Mistaken Identities, Part 3

His hands were pressed against the window, and the window was half fogged up from his rapid breathing. When he saw Jesse push Cassidy off, he felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe her screams were fake, maybe she was using Cassidy. He could handle that, couldn't he? Then... then as he saw her moving down, taking off Cassidy's last remaining item of apparel, he broke. He pushed himself away from the window, moved silently down the stairs, and made a frantic run for the door. His shaking hands fumbled with the lock, his heart pounding. Luckily, Cassidy and Jesse were so involved with what they were doing, they didn't hear the soft click of the door.

Out in the hallway he collapsed against the wall. Then he heard someone coming and made a wild dash down the hallway. He spotted the elevator, ran to it, and slammed his hand on the UP button. He couldn't stand being seen. His face felt like it was burning, and he felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. The elevator opened and he practically jumped into it, impatiently pressing the close button. A person, a man, came around the corner.

"Hey! Could you hold that for m-"

The door finally shut... right in the mans face.

"Well... I just made an enemy," James muttered.

His voice seemed to echo off the walls of the elevator, coming eerily back to him. His eyes filled up with hot, burning tears. Finally the elevator stopped, opened, and out he ran.

And that's where he was at the moment, flat on his stomach on his bed, bawling his eyes out like a baby. He couldn't help it though, he had thought... he thought at least Jesse liked him. But now... now he didn't know anything. He even felt cheap for having seen that. He clutched at the blanket in his hands, trying to forget it all ever happened. Suddenly he heard a soft sound, the sound of a door being opened. Hadn't he locked the door to the...

She stretched and wandered out. She dried her hair as she walked, then noticed something. James was laying on his bed, and was crying! She dropped the towel and ran over.

"James! James, are you all right?"

He looked up, his eyes red and brimming over with tears.

"Je-Jesse?"

"Yes? What's wrong?"

"Weren't... you were just..."

And he burst out crying again. There was a knock at the door. Jesse stood up slowly, tightening her bathrobe, and walked to the door. She opened it, revealing a slightly annoyed Meowth.

"Meowth! What were youse twose doing, making out? Why'd'ya have da door locked?"

"I don't know, Meowth. I was taking a shower and when I came out, I found James crying on his bed."

She looked over at James, who had managed to sit up and was holding his head in his hands. She looked at Meowth and shrugged. They walked over and looked at James, still sitting there.

"James? C'mon, what's the matter?"

He didn't respond.

"James?"

Still nothing. So she tapped him. He jerked away from her touch, as if she had hurt him.

"Don't... don't even touch me."

He stood up, looking angry, and she felt even more confused.

"What is your problem, James?"

"You."

He turned to walk away but she grabbed his shirt.

"Hey! I didn't do anything to you yet! Its our day off, we aren't making up plans to fail at capturing that pesky Pikachu, and I haven't even hit you yet today! Why are you so mad at me?"

"Where were you earlier?"

"Huh? When?"

"About... about a half an hour ago."

"I was coming back from shopping. I TOLD you that."

He laughed bitterly.

"Nice alias."

"Excuse me?!? I was!"

She pushed him away, grabbed a bag, and shoved it at him. He looked at it.

"What's this?"

"Some new stuff for getting that Pikachu, and I even got you a stupid doughnut on the way home."

He looked in the bag, and there was everything she had said was there.

"Have you done laundry today," he asked.

"No, Mondo was taking care of it for me. As I recall he said, 'Miss.Jesse, ma'am, I'm your Mondo and it would be a pleasure to do your laundry.' And so I gave him the stuff and went out. Now, why are you so upset? What did I do? Had you wanted to go shopping with me? I thought you said you didn't feel like it."

"I just saw you."

"Um...?"

"In the laundry room..."

"What?"

"With Cassidy."

"WHAT???"

She almost fell over. She stared at him, like he'd lost his mind.

"What are you TALKING about James? The only place I would go with Cassidy would be to hell, and that would be to make sure she got there!!!"

"Really?"

He sniffled pathetically. She looked over at Meowth.

"Meowth?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm going. I'm always going, just when it gets good too," he muttered as he stalked out the door, offended.

"Cassidy?"

James nodded.

"Me too?"

James nodded once more.

"And the laundry room?"

James nodded again.

"You've got to be kidding me."

He shook his head no.

"Woo boy... well, what were 'we' doing?"

"Um..."

Suddenly he turned a brilliant shade of red.

"Yes, James?"

He bent over and whispered it in her ear.

"WHAT???"

Several small objects teetered on the shelves at the sheer volume that came with that word.

"I WOULD NOT DO THAT WITH CASSIDY!"

She stared at him.

"How could you even think that I would?"

"I... cause I saw it."

"But I know that I was shopping, and I know I didn't do that. But you think I did? Because you saw it? There's a little problem here."

She took out her fan and hit him with it.

"Think Jesse," she muttered to herself, "think."

She hit him again, for inspirational causes.

"That's it! It was an evil, diabolical clone of me created by Washu the greatest scientific genius in the world to take over the Team Rocket empire for her own nefarious purposes."

Now it was James' turn to stare at her.

"Washu?"

"Don't ask."

"Ok."

"Maybe we should ask the boss? Maybe he hired a new member who bears a uncanny resemblance to yours truly?"

They both looked at each other and sweatdropped.

"No, maybe that's not such a good idea. Lets just go find Jesse2."

"Jesse2?"

"Yeah, my name for the girl who seems to think its funny to impersonate me AND sleep with Cassidy."

She stormed out of the room, and he followed. He felt tired, exhausted from crying. He could tell she found this slightly amusing, but he had been so upset earlier. Couldn't she see how much this had hurt him, even if it hadn't been her? She turned and looked at him.

"James?"

"Yeah?"

"It wasn't me, ok?"

She took his hand and looked at him, smiling a little. This time, however, there was no amusement in the smile, just concern and compassion. He smiled a little.

"Ok."

"Good, now lets go."

She turned and walked off, towards the elevator. He followed, his head (and heart) all mixed with emotions. If it wasn't Jesse, that means she could actually still like him. (Or, if he had his way, love him.) But what if she was just faking it right now? But she had looked so sincere. But then again, she does have a talent for lying. But could she really mimic such a honest and compassionate look? And if it wasn't Jesse, who was it? Was it really some evil impostor? Or did Jesse have a twin? And if she had a twin and hadn't told him, was she lying to him about that? Did she know who this person was? But she seemed just as confused as him. He pressed his hand against his head and followed her into the elevator.

"You all right?"

He nodded.

"Just.... oh Jesse, there's so many things going through my head right now."

"We'll clear this mess up. Somehow..."

The doors opened and she walked out. They reached the laundry room, but found it empty.

"Darn it," Jesse growled and kicked one of the machines.

Just then Mondo walked into the room, whistling happily. He froze when he saw Jesse.

"Miss.Jesse! I... you... didn't I just pass you? And why were you with Miss.Cassidy?"

"Aha! So I went that way?"

Poor Mondo nodded.

"Thanks Mondo!"

She smiled at him, then ran out of the room. Mondo looked at James.

"That wasn't her, you see. That's her clone," James said, smiling happily.

It felt good to know Jesse hadn't been lying. Jesse really didn't sleep with Cassidy! He ran after her, feeling slightly more energetic than before. He caught up with an angry Jesse, a glaring Cassidy, and an amused... Jessiebelle? He skidded to a stop and screamed like a girl.

"JESSIEBELLE! AH!"

He would have ran, but he couldn't leave Jesse! He looked frantically around to see where she had stashed her whip. He didn't see it, but that didn't mean anything.

"So your the one impersonating me," Jesse accused.

"Oh, I'm not impersonatin' anyone," Jessiebelle said, laughing.

"But then..."

"I simply joined Team Rocket. It seemed like a good step up the laddah (ladder) of life. Isn't that right, Cass?"

Cassidy smiled.

"Oh yeah, perfectly right, Jess."

Suddenly something dawned on Jesse and James, almost at the same time. They looked at each other, green.

"Ewwww... Jessiebelle slept with Cassidy," they said in unison.

"Hey! And what's wrong with sleeping with me," asked Cassidy, indignant.

"Nothing... unless you consider the fact that the Butch has to keep changing the mirrors in your room because every time you look in them they break," Jesse replied.

Cassidy growled and turned red, then composed herself.

"Nice one, Jesse. Too bad I'm too dignified to sink to your level."

"More like rise to my level, Cassidy."

Soon the two girls were standing, bristling and almost at each others throats, and James and Jessiebelle were helpless to do much.

"Well, James, dahlin', shall we be goin'?"

"What? I'm not going ANYWHERE with you, you madwoman!"

Jesse turned away from Cassidy, and looked at James backing away as Jessiebelle crept closer.

"Hey! James isn't going anywhere with you," she said, and she grabbed James' arm. "He's mine!"

Everyone looked at her.

"I mean.. um... my... um... my partner. He's not going with anyone but me!"

"You really do like me," James squealed happily.

"We'll talk about that later. Right now, I have to take care of some trash."

She grabbed a pokeball, and threw it.

"Go! Arbok!"

Arbok popped out, hissing.

"How undignified! Real ladies don't throw in such a horrible manner. Its only proper to throw like this! Go! Vileplume!"

Cassidy and James were forced off to the side, watching anxiously to see who would be the victor...

... to be continued (?) ...