James burst through the door with excitement. After a long day, he couldn't wait to come home to Jessie. Their friendship had gotten closer lately and they had even agreed to take time off the mission and spend time together. He'd stopped on his way home and made dinner reservations and picked up the movie tickets. He even stopped off and gotten her flowers. "Guess who has two tickets to the movie you wanted to see?" James called into their apartment. Technically the apartment was just part of the mission that they'd been assigned, but they'd taken a liking to calling it home. "If you said me, you're correct!" He shut the door behind him and hung his coat on the rack. "Man, it is cold out there." His eyes scanned the small living room. Jessie's purse lay open on the coffee table. He sat the flowers down, noticing a shopping bag crumpled on the floor below. Just as he had bent to pick it up, he heard someone coming.

Meowth came bounding out of the kitchen. "She's in her room trying on the disguise she bought today. I think you'll like it." He gave James a sly wink and walked away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Confused, James called out towards Jessie's room. "Hey. I thought we were taking a break from the mission today? You didn't tell me that you were disguise shopping today!" Taking long strides he walked to her room. His hand hesitated over the knob before he remembered to knock. "Can I come in?" He had really been looking forward to tonight. Maybe Jessie had forgotten and made plans to work on the mission.

There was a pause before her answer came. "Uh. I guess. Just don't laugh, okay?"

"Alright. I won't." Hesitantly, he pushed the door open. Dimly lit and smelling of faint perfume, her room had a very calming effect. His eyes examined the room before landing on her. "Oh. Wow." His jaw hung open for a moment before he regained his composure. Jessie stood before him wearing a simple red dress. The dress had a slit going up to her mid thigh and plunging neckline. Her hair was down in waves framing her face. Her make up was simple but stunning. James couldn't help but smile at her.

"What?" She snapped crossing her arms over her chest. Her cheeks flushed. "You said you wouldn't laugh!"

"Nothing." He stuck his hands deep into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "I'm not laughing." He still had that dumb grin on his face. Jessie actually loved the way his lips curled. It had always been one of her favorite things about him.

"Well. What do you think?" She let her arms fall limply to her sides, dropping her fiery demeanor with them.

"You look..." He eyed her up and down then whistled. "You look great." His grin cooled into something that Jessie rarely saw. It was a sweet caring smile. Her cheeks flushed even brighter and she could feel the blood rush to her ears. "But I don't know how this is going to help our mission at all."

"You idiot." She gave him a false glare. "It's not for the mission." She turned away from him and back to the small vanity behind her. She fluffed her hair a bit before facing him again.

He couldn't help but to give her another once over. The silk clung to her body in all of the right places, accentuating her flawless figure. Her pale skin contrasted perfectly against the red of her hair and dress. He sighed in admiration. "Well, I feel horribly underdressed." He laughed, taking a few steps closer.

"I just- I thought since we're going on a date- I mean going to see a movie. Not a date. Silly me." Her usual casual demeanor was completely gone and she tripped over her words. Lately she had been acting like a school girl around James. She'd only just recently realized her affections for him. She doubted that he could ever feel the same way about her. They were just partners after all and romance could definitely put a kink in their partnership.

"A date, eh?" He chewed the inside of his lip pretending to mull it over when in actuality that had been all he'd thought about that day. Their relationship had grown into something more and he had been completely caught off guard when he realized his feelings for her. "I'd be okay with a date." He handed her the tickets to the movie. It was some romance film that Jessie had mentioned offhandedly.

Her face dropped in surprise. "Really?" She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. Her fingers laced into the hair at the nape of his neck. His aftershave was still detectable and she inhaled the smell.

His hands rested in the small of her back. "Of course. A simple date. I was thinking dinner and a movie?" His breath was hot against her ear as he spoke. His lips curled into a very sincere smile as he pulled back to see her face. He brought a palm up to her cheek and rested it there. His thumb caressed the line of her cheekbone.

"We had better get going." James whispered. He hated to ruin the moment, but he knew he had to. "Let me get dressed and we will head out, okay?" He ran his hands down her arms. She nodded. He sprinted to his room and threw on a pair of black dress pants and a red dress shirt. He stopped at he mirror and ran his fingers through his hair. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Everything had moved so fast. Only a few weeks ago, they'd been strictly partners and nothing more. There had always been something special about their friendship. James had never before trusted a partner like he had Jessie. He gave himself a once over before heading back to Jessie's room.

She had donned a pair of red heels and a black coat. James couldn't understand how he'd only just now realized how beautiful she was. She took his hand as they headed for the door. Meowth was sitting on the couch and eyed them with a smirk as they left the apartment.

Snow blew around them. The scene was something out of a movie. A crescent moon hung over them and stars twinkled in the blackened sky. The moonlight sparkled in Jessie's eyes. A small shiver shook her body. James shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Under the dull light of a street lamp, she stopped to face him. "Thank you for this." She smiled sweetly. It was nice to let down her hard exterior for once. She squeezed his hand gently. "You really didn't have to and frankly I didn't expect any of this to happen."

He put his hands firmly on her shoulders, "I know I didn't, but I did it because..." He chewed his lip once more and thought carefully about hat he was saying. "I did it because you're great and I really like you, Jessie. I know it's all happening so fast, and pretty unexpected." He brought his face down to hers and met her eyes. His lips lingered centimeters from hers. She leaned in to them. Their lips seemed to melt together. Their bodies relaxed into each other.

It was as if they had always been meant to be. Everything between them worked so perfectly. Their missions may have always been intricate, but their love was filled with perfect simplicity.

Author's Note: Hello guys. This is number two in the writing contest with Kerminatorthefrog and Karin Serendipity The prompt was "simplicity." Please let me know what you think! xoxo