"Here.  Sit up and I'll do it for you!" she replied, in a voice that left no room for argument.  He sat up hastily, not wanting to anger her, and offered her his back.  She began to spread the lotion on his back and he flinched, expecting her touch to be as rough as her manner.  She was surprisingly gentle though, working the sunscreen into his skin with caressing hands and he found the sensation to be somewhat relaxing…perhaps even a bit alluring.

            He blushed slightly at the thought.

            "Jesse, this feels great—you could be a masseuse," he commented, trying to divert his thoughts from her smooth hands against his back.

            Jesse 'mm-hmm'-ed absentmindedly in reply.  She had become engrossed in her task.  The redhead hadn't realized how well built her partner was and found she greatly enjoyed running her hands down his muscular back.  She blushed deeply, realizing she had been aroused by James' masculinity; an occurrence that had never arisen before and she found it overwhelming and a bit exciting.

            James cleared his throat uncomfortably, trying to push his thoughts of Jesse out of his mind.  "Um, maybe I should do your back so that you don't get burned…" he suggested uncertainly, hoping to lessen both of theirs embarrassment of the situation.

            Jesse started from her daydream state, blushing again at the realization that she had lost track of what she was doing.

            "Oh—right!" she agreed hastily, spinning around and giving him her back before he could catch sight of her crimson face.  James was just as relieved, being bright red himself.

            Jesse sighed in enjoyment as he smoothed the cool lotion on her soft skin, working the sunscreen in with gentle movements of his hands.

            "Make sure you get my shoulders.  They burn easily," she reminded, deciding to enjoy the backrub and not dwell on the uncomfortable situation.  He slid his hands up her back obligingly, and she couldn't help but gasp slightly, a small thrill running up her spine as she unconsciously arched her back, ever so slightly.  James massaged her shoulders gently, sliding his fingers under her suit straps to get the skin underneath.  She tilted her neck, closing her eyes in pleasure as his strong hands worked away at her shoulders.

            Eventually his massage slowed.  "I think that should do," he announced in embarrassment, reluctantly taking his hands away.  Jesse opened her eyes, wishing he wouldn't stop.

            "Um, yes.  I think that's enough sunscreen," she replied reluctantly, adjusting her swimsuit straps and averting her gaze from his, hoping he wouldn't notice the rosy tinge of her cheeks.

            James looked away also, unable to meet her eyes.  He had never quite thought of his partner that way before and was unsure of how to react.  He stood up hastily, looking towards the waves in hopes of relief.

            A sudden thought struck him.  "Hey, want to go for a swim?" he asked, turning to his partner and forgetting his embarrassment.  "It's gotten pretty hot out here."

            She looked up at him, finally regaining her courage to do so.  Then she looked towards the water, watching the waves lap against the beach with apprehension.

            "I'm not really much of a swimmer," she answered reluctantly.  James put his hands on his hips.

            "You could just wade.  Come on, Jesse—I won't let anything happen to you," he suggested, offering her his hand.  She looked at him, then took the proffered hand, allowing him to help her to her feet.

            "We won't go that deep, right?" she asked nervously, letting him lead her to the water.  "All I know is the dead-mans' float."

            He walked into the surf, motioning her to follow him.  Watching the water distrustfully, she stood at the edge of the waves.

            "You don't have to worry, Jess.  We'll stay right in the shallows," soothed James, taking her by the hand and leading her into the water.  She followed reluctantly.

            Soon the water was past the diamond-shaped cutout in her red suit and lapping against James just below his chest.  She whimpered slightly in the back of her throat, stepping hastily closer to him in fear and grabbing onto his arms tightly.  He chuckled slightly, taking her waist in his hands to steady her.

            "It's only up to your chest.  You're okay, Jesse," he assured her gently, pulling her closer in attempts to calm her.  She looked into his eyes for comfort, her own eyes wide with fright.

            "James, I want to go back!" she begged, seeming so small and vulnerable, a sharp contrast to her usual strong attitude.  He gazed intensely into her blue eyes, wishing he could never let her go.

            "I won't let go of you, Jesse," he assured her with deep sincerity.  She gazed back at him, calming at the thought that he was there to protect her.

            The two of them stood there, mesmerized by the closeness of one another as the waves lapped gently against them in the chest high water.  Everything else dissolved around them as they slowly leaned into one another, closing their eyes in expectation.

            There was a cry from the beach, shattering the moment.  The two looked up, suddenly realizing that the sun had slowly begun to set as they stood together in the waves.

            "Hey, are you two deaf?!  I said, I found us dinner!!" shouted Meowth again, waving for their attention from the top of the sand dune he had been standing on.  He huffed loudly in annoyance, disappearing again behind the dune and leaving Jesse and James again alone in the waves.

            The two of them blushed in embarrassment, slowly breaking away from their embrace and followed Meowth out of the water, avoiding each other's eyes nervously.

            But their hands remained linked, holding onto the exciting new prospect that had presented itself to them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            The moonlight was intensely bright, bathing the beach in its cold silver glow and throwing everything into sharp contrast.  A cool sea breeze blew, gently rustling the palms and the embers of the slowly dying fire—the only sounds except for the murmur of the waves.

            Jesse stirred from her restless sleep, turning so that the moonlight hit her face just right, accenting her soft, pale complexion and elegant features in its whimsical glow.  It seemed to shimmer momentarily, as if the hand of an invisible being had rested its fingertips on her lips, and then the illusion was gone. 

Her eyelids fluttered open, blue eyes blinking in the harsh light.  Stretching lithely, she sat up, blinking at her surroundings in momentary confusion and sensing immediately that something was missing.  She surveyed the small camp, spying Meowth purring lightly in his sleep from across the fire, swishing his tail gently around his curled up body as he dreamt.  The firelight flickered momentarily and she realized that James' bedroll lay cold and unoccupied beside the small sleeping cat.  She started, uncomfortable at being caught off guard, and climbed out of her own bedroll, staring at her partner's place by the fire meditatively.

A strong breeze blew, sending the glow of the dying fire in an arcing sweep of the sand, and she glimpsed a set of prints leading away from the camp and down to the beach.  She looked out to the beach, following the breeze and the fire's prodding glow.

James straightened up from his tedious work, stretching his stiff back.  He had been working at the damaged sub for nearly two hours, trying to find the glitch that was causing so many malfunctions in the machinery and so far he had gotten himself nowhere.  He sighed, running a hand through his hair—exhausted and at a loss as to what the problem could be.

A cool wind blew at him, refreshing him after his struggles with the damaged machine.  Feeling someone watching him, he looked up.

She was looking up at him, indignant and beautiful in the moonlight and dressed only in her black midriff and white miniskirt.  Her long hair had been let down, gently blowing about her in the breeze, and she appeared almost surreal as she peered up at him.  The Ghost of Maiden's Peak flashed briefly in his mind at the sight of her, and then it was gone, disappearing like memories often did when faced with something so breathtaking.

She stepped closer, brushing her hair behind her almost unconsciously but with a graceful movement.

"Where did you find it?" she called out to him, breaking the night's silence.  He slid down from the sub to stand beside her, looking up at the impressive machine with her.

"Washed up on the beach.  I've been trying to figure out what's wrong with it," he replied.  She turned to him, concerned.

"Have you been up all night?"

He looked back at her sheepishly.  "I couldn't sleep," he said simply, regretful he had worried her.

She looked at him indignantly.  "You need to sleep," she insisted, taking his hand to lead him back to camp.