on my nerves!" as if in agreement, I felt another movement in my stomach.
"Yeah, you don't have to fight all the time," Teddy agreed, sitting on the ground and trying to hide a shiver. I narrowed my eyes.
"You go get a coat or a blanket or something," I ordered him.
"But-"
"Ted, life is easier when you don't argue with her," James advised. I raised an eyebrow.
"Then life is going to get a lot harder for you," I growled. Teddy snickered on his way back to the house and James sighed.
"The babies don't like it when we argue," he tried. He placed a hand on my stomach and grinned like a fool when one of the twins reacted to his touch. It was probably the boy sucking up to his daddy.
"I can't wait," he whispered in my ear, "Only a couple more months."
"Fantastic," I sighed, leaning back into him. I was about six and a half months along. The doctor said everything was looking good and that it is important to take it easy. Of course, that didn't help with James's mother hen syndrome. He was worse than ever. I could barely move without him getting this panicked look on his face. At first, it was fun to give him a heart attack every time I got to my feet. Then it got kind of old. Like right now. I shifted a little bit and his eyes got wide.
"Are you okay?" he asked. I groaned.
"Keep it up and I'm going to be a single parent," I warned him.
"Mr. and Mrs. Logan," a voice greeted. It had become automatic to respond to the fake name. We looked up and found the Porter family standing there.
"Hi," we greeted, plastering on smiles.
"We saw your fire and thought we'd come say hi," Mr. Porter was saying, "We're just over there," he said pointing back towards their house.
"Hi Oliver! Hi Kari!" Teddy greeted, running back out, now clad in his jacket, "What are you guys doing here?"
"Mom needed a break from Nana," little Kari blurted out. Mrs. Porter blushed while her husband sighed.
"It's nice of you to come over," James said politely.
"No in-laws over here, thank god," I said smirking, "So what's the deal with this thing?" I asked, "James said it was quite the thing."
"Oh, the Seadra Shining is great," Mrs. Porter gushed, "You'll love it. I've never seen anything that even compares to it."
"Seadra have come here for years to spawn and birth their young," Mr. Porter explain, "It's quite a sight when the moonlight hits their scales."
"I was doing a story on it for the paper and I read in the town archives that the Seadra Shining was a sign to the fishermen that big things were to come in the following year," James told me, "The brighter the shining, the better the next year was going to be."
"Wow, sounds cool," I shrugged.
"Hey, Mom, can Teddy stay over tonight?" Oliver asked his parents. His mother raised an eyebrow.
"You are still banned from sleepovers after that stunt two months ago," she reminded him.
"But-"
"And Teddy's staying put too," I said, looking at my 'son'.
"It's just as well," Mr. Porter said, looking down at his boy, "We should be getting back to our company. Enjoy the shining."
We watched the family depart. They were actually very nice and they made good neighbours. Their kids were really polite and they weren't nosey. That was good enough for me.
"Nice people," James sighed.
"Agreed," I said, "So when does this thing start?" I asked with a yawn.
"Should be soon," he said, "Tired?"
"Yeah, actually. I don't know why. It's not like I've done anything really other than take a walk," I sighed. He put his hand back on my stomach.
"You're carrying around two kids all the time. That's got to be exhausting," James replied, "Do you want me to stay home tomorrow?"
"You have that meeting with the editor of the paper tomorrow," I reminded him.
"Kevin will understand if-"
"I'll be fine. I'll probably just lounge around in bed all day and read a book," I said, "Ooh, maybe I'll take a long bubble bath…"
"I'm so jealous right now," he moaned. I smirked.
"Come home early and join me in the tub," I offered, and I had the pleasure of watching his Adam's apple bob up and down. I could tell he was torn between his constant worrying and his own urges.
"Hey, look!" Teddy gasped, pointing to the sea. The moon had finally come out and the silver beams made the water shine brighter than I had ever seen. Then the silver shine changed colour and was now a mix between blue and green, but I could see shades of yellow underneath the waves. It was crazy bright and so freaking beautiful. I looked over at James and smiled. It kind of reminded me of that first night by the river…only more colourful.
"I'm no expert," he said softly, "but it looks like next year is going to be pretty great."
I looked at him and then down at Teddy, Meowth, and Growlie at our feet, and then at our other pokemon. I put a hand on top of his on my stomach.
"I think so too," I said softly.
We watched the spectacle for around an hour, admiring the view and laughing with each other. Aside from one more little spat between Growlie and Meowth, the evening went good. We packed everything back up to the house.
"Bedtime, Dude," I told Teddy as I made my way to the kitchen. He nodded. One thing about Teddy was that he was really compliant. Very like James when he was younger. I yawned again and opened the refrigerator, just standing there with a frown on my face.
"You okay?" James asked, "Hungry?"
"You know those movies where the man runs all over town to find his pregnant girlfriend some ridiculous type of food?" I asked hopefully. He did a good job of hiding his reluctance.
"What do you want?" he sighed.
"Pears," I said, "Oh, and chocolate milk."
"We have chocolate syrup," James said, pulling the bottle out of the fridge.
"Oh, jeez, tell me youse two aren't discussing doity things to do wid dat," Meowth moaned as he walked into the kitchen. I rolled my eyes.
"I don't like using chocolate syrup in chocolate milk," I said, ignoring the cat with the perpetually dirty mind, "I like the powder better. Then there's stuff left at the bottom to chew on…"
"Okay," he sighed, "Anything else?"
"Nope," I said, settling for a glass of water. He pecked me on the cheek and then he left to try and find what I wanted.
"He's such a doormat," Meowth observed as he followed me into the living room. I settled on the couch intending to wait for him.
"That's not a new development, Meowth," I replied. Growlie hopped up beside me and glared over at Meowth who was stretching on the back of the couch near my head. Meowth shot the puppy pokemon an equally nasty glare.
"Jessie?" Teddy asked me, padding into the room in his PJ's, "Where's James?" he asked.
"Went to the store," I answered, "What's up?"
"Oh…uh…well…James was helping me read…" he said shyly, holding a thick book in his hands. It looked way too intense for an eight-year-old. I wouldn't have been caught reading when I was eight.
"What are we reading?" I asked, shifting over a little to let him sit beside me. I noticed Growlie tense from the corner of my eye.
"The Chronicles of Narnia," Teddy said, "The Persian, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," he told me. Meowth made a noise of distaste and Growlie let out a yip that sounded a lot like a laugh. Meowth then made a rude gesture and Growlie returned it with a low growl.
"How come Meowth and Growlie are acting so weird?" Teddy asked me as he flipped through the book to find the story.
"Beats the hell out of me," I sighed, "Unfortunately the only one who could tell us is being a baby."
"Why were they being so hostile?" Jack asked, "That's a little unusual even for cat and dog-types."
Jessie laughed, "Yeah, and annoying. I found out why they were being so crazy a few days after that, actually."
"You're going to make me wait, aren't you?" Jack groaned.
"Yep."
Meowth scowled and ignored me for the rest of the night. I think James told him not to get me worked up. After a half-hour of reading to Teddy about an ice-queen, who reminded me of a certain blond, he went to bed. Not even five minutes after that, I was fast asleep on the couch only to be woken up a few minutes later by James, who triumphantly returned with three different kinds of chocolate milk mix and both fresh and canned pears. He looked a little put-out when I passed on the food and went up to bed.
I slept for about an hour before I had to get up to go to the bathroom, which I blamed on this stupid ambiance cd thing James had bought after he read about how the babies could hear in the womb. Tonight's theme: ocean sounds. Running water…not soothing. I settled back into bed and slept for another little bit. I woke up feeling insanely warm. I was sandwiched between James and Growlie. I groaned and mumbled to Growlie to go sleep with Teddy, which he did, but he met Meowth on the way, which lead to a brief confrontation. Ugh! At least it didn't last long. I drifted back asleep again, but then I was woken by strong little movements in my stomach. It's very hard to sleep when there are little alien things moving inside you, so I spent a couple hours just laying there, staring at the ceiling and listening to the soothing sounds of the jungle from that stupid CD. I drifted off around three and then I was up again at four for another bathroom trip. I fell asleep again only to be woken up AGAIN when then alarm clock started beeping.
Fuck my life.
"Good night then," Jack chuckled. Jessie shook her head.
"Glad you're amused," she commented.
Of course, James could sleep through a herd of stampeding tauros, so the little beeps of the alarm did nothing. Finally, after twenty seconds of this, I took my pillow and hit him.
"Umph!" he groaned, "Jess, I'm tired!"
I hit him again. And again. And again.
"Ow! Okay, okay! Jeez, what's got into you?" he asked, rolling out of bed to dodge my attack. I glared at him.
"If you value my sanity and your life, you will turn off that fucking alarm and you will get ready for work in the quietest way possible," I threatened.
"Jessie, the babies can hear you-"
I threw the pillow at him.
"Do you want me to get Teddy ready for school?" James sighed.
"Please," I said through clenched teeth, stealing his pillow and rolling on my side. I heard him close the bathroom door and shower. I fell asleep for a grand total of twenty-three minutes when that stupid alarm went off again.
"ARG!" I cried, grabbing that piece of shit and throwing it as hard as I could at the bathroom door. James poked his head out to look at the broken clock and the dent in the door. I had already rolled over and refused to acknowledge his existence.
"What was dat?" Meowth asked, coming in to investigate the commotion.
"A new batch of hormones," James sighed. I grabbed the cordless phone from the end table and threw it blindly over my shoulder at him. From the sounds of it, I missed my mark (and hit that stupid ambiance thing), but he did end up tripping over Growlie, who let out a yelp, which caused Meowth to snicker, which caused Growlie to bark and lunge for him, which made Meowth hiss, which made James scold both of them.
"Love you too, Jess," he called as he left the room. He sounded pissed, but whatever. At least with him and Teddy out of the house, I could sleep.
"That poor, poor bastard," Jack said, "Maybe he would have been better off with Jessiebelle."
Jessie shot him a deadly glare, "He most certainly would NOT have been better off with my stupid, crazy, self-absorbed, lunatic cou-…rival," she amended, catching herself before she could utter the c-word. Ugh. It was bad enough that she and Jessiebelle were related, but now it seemed that she was actually acknowledging that disturbing fact. Jack, for his part, tuned her out after the first insults left her mouth and thought that she was refraining from using a very different c-word.
I lazily opened my eyes around one. Growlie was laying at the foot of the bed, his eyes trained on the door. I smiled and snuggled deeper into the soft sheets, my world for once silent and comfortably warm. I heard the bedroom door click open. Hmm…maybe James was home early. Maybe he'd accept an apology…
Then Growlie started to growl. Growlie never growled at James.
"Oh, shuddup, Dog," Meowth hissed. Oh man! Not again! Growlie said something in pokemon speak and I'm pretty sure it was a jibe at the cat, who did something I didn't expect.
"Look, Mutt. We need to call a truce here," he said, "Ya annoy da hell outta me, but we've got bigger problems den just you and me."
"Growl?"
"Yeah! So just let me up dere and den you'll be on da bodyguard duty and I'll be da brains here," Meowth said. I frowned and opened my eyes just in time to see him hop up on the bed.
"What's going on?" I asked, still stubbornly refusing to move until I knew what was happening, "Bodyguard duty?"
Meowth's bright blue eyes softened as he made his way to the head of the bed, "I'm sorry I had to wake ya, Jess," he said in a very gentle voice, which reinforced the idea that James had told him not to wind me up.
"What's going on, Meowth?" I repeated. Meowth pointed to the window.
"Take a look," he said. I frowned and reluctantly left the soft, warm bed and looked out the window. It took me a moment to find what I was supposed to be looking for.
"Is that a net?" I asked, just able to identify the pattern in the water.
"Yep," Meowth answered.
"Why is it there?" I asked.
"Because of da seadra spawnin'," Meowth said, "All dose rare pokemon attract some less den reputable people."
"Team Rocket," I stated, understanding why Meowth was suddenly so willing to call a truce with Growlie.
"Yup."
"Where's James?" I asked, feeling my heart skip a beat, "And Teddy?"
"I'm gonna get onto dat right now. Me and da other pokemon were busy doin' sometin' else," he explained. I frowned.
"Do I wanna know?" I asked warily.
"I tink so. Now come meet da guy who's gonna help keep dis family safe," Meowth said, hopping off the bed and bounding to the door. What?
"Uh, Meowth?"
"Just trust me, Jess. I know what I'm doin'," he assured me. Why did I doubt that? Who could Meowth have possibly found that would keep our family safe? Aside from a couple acquaintances, we hadn't really met anyone that would take the time to help us. I stepped forwards, curious, and then a thought tugged at my mind.
"Meowth, if it's the twerp, I am going to beat your little head in!" I growled. Meowth scoffed.
"You think I'm suicidal? Just come on!" he moaned. I looked down at Growlie.
"If it's anyone twerp related, I give you full permission to eat him," I said to the puppy-pokemon, who actually looked a little put-out at the idea. He followed me to the living room, where my jaw hit the floor.
"Miss Jessie!"
"Mondo!" I exclaimed, staring at the youth who had been our go-to gadget guy in Team Rocket. He looked the same, his mop of brown hair just falling into honey-brown eyes. He was wearing a black Team Rocket uniform. He came up to me, which made Growlie let out a low rumble. I ignored him and pulled the kid into a hug.
"So a kid from Team Rocket comes into your house and you give him a hug. Smart," Jack commented. Jessie glared.
"Mondo's different," Jessie said a little defensively.
"Oh my god! How are you?" I asked.
"Good!" Mondo smiled, "How are you, Miss Jessie?"
"Living the dream, obviously," I replied. He grinned at me.
"Meowth told me! You and James must be pretty excited!" he said.
"Yeah, we're pretty happy," I admitted, "I can't believe you're here! What are you doing here?"
"I'm an agent now," he told me, "We're the first half of a team sent out here to wrangle water pokemon."
"First half?" I asked, sitting down on the sofa, a sinking feeling settling into my stomach.
"Yeah," Mondo nodded, "This is the shore that hundreds of pokemon use to spawn by. The seadra have their babies in the next week or so and then the seaking move in. Then the gyarados…"
"Gyarados?" I asked, "James obviously didn't think this through."
James was ridiculously scared of gyarados, which I can actually understand. Even I wasn't their biggest fan after James's magikarp (that he bought with MY money) evolved and got a bunch of it's sea serpent buddies to attack us after he kicked it. Thankfully we survived and never saw that thing again.
"The boss wants us to wrangle all the water pokemon that we can," Mondo was saying. I groaned.
"So there's going to be Rockets swarming the place for the next…"
"Four months," he answered, "During the colder winter months."
"Shit," I cursed, knowing that there was no way that we could coexist in a town with Team Rocket for four months and not be discovered, "We need to get out of here. Meowth, phone!" I demanded.
"Yeesh. You can tell who wears da pants in dis household," Meowth griped to Mondo as he gave me the phone. I rolled my eyes.
"She hasn't changed a bit," Mondo grinned. I dialled James's work phone. Voicemail.
"Pick up Teddy from school and get both of you home ASAP," I said. It would probably freak him out, but at least he'd hurry.
"No one bit," Mondo affirmed, still grinning.
"Unfortunately," Meowth muttered. I threw a cushion at him.
"So how are James and I going to get out of here?" I asked.
"We can pack for you!" Mondo chirped, "It's better if you guys get out of here before dark. That's when the others start coming."
"Fantastic," I moaned, "Er, Mondo, don't you have to get back before they miss you?" I asked. He shook his head.
"Nope. The three I'm here with…they won't miss me," he shrugged candidly. I raised my eyebrows.
"What? Mondo, why-"
"Because I have a bit of a hard time working for the people who tried to kill my best friends," he said, looking up at me with those wide eyes, "After Butch, Cassidy, and Domino tried to kill you guys, I wanted to quit, but the Boss thought I was too valuable with all my tech knowledge and promoted me."
"What's it like to be valuable again?" Meowth asked. Mondo shook his head.
"It stinks," he said, "The best part of my job was hanging out with you guys…and now…now I have to report to the people who almost killed you."
"What do you mean?" I asked, "Cassidy and Butcher got promoted?"
"No. If anything, they're in huge trouble," Mondo revealed, "Cassidy got demoted to desk work and Butch…well…no one really knows what happened to him."
"What'd they do?" I asked, morbidly curious about my rivals. Mondo shrugged.
"I have no idea. There's a couple rumours floating around…"
"Like what?" I asked. Cassidy and Butch fall from grace? This I just HAD to hear.
"Well some people are saying it's because they failed to kill you guys, but that doesn't make sense because Domino still has her elite status on special teams. Other people are saying…well…" at this, Mondo blushed.
"Out with it," I prodded him.
"Well, people think that they were together…Cassidy and Butch, I mean. Like together, together," he said slowly, his face becoming redder. That wasn't a big stretch. Of course Cassidy would screw her partner.
"Didn't you screw your partner?" Jack asked as an intoxicating aroma of cooking pancake batter filled the cabin. Jessie flushed. Suddenly it sounded very wrong for Jack to use words like 'screw' and to talk about her sex life.
"Uh, maybe. So what if I did?" she shrugged, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. He laughed.
"It's a little hypocritical, don't you think?" he asked.
"So what if it is?" she shrugged, her face still burning.
"What so the boss split them up?" I asked.
"Yeah," Mondo replied, "Word is that Butch was sent on a special, private mission…the kind most people don't come back from-"
"Wait a sec!" Jessie exclaimed.
"What?" Jack asked.
"You said before that Butch was sent out here a couple years ago," Jessie said, cursing herself for not remembering this sooner, "When exactly?"
Jack frowned, trying to remember, "Uh…maybe three…no, it was four years ago," he amended.
"That would have been around the right time, I guess," Jessie said, "Did he say why he was here?"
"Not exactly, but as I said, there's only one thing that brings rockets out here," he said. Jessie groaned.
"And you won't tell me. I get it. But did he say why he was sent out on the mission?" she asked. Jack frowned.
"He did say a few things. He even asked me about my daughter."
"He did?" Jessie asked in surprise. What could Butch possibly know about her parentage?
"Yeah. He seemed pretty curious," Jack said.
"Tell me," Jessie demanded.
"In the middle of your story? I don't want to interrupt."
"Interrupt," she ordered.
"After. Continue," he said firmly. Jessie glowered at him
"Well good riddance," I scoffed, not at all sympathetic for the man who helped chase me off of a cliff.
"Domino's been a nightmare, though," Mondo continued, "I hate her. She makes all of us report EVERYTHING and if something doesn't fit, she goes and interrogates us."
"Is she an efficiency expert all of a sudden?" I snorted. Mondo shook his head.
"You do NOT want to be interrogated by Domino," he advised with a shudder.
"Why's she so nuts?" Meowth asked.
"She's looking for you guys," Mondo replied, "She doesn't take failure well."
"Won't she interrogate you?" I asked, suddenly worried for both my well-being and that of the sweet teenage boy sitting before me.
"She's interrogated me so often that it doesn't work anymore," Mondo said defiantly, "She knows by now that the harder she pushes, the less I'll work, so she's stopped trying. I gapped at him.
"Look, Mondo, I know it sucks there at headquarters without us, but you have to do your job! You don't wanna give the boss an excuse to send Team Assassin after you. Trust me, falling off a cliff…not so fun," I told him. His usually happy face turned sombre.
"I don't care, Miss Jessie," he said firmly, "The Boss can do anything he wants to me, but I'm not gonna roll over and just do what he says. I'm not gonna be a mindless murderer…like Cassidy and Butch and Domino."
"Mondo-"
"And that's why I'm gonna help you and James get outta here," he declared, "You guys were the best friends I had on the team and friends take care of each other. You taught me that, Miss Jessie."
I was at loss for words. Mondo was a true friend. Always had been and now he was willing to risk his life to help us. I pulled him into another tight hug and refused to let him go.
"Uh, Miss Jessie? I should probably help Meowth and your pokemon pack your things," he squeaked.
"Oh. Right," I murmured, letting him go, "Sorry."
That happy-go-lucky grin was back on his face and he pecked me on the cheek before running off to help Meowth, who saluted to Growlie as he waited for Mondo the follow him to the garage. Growlie barked in approval, and I had to marvel at the sudden camaraderie between the two.
"There's a switch," I said, scratching the puppy pokemon behind the ears. Then the phone rang.
"Jess! Are you alright? Is it the babies? What's going on?" James's frantic voice panicked. I knew it'd freak him out.
"Shut up and calm down," I said in a low, steady voice, "I'm fine and the babies are right where you left them."
"Then what-"
"Would you just let me tell you?" I snapped, "Team Rocket is in Silver Shoal."
There was silence on the other end. Then came James's breathless voice, "What?"
"They're here and there's more coming. They're after water pokemon. They'll be here for the next four months," I told him, "Pick up Teddy from school and both of you get home. We have to get out of Silver Shoal. Today."
"How do you…" he started to ask, but then thought better of it, "What do I say?"
"Uh…tell 'em we have to leave for a little while…uh…family vacation?"
"Family vacations don't take four months," James said.
"Family emergency…your grandpa is sick," I offered. He let out a small whimper. Always so sensitive.
"Kay. I'll see you soon," he assured me. I hung up the phone. Meowth and Mondo were still off doing whatever it was that they were doing. Growlie was still by me and followed me when I stood to look out the window for what may have been the last time. I didn't really want to leave Silver Shoal. It was truly a beautiful place and I could definitely see why James chose it. It was the kind of place where I'd feel good about raising my children…it was home…
"Let's go pack," I sighed to Growlie, padding up to mine and James's room. I grabbed both of us a couple pairs of clothes, which was hard because there were so many other outfits that I wanted to take. I made sure to take the camera James had insisted upon. I stopped to cycle through the pictures, starting from back when we first moved in. There were pictures of us lounging on the beach, Teddy cautiously cradling his injured arms to him as he inspected the water, me when I didn't look like I swallowed a watermelon, me sleeping…
I frowned and deleted that photo. He could take pictures of me all he wanted when I was awake and had the presence of mind to look good for the camera. I sighed and shut off the camera before I tossed it into the rucksack I found in the closet. Then I found a tote bag and went into the bathroom to grab all of the essentials for life on the road. I remembered that road trip to from Sinnoh to Kanto all too well. The back roads, the ferry, the endless driving, the motels…and how there was always something that would have made life easier. Towels were one thing. It is very hard to use a campsite shower when you don't have a towel to dry yourself. Moisturizer. The last time, I broke out a lot…not good for the complexion. I made my way through the bathroom, throwing stuff into the tote bag. Then I deposited the bag on the bed and looked around the room, trying to find anything else.
My eyes landed on that infernal ambiance CD. Better hide that before James gets any ideas.
"Hiya, James!" I heard Mondo chirp from the living room.
"M-Mondo?" James spluttered. I smirked and walked back down to them. As I did, I could hear Meowth explaining the situation to James.
"You're helping us?" James asked incredulously.
"I guess not everyone in Team Rocket is evil," I said, smiling over at Mondo. The boys looked over at me. I could see relief on James's face and fear and confusion on Teddy's.
"Mondo doesn't have an evil bone in his body," James declared, "Alright, so Meowth and Mondo prepared all the camping gear in the garage so that will need loaded. We should take some food, I can go get clothes and all that-"
"I got it," I said, and upon his quizzical look, I explained, "I got a couple pairs of clothes for each of us along with all the bathroom stuff that we could possibly need. Everything's upstairs on the bed."
"Oh," he looked downright confused. I rolled my eyes as I sidled up to him.
"Honey, you can give orders all you want, but at the end of the day, I'm always going to be calling the shots," I told him.
"Not dat I ever doubted dat," Meowth muttered to Mondo. James, however, smirked.
"Did you just call me 'honey'?" he asked.
"Focus," I told him, "You go get the stuff from our room and round up the pokemon. I'll help Teddy pack," I ordered. I gestured to Teddy to follow when James grabbed my arm.
"Love you, Darling."
"Love you too, Doll-face," I retorted. My new tactic in 'operation-get-James-to-stop-with-that-pet-name' seemed to work. Mondo and Meowth snickered and James coloured. I smirked and lead Teddy back to his room where I grabbed him his own bag.
"Alright, Kid, you're going to throw clothes, toys, books, and bathroom stuff in the bag," I explained, setting the bag on the bed. For a moment, he didn't move, so I started throwing the essential underwear and socks into the bag.
"Jessie, are we in trouble?" he asked in a small voice. Ah, shit.
"A little bit," I allowed, "We just need to get out of town for a little while."
"I…Will…Do…" he stammered for a moment and I moved on to PJ's.
"What's up, Ted?" I asked.
"Will I get to stay with you?" he asked in a quiet voice. I stopped what I was doing and properly looked at the kid. He was looking down at his hands and his lower lip quivered. The kid was scared and confused. I sighed and knelt in front of him.
"Dude, you're part of this family. You go where we go. We're all going to be okay. I promise," I assured him, even though I had no idea if it were true or not. It seemed to reassure him, for he gave me a quick hug before starting his own packing.
A half-hour later and we were ready to go, standing in the garage. James had just got back from explaining to the Porters why we were leaving and to ask them to look in on the place from time to time. They agreed and expressed a lot of sympathy for James's supposed dying relative. They were pretty good neighbours.
Now we were all standing by the car. Teddy still looked scared and kept pretty close to me and Growlie. James looked just as scared, even though he was trying to put on a brave face. I suppose I looked the same, trying to hide behind a mask and be strong. Meowth was anxious, nervous to get going. Mondo looked a little sad.
"I'll make sure they stay away from this place," he said, giving me and James a quick hug, "Your secret will always be safe with me."
"Oh, Mondo, I don't know what we'd do without you," I gushed, pulling him in for another hug.
"Just be safe, Miss Jessie," he whispered, "And good luck with James and Meowth and the babies."
I'd need it.
"Thanks, Mondo," James said, clapping the young man on the shoulder, "You're a great friend."
"Anytime. In four months, you can come back, but make sure that you check before," Mondo said. We nodded, knowing that as soon as Mondo deemed Silver Shoal safe again, he would send an email to a special email account that he and James set up. None of us would use names, just a couple predetermined words.
"We will," we assured him. For a moment we stood there staring at each other. Mondo looked so alone as he prepared to help us flee from out enemies. Then James helped Teddy and Growlie get into the vehicle. A feeling of panic swept over me as the pressure of goodbye weighed down on me.
"Mondo, come with us," I pleaded in the last moment. He just gave me a soft smile.
"I wish I could, Miss Jessie," he said, "but someone's got to keep you safe."
I hugged him again, cursing the tears that fell from my eyes. Damn hormones.
"Be careful, Mondo," I whispered in his ears.
"You too," he whispered back. Then I got into the passenger side of the vehicle. Meowth hopped in after me, giving Mondo a salute.
Then James threw the car into gear and pulled out onto the road. I blinked back tears and took a breath. Then I felt his hand in mine. I looked over at him and we locked eyes for that brief second. Suddenly, I felt a little better, like everything would actually be alright despite the fact that we were running again.
We'd face the world together, like we had always done, and we'd be okay because we had each other.
"Paradise doesn't last," Jessie sighed as she watched Jack dish out his pancakes,
"No, it does not," Jack agreed, passing her a plate. She fiddled with her food for a moment.
"So about Butch…" she hinted, "My story is done for now and you did say that you'd tell me."
"You know, you're oddly curious about the man who nearly murdered you," Jack observed. Well, duh, she thought, I kind of want to know why he was asking you about me and what he knows.
"I wanna know why he was out here," Jessie maintained.
"And what purpose would that serve exactly?"
She shrugged, "I dunno. It'd give me something else to think about. I don't have much else to do," which wasn't really a lie. She kind of needed something else to think about and Butch and Cassidy's woes would at least lift her mood and get her mind off of her messed up past.
"Alright," Jack sighed, "I'll tell you."
TBC
AN: Yay for Mondo! Of course he'd do anything for Jessie and James, especially for Jessie's wellbeing. So Jessie and James are back on the run. Exciting. And now we get to delve into the mystery that is Butch and Cassidy. They'd definately get Jessie's mind off of everything. So what are your thoughts about how Jessie is handling her paternity? Comments, concerns? I'd love to hear 'em!
Songs That Inspired This Chapter:
-Brave Face by Delta Goodrem.
-Get Out of This Town by Carrie Underwood.