Disclaimer: O.K., say it with me: I…own…NOTHING…not the characters, not the song, nothing.
Notes: The song is sadly one by B*Witched (remember them?) and by the way: in case you didn’t realise, I was trying to bring a little irony into your day with the song and the title…this fic is ALL ABOUT giving up, not never giving up. Coz sometimes you just gotta know when to quit.
Other Notes: I re-read this as well. I think it sucks. But you can judge that.
Tell me about your day
What you been thinkin’?
I can tell you exactly what James was thinking; as yet again he and his friends soared through the air after being burnt, soaked and electrocuted. He could still hear that twerp laughing and his Pikachu laughing and all his little annoying friends laughing…yet when did a day go by when they didn’t get a laugh at his expense? It was always the same and James was sick of it. Sick to the hind teeth, or some such saying.
Cos I been waiting outside your place
Waiting a long time now
And I been calling
Baby I just had to see your face
As they landed with an ungraceful thump on the oh-so-hard ground, James anxiously looked over to his partners in crime. Meowth of course had landed on his feet, and was already up and about looking for shiny things. Jessie however lay on the ground with her head against a tree. It didn’t take a mastermind (good, coz we’ve only got James) to figure out that she had been knocked out by the fall. James sighed to himself and produced a tent in a bag to assemble. When that was done (and pretty damn quick too) he carried Jessie inside. He looked down at her, sleeping peacefully, and knew what he had to do.
Please don’t tell me I'm in your way
I want your love
More and more each day
It’s probably a good thing that Jessie decided that now was the time to wake up, as James had foolishly been considering resigning for the both of them, which could have caused arguments and mallets to heads, namely his.
“Wake up sleeping beauty,” James said in a falsely bright tone.
“So we blasted off yet again huh?” asked Jessie, rubbing the side of her head. “Jackpot,” James replied, sitting down next to her. “I kinda wanted to talk to you about that actually.”
“Can it wait? My head is throbbing. Got aspirin?” Jessie asked him. He passed her some tablets and a glass of water from that infinite store of random objects that Team Rocket always have. He watched as Jessie gulped down the tablets.
“Don’t you ever get tired of it?” he asked in a rush, his words merging together so much that he had to repeat his question. Even then Jessie looked confused.
“Tired…of what? Meowth waking us up a five-thirty in the morning?” she asked, laughing. “Coz that is kinda tiresome.”
“Dumb cat,” James agreed. “But that’s not what I meant. Day after day we chase after those dumb twerps and their Pikachu, and what do we get out of it? Nothing but headaches, electric shocks and second degree burns!” Jessie looked shocked by this outburst.
“We do get paid for it you know,” she reminded him. “It’s not like we don’t have a purpose.”
“But we don’t!” James went on. “Couldn’t we find some other way of making money?”
“But we’re wanted criminals James,” Jessie said. “We can’t just give up and expect to get another job. Who would hire us?”
“I don’t know,” James confessed. “But don’t you think…just sometimes…that there’s got to be more to life?”
Never giving up now
All of my heart is in it
You can’t walk away
Never giving up now
Taking it to the limit
Do you feel the same?
As I do?
“I guess so…but this is the path we’ve chosen, this is our road to walk. We can’t go back now. It’s too late,” Jessie said.
“It’s never too late Jessie,” said James firmly. “And I know there’s a bend in the road. I don’t care what’s around it. But I can’t stay in Team Rocket any longer.” To his surprise, Jessie now looked very hurt.
“So you’re saying you wanna leave me? Is that what this is about?” she asked, her eyes brimming.
“No of course not,” James said gently. “You’re my family, my best friend, you and Meowth…especially you…I…” James stopped himself just in time. Nearly said it, he thought. Don’t make this any more complicated than it already is, James.
“You what?” asked Jessie. James couldn’t hear it, but her heart rate had doubled.
“I…would never leave you,” James quickly adlibbed. Jessie looked the tiniest bit disappointed.
“So what are we gonna do?” she asked.
“Hand in our uniforms,” James said resolutely. “Who cares what happens to us? Just…as long as we stay together.” Jessie smiled.
“Of course. And what about Meowth? He belongs to the Boss. The Boss is his trainer, we can’t just take him.”
“Well, we’re still in Team Rocket for the moment,” said James mischievously. “So I say we hang around just long enough to steal Meowth, then we are so outta here!” Jessie hugged him happily, just a micro second longer than people who are ‘just friends’ should do.
Walking you to your door
Feel my heart sinking
Give me a chance now
Don’t turn me down
I can be anything
All that you wanted
I’ll be your king and you can wear my crown
“What are youse to up to now?” asked Meowth, bursting into the tent as they were clasped in each others’ arms. Jessie and James looked at each other.
“You tell him,” Jessie urged her partner. “It was your idea.”
“He has to find out sooner or later,” James agreed.
“Oh God,” Meowth cut in. “You’re not gettin’ married are ya? Please spare me from that thought!” Jessie and James laughed uneasily.
“No…of course not,” James said edgily. “We decided to quit Team Rocket. We’re going to resign first thing tomorrow.” Meowth’s jaw dropped open.
“Are youse two serious? You’re quittin’ the Team?” he gasped. “But what about Meowth?”
“You’re coming too stupid,” laughed Jessie. “We all are. We’re starting a new life together.” She and James exchanged a glance. Meowth eyed them suspiciously.
“I’ll leave youse two alone,” he said suggestively, practically running from the tent. They could hear his laughter outside.
“Stupid cat,” Jessie muttered. “Wait til I get my mallet on him.”
You get stronger every time
Don’t you know?
You’ve been on my mind
You’ve been on my mind
You’ve been on my mind
“So…new life…together?” James said quietly.
“Uh-huh. Bring on that bend in the road!” Jessie said, trying to make a joke about it. James didn’t answer, nor did he laugh. He just looked at her, looked at her hand still clasped in his.
“It might not work you know,” he warned. “We might end up worse off than we are now.”
“We won’t. Coz at some point I’ll be able to tell…anyway, we’ll still be together,” Jessie said, almost biting her tongue. James looked at her again, silently urging her to finish her sentence. When she didn’t, he sighed and dropped her hand. He stood up and lifted the waterproof door of the tent. A cry from back inside the tent stopped him.
“Please…just…” Jessie couldn’t say it. It was as if a Meowth had got her tongue. To her surprise and delight, James rushed back to her and pulled her up, hugging her tightly again. It wasn’t what she truly wanted…but she was
Never giving up now
All of my heart is in it
You can’t walk away
Never giving up now
Taking it to the limit
“I…I love you Jessie,” James murmured into her hair, crimson waves of it forced back into a tight curl. Jessie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, from feelings that had too long been suppressed.
“God James…I love you too…so much,” she said.
Do you feel the same?
As I do?
********************
Epilogue
A week after they had quit Team Rocket, Jessie and James received a telegram that James’s parents were dead. A stampede of Tauros’ had attacked their jeep while they were travelling in the Safari Zone, and although they were taken to hospital immediately, neither of them made it due to serious internal wounds and haemorrhaging. This left their house and all of their money to their only son…James. Jessie and James moved in immediately with Meowth and became respectable citizens, occasionally caring for sick Pokemon, but generally just having the good life that they had deserved all along. They and the ‘twerps’ actually managed to get along after J&J stopped trying to capture Pikachu, and although it must be said that they never made friends, they were civil to each other (most of the time). Basically, here was Team Rocket’s happy ending that they had waited for, for so long.
And all thanks to the bend in the road…
