Drop
Written By: TRAnimeGal

"Maybe we should go under that cluster of trees there..."

"I don't care where we go, just get me out of this rain!"

"Fine, come on..."

It started as one drop just a few minutes ago, then another, and then another. Before long sheets of rain pelted the earth, making its uncovered inhabitants miserable. Most of the people outside never even got a chance to blink before they were soaked to the skin, including our three favorite rouges once again in search of Pikachu.

"We're finally out of that stupid storm," Jessie commented as she sat down at the foot of a tree.

"It should let up soon... the forecast didn't say it would rain..."

"Weathermen are always wrong. Maybe you should become one, James."

He just scowled.

"Well, for now I tink we should all get some rest. It's gonna be a long day tamorrow." The small cat curled up into a ball. "G'night, youse two."

"So..." James mumbled, trying to break the silence, "our farmer scheme sort of worked today, didn't it?"

"Yeah, we were so close, too... Stupid cat can't even drive right."

"We should take driving lessons or something."

"Nah. Too much money. And besides, you can drive just fine."

"Thanks."

"Me, on the other hand..." She chuckled. "I don't even know which pedal is the brake."

"I'll have to teach you sometime."

"What makes you think I can't learn on my own?"

"Do you want to get us all killed?"

"I guess not... OK. You can teach me how."

A bright bolt flashed in the sky, lighting up the surrounding area. "James, is that who I think it is?"

She peered out of the thick foliage. "It isn't..."

"Yep, I think it is, Jess." He squinted to get a better look. "It's that twerp, and he's with the bigger twerp and some other girl I haven't seen before."

"Well, I'm too tired to go and annoy them, so let's call it a day."

"Sounds good to me."

Suddenly they heard a voice cut through the still night air. "Why can't I have a ray of sunshine in my LIIIIIIIFE?"

"Looks to me like the twerp's friend is having a breakdown," James observed.

"Funny. I thought we'd go crazy first."

The girl standing next to him let out a horrible scream, obviously afraid of the thunder and lightning that the storm brought. "Chicken," Jessie muttered under her breath.

The two watched in amazement as Brock rushed over to her side and wrapped her in his arms. He gently tore her away from the exposure of the elements. "Don't be scared, Willamina, I'm right here now. I'm right here."

"Oh, isn't that sweet?" Jessie remarked sarcastically. "And Prince Charming on his white horse takes her away to the castle, and they lived happily ever after. The end." She crawled back to where she was sitting before. "How gushy can you get?"

"It was sorta cute."

"How was that cute? They'll probably get their hearts broken, and they deserve it."

"No one deserves their heart being broken," James whispered, remembering that she was a bit touchy on the subject of love.

"Then how come mine always does?" she shot back. A pained look covered her face.

"You'll find someone, Jess."

"No, I won't." She curled up into a ball and leaned against the base of the giant oak above her. "No one will love me, just because I'm mean..." She sniffled. "And nasty..." Tears welled up in her eyes. "And evil." She turned away as drops rolled down her cheeks.

James knelt down beside her. "I'm sure someone will love you. You have a lot of nice qualities."

"Like what?"

"Well..." He began counting on his fingers. "You make up a lot of good plans, and you always forgive people eventually, and you're always confident, and you're pretty, too... I could come up with lots of reasons, Jess."

She smiled. "Thanks, James. I bet I could name some for you, too."

"That I'm always consistantly stupid?"

"No, but that's true..." He growled at her. "I was kidding, OK? Just take it easy... Let's see, you come up with good plans a lot, too, and sometimes you're braver than you think you are, and you always have a lot of spirit, and you're pretty handsome yourself..."

"We're the best team of the whole lot, aren't we?"

"I think we are." They both smiled at each other.

"But, still..." She sighed. "I won't ever have anyone who loves me."

"Yes, you will, Jess."

He leaned over and pulled her into a friendly hug. "You'll have the guys all over you."

"But I don't want the guys," she murmured, hanging her hands on his arms. "I want someone that can watch over me and take me for who I really am."

"You want a sensitive guy, huh?"

"That'd be better than some macho jerk."

"I guess so." She leaned into him, ever so slightly.

'What is this?' Her heart was conjuring up those same deep feelings for him that she had ever since the balloon outside his estate. 'But he'll never take me seriously. He's always known me as someone who was bossy, someone who never shows her soft side. It... it just won't work.'

"You tired, Jessie?"

"Not really. I think I just want to sit up and look outside."

"OK. Well, I'm going to go to sleep now. I'll see you in the morning."

He unlatched his arms around her shoulders. Leaning up against her, he shut his eyes and started his trip to dreamland.

Glancing over at him, she raised her head and looked towards the sky. She could hear the leaves being pelted with rain above her, although some of them escaped the canopy's grasp. One such drop fell towards the earth, but was intercepted by James' cheek. He wrinkled his nose, shook his head a bit, and went back to sleeping peacefully.

"Oh, James..." she giggled. She brushed a silky strand of hair out of his face. "You're so precious."

She looked beyond her resting place to the three people under the tree in the distance. By the lightning's glow she could see the girl talking to Brock, hands now wrapped around his waist. Both of them were smiling a warm smile, and their eyes never left one another's. She laughed a bit, and rested her head on his chest. He enveloped her once again.

Jessie tore her eyes away from the budding romance. Sighing, curling her hair around her finger, brow wrinkled, a tear slowly rolled down her cheek.

'He looks into her eyes, and they just know that they'll be together forever... they just... know...'

A steady stream of jealousy ran down her face, cascading off and leaving damp marks on her shirt.

'Stop it. Why are you crying?'

Her head in her hands, she suddenly started sobbed uncontrollably, all while her partner slept by her side.

'You have someone to love you. You have James. Now stop your crying!'

But her heart would not let her stop. It swallowed her up like a dark pit, never even giving her the chance to blink before the bottom came. 'But he'll never love me! I want someone that I can hold, and touch, and be with me forever... Everyone else has got someone, but why... why can't I have someone? I want someone, too...'

She felt James stirring, and her shoulder becoming lighter as he lifted his head. She did not lift hers. "You were trembling, Jessie," he said in a groggy voice. "What...?"

At the site of her pain he immediately put his arm around her. "What's the matter? What's wrong? I'll help you, Jess."

'You don't even try to help me... you don't know...'

Slowly she dropped her hands and looked down to the dirt below her. Clutching her knees, she just shook her head. "It's nothing to worry about, James. Go back to sleep."

"I'd never do that," he said quietly. "Look up at me for a moment, please?"

Her gaze was fixed at the ground.

Sighing, he put his hand under her chin and averted her sight up to him. "Jessie, you've never cried like this before." His expression was filled with worry. "There must be something wrong."

She just hugged her knees tighter.

Letting her head drop, he turned away. "You just sit there for a minute. When I come back I want you to tell me what happened." He crawled around to the other side of the tree.

'James... won't you love me? Look into my eyes like that, and tell me that you love me, please? I love you...'

It wasn't a minute later before he emerged. His hand behind his back, he shuffled over to her on his knees. He lowered his head to see her face. "Jessie, please look up."

This time she slowly obeyed his orders. She found herself staring at his comforting grin. "Now, shut your eyes, and hold out your hands."

Not really in the mood to disagree, she followed his instructions again. It was a few moments before she felt something resting in her palms. It felt sort of... hairy to the touch. 'What could this be?'

"OK, now open up."

Lifting her eyelids, she looked at what she was holding. A pile of brown fur with big dark blue eyes stared back at her. "Wha... what is it, James?"

His cheeks turned a light crimson color. "It... it's my Teddiursa. I've had it since I was little. I thought maybe if you took it for a bit it'd cheer you up."

She gazed at it for a moment, then clutched it to her chest. It was no longer the rain, but the sound of her beating heart that echoed in her ears. "Thank you, James. You're such a thoughtful person..."

He wrapped her in a tight hug. "Don't feel so lonely, Jess. I'm here."

She nodded. "I know."

"Now, what was the matter?"

"I was just sort of..."

"Lonely." They met glances. "And knowing you, I bet you were jealous, too."

'You always know...'

"Yeah, I was, sort of."

"You'll have someone to love, Jessie. I bet they'll love you back ten times as much."

"You really think so?"

He grinned. "I know so, Jess."

Silence overcame them for a short time. 'Don't let him leave now. I just want to be here, in his arms foreve...'

"Jessie, look." His quiet whisper interrupted her thoughts. He pointed to the stuffed Pokémon's head. "He has pretty blue eyes, just like you do."

They smiled at each other. "But I don't think his hair is as nice as yours," he followed up. "Yours is all soft and magenta, but his is ratty brown."

"I think your hair is nicer, too."

He blew at the long strand that hung between his eyes. "But you know what's exactly alike between you two?"

"What?"

"You both help me feel better when I'm depressed, both of you were presents to me, and..."

His embrace tightened just a bit. "And you're both huggable."

She felt the blood circulate through her cheeks. She told herself to stop blushing, but it was obvious that she couldn't when James playfully commented, "Looks like you weren't expecting that."

"I guess I wasn't..." she murmured to herself.

'I never expected you to look past the cold shell of my heart. But it looks like you've made it, James... I always knew that you would be there for me, and look after me, and love me for who I really am inside. I'm not such an evil person, you know that. Thank you, James, and I'll always love you... Always...'

She softly set the stuffed toy down beside her. First looking around to see if there were any spectators, which there were none of, she turned back to him. Their eyes met, and...

She threw her arms around him, her force reeling James backwards and causing them to land as a huge heap of giggles onto the ground. "Klutz," she laughed.

"Aw, shut up, Jess."

"James?"

"Yes?"

She snuggled close into his chest, where her head happened to land. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Jessie."

'Saying that just feels so... natural, like it was meant to be..."

She shut her eyes. "This is a comfortable spot. I think I'll just fall asleep right here..."

"My head's on a root... I wanna move."

"Well, move your head then. I'm not moving mine."

"Oh, fine." He shifted around until he found a more pleasant spot to lie down on. "There we go."

"Well, I guess it's goodnight then," she said more happily then she wanted to sound.

"I guess so. Goodnight, Jessie."

"Goodnight, James."

As the world came into focus again she noticed a small drop teetering on a leaf above her.

'That's just how I was. So insecure, ready to fall...'

She felt the rise and fall of James' gentle breathing below her. Taking one last look at the now placid rain falling outside their green umbrella, she shut her eyes and followed her partner to sleep.

The tiny drop lost its grasp on the leaf and plummeted to the earth. It softly landed on James' lower lip.