Extend Our Reach (Rocket-shipping Fan fiction)

13 ~ Half the Trouble

It had been three days since Jessie had been gone, and James had never felt worse in his life. He'd lost the double to his trouble, and now he wouldn't see her again until the whole Team Rocket Annual Gathering. But that was ages away.

James let out a lonely sigh and rolled on to his stomach, moping.

"Come on, Jimmy! Ya can't just quit 'cause Jess is gone!" Meowth said, nudging James' shoulder.

"Why can't I?" James replied, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Because da Boss is dapendin' on ya!" Meowth cried.

"The boss took Jessie!" James yelled angrily.

"Ya, but Jessie chose ta go," Meowth answered hesitantly.

"Giovanni manipulated her, mentioning her mother," he spat, rolling on to his back once more.

Meowth sat silently beside James' feet, looking pitifully at him. He hadn't eaten anything since the morning after Jessie left, and hadn't drank much. He'd mostly just lain on the bed, sulking.

"Ya have to eat somethin' , James," Meowth said, trying to sound authoritative. 

When James still didn't budge, Meowth decided to try a different tactic.

"Come on, James. Would Jessie want you ta be sad an mopin'?" Meowth asked, sighing.

James sat up, pondering a reply. He supposed Jessie wouldn't want that. Meowth was right; Jessie would want him to look after himself. He hadn't eaten in three days, and hadn't showered either...He probably reeked. Without saying a word, Jame shifted himself off the bed, took some clean clothes from the arm-chair, and went into the bathroom. He refused to smile or even meet Meowth's eyes, because in all honesty, he still didn't feel ready to move from his bed. But he had little choice; Team Rocket's work still had to be done. 

Meowth couldn't believe it had actually worked - James shut the bathroom door behind him, leaving Meowth alone to marvel at the power of words. He didn't think it would have been so easy as to just mention Jessie. Though now that he thought about it, Jessie was the cause of his poor mood, and so it would make sense for her to pull him out of it.

James undressed and turned on the shower. The powerful water jets blocked out all other noise, though the only sound was Meowth pacing in the other room and birds chirping outside. James' mind, however, wouldn't be silenced. He felt dead inside - a shakily sorrowed numbness washed over him, fuzzing his perception of reality. He stepped under the hot water and began complacently washing himself, and shampooing his hair. He didn't know why he bothered - o maybe he did, but it was a ridiculous reason.

------------------------------------ -----------next day -------------------------------------------------------------

Jessie woke up in her uncomfortably hard bed, beneath a row of metal bars. Oh, how she hated bunk beds! She sat up hesitantly, and stood on the callous grey carpet, being careful not to bang her head on the bars. Her room-mate, Cassidy, slept soundly above her, a small smile on her face.

Jessie scowled detestably at the sleeping woman; she hated her, simply because she wasn't James. Her hair was waist-length and frizzy and the colour of fire; James' hair was shoulder-length and straight and the colour of lilacs. Cassidy slept curled up in a ball on her side; James lay flat on his back, arms by his sides - or on his side, his arms around her... Cassidy was nothing like James. Though maybe Cassidy wasn't whom she had to be worried about.