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 23: Scandalous

I'm gonna a start a revolution,
Of convoluted disillusion.
I'll lead a war with no conclusion,
And in the final hour I'll be a confident coward

They're gonna miss me when I'm dead and gone.
They're gonna talk about me over and over and over.
They're gonna file me under latest nostalgia, happily ever after.

But I'm not a hero, I'm a liar.
I'm not a savior, I'm a vampire.
Sucking the life out of all the friends I've ever known.
We're a trainwreck, not winners.
On a soap box preaching down to the sinners.
Saints without a cause, we're not listening, we're not listening,
We're not listening, we're not listening.
...All Time Low - Heroes

"Around four years ago, I was sitting up one night trying to put together a chair when there was a sudden knock on the door," Jack said, "As you know, I don't get that many visitors out here. I opened the door and found a young man with blood pouring from his forehead. Despite the fact that he was wearing one of my brother's uniforms, I let him in, knowing that he would have probably died out in the snowstorm…"

The green-haired young man looked over at me, still clutching the chunk of ice to the gash on his forehead. Why he had decided to go wandering through the mountains at night during a snowstorm, I didn't understand.

"Are you going to tell me what you were doing out there?" I asked.

"I can't-"

"Then let me guess," I offered, already a little frustrated by this situation. I expected my visitors to be forthcoming in exchange for hospitality. I certainly didn't want to play doctor for one of my brother's minions and not know why. He shrugged.

"You're after a certain legendary pokemon," I said bluntly, and I had the pleasure of seeing his eyes widen.

"How'd you know?" he asked, looking scared.

"I have my ways," I said mysteriously, "You do know that you're probably going to die looking for it, right?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but then he looked at the blood-stained ice shard in his hand, clenched his eyes shut, and nodded, that hard façade slipping away and revealing the fear beneath.

"Then why do it?" I asked, "Is glory really worth dying for?"

"It's not glory," he said in a small voice, swallowing thickly, "I don't want to be famous or infamous or whatever. I just…I just have to."

I frowned. I was an expert at desperation and I could tell that this young man was desperate. He tried so hard to hold his head up to convince me that he was alright so that I would allow him to continue his suicide mission. I knew better of course.

"Have to, huh?" I said, seeing the whole picture, "Who's going to get hurt if you don't complete the mission?"

He sighed heavily and looked even worse for wear, "My partner," he revealed. Suddenly I held a bit more respect for this young agent.

"What's your name, Kid?" I asked him. I hadn't asked before because I didn't really care about who the ambitious Rocket was. Now I was a bit more willing to get to know the kid.

"Butch," he answered.

"Butch?"

"Yeah," he nodded humourlessly, "That's Butch. B-U-T-C-H. Not Bill, not Biff, not Hutch. Butch," he spelled it out.

Jessie snorted.

"Apparently people get his name wrong," Jack supplied.

"Mostly on purpose," Jessie smirked, "It's so easy to annoy him."

Butch stayed with me for a couple weeks as he searched the area. It was nice and a bit strange to have company. It had been so long. I fed him and gave him shelter, and in return, he brought me supplies from outside of my boundaries. He didn't really say much. Mostly, he just filled me in on what I had missed of the world. Occasionally, he'd offer a thing or two about himself. From what I gathered, he had spent most of his life on the wrong side of the tracks, which lead him to Team Rocket.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked me one night as we sat by the fire.

"Sure," I shrugged.

"Do you have kids?"

The question caught me off guard, but I answered in the affirmative, "A daughter."

"Do you ever get to see her?" he asked, looking over at me with those brown eyes that reminded me so much of my old friend, Amy. Not for the first time, I wondered if this was the little boy I remembered, but as always, I didn't bother asking. He had said that he had lost his mother when he was little and honestly, I didn't want to know if another friend of mine had fallen.

"No," I answered truthfully.

"Oh," he said, looking back at his lap. Then he looked at me again, "Do you miss her?"

"Everyday," I replied. There was a beat and he went back to looking at his hands.

"Do you have kids, Butch?" I asked him. His head snapped up and an odd look flashed over his face.

"N-no," he said, his voice a little thicker. He ran his hands through his hair and I decided not to press him.

"What's her name?" he mumbled after a moment. It took me a second to realize that he was asking about my daughter.

"Jessie," I replied. He looked up at me with a frown on his face, like he was trying to work something out.

"When was the last time you saw her?" he asked. I sighed.

"She would have been four," I said.

"That's a long time," he observed. I nodded.

"An eternity," I agreed, "I'd give almost anything to see her again…although…if that did happen, I wouldn't want to see her here."

"Why not?" Butch asked. I looked down at my hands now, trying to dodge the young man's stare.

"I don't want her anywhere near this place," I answered, "It's my hell and I hope that she never has to call it hers too. I just hope that wherever she is, she's happy and safe."

"And that's all I really got out of him," Jack shrugged. Jessie frowned and shoved her empty plate away.

"You didn't find out any more?" she asked incredulously, "The guy is wandering a mountain and needs a place to crash, yet you don't ask him anything else?"

"He was quiet. I was quiet," Jack shrugged, picking up the plates.

"Well that's disappointing," Jessie pouted. He rolled his eyes.

"I apologize if it's not the scandalous tale that you had hoped for," he said, standing at the basin to wash the plates.

Oh, but it did have some scandalous undertones, Jessie thought. One of her special talents was scoping out the scandalous. Butch had not wanted glory; he had wanted to protect Cassidy. He knew that he would probably die, yet he did it anyways. In her experience, when you offered your own life for someone else, you generally loved that person a lot. So Butch loved Cassidy. Not really a new development, considering her conversation with Mondo. The thing that struck Jessie was the later half of Jack's story. Why would Butch suddenly ask if Jack had kids? If he had kids on the brain then…oh, it was too scandalous to think! Butch had kids on his mind. Cassidy was in major trouble with the boss. A plus B equals…

"I bet he knocked her up," she announced, causing Jack to snort loudly.

"Oh, come on, Jessilina!"

"Why else would he ask about your daughter?" she protested.

"Genuine curiosity?" he offered, "You know, there are some people in this world who actually KNOW how to use birth control."

"Uneducated thieves," Jessie told him, "and when you work in close contact with another person, sometimes the moment is just right and you don't think about that. And don't get me started on drunken hook-ups…"

"I think you're just looking for something to hold over their heads," Jack commented, "I'm sure it's not as scandalous as you seem to believe."

She glared at him, fully intending to argue, "The only thing I'd be holding over Cassidy and Biffer's heads would be a VERY large rock and-"

"Before you really get into the death threats, may I offer you a slightly more scandalous tale?" Jack interrupted, hoping that it would get her off the topic. Jessie blinked. Right. It was Jack's turn, which meant that she would learn about how her parents explained her birth. Her life took precedence over Bill and Cassidy any day.

"Jack…Jack," Miya whispered in my ear and I felt her slender hand on my shoulder.

"Miya?" I asked sleepily, barely opening my eyes. I was laying with her in her bed at the hospital. She smiled at me, sleep still in her eyes.

"Hey."

"Hey," I said back, leaning over to peck her on the lips. To my delight, she let me. The previous night had not been a glorious dream, but real, "Are you alright?" I asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Sore, but okay," she replied, "It's 5:30."

"AM?" I asked groggily, "Why are we-"

"Things are going to be crazy today. You should get back," she whispered.

"How do you think so clearly in the morning?" I groaned, laying back and gently tracing patterns on her arm, just above her cast.

"One of us has to be on the ball," Miya murmured, "Up. Now."

"Little bossy," I commented, rolling out of bed to dodge her attacking fingers poking me in the ribs.

"You knew that when you signed up for this family thing," she laughed, laying back and looking entirely too comfortable. I leaned over her, looking into those aqua eyes of hers.

"I'll be back," I promised.

"You'd better be," she pulled my tie with her good hand so that my face would follow. My lips met hers and my world was good.

"I'll see you later," I assured her, "Say 'hi' to Jessica for me," I gave her another kiss. She frowned and eased herself into a sitting position, keeping her broken wrist cradled to her body.

"Help me into the wheelchair," she ordered. I knew where she wanted to go.

"My, you need to rest and the baby will be asleep-"

"I was going to go anyways," she told me, "Just help."

"The doctors and nurses-"

"Jack, this is happening with or without you. I want to see my baby," she said firmly. It was useless to argue. I gave in and helped her into the chair. I wheeled her to the NICU, where we had reluctantly left Baby Jessica a few hours ago. She was sleeping in her plastic incubator thingy, her little chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Miya gently touched the plastic and a serene smile overtook her features. I had never seen that look on her face before and I knew that it was reserved for our daughter. Our daughter.

"I told you that she'd be asleep," I whispered.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," she told me, "Now get going before anyone has reason to suspect something."

I sighed and with a final kiss and look at the baby, I left the hospital and hopped in my car, after clearing away the parking tickets, of course. I pulled away, vowing to visit again that day. I yawned widely as I drove back to mother's estate.

I saw the strange black van sitting just outside the entrance. I only noticed it from the exhaust billowing from it. I frowned and eased over to the side of the road. I called my arcanine out and approached the vehicle. I could see a man sleeping in the driver's seat. He was wearing a dark Team Rocket uniform. I looked down at Arcanine before I knocked on the window. The guy woke with a start and when he caught sight of me, he paled. He rolled open the window.

"Eh, hey what can I do for you?" he asked nervously, and despite how much he tried to hide his accent, I heard it.

"Can I ask what you're doing?" I questioned, holding back the urge to make this Hoenn bastard pay for what his buddies did to Miya.

"Uh…the…the boss asked me to stand guard," he stammered lamely. I nodded and then suddenly grabbed him by the shirt. His head hit the frame of the vehicle with a satisfying crack. With him dazed, I opened the door and pulled him out of the vehicle, pushing him to the snow-dusted ground.

"Arg! What the hell!" he cried, clutching his head. His accent now freely slipped passed his lips.

"Why don't you tell me what you're REALLY doing out here?" I ordered. He looked at me with a grimace.

"I-I told you-"

"Sure you did," I allowed, crouching down to his level, "Now you're going to tell me why I've never seen you before, why you speak with the same accent as a pair of thugs who roughed up my agents, and why you are sitting outside my house!"

"B-Boss, I'm sorry, I just-"

"I'm not the boss, you little worm!" I corrected, standing back up. I released my skarmory, "Hold him," I ordered, and Skarmory wrapped it's large talons around the Hoenn agent's arms. He struggled. I paid him no attention, knowing that he'd never get free from Skarmory and Arcanine. I approached the van and hopped in.

Three coffee cups sat in the drink holders. A wallet sat on the dash and upon inspecting it, I discovered that my capture's name was Klaus and that he was from Petalburg City. I also found a gun, a bunch of tech stuff, and a black bag with a red 'R' on it. I opened the bag and when I saw what it contained, my blood ran cold.

I hopped out of the van and glared at the little blond Hoenn native.

"Where did you get this?" I demanded, holding the bag for the blond to see.

"What?"

"Wrong answer!" I snarled, "Arcanine, flamethrower. Make him dance."

Klaus yelped in pain as the ground heated up beneath his feet, melting away the thick material of his boots. After a moment, I called Arcanine off.

"Where did you get this?" I demanded again, feeling very, very dangerous.

"I-I don't know-ARG!"

I gestured for Arcanine to continue. Then I told him to stop again.

"Alright, Klaus, here's the deal. You have minor second-degree burns on your feet. They'll hurt like hell, but they'll heal. Now tell me where you got the bag, or you'll be nursing third-degree burns, which won't hurt because all of your nerve endings will be fried. The downside is, you'll never be able to walk again because chances are you'll develop an infection and have to get your feet amputated. Now talk."

"Holy fuck!" Jessie whistled, staring at Jack with wide eyes, "What the fuck was in that bag?"

"I'm not exactly proud of that, but at the time, it felt quite satisfying," Jack said.

"In Viridian City!" Klaus cried, "By the pokemon center!"

"Who gave it to you?" I asked in a low growl. He was shaking and pale, eyeing Arcanine with fear on his this face.

"I can't-"

"Well, then, I guess Arcanine is going to have to up the ante…"

"WAIT!" Klaus screamed in panic, "IT WAS-"

He said no more. He couldn't, for there was a bullet wound in his forehead.

"You shot him?" Jessie asked wildly.

"No," Jack scowled, "I didn't have a gun, nor did I take the one from the van."

I whirled around, looking wildly for the shooter, but saw nothing except the high ledge sheltered by rocks. The perfect spot for a sniper. My legs seemed to turn to jell-o as I called back my pokemon and stumbled back to my car and drove for mother's estate, the dead agent far from my mind.

I stumbled into the foyer, panting as I closed the door, the black bag still clutched in my hand. I looked up and saw a light on in the den. I frowned and approached it.

"Mother?" I asked. She was sitting in her chair, sipping a cup of tea and looking over a diagram. She got to her feet and I saw relief wash over her normally impassive face.

"Jack!" she said breathlessly, putting her hands on my shoulders and looking at me, "Where on earth have you been?" she demanded.

"I was at the hospital, Mother," I replied in an instant, "There was paperwork to deal with for both Mot- Oak and Lillis. Not to mention the cops…"

"What did they say?" she questioned.

"They wanted to know what happened. I told them that Oak had been doing target practice when a ricochet hit him and that made another person force Lillis to the ground, breaking her wrist and causing her to go into labour," I recited what I had told the cops hours before, "Was that alright?" I asked.

"Very good, Son," Mother nodded, "Is Miyamoto alright?"

"Yes," I answered, "It took a long time to be sure, but both her and her child are doing fine. I waited at the hospital just to be sure. Was I wrong to do so, Mother?"

"No, no, my son," she answered, "You acted very responsibly. It is the agents that are the heart of this organization and as the leaders, we must tend to those who are loyal to us before we meet our own needs. You did well. You say her and her child are alright?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good," she said, "I was concerned. Look," she gestured to the diagram that I had seen her looking at. It was the lobby in front of her office, where the commotion took place. Dots labelled with Carson, Oak, Ketchum, Parker, and Miyamoto were stuck in place along with two labelled as shooters. Amy's dot was behind the desk. Miya's was in front of the desk, slightly to the left. Motorcycle's was in between Miya and one of the shooters. Just by being there, he may have saved both Miya and Amy's lives.

"If Motorcycle hadn't been there, she would have taken the bullet," I said, swallowing hard and feeling a new appreciation for the young man.

"Yes," Mother said, "But as you say, she is alright and her child is too. A small miracle."

"Mother…outside, I saw a dark van," I said, explaining to her about Klaus and his death, "I ran, but I took this," I showed her the bag. She frowned, her concerned gaze moving from me to the bag. She reached in and took out the set of Team Rocket credentials.

"Similar documents were found on the other two cretins," Mother said, "We have a mole in Team Rocket."

"That's it?" Jessie asked doubtfully, "That's why you tortured that agent?"

"Wait."

"What do we do?" I asked.

"We shall figure that out later. Right now, you need to get change. There's going to be a meeting in an hour. Every able agent is to be in the courtyard."

"Yes, Ma'am," I said obediently. I bowed and went up to my room and shut the door. I put my hand in my jacket pocket and pulled out the pieces of paper that had also been in the bag, but I had taken them out before my mother could see them. I spread them out on my bed.

They were pictures. Of Miya walking down the street. Of Miya leaving the doctor's office. Of Miya laughing with Catherine and Daphne. Of Miya and me standing under a dark umbrella as she sobbed against me, grieving for her mother. There was even one of her looking out her window at me as I ran passed her apartment that morning.

I thought about Mother's diagram. That shooter had not been firing at Amy. He had been firing at Miya. Motorcycle had just got in the way.

"They were there to kill Miya," Jessie gasped. And me too, she thought.

"Yes," Jack answered, "and I don't take it very well when people I love are threatened."

"Understandable," Jessie said. Who would want to kill her mother? And her too?

In anger, I scooped the photos up and put them in my pocket. Then I made my way back to the foyer, where my brothers had joined my mother. They had not wanted to leave mother alone after last night. Together, the four of us walked out passed the garden and through the back of headquarters, which was disguised to look like a garage. We walked through the underground tunnel that lead up to the main building. Mother led us to the courtyard where agents were already drifting in. Some grunts had been ordered to set up a platform where Mother could stand and give a speech. More agents trickled in. I saw Motorcycle, Heath, and Lana near the front. Amy was beside Motorcycle, still looking shaken. Catherine was a little ways away from them, hugely pregnant and looking very confused. Daphne saw her when she walked in and rushed over to her, confusion all over the shorter blonde's face. I wanted to go and explain to them, but I took my place with my brothers behind our mother.

At eight o'clock, Mother called for silence. One-hundred agents looked up at us.

"I'm sure that you are all wondering why you are here," she said, "Last night, I'm afraid, we received a threat from a rival organization. Two masked men from the Hoenn Team Aqua-Magma infiltrated our headquarters in my absence to attempt a take-over. Had it not been for the brave actions of three agents, they may have succeeded to permanently damage Team Rocket. May I ask Lana Parker, Heath Ketchum, and Theodore Oak to ascend the platform?" she questioned. The three agents nervously took their place in front of the crowd.

"These three agents intervened to prevent the intruders from accessing the main office and saving the lives of two agents who had been in the lobby at the time," Mother continued, "For such a service, I wish to grant them Elite status and extend my deepest gratitude."

I was a little shocked, but then, they did deserve that honour. They saved the love of my life and my daughter. I owed them my life.

"You see here at Team Rocket," Mother was saying, "You are not just agents or employees; you are family. Any person who protects our family deserves nothing but the deepest respect and devotion. No one will threaten this family. If we are united, we are strong. No one can destroy our Team Rocket. I will personally ensure that no one will ever threaten our family again, starting with a thorough examination of how the intruders managed to slip so far passed our defence system. Rest assured, any person responsible for this grievous threat will be dealt with most severely."

She dismissed the agents after that, leaving Motorcycle, Heath and Lana to undergo many congratulations. I noticed Daphne and Catherine still looking confused and looking around for someone. Miya. I jumped off of the platform, not paying attention to my brothers.

"Miss Catherine? Miss Daphne?" I greeted the two ladies with a bow.

"Mr. Sakaki, what was that all about? There was an attack?" Daphne asked me.

"Yes, there was an attack in Mother's lobby last night," I confirmed.

"Madam Boss said two agents were nearly killed," Catherine said, placing a hand on her large abdomen, "Amy would have been in the lobby. Who else was there?" she asked, though it looked as if she already knew the answer.

"I'm sorry to say that it was Miyamoto," I bowed. Catherine and Daphne sucked in a collective breath.

"Is she alright? Her baby? Where is she?" Catherine fired off. Daphne grabbed her hand.

"Catherine, your blood pressure," she warned.

"Miyamoto is fine," I quickly assured them, "She's at Viridian Hospital, where she gave birth last night to a baby girl."

"But it's too soon!" Catherine echoed my concern from the previous night.

"The baby is being kept in an incubator and from what I know, she is doing just fine," I explained.

"Miya was alone…" Catherine sighed, "Why didn't she call one of us? Me or Daphne?"

"I don't know," I said, and I wondered that myself. If I hadn't got there when I did, Miya would have had the baby alone.

"I was out last night," Daphne said regretfully, "and you're supposed to be on bed rest. I bet she didn't want to stress you out."

"Damn it," Catherine cursed, "Come on, Daph, we're going to the hospital. You drive."

With that, the two women departed. I turned back to my family and I saw my mother's eyes on me. I followed her an my brothers back to her office, which looked a lot better than it had done.

"We need to discuss our plan of attack," Mother announced, settling behind her desk.

"I still can't believe one of our own is responsible for this," Joseph said, shaking his head.

"Unfortunately it seems so," Mother said with a frown, "I am suspending all other ventures until we get this Hoenn business settled. Giovanni, I want you to conduct interviews in regards to last night's events. I want to know exactly where everyone was."

"Yes, Mother. I want to know too," Gionvanni said with a growl. She nodded, satisfied with him.

"Joseph, I want you to get your hands on security tapes from headquarters, the house, and the Viridian Pokemon center. From what I understand, that is where they received their fake documents and uniforms."

"Yes, Mother," Joseph nodded. Then Mother turned to me.

"Jack, I want you to keep watch on the agents involved in last night's events," she told me, "You have seem to have a way with them and as the ones who thwarted the attack last night, I'm concerned that they will have a target on their backs."

"I can do that, Mother," I said with a bow, "May I ask, what of the pair of Hoenn agents now?"

"Giovanni and I shall deal with that rift-raft. We'll see if they are more cooperative this morning," Mother said dangerously.

"Can I help?" I asked. Mother surveyed me for a moment.

"Boys, can you give your brother and I a moment?" she requested, "Giovanni, I shall meet you in the dungeons."

I felt decidedly alone as my brothers left the room. The last time I felt like this, I had been seventeen and about to explain to Mother why I had snuck out in the middle of the night.

"Jack, Son, the best thing for you to do now is keep watch over those agents," Mother said to me.

"Mother, I-"

"Hush, Son. I understand your desire to see justice against the men that threatened our family, but I feel that it is best that your brother and I carry that out. We have the experience, after all," she said, "As for you, Jack, I have much bigger plans for."

"Pardon?"

"In the last few months, I've noticed a change in you. You've really matured on the road, yet the more you've been away, the more miserable you've become and I know why."

"You do?" I asked, my heart pounding. Surely she couldn't know about Miya.

"Because you care immensely about not just this organization, but also the people that it represents. Your father was the same. He cared so much for me, you, your brothers, his agents…almost to a fault. The difference, however, is that you also have my drive. You have direction. You just need a goal and I have the perfect one in mind for you."

"Which is?" I asked. She simply smiled and reached up to stroke my cheek affectionately, the way she had done when I had done something good as a child.

"All in good time, but for now, do not question me. I know what's best for my boys, and what's best for you is that the agents see you as their advocate," She told me. And with that, she walked towards the door, "Oh, and Jack? Be a dear and find a baby gift for Miyamoto's child."

Then she was gone. I left the office feeling very confused, but in comparison with my brothers, it seemed that I had got the more preferable job.

"She wanted you to be the leader," Jessie said in awe, "She wanted the agents to respect you."

"I think so," Jack agreed, "At the time, I didn't really understand why she wanted me. I was the youngest and had always half-thought that she would pick Giovanni or Joseph."

"Wow. No wonder Giovanni hates you," Jessie commented. Jack sighed.

"Giovanni hates me for a lot of things. This was just one of many reasons."

I walked into the NICU with a pink vulpix plush toy in my hands. I saw Miya sitting there, cradling our daughter in her arms and showing her off to Catherine and Daphne, who cooed at the new little member of their team. I couldn't help beaming as I approached.

"Motherhood suits you, Miss Miyamoto," I commented. The three women looked up at me.

"Thank you, Mr. Sakaki," she said, shooting me a playful smirk as we shifted back into our old roles of hiding our relationship, "and what brings you here?"

"My mother sends her best," I said, offering the plush toy. Miya smiled and Catherine placed the toy on top of Jessica's incubator.

"Please send her my thanks. Catherine and Daphne were just filling me in on what I missed this morning," she explained.

"And Miya was just about to fill me in on why she didn't call one of us," Catherine interjected, shooting a stern look at her friend. Miya rolled her eyes.

"I was perfectly fine."

"You were all alone," Daphne said.

"No, I wasn't. I had doctors and nurses and a helper-guy," Miya retorted, shooting me a conspiratorial grin.

"You should have called," Catherine said again.

"And risk you getting your blood pressure up?" Miya scoffed, "The last thing I needed was my friend and her baby in danger because of me."

"We would have been fine. Freddie could have helped-"

"Oh it all turned out, Cath. I'm fine. Jessica's fine. You, the baby, and Daph are fine," Miya shrugged, "And in a couple weeks, Jessica's going to get a new friend. Now if Daphne would get on the same page, we could have a new little Team Rocket trio."

Daphne blushed at this, "All in good time. First I need to find a man with the right priorities."

"Good luck," Miya and Catherine said together. Ouch. That didn't say much about me and Freddie.

"Aside from that, I enjoy work right now. Having a kid means sacrifices," Daphne shrugged.

"Meaning what exactly?" Miya asked, laughing.

"Oh, My. You and Cath have different priorities now," Daphne explained, "Work won't be the same. You're either going to opt for a desk job or find a round-the-clock babysitter and even then, you guys are going to rush home to be with the little ones. No more late nights or partying. No more month-long missions. It'll be different."

"She is right, My," Catherine agreed, "but we'll all make it work."

"Always good to see," I said. I think the three women had forgotten that I was still in the room.

"So patient, Mr. Sakaki," Miya observed, "Our apologies."

"It's alright," I shrugged.

"Girls, I think Mr. Sakaki is just too polite to say that he wants more information about last night. Do you guys mind if we have a second?" Miya asked her friends.

"By all means," Catherine said.

"I should probably get back to headquarters," Daphne said, "Cath, I can give you a ride."

"Sure. We'll be back later?" Catherine question. Miya nodded happily and exchanged goodbyes. Then I was alone with her and Jessica. When I was sure that they were out of sight, I gave her a kiss.

"Missed you," I told her, stealing Catherine's seat and gently stroking Jessica's little hand, who whimpered and turned her tiny head towards her mother, "What have the doctors said?"

"That she's strong," Miya replied, "They think they might have miscalculated the due date by a couple weeks, which is good. She's not as premature as we thought. We should be able to go home in the next couple weeks."

"That's great. I'm glad."

"I can tell," she said, "So how was the morning for you?"

"Well, I saw a guy die, learned that the attack was an inside job, and got assigned to babysitting all of the agents that were involved with the attack," I summarized. Her jaw dropped as she unbuttoned her shirt to let the baby nurse. I told her everything that had happened, skipping over the part where I learned that she had been the target of a hit. Like always though, she knew that I was hiding something.

"Fine," I caved at her insistent questioning, "The attack wasn't just about hitting Team Rocket. They were targeting a specific member: you."

"Me?" she blinked, "They wanted to kill me?"

I pulled out the pictures and showed them to her, "I found these inside the bag. I didn't show Mother because she would have wondered why they wanted you dead and she would have figured out that it was because Jessica's mine. I think she already suspects something. She knows that you were in the line of fire and only survived because Motorcycle took the bullet."

"So what does this mean?" she asked, fear in her voice as she looked down at the baby, "If they want me dead, they'll keep on trying and-"

"And they'll have to go through me to even get close to you," I said firmly, "I promise you that no one is going to hurt you or her."

"Jack, you can't watch us all the time-"

"Sure I can," I said, "In fact, I already have a plan."

"You're going to end it there, huh?" Jessie asked, looking a little putout.

"Yup."

"You suck."

"I know," Jack said, "Does that satisfy your need for a scandal?"

"Well, yeah, sure," Jessie said, "You kind of had a lot going on back then. Murder plots and all…but you already know roughly who was responsible, don't you?"

"I do," he allowed.

"Yeah, well I don't know about this Butch and Cassidy thing," Jessie said, "I mean, why would he stoop so low as to sleep with her? I guess there's someone for everyone and those two deserve each other, but eww! I couldn't imagine the two of them…ick!"

Jack slapped his forehead with his palm. When she got on a subject, she did stick to it, he'd give her that. She was a lot like Miya that way.

Stubborn.

TBC

AN: VERY stubborn, lol. So there's all that's known about Butch and Cassidy up until this point, but obviously they've won a little favour back (although I'm sure Jessie wishes otherwise). So Jack has a plan to protect Miya from whoever is targeting her and Baby Jessie.

As for next chapter: James faces the road with a jittery eight-year-old, a sarcastic feline, an over-protective dog, and a pregnant Jessie. I feel kind of bad for the guy.

Songs that inspired this chapter:
-World We Know by Crash Parallel. The world is definately kind of nuts.
-Heroes by All Time Low. Is Jack the hero of Madam Boss's Team or is he the reason it ended?
-Vanilla Twilight by Owl City. Definately fits Butch and Cassidy in their time apart. Butch misses his partner.