AN: An Epilogue of Sorts

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Someday

Jessie sighed and grabbed her jacket from the coat rack, ready to put her long shift at the poke mart behind her for the night. She glanced outside the window and was a little pleased that it had quit raining. That pleasure quickly disappeared when she opened the door and was hit by a cool wind.

"Lousy, stupid, cold weather," she muttered as she grudgingly stepped outside. Winter she could handle. The transition from winter to spring was a different story. It was the worst time of the year, in her opinion. One minute it was warm and the next it was cold, making it impossible to get comfortable.

"What are you cursing at this time?" a familiar voice questioned from behind her. She turned around and saw James lounging on a bench wearing an amused grin on his face.

"The fact that this weather is going to give me a cold," she pouted, rubbing her arms as the wind picked up. James laughed and got to his feet.

"Well, we can't have that," he said, taking her hand in his, "We should get you home before that happens."

"I think that's the best idea you've ever had," she quipped sarcastically.

"Ouch. That stung, Jess," he replied good-naturedly.

"Every rose has its thorns," she reminded him, smirking slightly, "So what are you doing out here anyways? Shouldn't you be holed up at home in front of that computer of yours?" she asked, a bit of jealousy in her voice. While she worked as a cashier in the Viridian poke mart, James had somehow managed to find a cushy job where he could stay home in a nice warm apartment, just typing up whatever article the Viridian Press needed him to work on.

"I finished the article," he shrugged in explanation, "So I decided to walk down to the newspaper to submit it."

"You do know that they invented email, right?" she asked him. He snorted.

"You sound like the editor," he muttered, "And besides, I wouldn't want to miss a chance to walk with you on this GLORIOUS spring day," he told, shooting her a winning smile.

"Lovely," she murmured, glaring up at the grey clouds up above. He chuckled and she felt him place a kiss on her temple and then his warm breath on her ear.

"I'll tell you what. When we get home, I'll run you a nice, warm bubble bath where we can spend the rest of the night getting soapy," he promised. She raised an eyebrow.

"We?" she asked amusedly.

"A bubble bath is really a two-person activity, Jess," he said so seriously, that Jessie burst out laughing. His laughter joined hers and for a moment, she was unbelievably content. As much as she really hated to admit it, she didn't know what she'd do without James by her side. Now that they had left Team Rocket and didn't have the boss breathing down their necks, his playful, goofball antics made her smile and she enjoyed his company even more.

Of course, after what happened to Meowth, they had no desire to return to Team Rocket. Instead, they decided to make a semi-honest living (stealing was a hard habit to break) and find work. They gave some information to Officer Jenny about Team Rocket in exchange for immunity and then they were free to go on to live their own lives. After living in the cheap hotel for several months, they had finally saved enough money to rent a cheap one-room apartment, where they would likely stay until they could afford something more permanent. It was nowhere near the perfect living Jessie had always longed for, but she was happy as long as she was with James. There was an unspoken agreement between the two that they would not leave Viridian City, despite the proximity to the Team Rocket base. Meowth was here and neither of them wanted to leave their friend or each other. And so they stayed.

"Is it just me, or is everything a two-person activity with you, James?" she questioned once her laughter subsided.

"Well-" James stopped whatever he was about to say and suddenly stopped walking.

"James, what are you doing?" Jessie asked, annoyance creeping into her voice as she was jerked to a halt.

"Hold on," he said, releasing her hand and taking several steps backwards until he was at the mouth of the alley that they had just passed.

"James?" Jessie asked again, walking back towards him, a frown on her face, "What the hell is-" she stopped short when she saw what had caught James's attention. There was a small basket lying against a brick wall. From inside the basket, under some wet newspapers, a small cream-coloured face with wide blue eyes peered out at them. James knelt down and looked at the little cat, a look of wonder on his face.

"A meowth?" Jessie questioned, blinking in confusion, "What would it be doing…" she trailed off, realizing what had probably happened to the little pokemon. It had been abandoned in the dark alley, given only a wicker basket and a few newspapers to keep it warm. Jessie felt sorry for it as she watched it mew pitifully and duck back into the safety of its newspaper as James approached it. She couldn't believe anybody could do that to such a young pokemon, to abandon it on the street in the cool March weather. Suddenly she remembered something.

"I was alone on da streets, abandoned. I never thought anyone would care about me and den I met youse two and den it was like I had a purpose, like I actually meant somethin'. Tanks for bein' my family."

Something clicked in Jessie's mind as she watched as James crept closer to the basket, picking up the damp newspaper that the kitten had hid under. The little cream-coloured fur-ball let out a surprised meow as it was forced back into the light of day. It shivered and wildly looked for an escape.

"Easy there, little fella," James cooed, moving his hand towards it. The kitten backed up in fear and tried to leap over the edge of the basket. James caught it in mid-leap. It let out a loud yowl, surprising both Jessie and James.

"Careful," Jessie cautioned as James struggled with the agitated meowth, the kitten biting and scratching in attempt to get away.

"Take it easy, I've got you!" James cried, finally managing to grab the kitten by the scruff of the neck. The kitten blinked momentarily in surprise, realizing it had been caught. James brought it up to his face to inspect it. In was tiny, small enough to fit into one of their hands. The kitten had all the markings of a meowth: the charm, the dark ears, the whiskers, and even the brown tail, though Jessie noted that this particular meowth had brown middle toes as well.

"It's kind of cute," Jessie commented.

"Of course you think so. You didn't just get your arm clawed by the little devil," James commented, chuckling. The kitten cocked its head as James spoke, as if listening to him. Then it tried to swat at his bangs.

"HEY!" James protested, flinching away from the kitten. Jessie laughed.

"Feisty little one, aren't you?" she cooed, reaching over to scratch the kitten behind its ears. It leaned into her touch and mewed when she moved her hand away. She laughed again and reached over to take it from James, who was now a little wary of the spunky little kitten. The little meowth purred as she cuddled it against her.

"Looks like you made a friend," James commented, smiling a little as he watched Jessie pet the meowth.

"I think we did," she replied, smiling as she scratched the kitten behind the ears. James caught that little two-letter word and smiled. Jessie looked up from the little meowth kitten and caught his eye. Blue eyes met green, both suddenly a little brighter for the first time since that day last fall.

"Let's go home," James said, leaning in towards her, pulled in by those blue eyes he loved so much. His lips met hers, but before he had time to deepen the kiss, he felt something small hit the side of his face.

"Hey!" he protested, looking down at the meowth kitten, who was sitting in Jessie's arms with his little paw raised as if to strike, "He hit me!"

"Mew!" the kitten growled up at James before it snuggled closer to Jessie. James blinked at it.

"Did you hear that?" James asked Jessie, "I think he just swore at me!" James cried indignantly. Jessie burst out laughing.

"What's the matter, James? Can't handle a little competition?" she asked, winking at him as she started walking towards their apartment, toting the little meowth in her arms. The kitten peered over Jessie's arms and shot James a catty grin. James couldn't help laughing as he caught up to Jessie.

"Dat's right," James said, kissing her cheek as he put an arm around her waist. She blinked in surprise and turned to look at him. She saw the mischievous sparkle in his eyes and felt a grin creep onto her face, as well.

"Looks like we're blastin' off again," she sighed, leaning into him. He laughed and kissed her temple before they continued on their way to a new beginning. He looked up and could have sworn that he saw a mischievous twinkle flash in the sky, as if to say:

"MEOWTH! DAT'S RIGHT!"

The End

AN: And so concludes another story. Let it be said, I love Meowth. I really, really do. And the new kitten is not replacing him...he could never be replaced. What i was going for here was that even though a loved one is gone, it doesn't mean that you can't love any others that come along. Jessie and James gave Meowth a family and that was important to him. Now, seeing this lil guy in need of the same type of (dare I say dysfunctional) family, Jessie and James are willing to offer him a home, knowing that in the end, it's worth it because they can make the kitten's life better (and perhaps the kitten can do the same for them)...the same way they made Meowth's better. Anyways, I like the little kitten as much as I like Meowth. He's spunky...and let's face it, Jessie and James need someone to interupt those romantic moments ;)

Thoughts? Comments? You know how I think. I wanna know what YOU think.