Chapter 51: Home
I know we've made mistakes
I see through all the tears
And that's what got us here
If love is an ocean wide
We'll swim in the tears we cry
They'll see us through to the other side
We're gonna make it
When love is a raging sea
You can hold on to me
We'll find a way tonight
Love is an ocean wide
I'll stay right here
It's where I'll always belong
Tied with your arms
Days like this, I wish the sun wouldn't set
I don't wanna forget
What made us feel this way
You see through all my fears
And that's what got us here
...The Afters - Ocean Wide
The plane ride was long and Jessie took great pleasure in stepping onto the ground on Valencia Island. She felt like she was breaking the law by being back in normal society and it gave her that old, familiar rush. Sure, it was only Giovanni's law that she was breaking, but he did control a lot of the pokemon world. That thrill was short lived. Almost immediately after landing, they hopped on a boat to carry them away. The ride took several hours and a few pit stops throughout the Orange Islands. Finally, Brock pointed out an island. It was just a dark speck in the moonlight.
"That's it."
"Where are we?" Jessie asked as they approached the small, seemingly uninhabited island.
"It's called Cleopatra Island," Catherine replied as Brock gently steered the speed boat towards it.
"Why here?" Jessie asked.
"It was Miya's favourite place," Jack answered softly, "She took us here once, when you were little."
"So this is where the others are waiting?" Jessie asked, looking at the island with newfound appreciation. She was speeding towards a place where her mother had once set foot and had been happy. Jessie smiled as she remembered that part of Jack's story, where he had fallen asleep on the beach and got sunburnt.
"Dey should all be dere," Meowth confirmed, eagerly looking at the island. Silver nodded as he moved to the front. Brock steered the boat toward the mouth of a river and then they slowly coasted until they reached a hastily put together dock. Jessie looked up at the cliff face that was illuminated by the moonlight as her father and Silver helped them all out of the boat. Silver and Brock led them down a small, newly forged path.
"There it is," Catherine announced, smiling. It was a quickly constructed wood cabin. Jessie could tell that pokemon had had a hand in building it. It seemed large from the outside. There were even a couple of tents constructed outside of the cabin.
"It's big," Jack commented. Catherine smirked as they walked towards it.
"Not when you get thirty people in it," Silver muttered.
"I've been living in a shack an eighth of the size for the past twenty-two years. This is like Buckingham Palace," Jack replied.
"Dat's sad," Meowth commented. Jack rolled his eyes while Catherine snickered. Jessie smiled, but her eyes were fixed on the door...which suddenly burst opened.
"Mom!"
And then, before Jessie could even register what was happening, Teddy Parker-Morgan was in her arms, hugging her tightly. He clung to her as if he would never let her go again.
"Teddy!" she breathed, "I'm so glad you're okay," she murmured.
"I missed you," she heard him say, but it was muffled against her shoulder.
"What's going on?" a bleary eyed Ash Ketchum asked as he, Misty, and his mother stepped out of the cabin and a tent, following the source of the noise.
"Brock! Jessie!" Misty exclaimed, realizing what the commotion was about, first embracing Brock and throwing a grin Jessie's way. Ash and Delia were nearly knocked over as two three-year-olds thundered through the cabin.
"MOMMY!" they screeched. Jessie was speechless as she watched her children rush towards her. She smiled and held out the arm that wasn't holding Teddy. Then her children-all three of them-were in her arms, hugging and kissing her. Everything suddenly felt a thousand times better as she clutched them to her. She could feel Meowth hop up near her shoulder. He was smiling his catty grin as he watched the scene. He wasn't the only one smiling at the joyous reunion. Jack gazed with wonder and curiosity at the three children that his daughter loved so much. Catherine stood beside him, smiling warmly. It was a beautiful thing to see a parent reunite with their children, and Catherine longed for the day when she would see her own daughter and grandson. Delia smiled softly as well and suddenly Ash didn't seem quite so annoyed to be woken up.
But no one appreciated the sight more than the blue-haired man who was standing in the doorway to the cabin. He took it all in, the delight in his brother's eyes as Teddy hugged the woman who had been like a mother to him. The love and unsuppressed happiness of his children as they clung to their mother. The tears of joy that flowed down the cheeks of the love of his life.
Then Jessie looked up. Sapphire eyes met familiar emerald orbs. Though she knew that he was here, she had thought that he'd be laid up or worse. She couldn't believe that he was standing in front of her. He looked thin and had obvious signs of abuse, but he looked happy. It was more than she had ever expected, to have her family all together again. She stared at him like he was a figment of her imagination and liable to disappear at any moment.
"James," she said breathlessly and stood up. Her whisper managed to get the attention of the three children and the cat on her shoulder. Meowth grinned and the children smiled up at James. It took him about a second to close the distance between them. Then his lips were on hers, his hands gently cupping her face. Teddy grinned and released Jessie's arm, which she then wrapped around James's neck, pulling him closer to her. He was here and real. She didn't just feel better; she felt complete. She had her other half back.
"I've missed you so much," James murmured. Jessie could only nod, her voice suddenly gone. Instead, she buried her face in the crook of his neck and cried more tears of joy.
"Dat's right," Meowth commented, beaming from his perch on Teddy's shoulder.
0
Meowth and Silver had been right; the cabin was small once enough people were crammed into it. Delia had offered to put coffee on as everyone in the strange little camp had been woken up by the joyful reunion.
Jessie, James, and their kids made five. Jack, Catherine, Motorcycle, and Silver made nine. Ash and his parents were twelve. Misty and Dawn pushed the total up to fourteen. Brock, his wife, and their three girls made nineteen. Seto, Miki, and Akira made twenty-two. Tracey Sketchit, Professor Oak, and Gary Oak made twenty-five. The three men who had been imprisoned with Catherine and Heath rounded everybody off at twenty-eight. It was definitely a full cabin.
Jessie found she didn't really have the energy to engage too much with the others and was content to just sit with Rose and Henry snuggled to her. She rested her head on James's shoulder and Teddy sat on her other side, stroking Growlie's head and talking to Meowth. She did watch her father, though. Jack's face lit up with joy when he saw Heath, Motorcycle, and Delia. Meowth even commented that it was the first time that he ever saw Motorcycle smile. Jessie also watched Miki, who looked on edge around so many people. She clutched at Seto's arm and refused to let go. Not for the first time, Jessie felt anger, knowing that Giovanni had robbed Miki of her mind all those years ago with his psychic pokemon. It wasn't long before Seto guided the frail woman back to their room. Akira stayed next to Silver, talking quietly to him as his eyes restlessly scanned the crowded room. Then Jessie noticed movement from the doors to one of the rooms in the cabin. She saw an older woman with light purple hair pulled back into a bun. Her left arm was in a sling. Jessie barely recognized her without jewels and makeup, but when she did, she turned to James, who was shifting a sleeping Henry in his arms.
"Your mother?" she asked quietly. James's face turned into a stone mask as his eyes followed Jessie's gaze.
"My parents had arranged my engagement to Jessiebelle long before I even met her when I was a child," James said, "She's Giovanni's niece. When we were caught, they took me to my parents' mansion. They tried to break me down...force me to comply with the terms of the engagement. The fine print of the contract stated that I needed to willingly consent to the marriage," he revealed, "When I wouldn't...they…"
James closed his eyes and seemed to rock back and forth a little. Jessie had never seen him do that before and she understood that it was too much for him to talk about right now. She reached for his hand and his eyes snapped open.
"James, it's okay," Jessie reassured him, "You're not there any more. You're here with me."
James nodded and continued, "My father died a few days ago. He and Mother asked Giovanni to stop and let me be free. They were the ones that spoke about the twins. They said I should be free to raise my children. Giovanni shot my father. Then he threatened to kill my mother if I didn't comply and then the kids after her. I had twenty-four hours to decide. That's when Meowth and the others saved me...and when Motorcycle and Silver saved my mother from Giovanni," James explained.
"Oh, James," Jessie breathed. He had suffered much more in their time apart. That much was obvious.
"I'm okay," James lied, "I'm okay. Are you...did he...uh…"
"I'm okay too," Jessie assured him, "He knocked me out and sent me to the Andes."
"The Andes?" James questioned, frowning in confusion, "Why there?"
"I asked myself the same thing, but then I found out why. It's the place where my mother died and it's where my father was imprisoned by Giovanni after her death. I guess Giovanni thought it was fitting that we all be together," Jessie explained. James was wide-eyed.
"You found out what happened to your parents?"
Jessie nodded and said, "I found out what happened to them and I found out who I really am. Apparently you were always destined to end up with a niece of Giovanni," she joked, but at his confused look, she explained, "Giovanni had two brothers, Joseph and Jack. Joseph was Jessiebelle's father. Jack is mine."
James followed her gaze to the man who was happily reminiscing with old friends. Then he asked, "He's Giovanni's brother? Your father?"
"Yeah," Jessie confirmed, "Apparently the three brothers were always competing to take over Team Rocket. Giovanni and his partner killed my mother to get back at my dad. Then he exiled my dad to the Andes. Jack's been there for twenty-two years."
"And he's not...well...like Giovanni?"
"No," Jessie confirmed, "He's a good guy. He helped me when I broke my ankle and he tried to save me from Domino when she came."
James looked stricken at the mention of the name. He refrained from speaking too loudly on account of the dozing toddlers on Jessie's lap, and asked, "Domino was there? Did she hurt you? Did she-"
"James, I'm okay," Jessie said again, "When she came, she broke my ankle for the second time and she hit me with one of those stupid black tulips. She nearly killed me, but Meowth and the others showed up and caused an avalanche. She didn't make it out."
"She's dead?" James asked hopefully.
"Buried beneath the snow," Jessie confirmed. James was quiet for a moment. Then he frowned at her.
"If she broke your ankle, how are you walking now?"
Jessie managed a small smile and admitted, "Apparently, I had a guardian angel in the Andes. I saw my mom. She was a ghost, but...she had sort of...powers. They healed me."
She knew that James wouldn't think she was crazy for admitting it. She was right. He just nodded his head and said, "I'm glad she was there."
"And I'm glad you're here," Jessie told him, "You and the kids...you kept me going."
"You did the same for me," James replied, mustering up a smile for her. Then he leaned over and kissed her, a soft, sweet kiss that felt like home to Jessie.
She was home.
0
Jack found himself at ease with Heath, Motorcycle, Catherine, and Delia. The familiar faces were more than he could've ever hoped. He'd always assumed that he would die on that mountain, or that if he did get off the mountain, he would have to start from scratch. He just wished that more of the old crowd had made it out.
Every so often, he would look over at Jessie and her family and when he did, he felt overwhelming pride. He wasn't exactly sure about the proper course of action to go about introducing himself to James and his grandchildren. He wanted to let Jessie make the first move, but he was finding it hard to resist the urge to go over there.
Then there was Silver, who sat with the dark-haired Akira, Miya's niece. Akira's parents retired for the night along with several others until there were only a few left: Silver, Akira, Jack, Catherine, Motorcycle, and Jessie and her family. Then Akira retired to her parents' room and Silver was left alone. Jack plucked up two of the beers that Motorcycle had supplied him and approached the surly young man.
"Thanks," Silver said, accepting the beer and twisting off the cap.
"You're welcome," Jack replied, sitting in Akira's empty spot, "You looked alone."
Silver raised an eyebrow at Jack and then he said, "You've wanted to speak with me since you laid eyes on me...Uncle."
"So you want me to cut through the bullshit, huh?" Jack asked.
"It might be hard for you, considering that you're a Sakaki," Silver commented snidely.
"So are you," Jack reminded the young man. He didn't expect the glare he received from his nephew at that statement, but in hindsight, he shouldn't have been surprised.
"My last name is Cole," Silver corrected, "I ceased to be a Sakaki the moment your brother killed my mother."
"Did you want to get to the point or did you want to argue about names?" Jack asked. Silver said nothing, so Jack continued, "The reason I've wanted to speak with you, Nephew, is because the last time I saw you, you were just barely five-years-old. A child that I had been responsible for."
"So you want to play catch up?" Silver scoffed, "My Uncle Grayson died when I was nine. He was shot by a Rocket Grunt. After that, I had to fight to survive. Eventually, I discovered all of the secrets he kept from me."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Silver," Jack said sincerely. Silver remained unimpressed.
"Is that what you told my mother when she told you that she was going to be murdered?" Silver shot at Jack.
Jack leaned in so as not to cause a scene and said, "Listen, I loved your mother. She was like a sister to me and I will always regret what happened to her! That last conversation...I thought she was just being paranoid. I thought that she was afraid to go hiking in the mountains. Call me naive or foolish, I don't care because that's what I was! Never in a million years did I ever think that your father would harm your mother and she had to pay the price for my stupidity," Jack chided, "Your mother's death will always be one of my greatest regrets. Why else do you think that I honored her last request to take you from your father so that you wouldn't grow up with his influence? That's why I was on that mountain for twenty-two years...because your father wanted me to live without my child because I forced him to live without his!"
Silver said nothing. He just stared down at his beer.
Jack sighed, "I don't regret taking you away from him. It was clearly best for you to get away from the Sakaki influence. Same for Jessie. The two of you grew up a little rough around the edges, but I for one am proud of the people you've become. You helped my grandchildren get to Pallet Town. You helped save James and you helped get me and Jessie off of the mountain. You're a good man, Silver. Your mother would be proud of you."
"Maybe," Silver allowed.
"Why wouldn't she be?" Jack scoffed.
"Her murderer is still alive," Silver said.
Jack frowned and said, "It's not your job to avenge your mother, Silver. You heard Miya on that runway. Jade wants you to live your life, not live for revenge."
"That's easy for you to say," Silver shot back.
"No, it's not," Jack corrected, "In fact, I would imagine that I want him dead more than you do. He killed my girlfriend, my mother, and my other brother. He killed my sister-in-law and several of my friends. He exiled me to the Andes for twenty-two years. He's assaulted my daughter and made her life hell. I want the son-of-a-bitch to die a slow, painful death. I want his reign of terror to be over."
"Then we have a common goal," Silver said, leaning back, "What's wrong with that?"
"You have your whole life ahead of you. I maybe have thirty years, if I'm lucky. I'm more than willing to go to jail for the rest of my life if it means he's dead and you kids no longer have to live in his shadow," Jack pledged, "You, Jessie, and the others...you've got too much to live for to waste your time on revenge."
Silver frowned, deep in thought. Jack figured that he had given the young man enough to think about for one day. He got to his feet and walked over to his daughter, who was bidding goodnight to Catherine. To Jack's amusement, Ninetales got to her feet and followed him over. James Morgan stood up when Jack and the fox pokemon approached.
"I've heard a lot about you, James," Jack greeted, extending his hand to the prince that Jessie chose for herself.
"Jessie was just filling me in about you," James replied, shaking Jack's hand.
"Long story, huh?" Jack said with a small smile, "I remember when you were just a boy. Jessie and Jessiebelle actually had a tug-of-war match with you in the middle."
James seemed on edge when Jack said Jessiebelle's name. He looked tense and guarded. Jack imagined that that was a natural reaction and opted to change the subject, "I see Growlie is in good condition."
"Growlie?" James asked, caught off guard. Both he and Jack looked down at the puppy pokemon, who was sniffing at Ninetales' paws.
"That's right!" Jessie exclaimed, shifting her sleepy little boy in her arms, "James, this ninetales is Growlie's mother. His father was my dad's arcanine."
"Really?" James asked, watching as Ninetales tentatively licked Growlie's ears.
"Really," Jack confirmed, "We were trying to find homes for Ninetales and Arcanine's litter and I needed a birthday present to take to your parents' place."
"He was the best birthday gift I ever received," James said softly, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Jack responded.
"Pretty," a little voice said. The adults looked down and noticed that Rose was inching closer and closer to Ninetales. Her twelve-year-old uncle intervened.
"Don't touch, Rosie," Teddy told her firmly.
"It's alright," Jack assured them, "Ninetales always was good with children."
As if to prove his point, Ninetales laid down on the ground and licked Rose's hands. The little girl squealed in delight. Ninetales let out a little whine, almost as if she wanted Rose to come closer.
"She says dat Rose is just like Miya," Meowth translated.
"She does look just like her grandmother," Jack agreed.
At this, Jessie stepped forward and took her daughter's hand, "Rose, Henry, Teddy. I'd like you to meet someone."
Rose looked interested, but Henry just yawned. The little boy looked exhausted. Teddy just looked up at Jack.
"This is your grandpa," Jessie continued, "Can you say 'hi'?"
"Hi," Henry said sleepily.
"Hey," Teddy said. Jack smiled at the boy.
"Nice to meet you, Teddy. Meowth says you were quite brave these last few weeks," Jack told him. Teddy beamed.
"Hi, Grandpa," Rose stated, "Can I play with Ninetales more?"
Jack's heart nearly burst. It was like Jessie calling him 'Dad' for the first time. There were no words.
"You can play with her whenever you want," he promised, choking out the words, "but right now, I think maybe that can wait until morning. I think we're all pretty tired."
"Yeah, I'd say," Jessie agreed, "We'll see you in the morning, Dad."
"See you in the morning," Jack promised, reaching over to gently squeeze her arm.
He watched as James helped to herd the kids towards a bedroom. Jack couldn't help but stare. Meeting his daughter's family meant more to him than he could ever express. He resolved that he would do anything to ensure that they were never parted again.
TBC
Next: Jessie and James make decisions moving forward.