Twilight
Always Falls
Part 2
The next day dawned on the woods to find the Rocket trio of field agents missing, the only trace they had ever been there the dispersed ashes and stones from a campfire. They had reported in earlier that morning, and were none too thrilled at having get up as early as they did. None of them dared complain but to each other, but all conversation stopped as soon as the entered the pristine lobby of Giovanni’s office.
The secretary had confirmed their appointment time, and had instructed them to wait in the small indifferent and almost hostile feeling room. They had obliged and sat down, Meowth choosing to sit upon the small glass coffee table to paw through the various magazines kept there while Jessie and James had taken the two seats next to it, and had remained silent for practically the entire hour they had been waiting there.
James felt his stomach twist with fear as no sound permeated through his ears except for the occasional sigh from his partner, and the near deafening ticking of the nostalgic clock hung above the glass secretary’s window. His eyes wandered downward to a set of two photographs adorned with a few white candles burning respectively beneath them, a typical and respective homage to the dead. He winced as he remembered the duo that had been so savagely ripped apart with the death of Butch, who had disappeared one day, never to return again.
It was announced a few days after his mysterious disappearance, that there had been a tragic accident involving the teal-haired young Rocket, and that he had passed away in the care of the Team Rocket professionals. It had affected the entire Team immensely, as it always had when they lost a member, and James felt tears sting his eyes as he remembered the day it had been announced that Butch was gone.
James and Jessie had eventually reconciled with the duo after numerous arguments over the few battles they’d had in the field, usually ending with one team or both being arrested, and they’d discovered they had a lot in common. Butch and his partner and long time friend Cassidy had been friends for as long as they could remember, and were completely inseparable, and the four had eventually become friends. James sighed as his eyes fell upon the photo of the blond young woman next to the previous one, and the image of her crying bitterly onto Jessie’s shoulder in front of their teammates and peers flashed across his mind’s eye.
The funeral had taken place on a dismal day in late winter, and James recalled that it had rained appropriately for the occasion. Cassidy had sobbed through the entire proceeding, and Jessie could do nothing but cling to James’ hand to prevent herself from crying that day too. He could almost hear Cassidy’s words at the side of the black casket ring in his ears again, almost hear the gunshot she had fired to end her own life, and clearly remembered the letters she had written to all three members of James’ team.
The blue haired youth wiped the tears away from his cheeks and averted his eyes from the images that stirred so many painful memories in his mind. “James? James what’s wrong?” he looked up into Jessie’s reassuring gaze and smiled. “Nothing much, I was just thinking about them,” he answered motioning to the memorial. Jessie’s mouth fell open as her eyes met with it, frowning and looking away from the photos and back to her friend. “Yeah, I really miss them, too,” she whispered mournfully.
James opened his mouth to offer a word of consolation, but he was stopped as the door to the office was opened and the violet-haired secretary stepped into the room. “Jessie, James, and your Meowth?” she asked flipping through the pages on her clipboard. They stood at the mention of their names, and filed orderly and regimentally through the door after the secretary.
She said nothing more, simply waving them in the general direction of the office, but they had walked the path of the long ominous hall so many times they practically knew it by heart. James swallowed hard as he passed his protruding carpet nail, the usual signal that doom was eminent, and looked back up, feeling the involuntary response of his eyes widening in fear as Jessie pushed through the double doors to Giovanni’s office.
The red-coated Rocket boss sat at his desk as usual, his eyes glued intently to the computer screen, scanning over something with a child-like and devilish grin on his face. Jessie took James’ hand furtively behind her back as she stepped forward, and the blue-haired Rocket cringed in utter horror, timidly shrinking behind his friend as she cleared her throat. “Um, sir? We’re here for a routine status report?” she said in a cowardly small voice. James hated hearing her sound so small and afraid, as normally she was quite assertive over the vid-phones and in their daily lives, but the ominous sight of their boss in person reduced her to a whimpering and apologetic child. Though he himself even had to cower behind her during the few meetings they ever shared with the middle-aged tyrant, he sighed as he realized he hated what each member of the team became in his presence.
Giovanni’s computer bleeped as he exited the program he had been using, and he swiveled at first cheerfully around in his chair, but his face instantly fell at the sight of the bumbling trio. “Oh, it’s you, so I assume your Pokemon capture count is zero again?” he asked drawing a small clipboard from his desk. “Yes sir, and the P-Pikachu mission r-remains-“ “Incomplete as usual, nothing different, but why should I expect anything from losers like you three? Well we can’t all make it far in this world, I guess you either aren’t smart enough to take that chance, or the chance just doesn’t deem you worthy,” he snapped bitterly. “We’re sorry sir, but-“ Jessie stopped herself, terrified to disagree with Giovanni.
He grinned in relish as he realized exactly how afraid she was of him, and turned his eyes to her cowering partner who hid with an utterly hurt and humiliated look distorting his young features. “Poor sensitive little James, this really burns you doesn’t it?” he asked arrogantly. James’ emerald eyes widened even farther, the rare occurrence of being spoken to catching him off-guard. “N-no sir,” he replied almost inaudibly. “Well perhaps if your skull weren’t so thick, you’d realize you are a failure, and stop trying to feebly convince yourself you’re not,” Giovanni replied in a haughty sneer. James looked away, ashamed of the tears in his eyes, resisting his urge to throw his arms about Jessie and sob.
She did the job for him, holding his trembling shoulders tenderly as she shot a furtive, but venomous glare at Giovanni. “It’s okay James,” she whispered. “Well that about clears things up, but one last thing, any injuries while on the job?” Giovanni asked, swiftly moving on. “Um a few, James got a little beaten during the last one, and I’ve got a few cuts and bruises, nothing major,” Jessie answered sheepishly.
James whimpered almost inaudibly as Giovanni scratched something onto the clipboard roughly, and slid it with a loud crash into the bottom drawer of the glossy desk. “Alright, that’ll do it for now, see you guys again after another couple of humiliating defeats!” he said cheerfully, and waved the trembling trio out the door.
They filed out obediently, and winced as the doors slammed shut behind them with a finality they’d never felt about the entrance before. “Well dat sure was scary,” Meowth remarked dully. “And what was with the clipboard?” Jessie added as they started to the lobby. “I dunno, he’s never written down anything we said before, or asked about injuries,” James mused as they reached the elevator.
Jessie shrugged and leaned casually against the wall between the two glimmering metal doors as James took it upon himself to press the key marked with an upward arrow. He sighed as the elevator dinged in acceptance of his signal, and watched as it chose to take its passengers to the top floor before deciding upon theirs. His eyes returned to his sullen partner, and he felt his own spirits drop as he noted the disturbed and upset expression distorting her beautiful features. Never wanting to see his best friend so downtrodden, he searched his mind for anything he could say to cheer her, and repay her for the kindness she had shown him the previous day. “Hey Jess, I think The Princess Bride is on HBO tonight,” he began carefully, and Jessie looked up in response,” what do you say to going up to our room, each of us cleaning up, ordering a Pizza and spending the evening curled up on the couch in P.J’s and stuffing our face with junk food?” Jessie perked at the mention of one of her favorite movies, and the aspect of one of her favorite activities to go along with it, and smiled warmly as the elevator doors slowly slid open.
James felt better having cheered Jessie as the group gratefully shuffled inside, Meowth hitching a ride upon his shoulders, and taking the liberty of pressing the key to the twentieth floor of the Team Rocket building. The doors closed, and the small chamber lurched into an upward motion with an efficient heave. “Well? Is it a date?” James asked once they were well on their way, to which Jessie smiled crookedly. “Of course! But I call dibs on the shower!” she replied. James looked only mildly defeated and the elevator completed its ascent to the previously selected level.
Stepping out of the double doors, James dismissed the feline from his head, who promptly filched the apartment key from Jessie’s unsuspecting grasp and bolted down the hall toward the much coveted destination. “He’s sure in a hurry,” James muttered with a smirk. “Probably needs to clean his charm, do you have any idea how much he’s been whining about it?” Jessie replied as they followed Meowth’s flight. “No, but I probably would’ve smacked him if I did huh?” James said, wincing as they passed the apartment Butch and Cassidy had shared. Jessie grimaced craftily, and James didn’t even have to inquire to know Meowth already had reason to abandon any complaint about the charm.
Jessie and James were welcomed to their shabby and miniscule apartment by the admissible door, and the pungent odor of the wax Meowth insisted upon polishing the glittering gold bangle atop his forehead with. “See? I told you!” Jessie proclaimed, pointing a finger to the small, traditional Japanese dining area where a stunned Meowth sat with a cloth to the object in question. “Okay, okay, you win! Now go clean up and I’ll check and see what time the movie comes on,” James said, rolling his eyes amiably as he nudged Jessie toward the bathroom.
She smiled warmly at her friend and leapt at the opportunity, dashing into the tiny, white-tiled room and shutting the door loudly behind her. “She’ll be in dere for hours,” Meowth muttered distastefully. “Yeah, but I’ll let her, we’ve all had a horrible couple of days, and for some reason it calms her down, and I’ve really missed spending time with her when she’s relaxed,” James answered wistfully, moving to the cupboard for a bag of microwave popcorn. The feline smirked and went back to his charm as James tossed the paper packet into their ancient heating device and pressed a few buttons. The microwave sputtered to life, the small turntable on the interior hesitating only briefly before beginning its series of revolutions.
James took the opportunity to retreat to the bedroom he and Jessie were forced to share, yelling to Meowth to keep an eye on the popcorn as he changed, sighing in relief as he spotted the coveted drawer. He opened it swiftly, not even bothering to flip on the light, and immediately located what he sought after and had longed for ever since the trio had been absent from their small apartment in the Team Rocket complex, pulling his favorite pair of boxer shorts out and tossing them on his bed. He opened the drawer just above it, sifted through the contents and decided upon a simple white shirt to sleep in that night. James changed quickly, deciding he’d rather skip a shower that night than aggravate the still painful electrical burns, and walked back to the kitchen to the smell of burnt popcorn and even more wax.
“Meowth!” James cried as he realized the microwave had stopped. The cat looked up from a magazine he had been reading, a shocked expression on his face. “What? What’d I do?” he asked incredulously. James threw the door open and removed the smoking bag of black kernels, glaring at the cat who rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Sorry Jimmy, I was just really in ta dis article about what female Pokemon look fer in a partner! Didya know dat goil Meowths find it sexy when a male keeps his charm pristine?” Meowth replied. James smiled and set the popcorn on the counter to cool before he disposed of it, casting the cat a furtive glance from the corners of his eyes. “It’s okay pal, you increase your sexual prowess and I’ll make some more popcorn,” he said waving Meowth back to his magazine. Meowth knew he was forgiven, and went back to the captivating article as he heard the microwave creak into action.
James leaned casually on the kitchen counter as the first bursts from inside the machine sounded, running one of Jessie’s brushes he’d found there absent mindedly through his short blue tresses. He set the pink handled tool down when he felt he had rid himself of tangles, and picked up the small booklet of television listings he had insisted upon subscribing to. Of course it was expensive, but he and Jessie were usually so exhausted when they were actually able to relax at home, they could barely muster energy to do anything but watch T.V, so his friend had agreed to it. He flipped to the page respective to the date, and traced down the columns with his finger until he found what he was looking for. “Ah ha! It starts at nine, Meowth what time is it?” he asked, noting that he was unable to see the clock on the living room wall.
Meowth turned the page before looking up and craned his neck to see, squinting his eyes to better read the thin black hands of the timepiece. “It’s… Eight…Forty, no, fifty,” he replied. “Ten minutes, that’s fine, Jess should be done by then,” James whispered to himself, stopping the microwave, “I’ll put some water on to boil too, and I think we have some of her favorite tea left.” Meowth chuckled to himself as James opened the cabinet below the stove, bringing out a decorative bowl painted with various grass and plant type Pokemon in a cheerful field setting, placing it near the steaming and fragrant bag on the counter. James pushed a few other bowls out of the way, and located the few brightly colored boxes of tea bags, smiling in victory and pulling two from a sunny yellow one. “Lemon, her favorite, our favorite,” he breathed, almost to himself.
Meowth wondered briefly why James was trying to make the evening so special for Jessie, knowing that he had always been sweet and kind to her, but more than slightly confused as to why he was going to such lengths that night. He shrugged, deciding to forget about it, and join them when the inevitably fell asleep together on the couch as they so often did the first night back in the apartment. The cat smiled as his red-haired companion sauntered into the kitchen, looking quite satisfied and much happier in her short, pink, silk nightgown and her loose hair hanging far past her knees.
James turned as he sensed Jessie’s presence behind him, smiling at her as she retrieved her favorite brush from the counter, and picked a few foreign blue strands from it. She grinned devilishly and placed them back on James’ head, snickering quietly as she sat cross-legged at the low table opposite Meowth. “Hey!” James protested, running a hand through his hair to clear it, “what was that for?” Jessie shrugged as she brushed her own still sopping wet hair, a spray of fragrant mist dampening James’ outstretched hands, his futile attempt to ward it off. “Well, I’m a firm believer in returning things people lose!” she replied, laughing. James shook his head in mock scorn and sat behind his friend, taking the brush from her still moving hand. “Can I play Jess?” he asked brightly.
Jessie laughed loudly at him, but shrugged and smiled happily as she felt his deft and tender movements through her hair. “This isn’t helping your masculinity you know James,” she said jokingly. “I don’t care, I love playing with your hair! You don’t mind do you?” he asked in a serious tone, stopping with a hint of disappointment if the answer was yes. “No no! Keep going! I actually think it’s kind of sweet, the only other person who liked my hair as much as you do was my mom, and having you play with it reminds me of her in a nice way,” Jessie answered and could almost hear the gentle voice of her parent behind her again. “Good, ‘cause I wasn’t gonna stop anyway.” Jessie wasn’t the least bit disappointed to hear the gentle tones of her best friend’s voice instead.
James sighed happily, running his hands through Jessie’s impeccable lengths of crimson hair and breathing in the strong fragrance of the shampoo she could only keep in the apartment. It smelled like a vast field of wild flowers and he closed his eyes, losing himself for the moment in blissful reverie. “Hey guys, yer movie’s startin’ and da popcorn’s getting’ cold!” Meowth announced suddenly, and both Jessie and James awoke to two steaming mugs of tea and Meowth’s tail dashing out the door with a slight scent of butter following it. They blinked rapidly in confusion, turned to each other, shrugged in synchronization, and made their way to the living room just as the opening credits began to roll onto the screen.
The only light in the room came from the television set in front of the shabby and ancient couch, and the dim yellow light of the kitchen, but a tacit agreement was made between the three friends to leave them off as Jessie and James settled into the cushions. The movie began, and James reached for Jessie’s hair once more. “Ya know, dat Fred Savage kid always annoyed me,” Meowth muttered through a mouthful of popcorn. “Don’t hog that, and me too,” Jessie muttered shoving a fistful of the white, fluffy, bits into her mouth.
She felt James’ hands run through her hair again, and it became his obvious intention to fiddle with it further. Jessie smiled at the affectionate gesture, and slid to the floor in front of her friend, her heart warming at his small squeal of delight. Meowth rolled his eyes, and went back to Florin where the Princess Buttercup had just been abducted by a weird little guy who wouldn’t quit exclaiming “Inconceivable!” which the cat found quite irritating.
The evening progressed with pleasant conversation, tea, popcorn, and raucous, hearty laughter from all three, each taking pleasure in being able to spend the evening carefree. James had braided and styled Jessie’s hair so many ways, she’d simply stopped counting, but it pleased her to see how much her blue-haired friend enjoyed it. He had eventually left it alone when she had insisted upon crawling into his lap, resting her head against his chest and letting his soft rhythmic breathing and heartbeat soothe her even more than the shower had. There was something about being close to James that made Jessie feel good inside, simply because she was near him, and for seemingly no other reason, but when he put his arms about her waist, it all became clear.
Jessie looked down to ensure Meowth had fallen asleep coiled protectively about himself and nuzzled close to James’ leg, and smiled, looking up and touching James’ chin with the bridge of her nose affectionately. “Well that was sickeningly cute,” he commented good-naturedly. “Yes I know, and especially in the light of Wesley threatening Humperdink with ‘To the Pain’,” Jessie answered with a smirk, turning back to the television screen. James snickered quietly and held his friend closer, closing his eyes happily as she returned his embrace. “I hate what this job does to you Jessie,” he breathed into her ear, “I hate what it does to us.” “So do I James, but we’ll pull through, we’re Jessie, James, and Meowth! Best friends forever, right?” she assured him, pulling away slightly.
James didn’t respond, but merely smiled in acknowledgment as he leaned closer to Jessie, gently brushing a strand of glossy crimson hair across her cheek behind her ear, heart pounding as she leaned toward him. “Forever,” he promised, gently shutting his eyes as he felt Jessie’s lips gently brush his own. He responded to her, hardly daring to breathe as he pressed his lips fully against hers, reveling in their soft reply and the feeling of finally receiving a kiss from the ruby lips he had longed for. It deepened as Jessie fell back into James’ arms, gently lying back onto the couch with his beloved next to him, tears of joy stinging at both of their eyes. “I love you,” Jessie breathed. “I love you too,” James answered quietly, kissing her softly once more before she finally allowed the weariness to claim her.
Jessie smiled broadly, knowing she had found the one man she was meant to love, and snuggled as close as she possibly could against him, her head against his chest. “I love you, James,” she whispered again, simply to hear the words from her mouth. “I love you too, Jess, I love you too,” her grin widened hearing the response she wanted, and Jessie closed her eyes for the last time that night. James sighed happily once more, and let himself drift to sleep as he felt Jessie’s form go still in his arms, murmuring his name in her sleep and finally closing his eyes to the final words of the movie. Something about a kiss so passionate, so pure, it left all others behind. Perhaps, he thought, they really spoke of the kiss he had shared with his best friend, and the only woman he knew he could ever love so much, and James fell asleep for the first time in weeks, with a smile on his lips.
@->->-
“Have the preparations been completed Deirdre? I must have test subject beta in the morning!” Giovanni snapped into the phone. There was an awkward silence, and the voice that followed was sullen and choked with tears. “Y-yes sir… Just like before, it’s perfect,” Deirdre breathed. “Good, now, make sure the serum is ready, I want to start immediately,” Giovanni purred, stroking the beige cat in his lap. “Which shall we try first? We have them all ready,” the girl answered emotionlessly. “I’ll decide once I get to know the boy, now go get some sleep, you sound terrible!” he said, the Persian mirroring his sadistic grin. “Thank you sir, goodnight,” Deirdre said and hastily hung up the phone.
Giovanni tapped the ash of his cigar into an elaborate glass tray, chuckling silently to himself as he too placed the receiver gently back onto the hook. “Sweet girl, but a bit on the squeamish side,” he muttered rubbing his weary temples. The Persian growled in disgust, growing tired of the lap and bounded off, landing perfectly into its crimson lined basket as its master turned wistfully to a picture of a blue-haired young man on his computer screen. He reached up and touched his cheek lovingly, smiling upon him as if he were his own son, and even the Pokemon knew Giovanni had sired no children, so it shrunk in fear of the odd and mildly disturbing gesture. “You are perfect,” he said to the photo, ”my plan is perfect, everything is perfect everything will go right this time, and I will govern the ultimate weapon, even if it kills a hundred people to get it! Mewtwo was a pathetic first attempt, but now I know what I’m dealing with, and I won’t make any mistakes again.”