"Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her" (part 4)

See part one for information, and author's notes right after.

**************************************************************************************************

"I was the one that was there all that week" Jessie finished weakly. "Not her. She just stepped in when you told her..."

"Dressed as Jessie" Leilei, of all people, helped out. Jessie just glanced at her in appreciative surprise.

"Yes, dressed as me... we changed clothes right before you asked her to marry you."

She finally looked up, out of breath- and, to her surprise, saw James standing there- smiling. Looking not surprised at all, even as the dumbfounded wedding guests gasped and fainted around them.

"Tell me something I *didn't* know" he said, simply.

Jessie- and Jessibelle- gasped. The rest of the church, of course, didn't hear him, they were too busy getting their cell phones out, calling their limos to go home, figuring that the fun was over. A few headed out to the reception to gorge themselves on the six-foot-tall wedding cake.

"You knew?" Jessie exclaimed, it being her turn to gape.. "All the time?"

"How?" Jessibelle hissed.

All James did in reply was smile. That, and take a step towards Jessie. As Jessibelle watched in horror, he kissed her lips sweetly.

"That was how" he said, significantly.

Jessie just looked at him in wry disbelief.

James shrugged innocently.

"That" he amended. "And, too, when you.." he tilted his chin at Jessibelle, "..hurt yourself in camp, and I bandaged you up, I noticed something missing."

Jessie raised an eyebrow, and James cleared his throat.

"Jessie has a small tattoo on her hip" he explained clinically. "A small red 'R' that she got when we enlisted. Jessibelle, of course, would do no such thing."

Said Jessibelle's face was screwed up as much as a human face could possibly be, and beet-red from ear to ear, hairline to neckline.

"I... I HATE you people!" she screamed. She, in an irate rage, started kicking the side of the nearest pew before her father could grab her. She turned toward Jessie, her eyes on fire. "You unspeakable cow" she cursed. "This is all *your* fault!"

She flew at Jessie, and James wrapped his arms around her protectively. His face scarlet with embarrassment, her father came forward, and, in one fluid movement somewhat akin to scooping up a naughty, scratching tiger kitten, tossed Jessibelle, gown and all, over his shoulder, and headed for the door.

"He's miiiiiiine.... noooooo!! Daddy, put me *down*!" was all that could be heard before the door drowned out the noise.

For a moment, Jessie and James, the two halves of Team Rocket, looked out the door, and then looked at each other, and smiled.

"What were you going to do if I didn't get my hands on an exact copy of that dress, Mr. Big Shot?" Jessie asked him almost immediately. "Seems like dumb luck to me."

James pulled her back against him, and nuzzled her head against his cheek.

"I never doubted you, Jess" he said wryly. "I knew you'd manage, somehow."

"Now what?" she demanded, looking around, surveying the nearly empty cathedral, the fallen banners, the half-burnt out candles, and Jessibelle's mother's hat, which had rolled halfway from the aisle on its brim, and then fallen to a pathetic stop. She looked down at herself, in the dreamlike wedding gown, and James, in his sharp-black suit, looking every inch the man of distinction.

He smiled at her again, and went to say something, just Jessie held up a hand.

"Uh-uh, buddy... I don't care *what* you say, I'm *not* marrying you... not right now, anyway" she declared saucily. "No way."

James playfully teased her veil.

"Good, because I wasn't intending to propose twice in the same month" he joked.

"What were you going to say, then?" Jessie demanded.

"Just that I got a letter this morning" James said, with a long-suffering sigh.

"And?"

"And... we're in the Boss's doghouse again" he pronounced.

Jessie rolled her eyes.

"What else is new?"

"Well..." James cleared his throat. "Apparently, he wants us back in camp on Monday. I guess even Jessibelle's tragic injury didn't get us out of the final exam."

Jessie considered this.

"We're not actually doing that, right?" she asked.

"Hell, no" James declared enthusiastically. "Remember, I've practically got my own militia here... besides, I've tried telling him, but he just doesn't listen... Team Rocket works on its own."

"Damn right" Jessie enthused.

"I like it now that you don't bother to hide your cursing" he said sarcastically.

She playfully punched him in the arm.

"Let's go crash your wedding reception" she suggested.

"Just one more thing..." James said.

"What's that?" Jessie asked him tiredly.

He swung her around, and tilted her back in his arms, lowering his mouth to hers as he kissed her thoroughly.

"On second thought, that's very nice, actually...we could just hang around here..." Jessie murmured against his lips.

"Team Rocket, vanquishing evil again" he commented.

"Wait a second, we *are* the evil ones" she protested.

"Shut up and let me kiss you" he complained.

"Well... Meowth would have been gratified, anyway" she said softly.

**************************************************************************************************

"Hey, James?"

"Mmm?"

"You *seriously* knew that she wasn't me?"

"Yup."

"I don't believe you."

*Pause*

"Jess, I could tell just by looking at you... besides, Jessibelle never *threatened* to kill me..."

"She just up and tried it."

"Exactly."

"Hey, James?"

"What?"

"I love you, too.... by the way."

**************************************************************************************************

***************End*************

she is bright and beautiful

lighting up the sky with her eyes

and with one snap of her fingers

she alone can summon the drunken red butterflies

that fly above your eyelashes

and float above your body before you sleep

she catches them in her net of dreams

and sets them free in the sky

that you see her face reflected in

she is moving laughing singing inwardly

and these are only

the things you can tell just by looking at her

(5--8--00)

Feedback is appreciated: ofiles19@aol.com

Notes:

Thanks, as ever, (but more than usual, this time), to Arina for her friendship, support- and impeccable beta-reading skills. Without her help, I would have unarguably made all sorts of dumb mistakes.

I realize James is a bit out of character here. All I can say is that this is set in the future; this is simply my vision of him after a few years. Similar apologies to those (if any) Jessibelle fans out there: she's just a villainess at heart.

General appreciation goes to my fanfic list, pokeaftercurfew@onelist.com, where I don't spend nearly enough time...

Thanks.

~Ofiles19@aol.com