“The rain was bad that day,” she whispered, “when you mentioned the thunder earlier it brought it all back to me. Caught out in the rain, soaked to the skin. That cabin we found? Wasn’t much bigger than this, was it? Then when the thunder came and you screamed…. I held you tight. Didn’t want you to be scared. Though to this day I don’t know if you really were scared or if it was just a ploy to make me protect you.” Her eyes took on a distance of nostalgia and her fingers traced a line down Jessie’s cheek. “Had to get you out those wet things, didn’t we? Couldn’t have you catching a cold. By that point, we were halfway there.” She sighed and closed her eyes, laying her head against Jessie’s chest. “I know you were scared that first time, love, and the thunder didn’t help, but it was beautiful. Still is.” She paused. “Jess?” The silence made her open her eyes and face her lover. Jessie’s eyes were tightly closed, her mouth open slightly in slumberly breathing. Cassidy smiled sadly. She couldn’t be sure Jessie had caught a word of what she’d said. “You’re so tired, sweetheart,” she whispered, “walked all night. You’re amazing.” Gently, she kissed her forehead and closed her eyes. “Good night, Jessie.”

James had stayed up until almost four a.m. for Jessie. He’d never seen her as distressed as she’d been when she left the evening before. There was no telling what was wrong or where she’d go. He really thought she’d be back in an hour or two but by midnight when there was still no sign of her he’d started to worry. Time passed. It started to rain gently and James’s concern grew. He’d finally fallen asleep in a corner, praying that by the time he woke she’d be back.

It was almost nine when his eyes opened slowly and he found light creeping through cracks in the wooden walls. The rain had stopped, the sun out and shining. He gave a yawn and an almighty stretch, listened to his bones crack back into place then got to his feet.

“Jessie?” he asked aloud.

Silence.

He didn’t know whether he’d been expecting a reply or not but he certainly didn’t get one. He took a moment to get his bearings anyway. The shed-like building was one of the grottier places they had ever taken shelter in. It had probably been some kind of emergency shelter at some point. Two small sections were blocked off from the rest, masking hard wooden beds and mouldy sheets. The rest was made up of a rotting coffee table with one leg far shorter than the rest and a row of empty cupboards, around which were scattered pieces of gardening equipment. James had already nearly had a nasty accident with a lawn mower twice. He was hoping the mower didn’t believe in the phrase ‘Third Time Lucky’, otherwise he might be losing a limb before too long.

Something odd caught his eye. The table with the wonky leg no longer had a wonky leg. Someone had propped it up with folded paper to make it sturdy and on its top sat a pokeball and two half finished glasses of something.

“Jess?” he tried again, “Jessie?”

He scooped down and dislodged the paper from beneath the table, then carefully unfolded it. It was slightly wet and the ink had smudged but he could just about make out the words.

'16, Bulba Lane
Viridian City
- house with big ‘R’ on mailbox’

 Excuse me?!
 What the heck was that supposed to mean?

 He turned over the paper and found more writing on the back.

 ‘Never apart again,’ it said, and just below that was a large scribbled heart and the words, ‘J4C 4Ever’

 “Meowth!” cried James, “Meowth! Jessie’s got a boyfriend!”

 Meowth crawled lazily out from the pile of old sacks he’d found the night before, rubbed one eye and gave James a funny look.

 “You woke me up for that?!” he scowled, “you humans just have no respect!”

 James watched him crawl back where he’d come from. Did he have no sense of romance?! Their teammate had a secret lover! That must have been where Jessie had gone off to the night before. Ooh, did that mean Jessie had…. brought him back with her?!

 “Ooh, they were very quiet!” James commented to himself as he accidentally sat on a lawnmower and it took a large chunk out of the back of his trousers – and very nearly out of his backside.

 While he tried desperately to rescue the material from the evil blades he heard someone stirring not so far away. First there was a creak, then the click of Jessie’s boots across the wooden floor. No time for emergency needlework now, thought James. He stood up straight and made sure his awkward tear was well hidden, then turned a sly grin to Jessie.

 “Good morning,” he said.

 Jessie’s eyes looked dark and laden. There was an expression of absolute misery across her face.

 “Morning,” she whispered. She pulled up an old box and sat down at the table, thrusting her head into her hands.

 “You stayed out late,” James said pointedly, “I waited up for you.”
 “I’m sorry about that,” she sighed.

 James frowned.

 “Jessie, you don’t apologise!” he cried.
 “I’m too tired to be mean today.”
 “Well that’s what you get for staying out until all hours,” said James. He paused. “I hope you weren’t out on your own all that time…”

 Jessie frowned.

 “Does it matter?”
 “Safety in numbers,” James said wisely.

 Jessie looked at him as though he was quite, quite mad then looked at her hands.

 “I went for a walk,” she said.
 “Must have been a bloody long one.”
 “Lost track of time.”
 “I was worried.”
 “I never asked for you to worry,” snapped Jessie. She gave a hefty sigh. “How long did you wait up for?”
 “All night,” Lied James, “I couldn’t sleep a wink.”
 “That’s not true – you were snoring when we came back!”
 “Aha!” cried James, “We!”
 “What?”
 “You said ‘we’!” James cheered, “so you did bring someone back.”

 Jessie froze and turned visibly paler. She could have sworn her heart stopped dead in her chest for a moment.

 “I did not,” she whispered.
 “Yes you di-id!” James sang.
 “I meant me and… and Arbok,” Jessie bluffed. She was clutching at straws now but desperate enough to say anything.
 “Jessie’s got a boyfriend! Jessie’s got a boyfriend!” James cried as he danced around the room.
 “Shhh!” cried Jessie, “James, shut the fuck up!”
 “Why?!” teased James, “does lover-boy need his beauty sleep?!”

 Jessie stood up and glared crossly at him.

 “We have to get going, James,” she said, “If we don’t leave soon we’ll lose the twerps and that Pikachu too.”
 “There’ll be time for that after you’ve given me all the details of your secret rendezvous!”
 “There was no secret rendezvous!”
 “Oh no?”
 “No!”
 “Then why can I hear floorboards squeaking…?!”

 Jessie fell silent and listened to the sound of Cassidy’s boots moving on the wooden boards. Precious seconds. Precious seconds before her life became a nightmare. She wished for everything to end in that instant. Her eyes turned to James, begging and pleading with him for something even she couldn’t explain. An escape? Forgiveness? Finally she opened her mouth and whispered quickly,

 “You know when you want something so much it’s all you can think about? That you’ll do anything for it and don’t care what the consequences are? Then when you finally get it…”

 James frowned and wished he knew what she was trying to say.

 “Jessie, what’s wrong?”

 A tear squeezed from Jessie’s eye, which she tried to deny. She tried to speak, to say anything at all, but words were useless now. A long white boot came into view, upwards from which came a slender leg and a curvy body, then hair as beautiful as shooting stars. Cassidy’s face appeared at the top of all that, a smile lighting up her purple eyes. She paused to wipe away the lipstick smudged all around her mouth, then turned to James.

 “Hi,” she said.
 

 James tried to blink away his confusion.
 It didn’t work.
 

  To Be Continued