Chapter 47: Always Watching
In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes
In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes
...Martina McBride - In My Daughter's Eyes
Jessie didn't feel pain. She felt light, weightless, and a little tingly. She looked around her surroundings. It was dark, too dark to see and for a moment she was a little scared.
"It's alright," a soft, hauntingly familiar voice said gently. Jessie slowly turned around and saw a woman about her age. The woman had rich purple hair that framed her heart-shaped face. Her eyes were an aqua blue colour and her mouth was set in a gentle smile. Jessie's heart missed a beat. She recognized that woman from Jack's pictures. She was staring at her mother. More fear took hold.
"Don't be frightened, Jessie," Miya said, "You're alright."
"Am I dead?" Jessie asked.
"No, Sweetheart. You're going to be fine," Miya assured her.
"How…I don't…" Jessie was at loss for words as she stared at the dead woman. All of a sudden, a pink cat suddenly appeared beside Miya. Jessie recognized it instantly. Mew.
"Mew," Miya greeted as if she were saying hello to an old friend, "Mew is responsible for this…shall we call it a vision? It is also responsible for saving you tonight."
"Really? How? Like psychic?" Jessie asked, staring at the legendary pokemon. Miya nodded. Mew's eyes glowed and it did a little flip. All of a sudden, the blackness ebbed away a little, replaced by an image of a small plane flying in the sky towards the mountains.
"What is that?" Jessie asked. Miya simply shot her a mischievous smile.
"A vision," Miya explained, "Mew is using its psychic powers to show a vision of the past."
"Huh," Jessie nodded, "Uh, so what's with the plane?" she asked. Miya smiled mysteriously.
"Some friends of yours," she said.
"Friends?" Jessie asked curiously. Miya nodded.
"You'll be surprised," Miya said smiling, "You see, Mew realized that Giovanni's minions were returning and used its powers to speed up your friends' plane. Then it intervened in Domino's attack," she explained and the image changed and Jessie was staring at herself as she took Domino's attack.
"You're going to kill her!" Jack shouted, struggling to get to his feet, even as the male grunt knocked him in the shoulder with the butt of the gun.
"In a perfect world, yes," Domino said maliciously, "I always finish what I start."
"Not gonna…not…James…" Jessie grimaced.
"James is going to die," Domino hissed, "unless you tell me where to find those brats of yours."
Jessie struggled to her hands and knees, determined to stare Domino in the face.
"That took a lot of courage," Miya commented, a tinge of pride in her voice.
"Hurt like Hell," Jessie replied.
"Never."
Domino's mouth curled into an ugly snarl and she spat, "Then I'll kill him! I'll kill him and I'll make you watch."
Jessie's hard blue eyes held Domino's frantic purple ones and very slowly, she said, "Both of us would rather be dead. You fail."
Domino's face morphed into one of rage and she raised the tulip threateningly. Once again, the blue light hit Jessie, who remained on her knees as the electricity coursed through her.
"That didn't hurt as bad," Jessie remembered, "It should have hurt more, but it didn't."
"That's because Mew stepped in to numb the attack," Miya explained.
"Huh," Jessie said, looking over at the pink cat with a new appreciation, "Thanks."
Then something strange happened. Mew's vision changed and then Jessie and Miya were looking under the snow to where a red and white ball was nestled deep underneath.
The poke ball began to vibrate and glow purple as psychic energy hit it. Then it began to ascend, shoot upwards towards the surface until it burst through the floorboards of Jack's cabin just in between Jessie and Domino. It burst open and a beautiful white fox pokemon burst out, heat erupting from its body as it snarled at Domino. Her grunts dropped their guns and backed towards the door while Jack stared, eyes wide, at Ninetails.
Domino's tulip fell from her fingers, releasing Jessie from its cruel torture, as Ninetails launched a perfect 'Fire Spin' attack. Domino and the grunts ran for the door and out into the icy mountain side where a steelix let out a mighty roar, shaking the walls of the cabin. Ninetails stopped its attack and looked back at Jessie, who was supporting herself on wobbly hands and knees.
Then those cuffs around her wrists glowed purple, the same purple as Ninetails' pokeball, and they came apart and fell to the floor just before Jessie herself collapsed.
"Jessie!" Jack cried, scrambling towards her. As he did so, his ankle brace, the one dooming him to a four mile radius, glowed purple and came undone, falling on the wood floor with a final clatter before it and Jessie's chains disappeared altogether.
"Oh my god," Jessie breathed, blinking as she took it in. The cuffs had come off, "How…?"
"Mew reached into the snow to find my pokeball. Ninetails' pokeball. It knew that she would help you and so it opened it when you needed her," Miya replied, "Then Mew used psychic to release you and Jack from Giovanni's bonds. It was so impressed by the love both of you showed that it freed you," she said, reaching out to pet Mew behind the ears.
"It did?" Jessie questioned in awe. Miya nodded.
"Mew protects these mountains, especially the innocent. That's why there hasn't been an avalanche in all the years that your father has been banished here, not that he always appreciates it…"
"Mew!" Mew trilled as if in agreement. It's eyes glowed blue and suddenly Jessie was staring at an image of Jack trudging through the snow, not wearing his snowsuit.
"FUCK!" he cried out, sinking to his knees and the cold wind whipped around him, hitting his exposed face and neck, "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?" he screamed, angry up at the imposing mountain silhouetted against the dull grey sky, "WHY? WHAT DID I EVER DO TO FUCKING DESERVE THIS? I SHOULDN'T BE HERE!" he yelled up at the mountain, his fists clenched, "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! TWENTY-TWO YEARS AND YOU DON'T DO A FUCKING THING, BUT THAT DAY, YOU JUST HAD TO FUCKING FALL, DIDN'T YOU? DIDN'T YOU?" Jack cried, angry, sorrowful tears falling from his eyes, "YOU DESTROYED MY LIFE! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! WHY DON'T YOU FUCKING KILL ME AND GET IT OVER WITH?!" he sobbed, his voice breaking as he buried his face in his hands.
Then he suddenly looked up, alert with wetness glimmering on his cheeks. He looked around him. He could have swore that he heard a chirp-like sound, not a bird, but more akin to a baby kitten mewling for its mother…
Anger suddenly licked his insides again.
"Don't you dare," he growled in a low, steady voice, "Don't you dare come near me, you little bastard!" he cried, struggling to his feet, panting hard and looking all around him, an almost deranged look in his eyes.
Miya shook her head as the image disappeared, "That man. He never could accept help."
"What was that?" Jessie asked, her eyes wide and unsure.
"Just after he stormed out of the cabin after his little argument with you. When you were planning on chipping your way out of the bonds, initially," Miya said, "He was very upset with the world...not that it helped when Mew teleported him back to the cabin."
"Who was he screaming at?" Jessie asked, the image of her father yelling up at the sky engraved in her mind.
"At first it was the mountain. He blames it for my death," Miya replied, "Then, once Mew made its presence known, Jack started yelling at it. As I said, Mew protects these mountains and it will help those who are desperate and in need. Your father has a hard time accepting that help because he thinks that had I not been searching for Mew, I would not have been killed on the mountain. Unfortunately for him, Mew is really persistent and so am I. I'm sure my little friend here would have gladly left your father to his own devices had I not had a little influence over it. It also probably wouldn't have intervened tonight, either. Usually Mew only protects people from natural disasters, but in your case, I begged that it make an exception," Miya answered, casting Jessie a loving smile.
"You?" Jessie asked in surprise.
"I'm always watching, Jessie," Miya explained gently, "Always. And if I get a chance to intervene to help you, I will always take it."
"So how…how do you have so much say? Mew's a legendary and…"
Jessie frowned, trying to work something out in her head. Mew had saved her from Giovanni's henchmen when it normally wouldn't have intervened, but it had failed to save her mother, who had died in an avalanche. Mew had failed her mother.
"It didn't save you," Jessie said softly as she came to that conclusion, "You died on this mountain. It didn't protect you."
"Jessie, Mew tried-"
"Meeeeww," Mew trilled remorsefully, and then it's bright blue eyes began to glow. Miya looked stricken at the pokemon.
"No, don't-"
But it was too late. The darkness had receded and suddenly Jessie, Miya, and Mew were on a snowy hillside. Miya cringed as though in pain.
"What's happening?" Jessie asked in concern.
"Mew is using psychic again," Miya explained, a pained look on her face.
Jessie looked over and gasped at what she saw.
Miya was leaning against a rock, her blue eyes focused only on the photograph in her hand. It was a picture of Jessie, but the four-year-old was not smiling up at the camera; she was crying.
"You had begged me not to go," Miya revealed as she watched her living-self stare longingly at the photograph, "but at the time, I thought that I was doing the right thing. I thought that compliance would set the stage for us to leave Team Rocket and start a new life."
Miya sighed and then looked over at her companion, who struggled to meet her on the cliff edge. Daphne was short with curly blond hair and purple eyes that were trained on her partner. There was something odd about her expression, like she was excited about something.
"Is that Jessie?" Daphne asked conversationally.
"I took it before I left," Miya answered, "She was so upset."
"I can imagine. She must miss you," Daphne said. Miya shrugged and tucked the photograph into her pocket.
"She misses everybody, especially Catherine and Cassidy," she sighed, turning to continue up the mountain. Daphne didn't move.
"I bet she misses Jack as well," the blond stated.
"Of course," Miya said, shrugging, "She's excited for our trip to the Orange Island's though. So am I. I can't wait to get out of this cold."
"Or you can't wait to leave Team Rocket."
Miya nodded, "That too."
"And you think that will be enough for Giovanni?" Daphne prodded, "He has his inheritance to think of."
"After we're gone, it won't matter," Miya said confidently, "Jack doesn't want the inheritance anyways."
"So he says. So you say."
Miya froze and turned around, frowning at her partner.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she questioned. Daphne gave sort of a nonchalant half-shrug.
"Come on, Miya. You've always wanted to be on top. So has Jack. Who's to say that you won't make some return in the future to take back Team Rocket from Giovanni?" Daphne demanded.
Miya blink in surprise and looked hurt by the accusation, "Excuse me?"
"Isn't that why you got pregnant with Jack's baby? So he'd marry you? Make you part of the Sakaki family and put you at the top of the organization?" Daphne wondered callously, her eyes alight with anticipation as she goaded Miya on.
"What the hell are you on about?" Miya spat back, "I never...I told you…"
"You told me your version, but I know the truth," Daphne spat back, "I've always known. It's a good thing Joseph can't think for himself. He had to call Giovanni to figure out what to tell your little boy toy when he came looking for advice after you told him you were knocked up."
Miya blinked as realization overtook her.
Jessie also blinked, remembering that it had been Joseph's advice that kept her father from acknowledging her mother's pregnancy.
"It was you?" Miya hissed.
"You had to keep at him, didn't you? You just had to get that in, didn't you? No matter what we did to keep the two of you apart, you had to foil our plans..." Daphne growled.
"Plans?" Miya asked, backing away from her partner now, "Your plans...you...you and Giovanni…"
"You aren't the only woman who can screw her way to the top, Miya," Daphne said coldly.
"Daphne, stop this!" Miya commanded, "Giovanni is not-"
"Shut up, Miya," Daphne snapped back, "You don't get to give orders anymore!"
Miya's eyes went wide as Daphne pulled out a gun.
"Daphne, please-"
"This is how it's supposed to be! I win! You lose!" Daphne cackled and then the sound of gunshots filled the air. Miya fell to her knees clutching her chest and struggling to breathe as blood filled her mouth.
"No," Jessie gasped in horror as she watched her mother's murder.
Daphne grinned and threw the gun over the cliff. Then she unclipped a blaster ball from her belt and activated the jet pack on her back. She left Miya there to die, but not before she threw the blaster ball at the cliff side, starting the avalanche that would bury her partner. She flew away and Miya, realizing the danger, tried to struggle away, but she collapsed before the wall of snow hit her full force.
"I feel sick," Jessie managed, her horrified eyes glued to the spot where her mother had died, even after the vision disappeared.
"I didn't want you to see that," Miya murmured, gently pulling Jessie towards her. Jessie was surprised at how solid Miya was, but appreciated it as tears spilled from Jessie's eyes.
"She was your partner…she killed you," Jessie cried.
"I know," Miya whispered.
"She's the reason!" Jessie gasped, more tears as she felt Miya smoothing her hair out.
"Mew couldn't intervene in my death because Daphne caused it," Miya whispered, "I was gone before the avalanche hit me. There wasn't anything anyone could do."
"Why'd she do it?" Jessie asked, "I needed you…didn't she understand that?" she cried.
"She resented me for a long time. She was always picked over and Catherine and I…well sometimes we were so involved with our own lives that we didn't always take her into account. That was what drove her to Giovanni and to encourage him to take what he wanted. That was our mistake and it destroyed us."
"Catherine too?" Jessie frowned and pulled away to look up at her mother, " Cassidy's mom?"
Miya nodded, "She was my best friend, practically a sister. She too fell prey to Daphne and Giovanni's plans and like you, Cassidy suffered for it."
"Cassidy…" Jessie growled, that familiar hatred licking her insides as she thought about the blond. Miya gently tucked an errant strand of red hair behind Jessie's ear, making the scar on her temple visible.
"Don't hate, Jessie," she chided, "Trust me when I say that there will come a time when Cassidy will surprise you."
"Fat chance," Jessie muttered. Miya sighed.
"So stubborn. So like your father," she said.
"I doubt he'd see it that way," Jessie replied, causing Miya to laugh.
"You always were Daddy's little girl," she told Jessie with a smile, "You had him wrapped around your finger since he first laid eyes on you and it's a good thing. You're the one thing that's kept him going all these years. He loves you. And so do I."
"I love you too," Jessie admitted, "I'm sorry I spent so much time doubting you, but I couldn't remember…"
"I know, Jessie," Miya said, gently, "and it's okay. I made some pretty crappy choices when it came to that last mission. I should have listened to you when you asked me not to go. Jack and I should have run with you the night those Rockets attacked you. I shouldn't have been so quick to trust Daphne. I should have trusted my gut and ran when she was ranting. I should have made a better choice."
"It wasn't-"
"It was my fault, Jessie. Those choices led me to my fate and you to yours. I know that everything that has happened to you has been because of my actions. Had I not gone on that mission, you would have never had to suffer those foster homes and your Aunt Miki would still have her senses. You wouldn't have had to join Team Rocket. Had Jack and I not pissed off Giovanni, he wouldn't have hurt you. Had I not left you, then you may not have vowed to be a better mother than I was."
"You gave your life up for me," Jessie reminded her, "That's a good mother."
"I gave my life up for a mission that I shouldn't have went on. If I was a good mother, I would have stayed with you until someone forced me away, like with you and your children," Miya told her, "You are a great mother, Jessie, greater than me."
And at this, a new vision appeared where the old one had been.
A tall eleven-year-old boy was sitting on a moonlit beach. From underneath a fringe of turquoise hair, his green eyes were filled with hope and longing as he stared out into the world. Then he looked down at the two almost-four-year-olds sleeping on his lap. The girl's light purple hair was splayed around her and the little red-haired boy was sucking on his hand.
Jessie suddenly was overcome by longing as she stared at her three children.
"It's time to wake up, Jessie. It's time to go home."
TBC
Jessie meets her rescuers.