James sat on a rock on the shore of a nearby stream and plucked the petals of his rose. It was obvious that he was thinking about Jessie and how much he truly loved her, but words were hard to come by. He had been in love before, but that was five years ago, when he and Jessie were in the bike gang and he was involved with a girl named Tyra, who happened to be one of Jessie's friends. The relationship was a flop and they broke up before he joined Team Rocket with Jessie.

Five years later, there still weren't any sparks flying for him, and he kept thinking if they were meant to be, even though he had a bad relationship with Tyra in the past. Meowth saw how down he was and walked over to him.

"What's wrong, James?" he said, sitting down next to him. "You seem upset about something!"

"I don't know what's wrong with me lately," said James. "I mean, why can't I just tell Jessie my true feelings?"

"Maybe it's your approach," said Meowth. "If you just work on your approach, maybe it'll convince Jessie that you love her! That is your problem, isn't it?"

"It's not my approach," said James, thinking back to all the hugs and when they held hands. "Jessie and I have always hugged whenever we were happy or scared! The same thing is true with the hand holding! And we sometimes put our arms around each other!"

"If it's not your approach, then what is it?"

James hung his head. "Maybe it's me!"

"Don't say things like that," said Meowth. "James, you're a great guy, and I have all the respect in the world for you! I know it's not you, it's never been you! Jessie's just as scared to tell you she loves you as you are to tell her that you love her! And didn't you tell me that Cupid's arrow strikes when you least expect it?"

"Yeah," said James. "But, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, Cupid's arrow has struck and you didn't expect it," said Meowth. "Wait right there, and I'll get Jessie over here! Believe me, you're gonna thank me for this!"

James was somewhat confused. "I am?"

But, when he looked, Meowth was gone. About two seconds later, Jessie appeared. She saw that James had his back to her and decided to have a little fun with him. Playfully, she covered his eyes with her hands.

"Guess who?"

"Let's see," said James. "Could it be Meowth?"

"No, silly," said Jessie, giggling slightly. "Try again!"

"Don't tell me," said James. "It's Jessie, right?"

"Yep," said Jessie, removing her hands from his eyes. "It's me! How did you ever guess?"

"I don't know," said James, a hint of red appearing on his cheeks. "Dumb luck, I guess!"

"Meowth told me that you wanted to talk to me," said Jessie, sitting down next to him. "What's up?"

"Yes, Jessie," said James. "I did want to talk to you! It's about us!"

"Us?" said Jessie, not seeming to understand. "What about us?"

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you for the longest time," said James. "But, whenever I try to say it, the words burn in my throat, and it's hard for me to come out and say it! Jess, what I'm trying to say is, well, I love you!"

For a minute, Jessie was hesitant with her reply. The words seemed to burn in her throat, while at the same time, she knew exactly how James felt when he tried to express his love for her.

"I love you too, James," she said finally. "I always have loved you! In fact, I've loved you since the day I met you, but I was too afraid to say anything!"

"Same here," said James. "Don't you feel better now that we've both got our feelings out in the open?"

"Yes," said Jessie. "I feel much better!"

James then reached into his pouch and took out a fresh rose. Mindful of the thorns, he placed it in Jessie's hair. Then, they embraced and locked their lips in a kiss. They were so wrapped up in their heartfelt moment that they took no notice of Meowth, who was watching nearby.

"Mission accomplished," he said to himself. "They've finally realized their feelings for each other, and this should be a very interesting story to tell their kids someday!"
THE END

Note: This is my fic to this site. Hope ya like it! C&C can be sent to: febrose@home.com. Drop me a line. I'd appreciate it.