“That’s All It Took” Part 4 ((final part, mind you ^^))

By: RocketJessieMusashi

Rating: PG-13…..Butch and Cass uh…*suggest* something here ;) Other than that…it’s clean! ^^
Disclaimer: I do not own these guys. Please do not sue me *lol*
Editor’s Note: uh….you’ll see the reason for my hesitance to submit this when you get to a certain part ::irks::…you’ll know what I’m talking about when you get there…. ::cringes:: please know that what I write is only for a semi-poetic sense…well….read on… ::grins sheepishly:: ^^
E-mail Addy: Mihorsbscribbles@aol.com ((this one if fer my fans! ^^))
RocketJessieMusashi@hotmail.com ((this one is fer the hate mail that I *may* get *lol* (I’ve yet to)
RocketJessie@TeamRocket.net ((this one is fer random idiotic babbling…I like dat too ;) ))

An hour had passed before James belted through the cabin door. He ran past Cassidy and fell to his knees on the floor besides his wife’s bed.
“Oh…Jess…” he breathed.
She opened her eyes to gaze at him, shaking where she laid. “James,” she whispered happily. “Just in time…”
He kissed her. “Does it hurt?”
“Like hell….”
Cassidy sat on Jessie’s other side and laid a warm cloth over her forehead. “her contractions have gotten closer..” she said softly. “Those kids are coming out *now*.”
Butch now paused in the doorway, a look of horror on his face. The mere sight of Jessie in such agony rocked his stomach with guilt. Would his precious Cassidy be just as bad when her time came? He shook his head to dismiss the thought.
James ran a hand across Jessie’s forehead now. “You can do it, Musa-chan…” he assured.
She responded with a wail the made her grasp the sheets beneath her. Cassidy glanced at her watch.
“Thirty seconds between…Jess…those babies are almost here…”
Jessie groaned. “What do I do?”
“Push, Red…”
Collecting her breath in quick little puffs, she did as she was told, biting her lip the entire time. “Owww…” she cried. “I have to go through this twice!?”
Butch stood cautiously behind Cassidy now, cringing each time Jessie wailed. Cassidy felt him behind her, and reached back to take his hand in hers. This gave him a sense of relief, and he stood by urging Jessie on gently with the others…

Six long hours of labor later, Jessie laid in a hard sweat, exhausted from the childbirth. Cassidy held the new little girl tenderly, and James held the little boy. The girl, red-haired and green-eyed, yawned meekly and snuggled deeper into Cassidy’s arms. The boy, blue-haired and blue-eyed, fused noisily however.
James rocked him gently. “He’s got a set of lungs on him,” he sighed over the cries. “That’s for sure.”
Jessie weakly extended her arms. “Here,” she said. “Let me hold him…”
Smiling, James handed her the boy, who instantly silenced when he met his mother’s arms.
“He’s also a momma’s boy...” she laughed slightly.
Cassidy handed the girl to James now, and watched him kiss the baby’s head. “What’re their names?”
Jessie smiled to herself and laid back against her pillow again, nursing the little boy. James sat next to her, and continued to coo at the little girl.
“Rose,” he said, kissing the girl again.
“Thorn,” Jessie said, rubbing the boy’s back.
Both Butch and Cassidy smiled now.
“Perfect,” Cassidy sighed.

The still expectant couple stood out on the front porch later, watching the stars together. Jessie and James slept peacefully inside, their children tucked safely between them.
Cassidy, surprisingly, was the first to take advantage of the moment. She slid her fingers through Butch’s and rested her head on his shoulder. “I missed you Butch..”
Positively beaming, he laid his head on hers and sighed. “I missed you too…”
She sighed as well. “I love you…”
He pulled away and turned to face her. “Cassi,” he said. “Do you mean it when you say that?”
She smiled and ran a hand through his green hair, starring deeply into his brown eyes. “Of course I do…”
He rested his hands on her hips. “…well…I love you more…”
They slowly let their lips meet and kissed passionately for a long while, then parted to stare into one another’s eyes again.
Cassidy grinned. “Why don’t you come to bed…” she coyly suggested. She turned and headed into the house again.
Taking the hint, Butch followed, a large grin smeared across his face….

Not two months later, Cassidy was the one in labor. The wailing that Jessie had produced, however, was nothing compared to Cassidy’s cries. Her contractions had all ready lasted for over twenty four hours, and they weren’t getting any closer.
Butch was worn and worried sitting by her side and stroking her forehead.
She groaned softly yet again, and turned her eyes up to meet his. “It’s not your fault, Butch, “ she assured, reading his mind.
He clutched her hands in his. “I’m so sorry for putting you through this…”
Gritting her teeth, she squeezed his hand comfortingly. “It’s all right,” she said. “It’ll be over soon.”
Running his fingertips along her sweated cheek, he kissed her lips gently. “God, how I love you…” he breathed.
A tear seeped from her eye and landed on him. “I love you too, Butch…Don’t you ever forget it…”
“How could I ?” he asked. “You’re my wife…and I’ll love you forever…”
Jessie came in now, holding Rose in one arm, and a bowl of warm water in the other. “How’s she doing?” she asked.
Butch didn’t look up, but kissed Cassidy again. “Horrible,” he said. “Jess…what’s taking so long?”
She handed him a rag and let him soak it before he laid it over Cassidy’s forehead. “I don’t know, Butch,” she said. “I really don’t…”
He turned back to his wife. “Cassi? Can you_”
He was interrupted by another one of her wails, but much louder this time. “Ohhh…Butch!” she cried out. “I think it’s happening!”
He turned in a panic to Jessie, and she nodded.
“James!” she called. “Come take Rose!”
He hurried in, Thorn in his arms, and took his daughter as well. He gave Jessie a worried look.
“She’ll be fine…” she assured. She didn’t look to sure herself.
Butch ran a hand through Cassidy’s bangs. “Ready?” he asked.
She nodded. “More than I’ll ever be…”
Jessie took her spot and gazed into Butch’s eyes, assuring him that all was well…

She had a boy. A blond-haired, brown-eyed boy. He was strong and healthy, and both of his parents swelled with pride.
“Cassi,” Butch breathed. “Our son…he’s beautiful…” When she didn’t answer, he turned nervously to her. “Cass?”
Her lavender eyes opened slowly. “Arnold,” she whispered.
“What, babe?”
“Arnold,” she repeated. “His name should be Arnold…”
He smiled. “Arnold…” He tasted the name. “It’s perfect, Cass.”
Again…no response. Her eyes had closed again, and her breathing had gotten shallow.
“Cass?” He shook her gently-still no response. “JESS!” he cried.
She looked up from her work. “What is it?”
“She won’t wake up!”
The redhead panicked again. “Cass?” she called, shaking her.
James came in, but hesitated at the door. “Jess…hun?”
“What!?” she cried, still in her panic.
He swallowed hard. “Is…is that…*normal* for just having a baby..?”
For the first time since Arnold’s arrival, she turned to Cassidy’s lower half and gasped in terror. “Oh God!” she exclaimed. “She’s hemorrhaging!” She leapt to her feet and began to gather all of the nearby towels. Surprisingly, Cassidy’s eyes opened again…slower than before.
“Jess?” she whispered weakly.
“Cass?” She dropped to her knees beside her.
“It’s too late…” Cassidy breathed.
“NO!” Jessie cried. “It’s NOT!”
Her dying sister laid a hand over hers. “I love you, Jess…I…I’ll never forget the fun that we had…”
“NO!” Jessie repeated. “Don’t you leave, me! Not now!”
Cassidy gazed at Butch now, ignoring Jessie only because she knew that she had very little time. “I…I love you…” she breathed softly. “….forever…”
“Cassi,” he cried. “I love you…you can’t leave me! What about Arnold?”
She reached up to his face, and brushed his cheek gently with it. He clasped it tightly and kissed it.
“Tell…Arnold…” she breathed. “That I always…loved him…That I always loved you…”
He kissed her. “No, Cass,” he said. “You can’t do this…Don’t leave me…”
Her eyes rested on Arnold now, and she slowly reached up to touch him. Before her fingers met his skin, her eyes closed and her body collapsed weakly.
“Cassi?” Butch pleaded. “Cassi, answer me!” When he realized that she was gone, he could only fall next to her and sob.
Jessie fell to her knees as well and laid against James as he wrapped his arms around her. “She’s gone…” she wept. “My sister…”
He felt tears gather in his eyes as he watched Butch weep over his lost love.
“She really loved me,” Butch whispered. “After all these years…And now…we can’t be together…” He kissed her still-warm lips. “I love you, Cassidy,” he breathed. “And I promise to tell Arnold…”
Jessie’s sobs were the only noise in the room now. There was such a feeling of absence…Cassidy had loved for the first time in her life: a husband, a sister, and a son. She has died happily and left proof of her love behind….

Five years later….

A green-haired man stood sadly overlooking a lonely grave, his hand rested on the large, white, marble headstone. To his left stood a red-haired woman and her twin children.
“I miss her…” the man said softly.
The woman laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “So do I…”
The twins stirred restlessly now, causing their mother to glance sternly down at them. “Rose? Thorn?”
They smiled at her. “Can we go find daddy?” they asked in unison.
She sighed and nodded them on, sending them off in a scurry.
The man sighed now too. “Will the pain ever stop, Jess?”
She starred at the headstone’s inscription: “Forever Loved…Yomato Yen” ((or is it Yamato? *lol* )). She breathed deeply. “It hasn’t for me either, Butch,” she said. “I miss her more everyday…”
They heard the twins return and turned. James was with them, and he walked to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” she replied.
Arnold now came up with the twins and stood at his father’s side, his brown eyes starring sadly at the grave now too. “Dad?” he asked.
“Yes, son?”
The boy took his father’s hand. “What was mom like?”
Inhaling deeply, Butch glanced sidelong at Jessie. She nodded knowingly and took James’s hand.
“Let’s go kids,” she said gently. “Your uncle and cousin need some time alone…”
Butch smiled at her as she gathered her family and walked away. She had turned into such a beautiful woman since the birth of her twins. She and James were so in love that Butch believed that nothing could come between them…Team Rocket surely hadn’t. Giovanni had dismissed them when he met their twins. They were “too much of a distraction from work…too much to handle…” Butch had been dismissed as well when Giovanni had learned of Cassidy’s death so that Butch could raise Arnold. Surprisingly enough, the old man had been fair and they had all gotten off easily.
Butch gave Arnold’s back a pat now and seated himself on a bench close to the grave. “C’mere,” he told Arnold with a smile. The boy sat next to him and waited eagerly.
“Your mother was a beautiful woman,” Butch said as he gazed at the grave. “She always loved you.”
Arnold smiled brightly. “What did she look like?”
A tear dwelled in Butch’s eye as he pulled a photo of himself and a heavily pregnant Cassidy from his shirt pocket. “Just like you,” he whispered.
Arnold eagerly took the photo and beamed. “She’s so pretty!” he said.
Butch sighed and wrapped an arm around his son’s shoulders. “She sure is, son…” he said. “She sure is…”
A breeze picked up and blew about the two, caressing them both warmly for a moment. For that moment, Butch could have sworn that he felt Cassidy’s arms around him again.
“I love you, Cassidy…” he whispered into the air. “Don’t forget it…”
They sat and reminisced about her until the sun began to set, and Jessie returned to lead them home, her arm around Butch’s waist the whole way…

::blows nose and wipes the water off of her computer:: …..I really don’t know what to say...I thought that this was the most beautiful piece of writing that I ever did….I thought that it was poetic…in some strange way…maybe you agree with me…maybe you don’t ::shrugs:: …..either way…I would like to know what you thought of my little tale….E-mail me and lemme know ^^
Please note…I DO NOT hate Cass in any way (( in fact, I quite enjoyed making her and Jess sisters here ^^ ))…the story just seemed to have more impact with Cass dying in the end…HOWEVER…if you disagree…WRITE ME…I DO have an alternate ending to this tale that I will send you to see if you like it better….And if I start to feel guilty enough about this ending….maybe I will send all my posted sites the alternate ending and give ya’all a choice… ::smiles slightly:: …..Just keep this in mind…I am a WRITER…and a writer just isn’t a writer unless he/she is willing to go out on a limb…In case you folks couldn’t tell…I need some FEEDBACK! *lol* Please oblige! ^^ Once again… Mihorsbscribbles@aol.com RocketJessieMusashi@hotmail.com RocketJessie@TeamRocket.net