A White Tomorrow Awaits Us! (Rocketshipping)

by Samu_mei

Summary:

Jessie & James learn what they mean to each other and what the future holds in store for them. It won't come easy, however, as nothing ever does. Will they finally get their happy ending? I do not own Pokémon or it's characters. (obviously) **The story is now complete!**

Notes:

The beginning of the story takes place in the Alola region.

Chapter 1

It was late in the evening on a summer day and Team Rocket had just blasted off after yet another failed attempt at capturing Pikachu.

Jessie scrambled to her feet, quick to point an accusing finger at her partner.

"This is all your fault, James!" She hissed at him. "The crate isn't exactly Pikachu proof if it's left unlocked!"

James covered his ears in an attempt to drown out Jessie's screeching voice.

Normally, he could handle her scolding him since he had got used to it long ago, but this time his head was pounding and his clothes were now getting wet from the rain that was starting to fall from the sky. Jessie's bickering was the last thing he needed to hear right now.

Jessie either couldn't take the hint, or she just didn't care, as she continued to belittle him.

"How could you forget to lock the crate?! You foiled the entire plan! We were so close to getting away!"

James wasn't in the mood to admit it, but Jessie was right.

He had scooped up Pikachu in the crate and made a run for it towards the balloon where Jessie and Meowth had been waiting, ready to make their getaway.

Unfortunately, in the chaos of the moment, with the Twerps quickly catching up to him, he had forgotten to put the padlock on the crate, allowing the electric rat to easily open up the door and escape, before sending the rocket trio flying through the air with an electric shock.

"You're always screwing up, James!" Jessie continued on ruthlessly. "If only you--"

At this point James had enough, as he felt himself finally snap.

"That's enough!" He blurted out as he grabbed his partner firmly by the shoulders so that she was forced to stop talking and look him in the eye.

"Listen here you entitled princess, I've had enough of your mouth! You do nothing but boss me around day after day, and treat me like garbage while I just put up with it! You never give me any amount of appreciation since nothing is ever good enough for you, instead all you do is nag and complain! Well, I'm done! Until you learn how to show some respect, keep your mouth shut and do not talk to me!"

James let go of Jessie before storming off in the other direction.

Jessie just stood there, frozen still, as she watched her partner walk away from her.

For the first time in probably her entire life, she was actually left speechless.

Sure, James had snapped back at her during previous arguments on occasion, but he had never gone off on her like that before.

"W-where do you think you're going?" Jessie finally blurted out at him, putting her hands on her hips.

James stopped walking and looked back at her, giving her a stern look as their eyes met.

"Away from you." He replied coldly before continuing on.

"Fine, see if I care!" Jessie huffed as she turned the other way and began to walk in the direction of the Bewear den.

Meowth looked in the direction of James and then in the direction of Jessie, unsure of what he should do before deciding to follow along with Jessie.

"Wow, Jess. I never seen Jimmy go off like dat before." He chimed in as he caught up to her. "He was really mad."

"Hmph. I don't know who he thinks he is!" Jessie barked.

"I dunno, Jess. He is sorta right.." Meowth responded, bracing to get hit over the head with a mallet as Jessie side-eyed him.

"Even if I was a little bit harsh, he had no right to talk to me--"

"The same way you're always talkin' to him?" Meowth interrupted.

Jessie folded her arms and rolled her eyes back into her head.

"Fine. but it was his fault that this mission failed!" Jessie argued.

"C'mon Jess, it's not just today that you were naggin' at him. Admit it, you've been awfully nasty to him lately."

Jessie huffed but didn't argue any further as she knew Meowth was right.

"Look, Jess, Jimmy may wear a lot of ladies clothing, but he is still a man, ya know. And when ya belittle him, it makes him feel like less of one."

"So, what are you saying, Meowth?" Jessie snarled.

"I'm just sayin', sometimes a man...well, wants to feel like a man. So it wouldn't kill ya to be nicer to Jim and--"

"I'm not his girlfriend." Jessie barked as she interrupted him. "It's not my job too--"

"No, but ya are his friend, right? And his partner? And ya do care about him, right?"

"Yes, Meowth." Jessie affirmed as she rolled her eyes. "Of course. You already know that I do."

"Alright, maybe lighten up on Jimmy, then. Give him a compliment every once in awhile. Show him a bit of appreciation and tell him he did a good job on somethin'...he is tryin' his best, ya know. Maybe you could start by apologizin' to him for-- "

"Alright, Meowth, I get it!" Jessie scoffed as she entered into the Bewear den. "I'll be the one to apologize. I am the better person, after all."

Meowth sighed as he followed behind Jessie, unsure if his message had actually registered into her brain.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Summary:

TW: Chapter mentions thoughts of suicide.

James stomped through the forest, still seething with anger.

That spoiled brat, he thought to himself. I don't know who she thinks she is, always bossing me around and blaming me for everything that goes wrong. I don't need her. In fact I'd be better off without--

James stopped in his tracks and took a deep breathe in, allowing himself to calm down.

After all, he knew his thoughts weren't true, and he was the one who let Pikachu escape today. Nonetheless, Jessie didn't need to belittle him the way that she did.

The way that she always does, he thought. Even so, he knew that he didn't need to go off on her the way that he had that evening. Maybe she's the one who doesn't need me...perhaps, her and Meowth would both be better off... without me.

At this point, the rain had started to pour down harder, interrupting his thoughts.

James put his hands on his head, which was throbbing as his headache had now turn into an excruciating migraine.

He decided to make a run for it into town and pay a visit to the local convenience store to purchase something to help with the pain.

---

James entered into the store, his clothes dripping wet from the rain, and walked over to the pharmacy section.

He located the section that was labeled for pain relief and began to browse the different bottles of pills.

Not able to decide which one would work the best, and being in too much pain to read through the ingredients on them all, he grabbed several bottles of different kinds and headed up to the cashier to pay.

On his way, he walked past the alcohol aisle and stopped. It had been quite some time since he had drank, as him and Jessie were often too broke to purchase booze. Jessie would kill me if I spent the rest of our money on alcohol, he told himself, getting angry once again at the thought of her telling him what to do. Screw it, he decided. I am a grown man and I can make my own decisions.

James picked out 4 glass bottles of hard liquor and made his way to the register.

---

Back at the Bewear den, Jessie and Meowth waited as James still had not returned.

The rain had subsided, but it was getting quite late and it was now almost complete dark out.

Jessie sat with her hands in her lap, eyeballing the entrance to the den.

"Don't worry, Jess." Meowth said reassuringly. "James probably just went on a walk to clear his head and got distracted by a bottle cap he found on the ground or somethin."

"I- I'm not worried!" Jessie asserted. "But it is getting late, so I suppose somebody has to go look for him."

She got up from her seat and grabbed a flashlight before heading out into the dark forest.

"James?" She called out as she searched amongst the nearby bushes and trees. "JAMES?!"

Although she was too stubborn to admit it, she was indeed growing more and more concerned for her partner.

"Any luck, Jess?" Meowth asked as he approached her.

"No.." Jessie responded before pausing, as she suddenly had a thought pop into her head. "But I have an idea of where he might be. You stay here."

Meowth nodded in agreement as he watched her fade away deeper into the darkness.

---

Deep into the forest, there was a hidden path that led to a secluded area of the beach. James had discovered it first, as he would use it for his secret fishing spot. There were large rocks to sit on amongst the shore, and it was very quite and peaceful there as no one else was ever around. 

He had taken Jessie there one evening, when she was feeling down after yet another one of their failed schemes. It was a perfect spot to watch the beautiful Alola sunset, and he had brought a large blanket so that afterwards they could lay down under the stars and James could point out all the constellations in the sky as Jessie pretended to be interested.

From then on, James and Jessie would both come to the spot on occasion, sometimes on their own to have space to clear their head, other times they would come together and watch the sunset or do some fishing. Another time, they had a picnic there together. James had even built a small shed on the beach to keep their fishing supplies and picnic blanket in.

---

James sat on the rock, sipping from his bottle of liquor and reminiscing about the times that he and Jessie had spent there alone.

He wouldn't tell her this, but he actually treasured alone time with her. He loved the side of her that would come out when they were at this spot.

She wasn't complaining, or bossing him around. She would smile, and laugh, and joke around with him. She was actually having fun. She was actually...happy. 

James would sometimes wonder if it could ever be possible that they could be like that together, all the time. He would quickly shake the thought, though, after he realized it just wasn't plausible. Not in this life, anyway. 

They were in Team Rocket after all, and their sole purpose in life was to capture Pikachu so that they could appease the boss.

Besides, Jessie would never feel about him the same way he felt about her.

The truth is, James had loved Jessie for quite some time. In all honesty, he loved every part of her. Even the parts of her that occasionally got on his last nerve.

Sure, she was bossy, and demanding at times. But she was also headstrong, passionate, and confident, which James very much so admired about her.

James was nothing like that, which is how he knew that Jessie could never feel the same way about him.

He was often spineless, and a coward. He seen the types of guys that Jessie gawks after, and he is nothing like them.

He could never be man enough for her, James thought to himself, taking another swig out of the bottle and downing a couple of the pills he had bought earlier in hopes of alleviating his migraine.

Tonight, of course, was an exception to him being otherwise spineless, as he actually had stood up to Jessie for once, but he had way overdone it.

He thought back on the way he had grabbed Jessie and shouted in her face, to which he did not at all feel good about. In fact, he felt like a total jerk.

Why am I such an idiot? He thought, as he had a flashback to the first night him, Jessie and Meowth had become a team.

I made a promise to Jessie that night to never let her down, and so far that's all I've done.  Maybe her and Meowth really would be better off without me. Maybe then, they'd actually have a chance to succeed. 

James clutched the bottle of pills in his hand as his mind continued to spiral down into complete darkness.

 

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Summary:

TW: Chapter mentions thoughts of suicide.

James stared down at the bottle of pills as he read the warning label on the back. 

Taking this drug in large quantities or with alcohol can lead to serious side effects like liver failure which may lead to death. 

At this point, James' thoughts were starting to get cloudy from the effects of alcohol, so he was unable to tell if he was being rational or not.

If I were to take every pill in this bottle, would that be enough to end it? James thought to himself, reaching over to grab the other 3 bottles of pills he had bought, one which contained a sleep aid. If I mixed in these pills, and drank ever ounce of the liquor, would I never wake up?

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a flashlight being shined on him from the distance. He squinted as he attempted to see who was coming towards him before realizing it was Jessie.

Not wanting her to know what he had just been contemplating, he quickly buried the bottles of pills in the sand next to him and shoved the bottles of liquor behind his back in an attempt to keep them out of view.

"James!" Jessie exclaimed as she approached him. "I'm glad I found you here.. safe."

"Not like you care." James replied sharply as he looked away from her, folding his arms.

He quickly felt the guilt of snapping on her again as he looked back over and seen an expression of hurt on her face.

"I- I'm sorry, Jess. I shouldn't have--"

"No, it's okay." Jessie interrupted. "I'm sorry, James."

She took a seat on the rock next to her partner.

"I know I've been pretty hard on you lately, and--" Jessie stopped talking once she realized something was off.. James' breath smelled heavily of alcohol.

"James! Have you been drinking?" She questioned as she looked behind him to see the glass bottles he had attempted to hide.

"You have been drinking! Why would you buy this much alcohol, you know we can't afford it!"

James looked away as he tried to come up with some sort of excuse.

"I...wanted the bottle caps."

Jessie folded her arms as she rolled her eyes in response to the pathetic answer he had given her.

"Bull crap, James."

Nonetheless, Jessie decided she had already given him enough grief for that day, so she would let him off the hook...just this once.

After all, she knew he must've had a rough night if this is what he resorted too. 

"Hand it here." Jessie demanded as she held out her hand.

After yet another day of failure, Jessie thought. Drowning her sorrows in alcohol actually did sound quite nice.

James handed her a bottle, a look of confusion etched on his face.

"So.. does this mean you're not mad?"

"Well, I'm not exactly thrilled that you blew the rest of our money, but since it's already done, I might as well enjoy it too." 

Jessie opened the bottle and threw her head back as she downed a swig of its contents before proceeding to cough it back up as she felt it burn the back of her throat.

"What is this?!" Jessie cried out in her fit of coughing. "It taste like straight up rubbing alcohol!"

James couldn't help but chuckle at Jessie's response to the liquor.

"What's wrong? Too strong for you to handle?" 

Jessie blushed at James' teasing of her before quickly defending herself.

"I'll have you know, I can handle plenty." She asserted with confidence as she took another swig out of the bottle and forced herself to keep it down.

"Whatever you say, dear." James smirked as he reached for another bottle of liquor and joined his partner.

---

The duo spent the better part of the next hour sipping out of their bottles and watching as the sun had begun to set on the horizon.

James had called it quits on the liquor after he had achieved a strong enough buzz, but Jessie on the other hand, determined to prove she could handle it, was still going strong.

He stared out into the distance and watched as the sky turned into warm hues of orange and red, before he suddenly felt Jessie lean into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You alright, dear?" James asked her, receiving only the nod of her head in response.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Jess?" 

"Yeah.." Jessie mumbled in agreement.

"Hey, James..?"

"Mhmm?"

"You know that.. I do care about you, right? And I do appreciate everything you do for the team.. and.. " Jessie slurred her words as she tried to find the right ones to say.

James chuckled as he put an arm around Jessie and pulled her in closer to him. He thought it was sweet that she was trying to be sentimental, even if it was heavily influenced by alcohol.

"I know, Jess. I care about you, too."

Jessie smiled and reached over on the other side of James in an attempt to grab his hand but instead felt something that had been buried in the sand.

She sat up and looked over to see what she had in her hand, which was a bottle of pills that James had buried earlier.

"What's this, James?"

"Hm? It's just a bottle of pain meds that I had bought earlier, for my headache." James replied nonchalantly, hoping that she wouldn't ask any more questions.

Jessie frowned at him as she read the back of the bottle.

"James, you idiot! You know you shouldn't be mixing these with heavy alcohol consumption, right? Are you trying to kill your--"

Jessie paused and her eyes grew wide as she realized that several other bottles of pills had also been buried in the sand.

"Oh my God, James! Were you actually.. w- what did you do?!" 

"N- nothing, Jess. I didn't do.. I wasn't going to.."

Jessie frantically grabbed James by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in close to her.

"Don't lie to me, dammit! Is that why you bought so much liquor tonight? Why would you buy 4 large bottles of pain medication for a headache?! And why would you bury them in the sand! You don't just bury something unless you're trying to hide it!"

 James just stared at her not knowing what to say, feeling overwhelmed with guilt as he watched tears start to form in the corner of her eyes.

"Answer me, dammit!!! And tell me the truth! How many of these did you take?! What were you thinking?!" Jessie demanded as she pulled him in close enough that their faces were now just inches apart.

"Okay, Jess, look.. I really did have an excruciating headache, and I bought the pills for that. I was angry and I needed an outlet, so.. I decided to purchase alcohol as well. I had been...having some thoughts prior to this, so I guess subconsciously, I had purchased enough medication and alcohol that I would need, incase I did decide to..."

At this point, tears started to roll down Jessie's cheeks as she took in the words that her partner was saying to her.

"I.. didn't do it though, Jess. You can look on the other bottles and see that the seals haven't been broken. I only took a few pills out of the first bottle for my headache, and then I started thinking.. what would happen if I... would Jessie and Meowth be better off if..."

James was interrupted when Jessie unexpectedly threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly as she began to sob into his shoulder.

"H- how could you even think about doing such a thing?! Why on Earth would you even think something like that?!"

"I- I'm sorry, Jess.. It's just that, I can't seem to do anything right lately. All I keep doing is screwing up. I am the reason we failed today, and many other times, too. You even said--" James quickly stopped talking once he realized that he was only making the situation worse as he heard Jessie start to sob even harder.

"Don't say that, James! I - I know I can lose my temper sometimes, but I.. I couldn't imagine my life without you. I.. I need you, okay? You are my partner... and my best friend. I already lost my mother when I was little, and my first love left me.. I can't stand to lose you, too. So don't you ever even think about doing something like this again! Don't you ever leave me, you got it? You made a promise to me, remember?! Y- you can't break that promise!" Jessie's voice quavered with hurt and anger as she tried to speak through her sobs.

James sat there speechless, ridden with guilt. He felt his heart break as he listened to Jessie's sobs and the tone in her voice that indicated how much she was hurting.

He had no idea how much she actually cared about him, and now that he knew, he felt absolutely awful for even thinking about leaving her alone on this earth.

Outside of Meowth and Wobbuffet, James is all that she has. How could he ever do something so stupid and so selfish to her?

James wrapped his arms around Jessie and pulled her in close to him.

"I'm so sorry, Jessie. I won't ever do something like this again. I- I won't ever leave you, okay? You can always count on me to be right here by your side.. I will keep my promise to you, no matter what."

James now had tears streaming down his own cheeks as he and Jessie held on to one another, embracing each other tightly.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Summary:

Warning: Chapter contains romantic / light sexual content including a very brief non-detailed mention of sexual abuse as a child.

The sun had now set completely as the sky turned an inky black, the moonlight reflecting down on the gentle waves as they made a calm, rhythmic sound.

They duo had decided to get out the picnic blanket so they could lay out on the beach underneath the stars.

Jessie lay on James' lap in between his legs, his arms wrapped around her, as they watched the stars twinkle in the darkness like bright diamonds.

James pointed out a constellation in the sky and began to go on about its history in Greek mythology, before Jessie turned around to face him, leaving very little room between her lips and his.

"I can't believe I could have lost you tonight." Jessie whispered softly. "I might have never known what it's like.."

"Uh...what what is like, Jess?" James replied, puzzled as to what his partner was hinting at.

"To do this.."

Before James could speak another word, Jessie had crashed her lips into his, gently biting his lower lip before pulling away.

James' cheeks flushed a bright red as he tried to register what had just happened.

"Uh, Jess? Are you alright? Perhaps you've had enough alcohol for one nigh--"

Jessie shushed him by putting a finger on his lips as she gave him a seductive gaze.

"James, haven't you ever wondered what it would be like to.. be together, you know.. intimately?" Jessie asked him as she trailed her fingers up his chest.

James was completely dumbstruck as he suddenly realized what Jessie was implying, a look of shock etched across his face.

"C'mon James, we've pretty much done everything else. We've sleep in the same bed, we've been naked in hot springs together, we've changed in front of each other more times than I can even count, and don't think I haven't noticed you sneaking peeks at--"

"I most certainly have not!" James interrupted her, a look of guilt written all over his face.

Jessie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him, calling him out on his lie.

"O-okay maybe I have.. once or twice.."

"Of course you have! I mean, I am stunning after all, and we're already close in so many other ways, you can't tell me you haven't at least thought about it."

James locked eyes with Jessie as she gave him a flirtatious smirk.

Of course, James did have occasional thoughts about it, but he never would've said it out loud, for fear of Jessie hitting him on the head with the nearest object she could find.

Aside from that, he respected Jessie as his close friend and his colleague, he would never view her in such an ill-mannered way.

Jessie leaned in and gently nipped at his earlobe as James hesitated to touch her, his hands shaking as he was unsure of what to do with them.

"It's okay, James, you don't need to be so shy about it.." Jessie assured him. "I mean, you are attracted to me, aren't you?"

Jessie took off her long sleeved shirt and pulled it up over her head, leaving her in just her black crop top, as James hesitated to look at her.

"I think you're incredibly beautiful, Jessie. You know that." 

Jessie smiled as she straddled James' lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"James, I know that I've been belittling you a lot as of late, and that it probably has made you feel like.. less of a man. I could just apologize for it, but as they say, 'actions speak louder than words', so ..let me show you how sorry I am, by helping you feel like a man again."

Jessie began to kiss James' neck as she reached her hands underneath of his shirt and begun to pull it up in a desperate attempt to rid it from his body.

"U-uh.... t-that isn't necessary, Jess.." James stammered as he put his hands on hers to stop her from going any further.

Of course, Jessie's offer was tempting, and James did enjoy the feel of Jessie's touch, but he was worried that Jessie had been too heavily influence by the alcohol she had been drinking, and he didn't want to feel as if he was taking advantage of her.

There was also the chance that she would wake up in the morning, regretting what they had done, resenting James for allowing it to happen.

Then there were the other reasons he was hesitant, which Jessie had yet to find out about.

"Why are you hesitating, James? Have you never done it on the beach before?" Jessie asked him.

"Well.. no... I can't say that I have." James mumbled.

"Wait a minute, don't tell me... you've never done it ..at all, ever?"

James lack of response gave Jessie the answer she was looking for as she struggled to contain her cackle. 

"Is something.. funny about that?" James asked, his arms crossed as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"N- no!" Jessie quickly replied. "It's just that...well, we are 25.. so it's just a little.."

"Pathetic?" James finished her sentence for her as he could tell what she was thinking. 

"Well..." Jessie bit her lip as she wasn't sure how else to respond.

"For your information, Jess, it's ..it's because.. well.." James froze as he struggled to find the words to say without revealing too much.

---

The truth was that, as a child, he had been.. traumatized, by a certain ex-fiancé of his, who had tried to force him to do things that he didn't want to do. So he had developed a fear of intimacy that lasted into his adulthood.

For Jessie, she had lost her virginity to a boy she had loved as a teenager, but she had never heard from him again after the fact, proving that he had just used her for a good time before he left town to continue on his journey.

After this, Jessie was so angry and heartbroken, she had decided that to her, sex was no longer a symbol of love, but just a way to have fun, or as she had done in the past before meeting James, a tool for her to use to her advantage.

When she had first joined Team Rocket, there was an executive she had a short-lived sexual relationship with, as he would in return make sure that she was sent on the more desirable missions, or arrange for her to be equipped with the newest gadgets. It gave her the upper hand, even though she was a newbie.

Of course, it had now been years since she had any sort of sexual contact, and she was starting to feel a bit starved of the attention.

---

Jessie stared at James, an eyebrow raised, as she waited for him to finish his sentence.

James didn't want to bother Jessie with his trauma from his childhood. Not right now.

"It's because.. I just hadn't ..found the first person to be my first." James confessed sheepishly. 

That wasn't a lie. In order for James to get over his fear of intimacy, it would have to be with someone special to him.. and Jessie is very special to him.

"Oh.. So that's why you're hesitant." Jessie murmured, a slight tone of disappointment in her voice. "You don't think.. I'm good enough to be your first."

"N-no! That's not true. Jessica.. you are absolutely gorgeous and.. my best friend. We've.. known each other for a long time. I would love to have you be my first."

James blushed as he took Jessie's hand into his. 

"It's just that.. well, you've been drinking, and.. I don't want you to do anything that.. you'll regret later."

"It's not the alcohol talking, James." Jessie assured him with a sultry look in her eye. "I.. I've been.. attracted to you for some time now.. and I had been wondering more and more lately what it would be like.. to be with you."

Jessie ran her fingers through James' hair as she lightly pulled his head back and brought his lips to hers.

"The truth is, I want you, James.. and as you already know, I always take what I want."

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Summary:

Warning: Chapter is NSFW. Read at your own risk. ;)

Jessie latched her lips onto James' as she tugged lightly on his hair, earning a soft groan of approval.

The moon rode high, casting silver across the water, and the night was thick with the smell of salt, sweat, and the scent of alcohol still on their breath.

James went all in as he was no longer holding back any of his urges for Jessie, his tongue slipped inside of her mouth, desperate to know her taste.

Her response was a desperate whimper, hands slipping under his shirt and dragging it up, craving the heat of his skin.

Once it was gone, her nails raked down his chest, leaving red lines in their wake. She didn’t care if it stung. She wanted him to feel her everywhere.

James groaned into Jessie's mouth as he felt the sharpness of her nails against his skin.

They broke away from each other for a brief moment as Jessie slipped her top over her head and tossed it aside.

"You're so beautiful, Jessie.." James spoke softly as he ran his hands across her breasts and down to her hips, tugging at her skirt as he pulled it down.

He was completely mesmerized by her elegance and the softness of her skin. The touch of his hands so warm on her bare skin sent a burst of heat straight to Jessie’s core.

It had been so long since she’d been touched. So long since she’d wanted to be. It felt as if she couldn’t get close enough to him.

Jessie reached for the buckle on his belt and began to fiddle with it before successfully loosening his pants and pulling off the remainder of his clothing in one swift motion.

She pressed her bare chest against his as their lips joined together yet again. Their mouths moved in perfect harmony, a dance of their tongues, a symphony of shared desire.

The world felt far away now. No noise, no lights, just the two of them and the pulse of the ocean.

Her fingers tangled in his hair as his mouth traced a path along her neck, tasting the heat rising from her skin. The breeze carried the scent of the sea, but all he could smell was her, which was wildly intoxicating.

His hands were on her hips, dragging her panties down in a single, rough motion, removing the final article of clothing that came between them.

James paused for a moment to take in all of Jessie's beauty as she lay there before him, fully exposed, her pale skin sparkling as it had been illuminated by the moonlight.

Jessie locked her eyes with his, a sultry look that gave him her approval to proceed further.

He knelt before her, spreading her thighs as he positioned himself on top of her.

"Are you sure, Jess?" James asked, voice rough with restraint.

She reached for him, pulling him down until their foreheads touched. 

"I’ve never been more sure." She whispered.

He entered her slowly, inch by inch, his eyes locked on hers. She moaned softly, her nails digging into his back as he filled her completely.

They came together like the tide meeting the shore; with urgency, with reverence. Each movement was slow at first, drawn out, letting the ache build and build.

The beach began to fade around them. There was no sand, no sky, no moon. Just the sound of waves crashing in rhythm with their moans and sighs.

The warmth of his hands, the softness of her curves beneath him, the taste of her lips, the sound of her voice in his ear as they moved in sync.

She clung to him, her body tensing as waves of pleasure washed over her.

"Harder, James!" she demanded. He obeyed.

Her thighs clenched around him, her voice broke into a series of breathy cries as her climax built.

She was close, so close, her body tightening like a wave about to crash.

"James!" Jessie cried, as she grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled hard.

He felt her climax, her inner muscles contracting around him, and it sent him over the edge.

"Ah...Jessie.. fuck.." James moaned as he thrust deeply one last time, his body shuddering as he released inside of her.

---

They lay there for a moment, as they locked eyes with each other, breathing heavily in unison. Their bodies slick with sweat from the warm summer air.

James rolled onto his side, pulling Jessie with him, their limbs entwined.

She rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, a contented smile playing on her lips.

"Wow, James.. That was incredible," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating through his chest.

"It was," he agreed, his arm wrapped tightly around her.

"You are incredible, Jessie."

The tide crept in around their feet as they lay there, tangled, glowing in the aftermath.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Jessie struggled to open her eyes as the light from the morning sun began to dazzle her.

She looked up at James, who had already awoken, watching the sun as it slowly rose over the horizon.

He had laid there still, his arm still wrapped around her, careful not to move so as not to disturb her slumber.

Realizing she had awakened, James looked back at her, giving her a warm smile.

"Good morning, Jess."

Jessie sat up, clutching the top of her head.

"My head is killing me." She whined as she let out an agonizing groan.

The sky continued its transition from dark blue to more vibrant colors of orange, yellow and red as Jessie joined her partner in watching it in awe. 

The beauty of it was almost enough to make Jessie forget about the fact that she felt like she had been ran over by a stampede of Tauros. 

"Well, you did overindulge a bit last night, dear." James chuckled. "But you didn't vomit everywhere, so I would say you proved well that you could handle it."

Jessie rolled her eyes at James' teasing of her.

"Hey James, about last night..."

James froze at her words, fearing what she would say next.

"You regret it, don't you, Jessie? Oh, I knew this would happen. I'm sorry, Jess. I- I knew I should've restrained myself, but.. you're just so beautiful, and-"

"What? James, no. Calm down." Jessie put a finger on his lips as she silenced him.

"I was going to say.. it was actually.. quite nice."

"O-oh.. yeah.." James blushed as he replayed the events of the previous night in his head. "It was.. very nice, Jess."

"Next time, though, you really should pull out, before you, ya know.."

"Uh, right.. Sorry about that.." James' face went from a look of embarrassment to a look of curiosity as he realized the words Jessie had just said. "Uh.. wait, did you say next time?"

Not that he didn't want there to be a next time, he had just figured the events that had unfolded last night were an outcome of being influenced by alcohol, leading them to act impulsively on an unspoken attraction that they had for each other. He hadn't even thought about it becoming a regular occurrence.

"Well, yeah.. I don't know about you but I needed that release. I was actually thinking that this could be good for us.... for the team, I mean. Think about it, if we can rid ourselves of all our stress and tension, we won't be at each others throats, therefore we'll always be at our best! It'll have to be kept casual, of course.. so no romantic feelings involved or anything like that. We can look at it as.. a strategy to improve our work performance! Pretty smart, eh, James?"

James felt his heart ache a bit in his chest. For him, the intimacy they had shared the night prior was a symbol of their closeness and the bond that they share with one another. It had been something he had feared for a long time, a fear that he could only overcome for someone very special to him, which was her.

He had felt so vulnerable, yet so safe and secure with her, a testament to the strong emotional connection that they shared, one that could not be expressed through words but expressed beautifully through intimacy. 

Of course, James knew that Jessie did not love him in the same way he loved her, nor did he expect that to change just because they had been intimate.

Yet, for her to suggest that the intimacy between them was nearly just a tool, or a strategy, for them to get a quick high off of endorphins so that they may have less stress and better work performance.. It stung him, as he couldn't help but feel a little.. used.

"James? What's wrong?" Jessie asked, snapping him of his thoughts.

"Oh.. uh, it's nothing. So, this proposal you're making.. just "causal", huh?"

"Yeah.. what are you saying, James? You...you do know there's no room for romance between us, right? I mean we're part of Team Rocket, we have a job to focus on and that would just get in the way.. don't you agree?"

James tried to hide the look of hurt on his face as he took in Jessie's word. Of course, he already knew that this is how she felt, and that she was probably even right, but hearing the words out loud, he couldn't help but feel like his soul had been crushed.

Jessie couldn't tell what James was thinking as he remained silent, avoiding her gaze.

She reached over to put his hand on his.

"I mean.. you already know that I care about you, and that I do love you, right, James? I love you as my partner and as my closest friend, but.. it's not a romantic type of love. And that's exactly the way you feel about me, too, isn't it?"

James thought about it for a quick moment, deciding it was best to keep his true feelings to himself and just go along with Jessie's idea.

After all, he did enjoy being intimate with her, and it did make her happy. Perhaps it would even make her be nicer to him too, so what could go wrong? 

He had already been keeping his feelings for her hidden away for all these years, it wouldn't be too hard to continue to do so, right?

"Yeah.. of course, Jessie."

"Perfect, it's settled then! Oh, and one more thing, James. Do not go telling Meowth about any of this. I don't want him involved in--"

Suddenly they both froze, staring wide-eyed at each other as they had come to a realization.

"Oh shit, Meowth!" Jessie cried.

James scurried to his feet, quickly dressing himself as he tossed Jessie's clothes over to her.

"Poor buddy has probably been up all night worried sick about us! I feel awful.." 

"Let's hurry back." Jessie replied as she scrambled to get her shirt and boots on. 

"We'll think of an excuse to give him on our way there."

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Jessie and James arrived back at the den to see a frantic Meowth with bags under his eyes, obvious that he had not slept a wink the previous night.

"Where have da two of you been?! You had ole Meowth up all night worried sick!"

Jessie glanced over at her partner, signaling him to go along with the excuse they had come up with.

"We were.. fishing. We completely lost track of the time and before we knew it the sun was rising. We're sorry, pal."

Meowth raised an eyebrow at his friends, not completely buying their story.

"Oh, yeah? And what happened while ya were fishing? Ya get attacked by a Gyarados?"

The duo exchanged glances as they realized how rough they both looked. Hair knotted in a mess, clothes wrinkled, a stain of whisky on Jessie's shirt.

"Why... is your skirt on backwards, Jess? And what is that on your neck, James? Is that.. lipstick?"

James blushed, quickly covering his neck with his hand. "Uhm.. yeah, it's um...my lipstick."

Jessie elbowed him in the ribcage, an order for him to shut up before he said anything else that might blow their cover.

"Quit acting so suspicious of us, Meowth! We told you where we were and now we're back, so enough of the interrogation already!"

Meowth decided to leave well enough alone, as he could take the hint that they didn't want to share with him whatever they we're actually out doing all night. 

"Whatever ya say, Jess. But next time ya guys stay out all night, can ya at least say somethin' first so I'm not up all night thinkin' that ya guys got eaten by a Ursaring?!"

"Yeah, we will, Meowth. Sorry about that, buddy." James replied.

"Well, alright.. I s'pose we should eat, then."

The duo joined Meowth in gathering around their usual breakfast, an assortment of fresh berries and honey provided by Bewear, as they discussed the plans for their next scheme.

---

As the next several weeks went on, Meowth's suspicion of his human teammates only continued to escalate. 

They had been spending a lot more time together, unknowing that Meowth had become fully aware that they would sneak out at night after they thought he had fallen asleep. He had even witnesses them sneaking into the malasada truck on more than one occasion after they had shut it down for the day.

Aside from sneaking around, the demeaner on both of them had completely changed.

Jessie's mood had largely improved, she was much less short-tempered and nicer towards James.

James had become much more confident, less mopey and had actually come up with some good schemes as of late.

In fact, the TRio had successfully pulled off one of those schemes and they were celebrating that night.

"You're a genius, James!" Jessie cried as the two toasted their champagne glasses together. "I can't believe those dimwitted trainers actually fell for it!"

James had come up with the idea to disguise shells they had found on the beach as "rare" Z-Crystal's and sell them off to naïve, young trainers.

"It might've been my idea, but your brilliant acting is what truly made it a success, my dear." James replied, a flirtatious grin etched across his face.

Meowth watched in exasperation as his two human companions went back and forth on exchanging compliments, going on and on about how great the both of them were. It was as if he wasn't even in the room.

"Ahem.." Meowth coughed, an attempt to get their attention, to no avail.

"I said... AHEM."

"What, Meowth?!" Jessie barked, annoyed that he had interrupted them.

"Well...isn't there anything ya want to say about me?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, Meowth. You were... there too. Good job."

"Yeah." James agreed. "Nice work, pal."

The two humans immediately turned back to each other, continuing on about their own accomplishments.

"So anyway, James, tell me more about what a brilliant actress I--"

"That's IT!" Meowth cut in as his patience had finally run out.

He had enough of whatever it is that had been going on between the two humans, and he was ready to call them out on it.

Of course, he already had a very strong suspicion of what that is, but he needed more proof, he needed to actually catch them in the act. Otherwise, they could just deny it.

He suddenly had an idea.

"I...I'm going out. I'll probably be gone awhile." Meowth announced as he headed out of the den.

Jessie exchanged a look with her partner as they watched the feline disappear out of their view.

"What's his problem?"

James shrugged in response.

---

Outside the den, Meowth hid around the corner in a bush where he couldn't be seen by his human teammates.

With him out of their hair, and Bewear out with Wobbuffet to replenish their stockpile of berries, this was a foolproof plan.

If something was truly going on between them, he would surely catch them in the act now that they were alone.

 

About a half hour had gone by without Meowth witnessing any suspicious behavior. 

Jessie had continued going on about what an amazing actress she is as James polished his bottle caps. Nothing unusual there.

Meowth had began to wonder if his suspicious were all in his head when suddenly--

 

He watched as Jessie inched closer to James, her arms wrapped around his neck as he pulled her in close and crashed his lips into hers.

I was right! Meowth thought to himself.

He continued to watch as the duo proceeded to kiss each other passionately, James' hands caressing every curve of Jessie's body as he gently lifted up her long sleeved shirt and slid it off of her head.

Meowth noted the tender way that James touched her, the way he scooped her up and carried her over to the bed he had built for the two of them a couple months prior, the way they interlaced their hands together as James' kissed Jessie's neck.

Most of all he noticed the smile on Jessie's face, the adoring looks that they exchanged with each other. They looked so.. happy.

The situation was even more shocking than Meowth had suspected. His feline senses could pick it up all the way from the bush he was hiding in.

Oh my God, Meowth thought, They're not just screwing around like a couple of horny Mankey's... They're actually....

Meowth decided to look away as the duo continued to undress each other and get underneath of the covers.

They're in love! Meowth couldn't believe it. Why would they hide such a thing from him? Unless..

Were they planning on cutting him out of the picture, so that it could be just the two of them?

These thoughts left Meowth with a whirlwind of emotions. First anger, then hurt, followed by sorrow.

We're supposed to be a team, and even more than that friends! 

Was he really that disposal to them? Would they really just leave him behind that like?

Meowth somberly began to walk into the forest, his heart broken and eyes fighting back tears as he disappeared into the darkness.

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

James and Jessie lie together in a tender embrace, their bodies nestled like puzzle pieces. James wrapped his arm gently around Jessie, his face nuzzled in her neck, taking in the enthralling scent of her shampoo.

"Amazing performance, like usual, James." Jessie complimented her partner as he planted kisses on her neck.

"I am to please you, my dear."

James continued to nibble at Jessie's earlobe as a warmth bloomed in his chest, slow and steady. It wasn’t the rush of passion or the sharp pulse of excitement; it was deeper, quieter. Like peace had taken shape inside him. Like home wasn’t a place, but the person that he was holding in his arms.

He had already loved her before, but in that quiet, intimate moment, with her curled against him and the sweet smell of her entrancing his senses, James realized he was completely in love with her, in every way a person could be. And he couldn't hold it back anymore. He belonged to her. Entirely.

"I love you, Jessie.." James whispered lightly into her ear.

Jessie turned around to face her partner, a baffled look on her face.

"What...what did you just say?"

James froze as it occurred to him the information he had just revealed. Did he really just say that out loud?

It was too late. He knew his only choice now is to man up and finally tell Jessie the truth. He couldn't deny it anymore.

"I said I love you, Jessie! No, actually, I am in love with you.. I am completely and utterly, in love with you, Jessica."

James cupped her cheek as he removed a piece of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"And you know what? I'm pretty sure you're in love with me, too..."

Jessie smacked his hand away from her as she sat up in the bed, completely bewildered by his confession.

"What?! What makes you think that?!"

"Because I can feel it, Jessie! I can feel it by the way you touch me, I can feel it by the look in your eyes, I can feel it when we--"

"Enough, James! I.. I told you before, there is to be no romantic feelings involved in this!"

Jessie quickly jumped out of the bed, flustered, her face flushed red as she scrambled to get her clothes back on as James followed suit.

"I know what you said, Jessie! But the truth is.. I.. I've actually loved you for a long time, and--"

"What?! Where is this coming from all of a sudden?!" Jessie demanded as she cut him off.

"I.. I've never told you before, because, well..." James paused, his gaze averted away.

Jessie walked over closer to him, demanding that his eyes met with hers.

"Because you know, just like I had said, that there's no room for romance between us." 

"I.. I never told you because I never thought you'd love me the same way that I love you, Jessie."

James reached for her hand, taking it into his as he looked her in her eyes.

"We've always been close as friends and as partners, I value our friendship more than anything else in the world... but spending so much time alone with you for this past month, getting to know each other on such an intimate level.. it's been really nice. In fact, I've never been happier, and I can see that you've been happy, too, Jessie.. I really think.. that we could even be--"

Jessie snatched her hand away from his as she took a step back.

"James, no. This has all been a big mistake. I'm sorry.. but I think it's best if we just forget any of this ever happened, and go back to the way things were before. We do have a job to focus on, after all, and this has become too much of a distraction. So please, let's just forget about all of this and--"

"Jessie, wait, no--" James pleaded. "Please, just tell me... are you in love with me?"

"James, I already told you, forget about all of this! Now, back off and give me some space!"

"Jessie, please, just answer the quest--"

Jessie felt a burst of rage overcome her as she snapped, losing the last bit of patience she had left.

"JAMES! I TOLD YOU, BACK! OFF!"

Jessie's voice echoed through the den as she looked over to see Bewear and Wobbuffet standing there, returned from their outing with fresh berries and honey.

"Wobbu...fett?" Cried Wobbuffet, expressing concern for his trainer.

"It's nothing, Wobbuffet. I'm fine."

James realized that a member of the team is still missing.

"Did you guys see Meowth while you were out?"

Wobbuffet and Bewear shook their heads in response.

"I... I better go look for him, then." James mumbled as he headed out of the den, avoiding all eye contact with Jessie.

Even though Meowth did say he'd be gone awhile, James needed an excuse to get out of there, to give Jessie the "space" that she required from him.

He didn't want anyone to see his face as the tears he had been fighting back finally poured out of his eyes and down his cheeks.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

James wandered out of the den in search of his friend.

"Meowth? Are you out here, buddy?"

Only the sounds of the wind whistling through the trees and the cries of various nocturnal Pokémon answered him. 

He wandered further into the forest until he seen up ahead a large rock, just barely lit by the luminance of the moon, with what appeared to be a feline-like creature sitting on top of it.

"Meowth, is that you?" 

No response.

James walked further ahead until the visual came clear into view. It was definitely Meowth, looking up into the night sky.

"Hey pal.. what are you doing?" James asked him, only to be met with another round of silence.

"Meowth! Hello?!" James called out, waving his hand in front of Meowth's face. "Why are you pretending I'm not right here!?"

"Hmph. You mean the same way you and Jess have been treatin' me lately?"

"Meowth.. what are you talking about?"

Meowth only folded his arms as he turned away his head.

"Enough of this! What aren't you telling me, Meowth?!" 

"I should be asking you that same thing!" Meowth snapped. "What aren't ya telling me, Jimmy?!"

James froze, unsure of how he should respond.

"Dats fine, I don't need ya to tell me, 'cause I already know."

Unsure of what all Meowth knew exactly, James decided to proceed cautiously. 

"You know... what?"

Meowth pulled out his claws as he unleashed a fury swipe across James' face.

"Don't play dumb with me, Jimmy! Ya guys think I wouldn't notice ya sneakin' around at night, suddenly spendin' so much time alone?! I knew ya guys were up to somethin' so I decided to see for myself what ya guys are up too when Meowth ain't around."

"You.. you were spying on us?!" James shrieked, mortified at the thoughts of what Meowth must've seen.

"Well, if the two of ya didn't go sneakin' around behind my back, I wouldn't have had too!"

James let out a sigh as he sat down on the rock next to Meowth, looking up at twinkling stars in the night sky.

"Well, Meowth, you don't have to worry about it, we won't be.. sneaking around anymore."

"I don't get it Jimmy, if the two of ya are in love, why did ya hide it from me?!"

"That's the thing, Meowth. We aren.. well, Jessie isn't.."

James choked on his words as he attempted to fight back his tears.

"But.. you are.. in love with her, aren't ya, Jimmy?"

James nodded as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"She told me before that she only loves me as her friend. It hurt, because I have always loved her as more than that, but I lied and told her that's the way I feel about her, too. She said that the intimacy between us is just a way to relieve stress, therefore improving our work performance. I thought I could be okay with that, because at least I still get to be close to her and spend time with her, you know? I thought I could keep my true feelings locked away, the way that I always have. But it become too much.. It started to overcome me, so.. I let it slip out." 

Meowth offered a comforting paw on his shoulder as James took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure.

"Well.. what did she say after ya told her?" 

"She said that there's no room for romance between us.. as she had already said before. I knew that she is probably right, but I guess I had a slight glimpse of hope that it wasn't true. That maybe after spending so much time together alone, getting to know each other on such a deep, personal level that maybe.. she would start to love me the way that I loved her. I had actually even believed that she was starting too. She just seemed so happy to be with me, I seen a side of her I've never seen before. I thought it was love that I had been feeling from her, but.. I guess I was a fool. In fact, she told me I should just forget any of this happened, so that things can go back to the way they were before."

The way they were before. Meowth thought to himself. That's perfect!

That's exactly what Meowth had wanted. If his teammates were no longer pursuing each other, he would no longer be left out, and they could go back to spending their time focusing on schemes to capture Pikachu-- Something that, as of late, his human partners were too distracted to do.

They would be a team again. There would be no chance of him being left behind.

Meowth looked over at his friend with his head held down low, a heartbroken look across his face.

The feline couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt come over him, as he fought with his mind the right decision to make.

He knew the truth is that Jessie is likely in love with James, she's just too stubborn to admit it.

Meowth could see it in her eyes, in the way she interacted with him, in the way her demeaner had completely changed as of late. Plus, his feline senses have never been wrong about this sort of thing before.

He could either tell James the truth and encourage his teammates to pursue their love for each other, even if it meant that he gets left behind, or he could choose not tell him so that things go back to the way they were before. 

Meowth thought back on his own experiences with romance, how heartbroken he had been when he was rejected by the one he loved. He could feel the pain that James is in, if he could save him from that pain but he chose not too, what kind of friend would he be? 

"Hey, Jimmy, I really should tell ya somethin'.."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I think.. Jess really is in love with ya."

"I thought so too, Meowth." James sighed. "But she said--"

"Forget about what she said, Jim. Ya know how Jess can be. She's as stubborn as a Rapidash."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I can just.. tell. Us Pokémon have a sense for these things."

"But.. if she doesn't want to admit her true feelings, what do you think I should do?"

"Just give her time, Jimmy. Let her come to terms with it on her own. She'll come around."

"Do you really think so, Meowth?"

Meowth gave his friend a reassuring nod. 

A smile rose to James' face as he felt a glimmer of hope return.

"Thanks, Meowth. You're a true pal." 

Meowth looked down at the ground, overcome with sorrow.

"Sure, Jim. Just promise me that when she does, and you guys.. ya know.. promise me ya guys will still hold on to your memories of ole Meowth."

"What are you talking about, Meowth? When we what?"

"When ya leave me behind so you two can be together without me in the way."

Meowth sniffled as he fought to hold back the tears in his eyes.

"What?! Why on Earth would you think that would happen, Meowth?!"

"Well, 'cause ya two have been treatin' me like I'm invisible ever since ya guys started this thing. It's obvious I'm in the way and ya would rather I wasn't around."

"That's not true, Meowth! I.. I'm sorry, we made you feel that way, pal. I guess we did get pretty.. distracted. I.. just.. I've been completely caught up in all of this.. It's like, Jessie is all I can see, she's all I can think about, it's almost like.. the rest of the world has ceased to exist... you know what I mean?"

Meowth nodded his head in response. He knew exactly what James meant.

"Yeah.. I know what ya mean.."

"But don't you worry, Meowth. I promise that no matter what happens, we would never leave you behind! We're a team! Actually, we're a family, nothing will ever change that!"

Meowth turned to his friend, he couldn't contain his tears as James' words touched his heart.

"Do ya really mean that, Jimmy?"

"Of course I do, pal. Don't you ever think otherwise."

James wrapped his arm around Meowth's shoulder as the two looked up into the night sky, watching as a shooting star made its way across the darkness.

---

Back at the den, Wobbuffet and Bewear were fast asleep as Jessie lie awake staring into the darkness, replaying the events from earlier that night in her head.

Is James really in love with her? Could she.. actually be in love with him, too?

No. She thought. That's ridiculous.. right? 

Besides, even if that were true, she could never tell him that. After all, she is the one who told him that there's no room for romance between them.

And she's still right about that. Even if, somehow, they were in love, they could never pursue it. It could simply never be.

They were assigned together as colleagues, they have a job to do. What would the boss think if he found out that they had chosen to pursue a romance instead of their job duties? It most certainly would not be tolerated.

He might even choose to separate them, assigning them to new partners. Then she would lose James altogether. She absolutely cannot risk that happening.

These feelings will pass. She told herself.

She thought back on the past several weeks she had spent with him. All of the time they had spent alone, the kissing, the way he touched her, the way he gave her every ounce of his attention. The way that the world seemed to fade away when they would become one with each other.

That's it! Jessie thought.

Clearly, these feelings have transpired as a result of the time the had been spending together, along with the intimacy they had shared.

It's perfectly natural to catch feelings for someone you are being intimate with. She knew that from her past experiences.

Of course, she hadn't felt this way about any other man she had been with in the past, not even her very first love that broke her heart.

But that has to be because she's already so close with James in so many other ways.

They have been through so much together, as they have known each other for so long.

He is her partner, her best friend. They are a team with a common goal in mind.

Once things go back to the way they were before all of this had transpired, these feelings of being in love will fade away.

Everything will return to normal, Jessie assured herself. 

She was certain of it.

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

The next 2 weeks were filled with a combination of awkward silence followed by complete absent-mindedness between the TRio.

James had made every effort to give Jessie her space that she had asked for in hopes that she would come around to her true feelings, while Jessie avoided James as much as she could. She figured if she ignored him enough her feelings for him would fade away and James would start to realize that a romance between them would never work so that things could go back to the way that they were.

Of course, she felt a sense of guilt as she could see how much her partner is hurting, but this is what had to be done. She had to force him to get over his feelings, or at least go back to repressing them. He could also never know the way she had been feeling towards him. She was doing this to save their team, and their friendship.

Besides, she had convinced herself that what she had been feeling towards her partner isn't true love. Perhaps it is lust, or just a strong sense of closeness between the two of them but it is definitely not true love. It just couldn't be.

The duo would make small talk if they had too or if it pertained to work, but if left alone, as Meowth often tried in an attempt to get the two to talk, one of them would quickly come up with an excuse as to why they had to suddenly leave. Even when the team had gathered to discuss new schemes or go out on missions, they two humans were not present enough to actually make any of their plans a success. 

One morning, as James excused himself to go fishing, Meowth finally had enough as he decided it was time for him to call out his female teammate.

"Hey, Jess, we gotta talk."

"About what?"

"As if ya don't know."

Jessie's eyebrows furrowed as she gave the feline a hostile glance.

"What are you saying, Meowth?"

'I'm sayin' we're gonna talk about this thing goin' on between you and Jimmy."

"There's nothing goi--"

"Don't even try to fool me, Jess! I know everything."

Jessie stood up as her jaw clenched, her arms locked tightly around her chest.

"He.. he told you?! That jerk! I made him promise not to--"

"He didn't tell me anythin' Jess, I figured it out on my own."

"What?! How?!"

"'Cause Meowth ain't dumb."

Meowth decided to leave out the details of how he had spied on them, as he knew that it would cause Jessie to reach for the nearest object she could find and use it to smack him into a state of oblivion. 

"How...how long have you known for?"

"That's not important. What is important is that I can tell that ya are in love with Jimmy but you're too stubborn to admit it."

"What?! How dare you accuse me of--"

"Stop kiddin' yourself, Jess. My feline senses are far more superior than your inadequate human senses."

Meowth got closer to Jessie as he studied her face.

"In fact, I've noticed a lot of things different about ya lately, Jess. Ya look a bit.. sickly. Your face is pale, your eyes are sunken in a bit, and...ya even smell a bit weird."

Jessie backhanded Meowth across the room as the words left his mouth.

"What the hell is your problem, cat?!"

"I'm just sayin', I can pick up on these things."

Meowth rubbed his cheek where the print from Jessie's hand had made an impression.

"Look, Jess... Jimmy is truly in love with ya, and right now he's really hurtin' cause he thinks ya could never feel the same way about him back. So, I don't understand why ya are denyin' your feelings for him. I thought ya always dreamed of havin' all that Cinderella crap."

Jessie sighed as she looked down at the ground.

"It could never be with him, Meowth. It just wouldn't work."

"How do ya know that, Jess?"

"Because... because, we're in Team Rocket! We have a job to do, and if the boss found out-- he could, I could.. I could lose James for good.. I don't.. I don't want to lose my best friend." Jessie shallowed hard as she fought back the tears that had started to form in her eyes. "I.. I'm scared, Meowth."

"I get it, Jess.. It can be scary. Heck, at first the thought of the two of ya shackin' up together terrified me, too, but ya guys are my friends, and if ya have a chance at finding love and happiness together.. well, I want ya guys to pursue it. Ya won't know until ya try, Jess. If it is true love, ya two will find a way to make it work."

Jessie's face beamed with a bright smile at Meowth's sentiment, as tears she could no longer hold back started to flow down her cheeks.

"Thanks, Meowth. I--"

Jessie suddenly was hit with a wave of nausea as she bolted out of the den towards the nearby bush that she proceeded to get sick in.

"Uh.. ya alright there, Jess?" Meowth asked, following behind her. "The thought of gettin' with Jimmy makes ya that sick, huh?"

The truth is that Meowth was right when he pointed out that Jessie had been sick as of late. 

She had been trying to hide it from her teammates, but lately she had no appetite and she could not keep anything down that she did try to eat.

She even struggled to keep down water, hence why her face looked so dehydrated. She had also lost 7lbs without even trying.

At first, she thought she had just caught a bug or ate a bad berry, but it had now been over a week and she seemed to be getting worse rather than better.

Since she didn't want to draw attention to it or worry her teammates, she would make an attempt to eat the berries and honey that Bewear had brought, before inconspicuously running to the bathroom or a bush outside as she felt it come right back up.

She wasn't exactly sure what had been going on with her but she decided to chalk it up to all the stress she had been under in her current situation.  

"Ugh, no, it's not that, Meowth. I guess, I have been kind of sick lately. I haven't been able to keep down any food or water, I've been extremely tired, and even though I've been doing a good job at hiding it, I guess I have been just a bit more--"

"Cranky, than usual?" Meowth chimed in before Jessie shot him a death glare. "Well.. do ya think ya should go to the doctor, Jess?"

"No, that's not necessary. It's probably just all of the stress I've been under lately. But don't say anything to James about it, okay? I don't want him to worry about me. But, I'll talk to him soon, I promise, I just need... more time to sort things out. Okay, Meowth?"

Meowth sighed as Jessie's relentless stubbornness continues on.

"Whatever ya say, Jess."

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Summary:

Possible TW: Thoughts of abortion is briefly implied in this chapter.

Jessie's condition only continued to worsen over the course of the next week.

At this point, it became impossible for her to hide it from James, who had become increasingly worried about her.

He had encouraged her multiple times to go see a doctor, even offering to take her, to no avail.

Jessie had mostly stopped eating as it became nearly impossible for her to hold anything down.

She had begun to spend most of her time in bed, barely even drinking the water James would bring to her.

On this morning in particular, Jessie had tried to stand up from the bed, only for her to have fallen over from her dizziness.

"Jessie, please, let me take you to see a doctor!" James begged her. "I'm very worried about you.. I - I will drag you there if I have too!"

Jessie reluctantly agreed, as she had become too weak and fatigued to argue. 

---

The duo arrived at the local emergency room in town as Jessie was taken back into a room, James accompanying her. 

A woman dressed in scrubs walked into the room, a friendly smile on her face and a clipboard in her hand.

"Hello Jessie, my name is Gwen, I am a nurse here at Kuakini Medical Center. What brings you in today?"

"It's nothing major. I'm just a bit tired and--"

"She has barely eaten in almost 2 weeks." James interrupted. "She has barely been able to keep down even water, she looks like she's rapidly lost weight and when she tried to get out of bed today, she nearly fainted. I'm very worried that something is wrong with her."

"I see." Nurse Gwen replied. "And you must be her husband?"

"N-no!" Jessie quickly responded. "He's just a friend."

Just a friend... James thought to himself.

"Okay, well, Jessie I am going to check your vitals and then ask you some questions." The nurse put an oxygen monitor on her finger and a blood pressure cuff around her arm. "When did you say your symptoms started? 2 weeks ago?"

"Yeah, about then is when I started feeling nauseous a lot. I figured I had just ate some bad berries or something." 

"I see. Well, typically food poisoning does not last this long nor does it worsen rather than get better. What other symptoms have you been experiencing? Fatigue, you said?"

"She's barely been out of bed for the past week." James replied, Jessie giving him an irritated side-eye as he had butt in once again.

"Well, your heart rate is a bit high and I can tell just by looking at you that you are definitely dehydrated so I am going to start an IV with fluids right away."

 The nurse prepped an IV bag as she inserted a needle into Jessie's vein, James squeezing her hand as she flinched.

"Okay, so you've had nausea, weight loss due to the vomiting, fatigue.." The nurse jotted notes down on her chart. "When is the start date of your last menstrual cycle?"

Jessie took a minute to think about it as she had not really kept track.

"The.. first week of June, I think?"

"Hmm. It's almost the end of July now, do you normally have irregular periods?"

"Uh.. sometimes, when I'm under a lot of stress, which I have been lately."

"Okay. Well, Is there any chance you could be pregnant?"

Jessie immediately turned ghost white, completely shocked and appalled that the nurse even asked such a thing. 

"What?! No! No way."

"Are you sexually active?"

Jessie glared at James as he looked away, turning red with embarrassment. 

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, I've heard it all here." Nurse Gwen insisted.

"Not in the last couple of weeks." Jessie answered.

"Are you using protection?"

"Uh...well.." Jessie blushed as she hesitated on her words. "Just.. the pull out method."

Most of the time, anyway, She thought to herself as she recalled several occasions that they were either too intoxicated or too caught up in the moment to actually use the method properly.

"Okay, well, since that is not a very effective method of protection, I recommend that we rule out pregnancy before moving forward with any sort of treatment. I'll unhook your IV bag so we can collect a sample from you." The nurse helped Jessie get up from the bed, handing her a sterilized cup. "I'll show you to the bathroom."

Jessie exchanged a look with James, an eccentric look on his face, before following the nurse out of the room.

A few moments later, Jessie returned, escorted by the nurse.

"Those results should only take a few minutes, dear." Nurse Gwen told Jessie as she helped her get settled back into the bed, reinserting her IV bag. "We'll let you know when we have them."

The nurse exited the room closing the door behind her, leaving James and Jessie in an awkward silence.

"Jessie, do you really think you could be--"

"No. Of course not, it's probably just protocol for them to do the test."

"B-- but Jessie, what if--"

"Chill out, James! There's no way."

The two sat in the awkward silence for another 5 minutes before James broke it again.

"I...I just feel like it might explain--"

"James, I said drop it! I know my own body, I'd definitely know if I was--"

Jessie was interrupted by a knock on the door as a man in a white coat entered.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Chen. Jessie, right?"

Jessie nodded as she shook the doctors hand before he turned to James. "And you are?"

"Uh, James, sir." James replied, extending his hand to meet with the doctors.

"Nice to meet you. So, Jessie I have your results here." The doctor flipped through the papers on his clipboard. "The pregnancy test did indeed come back positive, congratulations to you both!"

Jessie's eyes nearly popped out of her head, her mouth agape.

"WHAT?! There's no way, can we do another test?!"

"We could do a repeat test if you would like too ma'am, but I assure you these test are very accurate. Along with your other symptoms, I would say this definitely seems to be a case of hyperemesis gravidarum."

"Hyper-- WHAT?! So, you're telling me I'm pregnant AND I have some sort of incurable disease?!"

"Not quite. Hyperemesis gravidarum is a severe form of morning sickness. It causes nausea and vomiting so severe that it can lead to weight loss and dehydration which seems to be what you are experiencing. It can start as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy, and based off of your last menstrual cycle, I would estimate you at about 8 weeks pregnant. Unfortunately it does often get worse before it gets better. In the meantime, you need to be taking small sips of water and I can prescribe you anti-nausea medication."

Jessie turned pale as the room started spinning around her, suddenly feeling like she's about to get sick. "I could use some of that right now."

"Yes, of course. I'll get nurse Gwen in here with that for you. I would like to monitor you for a bit longer to keep on eye on your vitals and make sure that you are hydrated enough for us to send you home. I would also like you to follow up for an ultrasound with an OB as soon as possible so that you can see how things are progressing and they can give you a more accurate due date." The doctor scribbled down the information of a local OB in town and handed it to Jessie. "Get some rest, now."

The doctor exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"Oh my God... Jessie, this is amazing!" James exclaimed.

"WHAT?! You're happy about this?!"

"Of course I am! You.. you're not happy?"

"How could I be happy about this?! Do you not realize how screwed we are! We... we can't keep it, you do know that, right?"

"What? What are you saying, Jessie?"

James studied the look on her face before realizing what she meant.

"N- no! Jessie wait, please, can we just talk about it first?"

"There's nothing to talk about, James! We're in Team Rocket. We can't raise a child! What would the boss think?!"

"Jessie, please, I'm just asking that you give it a few days to think about before making any rash decisions."

Jessie opened her mouth to argue more before the nurse entered the room with her anti-nausea medication.

"Here you are, dear." Nurse Gwen said to Jessie as she administered the medication into her IV."The doctor would also like us to do an electrolyte panel so I'll just need to draw a quick blood sample as well."

Jessie shot James a menacing glare as if to say, you did this to me.

"It's okay, Jessie, I'm here with you." James assured her as he reach for her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'll be here with you through everything, no matter what, I promise."

 

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

After completing her IV treatment and receiving clear test results, Jessie was discharged from the hospital with instructions to take her medication and rest.

Jessie rushed out of the hospital as James quickly followed behind her, racing to keep up with her.

"Jessie, wait!" James cried as he struggled to catch his breath. "Aren't you going to talk to me?!"

"I told you, James! There's nothing to talk about here! We can't have a kid! We're living in a den with a Bewear surviving off of berries and honey, we are flat broke and in case you have forgotten, we are in a criminal organization! What part of that sounds child friendly to you?!"

"Actually, Jess...I have been thinking lately."

"About what, James?"

"I...I want to quit Team Rocket."

"WHAT?! What are you saying? How long have you been thinking this?"

"For.. awhile now. I haven't said anything, because I can't stand the thought of not being at your side. But now... we both have a reason to quit."

James reached over to put his hand on Jessie's stomach before she slapped it away.

"James! Are you out of your mind?!"

"Just think about it. We could start over with a new beginning, a fresh start to a better life. Doesn't that sound nice, Jessie?"

"What about everything we worked so hard for?!"

"Where has that got us, Jess? We haven't accomplished much of anything, all of our schemes to catch that damned Pikachu always fail, and we just end up getting sent flying into the air by that blasted thunderbolt! In fact, it's too dangerous for you to continue these missions. From now on, I forbid you from--"

"Forbid me?!" Jessie hissed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You think just because you knocked me up means that you can control everything I do?!"

"No, Jess, that's not what I meant! I just want you to be--"

"Listen, James! I will decide what I will do with my own body, so don't even think about telling me what to do!" Jessie huffed as she stormed off ahead of him.

Why am I such an idiot?! James asked himself, smacking his palm against his forehead.

Who does he think he is, trying to make my own decisions for me?! Jessie thought, angrily kicking a rock across the road.

James caught up with Jessie as he attempted to reach for her hand only for her to quicken her pace to get away from him faster.

His only choice was to run ahead in front of her, blocking her path.

"Jessie wait, will you please stop running off and talk to me like an adult?"

His words only irritated Jessie more as she pushed him out of her way and continued to try to escape before James grabbed her arm to stop her from going any further.

"Jessie, will you just listen to me for a second?! Look.. I'm not telling you what to do, whatever decision you make, I.. I will respect it. I'm just asking you to consider my feelings on the matter, it is my child too, you know."

Jessie took a minute to think before she responded. She knew James did have a point, and that she should consider his feelings, but she isn't about to admit this out loud.

"I'll think about it. But at the end of the day, it's my decision to make."

James sighed as he watched Jessie continue down the path, deciding it was best to leave well enough alone for now.

---

Later on, James returned to the den to find it mostly quiet as Meowth, Wobbuffet and Bewear had gone out in search of berries as Jessie lie in the bed, her back facing him.

"Hey, Jess." James said softly as he approached the bed. "I went to the pharmacy and picked up that medication for you."

"I didn't need you to do that. I could've done it myself." Jessie snarled.

"Yes, Jess, I am aware you didn't need me too, but I wanted to. So please just quit being stubborn and let me take care of you. I also filled up your water bottle with fresh water."

James went to hand Jessie the water bottle, only for her to ignore him completely, her back still turned to him.

"Alright, well, I'll set it here next to the bed for when you're ready for it."

James sat the bottle down next to the bed and walked away, finding a seat on the opposite side of then den. 

He made himself comfortable and closed his eyes to take a rest.

As he had began to doze off, he heard what sounded like sniffles. He quickly realized it had come from Jessie.

"Jessie? What's wrong?"

His only response was the sound of more sniffling.

"Jess, are you crying?"

James got up from his seat, approaching the bed as the sniffling turned into more distinct sobs.

"Oh, Jessie.." He said softly as he climbed into the bed, wrapping his arm around her. "Shh, shh. It's okay, I'm right here."

This only caused Jessie to sob harder as James held onto her tighter.

"Jessie, talk to me, sweetheart. What is going through your mind?"

"I don't know what to do!" Jessie wailed.

"What do you mean, Jessie?"

"I mean, I don't know what I am supposed to do, James! I am completely conflicted and I don't know what the hell I am supposed to do!" 

"It's okay, Jessie. You don't have to make the decision alone, I am here to help make it with you."

"You don't understand how I am feeling, James!"

James gently helped Jessie turn around so that she was facing him.

He tucked her hair behind her ear as he tenderly stroked her cheek.

"Well, then help me understand, what is conflicting you?"

"Team Rocket is my entire life, I don't even know who I am without it. I never in a million years thought I would even consider leaving it.. but right now, a part of me actually wants to, and that terrifies me!"

"I understand, my dear. It is not an easy decision to make, but you need to go with whatever your heart is telling you. No matter what you decide, I just want you to be happy."

Tears started to flow down Jessie's cheeks as James' words echoed through her ears.

"What is it, Jess? What is wro--"

Before he could finish speaking, Jessie had thrown her arms around his neck, pulling him in as she pressed her lips against his.

James returned her kiss, going at it with intense passion as he had missed her touch immensely. 

As the two broke apart, James had a puzzled look etched on his face as he tried to study the actions of his partner.

"W-what are you saying, Jessie?"

"Don't you get it?! I love you, you idiot!" Jessie blurted out as she went back in for his lips.

After another moment of passion, James pulled back as he struggled to catch his breath.

"W-what? Really? Do you mean that, Jessie?!"

"I can't deny it anymore. I am one hundred percent in love with you, James Morgan."

James felt a huge grin spread across his face as his heart threatened to burst right out of his chest.

He couldn't contain his excitement as he threw himself on top of her, planting kisses under her earlobe and down her neck. "Marry me, Jessie."

Jessie froze as she put her hands on James' chest to lift him off of her so that she could look at him.

"Woah, woah, what did you just say?" 

James interlaced their fingers together as his eyes met with hers. He spoke with a soft, tender tone. "Jessica, will you marry me?"

"Are- are you serious?! But--"

James planted a finger gently on her lips.

"Jess, I love you, and you love me. I might have failed as a Team Rocket agent, but I swear I will not fail as a father or a husband. So let's start over, and build a better life for ourselves, together."

Jessie hesisted for a moment before answering. "I.. I'm scared, James."

"I'm scared too, Jessie. As you know, I have long had a fear of marriage thanks to.. my past. But the only thing that scares me more than that, is having to live even a single day without you by my side. As long as we are together, everything will be okay. Let's not deny ourselves the happiness we both long for anymore. Become happy with me, please, Jessica?"

Jessie could only nod as a smile lit up her face, her eyes welled up as she tried to choke out her words in between the tears. "Yes, James, I will."

"Oh, Jessie! I... I'm so happy! I won't let you down, I promise, my love." James cupped her cheek softly as he planted another kiss on her lips. "I love you so much."

Jessie looked up at him, a sensuous look in her eye. "Show me how much."

James returned the look back to her, a sultry smirk etched across his face. "With pleasure, dear."

---

The two newly engaged love birds lie together, their nude bodies intertwined as they basked in the aftermath of their lovemaking.

"Ya know, James. I do still expect a ring on this finger." Jessie teased as she held up her left hand, waving it in his face.

"Yes, love. I promise you'll get a stunning ring and a proper proposal in due time." James chuckled as he took her hand, planting a kiss on the ring finger. "Only the best for my princess."

Jessie couldn't help but smile, her heart fluttered with excitement as she thought about their future together.

"So we're really going to do this, huh? We're really going to quit Team Rocket and become parents?"

"Mhmm. We sure are, dear, and it's going to be wonderful." James replied as he planted kisses up and down her neck.

"We're going to have to tell the boss." Jessie muttered, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Yeah.. I suppose we will. But don't worry about it, sweetheart, it'll be okay."

"Well.. we're also going to have to tell Meowth."

The duo sat up in the bed, exchanging a wide-eyed look as they both realized they had completely forgot about the feline member of the TRio.

"Oh shit.. Meowth! He's going to hate us for this, James, what do we do?!"

"It.. It'll be fine, dear. I'll talk to him. Meowth is our friend, he'll understand. Maybe he'll even want to join us."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course, sweetie, please don't stress about it. Everything is going to turn out okay."

James held Jessie close to him as he planted a kiss on the top of her head.

He tried his best to sound confident for her, but on the inside, he was immensely nervous and guilt-ridden for how the feline would react to the news.

Chapter 13: Chapter 13

The duo dressed themselves and made the bed as usual as to not raise any immediate suspicion from Meowth. 

Darkness had started to fall so they knew that their feline friend would shortly return along with the others.

As if on cue, Meowth stepped foot into the den carrying a bucket full of berries, Bewear and Wobbuffet following behind him.

"Hey, Jess! How're ya feeling?"

"I- I'm fine, thanks, Meowth."

"What did they say is wrong with ya?"

Meowth watched as Jessie and James exchanged glances.

"Hey, Meowth, why don't you and I go for a walk?" James asked.

"What? Why, Jimmy?"

"I was just thinking, it's a beautiful night for it."

"But I just got back! My legs are sore."

James quickly thought of another excuse. "How about we do some night finishing? I know a good spot for it." 

At this point Meowth knew something was up but decided to play along. "Yeah, sure, Jimmy."

---

James led Meowth down the hidden path in the forest that led to the secluded area of the beach.

"How come ya never showed me this place before?" Meowth questioned him.

"Well, honestly Meowth, it sort of... became mine and Jessie's special place."

"Oh... OH! So this is where ya guys would sneak off too so ya could fu--"

"Meowth! We didn't just come to do that. We'd also come just to talk, or watch the sunset, and it actually is a good fishing spot, I even keep all of my supplies here."

James went over to the shed he had built and pulled out 2 fishing rods, handing one to Meowth. "Shall we see what we can catch?"

The pair walked over to the rocks to sit down, casting their lines into the water as a wave of silence came over them before Meowth broke it.

"You didn't just bring me here to go fishin', did ya, Jimmy?"

"No...." James sighed. "There actually is something I have to tell you, Meowth. A couple of things, actually.."

"Well, spit it out. I'm listenin'."

"Well, first of all.. you were right. Jessie confessed that she is in love with me."

"Really?! She finally told ya?! That's great, Jimmy! I'm happy for the two of ya!"

"Thank you, Meowth. I... I'm very happy, too. But there is more."

"Oh ya? What else is there?"

"Jessie is...well, she's..."

"What is it, Jimmy?! What's wrong with Jess?"

"She's pregnant, Meowth."

"I KNEW IT!!" Meowth cried as he jumped up from his seated position. "I knew she smelt weird! Ya two numbskulls couldn't even use protection?! What are ya gonna do now?!"

"Well, we made the decision to keep the baby, and.. we're going to get married."

"HUH?! Ya two are gettin' MARRIED?! Wh- what does that mean for team?! What's da boss gonna say?!"

James took a deep breath in before he exhaled, trying to calm his nerves before he continued on.

"Actually, Meowth. We.. we've made the decision to quit Team Rocket."

"WHAT?!" Meowth felt a burst of rage overcome him as he pulled out his claws. "How... how could you?! I knew this would happen! I knew as soon as ya two shacked up, you'd kick Meowth to the curb! You lied to me, Jimmy! You said we'd always be a team no matter what!"

"N- no, Meowth! I didn't lie! I said we'd always be a family, and that hasn't changed! I'm sorry, but this is what we have to do in order to create a better life for our child. We are not kicking you to the curb though, Meowth, we want you to come with us!"

"Ya expect me to throw away my dreams of being top cat and livin' in the lap of luxury all because ya two didn't know how to use a condom?!"

"That's the thing, Meowth.. the dream you're chasing after is clouded by delusion. Even if you somehow did manage to become the boss' top cat, he would instantly replace you as soon as a more desirable Pokemon came along. He doesn't care about you, or any of his agents, we are just his puppets. As far as luxury goes.. well, believe me when I tell you that a luxurious lifestyle doesn't equal happiness. Happiness comes from the people who love and care about you."

Meowth withdrew his claws as he sat back down, a conflicted look etched across his face.

James sat next to him as he put his arm around Meowth's shoulder.

"I know it's scary, but just think about how nice it would be to have a fresh start. Just the 3 of us, plus Wobbuffet, and our newest addition to the family. We really hope you will join us, Meowth, as the family wouldn't be complete without you."

Meowth sniffled as he tried to hold back his tears of sentiment. The thought really did sound nice to him. 

"Okay, fine, but I ain't changin' any diapers."

James' face lit up as he swooped Meowth up, embracing him in a hug.

"Oh, Meowth, this is amazing! Jessie will be so happy, too! I promise this is going to be good for all of us."

"What do we tell da boss, though?"

"Simple, we tell him we quit. We'll call him tomorrow morning and put our resignation in."

"He ain't gonna be too happy about it..."

"It'll be fine, Meowth. We've faced far greater danger, we just have to stick together."

James had put on a brace face for him and Jessie, but deep down he was sick with fear and anxiety over the phone call they had to make to the boss that next morning.

We just have to get through it, James told himself. He knew it would be completely worth it once they could leave their days with Team Rocket behind them for good.

Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Early the next morning, James watched as Jessie slept soundly next to him, completely in awe of her beauty. He still couldn't believe how lucky he is that she agreed to marry him.

He had barely slept the night prior, as he tossed and turned with thoughts of how Giovanni might react to the news of them leaving.

It'll be okay, James assured himself. He knew he had to keep calm in order to put on a brave face for both Jessie and Meowth.

Jessie began to stir as she opened her eyes to see James sitting up in the bed smiling down at her. "Good morning, beautiful."

"What time is it?" Jessie yawned as she sat up, stretching her arms and torso.

"6:30am. I.. I didn't sleep much."

Jessie cuddled up to James as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Are.. are you nervous about today?"

"What? No! Of course not."

"James.." Jessie spoke softly as she lightly caressed his cheek. "You don't have to pretend with me. You need to know that you can tell me your true feelings, about anything. I am going to be your wife, afterall."

James' face lit up at her words as he put his hand over hers.

"You're right, Jess, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to be brave for you, and for Meowth. Truthfully, I am frightened of how the conversation with the boss will go, and in all honesty, I have no idea where we will go from here. All I know is that, as long as you're by my side, everything will be okay."

A soft smile spread across Jessie's face as she nodded her head in agreement. "I'm right here by your side, James, for now and for always, no matter what."

James leaned in to plant a kiss on Jessie's lips as Meowth had stirred awake from his sleep, nuzzled at the foot of the bed.

"Gross!! Don't tell me youse guys were about to go at it with me on the bed!!"

Jessie shot him an annoyed glare as he had just ruined a romantic moment between her and her husband to be. "No, Meowth, that's not what we were doing." 

At that moment, Bewear had entered into the den with the usual breakfast items, fresh berries and honey.

"Well, since we are all awake, we might as well eat now." James announced as he got up from the bed and took a seat next to the large pile of food.

Jessie and Meowth followed suit as Bewear and Wobbuffet begin to dig in.

The TRio picked at a couple of the berries and ate them, although none of them had much of an appetite.

"So... we're really gonna tell the boss that we're quittin', huh?"

"We have too, Meowth. We've made our decision and now we're going to proceed with it." replied Jessie.

"We could just fake our deaths."

"No, Meowth. We're not going to be cowards about this." James asserted.

"Fine... I just hope we don't end up sleepin' with the Magikarp tonight."

"It'll be alright.. let's just get it over with."

Jessie, James and Meowth made their way to the upper level of the den where they had built their base.

All three of them froze as they approached the large screen they used for their interactions with headquarters.

"So.. are we ready?" asked James.

Meowth hid behind Jessie's leg as he gave a reluctant nod.

Jessie reached over and grabbed James' hand, giving him a reassuring smile. "We're ready, James."

James gulped hard as he pressed the button that rang the boss's office.

After the third ring, a face appeared on the screen. It was Giovanni's security, Matori.

"You three? What do you want? Our scheduled check in isn't for another two days."

"We didn't call to talk to you, bob-cut glasses goon." Jessie snapped.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?"

"What Jessie means, is that we we're actually hoping to talk to the boss." replied James.

"In regards to what?" Matori demanded. "He's very busy."

"It's a private matter." Jessie growled.

"It-it's important, ma'am. Could you please put us through to him?" James pleaded.

"Very well." Matori sighed. "But for your sake it better be worth his time."

The screen went black for a moment before a dark, shadow-like figure appeared along with his feline companion.

"What do you three idiots want? This better be important for you to disturb me like this." 

"It- it is, sir. We have.. something to tell you." James stammered. "We, uh.. we're..."

"Well?! Get on with it, I haven't got all day."

"We're quitting Team Rocket." Jessie cut in.

"You're what? What is the meaning of this?" Giovanni scowled.

"James and I are getting married. I love him, and he loves me. We're also expecting a baby, so we decided to quit Team Rocket to pursue a better life for ourselves and our child. Meowth is our family, so he will be coming with us as well. I hope this won't be too much of a problem for you."

James and Meowth stared wide-eyed at Jessie, shocked by her boldness and bravery.

The three of them prepared for the worst, expecting to be scream at or threatened, but surprisingly neither happened. In fact, if they weren't mistaken, the look on Giovanni's face had even seemed to soften a little.

"Is this true, James? Do you love Jessie?"

"Y- yes, sir! I do, I love her very much."

James gave Jessie's hand a tight squeeze as they exchanged a loving smile with one another.

"Very well, then. You three are relieved of your duties. You have 2 weeks to evacuate your base and return all property belonging to Team Rocket. I will have your last paychecks and yearly bonus' sent to you. Jessica, I will allow you to remain on the insurance for the duration of the pregnancy. And James?"

"Uh.. yes, sir?"

"Take good care of her."

The screen went black.

"Uh.. what just happened?" asked Meowth.

"Did.. did the boss actually seem.. happy for us?" added James.

"It's gotta be a trap! He's probably plottin' somethin' real bad to happen to us."

"Quit being so paranoid, Meowth." Jessie demanded.

"Yeah." agreed James. "He actually did seem pretty genuine. 

"But why on Earth would he just be okay with us quittin'? And he is still even gonna give us our yearly bonus'? And let Jess stay on the insurance?"

"I don't know, Meowth." James shrugged. "Maybe, deep down he actually does have a heart. Who knew?"

"Well, he definitely seems to have a soft spot for Jess. Any idea why dat is?"

"How would I know, Meowth?" Jessie hissed. "Maybe we're just so lousy at our jobs he's actually happy to get rid of us. I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. I'm just happy we can move forward and start our new lives outside of Team Rocket. In fact, we should start packing up this place right away."

Jessie began to sort through their belongings and place them in boxes as James helped her.

---

At headquarters, Giovanni opened his drawer and pulled out two pictures, one of Miyamoto and another of Jessie as a child.

A smile slowly crept across his face as he traced Miyamoto's photo with his fingers.

"Well, my dear, this is what you wanted, right? For our daughter to be happy?"

He sat back in his chair as he took a shot of his whiskey.

"Consider your wish granted. Just like you had requested all those years ago, she still has no idea of her true origins, and I allowed her to leave the company at her own request. Perhaps it is better this way."

---

Back at the den, it was now evening as the trio had just finished their dinner and were unwinding for the night.

Jessie sat up in the bed as James brushed her hair that was sit wet from being washed.

"Oh, James, I just remembered! I have to see the OB tomorrow for the ultrasound, did you want to come with me?"

"Are you kidding?! Of course I do!" James wrapped his arms around her waist as he planted a kiss on her cheek. "I can't wait for our future together, Jessie. I love you."

"I love you, too, James." Jessie replied. "So, so much."

Chapter 15: Chapter 15

The next morning, the duo walked into the doctor's office, hand in hand as they were called into the room by the ultrasound technician. 

"Hello, my name is Grace, how are the two of you doing today?"

"We're very excited!" James exclaimed as he squeezed Jessie's hand.

"Well, that's good to hear! Now, the first ultrasound is a transvaginal, so I will have you change into this. I will be back in a few moments and we will get started." The technician handed Jessie a gown before she exited out the door.

Jessie stared down at the gown she held in her hand, a blank expression etched on her face.

"Jess, what's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Oh-- uh, it's nothing."

James took her hands into his as he looked her in the eyes.

"Jessie, honey, you don't have to pretend with me. You need to know that you can tell me your true feelings, about anything. I am going to be your husband, afterall."

Jessie smiled as James repeated back to her the same words she had said to him the day prior.

"I- I'm just a little nervous, that's all. I mean, I can't believe this is actually happening."

"I know, Jess, it is a little nerve-racking.." admitted James. "But it's also very exciting! I can't wait to be a father, and I know you're going to be an amazing mother, Jessie. There's no one else in this world I'd rather be on this journey with, and I'm going to be here with you every step of the way. I love you, Jessie."

Jessie beamed a bright smile as James pulled her in close, her head nuzzled into his chest.

"I love you, too, James."

"Now let's get you dressed so we can see our baby!"

James helped Jessie undress and get into her gown as he lifted her back up onto the examination table, planting a kiss on her forehead.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door as the technician entered back into the room.

"Are we ready?"

"Yes, we're ready." nodded Jessie.

"Okay, I'll need you to lay back and put your feet into these stirrups. I'll then insert the wand and the image will appear on this screen here." Grace instructed as she pointed to a small screen that was hanging on to her machine. 

James took Jessie's hand, giving it a squeeze as the tech inserted the wand into her and a blurry black and white image began to appear on the screen.

"Now then, let's see. Here we have a the gestational sac, and..oh - oh, wait a minute." Grace froze as she took a harder look at the screen.

"What? What is it??" demanded Jessie.

"Is something wrong?!" James panicked.

"No, nothing is wrong! In fact, both babies are growing beautifully."

"Oh, Thank God!" cried James. "Wait.. do you just say--"

"Both babies?! As in, more than one?!" cried Jessie.

"Yup!" Grace nodded as she turned the screen to a better angle for them to see. "Here we have two gestational sacs, baby A and baby B. Both of them are developing very well, as you can now see their heads and tiny limbs beginning to form. In the middle of the body, you can see the heart beating." She pointed to the spot where you could see a tiny, flickering heartbeat.

"OHHH!!" James squealed with delight as tears filled the corner of his eyes. "We should've known to be prepared for double trouble, Jess!"

Grace switched off the screen as she finished printing out the images.

"The doctor will be in shortly to further discuss the results of the ultrasound with you, congratulations guys! Don't forget your souvenirs!" She handed the printed pictures to James before she exited the room.

"OHH, Jessie, can you believe it?!" James cried as he doted on the images of their twins.

"B-but James, I've already been stressed out about how we are going to take care of one, and now two?! How the hell are we going to afford this?!"

"It'll be okay, honey. We will figure it out. I will take care of all of us, I promise you." James pulled her in tightly for a hug. "Jessie, I can't thank you enough for all that you are giving me. I am the happiest man on the planet right now."

Jessie couldn't help but smile as she watched him go back to looking at the ultrasound images in awe. He really will be an amazing father, she thought to herself.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts as a doctor in a white coat entered the room.

"Hello there, my name is Dr. Lee, it's a pleasure to meet the both of you."

Dr. Lee shook James' hand before turning to Jessie.

"How have you been feeling so far, miss?"

"Pretty awful, honestly." Jessie groaned. "I'm tired all the time, everything I used to love to eat is now completely unappetizing, and I spent 2 weeks puking up everything that I did try to eat, and worst of all, I already look completely bloated!"

"I see." Dr. Lee said as he flipped through Jessie's chart. "I have your records here from your hospital visit last week and it seems like you have been suffering from a case of Hyperemesis Gravidarum, or severe morning sickness. Unfortunately, that is more common in a pregnancy with multiples, along with the fatigue and extra weight gain." 

"You mean I'll have to suffer like this for another 7 months?!" Jessie glared over at James who gave her a sheepish smile, as if to say, please don't hate me for this.

"It'll be worth it, Jess. I promise. I'll be here to take care of you in every way that I can." James assured her as he began to rub her shoulders.

"Let's see, based on your ultrasound you are 9 weeks + 2 days. That would put your due date at around March 8th. However, twins are typically born closer to 36 weeks, so it won't quite be another 7 months. A multiple pregnancy requires you to be monitored just a bit more so be sure to follow up on all of your prenatal appointments, but as of today the twins are developing exactly as they should be. Congrats guys, and take care!"

---

The couple walked out of the doctor's office as Jessie gazed down at the sonogram image she held in her hand in disbelief. 

"I can't believe this is all really happening." She muttered quietly. 

"It's going to be amazing, sweetheart." James wrapped his arm around her as he pulled her in close to him. "If anyone can handle double the trouble, it's us!"

"I suppose you're right." Jessie giggled as James planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh, I'm so excited, Jessie! I can't wait to tell Meowth, and I know just how to do it!"

---

The duo approached the den where Meowth, Wobbuffet and Bewear sat as they finished their game of poker.

"Haha, suckas!" Meowth teased as he collected the pot.

"Wobba, wob!" Wobbuffet cried dejectedly.

"Sorry, pal. Ya got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em."

"AHEM." Jessie coughed as she entered into the den. "Prepare for trouble."

"And make it double." James added as he followed right behind her.

"To protect the world from a decline in population."

"To tell all people within our nation!"

"To fill our hearts with truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the mobile above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"What are you two bozos goin' on about?!" Meowth interrupted. "We're quttin' Team Rocket, remember?! Ya don't need to come up with any dumb motto scripts anymore."

"Actually, Meowth. We now have a whole new meaning to double trouble. Take a look." James handed Meowth the sonogram pictures.

"What the hell am I lookin' at here?" Meowth studied the images, a puzzled look on his face.

"It's from my ultrasound today." explained Jessie.

"It looks like just a couple of blobs."

"They're not blobs, Meowth!" James snapped. "Those are our babies!"

"Oh... OH! Wait- ya mean, there are two of them?!"

James put his arm around Jessie's waist as he pulled her in closer to him.

"That's right, Meowth! You're going to be an uncle of two!"

"You mean.. I'm gonna have two nieces?! Or two nephews?! Or maybe on of each?!" Meowth eyes lit up with excitement.

"That's right, Meowth!" Jessie confirmed. "It's too early to know the genders yet, though."

"Actually, Jess, about that. I was thinking maybe we shouldn't find out the genders. I.. I kind of would like it to be a surprise. Would that be okay with you, my love?"

"That sounds great to me, James." Jessie agreed as she gave him a warm smile.

Meowth joined the duo as the three of them embraced each other in a tight hug.

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

The next day, Jessie awoke to James staring off into space, seemingly lost in thought.

"Good morning, handsome." Jessie spoke as she nuzzled up to his chest.

"Good morning, my love."

"Is something on your mind?"

"I have just been thinking.. of where we will go from here."

"Me too." Jessie sighed. "Giovanni ordered us to evacuate in 2 weeks, we should probably come up with a plan."

"I know sweetheart, and I think I've come up with one. A temporary one, at least."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Well.. we can head to the Hoenn region and stay with my Nanny and Pop-Pop in the vacation home."

"What?! Have you lost your mind, James? What if your parents and that bat shit crazy ex-fiance of yours finds out that we are there?"

"Trust me, dear, I've thought of that. My parents should still be at the summer estate in Sinnoh for at least another month, and Nanny and Pop-Pop wouldn't dare say a word to anyone about our presence there. Especially not after I explain the situation to them. They'll want to help us, Jess."

Jessie let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know, James."

"I know it's not ideal sweetheart, but it would only be temporary, until we can come up with another plan. In the meantime, you'd have an actual comfortable bed to sleep in, and nutritious meals to eat. You deserve only the best while you are working hard growing our bundles of joy." James insisted, planting a soft kiss on her hand.

"Fine." Jessie reluctantly agreed. "But if there are any signs of your parents or that wretched tramp, we will be leaving immediately."

"I couldn't agree more, dear." James concurred as he got out of the bed and began to get himself dressed.

"Have somewhere to be?" Jessie asked, tilting her head curiously.

"I have some... arrangements to make before we leave. Please spend today resting as much as you can, my love."

James lifted Jessie's chin up as he planted a kiss on her lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, James." Jessie replied as she watched him exit the den.

She had no idea what James could be up too, but truthfully, she was too exhausted to care. A day relaxing in bed did sound nice.

Jessie settled back into the bed as she covered herself with the blanket and closed her eyes in an attempt to drift back asleep.

---

She had awoken to James shaking her by her shoulder. "Get up, Jessie."

"Huh? What's going on, James?" Jessie groaned as she looked him in the eyes.

Something about him looked different. His face was completely blank with no sign of expression whatsoever.

"Come with me." He demanded as he pulled her out of the bed, throwing her arms behind her back and tying them together with a rope.

"What is this meaning of this?!!" Jessie screeched before a piece of duct tape had been placed over her mouth.

James forcibly dragged her outside as she noticed a black limousine that had been parked there.

"Mmm!! MMM!!" Jessie fought against James as he threw her into the backseat, slamming the door shut.

The back of the limo was pitch black as Jessie vaguely made out the shadow of a silhouette in the seat across from her.

She began to squirm in an attempt to break herself free of the rope as she felt a hand reach over and rip the duct tape off of her mouth.

"Don't waste your time, dear. You won't be able to escape." The silhouette spoke to her as the light in the back of the limo came on to reveal who she was dealing with.

"JESSEBELLE?!" Jessie fumed. "What are you doing!? Let me go, you crazy bitch!"

Jessie felt a sting on her cheek as a hand smacked her across her face.

"Excuse me?" Jessebelle scolded. "Is that any way to talk to your new master?"

"Master? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You see, since you are carrying my children, I own you until they come out of your womb. After that, you will be disposed of."

"Your children? You're deranged. Where is James?! What kind of hypnotic spell did you put him under to make him tie me up like this?!"

"There's no spell, darling. In fact, this was all his idea."

"What?! You expect me to believe that bullshit?! James would never--"

Jessebelle grabbed Jessie by her cheeks as she forced her to look at her in the eyes.

"Face it, honey. I don't know what my James was thinking when he impregnated a little whore like you, but luckily he had come to his senses. So he called me and we came up with this plan. We would kidnap you and keep you alive until we delivered the babies, then we'd get rid of you so we can get married and raise those children for ourselves. Since you have no family and James is all that you had, no one will even come looking for you."

Jessie's face turned red as tears streamed down her face. "No! NO! YOU'RE LYING."

"Am I? How else would I know where to find you? Don't be so upset, dear, you should be happy that those babies will be raised properly. Do you really think James would want to taint the family bloodline by raising them with an nugatory tramp such as yourself? I'm just glad he came to his senses before it was too late. In fact, the only thing you're good for is carrying our babies for us so that I don't have to wreck my body and I can stay perfect for my James."

Jessie angrily bit down on Jessebelle's hand as she yelped and pulled it away.

"You whore! How dare you bite your master with that filthy mouth!" 

"YOU'LL NEVER GET YOUR HANDS ON THESE CHILDREN! NOW WHERE IS JAMES?!"

"Face it, you'll never see James again." Jessebelle opened the door of the limousine so that she could exit. "In fact, you'll never see the light of day again. Enjoy your time in the dungeon."

"NO!! LET ME TALK TO JAMES!" Jessie demanded before the door slammed shut. "JAMES! JAMES!!!!!"

---

"James...James..." Jessie muttered in her sleep as she heard a voice calling her.

"Jess?? Jessie, wake up!"

"HUH?!" Jessie gasped as she sat straight up in the bed searching around frantically. "James??"

"It's just me." replied Meowth. "I think youse were havin' some sort of bad dream or somethin' so I decided to wake ya up."

Jessie picked up Meowth by his fur as she brought him in close. "WHERE IS JAMES?"

"Uh.. he said he had some things to do in town, remember? Are youse alright, Jess?"

Jessie took a deep breath as she calmly put Meowth down, realizing it had all just been a nightmare. A very bad nightmare.

"I'm fine, Meowth."

"Are ya sure? You can tell me if-"

"I said I'm fine!" Jessie snapped before she took another deep breath in, calming herself once more. "Thank you, Meowth. But please, don't say anything to James about this. He's already under a lot of stress trying to figure out what we are going to do with the babies coming and all, and I don't want my silly little bad dream to make him worry more."

"Okay, Jess. If that's what you want, I won't say nothin'."

"Thanks, Meowth. Would you mind filling up my water bottle with fresh water, please?" Jessie asked as she handed him the bottle.

"Sure, Jess. I'll be back in a minute."

Jessie watched as Meowth walked out of the den before she burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't let him see her like this.

It was just a nightmare, after all, right? James would never do such a thing to her, ever, in a million years. She knew this, and yet, the fear still consumed her.

Jessie covered her head with the blanket as she hiccuped between the sobs, trying to get the dark thoughts out of her mind.

Chapter 17: Chapter 17

The next morning, James realized Jessie seemed a bit cold towards him. She did not cuddle up to him as she usually would when she woke up.

In fact, she had her back turned to him, staring off in the opposite direction.

"Good morning, Jess." James greeted her as he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in close.

"Morning." replied Jessie nonchalantly.

Unbeknownst to James, she still had the nightmare from yesterday on her mind so she had barely slept that night.

"Is something the matter, dearest?"

Jessie turned over so that she was now facing him.

"James, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, anything, sweetheart."

"What were you out doing yesterday?"

"What do you mean, dear? I had already told you, I had some arrangements I needed to make."

"Arrangements, huh? Like what? Why don't you want to tell me?" Jessie had a hint of suspicion in her voice as she questioned him.

James sighed as he rolled over and reached for his pants at the side of the bed, digging a business card out of his pocket and handing it to her.

"What's this?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise, but I booked you an appointment at this high-end salon in town for you to get your hair and nails done today."

"O-oh." Jessie's voice softened as she felt a wave of guilt come over her for doubting him. "James, you didn't have to do that."

"That's not all, dear. I noticed how you were eyeballing that dress in the boutique shop we walked passed the other day, so it's yours. It's already paid for, you just have to go pick it up after you're done at the salon."

Jessie wrapped her arms around James' neck as she nuzzled into him. "I'm sorry, James. I don't deserve you."

James lifted up her chin so that her eyes met with his.

"You deserve the world, my love. But, may I ask, what had you doubting me?"

"It- it's nothing. I just had... an unpleasant dream, that's all."

"Would you like to tell me about it?"

"N- no. I'd rather not talk about it."

James brought Jessie in close to him as he embraced her in his arms.

"Well, whatever it was about, you don't have to worry about it, okay? I would never do anything to hurt you, you do know that, right, Jessie?"

Jessie held on to him even tighter as she nodded her head.

"Good. Now, get yourself ready because you have a long day of pampering ahead."

"James, you really didn't have to do this. I know we got our bonus' from the boss, but can we really afford to--"

"Don't stress about it, my love. It's the least I can give to you, after all that you're giving me. Like I said, you deserve the entire world."

Jessie beamed a bright smile as she looked at her lover in his caring, emerald eyes. 

How did I get so lucky? Jessie couldn't help but think to herself. 

"Thank you, James." 

"My pleasure, dear. I just have one small favor to ask of you in return. After you get dolled up at the salon, put on your new dress and meet me at the beach, just before sunset. I would like to have one last date together at our special spot before we leave Alola."

"I would be honored." Jessie agreed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, crashing her lips into his.

---

Jessie left the salon feeling like a whole new woman, her hair done flawlessly in a chignon style along with her nails filed and polished to perfection.

She headed to the boutique where her dress had awaited her as she slipped into the dressing room to try it on.

It fit perfectly, and it looked even more beautiful on her than it did on the mannequin. She could not wait to show it off to James.

Speaking of which, it had began to get close to sunset as she decided to head to the beach. It would be rude to keep him waiting, after all.

---

As Jessie arrived at the beach, she seen James waiting for her on the other side. He was dressed in a white tuxedo with a lavender tie, his hand hidden behind his back. 

The beach had been beautifully decorated with tiki torches along with white and yellow petals in the sand.

James' mouth became agape as she approached him, completely lost in her beauty. "You look incredible, Jessie."

"You look pretty handsome yourself." Jessie smirked as she grabbed him by the tie and brought him in for a kiss.

"These are for you, my love." James pulled out a bouquet of yellow and white daffodils from behind his back, handing them to Jessie. 

"Daffodils, huh? Switching it up from the usual roses?"

"Do you know what daffodils symbolize, dear?"

Jessie cocked her head sideways as she gave him a puzzled look.

"They're a symbol of new beginnings. Tell me, Jess, when was the moment you had first realized you loved me the way that I love you? Was it right here on this beach?"

Jessie thought for a minute before she blushed and nodded her head. "I suppose that it was, yes."

"Well then, I believe this is the perfect spot for us to start our new beginning, wouldn't you agree?"

"What do you mean, James?"

"Look out there." He pointed to the sun that had now set on the horizon, painting the sky with beautiful hues of orange, yellow and red. "The sunset symbolizes the end of a chapter, and the potential for a brand new one. Let this be the official end to our chapter as criminals, and the beginning of our new chapter as husband and wife."

Jessie looked back over at James to see him down on one knee, a small box opened in his hand, holding a sparkling diamond ring.

"Jessie, will you marry me? Right here, and right now?"

"OHH, James!" Jessie squealed in delight. "It's BEAUTIFUL!!! Yes, of course I'll marry-- wait, did you say right now?"

"Look behind you, Jess."

Jessie turned around to see Meowth, Wobbuffet and a man holding a book approaching them.

Meowth had on a small black and white tux as Wobbuffet sported a bow tie.

"OH my goodness!! Wobbuffet, you look so handsome! And Meowth-- you knew about all of this?!"

"Heh. I might of." replied Meowth as he pulled his tie away from his neck. "Now let's get this show on the road so I can get outta this monkey suit."

James joined hands with Jessie as she beamed a bright smile towards him.

"I can't believe you actually managed to pull all of this off, James! You really are full of surprises, aren't you?"

"I'm not done yet, dear." replied James as he dug a piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Jessica, I have loved you since the day we first met and I never would have dreamed I would see the day where I could call you mine. You have made me the luckiest man on Earth and as your husband I vow to protect you from devastation after we become united as one within our nation. I vow to pronounce you as my one true love, to think of the way that your eyes sparkle when I look at the stars above. Let our love for one another blast off at the speed of light, and I will surrender to you so that you will surely win every fight."

Jessie eyes had began to fill with tears, yet she still couldn't help but cackle as James would, of course, incorporate the motto into their wedding vows.

"Dat was beautiful." Meowth sniffled as Wobbuffet handed him a handkerchief.

"Ahem." The marriage officiant cleared his throat as he began to speak. "Do you James, take Jessica to be your lawfully wedded wife from this day forward, to have and to hold, in good times and bad, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health; will you love, honor, and cherish her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." James agreed as he slipped the diamond ring onto Jessie's finger.

"Do you Jessica, take James to be your lawfully wedded husband from this day forward, to have and to hold, in good times and bad, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health; will you love, honor, and cherish him for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do-- but wait, I don't have a-"

Meowth nudged her on the leg as he handed her a small black box containing a mens wedding band. "Don't worry, Jess, we got ya."

"Thanks, Meowth." Jessie smiled as she took the ring and placed it on James' finger.

"By the power vested in me by the region of Alola, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."

Jessie threw her arms around James' neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling each other in for their first official kiss as husband and wife.

"I love you so much, my wife." He whispered into her ear.

A warm smile spread across Jessie's face as his words echoed through her ear. "I love you, too, my husband."

The sun had now fully set, officially ending the last chapter of their old lives.

The next morning, the sun would rise once again, and they would begin the very first chapter of their souls as one.

Chapter 18: Chapter 18

A few days passed as the former Rockets finished packing up their base and prepared to depart Alola.

Jessie picked up a large suitcase and began to drag it into the balloon where Meowth had been waiting for his human companions.

"O-oh, let me get that sweetheart, you shouldn't be lifting that!" James insisted as he grabbed the suitcase from Jessie.

"I'm fine, James. I'm pregnant, not crippled."

"I just want you to be careful, my love."

"Meowth, are you sure we should be keeping the balloon?"

"It has my face on it, so as far as I'm concerned, it's my property."

 "Can't argue with that." Jessie shrugged.

After they finished loading up their belongings, they bid a heartfelt goodbye to Bewear and departed to the Hoenn region.

---

Up in the balloon, Jessie leaned over the edge, looking down at the ground below them.

"Everything okay, Jess?" James asked as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"It's just- do you really think it's a good idea for us to stay at your Nanny and Pop-Pop's place?"

"I told you my dear, it will only be temporary, and it's our best option for now. They're good people, we can trust them."

"It's your wicked parents and nasty ex-fiancé that I don't trust. What if they find us there? What if they try to hurt the babies, or what if they take you away from me?!" Jessie couldn't hold back her tears as they began to stream down her cheeks.

James turned her around so that they were face to face.

"Sweetheart, where is this all coming from? Why on Earth would you think that would ever happen?! Is.. is this what your bad dream was about the other day?"

Jessie nodded her head as she sniffled in between her sobs.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I- I didn't want to worry you. I know it was just a stupid dream, but.. it felt so real."

James lifted Jessie's chin up so that their eyes could meet.

"Jess, if it's something that bothers you, then it's not stupid. You should have told me, sweetheart. You have to know that there's nothing on this planet that could take me away from you- especially not my parents or that wretched bitch. And I will never allow anyone or anything to hurt you or our babies. They would have to kill me first." James embraced her tightly into his arms. "I'm here to protect you, no matter what, I promise. Okay, my love?"

Jessie nodded in agreement as she wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling her face into his chest. "I'm sorry, James."

"Don't ever apologize to me for your feelings, Jessie. I'm here to reassure you whenever you need it." James planted a kiss on the top of her head as he embraced her tightly in his arms.

---

As they approached the Hoenn region, James pointed to a large mansion down below. "There is it!"

He descended the balloon down into the yard and helped Jessie hop out of it.

"Aren't they gonna be a bit shocked to see us droppin' in like this?" asked Meowth.

"They will be thrilled!" James insisted as he grabbed Jessie's hand to walk her to the front door.

After a couple of knocks, an elderly woman with her hair in a bun answered. 

"Oh my, if it ain't James!" cried Nanny. "Pop-Pop come quick, little James is here!"

"Hey, little James, it's nice to see you!" greeted Pop-Pop. "I see you brought your friends along too."

"Hi Nanny, Hi Pop-Pop. May we come in?"

"Of course, come on in and take a seat." insisted Nanny.

Jessie followed James into the master living room while Meowth took off to the kitchen to find some grub.

"So, how's that Team Rocket business goin'?" asked Pop-Pop.

"Actually, that's why we're here. We have resigned from Team Rocket." answered James.

"Oh, really? Well, that's great! And your friend here has even decided to join you!"

"Actually Nanny, Pop-pop, Jessie is now my wife." James smiled as he held up Jessie's hand to show off her diamond ring.

"Ohh, how wonderful!" Nanny's eyes lit up. "Congratulations, you two!"

"Congratulations, little James!" Pop-Pop shook James' hand. "Now you be sure to treat this fine young lady right."

"Of course, Pop-Pop." James nodded. "You see, we have some big news to tell you."

"Oh? More big news?" questioned Nanny. "What is it?"

"We're expecting a baby.. well, two babies, actually. It's twins."

"Oh my goodness. that IS big news!" exclaimed Nanny.

"Wow, little James! Way to go!" Pop-Pop playfully nudged him on the shoulder.

"Heh.. thank you both, we're very excited." James blushed. "But with this big news, there comes a lot of planning that we weren't quite prepared for. I was wondering if it might be okay that we stay here for a bit. Just until we can get things sorted out."

"Of course! Stay as long as you need too!" insisted Nanny.

"You and your lovely wife are always welcomed here." agreed Pop-Pop.

"Thank you both very much. Can you please just do me a huge favor and not breathe a word of any of this to my parents? The last thing we need right now is for them to get involved."

"Of course, James. We understand." 

James looked out of the window behind Nanny and Pop-Pop to see a man standing outside, seemingly eavesdropping on their conversation.

As soon as his eyes met with the mysterious man, he immediately walked away to continue on about his business.

"Who.. is that man outside?"  

"Oh, that's just Gregory!" answered Nanny. "You see, your Pop-Pop and I are getting up there in age, so he comes to help us with the greenhouse. He's absolutely wonderful."

"Oh.. alright, then." 

"So, are you guys hungry? Would you like me to whip you up something to eat?"

"Thanks Nanny, but I was thinking of taking Jess to that little Ramen shop in town that I used to love to eat at as a boy."

"Oh, how lovely. Have a nice time, you two."

---

James led Jessie by her hand to the little Ramen shop in town simply named "Noodle Shack."

It was rather worn down and didn't look very appealing to the naked eye.

"You had the money to eat wherever you wanted as a child, and this is what you chose?" 

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Jess. I'm telling you, this has the best Miso Ramen you'll ever eat in your entire life!"

The two sat down at the bar stools as they looked over the menus before they heard a couple of familiar voices behind them.

"Hey.. is that?"

"It is!"

Jessie and James looked over their shoulder to see 3 kids and a Pikachu standing behind them.

"Hey, Team Rocket! We haven't seen you guys in awhile! We figured you finally gave up. I have to say though, those disguises are quite lazy." Ash teased as he referred to their casual street clothes.

"Pi-Pikachu!" agreed Pikachu.

"For your information, Twe- I mean, Ash, we aren't in Team Rocket anymore." replied Jessie.

"You're kidding, right? Is this some kind of scheme?" asked Misty.

"Afraid not, kid. In fact, you're looking at the new Mr. & Mrs. Morgan." James held up his hand along with Jessie's to show off their rings.

"OHH?! You left behind a life of crime for true love! That's soo romantic!" Misty's eyes lit up with delight.

"I always knew the two of you were in love! I am an expert, after all." Brock chimed in.

"ICK." Ash gagged. "Who would've known you two were even capable of feeling real human emotions?!"

"Stop it, Ash!" Misty screeched as she knocked him on his head. "We should be happy for them! After all, now this means they won't be chasing after us anymore. Right?"

"Correct." answered James. "We will already have enough to chase after. You see, It's our turn now to prepare for double trouble."

James reached over and placed his hand on Jessie's stomach.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Do you mean... Jessie is..?" questioned Misty.

"That's right! With twins!" answered James.

"Oh wow! Who would've thought you had it in you?" Brock gave James a playful nudge on his shoulder, embarrassing him just as it had when Pop-Pop did it.

"What are you talking about?! He had what in him?"

"Oh, Ash." Misty smacked her face with her palm.

"Well, anyway, we have to get going." insisted Ash. "But.. it is nice to see you guys as normal human beings and not in a wacky disguise or in a giant robot of some sort."

"I suppose we won't be seeing much of you guys anymore." added Misty.

"I wouldn't count on that. I'm sure we'll continue to bump into you guys every now and then." replied Jessie, an amiable smile on her face.

"Well, until then, see you." Ash and his friends waved goodbye to the duo as they disappeared into the distance.

Chapter 19: Chapter 19

The next morning, Jessie awoke to find the spot next to her on the bed empty.

A note had been placed on her nightstand explaining that James had accompanied Nanny and Pop-Pop on an early morning trip to get supplies in town. Meowth had also tagged along with them to get more polish for his coin.

She looked over at the clock which read 11:32am. She assumed they had already been gone for awhile as she had slept in late.

Jessie stretched as she got out of the bed and headed over to the mirror to brush her hair.

A moment later, she heard a knock at the door. Who could that be?  The knock grew louder and more demanding.

Jessie peered out of the curtain, turning ghost white as she seen the same black limousine that had been in her nightmare. Oh, no, it can't be.

Sure enough, out of the limousine came a woman with a pink dress and curly pigtails.

"Fuck!" Jessie cried out. "How did she know to come here?!"

Jessie decided the best course of action was to make it seem like no one is home as she hid in the closet. 

A few minutes later, she heard the sound of glass shattering as footsteps entered into the house, coming closer to the bedroom.

She held her breath as she seen the shadow of a Pokemon appear from underneath the closet door.

"Nice work, Vileplume." She heard a voice say as the door opened to reveal Jessebelle standing before her along with her Vileplume. "It looks like you found the trash we came to dispose of."

"What the hell are you doing here?!" demanded Jessie.

"Isn't it obvious? I came here to claim what's mine. Vileplume, use your stun spore!"

"Vilepluuume!" Vileplume cried as it released yellow dust from its petals.

Wobbuffet suddenly burst out of his Pokeball to counter the stun spore, sending it flying back towards Vileplume who had then become a victim of its own attack.

"My Vileplume! You're going to pay for that!" Jessebelle cried.

"Don't you get it by now? James will never love you. You can't have him, because he's already mine." Jessie taunted as she flashed her diamond ring in Jessebelle's face.

Jessebelle became infuriated as she grabbed Jessie by her wrist, tugging on her finger as she tried to remove the ring from it. "NO! That ring belongs to me!" 

"LET GO OF ME, YOU DERANGED BITCH!" Jessie screeched as she grabbed ahold of Jessebelle's hair, pulling on it hard.

Jessebelle retaliated by wrapping both of her hands around Jessie's neck as she pinned Jessie underneath of her.

"I will take back what is mine, and once you're out of the picture, nothing will stand in my way."

Jessebelle grinned as she began to squeeze tightly around Jessie's neck.

At that moment, James came flying into the room as he grabbed Jessebelle in a chokehold, throwing her onto the ground.

He quickly helped Jessie to her feet as he examined her. 

"Jessie! Are you okay?! Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay, James." replied Jessie as she dusted herself off.

He then turned his attention to Jessebelle who he picked up off the floor by the collar of her dress and slammed her up against the wall.

"Listen to me because I'm only going to say this once. If you ever, and I mean ever, put your filthy hands on my wife again, it will be the last thing you ever do. Do you understand me?"

"James, my love, can't you see what's happening? This little tramp has you brainwashed! Get rid of her and come home with me where you belong." 

Jessebelle's words only infuriated James further as he used more force to press her against the wall harder.

"Don't you ever talk about Jessie like that again. The only brainwashed one here is you, along with my twisted parents. I don't care what they have told you, Jessie is my wife, and you will never be, so get the idea out of your sick, disturbed brain."

James suddenly heard his name being called out from behind him by a familiar voice.

He looked over his shoulder to see his mother standing in the doorway, alongside his father and their butler, Sebastian.

"James, put her down! Don't you know that a real man never puts his hands on a lady!"

James let go off Jessebelle, dropping her to the ground as he turned to meet his parents.

"What are you doing here?! Can't you just leave me the hell alone already!"

"We need to talk, James." his mother scolded. "Sebastian, please escort Jessebelle back to the limousine."

"Hmph!" Jessebelle scoffed as she stomped her way out of the room.

"And James, escort your little.. friend out of here." his mother demanded.

James wrapped his arm around Jessie's waist as he pulled her in close to him.

"Jessie is my wife, and she's not going anywhere. Whatever you have to say to me, you'll have to say in front of her, too."

"Very well, then." his mother sighed. "First of all, let me just start by saying I'm very disappointed in you, James. I mean, what were you thinking, running off and getting married behind my back, especially to a bootless delinquent like her? And you even got her pregnant? How completely irresponsible of you."

"Don't you dare insult my wife like that. Jessie is the most incredible, talented, beautiful woman I have ever met. She's going to be an amazing mother to my children and she makes me the happiest person alive. If you were good parents, you'd be happy for me."

"If you were a good son, you would stop rebelling against the life your father and I had tried to give you. We already had a proper, suitable wife picked out for you, and this is how you thank us? This is incredibly selfish of you, James."

"I'm selfish?! I don't love that wicked witch you picked out for me to marry, and you very well know that, but you don't care! You only wanted me to marry her because you think it's what's best for you, not for me."

"It's what's best for the family, James. You must uphold our tradition. As our son and heir, the most important obligations you have is to marry the proper woman and continue our family line. I order you to get an annulment on this marriage, so that you can come home and be married to the correct woman. You will also order Jessie to sign away the rights of those children as soon as they are born so that they can be raised properly by you and Jessebelle. "

"That is not happening. I will never leave Jessie, and neither you nor that witch will ever get anywhere near my children."

"I wasn't giving you a choice, James. I simply cannot allow you to taint our respected name by staying married to the likes of this wrongdoer."

"Our respected name, huh? What's respected most about it? The extortion? Or the embezzlement? Hmm, how about the money laundering? No? Is it the bribery?" 

James' mom could only glare at him as he continued to go down the list of their transgressions.

"That's right, mother dearest, I am fully aware of all of our family's dirty little secrets. So unless you want all of them to be exposed, I suggest you and that witch stay far away from me and my wife."

"You wouldn't dare." 

"Try me."

"I don't think he's bluffing, my dear." James' dad cut in. "We shouldn't risk it. I guess we'll just have to accept that our son will always be nothing more than an unavailing delinquent."

"I suppose you're right." James' mother sighed. "You've really disappointed us as our son, James."

"Not as much as you have disappointed me as my parents." James muttered as he watched them exit out of the house.

Jessie came up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck as the two embraced each other tightly.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that, Jess. You know my parents are completely delusional and nothing they say is true."

"No one has ever defended me like that before. Thank you."

"Of course, my love, I will defend you until the day I die. I'm just so sorry I wasn't here to protect you today. I had seen the limo go through town and head in this direction so I ran here as fast as I could. But if I had been too late, I can't even bear the thought of what could have happened to you. From now on I will never leave your side."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, James. You had no way of knowing that they would show up here today. I just want to know who told them we were here."

"I don't know for certain, but I think I have a pretty good idea."

---

James entered into the greenhouse where Gregory had been working that afternoon.

As James approached him, Gregory quickly turned in the opposite direction as he tried to get away before James put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I have some questions for you."

"Uh.. sure. How can I help you?"

"Do you happen to know why my parents showed up here today?"

"Uh.. no, sir, I don't know anything about-"

James grabbed him by his shirt as he pulled him in close.

"Don't play stupid with me. I know it was you who told them."

"O-okay, fine, it was me, but I swear I didn't know-"

"Do you have any idea what you've done? My wife could've been seriously hurt because of you!"

"I swear. I didn't know what they were planning! When I first started working here, they had offered me money for any information in the event you were to show up. They made it sound like they were just missing their son. When I told them you were here with your pregnant wife, they seemed genuinely happy. I didn't know they were trying to make you marry that crazy chick."

James sighed as he released his grip on Gregory's shirt. 

"Yeah. They're good manipulators like that."

"I'm sorry, man, I swear I never would've called them if I had known it would put your wife in danger. I only needed the extra money because I'm raising a little girl on my own. Please, don't tell your grandparents about this, I can't afford to lose this job."

"I won't say anything. But do yourself a favor, and don't make any more deals with my parents. They're not the type of people you want to be involved with, trust me."

"Y-yes sir, never again."

---

That night, James lie in bed wide awake, holding Jessie close to him as she slept soundly on his chest.

The events of that day kept replaying in his head as he thought of how he hadn't been there to protect her.

He made a promise to her, and he failed. He knew he had to do better.

Staying at Nanny and Pop-Pop's was no longer a safe option as he knew they needed to go somewhere far away, somewhere his parents would never know where to find them.

He had to protect her, and their children, no matter what.

Chapter 20: Chapter 20

Summary:

Chapter contains some sexual content (mild).

As the sun began to rise the next morning, Jessie rolled over to cuddle up to James only to realize he was not there.

"James?! James, where did you go?" 

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm right here." James replied as he entered into the room carrying a tray with pancakes and fresh flowers from the garden. "I just wanted to surprise you with a little something. Hope you're hungry."

Jessie's face lit up with a bright smile as she admired her husbands sweet gesture.

"That looks delicious, James, thank you."

"Only the best for you, doll." 

James planted a kiss on Jessie's forehead as he set the tray on her lap and fluffed the pillow behind her back.

"You're up early this morning." 

"I've been up all night, dear. I actually have something to discuss with you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"I was thinking. Why don't we go back to Kalos, and start our new life there?"

"Huh? Kalos?"

"It'd be the perfect place, Jess. We could rent a nice house and open a little boutique where we could sell our one of a kind fashion attire. It would be a hit! You could even go back to competing in Showcases and fulfill your dream of becoming Kalos Queen, if you would like."

"Kalos Queen?! Looking like this? No way." Jessie groaned as she pointed to her swollen belly.

"You're perfect, Jessie. The other contestants simply would not even compare."

Jessie giggled as James planted kisses on her hand trailing up her arm before reaching her neck.

"Well, that does sound nice, but in case you hadn't realized, we can't exactly afford to do that all of that."

"Actually, I talked to Nanny and Pop-Pop, they were able to access a small portion of my inheritance for me. It's not a ton, but it's enough to get us on our feet, and most importantly, far away from my parents. I think it's best if we leave today. What do you say, dear?"

Jessie face beamed with delight at the thought of being able to start the life she had always dreamt of.

"That sounds great to me, James."

---

James loaded up the balloon with their belongings as he bid farewell to Nanny and Pop-Pop.

"Thank you, Nanny, for everything." 

"You're welcome, dear. I'm just sorry your parents had to show up and cause you trouble."

"It's okay, they won't bother us ever again where we are going."

"Best of luck, James. You take good care of your family now, you hear?"

"Yes, Pop-Pop. I'll do my very best."

"You'll do great, dear. You're still the same sweetheart you were when you were just a little boy." 

"Thank you, Nanny." James nodded tearfully before he joined Jessie and Meowth in the balloon. 

Nanny and Pop-Pop waved goodbye as they watched the balloon ascend into the sunset.

"I'm so happy our little James has found himself such a lovely wife. He seems so happy, and that makes me happy, too." 

"Yeah. He sure is lucky to have his little family." agreed Pop-Pop.

---

6 Months Later

6 months had passed as the couple settled into their new life. They had rented a modern 4 bedroom house in downtown Lumiose City and managed to open a cute little boutique on the busy street of South Boulevard. It was a huge success as each individual piece was unique and sewn by hand. The most popular seller were Jessie's designer dresses that James would show off by modeling them to the customers. 

Meowth had found work in a local Hibachi where hundreds would gather to watch him chop the food midair with his claws.

Jessie was now nearing 8 months into her pregnancy as her expected due date drew closer. The twins were growing beautifully and the couple had stuck with their decision to wait to find out the genders. James painted the nursery a bright yellow, the same shade as the daffodils he had given to Jessie on their wedding day.

That night, Jessie lie on the couch as James rubbed her swollen feet. She had a check-up that day where the doctor recommended that she quit working and rest at home as the twins could arrive at any time now. 

"Ugh, what am I supposed to do all day? I'm going to be so bored here alone." 

"Actually Jess, I decided I'm going to quit work too and stay home with you. I can't bear the thought of leaving you, especially not in your current condition."

"Ugh, I told you James! I'm pregnant, not crippled! I can take care of myself."

Of course, the truth is that Jessie had loved every moment of her pregnancy that James had spent pampering and taking care of her, but she's much too stubborn and full of pride to admit it.

"I know you can, dear. But you shouldn't have too."

"What about the boutique?"

"I'll just shut it down earlier than we had originally planned. We can re-open in a few months."

"What about the custom orders that are still waiting to be filled? We can't just disappointment our customers like that."

"I suppose you're right." James sighed. "But I really don't want to leave you, Jess. What if you go into labor while I'm away?"

"You're 5 minutes down the road and there are these things called telephones."

"But Jessie-"

"Shhh." Jessie shushed him as she planted a finger on his lips. "Quit worrying, okay? It'll be fine."

"Alright, dear, if you insist. But promise me that if you need anything at all, you will call me. I'll come home straight away."

"Mhmm." Jessie hummed as she began to kiss at the nape of James' neck. She had now become too distracted to pay any attention to what he had said.

Even in the late stages of her pregnancy, Jessie was still as sultry as ever as she would frequently initiate passion between the two of them.

James did not mind this at all, as he had found Jessie to be the most alluring she has ever been, with her large, swollen breasts and perfectly round belly that carried his children. He knew that once they did arrive, it would not be often that the two of them would have alone time together, so whenever Jessie had been in the mood to fool around or make love, he was happy to oblige. 

"Mmm.. Jessie.." he moaned softly into her ear as she continued to nip at his neck, grinding her hips against the growing bulge in his pants. "Let's take this into the bedroom, shall we, dear?"

Jessie gave him a sensuous nod as he took her by the hand and led her into the room.

---

Another week had passed as Jessie grew increasingly bored. 

She had already done all the necessary preparations for the twins- bottles washed, diapers stocked, clothes folded and put into their drawers. Now there was nothing left to do but wait.

That afternoon, she had been lying on the couch flipping through channels and eating her latest craving, peanut butter covered popcorn. 

She reached down into the bowl to grab another handful before realizing it was now empty.

"Better get some more." She muttered to herself as she lurched herself off of the couch.

As she stood up and walked over to the kitchen, she started to feel a tightening in her stomach. She already knew all about contractions and how to time them from the lamaze class James insisted that they took a month prior, so she pulled out her stopwatch and began to time them.

A moment later, she felt a trickle of fluid go down her leg as the tightening in her stomach began to intensify.

I should probably call James, she thought to herself as she reached for the telephone and dialed the number to their boutique.

"Regal Rose Boutique, James speaking, how many I help you?"

"Hey, James, it's-"

"JESSIE! Is everything okay?!"

"Yes, everything is fine. I just think you might want to come-"

"I'M ON MY WAY!"

The phone had hung up as Jessie heard the sound of tires squealing in the driveway before James came bursting through the front door.

"What's going on, Jessie?!"

"I'm pretty sure my water broke, I think it's time to go to the hospital."

"WHAT?! Right now?! Oh my God! Okay, okay, don't panic Jessie, everything is going to be fine!"

James frantically started running around the house as he gathered their belongings. 

"You're the one panicking, you numbskull! Now can you please drive me to the hospital? This is really starting to hurt."

"Yes- yes, of course Jessie, let's go."

James took Jessie by her hand and helped her get into the car before he took off down the highway at about 40 miles over the speed limit.

---

As they arrived at the hospital, James grabbed a wheelchair for Jessie as he rushed her in through the front doors of the main entrance. 

"MY WIFE IS IN LABOR!" He shouted loudly as every head in the room turned to stare at them.

Jessie covered her face in embarrassment as a team of nurses rushed over to greet them.

"James, will you please stop making a scene."

"Hello, miss. What's going on?" One nurse asked.

"I'm having contractions, and I'm pretty sure my water broke."

"We'll get you back into a room right away.

---

Several hours later, Jessie's contractions we're now 2-3 minutes apart as she clenched the sheets of the bed tightly.

"Son of a bitch! THIS FUCKING HURTS!"

"It's okay, sweetheart, I'm here for you. Just remember to breathe."

James reached over for her hand before she wrapped it around his throat.

"WHY DON'T YOU REMEMBER TO BREATHE AS I FUCKING CHOKE YOU?!"

"Okay, Jessie, it's time to start pushing." The doctor instructed.

A nurse grabbed one of Jessie's legs as James grabbed the other one.

"You've got this, my love. You are so incredibly strong."

Between the intense pain and the adrenaline rush, the next several moments had become a complete blur to Jessie before she heard the cry of a baby who had been placed on her chest.

"IT'S A GIRL, JESSIE!" James cried. "She's SO beautiful!!!"

Several intense moments later, a second baby joined them who had been placed on the other side of Jessie's chest.

"OHH my God, Jessie! It's a baby boy!! We have a baby girl AND a baby boy! This is incredible!!"

James' words were almost inaudible as he had started to sob completely.

Jessie looked down at the two tiny human beings lying on her chest in complete awe.

The boy had fuzzy red hair while the girl had a full head of lavender. They were both absolutely perfect. 

Tears streamed down Jessie's face as James wrapped his arm around her. She couldn't even begin to fathom how lucky she is.

---

Later that evening, Meowth showed up to the hospital holding a bouquet of flowers and balloons that read "Welcome Baby" on them.

"That's so sweet of you, Meowth!" cried James.

"Yeah, yeah.. so lemme meet these lil' rugrats."

Meowth jumped on the bed as he studied the baby girl who Jessie held. 

"She.. she's beautiful."

"Isn't she, Meowth?! Just like her mother!"

Meowth then studied the little boy who James held.

"Oh, yeah?! Who'd this lil boy get his good looks from then? Cause it surely ain't from you, Jimmy."

Meowth snickered as Jessie shot him a warning glare.

"I kid, I kid. But seriously, you twose did great. Congrats."

"How's it feel like to be Uncle Meowth?" asked James.

The only response he received was the sound of a quiet sniffle.

"Awe, Meowth, are you crying???"

"No, Jimmy, I ain't cryin'! I just have somethin' in my eye."

"It's okay, Meowth. This is a beautiful moment, after all."

"It sure is, Jessie. Our family is finally complete."

James joined Jessie on the bed as Meowth curled up onto her lap.

"Can you believe it, Jess? We finally did something right."

Jessie nodded her head in agreement as she fought back the tears in her eyes.

"Who would've thought we could create something so perfect?"

James wrapped his arm around her tightly as he brought her in close. 

Prior to the arrival, they had agreed that they would each name one twin.

"So, what name did you decide on for our daughter, Jess?"

"I think her name will be Nova."

"Nova, huh? That's beautiful, Jess!"

"What did you pick for our son?"

"How about Nico?"

"Nico? I love it!"

"I love you, Jessie. I'm so happy."

"I love you too, James."

James leaned over to plant a kiss on Jessie's lips.

"Get some much needed rest, dear. You deserve it."

Jessie nuzzled into his shoulder as she began to doze off.

James observed each member of his family, who had all fallen asleep.

He never in a million years would have dreamt that he would be this lucky.

"I'll always be here to protect you guys." James whispered softly.

"I'll never let anything bad happen to any of you, I promise."

He leaned back into the pillow, closing his eyes as he drifted off to sleep. 

Notes:

Nova means "new" while Nico means "victory".