Jessie looked sideways at James and raised her eyebrow as he continued to sulk and pick at his breakfast. It was a week later, and ever since that night by the fire he had been acting strangely-well, stranger than usual, Jessie mused. His appetite had been terrible, he acted depressed more than usual, and the one time they had had sex he kept his eyes shut most of the time, barely even seeming to be there and Jessie had distinctly felt and heard him crying afterward, try to hide it as he might. She made a mental note to find out once and for all what the problem was later.

Licking his own plate clean and smacking his lips, Meowth eyed James' half-eaten food and wondered, "Ya gonna eat dat Jimmy?"

In response, James sighed and held his plate out to the feline, who happily took it and slurped up the dish's contents. Letting out a burp, Meowth asked Jessie about her own plate, who glared at him and quickly stuffed her remaining pieces of egg into her mouth.

After getting their sleeping bags rolled up, Jessie glanced down at their bucket of water and suddenly came up with a plan. Getting closer, she 'accidentally' gave it a little kick when her partners weren't looking and it toppled, spilling everywhere.

"Uh-oh!" she said, "Looks like we need some more water!"

Meowth flattened his ears, "And I ain't fetchin' it! I did te last few times!"

Lifting the bucket, Jessie replied, "I was going to get it. Hey James! Come with me. We could use some more firewood too."

The lavender-haired man looked up from where he was sitting and with another sigh, got to his feet and followed her. They got a short distance into the woods, far enough Jessie was sure Meowth couldn't hear them, before she whirled on her heel and pointed at him.

"Okay James; what is going on with you?!"

Mildly startled, caught off-guard, James stammered, "Wha-what?"

"Don't give me that!" Jessie scoffed, "You know exactly what I'm talking about! Everything's been fine and then suddenly a week ago boom! You're being all mopey and cranky and you even turned me down-a couple times! What's going on?"

He started to open his mouth to answer but snapped it shut again. He couldn't tell her the truth; he just couldn't.

Instead, he offered lamely , "I...haven't been feeling well. I think I'm getting sick."

Her eyes narrowed and he instinctively flinched, knowing she could see right through him and half expecting a slap.

"If you're going to lie to me, the least you could do is try and come up with a good one!" she growled.

'Well, I'm not entirely lying...I really don't feel well...' he bitterly thought, then aloud said, "I-I really don't think that...I can..." he trailed off, dropping his gaze to a nearby rock.

Jessie felt her meager patience run out, and hurling the bucket to the ground exploded at him, "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!? I know something is wrong! Everything has been going along great and then all of a sudden you start this crap! What happened?! What changed? Tell me, now!'

Feeling his eyes start to well up, and too miserable to argue, James simply continued to stare helplessly at his feet while she raged at him.

"I've given you everything! M-my body, my trust, my secrets-I've told you things I've never told anyone else! All that and you can't even give me a reason for how you've been acting?!"

Tears blurring his vision, he thought to himself, 'I've given you all that..and my heart too.' but still, even with her demands couldn't find the words he needed.

Glaring back at him and awaiting some sort of answer, seeing the tears stream down his face and how he was now completely withdrawn with his eyes tightly shut, Jessie reflected on her own words and realized something; had he not done the same for her? Feeling her anger begin to cool, she drew a deep breath and tried a different approach.

"James?" she asked more softly, "What's wrong?"

He opened his eyes and slowly looked up at her., still expecting an attack at any moment. However, when he saw her calm expression and body language he relaxed, straightening himself and wiping his sleeve across his face.

"I don't know if I should say..." he finally said.

With a huff, Jessie crossed her arms and scuffed the heel of her boot on the ground, trying to stay calm, "I think you should."

Cautiously, he stepped slightly closer to her, "Would you...believe me if I said I can't tell you right now, but I will, soon, I promise. Can you trust me one more time?"

"I suppose I'll have to," she said more curtly than she had intended, and seeing the pain on his face again softened her tone, "But I wish you could tell me now."

"I will. Just, please let me do it my own way."

Jessie let out a long, exasperated sigh but nodded finally, giving him a half-hearted smile, "Alright."

Lifting the bucket, she thrust it into his hand, "Here. You can go get the water; it'll give you some time to think."

With that she whirled on her heel and started back toward camp, stooping to gather some loose pieces of wood as she went. James stood there unmoving for a few minutes, lost in his own mind before slowly trudging off toward a nearby stream as he said to himself, "I'm afraid it's going to take more time than you'd like, dear Jessie..."

As it turned out, she didn't have that long to wait.

A mere two days after her and James' argument, the group was setting up camp for the night after a successful heist earlier that day. All were in high spirits, glowing with pride from their victory and happily chatting as they went about their individual tasks.

"Didja see dat guard's face when I spoke up?" sneered Meowth as he prepared their fire.

"I'm not sure if he was more confused or scared!" Jessie answered while typing up a report on their laptop.

As he pounded tent stakes into the soft earth with a rock, James said with a grin, "You might say the cat got his tongue!"

This caused all three to burst out in laughter, and it took a minute for them to calm down. Still chuckling, James glanced up at Jessie, one hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles, the other wiping a tear from her eye. He trailed off as it struck him how utterly beautiful she was in that moment, blue eyes sparkling and cheeks lightly flushed, relaxed and enjoying a moment of simple happiness. Nearly overcome with emotion, he swallowed hard and decided that this was it; he was ready to tell her his secret, and probably ruin everything in the process, but she deserved the truth, even if it broke his own heart.

Exhaling theatrically, he stood and said, "After a day like today, we deserve a good meal!" he turned to Meowth, "Meowth? Would you care to catch us some fish? I'll prepare the rest, and per usual, the Pyroar's share is yours for the effort."

Holding their box of matches, Meowth grinned knowingly. He had figured out their little scheme a while ago, especially after once having the misfortune of returning while they were still in the middle of their amorous activities. Hearing the strange noises, he had cautiously peered through the brush, and immediately wishing he hadn't, had trotted off for another length of time before finally making his way back. Ever since then, he had gone along with their 'generous' offer, playing dumb and keeping their secret to himself, intending to use it for either blackmail or sheer humiliation at some later date.

Setting the matches down and picking up his fishing supplies, the feline nodded and said as he walked off, "Suuuuure ting Jimmy! One seafood dinna, comin' up!"

Jessie glanced at him with a slight smirk, waiting until Meowth's footsteps vanished before speaking up, "Really now?"

His resolve faltering now, James sighed, "I've thought about it, lost sleep over it, and now I'm ready to tell you..."

Eyebrow raising slightly as she realized what this was about, Jessie stood as well and approached him, "About time. Well?"

"I know this is not g-going to be easy to hear, b-but I..I..I'm.." he moaned and rubbed his temples.

Her face fell, "Though you were gonna tell me, not whine like a little-"

Looking up, his eyes met hers and he nearly blurted it out right then. Instead, he thought of a different approach. In times like this, words had always failed him, so why not show her how he felt instead? Cupping her face in his hands, he pulled her close and kissed her deeply, and at first she protested, but quickly melted into his embrace, slipping her arms around his back, loathe to admit as annoyed as she was with him that she had missed this.

They pulled back and Jessie licked her lip, savoring the taste of his mouth, "What do you think you're doing?" she smiled, intentionally referencing their first kiss.

His face serious, he answered softly as he entwined his hand with hers, "What I should have done the first time..."

"Thought you were going to-"

He silenced her with a finger to her lips and grinned slightly, his eyes darkened with passion and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

Curious, she cocked her head as he peeled off her glove then his own, again tangling his fingers with hers before pulling her hand closer, kissing her fingertips, then her palm and finally her wrist. She drew a small, sharp breath, startled at how good this felt. Taking hold of the tiny zipper at the collar of her jacket, he quickly tugged it down, his eyes never leaving hers and she suddenly felt a rush of not just lust but a slight uncertain, even nervous, intoxicating thrill as she realized how much more serious he was acting than usual. This continued, with him reverently touching and kissing each newly exposed area of her body, her soft cries encouraging him until she was practically naked and he hastily tore off his own clothes, falling with her to the soft pile of sleeping bags they had moved to. Sticking his hand underneath his pillow, he snatched up the foil packet he had stashed there and fumbled with it's contents for a moment, cursing under his breath. She started to roll on top of him but he stopped her, instead positioning himself over her and she shot him an approving grin. Swiftly removing the last bits of clothing they still wore, he moved himself to enter her slowly, brushing his lips against hers and trying not to think about how this would probably be the last time they'd be together this way.

Impatient, she pushed her hips upward, wanting more but he shifted one knee to stop her, again grinning and leaned in to murmur against her ear, "This time we do things my way..." before gently nibbling the lobe.

Entranced by this change in his demeanor as well as the desire and lust in his eyes, she found herself unable to do anything but surrender. They moved together, completely lost in each other and if the world around them had fallen apart they wouldn't haven noticed. He didn't know if there was a heaven, and if there was he certainly wasn't headed there, but he felt this was as close as he was ever going to get; their breath and bodies tangled together, touching every inch of her silky skin, his name on her lips. All too soon, he felt his body begin to rebel against his heart, knowing he wouldn't be able to last very much longer but desperately wanting this to go on as long as possible before-

Feeling the tension coiling inside her, she tilted her head back and clutched his shoulders, "J-James...I'm-I need..."

Grabbing her hands, his laced their fingers together and driving himself deeper and faster, rested his forehead against hers, "Then fly with me-p-please Jessie-"

Moments later, she did, arching her back and loudly crying out. Finally unable to stand it he did as well, clinging to her and sobbing her name, and in between wet, tear-dampened kisses sputtered out the words he had been so afraid to say.

"I love you Jessie! I-I love you...I love you..."

It took a few moments for either of them to register what he had said, and being the first to recover to some degree, Jessie raised her head slightly to blink at him incredulously, "Wait. What?"

Realizing his fatal error, James froze, "Um...I..."

Jessie disentangled herself from him, wriggling away to sit up and grabbed her blanket to pull it up and cover herself, suddenly feeling self-conscious, "Did you just say what I think you-?"

"Please, let me just..." James yanked his sleeping bag over himself and looked away, too scared now to face her, "I've-I've been meaning to tell you but I could never find the right time to-"

Face flushed, she interrupted him and said harshly, "I thought we talked about this! I thought we agreed to not complicate things-!"

Finally breaking down, James gently grasped her hands and tried to explain, his words tumbling out in a rushed, emotional jumble, "I'm sorry! I-I couldn't help myself! Jessie...you're amazing! You're so strong, and beautiful, and honestly I'd be more of a fool not to fall in love with-"

"Stop," she tore her hands away and stood, "Just...stop."

His heart breaking and eyes watering again, his shoulders drooped helplessly, "So you're saying that...?"

"What the hell do you think?!"

Snatching up her clothes, Jessie silently wriggled back into them and stomped off into the moonlit woods, leaving James to himself to weep miserably into his hands, cursing himself over and over again.

The next several days were severely awkward as the two humans tried to avoid each other as much as possible, and every time Meowth tried to press them for answers they dodged his questions or out-right told him to mind his own business. Finally, on the third day, as they drifted along and standing on opposite sides of their balloon's basket, Jessie noticed Meowth was fast asleep, curled up in a corner and took the opportunity to bring up the subject.

Drawing a deep breath and not looking at him, she asked, "Do you still...?"

James gripped the basket's edge, taken by surprise and unsure of what to say, "I...what do you want me to say?"

"The truth."

"Then...yes."

They fell silent again for a while before Jessie spoke up again, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" James replied after a moment.

"For reacting like I did."

"I don't blame you. You're right. We agreed and I broke that agreement..."

Turning around, Jessie sighed sadly, "James?"

He glanced over his shoulder, then slowly turned to face her, "Yes?"

"I don't love you back. Not now, and I'm not sure I ever will..." she looked away and up at the blue sky, "But...it's not like it couldn't happen."

"Wait, really?" he felt the tiniest glimmer of hope warm his heart.

For the first time in days, she smiled at him and nodded slowly.

If they had finally captured Pikachu James couldn't have been happier. Cautiously, he crossed the basket and reached out one hand.

"Friends?"

Jessie's smiled broadened and she gripped his hand, "Friends..."

As the balloon drifted along, two figures inside stood much closer than they had been, appreciating the view around them, and especially next to them...