It was going to be one of those weeks. It started on a Monday, of course. We had gotten a hotel room and we were waiting around there for the Boss to call and give us a new assignment. Jessie was in the bathroom (probably doing her hair), and Meowth was curled up on one the beds, taking a cat nap. I was supposed to be waiting for the Boss to call so I could pick up the phone, but Meowth's snoring was making me so tired that I felt like a nap myself. So I settled into my chair and did just that.

Of course, that's when the phone started ringing.

"James? James, answer the phone!" Jessie yelled from the bathroom.

Of course, I was asleep and couldn't hear her.

Jessie stomped out of the bathroom and fixed her lethal glare on me (which I couldn't see, since I was asleep).

"James, WAKE UP!" She kicked the chair and it fell over with me underneath it (which I didn't think necessary, since her yelling in my ear woke me up anyway).

"Oww..." I whimpered. "Jessie, wha..."

"Get up," she interrupted me with. "It's the Boss."

I managed to get out from under the chair and started to straighten my uniform, so I'd at least look a little presentable. Jessie glanced at me sideways and muttered, "James, your pants." She grabbed them at the waist and tugged them straight.

I blushed.

She didn't notice.

Meowth jumped up in front of us as Jessie finally picked up the phone (which miraculously hadn't stopped ringing yet). The video screen blinked to life, and the Boss appeared.

"It's about time," he growled, looking a bit upset.

"We're very, very sorry sir," Jessie said very convincingly (I always thought she was a good actress, but if I told her that, she'd most likely hit me). Her tone changed to one of excitement. "Now, what's our next assignment?"

"I'm getting tired of you failing on your missions," the boss said angrily, "and as a result, I'm giving your next mission to someone else. Think of it as getting a week off. I'll let you know next week whether I've decided to give you another chance." With that, the screen winked out.

Silence.

I looked at Jessie and Meowth in turn. Each has a similar look of shock on their faces, which I'm sure was mirrored on my own. I supposed it was up to me to break the silence.

"Well," I volunteered quite cheerily, "at least he didn't send us off to steal a truckload of Voltorbs!" I waited for them to laugh.

Seconds later, as I lay twitching on the floor, I wondered how I'd miscalculated.

"This SUCKS!" Jessie announced loudly, banging her fist on the table top. I managed to pull myself up and brush away the tiny Pidgeys which appeared to be flying around my head. "It's not... THAT bad, is it?" I asked.

Jessie whirled to glare at me. I winced and threw my arms over my head to avoid getting a concussion.

"Yeah, it IS dat bad," Meowth answered for her. "Nothin' THIS bad has ever happened in all Team Rocket history!" he concluded. "Almost," he added, as an afterthought.

I looked at Jessie, who appeared to be staring off somewhere over my head. "Well..." I asked nervously, "what should we do?"

"There's nothing we CAN do," Jessie began angrily, clenching a fist, "except..." Her voice softened and her body relaxed. "...take a little vacation, I guess."

She sighed. I'd never seen her look so worried before. I opened my mouth to say something comforting, but Meowth started talking first.

"Ya know, I think that my idea of a vacation would be ta get away from you two for awhile. I think I'll go visit some relations. And I suggest," he added, already halfway out the door, "that you two part ways too. See ya!"

And then he was gone. I blinked for a bit in suprise, but Jessie appeared unconcerned.

"You'd better start packing James. Neither of us has enough money to spend the whole week in a hotel."

And with that, she turned her back to me and began packing her own things. I blinked a few more times. Surely she wasn't REALLY going to take Meowth's advice...

"Jessie?" I began. "Jessie, I don't want to be alone all week... Jessie? You wouldn't leave me all alone, would you? ...Jessie?"

I was getting a bit worried as to why she wasn't answering me, but suddenly she turned around, raising her hand to smack me. I gave her my best 'I'm-sorry-I'll-never-do-it-again-please-don't-hurt-me-or-I'll-cry' look, and she slowly lowered her half-raised hand. She sighed and shook her head.

"Oh alright James, you can come with me. Just don't make me regret it," she added.

"Oh Jessie," I cried happily, "thank you so much, I promise you won't regret it!" In my supreme happiness I grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

I'm afraid I'll never know how her suitcase managed to come in such sudden contact with my head.

Yet as I lay on the floor in semi-consciousness, I realized that this might be my chance to get in good with Jessie, to let her know how I really feel about her. Because as you may already know, I love her. But I didn't think I'd tell her that just yet. She'd most likely hit me.

Part Two

Back