Disclaimer: How many times do I have to repeat myself? I don't own them! I don't even try to 
catch them all! Bugger off!

Trials and Tribulations: Chap 3: The morning after.

In our last chapter, we find out what happened to our intrepid trio. Brock scored with Nurse 
Joy, but Ash and Misty were interrupted by Team Rocket before they were able to ...ahem. In 
an effort to get Jessie and James to get together (and leave them alone), Ash tried to reveal 
their feelings towards each other but it didn't work. Jessie ran off into the woods and James 
tried to take out his anger on Ash. A fight ensued, but Ash managed to calm him down, but the 
question still remained. Why does Jessie not return James's affections? To what extent did 
Jessie go to keep the team together five years ago? What will the group do when they find out 
that Brock had sex with Nurse Joy? Will these questions stop? If so when? And why? Find out 
below!

______________________________________________________________________________

Five years ago, Team Rocket HQ.

Team Rocket Headquarters was much larger than most people realized. Including the large 
building that people entered to, the surrounding 20 acres also belonged to Team Rocket. The 
large building, ten stories in full height, also ran another ten stories underground. On sub-
basement 4, resided the unrivaled leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni. His room was clearly the 
largest in all of the building, seeing as to how it took up the entire floor. 
   The only door to his room was flung open and a young woman was unceremoniously thrown 
out, naked. She landed hard on the clean wooden tiles outside. The door was quickly shut, 
leaving the figure in the dark hallway. She hugged her knees, covering her self.  The door 
swung back open, and the resident of the room threw some clothes at the curled up figure.
   "Well, Jessie, you were a pretty damn good lay. At least we find out what you are good at," 
Giovanni said looking down at her and sneering.
   Jessie just sat there and struggled into her clothes, trying not to show anymore of herself to 
Giovanni. Finally she asked him, "Does my team stay together, sir?"
   Giovanni knelt down beside her. Then quick as a snake he grabbed her strewn hair and 
yanked her head back. Jessie stifled a gasp of pain. He let go of her hair and began to fondle 
her. 
  "You know, we have to do this again. Next time, my dear, next time. And yes, your team 
stays together all because your nothing but a whore. A stupid, promiscuous, cock sucking 
bitch. Now get out of here. I don't want people to think that I deal with prostitutes."
   He stopped and got up.  As he went inside, he stopped, and looked behind. "You know. I 
think you enjoyed it too." He slammed the door behind himself. 
   Jessie got up, tears streaming down her face. Walking on unsteady legs, she managed to find 
her way to one of the many bathrooms in the HQ. Thankfully empty, she went into a stall, 
lowered the cover, sat on it and cried. She sobbed for a good long while, almost an hour. 
   When she finished, she went over to the sink. Jessie looked into the mirror, at first not 
recognizing the face that stared back at her. This person's face was all a mess, a nasty bruise 
forming around her eye, cheeks puffy and tear streaked, eyes blood shot, and a split lip with 
blood and other fluids, running down her chin. 
   Remembering what the other fluids were, she dashed back into the stall and threw up. Jessie 
brought up as much as she could. Feeling weak and nauseous, she struggled back to the sink. 
The rocket washed her face, not even looking into the mirror. Jessie grabbed some paper 
towels, and dried her face. After looking herself over, she wiped the blood between her legs. 
   Fresh tears sprang to her face as she did this, realizing that to be with the one she was saving 
herself for, she gave up herself to stay with him. 
______________________________________________________________________________
Jessie and James cabin, the woods
   
  James paced the floor of the cabin, the old boards, creaking under his weight. He took 
another look at his watch, checking the time again, the fourth time that minute. He sighed in 
exasperation. James was dressed in a black cashmere sweater and designer blue jeans. His 
sneakers squeaked a little as he turned. 
   The male rocket was waiting impatiently for his best friend to get back, so they could catch 
the concert. James huffed and sat down in a chair, one of three in the cramped living room. 
Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a bedraggled Jessie.
   "What took...OH MY GOD!!" was his cry as he saw her. Jessie was a total mess; her 
normally immaculately groomed hair in disarray all over her face and her uniform totally 
messed up. He rushed over to her, ready to give any assistance if needed.
    "I'm fine, really. Just a bit of an accident, that's all," was her reply.
    "Like hell it is! You look like if you went through a cement mixer!"
    "Look, I said I'm fine!" was the angered reply.
    #Well, her temper is still there, so she is fine #, he reasoned. As relief flooded through his 
body, he realized he almost lost her, his best friend, and the woman he loved. He hugged her 
tightly, as if she might go away and never come back.
  His embrace comforted Jessie, but when she looked up at James, she saw the Giovanni's 
head. Anger, frustration, and helpless rage boiled up in her, as she looked at his hated face. 
He was sneering at her, taunting her, making sure she knew well who was in charge. 
  In the corner of her mind, Jessie realized it was James, but the rest of her didn't care. She 
pushed him off, with a quick elbow to the gut. He stumbled back, the pain spreading through 
his stomach. 
"Don't touch me."
  The voice that spoke to James wasn't that of Jessie's but that of some ice-cold person. A 
voice that gave no room for question. A voice filled with cold fury. The worst kind.
"Geez, I'm sorry Jessie, but you didn't have to act like that *oomph*..." he began but was cut 
off when she uppercutted him in his jaw. James felt something give way, and ice-cold pain 
erupted in his face. He fell heavily on the ground. He looked up at Jessie, hurt radiating 
through his eyes. No compassion or mercy met his gaze, just blood-shot eyes filled with hate.
  She tried to kick him while he was down, but he leapt up, as fast as he could. 
"Jessie, please..." he started, but a front kick to his stomach shut him up. Moving silently and 
rapidly, she punched him in his broken jaw, snapping his head back. Jessie grabbed his arm 
and held it up, as she punched his ribs repeatedly, like if he were a punching bag. She jumped 
behind him and jerked his arm up as high as it could go, and beyond, breaking the bone. She 
dropped the limp arm, and held him up, as she once again went in front of him. Jessie head 
butted him in his nose, pulping it. As James started to drop, she stepped down hard on his 
foot. He dropped like a rock, and in the process broke his ankle.
  James was in a haze of pain and hurt. He was about to go to the blissful darkness that 
beckoned to him, but then something tore him back.
"Weak." 
He felt pain.
"Pathetic."
He felt more pain.
"I should have done this since I first met you."
Nothing but pain!
 James opened his eyes, trying to place the voice with the face. He hoped it wasn't who he 
thought it was, but, the voice, the familiar features.......... it was her. Like she taught him 
years ago, he did it.
"Please, Rumika, I'll do as you say... just stop please!" he begged with his last bit of strength.
   Visions of his early youth spun in front of his eyes, Rumika lashing his back with that 
accursed whip of hers, him, all strung up like a puppet. Her, going over and over again, about 
how this was good for him, it would teach him the proper "social grace and manners" he 
required to be a proper gentleman. Those nights spent, tied up, his back wet and sticky with 
blood, his face wet with tears.
   Jessie snapped out of it when she heard what he whimpered. She looked down at him. Then 
she looked down at herself. 
#My God, what am I doing...# she thought.
______________________________________________________________________________
The Present:

   Jessie woke up in a cold sweat, the memories, and now dreams, back unbidden. She was in 
the small Team Rocket encampment, a mile or two away from the pokemon center. It was 
simple enough, just a trailer, a canopy and three sleeping bags near a now burnt down fire.
 The young rocket got up, and stretched her back, getting the kinks from her restless sleep out 
of her system. She turned at the other two sleeping bags, a sorrowful expression on her face.
 #All of that for nothing. It comes down to this, # she thought. With a sigh she rolled up the 
bags and made a small breakfast for herself.



  Brock woke up with a start, his surroundings unfamiliar with him, and a pressing weight on his 
chest. He looked down, Nurse Joy, asleep on his chest, a smile on her face. The pokemon 
groomer gently slid her off of him and got out of the bed. As he gathered their clothes up from 
around the small room, a wide grin spread across his face, reminders of the night before. 
  Slipping on a pair of trunks and a t-shirt, he grabbed the keys to the next room, and started to 
whistle a tune. Brock unlocked the door, and popped his head in, hoping not to disturb his 
friends, who he hoped would be asleep. They were asleep on the bed, Ash's arm around Misty's 
waist, but he also spotted James and Meowth on the ground. 
  James was enjoying a rather peaceful, dreamless slumber when rough hands reached up and 
grabbed, shaking him out of sleep. 
  "Aw come on Jess - just five more minutes and I promise I'll make whatever you like," he 
whined, still half way asleep. Two slaps to his face got him right up. "Alright, alright, but you 
don't have to be so rough about it .Hey wait a minute you're not Jessie!"
  "No duh! Now what are you doing here?" Brock angrily demanded, glaring furiously at James.
  James raised his hands in mock surrender. "Just ask the two on the bed."
  Brock went over to the bed, his fierce gaze still frozen on James, watching his every move. The 
turquoise haired rocket did the same thing, rubbing his sore face.
  "Yo, Ash! Wake up, Team Rocket's here!" Brock said, shaking Ash. Ash woke up, careful not 
to awaken Misty. He turned around, seeing who woke him up. 
  "Oh, morning Brock. Uh James and Meowth are going to be with us for a while. Love problems 
and the such," Ash said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He gently shook Misty, trying to get 
her out of bed. Then he froze, realizing what he was about to do. Brock was already stepping 
back, slowly and warily.
  "Ash, have you gone nuts! You almost woke her!" Brock whispered furiously.
  "I think we better just step back.. Maybe she didn't notice." Ash said, hoping wistfully. 
Then just as to contradict him, Misty stirred, and woke up, angry beyond measure.
  "CAN'T YOU SEE A LADY'S TRYING TO GET HER BEAUTY SLEEP!" she screamed, 
getting big on the two.
  "Didn't she read the note?" Brock whispered to Ash.
  "Yup," he replied, a grin forming on his face.

  Two ours later, the group was downstairs, enjoying a hearty breakfast of pancakes and 
sausages, while informing Brock of the situation with Jessie. Brock of course told them what 
happened to him last night (of course heavily edited), but was met with guffaws, snickers and all 
around disbelief. Brock just shrugged, secure of the fact that what happened, happened.
   After a quick shower and change of clothes (except for James) they headed down to the Team 
Rocket encampment. As expected, they did find Jessie there. Ash and Co. left James and Jessie 
to talk, going a bit deeper in the woods. Meowth though was a bit reluctant to go, knowing full 
well what Jessie's temper could lead her to do.
  The two rockets stood there for a while, their eyes cast downward. Then James began to speak.
  "Look, Jessie, I know that I never told you anything, that is, on how I feel about you, truly feel 
about you, and I know that it must have been quite a shock for you to find out how you did last 
night. And you are right, I am a bastard for not telling you, but you have to understand, I didn't 
want to jeopardize our friendship. But something was nagging me before. I always thought that if 
I ever got the courage to say how I feel, I felt you would feel the same way. And I think you do."
  James looked into her eyes, hoping beyond hope that she would say the five words he wanted to 
hear, right there, right then: "I love you too James."
  Instead she said the eleven words he wished were never created: "I'm flattered, but I don't feel 
the same way about you." The male rocket could literally feel his heart almost break in two. He 
staggered back, almost like if he was in real physical pain. "But Jessie, I love you! And I know 
you love me too!" he managed to get out in a high-pitched whine.
  "No, I don't James. So stop now, before you make more of an ass of yourself," she replied.
  "Yes, you do! I just know it!"
  Jessie was starting to lose her temper, but struggled with what little self-control she could 
muster. "Look, if you felt so before, if you were you so certain about it, why did you keep it a 
secret?"
  "I thought..." James started to stammer out before being cut off by Jessie. 
   "You thought. YOU THOUGHT! You know what James, idiots like you shouldn't think; 
especially seeing you either don't do it right or you think the wrong thing. Now shut the hell up, 
and lets just get on with our lives!  Geez you're thick!" she practically screamed.
  James stepped back his eyes welling up with tears. Then he uttered four words he never thought 
he would say to Jessie: "You cold hearted bitch."
  How James said it, Jessie almost didn't understand exactly what he said, but then it hit her. She 
reached her boiling point. She tried to slap him, and she almost did, her hand almost coming out 
of nowhere. Except, James intercepted her hand, and grabbed it, applying bone-crushing 
pressure. Jessie felt the pain race up and down her arm; totally shocked that James defended 
himself against her. She was even more surprised at what he said to her.
  "How dare you! YOU! I don't believe this! I have tolerated more than I should have, and yet I 
continue to forgive you, for everything, from the hitting me upside my head, calling me names, 
taking advantage of my kindness. I even forgive you for the time when you almost killed me! All 
because we are, were, hell, I don't know, best friends!" The male rocket was furious at his 
partner, all the while unaware he was still squeezing her wrist.
  Jessie was slowly sinking to her knees, the pain in her arm so great. "Please, James you're 
hurting me!" she whimpered, with holding a scream.
  "It's about time!" he almost spat out, but he released her arm, throwing it down. Jessie held her 
arm close to her. She looked up at him, hurt in her eyes. "You bastard, you almost broke it!" 
  James looked down at her and tapped his ribs. "You broke these remember."
  Jessie turned her head away in shame. James continued. "You know, up till two minutes ago, I 
could have shown you where the scars from the most intense pain in my life were. In fact let me 
show you." With that, he peeled of his white outer shirt and lifted up his black undershirt, and 
turned around. 
  His back was covered with white, puckered scars from Rumika's whip, and other unidentifiable 
markings. Jessie stifled a gasp and a sob for her friend. All she could think of is what she put him 
through and what her doppelganger. 
"Now I finally have proof that the worst scars are the ones you don't see." He tapped his chest.        
"Unless of course you gut me. Just answer me this, Jessie. Why?"
 "That is the reason why I cannot return your love. I do love you, but I can't," she said lowering 
her head to hide her tears.
  #She does love me! I don't believe it! # James thought. He knelt down beside her, and hugged 
her. Jessie burst into tears, and sobbed heavily on his shoulder, saying she was sorry for 
everything. James just hugged her tighter.  


Well folks that's the end of chapter 3. A couple of questions still remain: Will Jessie tell James 
what she and the Boss did? How will James react? What is everyone going to do when they find 
out what happened? And where is Rumika (Jessiebell - duh!)? Read chapter 4! Send all 
comments, suggestions, and all out flattery}:} to quas_ar98@yahoo.com and all flames to 
shoveitupyour@ss.com!