"What is it? Meowth wanna know!"

He peers over our shoulders to stare at the entry. Silence ensues for the next minute or
two, while we try to comprehend the script on the page. I hear Meowth let out a little chuckle,
and I immediately elbow him in the stomach. "Stop it!" I hiss.

"But..." he laughs, "it's so true!"

"No, it's not!"

I realize that my comment was in stereo. But the only other person that could have said
it was...

"No, it's not true, Meowth!" James yells at him. "I'm stronger than that! I am!"

He throws the book down at his feet and runs towards the direction that we just came.
I pick it up before I start running after him. "Come on, you alley cat!" I scream at the
bewildered Pokémon behind me. I call out after him. "James, wait up!..."

I run at full speed trying to catch up with him, but with his head start and his ability
to sprint long distances, I'm left in the dust. I watch until I can no longer see the back of
his head, and then I stop to catch my breath. Meowth scurries up to me and stands by my side.

"Damn it, you know that was a rude thing to say!" I huff at him.

"If he's so strong, den he coulda taken it!" he shoots back.

"That's not the point," I mumble, looking in the direction James was running. "You
didn't see him... see him..."

"Didn't see him what, Jess?"

"Oh, never mind. Let's just go find him."

*R*

We had been walking for about ten minutes when Meowth suddenly snapped his fingers. "I
know where Jimmy must be!"

"He's at the cabin that's off the main path about five minutes from here," I state
nonchalantly. I had known that from the start.

"Well, pardon me, I was only tryin' ta help out."

"You've already done enough to help," I spit out. "Now let's just keep walking."

By this time I don't want to talk with either of my teammates. My strength has been
drained trying to catch up with James, and I'm in such a depressed mood from the day's events
that all I want to do is get to the cabin and go to sleep. I can feel that even though a nap
would do me the best, that this is going to be another sleepless night.

Today has really made me think a lot about our positions in this small team. It's so
odd when you think you've set balanced places, and then one line from a phony prophecy throws it
all out of whack. I make a mental note about this, and tuck in back into my memory.

"Look, Jess!" Meowth barges into my thought process once again. "Dere's da cabin!"

The familiar wooden house stares back at me from among the trees. There's one thing
about it that doesn't seem to be right...

"Jessie, I didn't know we had windows dat opened."

"Neither did I."

Walking up to the door, I grab the knob and turn it hard. The door appears to be locked
from the inside, but... I don't have a key to open it. "Meowth, do you have a key for this
cabin?"

"I lost my set for dese cabins."

"Well, then, how...?"

It hits me. I dash over to the "open" window and peer inside. Shards of glass litter
the floor inside the pane, scattered as far as a few feet away. The twisted wood that held it
together is snapped into twigs, dispersed among the deadly ribbons. My eyes skim past this
scene of horror to gaze upon James sitting on the old beat-up couch inside. A bandaged hand
picks up a small mug from the table; he slowly sips it and sets it back down again.

"James?"

He turns his head towards me and stares with his poofy red eyes. He does not speak.

I decide this isn't the time to get harsh. "Please come unlock the door."

He gives me a small nod of understanding and walks over to the door. I meet him there
as he holds it open long enough for Meowth and me to come inside. He locks it and sits back
down on the sofa.

I spin around and look at the damage done to the window. Then I spin around and see the
damage done to James' hand. I can feel it building up deep, deep within my heart, and then...
and then...

"James! How could you do this?!" I shriek. "You've damaged the cabin, you've injured
your hand, you've been acting like a complete ass all day! What has gotten into you?!"

He gets up from the couch and faces me. "I don't know, Jess, how could I have?" He's
speaking in that deep angry voice again, which is getting louder with each word. "All that's
happened today is that my dreams were shot down..." He's moving closer. "I've managed to be
defeated once again..." It's ringing in my ears. Stop it... "And it turns out that the two
people who I thought cared couldn't give a damn LESS about what happens to ME!"

My god... my god... just make him stop it...

I can feel his hot breath on my face and see the sweat sparkling on his brow. He blinks
at me to hold back the tears that have come to his eyes. I try to speak again. "But..."

"But nothing!"

He walks into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Shock. Pure shock fills my whole body. I shrink down to the ground, clutch my knees,
and try to tell myself it was all a dream. A terrible dream.

It seems like hours before Meowth suddenly taps my shoulder. I look up at him, noticing
a piece of paper in his paws. He hands it to me.

It's pure chicken scratch I identify as James'. 'Taking the day off tomorrow. I don't
care what you do.'

I snatch a pen off the table and write a reply. 'Fine. I'm not working if you're not.'

Handing it back to the small cat, I get up long enough to move to the couch and sit
down. On the table is the book that I set there before the whole fiasco. Flipping open to
James' fortune, I read it again.

"This type doesn't have much going for it. It's usually regarded as a worthless
wanderer, often going against the grain and disobeying others. The only thing that might be said
for it is its determination, but even that won't get it much farther. Needs a type that can
deal with stupidity and/or uselessness."

What a horrible thing to say about someone, even if it is true. I don't think I'd ever
be as mean as to say...

I would. I would say something worse. Like I just did.

My heart seems to be feeling something, undergoing a change of some sort. I promised!
I promised myself I wouldn't cry! It takes the rest of my strength to hold the drops back.

I drag myself off of the couch and walk over to the single bedroom door. My knuckles
rap softly against the hard wood as I try to speak. "James?..." I say gently. "Are you in
there?"

I hear no reply.

"James?"

Still nothing.

I now worry. What if something else happened to his fist? Or what if he tried something
more dangerous...? I quickly and quietly open the door, and find James asleep on the large bed
in the corner. It's obvious that he's been crying.

I walk over to him and look at his crimson cheeks. And I did nothing... Lying down
next to him, all I can do is just stare at his peaceful expression and sigh. Should I? I debate
it in my head. It won't hurt anything... I lift his limp arm up and let it rest on my shoulder.

That's all it takes. His touch. Even if he doesn't know it. Hot tears fall down my
cheeks and onto the bedspread. Almost as an impulse I wrap my arms around him and bury my head
into his shoulder. He smells... like roses...

What happened to being strong? And saving my tears? I move closer to his warmth. I
don't need strength now. I don't even want strength now. I just want... I just want him. And
for it to be like how it was before. Before he was the leader. Before I was the leader. When
we were on equal ground and we had nothing to worry about...

All I can hear is my sobbing, and I hold him tighter. I whisper into his chest.
"Please, please don't be strong. We can help each other be... ourselves... not strong... not
now..."

I can feel myself slipping off to sleep. I welcome it so much...

*R*

The light of the fading sun tempts me back into reality. I blink my eyes groggily and
sit up in the bed. I am now alone in the room. I look down to see a blue blanket spread over
my body, and a rose placed gently in my right hand.

Fingering the soft yellow petals, I notice a small piece of paper attached to the stem
with James' signature red ribbon. The note is not in the illegible mess I read before, but in
his normal loopy script. All is says is, 'We need to talk.'

I smile. "Leave it to James to be indirect."

I sit there for a few more minutes, trying to collect my thoughts. What exactly am I
going to say? I can't tell him that I was actually frightened by him, even if it was for a
millisecond. And he saw the state I was in when he woke up... I'm going to have to wait this
whole thing out a bit longer, because I'm sure he'd think me vulnerable and just a little too
helpless if I went to him now.

But am I supposed to just stay here? Sit here forever?

I decide I'll give him silence until he talks to me. At least until a while later when
it's an OK time.

Laying the flower down on the small bedside table, I pick up the blanket, fold it, and
set it down on top of the slightly rumpled sheets. Sighing in disbelief and hope, I turn the
doorknob and walk outside to the main room.

Meowth and James are both sitting at the table, eating our usual rice and soy sauce
dinner. I notice that there is no longer any glass or wood strewn about; he must have cleaned it
up. He glances up at me with his pleading eyes and then quickly looks down into his dish,
swirling the grains around in his bowl.

"Meowth, get me a dish," I commanded as I sit down across from my lavender-haired
partner.

"Meowth, you don't have to get it," James quickly jumps in. "I'd be glad to."

He gives me a meek grin and walks over to the counter. I guess he really does want to
make up for his bossiness.

But then what makes up for mine?

I push the thought aside. He puts my plate down in front of me and continues eating.

"So," Meowth blurts out, food flying from his mouth, "how'd ya tink taday's plan went?"

I say nothing. James looks a bit uneasy, but comments quietly, "More unexpected than
they usually are."

"That's for sure," I agree.

"Jimmy, you dealing wit da fortune ting OK?"

I can see the grief form in his eyes. "Yeah, I'll be OK."

"Good ting, because we don't need any wimps in dis team."

I know it. That mangy little furbrain's going to...

"Cause we already got you!"

He lets out a huge laugh, falling off his chair in the process. James winces and
clutches his chopsticks tighter. He looks up at me, searching for any sign that I'll pull out a
mallet and send Meowth flying. I just give him a look that says ignore him, much like one two
parents give after their children disrupt something. His eyes plead for a fan. I shake my
head.

"Meowth, what the hell was that?" I say in a disgusted tone.

"I was just kiddin' around, Jess."

"Well," I state in a huff, "at least he HAS a fortune."

"Shaddup!"

"It's true." I daintly scoop some rice into my mouth. "Unlike some others here who have
no future except supplying fleas for the circus."

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear dat."

We eat the rest of dinner in silence. I can't even bear to look at James. I don't know
why, though. I think he's thinks I'm weak. That's the worst I've ever cried in front of
anybody... even if he wasn't awake...

He takes his dish to the sink, washes it off, and leaves it sitting on the counter.
"Jess?" he quietly says.

"Yes, James?" There's a hint of caring in my voice, a rarity, that I add just for him.

"I'm going to bed now. See you in the morning."

He retreats back to the bedroom. Should I follow him?

I'll talk to him later.

But he falls asleep really quickly...

Then I'll talk to him in the morning.

But it can't wait until tomorrow.

My mind is ripping apart at the opposing decisions, tearing the reason from my true
feelings. My legs... my legs are already moving towards the door.

For the second time today I knock on the hard oak paneling. A echo from before comes
from my mouth. "James?"

I hear a muffled reply. "Yes?"

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, ummm... sure."

He must be surprised that I'm asking, since my usual nature causes me to barge into
rooms unannounced. I'm sort of surprised, too.

I enter and find James in his pajamas sitting on top of the bed crosslegged. He's
staring at the fortune book and thumbing through the pages. I go over and sit by him. "What's
up?" I ask with a mixture of gladness and gentleness in my words.

"Jessie..." He looks up at me, and tears are already set in the corners of his eyes.
"Am I... am I really that weak?"

"Of course not!" He's staring at me with those large emerald orbs, and they're so full
of sorrow, and pain... "You're very strong. Just look at what you did today. You saved us, and
you stood up to Butch and Cassidy. That's strength."

"I guess so..." He pointed to the text on the page. "But it says here..."

"Don't believe everything you read, James. That's what got you in trouble before."

"Maybe it's right. I am useless. I never bring anything but bad luck."

"James, look at me."

His gaze meets mine. It's almost like looking in a mirror. I know how he feels. I've
felt the same. I've been through the same thing, never knowing if you were good enough, or
needed, or loved...

"Don't say that about yourself. You're not useless, and you don't bring bad luck, and
I..." What am I saying? I quickly plug my affection until another time. "...and we need you
so much and you'll never be worthless to us, James."

I can feel my hand wiping away the beads from his eyelashes, and I pull it back
before he realizes that I'm actually caring for him. Because I have to be...

I have to be me now.

No one else.

Me.

I sit down next to him and run my fingers through his hair. I can see his face turning
pink, then light red, then a deep shade of crimson. I laugh softly. He was never good with
emotion. "Now," I state as I take the book from his lap, "we're going to look at this again and
prove it wrong."

"Oh... OK."

"Now, the first thing it says is..." My fingers follow the lines down until... "Ahh.
Here it is. 'Not much going for it.' Now, contradict that. What do you have?"

"Well, I have you... and Meowth... and a job... and food..."

"And you have your Pokémon."

"Yeah, and I have you..."

"Silly," I sling my arm around his shoulder. "You already said that."

"Oh, yeah, oops." His cheeks, if possible, turn redder.

"Let's see... now it says 'a worthless wanderer'."

"Well, I am a wanderer."

"But you're not worthless. What makes you not worthless, James?"

"I push the button for a lot of important plans," he states with pride.

"Try, you make up the important plans."

"I do some of that, too."

"See, you're not worthless."

All of this talking has cast a new light over James that I tend to ignore. He's a
competent person. He's intellegent. He can do things his own way.

And now I feel awful inside. That I've been such a mean witch to him. I wish I could
take a bit of it back.

"It says that determination won't get you far. What has determination got you?"

"It got me into Team Rocket."

"Anything else?"

"Ummm... it let me stay with you."

That part was true. He had whined and sobbed so much that the Boss let us be partners.
Sometimes I'm glad he has that annoying side of him.

"Good. Now doesn't that make you feel better?"

He nods his head. Truthfully, it makes me feel a bit better, too. I can't stand when
the people I love get hurt so deeply.

People I love? James? Falls into that category? Nah...

"Hey, Jessie." His smooth voice cuts into my thinking.

"What?"

"We haven't read your fortune yet."

"I guess we better, then."

I switch positions and lie down on my stomach next to him. He finds my birthday and, for
no reason I know of, smiles softly. "What's the grin for? Is it that bad?"

"No, look." He points to the pink Pokémon at the top of the page. "You're a Chansey
type, Jess."

"Ahh! That's almost as good as a Eevee type!"

"Here's the description. 'Although it doesn't look like it, this type cares for others,
often more than they do for his or herself. Would go out of the way for anyone that they like
and trust, but to others they appear unsympathetic and often apathetic. Has an unbelievable
amount of inner strength, but when pushed to the limits, he or she might show a softer side.' "

What the hell?! It's right on the money! It seems as if Fate wrote the book itself...
"That sounds pretty accurate."

"Pretty accurate? It's exactly you, Jessie."

I didn't know he thought that way. "And how would you know?"

"You just showed me that."

"Oh."

"Let's read more of yours... oh, look, the romance part."

This was always the part that was inaccurate. The chances of this being right were
about a zillion to one.

"It says, 'This type will often go for the others who need help the most, the weaklings
of the zodiac, such as Caterpie, Oddish, Igglybuff, and...' " He pauses a second.

My heart's leaping with anticipation. No way could it be... "What does it say?"

" 'And Magicarp types.' "

A silence overcomes us for a moment. And then... "That's your sign, James!"

Hello, mister obvious.

Could it be reciprocated? "Look up yours now."

"OK, calm down." I didn't seem that excited to read it... oops. Maybe I did. He flips
rather nonchalantely to the Magicarp-type page. " 'Although it sometimes goes to another idiot
Pokémon-type, like Slowpoke or maybe some other Magicarp, this type needs taken care of often,
and goes better with type like Kangaskhan or... Chansey...' "

My heartbeat's echoing in my ears like a drum. But why? I've never felt quite like
this before... it's sort of creepy... a perfect match? We didn't need a book for that... Where
did that come from? All these thoughts and emotions and pictures and fantasies [What? I don't
know how many of those...] are rushing through my head at the same time, and suddenly...
suddenly I short-circuit and just stop thinking.

"Well, that's coincidental, isn't it?" he comments.

There it is. His cute clueless face. "That's indeed coincidental."

He lies down next to me. I feign tiredness, which isn't hard, since I'm completely
wiped out mentally. "You tired, too?"

"Jessie, how can you be tired? You took a nap this afternoon."

A flashback to my breakdown occurs, and I blush a bit. I tell myself to stop, but it's
no use. "I don't know. I just am."

"Why were you crying?"

I'm slowly changing back to my old cover-up. "I was crying because you were. You read
the fortune."

"It was something more than that."

"No, it wasn't."

He nudges me with his shoulder. "Yes, it was."

"Fine, it was." I had let it out. The weight off my shoulders feels comforting. "So
what?"

"You were frightened a bit, weren't you? I'm sorry I was so rash, and about the window
and all of that."

His voice holds such compassion now. It seems to be melting the ice off my heart, and
all I want... all I want is...

"Yeah, you sort of scared me a bit, but it wasn't that bad. And I was worried that you
would stay like that, as nasty and mean as I usually am... sorry about that..."

"I forgive you," he jumps in. "Hey, if one of us wasn't bossy and dominering, we'd
wouldn't get a single thing done."

"I guess you're right about that."

"Jessie?"

I look over at him, and he's still very pink in the cheeks. "Yes?"

"You looked very pretty today... I mean when I found you when I woke up..."

He lets out a huge breath. It's kinda obvious that he was more than a bit nervous when
he told me. But how do I respond to that? Do I tell him that I worried? Ugh... just one more
question after another.

"Umm... thanks."

"You looked so sad, Jess." He rests his head on the book. "I'm sorry I made you feel
so terrible."

"That's OK. I need to feel a bit unworthy sometimes. Rocks me back into the real world,
I guess." I flip over onto my back and stare up at the ceiling. "The world that I call real,
anyway."

"But I shouldn't be making it worse than it already is."

I smile, close my eyes, and manage not to blush as I hear the words come out of my mouth.
"As long as you're here, everything's OK."

James sighs. "Same for me."

"Oh, as long as you're here it's OK?" Can't resist a bit of wit.

"No, I mean that..."

"I know what you mean, James. I was kidding."

I open my eyelids, and a sea of shimmering green is staring down at me. I take in a
small breath. What is he doing?

"I hope I'm not a joke all the time, Jessie."

I feel a drop hit my cheek, and it cascades down to the sheets. "Why are you crying
again? I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

His arms wrap around me, and he squeezes me so tightly I swear I skip a breath. "I'm so
lucky. I've got all I could ever want right here by my side."

He lets go of me, and I sit up slowly. James follows right beside me. There's such
tension in the air! I can see out of the corner of my eye his questioning glance.

Why did you do that?, he's asking. Am I really that threatening?

"James..."

He can only answer with the same gaze, the same emerald innocence of so many times
before. "Yes, Jessie?"

I place my hands on his shoulders and lean forward ever so slightly. My lips touch the
center of his forehead for just a minute before I pull backwards and smile. "Fortunately for
you, it's written in the stars that way."

"It's meant to be."

"Always, and forever."

He embraces me, and I do the same. It's the second time I've shed tears today, but these
are so much more different. These are tears of joy, and these are the best to cry. I hear him
whisper into my ear just before he pulls me closer.

"Double trouble, Jessica?"

I nod. "Double trouble."

I swear silently I'll never look at another fortune telling book again. I've learned so
much today. How life has so many ups and downs, twists and turns, and how it's hard to control.
That there are so many sides to people that you thought were never there. Most importantly, that
I can be who I want to be, myself, without the help of anything or anyone.

Except James, maybe. Because that's how it's meant to be.

Fortune-ately.