It had been a chilly afternoon. Jessie had spent most of the day searching for her beloved Meowth, who had disappeared. Her best friend, James, had taught her how to drive. James said that the key to driving on icy roads was to: “Stay calm, drive slowly, and keep your eyes on the road at all times!” James really stressed that one, only because Jessie got distracted. A lot. She had to be careful on two conditions. One, it was icy, and two, she was borrowing James’ car. Jessie knew that she could find Meowth, but James begged-to-differ. He didn’t seem to like Meowth too much, but Meowth liked James a lot. James kept a Growlithe nicknamed Growlie for a pet. Jessie was afraid of him, so James kept him away from her. Jessie wondered why James seemed to have something against Meowth. Did Meowth annoy him 24-7 by talking? Or was James allergic to him? Those were the two things she’d narrowed it down to. His allergies never acted up around Meowth so it couldn’t be that he was allergic to him. Meowth must have been annoying for James. She really got upset. Meowth was nowhere in sight. She decided to go on home.

“Hey James.” She said wearily. Jessie was really tired. She looked in James’ room. He wasn’t there. He was in the kitchen.

“I knew you wouldn’t find him.” James said bitterly.

“Oh, I’ll find him. You’ll see.”

“Really? You will? When?” James faked a surprised tone.

Jessie was getting mad. James wasn’t being very nice or supportive at all. She wondered if he even cared. She didn’t like all the sarcasm in his voice either. He went into the living room of their apartment and lied down on the couch. Jessie turned on the shower. She put on her bathrobe, and went to go get a towel. She noticed that the sound of the shower had lulled James to sleep. She stared at him for a minute. He looked adorable sleeping. But, if she told James that, it would probably embarrass him. She got her camera and took a picture of him. She couldn’t help it. He looked so cute and plus, she loved him. Jessie was surprised that the flash didn’t wake James up. She took her shower. Then, Jessie went into the living room. James looked really cute. Jessie heard a scratching at the door. She opened it and Meowth came waltzing back into the apartment with what looked like it was a map at one point.

“Meowth! I’m so glad you’re back!”

“Me too! It rained! The nerve…”

`*_*`

The next day at breakfast, Meowth remembered Jessie telling him how cute James looked sleeping.

“Hey James, Jessie thinks you look cute sleeping.” That surprised James.

“She also took a picture of you sleeping.” Meowth showed James the picture. This embarrassed James. He blushed. Jessie hoped he liked her and that was the reason he was blushing. It was part of the reason why he was blushing. The other part was he was really embarrassed. Meowth was humiliating James in front of the girl he liked. He couldn’t take it anymore. He shoved a pear down Meowth’s throat, and then walked away.

“Hack! Hack!” Meowth choked. Jessie pulled the pear out.

“Why did you embarrass James like that?”

“I felt like it!”

“Well don’t, and he won’t shove anymore fruit down your throat.”

“Yay.”

James changed into his uniform. It was still cold outside. He didn’t feel too good. But James wasn’t going to let Jessie know that. It was bad enough that she picked on him. This he didn’t understand. Jessie was seventeen, and James was nineteen. He was older by two years, so why did he get picked on? Because he was too scared of Jessie to stand up for himself, that’s why. Sometimes it got to him. He was tired of getting picked on. James wanted to yell at Jessie and pick on her like she’d pick on him. He wanted to tell her how he felt for her, but he was afraid. Jessie was afraid, too. Jessie really wanted to say it, but when she practiced, the words never sounded right. James practiced, too. He was a diehard romantic, and he was very sensitive. James knew that no matter how hard he tried; he’d never be able to say something like that. Meowth knew that they both loved each other but were too scared to admit it. Jessie refused to tell her secret to Meowth in fear of him telling James. James refused to tell Meowth for the same reason. Meowth had read their diaries. Jessie had big, bouncy handwriting, and Meowth needed a magnifying glass to read James’ tiny cursive handwriting. Meowth was watching them in the living room that evening. It was freezing and snowing hard outside. Meowth and Jessie were watching a movie on T.V., and James was reading quietly. Jessie stared at James during commercials and every once in a while James glanced over at Jessie. Jessie noticed once, and James looked back down at his book, praying Jessie didn’t see him blush. Jessie ran to grab a box of tissues, as the movie was really sad. She and Meowth cried, and James was completely absorbed in his book. James didn’t even pay attention to the movie once, so he was very concerned when he looked up and saw Jessie crying. Jessie fell into his arms and sobbed on his shoulder.

“The movie’s so sad!” Jessie sputtered.

“So, you’ll be okay, right?”

The thing that had first made Jessie fall for James (aside from his looks) was the way he was so caring about his friends. She loved that in a guy. None of Jessie’s boyfriends had ever been so caring. And although she had loved them, she always had a secret crush on James. Jessie wanted to know what went through James’ mind. After the movie, they all were tired and went to bed. James wrote in his journal for a little while. He then found himself with a lot of things going through his mind. He made sure Jessie wasn’t around him when he said them aloud.

“What if we got kicked off Team Rocket-it’s a good thing we got Richie’s Pikachu, split up, one of us got killed-God forbid, what would we all do? Team Twerp would be happy, well maybe not about the death thing, but what would we do? Sit around and suffer? I hope not. That’s not how I want to spend the rest of my life. I want to have something good to think about when I’m dying-God forbid. I really don’t want to die yet, but when I do, I want to have something good to think about. Like, telling Jessie I love her. That’ll be a moment I’ll never forget. I highly doubt Jessie loves me back. What if she does? That would be great! I don’t want to get my hopes up. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hates me. She really acts like she hates me. Always picking on me, I’m definitely tired of getting picked on. I should tell her that I don’t want her to pick on me. But then she’ll probably pick on me more.”

Meowth was eaves-dropping on James’ little think-a-loud. He knew should tell Jessie to listen in, but then he remembered the pear being shoved down his throat. That really hurt. Meowth wished he had scratched James, but he didn’t. He didn’t dare. He was too scared to do that after the pear incident. Jessie was in her room thinking as well.

“I love James. I know I do, so why can’t I tell him? Because he doesn’t love me back. He’s too scared of me to love me back. I wonder if he does love me. I love him. He means the world to me.”

The next day, Jessie woke up to the sweet scent of waffles.

“James, it’s about time you made waffles again!”

“Well, I did, so eat them while they’re hot!”

Suddenly, Meowth screamed very loudly.

“Aaaaaahhhhhhhh! James! These are really hot!”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“James, don’t swear early in the morning,” Jessie told him firmly.

“I’ll do what I want,” James told her in a very aggressive tone. Jessie was shocked. James never talked to her that way or let alone dared to. He had such a temper lately.

“Hey Jess, who’s the aggressive one now?” Meowth said in an annoying tone.

Once again, James didn’t feel too good. It was their month off, so after breakfast, James did the dishes and decided to go lie down for a little while. Eventually, he fell asleep. Jessie was surprised to see him sleeping. She figured he’d be doing something else aside from sleeping. She gently shook him.

“James? James, get up-now.”

James groaned and slowly opened up his beautiful green eyes.

“What?”

“Why were you asleep? Oh God, you’re not having a hard time sleeping again are you?”

“No, I just felt like taking a little nap that’s all,” He was not about to let Jessie know he didn’t feel good, for if he did, she’d probably kill him.

“Okay…do you feel okay?”

“Yes,” James lied.

Jessie touched his cheek. Her gloveless fingers felt warm against James’ cheek.

“Well, you don’t have a fever, but you do need to shave.”

“I know.”

“Do it now and get it out of the way. Huh? James?”

James had fallen asleep again. Jessie smiled. When their time off was up, they’d need to think up another plan. Jessie remembered James saying: ‘And next time we steal men’s costumes.’ They hadn’t done that. James always did whatever Jessie had wanted to do, but she never went along with his plans. She wondered if the reason he screwed up her plans was because he didn’t understand them or because he was ticked about wearing women’s clothes. He never complained about it and he wasn’t gay so why did he keep quiet? Jessie wondered if he was one of those people that kept everything bottled up inside. It didn’t seem that way. James used to break down in front of her all the time, but he didn’t do that anymore. He seemed to have things classified as his personal business and things up for discussion. Once Meowth said that James had a maniacal laugh when he said that, James yelled at him: ‘I do not!’ Jessie didn’t think he had a maniacal laugh. James slept on the couch that night. Meowth woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. When he opened the bathroom door, James woke up. He was surprised to find himself on the couch. He walked into his own room, put his pajamas on, and went back to sleep in this own bed. Jessie woke up as well.

“Meowth, what were you doing? Where’s James?”

“Well I had to go to the bathroom, but I don’t know where James is.”

Jessie looked in James’ room. She sat down on his bed. She stroked his silky lilac hair, and then she touched a lock of her own magenta colored hair. James’ hair was softer. Jessie had some knots in her hair. She gazed at James. He was drooling a little bit.

“How does James keep his hair so nice?” she whispered. Then, she fell asleep right next to him. James was surprised to wake up at two o’clock in the morning to see Jessie sleeping next to him. He picked her up, and carried her to her own room. He placed her under the covers of her own bed. James went back into his own room. Jessie began tossing and turning. She woke up screaming. James came into her room.

“Jessie, what’s wrong?”

“I had the worst nightmare ever!” Then, she cried. James held her close to his chest.

“James, can I sleep in your room tonight?”

“Okay.”

They walked into James’ room and sat down on his bed. Jessie was breathing hard and crying. Then, they got under the covers of James’ bed. Jessie cried some more and James held her close. They eventually fell asleep. Jessie woke up in the morning to find that James was gone. She walked into the kitchen. James had heated up the left over waffles. Jessie sat down. Then she noticed something.

“James! You’re left-handed!”

“So?”

“I didn’t know that!”

“Okay…”

“The waffles are too hot again!” Meowth yelped.

“Have you ever had a cold waffle Meowth? I have. They are disgusting!” James told him. After breakfast, Jessie helped with the dishes. Then, she got the nerve to kiss James. Meowth saw this.

“James, how did you like you and Jessie kissing?”

“It was okay. And by-the-way, that was a peck, not a kiss.”

“Fine then,” Meowth said as he walked into Jessie’s room.

“Jess, was that a kiss or a peck?” Meowth asked her.

“A kiss.”

“Not to James! He said it was a peck!”

Jessie’s heart sank.

‘I guess he doesn’t love me after all,’ Jessie thought sadly.

James sat down on his bed. He thought it was a kiss, too, but he wasn’t going to admit it. Jessie came into his room and sat down next to him.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked.

“Nothing.”

“You seem depressed.”

“Maybe a little.”

Jessie left James with his thoughts. Growlie hopped up beside him. James patted him affectionately. Then, he had a flashback…

“James, dearest! You won’t get away from me this time!”

“Jessiebelle, leave me alone!”

“Why, sugar?”

“Because I hate you, that’s why!”

“Oh, now surely you don’t mean that.”

“Well, I do!”

“That’s what you’ll say at the alter! I’m making sure of that! Hi-ya!”

“Ow! Don’t whip me! Please!”

James shook his head. Growlie licked his cheek.

“Feel lucky you weren’t me back then, Growlie.”

“Growlithe!”

“How did I ever put up with her, I’ll never know.”

Jessie walked into James’ room again. She looked nervous to see Growlie. James lay back on his bed. Growlie decided to leave the two alone.

“James, are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“You have been so quiet lately. What’s happened to you?”

“I’ve just quieted down a little, that’s all. In two years, I’ll be all grown up. You’ll be nineteen when I’m twenty-one. You’ll still be a kid. I won’t. And I just wanted to mature a little bit.”

Jessie looked a little sad. She didn’t want to think about James turning twenty-one yet. She wanted them to be teenagers together. She wished they had the same birthday. Her birthday was September 12th, and James’ birthday was January 4th.

“Are you sure that’s all? You just seem so depressed.”

“I’m fine, really.”

“I wish you’d tell me what’s wrong with you. You’re not okay, I know you, James. I know when something’s wrong with you.”

“I’m fine, Jessie, now just come off it! Okay?”

Jessie couldn’t believe that James would just yell at her like that. Tears welled up in her eyes and she left. She couldn’t let James see her cry. He might think she’s weak. She knew that there was something wrong with him. James could hear sniffling sounds coming from Jessie’s room. He walked in to find her sobbing on her pillow. Jessie felt him touch her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Jess. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You know, no matter what, we’ll always be friends, right?”

“Right. Team Rocket all the way?”

“Right.”

They stared at each other for a minute, and then hugged each other tightly. A little while later, Jessie started thinking about her boyfriend, Matthew. He wasn’t understanding and gentle like James. He was forceful and grabbed her arm and always wound up hurting her. Jessie knew she had to dump him, but was afraid he’d take it out on James.

“Jess?”

Jessie jumped with a start she whirled around only to find James.

“Oh, it’s just you.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Why would you think that there’s something wrong with me?”

“I know you, Jessie.”

“I guess I can’t hide anything from you, now can I?”

“No, so why don’t you tell me what’s going on between you and your boyfriend.”

“I can’t, I’m sorry.”

“That’s alright, you don’t have to.”

“Well, actually, he scares me sometimes. He grabs my arms really roughly and it really hurts. He slapped me yesterday and I’m just afraid of him sometimes. No offense, but go away now, because I need to be alone.”

“Alright.”

After James left, Jessie thought she smelled blood. She went into his room…

“James, what are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you bleeding?”

“Not too much.”

“Then what are you doing?”

“Wrapping a bandage around my hand.”

“Why?”

“I cut myself.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah.”

James sat down on his bed and took a little nap. He had a splitting headache. Jessie came back into his room with some ice for his hand and found him sleeping. She kissed her love on the lips and she could’ve sworn he kissed her back.

“No, he couldn’t have kissed me back.”

James later woke up. His head was still throbbing.

“Jessie?”

He looked around for her. He found her in the kitchen all by herself.

“What are you doing, Jessie?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing.”

“Okay. Well, good night!”

“Goodnight, James.”

Later, it started to thunder and lightning. Jessie walked into James’ room.

“James?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“Sure.”

Jessie wanted him, but she knew she could never have him. She was so mean to him. How could he love her? How could anyone love her? She felt like she was a real jerk. James was asleep. Jessie looked over at him. Why did he love her? He would never love just anyone, would he? Is that why he loved her? Because she was just some girl out there that he could love? Should she ask him? No, he looked too cute sleeping to wake him up!!! Why was he in love with her? She wanted to know why. She didn't want to wake him up, but that didn’t matter at the moment. She had to find out why he loved her and she had to find out now! James turned over and muttered that he loved Jessie in his sleep. Jessie raised her hand to slap him awake when Meowth walked in. Jessie gave him the go away look. He ran away in terror. James was still asleep. James woke up later that night. He looked at Jessie. His Jessie. He remembered how they’d just fight all the time. All’s fair in love and war, though, isn’t it?

And that’s the end. Long, wasn’t it? I have been working on dis fic since 1999!!! If you should review, I’ll write back!!! I promise!!!