It's strange how the seemingly smallest things can lead to the most significant. In this case, it all started with breakfast.

The sun had recently risen, bathing the campsite in a tiny clearing with a warm, golden glow. The remaining bits of last night's fire had died down to gray ashes, the barest wisps of smoke arising from them. Having awoken after a surprisingly good night's sleep, Jessie stretched in her sleeping bag, yawned loudly, and promptly awoke her partners.

"Hey! Rise and shine guys! It's time for breakfast! I'm hungry and I know you are too! Let's go; I have a good feeling about today!"

James and Meowth groaned in protest as she went to them and tore off the tops of their own sleeping bags, whistling cheerfully as she did so.

Sitting up, James rubbed his eyes, "Alright already! I'm awake..."

Meowth yawned as well, stiffly crawling out of his bag and standing, "We got anyting for breakfast?"

Already a couple steps ahead, Jessie was starting a small fire and pulling items from their food supply bag, "We ate all the eggs, but we still have plenty of oats, even some honey!"

Still half-groggy, James pulled on his boots, picked up their large cooking pot and headed to a nearby, tiny stream, "I'll get some water..."

Sitting next to the fire and setting out their bowls, Meowth remarked, "Ya know what'd make dis meal even better? Some berries!"

Jessie smiled, "Why thank you Meowth! What a great idea! Hurry back!"

"Whaaa?! How come I gotta-?"

"It was your idea! Now don't be long!"

The cat Pokemon regarded her for a second before cautiously saying, "Ya sure ya don't want me or Jimmy ta make breakfast? I mean..."

She glared daggers at him, easily inferring his meaning, "It's oatmeal Meowth. I think even I can handle that."

He backed away under her withering stare, "Okay, okay! I'll get dem berries...think I saw some around here yesterday..." With that he padded off.

A minute later James returned with the pot full of water and settled it over the fire Jessie had prepared.

He yawned one more time and sat down on his sleeping bag to comb the tangles from his hair. Running his fingers through to get out the worst of it, he quietly watched Jessie humming to herself as she bustled about. Her own hair was, per usual, already sleek and knot-free, though she had yet to fully smooth it into her trademark spiral. It hung loosely around her, swishing audibly as she worked. He found himself staring. 'She's so beautiful...one of these days you coward...' he thought. Feeling his eyes on her, she glanced at him, and he swiftly looked down at the ground, feigning interest in something he saw there. She paused, frowning slightly. Lately, she had caught him staring at her quite a lot. It had been happening for a long time, but for a while she was never sure if he was actually looking at her or off into the distance. In recent weeks however, there was no doubt he was definitely watching her. She felt her face flush a tiny bit. 'Could it possibly be...?' she wondered. Shaking her head, she cleared any distracting thoughts and made a mental note to corner him about it later.

"Where's Meowth?" he finally asked.

Dumping a generous amount of oats into the pot, then deciding a little more wouldn't hurt, Jessie replied, "He volunteered to pick some berries for part of our breakfast!"

A short ways off, Meowth was beginning to regret opening his big mouth. So far he had not found a single berry and his stomach was beginning to remind him that he hadn't eaten yet. Several more minutes passed and he had finally resolved to quit his search, making up some excuse for coming back empty-handed when he heard a loud snuffling in the bushes just ahead-bushes that happened to contain a treasure trove of bright, ripe berries. He paused to consider his options. In front of him was the delicious, sweet fruit he craved, but also...well, who knows what kind of Pokemon was making those noises. Behind him was camp, and a very angry human if he didn't come back with something. Meowth sighed, unsure of what he feared more. Deciding to risk it, he tip-toed up to the berry bushes and stretched upward to try and grab some just as the source of the noise stepped into view.

It was a Teddiursa, it's arms full of berries and snout smeared with juicy pulp.

Meowth started to laugh at himself, "Heh! You fraidy-cat! Got yerself all scared for nothin'!"

A devious thought popped into his mind. Even the lowest berries were hard to reach, but this Teddiursa had already done the hard work...surely he wouldn't mind sharing with a fellow Pokemon, right?

Approaching the small bear, Meowth said, "Heeeey there lil' fella! Say, I'm really hungry-is dere any way you can give me some of dose?"

"Ursa?" it said, cocking it's head at him.

"Yeah, come on! Be a pal!"

The Teddiursa regarded him uncertainly, then turned and started to waddle away.

Meowth glared, "Hey! I asked nicely! Get back here!"

Dashing in front of him, Meowth blocked him and snapped, "You ain't even gonna lemme have one?!"

Teddiursa shook it's head and tried to get around him, but Meowth stopped him, grabbing the entire arm-load of berries away from him and started to walk away, laughing, "If dat's how you're gonna be, dis is what you get!"

Flopping down onto the ground, Teddiursa began to sniffle, then broke into loud sobs. Meowth ignored him, triumphantly carrying his prize back toward camp. Seconds later he heard a a louder, angrier growling and a huge shadow suddenly loomed over him. He stopped mid-step, too terrifed to look over his shoulder but also too scared not to. Turning just a little, he tried to scream but it died in his throat.

Jessie attempted to pry the spoon she was using to stir from the pan, and after struggling a bit finally succeded, taking a large, solidified lump of oatmeal with it. She sighed; maybe she had put in a little too much after all.

Folding his arms behind his head, James said, "I think he got lost. Maybe we should-"

Jessie held up a finger, her head cocked to one side, "Shh! Do you hear that?"

"What?"

"I...think it's Meowth. But I hear something else too."

She stood, looking in the approximate direction of where she had heard the noise. James stood as well, now hearing what sounded distinctly like their furry partner's screams mixed with something he couldn't quite place.

They tensed, unsure of what to expect as the sound drew closer. Finally Meowth stumbled into the clearing, crying in terror and losing the last of the berries he was still clinging to. Jessie started to ask what was going on, but he shot past them and kept running.

"RUN FOR IT!" he yowled.

Before they could react further, a huge, enraged Ursaring burst into view, shaking it's head and snarling. Jessie dropped the spoon she was still holding in horror. It glared at them, and for a bare moment they froze, unsure if it was going to attack, but one ear-splitting roar was enough to get them moving and racing in the direction Meowth had gone.

Catching up to him, the Ursaring hot on their heels, Jessie screeched, "What did you do?!"

"And why did you lead it back to us?!" added James, swearing he could feel it's breath on his back.

"You guys can yell at me later but now let's move it!" the Pokemon wailed.

They kept running, dodging around trees and shrubs, leaping over fallen logs and rocks, with the bear chasing them all the while.

"Look!" James gasped, pointing up ahead, "There's a small cave! We can fit in but it can't!"

Their lungs already burning, they put on a final burst of speed and dove into the tiny cave James had spotted. There was just enough room for them all to fit into it and huddle against the back, which they did as they waited to see if they had escaped. Unfortunately, Ursaring smelled them, and peered into their hiding spot. Growling, it reached in trying to get at them. They screamed and pressed themselves as far back as possible, Jessie lashing out and kicking at it's leg.

"Use your Pokemon!" pleaded Meowth.

The two humans looked at each other, their faces pale, "They're back at camp!" they cried.

Furious, Ursaring backed out and started throwing its full weight at the entrance to the little cave, slashing at the rock and trying to widen it enough to get inside. Small chunks of stone fell from the ceiling, bouncing off them as the bear's deafening roars echoed in the small space and with each minute it was getting closer and closer to grabbing them. Their hearts raced and they clung desperately to each other; they were utterly trapped.

"Meowth! Try talking to it!" begged James.

The cat shook his head, "I did! Dis is what happened!"

James looked at Jessie. Dust and bits of rock peppered her hair and clothes, as they did his. Her blue eyes were red from crying, tears streaming down her face and he couldn't ever remember seeing her this helplessly scared. It broke his heart. 'This isn't what I imagined...but if it's your last chance, and it looks like it may be...'

Grabbing ahold of her hands, he shakily said, "Jessie?!"

Her head jerked toward him and he continued, "I didn't want things to end this way-but I-if we don't-I just need you to know, I mean, that I-"

Abruptly, deciding it was getting bored and that they had learned their lesson anyway, the Ursaring stopped. It backed away, snorted disgustedly, and started lumbering away. They sat in that cave, frozen with fright and shock for quite a while, making sure the bear was truly gone. Finally, after Meowth saying he couldn't hear anything, they warily crawled out, shuddering at the deep gashes in the stone. They returned to camp without a word between them, too shaken for conversation. Upon returning, they were surprised to find all their stuff undamaged. Jessie finally broke the silence by suggesting they grab their things and get far away before the Ursuring decided it felt like coming back for round two.

Later that night, after a fruitless day of searching for their usual quarry, they set up camp in a hopefully Ursaring-free area. Long after dinner was eaten, plans were made for the following day and good-nights were exchanged, Jessie lay awake in her sleeping bag staring at the clear, star-studded sky. For once it wasn't her stomach keeping her up, but her thoughts. Frustrated, she finally threw off the top cover and stood, not bothering with her boots as she started walking, stopping when she reached a nearby cliff. Several large, flattened boulders lay at it's edge overlooking a wide valley. She plopped down onto the nearest one and hugged herself, again looking up into the night sky. Lost in thought, she was unaware that she was no longer alone until a hand touched her shoulder. With a start she spun around to see James sitting down next to her.

"Couldn't sleep either?" he asked.

She sighed heavily, "Of course not. It's not like anything happened today..." she rubbed her forehead, "I still can't believe Meowth did that-what did he think was going to happen?!"

"To be fair, seeing a Teddiursa doesn't always mean there's an Ursaring nearby..."

Jessie looked up, too exhausted to blame the cat regardless, "I guess. I just...had such high hopes for today. I woke up feeling good for the first time in a while, I was sure we were going to-ugh!" she shook a fist at the air, "One of these days, we're gonna win if it's the last thing we do!"

Without a word between them to indicate the need, James held out his arm and she scooted over to lean against him. She flopped her head onto his shoulder as he soothingly rubbed her back.

James gave a halfhearted smile, reassuring himself as much as her, "That's the spirit!"

They sat quietly for a while until another thought crossed Jessie's mind, "Hey...back in that cave, what were you going to say?"

He froze. Facing down certain death had afforded him courage he didn't normally have, but now, in the peaceful, cool night that courage evaporated. Biting his lip, he stammered about it being nothing, but Jessie wasn't buying it.

She sat up and looked him square in the eyes, "Tell me."

James swallowed hard, feeling a bit like a Ratatta corned by an Ekans, "Really, nothing, it's-it's stupid and I..I can't..."

She suddenly and violently grabbed him by the collar with a furious snarl, "Listen up! I almost died today and I'm in no mood for your lying bullshit! You're gonna tell me what it is or so help me-!"

Before he could fully think about what he was doing, James yelped out, "I'm in love with you!"

Now it was her turn to freeze. Her mouth fell open slightly and she let go of his shirt, falling back to sit on her heels. One hand went to her chest and she looked away. Her mind raced, 'I can't...this is...there's no way..."

Reading her reaction as rejection and feeling utterly humiliated, James got to his feet, tears blurring his vision, "There! I told you it was stupid!" he wiped a hand across his face, "Now you can yell at me, call me names, beat me up, whatever you want, because-"

The next thing he knew, her arms were around him as she hugged him from behind.

Very softly, so softly he could barely hear, she said, "I...was wondering which one of us was going to admit it first..."

He hardly dared to breathe, sure he was dreaming and he had heard her wrong, "...What?"

She loosened her arms and he slowly turned, braving a look at her face. Her cheeks were pink and she smiled at him. Now he was positive he was dreaming.

"Does...does this mean that...?"

"Mm-hmm..."

And then she was grabbing him by the collar again, only now it was to pull him in for a kiss. He was so startled by the sudden feel of her lips against his he stiffened, unable to really kiss her back. She pulled away and their eyes met, both at a rare loss for words. His heart nearly full to bursting with joy, a little of that courage from earlier found him. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned in and returned her kiss properly this time. Her eyes fell shut and she hugged him close, fighting the fact that her knees were turning to jelly, thinking to herself, 'I knew he'd be an amazing kisser...'

Breaking away, what had just happened still sinking in, his gaze flicked to the side and he mumbled, "Was...was that okay?"

Jessie exhaled loudly, "Way to ruin it, idiot!" but then she smiled again, "Yes. Definitely yes."

He gave her a shy, lop-sided grin and leaned his forehead against hers, "So...now what?"

She looked at him, for a moment unsure what he meant, but then she understood, "James this really doesn't change anything. We're still Team Rocket agents, we're still partners, and we still have a mission to accomplish. Which reminds me, we should probably try and get some sleep so we can actually be functional tomorrow."

"Good idea."

They stepped apart and headed back to camp, their hands intertwined and Jessie turning down his offer of lending her his boots for the walk. Once inside their sleeping bags, they said their good-nights and all was quiet, albeit briefly.

"Hey Jess?" whispered James.

"Hmm?"

"Can I pull my bag closer to yours?"

She rolled over and grinned mischievously at him, "You're already practically next to me. Trying to sleep with me already huh? Or just afraid of the dark?"

His face flushed red and he sputtered, "N-neither! I mean not that I-um, wouldn't ever-I'm not afraid of the dark!"

She snorted, "Of course you can. C'mere you blue-haired doofus!"

Wriggling like a Caterpie, James shimmied over so that he was now laying flush against her. He pulled one arm out of his bag to wrap around her, and she freed an arm to drape over his.

She gave him a small peck, "Alright, last time; goodnight."

"Good-night...I...love you."

"I love you too..."