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 34: Silver Tears
Be still and know that I'm with you
Be still and know that I am here
Be still and know that I'm with you
Be still, be still, and know
When darkness comes upon you
And covers you with fear and shame
Be still and know that I'm with you
And I will say your name
If terror falls upon your bed
And sleep no longer comes
Remember all the words I said
Be still, be still, and know
And when you go through the valley
And the shadow comes down from the hill
If morning never comes to be
Be still, be still, be still
...The Fray – Be Still
Jessie awoke the next morning to the smell of pancakes. She sat up and smiled at the sight of her father tending to pancakes by the fire. Then he looked over his shoulder at her.
"Merry Christmas," he said with a smile, "I'm afraid I don't have all that much. Still trying to ration."
"That's fine. I told you, I'm used to less food," Jessie shrugged, "So how long have you been up?"
"Couple hours," Jack replied, "You have a good sleep?"
"Fine," Jessie shrugged, "I had a hard time getting to sleep. I kept wondering about them," she admitted.
"Of course," Jack nodded, "Only natural."
"Do you…do you ever wonder about her?" Jessie asked in a small voice. Jack nodded.
"All the time. Sometimes I even try to imagine what her life is like. She'd be twenty-seven. Maybe she has a family of her own. Maybe she's a famous pokemon trainer or coordinator. Maybe she's a doctor or an actress, or whatever. Then I remember what's real and that I am stuck here, unable to see her," he explained, "I just hope she's happy."
"That's noble," she whispered, choking up.
"I'm sure they're happy too," Jack said, reaching over to squeeze her arm.
"What happened to her? Your daughter?" Jessie asked. She had to know. She had to find out.
"Consider it a Christmas present," Jack replied.
I never realized how fast time flies until I became a parent. It seemed as if I had just closed my eyes for a second and then that tiny, premature baby girl was running around Miya's apartment naked, babbling and screaming as her mother tried to catch her for a bath. At three-years-old, Jessica Musashi Lillis was already as stubborn as her mother and, in my completely unbiased opinion, the prettiest little girl in the world, even when she was covered from head-to-toe in pokemon food. In addition to being incredibly stubborn, she was also incredibly smart...especially when it came to avoiding the bath. Her favourite place to hide was under the table as it usually took Miya and me ages to pull out all of the chairs and then she'd be off to the next hiding spot, which was under the curtains.
"I bet she gets this from you," Miya griped, starting towards the curtains, where the chow-covered toddler squealed and bolted for the bedrooms.
"Actually, I remember having to chase you around this apartment a time or two," I reminded her. Miya glared and started for the bedrooms. Unfortunately for my evasive little daughter, Ninetails and Arcanine foiled her attempts to squeeze under Miya's bed, licking the pokemon chow that was still stuck to Jessie's skin. She howled with laughter, at least until Miya picked her up.
"Mommy, no bath!" Jessie protested.
"Sorry, little lady," Miya said, "but you are not going to bed smelling like a pokemon treat."
Jessie then looked at me, "Uncle Jack! Help!"
"Sorry, Princess, but I'm going to have to side with Mommy on this one," I said. I watched as Miya set the pouting toddler in the tub.
"Did you just time-skip?" Jessie raised an eyebrow.
"What, did you want me to tell you about her laying in her crib or throwing up spaghetti on me?" Jack asked, chuckling.
"Well, what happened in between?" Jessie asked.
It had been two years and four months since the Akagi's attempted to destroy Team Rocket. It was August and I was completely and utterly happy. Miya had made a full recovery after a couple of days. The Akagi's had been detained and then turned over to the police…after Giovanni worked them over, of course. Three weeks following the ball, there was a ceremony held in remembrance of those thirteen people who did not make it out of the ballroom when Team Galactic attacked. During this ceremony, those who fought against the Akagi's were honored. Catherine, Daphne, Lana, Heath, Motorcycle, Joseph and his guys, Giovanni and his people. Me and Miya.
"I don't wanna sleep," Jessie protested as Miya toweled her off. There was a knock on the door.
"I doubt you'll be doing much sleeping," I said to the little girl as I left to answer the door. Catherine was there with Cassidy, who unlike Jessie, was already in PJ's.
"Hi," I said, smiling as they came in, "Miya's just getting Jessie in her pajamas. We had a pokemon chow incident."
"That's alright. When are you guys taking off?" she asked.
"About five minutes ago," Miya answered, ushering Jessie into the living room before she turned to rush back to the bedroom, "Hey Cath! Hi Cassidy!" she called as she rushed to get ready. I laughed.
"Cassidy, come play!" Jessie called, and then the two little girls were off.
"Did you guys have a good time in the Orange Islands? You look like you got some sun," Catherine commented.
"Ugh, don't say that around Miya. If I hear 'I told you to wear sunscreen, Lobster-boy' one more time, I think I'm going to scream," I griped, shifting uncomfortably on account of the angry burn on my back, neck, ears, and face. Catherine laughed.
"You're not going to live that one down."
"I know it," I sighed, "So you're okay with taking them both?" I asked Catherine.
"Of course. We'll watch movies and go to sleep. It'll be a blast," Catherine shrugged.
"Probably more fun than where we're going," I said back. Miya chose that moment to burst back into the room, changed and ready to go. She looked as fantastic as ever. Talk about a quick-change.
Jessie suddenly understood where she inherited her talent for changing clothes so fast.
"Okay, we have to get going. We're already late," she said, throwing on her shoes, "Thanks for watching her, Cath."
"Anytime. Have fun. Okay, girls, time to go!" Catherine called.
"Where are we going?" Jessie asked as she and Cassidy ran into the room.
"My house!" Cassidy exclaimed. Jessie's eye lit up at the prospect of staying with her friend.
"Be good, Princess," Miya said, kissing her on the forehead. We walked down to the parking lot together. Miya and I hopped into my car after we helped Catherine load the two three-year-olds. Then we drove to my mother's estate.
"Your mother's? You and Miya?" Jessie asked in shock.
"Yeah. Mother loved Miya."
"Shit. We're late," Miya cursed as we headed up the sidewalk.
"Miya, what's the rush?" I laughed, purposely walking a little slower just so she would turn back to glare at me.
"Do you want to piss of your mother?" Miya demanded.
"Miya, relax," I told her, "My mother loves you."
"I don't want to test it," she replied. I took hold of her and kissed her.
"Nothing is going to take you away from me. Nothing," I vowed, "Now let's go get this over with so we can get home, get busy, and cover each other in aloe vera."
"Is that all you think about?" she scoffed as we crossed the threshold. We made our way to the dining room where my mother and brothers were already seated.
"Jack, Miyamoto, so happy you are finally here," Mother said from her seat, smiling warmly.
"We're sorry we're late," Miya apologized as she sank into the chair I held out for her.
"Nonsense. All that matters is that you are here," Mother dismissed, "How are you my dear? How is that daughter of yours?"
"I'm fine, Madam Sakaki, and Jessie is wonderful," Miya answered, "She's staying with Catherine tonight."
"Ah, of course. Still, I don't understand why the two of you don't just move into headquarters. Jack's brothers' families are quite settled with all the childcare they could possibly need," Mother sighed. I chanced a glance at my brothers and their wives, who didn't look as though they agreed with Mother's sentiment.
"We're trying to keep our personal and professional lives separate," I stepped in, saving Miya from the interrogation.
"I would just like all of my family where I can keep an eye on them," Mother replied, "I worry about the two of you, and little Jessica, living in that neighbourhood."
"She does," Giovanni interjected, "It's all Mother can talk about."
"Uh oh," Jessie winced, "That's not good."
"No, it wasn't, but I ignored it," Jack said.
"There's nothing to worry about. We're fine," I assured Mother, "So how was James Morgan's birthday party?" I asked Joseph and Isabelle.
"It was lovely," Isabelle answered, "He's a sweet boy. Jessiebelle is actually staying at the Morgan Estate with her nanny."
"Probably for the best," Joseph muttered. I frowned as Isabelle glanced down at her plate. I knew that they had been having problems lately, but I didn't think it was to the point where they needed to send their kid away so they could work through it.
"Anyhow," Joe sighed, leaning back, "The kid liked the present you guys sent him. Once he got a look at that growlithe puppy, all of the other gifts were meaningless."
"I'm glad. It was a Hell of a time convincing Ninetails to give up her pups," I commented.
"Wait," Jessie made him pause, "You're telling me that you were the one who gave James Growlie?"
"I guess so. My arcanine and Miya's ninetails became mates and had a litter of four growlithe pups and three vulpix. We ended up keeping a vulpix for Jessie."
"Really?" Jessie asked, stunned. That vulpix was probably long-gone by now.
"She's such a pretty pokemon," Jade complimented, "I don't think I've seen one with such a shiny coat."
"Of course you haven't," Mother sniffed, "Only the most capable trainers can train ninetails."
"Thanks, but I think the shiny coat came from when Jessie knocked a bottle of baby oil off of the counter," Miya laughed.
"Don't be modest, Miyamoto. I know very well your capabilities at procuring and raising rare pokemon," Mother praised. Miya blushed graciously. It was fantastic to see how much Mother had changed her opinion of Miya. It was as if she was part of the family. Smiling, I looked around to the rest of the family, and that was what sobered me.
Isabelle was frowning at Miya. Joseph stabbed his steak a little hard. Giovanni shot his wife a sour look. Jade sighed dejectedly. Mother was oblivious.
"So how was your vacation? Did your little one enjoy the beach?" Mother questioned Miya.
"She did," Miya answered, "We rented a boat to cruise through the Orange Islands for the first couple of days and then we ended up camping on Cleopatra Island. It was fantastic. This one got a bit too much sun, I think," she teased me, stealing my attention from my brothers and their wives.
"She let me fall asleep on the beach," I countered.
"Where's Cleopatra Island?" Isabelle asked, "I've never heard of such a place. It sounds pretty."
"It's a small deserted island on the north eastern part of the Orange Islands," I explained, "It's private, tropical, and it has a great beach. There's no buildings whatsoever. Very natural."
And adding to Cleopatra Island's natural beauty, there was also the fact that Miya was in a bikini the entire time we were there.
"It must have been nice to get away," Jade said sincerely, "Gio and I are going hiking on Mount Silver at the end of the week."
"Hiking," Isabelle made a face, "I would much rather sunbathe on a white sand beach than climb a hill."
"Giovanni suggested it," Jade said, "It's where we went for our honeymoon."
"Nice and simple," Giovanni sighed unenthusiastically, "Simple."
The rest of the dinner was uneventful with more small talk. One of the highlights was desert, where Miya took it upon herself to slowly and torturously eat the strawberries on the cheesecake. I've been in this situation before, and when we got home, I wasted no time in pressing her against the door and kissing her.
"Why do you have to do the strawberry thing?" I growled as I kissed her neck.
"I enjoy watching you squirm," she laughed as she pushed me back towards the couch. I fell backwards…and screamed.
"OWWWW! OW, OW, OW!" I yelped, in near tears as I rolled off the couch onto my stomach on the floor. Pain shot up my burnt back.
"Jack, you big baby," Miya teased.
"It hurts!" I moaned.
"I'll get the aloe," Miya sighed, "Honestly, there are worse things in the world than a sunburn."
"No!" I groaned, "This is the worst thing ever!"
I was wrong.
"You were kind of being a baby," Jessie sided with her mother, "So how were you wrong?"
Jack sighed.
"Well, later that week, I learned of the worst the world…and my family…had to offer.
It was four days later and the dreadful burn had healed. I was working in the daycare, gathering up the last of the rugrats. It was just Jessie, Cassidy, and Butch left. Out of all the daycare kids, Jessie spent the most time with Cassidy and Butch.
"You've got to be kidding me," Jessie scoffed. Jack chuckled.
After Amy got out of the hospital, it was Miya, Catherine, and Daphne who directed her to a woman's shelter. It was Motorcycle who put Amy's husband in the hospital. I was the only one who knew that as I had to bail him out of jail for it. Eventually, I persuaded Amy to move into the extra rooms at headquarters. It was a better environment for her and her son. Even now, the little guy was thriving. He was still quiet, but he played well with the other kids. I was going to take him to his mother at HQ. As for the girls, I was taking care of them, as Miya and Catherine were on a mission, and Catherine's husband was working away in a mine near Mt. Moon.
I was just getting their shoes on when I got a call from my sister-in-law. She wanted to see me before she went on her trip with Giovanni. So I took the girls to Jade's with me, where they immediately scurried off with Silver to inspect his toy collection. Later, Jessie would tell me his toys were boring because they weren't dolls. After they disappeared, Jade and I talked.
"Are you alright, Jade? You sounded stressed on the phone," I asked my sister-in-law. She sighed heavily and looked at me with desperation in her normally warm brown eyes.
"No," she admitted, "And-"
"What is it?" I asked, alert, "Who? I'll-"
"None of us are alright, Jack," she cut across me, placing a finger over my lips, "None of us."
"Jade, what's going on?" I asked, leaning forward to take her hand.
"I'm hiking in the mountains with Giovanni for the weekend," she told me. I frowned. What on earth did that have to do with anything?
"And…you don't like hiking?" I questioned tentatively. She glared at me.
"I want you to be the one to take care of Silver," she requested. I was still confused. What did babysitting Silver have to do with any of this?
"Okay…but you were saying earlier…" I trailed off.
"I have a bad feeling," she admitted, "and if things happen the way I think they're going to happen, then things could turn out very badly."
"What do you think is going to happen?" I asked, pulling her towards the sofa and sitting her down.
"That doesn't matter," she said, "All that matters is keeping our children safe."
"O-our children?" I stammered, blinking.
"Silver and Jessie," she clarified. I gave a nervous laugh and picked my brain for the words I hated having to utter.
"Jessie is not my-"
"I know she is, Jack," Jade replied, "I can see it quite plainly. You love her just like I love Silver. You're always with her at the daycare, and even after daycare is over you spend a lot of time with her. You dote on her," she explained.
"She's my girlfriend's kid," I tried the old stand-by explanation again. I couldn't risk Giovanni getting wind that Jessie was mine.
"Giovanni knows, Jack. He knows that Jessie is yours," she argued. I felt my blood run cold.
"How?" I asked, barely able to keep my voice controlled.
"Joseph," was her one word answer. I blinked.
"Joe? But he was the one who told me and Miya to keep it quiet. He said-"
"Jack, think about it!" she growled in frustration, "Miya is your mother's best and favourite agent. If you and her would have been open about your relationship from the start, your mother would have accepted both of you with open arms and you and her would have had the most claim to Team Rocket. Your mother is practically more in love with Miya than you are."
"You don't know that-"
"Your mother hates me," she started, "but tolerates me because I had Giovanni's son. Your mother loves Isabelle, who has the right connections and had a daughter that could be married off the little Morgan boy. Neither me, nor Isabelle have any experience running Team Rocket. Sure, Giovanni, as the eldest and her minion, has the experience, but he's hardly ideal. Joe…well…sure he has had some business experience, he's not the sharpest tool in the shed."
"You can say that again," I muttered.
"But you, Jack, would be the ideal person to take over Team Rocket. Everyone sees it," she told me, much to my surprise, "Don't look at me like that because you know it's true. You're smart, driven, charismatic…people follow you, Jack. They rally around you, and that is what your mother's looking for. She doesn't care which brother's kid she can marry off. She doesn't care who can suck up to her the most. She cares about who can be an effective leader. Joseph can hardly do anything without being told what and how to do it. Giovanni may be driven, but he's cold. He only cares about his inheritance, power, and money. Nothing else matters to him. You, on the hand, value family, friends, love…things that most people sympathize with and support."
"Jade-" I spoke to protest her praise, turning scarlet.
"And Miya is as charismatic as you are," she continued, "People love and support her too, but what's more, she knows the ins and outs of Team Rocket. She knows how it works and how to get the most out of it. You and her could rule the entire organization and help it flourish. Giovanni and Joseph can't say that."
"Be that as it may, having a child out of marriage hardly-"
"True," she cut across me, "but that's why I like the plan you've got going, to say that Jessie would be your step-daughter if you two ever married."
"How?" I exclaimed, shocked that she knew so much of a plan that was supposed to be secret.
"Don't look so shocked," she chided me, "The thing is that Giovanni and Joseph will never let that happen…you and Miya."
"Joe's supported us-"
"When you told Joseph that Miya was pregnant, he knew what it would mean so he got Giovanni involved. You know he's not smart enough to think alone," she revealed and I could hear the frustration in her voice as she tried to get me to understand. I frowned. What she said made absolute sense.
"They're conspiring against me," I said softly. She nodded.
"For a very long time. From getting you to leave Miya when she was pregnant, to telling you to keep it quiet when you wanted to acknowledge the baby," she admitted.
"Why are you telling me this now, Jade?" I asked, looking at her.
"I wish I had told you sooner, but I fear now that as you and Miya move forward, they're going to take this whole thing to a new level," she revealed, "And I wanted you to know before this trip."
"Nothing bad is-"
"Jack, you don't know that," Jade said to me, "And before I go, I want to make sure that you know the lengths they would go to make sure you don't inherit a thing-"
"They're my brothers," I cut her off. She sighed.
"I know, Jack, but you need to know that in these last couple years, you and Miya have moved into the limelight and shoved them out of it. They don't take that lightly. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but just be careful," she warned, "And if something does happen to me, take this," she said, handing me an envelope, "You're the only one around here that I trust, Jack."
"Jade, nothing is going to happen to you. We're going to be fine."
"Your brothers are bastards," Jessie commented.
"Couldn't agree more," Jack said a little bitterly.
"So what happened next? What'd they do?" Jessie asked, though she already had an inkling.
"My brother went one step further in his attempts to impress my mother," Jack replied sadly.
Three days later and I was preparing to leave the daycare to head to a summons at headquarters. I grabbed my coat from the coat rack, but before I left the day-care, I took a last look at the charges of the day. As usual, Jessie was playing dolls with Cassidy. Butch was with them, holding a male doll and looking like he rather be doing ANYTHING else. Poor kid. Cassidy had him wrapped around her finger. Little Matt Hooper was playing cars with Jonathan White and Silver. Jill Green and Anna Klive had roped Evan Cane and Lenny Gibbs into playing house with them. Delia was supervising them while another nanny tended to the smaller infants.
Content that everything would be taken care of in my absence, I made my way to headquarters. It had been a glorious three days. Giovanni was on his trip with Jade and Mother had made Joseph go deal with the Silph president in Saffron City. I was controlling the gym and the day-care on my own and I was loving every minute of this. I wished that they would stay away longer. Life was so much easier with them gone.
I entered headquarters and made my way to my mother's office. I smiled at Amy.
"How's things?" I asked her.
"I'm doing good," she replied, "but things in there are a little tense," she said, her voice low as she nodded towards the door.
"Thanks," I whispered, frowning a little as I stepped into my mother's office. What had happened? I was met with a sight. Mother was sitting not at her desk, but in one of the chairs at a small table in the corner sipping tea. Across from her, Isabelle sat, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Joseph rose when he saw me, his eyes downcast.
"Jack," Mother greeted, rising as well.
"What's happened?" I asked.
"There was an accident," Joe said, squeezing his wife's shoulder. Isabelle sniffled.
"Giovanni's wife is dead," Mother stated, bowing her head. I paled.
"Jade? Jade's dead?" I asked in disbelief. Isabelle nodded. I remembered Jade's dire prophecy, of how she said that she was on borrowed time. How could she have known? What did my brother do?
"It was a rock slide," Joseph explained, "Seventeen people died. Forty injured. Jade didn't make it and Gio's in the hospital."
"Where's Silver?" Mother asked me.
"He's at the daycare," I answered. She nodded.
"Will you take care of him tonight? I am going to Mount Silver to see Giovanni in the hospital," she said. I nodded.
"Of course," I replied.
"Joseph, you and Isabelle will meet with the Morgans as planned," Mother continued, moving to her private rooms, our dismissal. Isabelle sniffled.
"Poor Jade," she said, "What a horrible way to die."
"Yeah," I said, looking over at my older brother. His face was still downcast. I remembered Jade's words and her warning. It would not go unheeded. I turned on my heel and left the room.
"Mr. Sakaki?" Amy asked.
"My sister-in-law is dead," I informed her, "I'm headed back to the daycare."
"You think Giovanni killed her?" Jessie asked.
"I know he did," Jack replied bitterly.
"But he tends to let others do his dirty work," Jessie mused.
"He had help. It was a nice touch, letting himself get injured," Jack said.
"Seems risky," she commented, "So what did you do?"
"Not enough," he sighed.
I leaned on the doorway, watching as Silver stacked legos. I wasn't going to tell him about Jade tonight. He deserved one night of ignorance before he learned that his mother was never going to hold him again. I wasn't going to take him to headquarters either. The halls would be crawling with rumors about Jade's death.
"Ready to go, Sil?" I asked. He looked up at me as I approached him.
"Where are we going, Uncle Jack?" Silver asked me, looking up at me with innocent grey eyes.
"Somewhere nice," I said, grabbing his coat.
"How long?"
"We're going to stay the night, Kido," I told him. With that, I loaded him in the car and drove to the apartment.
"But what about my pajamas?" Silver asked.
"I have them," I assured him.
"Where are we, Uncle Jack?" he asked as we walked through the apartment building..
"We're gonna visit some friends," I told him, knocking on the door. I had a key, of course, but I felt that Miya deserved a little warning before I barged in with my nephew.
"Jack," Miya greeted, confused when she saw me. I smiled weakly.
"Can we come in?" I asked. She blinked and glanced down at Silver.
"Of course," she said, stepping aside to allow us in, "What are you guys doing here?" Miya asked, a curious smile on her face as she observed Silver, who was now clutching my pant leg.
"We need a…distraction, I guess," I said weakly.
"Well, we're nice and distracted over here," Miya said, "Catherine's over and the girls are watching a movie."
"Uncle Jack!" Jessie chirped, running to me. She stopped cold when she saw Silver.
"Hey, Princess, why don't you take Silver and show him the movie?" I suggested.
"Okay," she said, turning and running back into the living room without waiting to see if Silver was following. He did, after I prodded him along.
"What's up with the little guy?" Catherine asked from the kitchen table, "I thought your mother didn't like him coming into the scary city?"
I sighed and sank into a chair.
"Jade's dead," I replied. Both women blinked in surprise.
"What happened?" Miya asked, putting her hands on my shoulders from behind me.
"Rockslide," I explained, "She's dead and Gio's in the hospital."
"That's horrible," Miya breathed, "Does Silver know?"
"I'm going to tell him tomorrow," I told her, shutting my eyes and burying my head in my hands. I felt her hands massaging my neck. I moaned and leaned into her touch, willing myself to relax.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I know you were close."
I nodded, feeling like a weight had been dropped into my stomach, "She was the only normal family member I had," I admitted, "and I should've…listened. I could've saved her…"
"Jack, it was an accident," Miya stated, "There was nothing-"
"She knew," I revealed, "She knew she was going to die. She told me before she left."
"What?" Miya and Catherine gasped in surprise. Miya's hands halted in their movements. I looked up at her.
"Jade told me everything. She said that she felt that her time was up and that she had to tell me that my brothers are apparently conspiring against me."
"How?" Catherine asked.
"I guess they don't like the fact that Miya and I are together. Giovanni feels he's being pushed out of Mother's favour and he's convinced Joseph to help him…plot? I dunno. Jade wasn't too clear. She said that if Miya and I were to get married, we would be the ones in charge based on our backgrounds."
"Where did she get that idea?" Miya asked. I shrugged.
"So where does killing Jade fit into Giovanni's plans?" Catherine wondered. I took Jade's letter out of my pocket and let the two women read:
Jack,
If you're reading this, I am already dead. Of course, you must wonder how I knew. My marriage to your brother has always been rocky. We only married because of Silver, and as you are aware, your mother frowned upon that and often took it out on me. She thought Giovanni disgraced himself. It wasn't long before he began to think so as well. He resented me. In his eyes, his failures are my fault and I am holding him back. He hates me, more so now that he cannot take a step further and acknowledge the affair he has been having behind my back.
The important part of this letter is not my husband's motivations for wanting me gone. It's what you need to do. I'm not scared about dying, but I am terrified thinking about Silver's fate without me. My sweet, innocent boy will grow up to be cold and calculating. His father will favour work over him and will pass him off to nannies rather than care for him. You know this to be true…the only time Giovanni shows affection to Silver is when he wants to show off.
I need you to remove my son from that environment. I know that it goes against every fiber of your being to take your nephew from your brother, but I ask you to think about the best thing for Silver. That is not with Giovanni. Imagine if it was Jessie. If you had to leave her, wouldn't you do everything in your power to ensure that she is safe?
All I'm asking is that you take Silver to my brother, Greyson Cole. Grey knows of my wishes and he will raise Silver according to them.
Please, Jack. For Silver.
Love, Jade.
"Are you going to do it?" Miya asked after she read through the letter.
"We're talking about taking my brother's son away from him," I sighed.
"But on the other hand, you suspect your brother of foul play," she countered, "Is that safe for Silver?"
"What would you do?" I asked her.
"In this case, I think I would honor Jade's last request. She loved Silver and would only want the best for him," she replied.
I agreed.
"The next morning, I told Silver about his mother," Jack finished, "People say that kids don't understand death at the age of five. They lie. After the confusion wore off, Silver cried and said his mommy couldn't hug him anymore. That was the part that killed me…and I will never, ever forgive my brother for making me explain to Silver why his mommy was never going to come home."
"That's awful," Jessie whispered, thinking of the young man she had met not-so-long ago on the Kanto mountain road. Suddenly, she understood why the 'Menace of Johto' seemed to hate the world so much. He had lost his mother and had been forced to grow up too fast. Suddenly, she felt overwhelming pity for the cousin she had unknowingly met twice.
TBC
AN: Well this got a little long. RIP Jade. I think losing his mother so young would explain why Silver is such a jerk later on in life.
Next chapter: Jessie and James adjust to parenthood and visit some relatives.
Songs That Inspired This Chapter:
-Be Still by The Fray.
-My Last Breath by Evanescence. I prefer the old stuff to the new.
-Ungodly Hour by the Fray.
-Autumn by Paulo Nutini. This is so beautiful, yet so sad.