Forever
Rating: PG-13
Written: June '99
Category: Angst, romance, and a teensy-weensy bit of humor.
Disclaimer: The only thing that's mine is the plot.
Summary: Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?
Author's note: I *know* it's Pokémon Center, but I like Pokécenter, okay? This is my first Alternate Dimension fic-- ya know, the series Froggy (the sweetheart) started. It's a little long for an AD, what with all the chapters and parts and everything, but there *is* a surprise for ya in it the beginning, if you're willing to read it…
Feedback: ::Will write for feedback!:: Allicatt3@aol.com.
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Forever
by Rocket Jesse
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Prologue~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stay away from her!" James desperately pleaded. "Don't hurt her! Please! She's already dying!"
The attackers laughed as he pathetically tried to protect Jesse with his injured legs and jaw and who knew what else. But he *had* to defend her; she was unconscious and the two criminals showed no mercy.
"This sorry thing thinks we're just gonna leave them alone?" the female incredulously asked with a demonic chortle. "I don't think so! We've gotta finish you off…"
Before he could react, he heard a gun fire and everything went black.
~*~ Part I ~*~
Chapter 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing she was aware of as she drifted into consciousness was the headache trying to split her skull. The pain was so great that she was tempted to let sleep take her away again so she wouldn't have to feel it.
Then she remembered what had happened and snapped her eyes open. The pain could wait.
"James?!" she called, frightened that she couldn't see him right away. "James!!"
She attempted to get onto her feet, but he was holding her down. "James! James, wake up!" Gently, she nudged him with a cream-colored paw, but he didn't stir. "James?!"
With no other choice, she carefully rolled his inanimate form off her hind legs. The pain from standing then came at her full force, but she ignored it as well as she could and wouldn't let it hinder her.
Gasping at all the blood surrounding her best friend's blue body, her mind switched to auto-pilot.
She held a trembling paw to his neck to check for a pulse. It was there, but too weak.
He had to get to a Pokécenter.
*Now.*
Deciding to try once more to rouse him, she softly bit a large, fin-like ear and pulled just a little harder than she normally did to wake him up.
Nothing.
She'd have to haul him there on her back.
It would be tough; she was a little smaller than the rest of her kind, and he was a little heavier than the rest of his. Just rare little masculine and feminine differences, but they were sure to cause her a lot of trouble.
His body eventually made its way onto her slight back, and she trotted out of the moonlit city alley as fast as she dared towards the Pokécenter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Persian? Persian, where did you run off to?!"
Jesse and James ran from the dreaded voices.
"Vaporeon, get back here this instant!"
"Hurry, James, we can go into that alley!" she yelled, severely devoid of strength, just like her best friend.
"Right!"
As soon as they came upon it, they turned the corner into the small dark street and went to hide between a large dumpster and a brick wall as distant from their pursuers as was possible.
"You… you okay?" James asked, panting.
"Yeah, I think so."
They took a minute to catch their breath, but still didn't move. Their masters, unfortunately, were excellent trackers-- two of Team Rocket's finest.
"Jesse, I'm scared!"
"I know that! Quit whining or they'll hear us!" she hissed.
But when they heard the sound of gravel shifting under a boot, both were so frightened that they had to hold on to each other for comfort.
For four long minutes, they waited, and Jesse got impatient. She wasn't picking up any other human sounds. Very carefully poking her head out, she used her acute sense of smell, perceptive ears, and phenomenal vision to check if the human was still there.
She found no people; only a small rodent inspecting an empty bakery box. When it pushed the white cardboard a small ways, it made the same noise they'd heard before.
Sighing in relief, she ducked back down behind the rusty metal. "Just a Rattata." If she were in a different situation, she might have made a meal out of it.
James gave a tiny smile, glad that their masters hadn't discovered them.
Even though it had seemed like a while since they lost them, they were still in grave danger. They couldn't afford to take any risks; they very well could be killed.
The whole month, whenever Jesse and James were let out of their Pokéballs, they'd been seriously discussing a way to run away from their abusive trainers. It was definitely a very risky thing to do; their masters always frightened them with stories of how, when their other Pokémon would run away, they'd always end up dead. And that their masters were the ones who made sure it happened.
Neither of them had wanted to be captured in the first place. Jesse and James had always lived deep in a secluded forest near a small lake. They'd been best friends since before either could remember; before evolving.
When their future masters had come along, she'd instantly hated them. The female had an elaborately regal air of arrogance about her, and the male's voice was so disturbing she wanted to claw his throat out of existence. The word 'evil' didn't do them justice, it seemed, at her first impression of them. Naturally, she had poised to seriously injure the two intruders.
"Um… don't you think we should try to talk them out of capturing us first, Jesse?" James had cautiously asked, afraid of the Team Rocket members *and* her claws.
"Are you kidding, James?! Don't you remember?" Since they hadn't encountered any people for so long, she had seen how *James* would get mixed up.
"*OH!* They can't understand us!" His confidence returned and both bristled in front of the man and woman, ready to make them run screaming. "Let's fight them, then!"
"Here, kitty, kitty," was the last thing she'd heard before the barren nothingness inside the silver ball.
It made Jesse shiver just thinking about the first time inside it. She never wanted to endure that again.
Her ears perked as she heard their masters. "They're here," she whispered as quietly as she could, and once again, they hugged in fear.
Though they knew how to approach making barely a noise, Jesse could easily hear every breath they took.
The little Rattata she'd seen earlier began sniffing around behind James. Jesse's eyes widened, and she futilely willed it to stop.
It looked up at her, screeched, and scrambled away.
She could almost hear their masters grinning in satisfaction, now positive of where they were hiding.
Knowing their fate, Jesse and James looked at each other, both wishing for a way to express their true hearts.
"Jesse, I…"
"James…" All of a sudden, her sad look was replaced by hope. "Wait! You can use acid armor on both of us, can't you? Make us disappear!"
"I can't!" he admitted without even trying. "I'm too weak."
"Just use it on yourself, then."
It was the most selfless thing she'd ever said to him, and by the looks of it he almost couldn't believe his own ears. "I wouldn't ever-"
James never got to finish his sentence, because a whip cracked at his hind leg. Painfully, he slumped to the ground under his master's evil grin.
"Well, well, Vaporeon. Looks like you get a 'going away' party. Come on out."
A gasp emanated from Jesse's mouth when she felt the same horrible snap on her back. Like James, she helplessly slid down to the pavement under her feet.
"Nice to see you again, Persian. But I'm afraid this is the last time anybody ever will be."
Jesse and James knew that if they didn't come out from behind the dumpster, nothing would stop their masters from shooting to kill *both* right then and there. At least this way, there were slim chances of an escape. It took them a great deal of effort, but they eventually made it to an open spot too far from the rest of the city for their liking.
Jesse and James were weaker than they'd ever been. Their masters were able to control their strength with a special dial on each of their Pokéballs.
There was another dial, Jesse remembered with a shudder, that could inflict mind-numbing pain upon her. She'd only experienced the lowest level, but she still had never been in so much agony in her life. Her master had told her that she could turn it so high that death would follow, just to scare her.
Now, Jesse knew that it wasn't just there to scare her anymore. It really *could* kill her.
James had had a similar experience, and now they were all too aware of the Pokéballs in their masters' hands.
"Please," Jesse begged. "Please let us live." All her soul went into that request, and, even though she hadn't expected them to, she was disappointed when they didn't understand.
"Let's experiment, shall we?" James' master suggested, getting some sick twisted kick out of torturing the poor pair.
"We'll never run away again!" James promised, knowing it was no good. "Please, don't!"
"Here we go," her master said as she smirked sinisterly and turned the red dial.
Waves of excruciating pain rolled through her body so powerfully she passed out.
Chapter 2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesse awoke with a start in James' Pokécenter room. They were safe for now, but she had the feeling she wouldn't be able to shake that nightmarish memory anytime soon.
"James," she whispered to her poor friend. Nurse Joy had told her that he very well may not make it. He was in a coma, traumatized from all the abuse his master had inflicted upon him. Jesse hated his master even more than she hated hers. There was no reason for him to be going through this. She had suffered a few minor effects, but nothing close to the damage he'd taken. They were just lucky that their appearances to their masters had been so close to death.
An overpowering feeling of loneliness washed over her, causing a single tear to slide from her eye. James was her only friend. He was the only one who understood her. And the only one she had ever felt anything even remotely close to love for.
It was odd, how the two were in love. They were completely different species. By all logistical means, they shouldn't have been. But Jesse was more positive that James was her soul mate than she was that she was a Persian. She just *knew.*
"You know, Persian-- if you talk to Vaporeon, it'll hear you."
The kind nurse's soft voice served to soothe her somewhat, and she watched Joy as she came around and sat on the opposite side of James. "How do you know?" she asked, hoping she'd discern her words.
"You're probably wondering how I know, aren't you?"
"Yes!" Since being captured, she'd come to expect only James to understand her. Well, along with the rare *other* Pokémon they stumbled across. Now that Jesse had Joy right in front of her, and James wasn't exactly able to speak, she was a little excited to communicate. Or, at least, that's what she told herself. She was just desperately trying to put James' bleak fate out of her mind.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Nodding, she relaxed a little.
"Wow, I've never met such a nice Persian!"
Showing Joy she was just the opposite, Jesse narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth. She hated it when people called her nice *or* Persian. She knew there was no way for them to know what her name really was, but it still angered her.
"Okay, okay, I take it back."
Tell me how you know he'll hear me. I don't just want to be talking to a big blue lump."
"You still want to hear how I know?"
To indicate that she did, she put on the 'kinder' expression she'd had before. If a Persian could *have* that kind of expression.
"Scully heard Mulder when *she* was in a coma."
"Who the hell are they?" Maybe talking to her wasn't such a great idea…
"I don't suppose you know who they are… well, don't worry! I'll explain everything!"
Jesse sighed. This could take a while.
"See, Mulder and Scully are these two really cool FBI agents on this show called The X-Files. Oh, and Mulder and Scully are their *last* names. Their *first* names are…"
Easily turning Nurse Joy out, Jesse focused on James' sweet, sweet face, which she *never* tired of looking at. There was something unique about it. The few other Vaporeons she'd seen repulsed her, but James… James enchanted her. He was the only one who had ever made her heart flutter inside her furry chest. He'd told her "I love you" a thousand times, using nothing but his shining eyes. Sure, he had more than his fair share of flaws, sometimes, but she'd give anything to see those brilliant eyes open right then and tell he loved her again.
Gradually, she slid herself closer to his warm body until she was nuzzled against him, her head just under his chin. "Wake up, James," she cooed as quietly as she could, just before she fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wake up, James," he heard from his dark spot deep underwater. It had been deathly frigid until a while ago, when he'd perceived a warmth he *knew* was coming from Jesse.
He felt completely comfortable right where he was, despite the chill. His species coped with that easily. Surprisingly, he had no desire to move at all; it was so cozy and peaceful. Though he had no idea of how long he'd been there, he wasn't and most likely wouldn't feel anything but snug.
It was odd Jesse wasn't there. In fact, the more he thought about it, he wished she were, so they could stay down there together forever.
Then, he realized: If Jesse isn't here with me, *I* shouldn't be here. I need to be with her. I can feel her… I can see her, hear her, smell her… but she's still not here.
So, in conjunction with his new mindset, he attempted to swim up to the surface.
Nothing would move.
His tail, his legs, his head… even his *toes* wouldn't work. He was stuck..
If he could sense Jesse, then maybe she'd be able to hear him.
But not even his voice would function.
As a desperate last resort, he yelled her name inside his head as strongly as he could.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesse bolted awake, jumping away from James. She could've sworn he was in dire need of… something. "James?"
Still unconscious.
Remembering the situation she'd fallen asleep in, she quickly scanned the cozily dark, warm room for any signs of Joy.
She'd left. And the door was shut.
Suddenly missing the comfort and heat she'd had from James, she snuggled against him again. Most people and Pokémon who touched a Vaporeon would find nothing remotely warm, but those who he trusted fully could touch any and every part of him and be greeted with a generous heat. Like Jesse. Even while he slept, he trusted her with all his heart.
"Hey, James. Nurse Joy said you'd hear me if I talked to you… oh, it feels so stupid when you can't talk back! But… I guess it's worth a try."
Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Well… I guess the most important thing in the world right now is… is that you wake up. You've got to survive. You *know* you're my best friend…" Surprising herself, a few tears came out and matted the fur down on her feline cheekbones. "I mean, what am I going to do without you around to… to…"
To love?
Yeah. That sounded right. He'd certainly never *remember* what she was telling him if he could even hear her in the first place.
"… to love? We're perfect for each other, you know? Maybe not physically, but… I know that there is no way I could live without you, James."
She was getting the hang of this-- it was fun, actually, finally telling him all these things. Being burrowed against him wasn't half bad, either. And it was a lot more interesting than just watching the clock tick away the seconds.
"So, um… after… after I came back to out there in that alley, I dragged you in here all by myself. I suppose there are a few drawbacks to us being gender-specific Pokémon, like how *heavy* you are, but I'm glad we are. Anyway, Nurse Joy ran to you when I hobbled in, then I just fainted again. Later, when I'd regained consciousness, she told me… that… you don't have the best chances. But I know, James. I know better than that. I know that your strength will get you through this-- you're so determined. Both of us are. So… prove me right, okay?" Her last sentence came out as a sad plea, even though she'd intended something more confident.
Just in case, she stopped talking for a minute to see if he'd obeyed her.
He hadn't. He couldn't.
"I'm not sure that your coma is our only problem, James. Our masters… what if they come looking for us? We're supposed to be *dead.* They might come to finish the job."
When she felt a chill run down her spine from that thought, she changed the subject once again.
"I'll probably be spending a lot of time with you, whether you're awake or not. So why not wake up and keep me company? You're a lot more fun that way. And you… you…" She couldn't think of a way to say what she wanted to, so she just skipped it and snapped back to her old self. "I can't believe I'm telling you all this! You'd better forget it all when you wake up. I need some fresh air; I think I'll go for a walk."
It took her five tries, but she eventually gathered enough willpower to leave his side.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A rose.
It was *perfect.*
For some reason, out of all the flowers in the whole quaint little boutique, it was this one that appealed to her the most. It was just so… James.
Since there was no way for her to buy the prized rose, Jesse used her grace and slyness to nab it in her mouth without turning any heads. She snuck out of the shop and strolled back to the Pokécenter just a block away, happy with her new find.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesse?! JESSE!! Where did you go?!? he yelled with his mind.
The icy black waters had swallowed James, and, for the first time, he couldn't sense Jesse *anywhere.* Sometimes she might've been closer than others, but he'd always felt her presence, however faint.
But not this time.
Frantically trying to force his dread away, he thought back to what she'd told him.
A walk…
She was on a walk. Said she needed fresh air.
That did nothing to soothe him.
He felt like he was falling forever, suffocating, and horribly frozen all at the same time.
Was this death?
No. He knew he couldn't die. Not so soon. Jesse said…
What had she said?
"…there is no way I could live without you, James."
It was unreal… she really felt that way? It hadn't really sunk in before-- some things she'd told him were already beginning to slip from his mind. Even though he was recklessly trying to grasp at her words.
Where was she, again?
~*~ Part II ~*~
Chapter 3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time she reached the double-doors of the Pokécenter on her way back from the flower shop, she got the strangest urge to run. Although she couldn't really say why, she did just that, afraid that maybe their masters were there, hurting James, or that his condition was worsening.
But she would *not* let herself think he was dead.
*Never.*
Sure enough, when she padded back into his room, flower in mouth, Joy and three Chanseys were hovering over him. They spoke in a hurried language of medical jargon she couldn't even come close to comprehending.
To hell with them, she thought, playing out a hunch that she knew exactly how to fix this problem. She jumped onto his bed, ignoring the angry cries from the nurses, and licked James' face after setting the rose down next to his head. "Calm down. I'm here."
Immediately, the heart monitor went back to normal and all the reasons for extra concern vanished.
While the stunned nurses stared dumbly at her, she proudly plucked the rose up and worked her mouth around it. "Beautiful things can be..." She held a claw up so the fine points glittered in the soft light. "Painful."
Wide-eyed, the three Chanseys ran from the room with all their medical supplies.
"That was *so* Scully."
And Nurse Joy followed when Jesse set the rose down to flash her sharp teeth and gleaming eyes.
As soon as they were alone, she asked James, "I don't suppose you like it when I leave, do you?"
Not counting on getting an answer, but still waiting for a few seconds anyway, she once again laid her body down against his and spoke to him. "So I guess I have to stay by your side or you'll croak, huh? Well, I'll stay. But only because I *know* you'll wake up, right?"
She sighed. "I brought you a rose-- it's right up near your head. I saw it and it reminded me of you."
Yawning, she shut her eyes and curled her long tail around his, deftly able to avoid its razor-sharp ridges. "I'm pretty sleepy, then again, when aren't I? Sometimes, I hate being a cat. I'll be awake soon, wake up, James."
Chapter 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With each passing day, Jesse's false confidence that James would wake up grew larger and larger. When he didn't, she'd just talk to him, telling him of everything and of nothing and trying to bring him back.
She really had no choice but to stay in his room with him all the time. If she left, the machines went berserk. Being a cat, she didn't mind missing the outdoors. Besides-- she wouldn't pass up cuddling with him. It would have made a world of difference if he were conscious for it, though.
And she had to be there when, *if*, he woke up. Depressed as she was, she still knew that she would be the *first* thing he'd want to see.
Often, she wondered what he was thinking when she talked to him. If only she could see some sort of expression on his face whenever she told him she loved him, better yet, the first time she'd told him.
But each time she found herself crying, she would force it all down and convince herself he'd wake up the next morning.
When he wouldn't, she'd just do the same thing. Over and over again, she told herself that he would survive, because they were in love with each other. They had *true* love.
Shouldn't that count for something?
She would involuntarily slip occasionally, playing the inevitable star-crossed lovers scenario in her head, weeping from even thinking of such a thing. They couldn't end up like Romeo and Juliet, could they?
Once, she even brought out her painful claws and, sobbing, ripped open a lesion on her sleek neck. It hurt so much, but she was convinced that it was the only way to ever be with James again. What hurt even more was remembering how valiant she *used* to be, when she had him by her side.
Nurse Joy had come in soon after she'd fainted from the loss of blood and got her wound all cleaned up. When Jesse awoke, she was okay once she saw James again, even though Joy was convinced otherwise. But she knew better than to try to dive into the affairs of a Persian just yet. She'd very plainly told Jesse that if she did *anything* like that again, she'd be in a Pokémon psychologist's office before she could say Vaporeon.
As if Jesse didn't have enough to fret about already, the return of their masters was long overdue. The two really should have stopped by by then, to either kill them or recapture them. Unless they were planning something.
No matter how hard she tried to put that out of her mind, it wouldn't work. She didn't have as good of an instinctual foretelling as James sometimes did, but nevertheless, trouble was on its way. That much was crystal clear to her.
Jesse just hoped James would be alive by the time they came.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"James, I have something gravely important to tell you. I've been getting a really bad feeling, lately. Today, it's stronger than it has been. Maybe I've got your little psychic gift, I don't know. But, if I'm correct, our masters should have 'checked' on us by now. I'm thinking that maybe they'll be coming today, either to take us back or murder us. They're probably going to take all the Pokémon here, too, and torture them like they've done to us.
"I'm really scared, James. I'm scared of what's going to happen to you. Now, I want you to know that if we're separated, I promise to do everything in my power to save you. You can't get all terrified and die on me. I just, I just want to see you smile at me again."
From his spot deep down below the water, James wept along with Jesse, though he only could do so on the inside. He couldn't even produce tears of his own. Hearing her so frightened and an actual confession to that broke his heart, and now more than ever he wanted to return to her. He *needed* to protect her from their corrupting masters.
If Jesse was in trouble, he'd be there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesse could've *sworn* she'd felt James' tail fin brush against her fur, ever so lightly.
"James?! Come on, James, wake up!! You can do it!" Giving him room, she stood up and stepped a short distance away from him, but still stayed close enough to touch him with her paw.
His front leg twitched.
"I know you want to come on back!" she yelled, a little too excited for her own good. "Open your eyes!"
It would be unnoticeable to anyone but Jesse, but his colour was returning just the slightest bit and his aura almost glowed with small signs of life.
All of her love for him flowed through her veins, and she channeled her burning enthusiasm through the now glowing jewel on her forehead. She closed her slitted eyes and concentrated on giving him every ounce of strength she had and willed him, for all she was worth, to just wake up. "Please, James, please, James," she repeated over and over again, like a mantra.
She opened her eyes again and screamed in terror, never seeing James go deathly still.
~*~ Part III ~*~
Chapter 5~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The inky black of the Pokéball had *never* angered her so deeply. This time, it wasn't because she simply hated the horrid experience; it was because of James.
If she couldn't save him, who would?
At that moment, there was *nothing* she wanted more than to be out of that ball. Just like she'd mentally given all her strength to James shortly before, she banished every thought from her mind *except* the most potent one-- liberation.
Pure rage flooded her body and she directed it entirely at her master. *Their* masters.
She wouldn't give up until she was out.
And, suddenly, she was.
She was free.
It was dark, but her eyes adjusted quickly. She was in the trunk of their masters' car.
How dare they put her in a trunk!
The first thing she did was destroy her Pokéball with one of her 'special' attacks. Her master had taught her how to get rid of the enemy for good by transporting them into a place between realities. Jesse hated using it on other Pokémon-- not even the ones who thought they could fight her deserved an end like that, falling forever into an empty void. But for the first time, she enjoyed the talent and smiled when her prison had vanished into oblivion.
Now to find James.
Oh, God-- there were dozens of Pokéballs in there! He could be in any one! And to make it even harder on her, the car was still rolling, banking sharp turns and accelerating harshly. The balls were all jostling around in chaos..
One rolled to her feet and stopped. Right in front of her.
She knew it was him.
Again, she grinned, and, picking the minimized sphere up in her mouth, knew precisely what to do.
Her claws outspread and she fiddled with the lock of the hatch. In a few seconds, she'd successfully picked it open. Very slowly and cautiously, she lifted the door of the trunk up just a little ways so their masters wouldn't notice anything in their mirrors.
One by one, she batted each Pokéball out onto the road. She wasn't about to carry them all back to the Pokécenter herself-- all she was worried about was James. They'd make it. The only reason she was even helping all the poor Pokémon out was because none deserved their masters, who weren't worthy of *any* Pokémon, no matter how ill or weak.
When the last Pokéball hit the dirt, she jumped out herself, precious cargo nestled safely in her mouth. She ran as blindingly fast for the Pokécenter as her legs would carry her. She didn't want their masters to spot them.
Before long, she realized she had no idea where she was going. It almost looked like the outskirts of their forest. Curious, she wandered right in, knowing James would be alright once she found the proper place. He'd be fine as long as he was with her.
She passed a clearing that looked vaguely familiar to her. More and more, she saw almost undetectable hints of their home. It was difficult to tell, though-- their lake was so far from any human establishments. True, they often spent time roaming around in the woods at long distances far from their lake, but they almost never went out father than a few miles. Plus, it had been almost a year now since they'd been taken away by their masters. The little details just hadn't stuck with her.
Jesse kept wandering further and further into the woods until she knew it wasn't their home.
She was horribly lost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If James had been deeply immersed in the unforgiving waters before, he was at twice that depth now. It seemed as though there was an extra layer over him to make sure he couldn't go anywhere.
At first, the new barrier was hostile; it had kept him from Jesse when he'd been *so* close to protecting her like he had to. He'd panicked.
Then, suddenly, he'd felt safe. It was just a tiny little hint of a feeling, at first, but it had gradually grown and convinced him Jesse was protecting *him.*
Like an angel.
She'd been scared, before. That much he remembered. The last thing he'd heard was her screaming.
It was bone-chilling just to think about it.
He'd tried to keep going to her, but his own fear held him back like shackles and chains. Eventually, it had changed from fear to sheer determination, but, even as strong as his was, the new restrictions were still too much for him.
When Jesse came, though, the urgency to get out of it faded. It could wait. She'd help him.
Chapter 6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesse miserably stared at the small Pokéball laying on the ground in front of her. If only she could let James out and see if he knew where they were, but if she did, then he wouldn't get the surprise she wanted him to have.
The snap of a twig captured her attention and she turned to see where it had originated from.
Their masters.
They were tracking her.
*No.*
She would *not* let this happen again.
Taking James' carrier in her mouth, she hurriedly climbed up the nearest tree to sanctuary.
Just as the two stepped up to the redwood, she grinned. They couldn't see her through all the leaves and branches. But she could see them.
Her eyes flashed a radiant white as she used her special attack on the two who had taught it to her.
Her master first. The purple-eyed witch shrieked in pain while her partner, too horrified to move, watched her disappear.
Then James' trainer. His enemy. *Her* enemy. For all the trouble he'd caused James, she was going to pay him back for it. Just like his partner before him, he cried out when the attack struck and was banished from this world to a fate worse than death.
Their evils would wreak Pokémon no more.
Jesse wondered if she should feel the least bit guilty.
She didn't.
And, she concluded, shouldn't.
But she was grateful beyond words to have been driven up that tree.
She could see their lake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It took her an hour or so to make it through all the vegetation. The sky was rapidly darkening, but, of course, that didn't bother her.
She couldn't stop herself from running the whole way. Finally, after so long, they'd be home. James would be up. They'd be together again. The motivation kept her from exhaustion.
When she reached their little lake, she at once set James' Pokéball down a little ways from the water. Beaming, she tapped it twice-- once to maximize it and again to bring him out.
As she'd expected, James was still unconscious, but it was so good to be able to see him again. Since he'd be awake very soon, she admired his serene face one last time without him noticing. And she couldn't resist licking his cheek affectionately and rubbing her nose to his. A kiss.
She was ready. Taking a deep, preparatory breath, she turned the first dial on his Pokéball to 'full strength,' then quickly sent the sphere to the same place hers was.
Almost immediately afterwards, his eyelids squeezed tightly together, then slowly opened.
"James!" Happy couldn't begin to describe how good it felt for her to see those eyes again.
"JESSE!" He stood energetically and licked her cheek. It was a gesture they used often.
The two laughed together and nuzzled their heads, taking pleasure in simply being home again with one another.
They talked for hours, about how great it was to have their freedom and their lake back. Jesse was both relieved and disappointed to learn that he didn't remember a word she'd said while he was in his coma, but he said he didn't remember *anything* since the alley where he'd been shot.
Except her presence. He remembered that she was there.
That night, while they spoke, they laid on the lush grass of the clearing, tails intertwined, underneath an inviting blanket of stars. They fell asleep like that, each feeling blessed in their gift of independence with each other.
Epilogue~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James sat on his haunches a few meters behind Jesse watching her clean herself. He still couldn't believe a creature so delicate and beautiful had saved his life.
Twice, from all she'd told him last night. Whenever he lost himself in gazing at her, he forgot how harsh she had the potential to be.
It *seemed* like she'd told him everything about what had happened while he was under, but also like she was hiding something else that was just as important, if not more so. There were no gaps in the story she'd told him; she'd made herself out to be more of a heroine than she probably really was, but that was just her old personality shining through.
Whatever she was holding back couldn't compare with what he was getting ready to say to her.
It could be something along the lines of "I don't love you, James," but if he allowed himself to dwell on that, he'd never get around to telling her.
"James, quit staring at me like that."
She must've been aware that he was there all along. He should've known.
"Jesse… I… um…"
Venturing towards her, he took a deep breath and sat next to her. "I just wanted to tell you…"
"Yes?" she hopefully asked.
"I… uh… saw a really pretty Butterfree this morning!"
Before he knew it, his lack of courage had gotten him a set of red scratch marks across the face.
It almost felt good to have her do that again.
Once he'd partially recovered, he got up and looked around for her.
She was sitting further down along the shore, but before he tried to talk to her again, he decided a quick swim would do him good. Besides, it couldn't hurt to show off a little.
While he did his various tricks and stunts in the water, he tried to always keep an eye on Jesse. It almost appeared as though she was pretending not to look at him. Sometimes, she forgot that she wasn't the only one with good vision. Her sight was obviously superior to his, but that didn't mean his was by any means bad.
After he put on his little show for her, he felt confident enough to try telling her again. He exited the lake and shook himself dry before walking to her.
"Jesse, I want to tell you something very important," he announced, even more smoothly than he'd hoped.
"Go ahead, James." She still looked mildly amused from his performance.
"First… thank you for making sure I made it. You have no idea how much that means to me. You're my angel. My guardian angel, Jesse."
She appeared genuinely touched. Her eyes were hinting at tears and she nodded so he'd keep going.
"And the second thing is that… that…" His mouth was still moving, but the sound stopped coming out. Even with all the love in his heart, he couldn't bring himself to tell her.
Surprising him, she held her paw to his mouth. "Shh… James, I love you, too."
He didn't need to ask how she knew. But he did have a feeling that she'd told him that before…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Will you write to me? Pretty please with James on top? Allicatt3@aol.com.
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