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 26: Twerps and Tempers
The path I chose to go, a different girl so long ago,
I had my reasons.
And she's in my head so loud, screaming
"Shouldn't you be proud of what you came from?
Oh you've been crippled and you walked on,
You've been shut up and you talked, so let's talk some more."
Oh we're all rotten and we're pure
and we're just looking for the cure that feels like spring snow.
And all we have is who we are and where we've been has got us this far,
So let me go.
Where is the hand for me to reach?
Where is the moral I'll never teach myself?
In all the black, in all the grief,
I am redeemed.
...Charlotte Martain - Redeemed.
"Joseph was shot?" Jessie asked, eyes wide as she stared at Jack, who nodded.
"Did he die?"
"Jessilina, I don't want to spoil the story."
"But…but you can't just leave it there!" she protested.
"I just need a moment to collect my thoughts," he said, strolling over to the kitchen area. Jessie scowled.
"I thought we learnt before that the whole cliffhanger thing was a bad idea."
"We only learnt that you have trouble being mature about the whole cliffhanger thing," Jack corrected. Jessie's eyes blazed as she stared at her father. In her opinion, his story was much more fascinating than hers. In his story, she was learning about her past, a thing that had always been murky at best. She got to hear about her mother and father and the things that various friends and family members had done in an effort to change her life. She learned that she was loved and had always been loved.
"Come on, Jessilina," Jack prodded, "Tell me what happened next in your story."
Jessie pouted for a moment, considering keeping quiet, but as the wind howled outside the cabin, she noted that that talking was her only means to keep Jack talking.
She sighed and opened her mouth to speak.
"Back?" Miki asked me, her aqua eyes filling with tears as she embraced me. I nodded against her.
"I'll be back. I promise," I pledged.
"Safe Child?" she asked, the words stilted and strained.
"We will," I said.
"I hope so," Akira said, gently putting an arm over her mother's shoulders, "It's been so nice to meet you all. I hope you could come back someday."
"Absolutely," I promised, and James nodded along, "Thank you for everything. It's been great and I wish we didn't have to go, but we need to be close to a hospital..."
"No need to explain," Seto said, "I can assure you that no one here would be of any use in that situation."
"We'll come back so you guys could meet the twins," I offered.
"That'd be great!" Akira cheered with a smile. We waved goodbye as Silver and his feraligatr took us back to the rest-stop where our vehicle was waiting, already repaired by Seto. Then I turned to face the so-called Menace of Johto. James was already waiting in the car, no intention of trading goodbyes.
"Take care of yourself," I said, "Don't do anything to make Seto kill you in your sleep."
Silver chuckled, "You as well and best of luck. You're going to need it with him at the wheel."
"Thanks, Silver. See you when we come back around?" I asked. He shrugged.
"I won't make promises, however it might be entertaining to watch you juggle Teddy, James, and two screaming kids," he mused. I shook my head with a smile and got into the passenger's seat. Then we sped away. When I looked back, Silver was already gone.
We were silent for a little while after commenting on the road and Seto and Miki's family. Then Teddy piped up.
"Jessie, how come you crossed out the name 'Butch' and wrote a bad word?" he asked, holding up the baby name book. James snorted.
"Because people would call the baby 'Botch'."
"Or 'Hutch'."
"Or 'Bob'."
"Or 'Bill'."
"Really?" Teddy asked, frowning. James, Meowth, and I burst out laughing.
"We knew a guy named Butch," James explained, "He wasn't really a good guy."
"What other names did she nix?" Meowth asked, hopping back to examine the book with Teddy, "What's wrong with Bradley?"
"Ex-boyfriend," I explained.
"And Bailey?"
"Bailey Morgan," I said, "It sounds like a really bad drink."
"That, I agree with," James interjected.
"I don't get it," Teddy protested.
"You will when you're older," I promised him. Sure, probably not the best thing to tell an eight year-old, but the reality of it was that he was eventually going to be around alcohol. I wasn't stupid.
After that, Teddy pouted and went back to his book, which was no longer the complete Chronicles of Narnia series, but a pirate book with lots of pictures. Meowth was examining the baby name book and I cranked up the radio. We were almost through the mountains. We had about another hour or so and then we would be in Kanto. Just when we were a half-hour away from Kanto, Teddy piped up.
"I have to go to the bathroom," he said with a blush colouring his cheeks.
"Can you hold it?" I asked. He shook his head, actually kind of looking like he was in pain.
"Maybe we could just stop on the side of the road-"
"It's not that one," Teddy said.
"There's a rest-stop in two miles," James said, putting a little pressure on the gas. Sure enough, the sign was true and we pulled into the stop. Teddy didn't jump out like I thought he would. He just eyed the people sitting at a picnic table nervously. I smacked James's arm.
"Go take him!" I snapped.
"Oh! Right! Come on, Teddy!" James said, hopping out of the vehicle and leading Teddy to the outhouse.
"So what's next on da agenda?" Meowth asked as we watched James stand outside the outhouse door.
"Well, we head down to Rina Town, gas up and then we find a road to completely avoid Viridian City," I shrugged, leaning down to pick up Teddy's book, which had fallen to the floor in his haste to get out the door, "Then we head to Vermillion City."
"Well, I'm down wid dat," Meowth nodded. I took a moment to look at a page of the pirate book dedicated to the infamous Captain Henry Morgan. Huh. Henry Morgan. Henry…
"Say, who's Jimmy talking to?" Meowth suddenly asked. I snapped my head up and looked at James and saw him talking to some girl as he leaned against the outhouse door.
"Beats me," I murmured and just before I could hop out of the vehicle, Teddy emerged from the outhouse and followed James and the girl towards the car. Meowth and I gasped when we saw her face.
"Twerpette!" we said together as I rolled down the window.
"Hey, look who I found," James said, grinning over at Misty.
"Hi, Jessie! Hey, Meowth!" she greeted, "It's so great to see you guys again."
Pfft. Yeah right. I ignored that and went right to my question.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"There was a water pokemon tournament at Tojo Falls so I left my sister, Daisy, in charge of the gym. I was just on my way back to Kanto when I ran into James. Small world, I guess," Misty explained with a shrug.
"No kidding," I agreed, "So now you're back to your gym?"
"I'm going to stop off in Pallet Town and visit with Tracey and Ash's mom. I promised that I'd stop in before I went back to Cerulean City," she explained.
"Do you need a ride?" James asked, "That's a long way on a bike."
I froze. Why did that big dope have to open his mouth? Pallet Town wasn't on the agenda and hanging around with the twerpette? Not high on my to-do list.
"I couldn't-"
"I insist," James smiled warmly. Apparently my telepathic objections weren't getting through. That was how I found myself headed to Pallet Town with the twerpette. I've got to admit that she wasn't horrible company.
"Where is da twerp nowadays?" Meowth asked curiously.
"He's supposed to be heading back to Kanto, but knowing Ash, he's probably lost somewhere," Misty sighed.
"Probably," I agreed, "You kids never had the best sense of direction."
"At least he has Brock and Dawn with him," Misty said.
"Hey, whatever happened wid him and dat lady Doc from Sinnoh?" Meowth asked.
"They're still together," Misty answered, much to the shock of me, James, and Meowth. Brock had a lot of trouble with women, "He's supposed to be bringing her home to meet his family."
"Sounds serious," James commented.
"I guess it is," Misty said, "Speaking of family, whatever happened with yours? I remember you'd gone off to talk to your parents."
James rolled his eyes, "As crazy as ever. At least I got to meet my half-brother," he said with a smile in the rearview mirror at Teddy, who shyly smiled at Misty.
"That's great, but didn't you get your parents' help?" Misty asked in confusion, "I assumed…"
"Misty, you don't spend six years in Team Rocket without learning a few things," James deadpanned, "There were ways of getting my inheritance without doing what I was told."
"I see," she said slowly and I mentally prepared myself for a sermon that never came, "So where are you guys headed now?"
"We were going to Vermillion City," James said, "It just seemed far enough away from Team Rocket."
"Even though dey have about half a dozen bases from Viridian to Vermillion," Meowth muttered.
"Even so it has a good hospital and affordable rent and…"
"James is in Daddy Mode," I explained, crossing my arms over my stomach, "He's all for that white picket fence house a couple blocks from the best schools, close to hospitals…blah, blah, blah."
"I'm just thinking about you and the twins," James said, exasperated.
"You're having twins?" Misty asked, "Well that's appropriate given all the double trouble you guys always asked for."
"Tell me about it," I said, shooting a look at James, who had eased the car down a gravel road that lead to Pallet Town. Misty had said that it was faster than the main roads. She was right. He had the wipers going to knock away the snow that was accumulating on the windshield.
"Wow, I'm sure glad I ran into you guys," Misty shivered, "It looks like the weather is pretty bad," she said as we came upon Pallet Town, "Besides, it's just nice knowing that you guys are okay."
"Seriously?" I asked doubtfully.
"Of course," Misty said, "The way you disappeared from the hospital, we were worried that Team Rocket came and took you in the middle of the night. Of course, then we ran into Cassidy and what's-his-name and they were looking for you."
"Oh?" I asked, my blood boiling as I thought about the other team, "And what did Biffer and little-miss-perfect have to say?"
"Not much," Misty supplied, "Just that they were looking for you guys. They stalked us for about a week, but when it was clear you guys weren't coming back, they gave up."
"Puh! Of course dose ones would give up dat easy!" Meowth snorted in disgust. Misty laughed.
"I will say this about you three: you never did give up. People say that Ash is dedicated, but he doesn't hold a candle to the three of you," she admitted.
"Tanks, Twerpette," Meowth said, "Maybe youse alright."
Unfortunately, I had to agree with him.
"Where to first?" James piped up as we cruised through Pallet.
"I guess we should stop off at Mrs. Ketchum's," Misty replied, "I'm sure she has dinner on the table."
"Well, what're we waitin' for, Jimmy? Let's go!" Meowth chirped, sold on the idea of food. James laughed and eased the car in the direction of the Ketchum's little house. Misty got out first and Meowth followed.
"Aren't you coming?" she asked when we hesitated.
"You do realize that this is the mother of the kid we tried to steal from, right?" I asked.
"She won't worry about that," Misty waved off as Meowth inched towards the smell of chicken and mashed potatoes.
"If you're sure," I murmured as me, James, and Teddy hopped out of the SUV.
"What if the bad people come?" Teddy whispered as he walked in between us.
"They won't," I tried to assure him as we stepped into the warm house. Mrs. Ketchum was a thin woman with long brown hair and warm brown eyes that lit up when she saw Misty. The two embraced as we stood awkwardly in the doorway. Then they parted.
"You must be friends with Misty…wait a second…don't I know you?" Mrs. Ketchum asked, frowning as she stared at us.
"Mrs. Ketchum, this is Jessie, James, Meowth, and Teddy. Jessie, James, and Meowth used to be part of Team Rocket, but they've reformed," Misty explained.
"Reformed?" Mrs. Ketchum asked, her expression a little guarded as she surveyed us.
"They did try to kill us," Meowth explained. I didn't bother pointing out that they had tried to kill me in particular.
"And then we found out we were expecting," James added, patting my stomach. If he kept that up, he'd be liable to lose an arm.
"I see," Mrs. Ketchum said, her expression sympathetic now.
"They were in Silver Shoal before, but Team Rocket invaded their town," Misty added, "I don't really understand why the police don't do something about them."
"Because the boss of Team Rocket has many connections in high places," Mrs. Ketchum said with a frown, "but enough of all this. Supper is on the table. All of you are welcome to join."
"Tanks, Mrs. K!" Meowth cheered, making a beeline for the kitchen. James smiled hastily, but was right behind Meowth.
"I think you've made those two very happy," Misty laughed, following James and Meowth. Teddy offered a shy smile before he made his way into the kitchen. I frowned and followed, picking up on what Delia had said, unlike Meowth and James, who were solely occupied on the food.
"So you used to be Team Rocket members?" Mrs. Ketchum asked as we filled our plates.
"We quit just after they ran us off a cliff," I answered.
"They used to be the team that followed Ash around," Misty explained helpfully.
"That must be why you look so familiar," Mrs. Ketchum said, looking across the table at me, "They ran you off a cliff?"
"Yeah, but we survived," I said, smiling over at James, who's expression had turned stony for a moment, "Thank you so much for dinner, Mrs. Ketchum. Convenience store sandwiches get old after a while."
"Convenience store sandwiches?" she asked, scandalized, "But that's hardly a good diet for a growing baby!"
"It's been hard finding nutritious meals on the road," James sighed, putting his fork down and giving me a worried look. I counted to ten…and then twenty.
"Or edible ones," Meowth added, stuffing a drumstick in his mouth.
"Where are you headed?"Mrs. Ketchum asked us, abandoning her own meal and knotting her brow in concern.
"Vermillion City," James answered.
"You can't go there," Mrs. Ketchum said, shaking her head and getting to her feet.
"Why-"
We got the answer when she showed us a newspaper with the headline: Pokeland Amusement Park Open For Business After Six Years of Renovations.
"But how is that bad?" Misty asked.
"Because 'Giovanni Sakaki, famed leader of Viridian Gym, opened the giant pokemon theme park on Vista Island, an island twenty miles off the coast of Vermillion City'," I read, "Dammit!"
"Definitely no Vermillion City," James whistled.
"Where are we gonna go, James?" Teddy piped up, shyly.
"Uh…"
"If you need a place to stay, you can stay here," Mrs. Ketchum said. James, Meowth, and I stared up at her in shock.
"We couldn't ask you to do that," I protested, "We'll be on our way after supper and-"
"Don't be ridiculous," Mrs. Ketchum shook her head, "It's snowing out and it's late as it is. You should stay awhile."
"Thank you for the offer, but…" I took a breath and decided to just say it, "Pallet Town is really close to Viridian City and…"
"And despite the proximity to the Team Rocket base, you and your family would be safer here than anywhere else," Mrs. Ketchum cut across me, "Giovanni knows better than to come calling here."
"Giovanni?" Misty asked, frowning. Mrs. Ketchum just nodded.
0
"I'm suddenly very curious," Jack announced.
"So was I," Jessie agreed.
"Why is that, Mrs. K?" Meowth asked. Good thing he did because I was floored by the idea that this kindly housewife had so much power over the boss of the most infamous criminal organization in the world. Mrs. Ketchum's warm brown eyes suddenly turned hard. Then she sighed.
"That is a very long story," she dismissed.
"But why?" Meowth asked with a frown, "We're strangers…why would you wanna help us?"
"Because I know too well what it's like to be on the outs with Team Rocket," Mrs. Ketchum said, smiling kindly, "I've been there. Besides, you have your family to think of and above all, family is the most important thing."
"Who is this woman?" Jack asked, blinking.
"Delia Ketchum," Jessie replied, "I think your friend Heath finally managed to woo her."
Jack laughed, "It would seem so. I guess something could be said for perseverance."
"Oh, that family can persevere with the best of them," Jessie said.
"Aside from that, I've always wondered about Delia," Jack admitted.
"Why?"
"I told you that I hired her as part of the staff at the daycare," Jack said, to which Jessie nodded, "Well, from the beginning, I've always wondered about her and Giovanni. I'm positive something went on between the two of them.
"Really?"
"I'll tell you in the next part of the story," he promised, "For now, you can continue."
Jessie rolled her eyes, "Yes, Boss."
Jack made a face, "Don't call me 'Boss'."
Almost reluctantly, I quit the conversation and focused on the food, following Mrs. Ketchum's lead. I had to admit that Mrs. Ketchum's cooking far beat any of the restaurants we had come across in our travels. It's no wonder that her income from the Pallet House Restaurant was enough to sustain her and the twerp over the years.
After supper, Mrs. Ketchum extended her offer again as she helped change the sheets in the spare room.
"How do we know dat no Team Rocket folk will come here?" Meowth voice, crossing his arms and sitting beside me. Growlie was by my feet.
"Why would they come here?" Misty questioned.
"Their base is in Viridian City," I revealed.
"Exactly!" Meowth exclaimed, "So who's to say dat dey won't come here to steal from Professor Oak and den see us and take us to da boss?"
"Giovanni won't," Mrs. Ketchum insisted.
"Who is this Giovanni?" Misty asked.
"The Boss," Meowth, James, and I said at the same time. Misty stared at Mrs. Ketchum in horrified awe.
"You know the boss of Team Rocket?" Misty asked.
"It was many years ago, before he took over Team Rocket," Mrs. Ketchum revealed, "He was friends with my husband, but they had a falling out. I never really knew all of the specifics, but I do know that it had to do with a tragedy that happened in Pallet Town in 1988. Ash wasn't born yet. Team Rocket grunts stormed into town. Giovanni appeared at my house. I think he was hoping to talk to my husband, but he had already left on his pokemon journey, like Ash did. I think Giovanni's presence was the only reason the grunts left my house alone. Others weren't so lucky. Professor Oak's son and daughter-in-law died that night, leaving Gary and his sister to be raised by their grandparents. Gary was only a month old. His sister, Mary, was a year old."
"That's horrible," Misty whimpered.
"Very. My husband was very choked up about it. He was good friends with Professor Oak's other son. He confronted Giovanni, who was appalled at what happened. From then on, there has never been any presence of Team Rocket in the area."
"Somehow, I doubt that," Jack said, frowning.
"Yeah, me too," Jessie agreed, "Even at the time, I thought Mrs. Ketchum's tale to be a little strange."
"Giovanni and Heath were never that close," Jack revealed, "I don't know much about this Pallet Town invasion. It happened the year after I was banished here, but it sounds odd. Why was Giovanni at Delia's house? And she never mentioned Heath by name. That seems strange for Delia. And what was all that about Heath leaving on a pokemon journey?"
"I don't know," Jessie shrugged, "In the six years I spent trailing the twerp, I never met his father. He was never at any of the twerp's competitions, not even the ones at the Indigo Plateau."
"That is not Heath," Jack said, "Not as I remember him. Something is very strange about the story."
"I know," Jessie said, "but at the time, James and I were so desperate to find some bit of safety and Mrs. Ketchum's claims were music to our ears. Meowth was a bit skeptical, but eventually he warmed up to the idea."
We decided to stay with Mrs. Ketchum, even after Misty went back to Cerulean City. I think Mrs. Ketchum liked the company. After all, she was alone most of the time while the twerp was away. Besides, we decided to make ourselves useful to pay her back for her kindness. James worked as a waiter at her restaurant and Meowth used his slicing skills in the kitchen. The cat is famous for his noodles. I was forced on bed rest by James and Mrs. Ketchum. Some nights, she attempted to teach me to cook, but it was a futile effort on her part. Teddy enjoyed Pallet Town too. He adored Mrs. Ketchum, who began homeschooling him in her spare time. In exchange, he became an errand boy for the restaurant. He loved it when Growlie pulled him around town on an old sleigh Mrs. Ketchum found in her garage. He especially loved the Sunday dinners at the Oak laboratory. He loved playing with all the pokemon. It was great seeing him relax and be a kid again.
"C'mon, we gotta go," Teddy whined, looking smart with his hair combed. He sat on the bed in Delia's guest room.
"Hold your horses, Kiddo," I said, putting my earrings in.
"But Professor Oak said there was a surprise at the lab," Teddy said, "and it's almost Christmas. Maybe he's gonna give me my very own pokemon!"
"Ted, you won't get a pokemon until you're ten," I reminded him, "which will be here before you know it. Now let's go."
He didn't need telling twice as he raced down the steps. I laughed and carefully followed him. James, Mrs. Ketchum, Teddy, Meowth, and I walked towards the Oak Lab. James was hovering like a mother hen, scared that I would slip at any moment. Truth be told, I was grateful for him. My balance was a little off as I moved into my eighth month of pregnancy. We got to the lab and it immediately became apparent what the big surprise was. Gotta say, I wasn't too thrilled.
The twerp had swapped his baseball cap for a Santa hat. Pikachu also had a matching hat. Misty, Dawn, Tracey, and Brock were also there, along with Brock's girlfriend.
"Jessie!" Olivia Summers gushed, "How are you? Oh, you're so far along!" she exclaimed, feeling my stomach. I forced a smile.
"Hi, Doc," I said through clenched teeth.
"You must be so excited!"
"Thrilled," I said, shooting a pleading look at James.
"James Logan," James said, using our invented last name, "The lucky father."
"Oh, it's so great to meet you!" Olivia gushed, "I treated your wife back in Sinnoh. It's so wonderful to see that everything worked out. I was very concerned when she checked out so suddenly."
"Yeah, it was rushed," James laughed nervously. I took the opportunity to sneak over to Misty and Delia, who was fussing over Ash. He started when he saw me.
"What's Team Rocket doing here?" he yelped, looking down at his electric rat.
"We're not Team Rocket anymore, Twerp," I hissed.
"But…but…Pikachu…"
"We're straight now, ya dig?" Meowth quipped, hopping up on Misty's shoulder as he didn't trust himself on mine, lest it affect my already precarious balance.
"Jessie, James, and Meowth have been helping me with the restaurant," Mrs. Ketchum told him, "They've been wonderful."
"Them?" Ash cringed.
"Yeah, us," I snapped, taking my seat at the table.
"But-"
"Ash, don't be impolite. Sit down so we can eat," Mrs. Ketchum admonished him. That was nice to see, the prince being taken down a peg by his mommy.
"It's so great to finally meet you all," Dawn said, "Ash has told me all about you."
"And he told us about you as well," Oak said, smiling.
"No one told us about the visitors," Ash muttered. After that the conversation fell silent and I could feel the twerps' eyes on me and James.
"I'm going up to Viridian City tomorrow," Mrs. Ketchum announced, "So Ash, I'm going to need your help at the restaurant."
"I thought Team Rocket was helping-"
"Jessie and James have Lamaze class with Mrs. Florin and then they have a doctor's appointment with Dr. Plant," Mrs. Ketchum explained, "You'll have Meowth and Teddy helping you in the restaurant and I think Tracey was going to come over as well."
"I'll help out too, Ash," Misty added, "I was going to anyways."
With a final distrusting look at us, Ash nodded in agreement. I glared. Stupid twerp.
"You're going to Lamaze?" Olivia asked, smiling over at me, "You know, it's the darndest thing. I've never been to a class before, even in my line of work. Since I graduated med school, things have just been so busy."
"It's actually not a bad class," James said, "Would- OW!"
"Sorry, Honey," I said, clenching his hand really hard on purpose, "Just trying to get comfortable," I said to explain why I just kicked him underneath the table. Olivia Summers was not a person I could easily stomach even not pregnant, miserable, and hormonal and I'll be damned if I was going to spend Lamaze class (which was already very trying with all that breathing) with her.
"Yes, Dear," James gasped, blinking back tears that had sprung to his eyes.
The next day, James and I went to Lamaze class. Mrs. Florin was a middle-aged woman from Pallet who was devoted to helping new parents prepare for their kids. Today on the agenda: viewing a birthing video.
"I hate you right now," I whispered to James, who whimpered. He was pale and looked like he was about to vomit.
"When they come out, I'm not gonna watch," James whispered. I rolled my eyes, but knew that that was probably a good idea. James would probably faint.
"Speaking of when they come out, we can't keep living with Delia," I said back, "That house isn't big enough for us, Teddy, Delia, Meowth, Mimey, the twerps, and two screaming babies. Plus," I paused as Mrs. Florin walked by us, "I can't stand the twerp."
"But we still have another couple months before we can go back home," he whispered back.
"I nearly killed that kid last night, so unless you want me taken away for murder, we'll find somewhere else to stay," I threatened. The previous night, Ash had had a little fit about having to cram himself, Misty, Brock, and Olivia in his room, and then again when he and James had to set up a cot in the guest room with us for Teddy.
"Well, where do you want to go?" James whispered, "We've exhausted our options here."
"There has to be someplace-"
"AAAHHHHH!" James and I winced as the poor woman on the TV screen started screaming and pushing.
"James, if I have to do that AND deal with the twerp, I am going to kill someone," I told him.
"And I'm gonna be sick!" he exclaimed, running for the door. I felt all of the eyes of the expectant parents on me as I followed him. I found him hunched over a garbage can. I sighed and patted his back.
"Come on," I sighed, "Let's get some food into you."
We walked to the Pallet House, where we found Meowth sitting with Teddy outside on the step.
"What are you two doing?" I asked.
"Listenin' to Misty argue with da twerp," Meowth muttered, crossing his arms over his little chest.
"About what?"
"Ash and Meowth got into an argument and Meowth scratched Ash across the face and then Ash had his pikachu shock Meowth and-"
"I'm gonna kill him!" I growled, cutting Teddy off and storming into the restaurant. I heard James yelp and follow. Teddy cringed and motioned for Growlie to pull his sleigh down to the park.
"Ash, if you'd stop being so narrow-minded-"
"They spent years trying to steal Pikachu! And now you and Mom are just sticking up for them-"
"What about all those times when they helped save us? They were never all that evil, Ash. Definitely not as evil as the people who tried to kill them!"
"They're thieves-"
"We are just trying to survive," I said dangerously, stopping the two teens in their tracks. Misty backed off, but Ash defiantly glared. I tried not to smirk at the scratches on his face.
"I don't trust you," he shot at me.
"I don't give a rat's ass whether you trust me or not," I snapped, "Here's the reality, Kiddo: if we had a place to go, we would be there, but we don't and since your mother was adamant that we stayed, we did. I have no interest in that little electric rat of yours. The only things that I care about are James, Meowth, Teddy, and my babies. Drop the fucking attitude and grow up."
Ash glared some more before he walked out without a word.
The kid had issues. Apparently he thought that we were going to swipe his pikachu while he slept. He forgets that we tried that a few times with the same result – us being blasted through the air.
"Jessie, I'm sorry about him," Misty explained, "He's just…he thinks the world is black and white-"
"Don't go making excuses for the brat," I growled sinking into a chair as Brock and Olivia entered the restaurant.
"What's the matter with Ash?" Brock asked, "He just stormed off. Didn't even stop to talk with me."
"He's having some problems…adjusting," Tracey said, placing a plate of nacho's and guacamole (my new favorite dish) in front of me. I smiled at the young man. He was very accepting of us, even with our checkered past.
"To what?" Olivia asked curiously, still hanging off of Brock's arm.
"We've never really got along well with him," James explained carefully, "We haven't always had the best track record."
"Even so, that doesn't mean that you're as bad as he's making you out to be," Tracey said, "There are worse people in the world," he dropped his voice to a whisper. By his tone, I knew intuitively that he had encountered those worse people. There was something in him that changed since we had first met years before in the orange island. The innocence of his teen years had been snuffed out and left him with a more realistic view of the world. He knew the world wasn't that just, ideal place that he and the twerps had thought it was. To my surprise, Misty leaned over and squeezed his hand.
"Ash just has never seen those people," she claimed in the same hushed voice as Tracey.
"What's with you two?" Brock asked suspiciously, eying their hands with the look of a disapproving older brother. Misty and Tracey shared a look, as if debating how much they should tell. I raised an eyebrow.
"A few months ago, there was an incident near Viridian. It was really…tense," Misty explained, "Team Rocket was using the main road to transport these hazardous drugs. Their transport truck was taken off the road by a bomb. The guy responsible was at large for a couple days. Everyone was looking for him. He appeared on Mrs. Ketchum's doorstep with his hand cut off."
"I was over bandaging up Mimey's hand when he appeared. He was raving and bleeding," Tracey said, "I wanted to help get him to the hospital, but Mrs. Ketchum said that she would take care of him. She made sure he was resting, then she asked me to watch over him and not to tell Professor Oak. She left for a while…and boy was she mad. I've never seen her look so livid. The guy didn't say much, just that the Rockets he killed were planning on injecting innocent people with a deadly virus."
"Those Rocket members…they weren't just about stealing pokemon. They were going to hurt people," Misty said, "It makes you realize that the world isn't a sunny place and that the things you thought once weren't right at all. There are truly evil people out there and just because you made some bad choices in the past doesn't mean you're bad."
"Thank you," James said quietly, only to receive warm smiles from Tracey and Misty.
"We don't get that that oft-" I trailed off, frowning. James head snapped towards me so fast that I was sure he would get whiplash.
"Jess?"
Then there was another twinge of pain in my lower abdomen. I massaged the area, grimacing to myself as James's eyes bugged out of his head.
"Jessie, you okay?" Meowth asked in concern.
"I don't know," I admitted.
"It could be contractions," Olivia said, "How far are they apart? Has your water broke?"
And those question gripped me with a fear stronger than any other that I had ever felt.
"And that is where I stop," Jessie announced. Jack made an exasperated face.
"Seriously?"
"Come on! I want to know about your brother," she said.
"It's getting late, you know."
"Past your bedtime, Pops?" Jessie taunted. Then she realized what she said and the teasing smile dropped from her face. Jack raised an eyebrow at the sudden change, but chose not to comment on it.
"Alright," he agreed, "One more before bed."
TBC
AN: Back again. Here's the next chapter. Jessie and the twerp squad...always a winning combo.
Anyways, hope to hear from you guys as to how you're enjoying the fic so far!
Songs that inspired this chapter:
-There Are Worse Things I Could Do - Grease Soundtrack. Because Rizzo is awesome and the song fits Jessie well.
-Mean by Taylor Swift. Definately not my favourite song of hers, but the lyrics were appropriate.
-Redeemed by Charlotte Martain. Great artist. Even if you don't like this song, check out The Dance. Amazing.
-Everybody's got a Story by Amanda Marshall. Also very appropriate.