PART NINE – STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

Fifteen miles away, Annie's car pulled to the side of the road and stopped. Annie slumped over the steering wheel in exhausted disbelief. Hard as it was for her to come to terms with, five hours before she had been lying in a hospital bed mourning the loss of her baby. Now, all that had changed, and her world had been violently thrown upside down once again. Her baby girl- if the baby was indeed really a girl- was in the hands of the slime she had wanted to keep her away from more than anything else in the world. The Team, like the monster it was, had sunk its teeth into her family, her bloodline, and it would never let go. It had consumed and destroyed her mother first, then her aunt, then herself, and now it was moving to her baby like the final course in some ghastly buffet. Why? What was it about the Koldron/Masterson DNA that made them so desirable, such perfect targets? The question burned itself indelibly into Annie's mind, though she knew no answer would come to her.

Exactly how long Annie sat there contemplating the "whys" and the "hows", she could not say, but through it all her thoughts led to one inescapable conclusion: You are alone. There is nobody to help you, and you wanna try to take the whole Team on by yourself? That's suicide, Annie. Even for you. Raven's voice came to her next… Just walk away, Annie. Walk away now. The Team's too powerful, don't you see? They cannot be stopped or defied.

A tear rolled down Annie's cheek as another familiar voice from the past came to her… Annette. Annie looked around in shock. "Mama?" she whispered. You mustn't give up, Annette. You must fight for your child… as I tried to fight for you. Please, my darling, don't let them win. Don't let them win… Annie shook her head, now determined that way to win had to exist. It simply HAD to.

Annie exhaled a deep breath, and looked out the passenger side window. There was nothing around her, and a dirt road stretched out to her right. The road held a vague familiarity, and Annie stared at it intently, trying to recall it's meaning. Suddenly, she realized why the road looked familiar. "Oh. Oh, no. No, no, no, no." Annie said, her eyes wide. She folded her arms across her chest and looked to her left. She could not go down that road.

It took all of 30 seconds for Annie to realize she had no choice. This was a fight that could not be won alone- And as much as Annie may have despised it, she knew that if there was a single person on the whole Team who would even possibly consider helping her, it was the man who lived at the end of that dirt road in a small cottage with his wife. Annie knew that it was the slimmest of chances, given the past she shared with this man, but Annie also knew something else… that it was the only chance. "Damn it." She muttered as she started the car and headed down the dirt road, remembering full well the last time she had been down this road… it had been with Severin Salyavin, and their destination had been the small cabin at the end, which was occupied by Black Rockets Jessie and James Morgan. They- or rather she- had been on a mission of revenge, of retribution, of payback. Merely remembering the events of that night made Annie shudder- how she and Severin had bound and gagged Jessie and James, how she had tried to kill their son Michael, how Severin had betrayed her, how she had killed the lying pig, and the strange, quiet respect she had secretly held for James and his family afterward. Certainly, he was still the one who had caused her downfall, but somehow in some strange way, it no longer seemed crucial that the score be settled. As Annie pondered this strange feeling, she finally understood why. From the day Raven had collected Annie, the Team had been all Annie knew and all that she had. She had never longed for anything else simply because she never knew anything else could be. It had been her life, her love, her passion, and ultimately her undoing. Why had she pursued James for over 25 years? Because of the impact he had had on her only way of life… on her very existence.

However, it had all shifted that night, the night before the night she and Severin had gone to that cabin… the night she and Severin had made love (Well, she had, anyway) to each other. Like most major changes, it had begun with an imperceptible shift when she became pregnant. It had taken her nearly a month to even realize that much. Since that night, however, the wheels had been put in motion, and Annie had been powerless to stop it. She had faced the prospect of a baby, of motherhood, of giving unconditional love to another being. All these were ideas that ran completely counter to the Team life she had embraced for so long. It was strange, really, to think… had she never met James, had he not blown that mission, her partnership with Severin never would have happened, and she certainly would never have become pregnant with his child. Her worst enemy had opened the door to her new life. All these thoughts ran rampant in her mind as the cabin came into view. The car stopped and she walked slowly to the door, dreading the reactions of James and his wife Jessie.

As the door drew closer, Annie pulled Virginia's .45 from her pocket and held it at her side. She really didn't want to use it, but she had to be ready if the situation arose. Her free hand balled into a fist, rose, then hesitated. With a deep breath, Annie steeled herself, gathered all resolve, and knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door opened, and James leaped back with a surprised yelp. "Annie!" he squeaked. In an instant, Jessie was at her husband's side, her face tight with anger. "What do you want?" she snarled threateningly.

Annie's gun remained pointing at the ground. "I need help." She said quietly.

"Help? From us?" Jessie said icily. "That's the funniest thing I've heard in years. This is some kind of a trick."

"Jessie." Annie said, using her enemy's name for the first time to her face, "You can see I'm armed. If I wanted to, I could easily kill you both."

Jessie's expression didn't change. "And not humiliate and torture us first? That's not like you at all. What are you really here for, Masterson?" she demanded cynically.

Some of Annie's bitterness of the past bubbled violently to the surface, and Virginia's gun shook in her hand. "Please." Annie said in a whisper. It was a tone she hadn't used in years like this.

James blinked and stepped forward. "What?' he asked, not believing the word he had just heard. Annie looked at James, the man whom she had counted as an enemy for decades, and raised her gun. James froze, paralyzed by the moment as Annie's free hand grabbed his and Virginia's gun was thrust into his grip. James was numb with surprise as Annie's hand then raised his up so that his hand was holding the gun, cold, deadly, and loaded, directly at her own head.

"If you're not gonna help me, then kill me." Annie said in a trembling whisper. "Team Rocket has taken something from me- something more important to me than my own life, and you two are my last hope. I am willing to be forever in your debt if you will only help me. But if you won't, then pull that trigger and get me away from this world."

James breathed heavily as he lowered the .45. "We'll help." He said softly.

Jessie's reaction came in a nanosecond. "Are you crazy?" she screamed at her husband. Instantly, the .45 was in her fist and was pressed hard against Annie's skull. "This bitch tried to kill you twice, not to mention me and Michael! You wanna help her?!"

James looked at his love with haunted eyes, unable to say anything. Jessie turned back to Annie. "You tried to kill me, my husband, and my son. Why the hell should I give a flying fuck about you?"

Annie started to speak, but Jessie interrupted with a snarl. "What could the Team have possibly taken from you that would make you come to us, anyway? You're the great Annie Masterson! The best of the Reds, as you've screamed so many times! What on Earth could the Team have done that was so bad the great one couldn't handle it by herself?!"

James put his hand on Jessie's shoulder. "Jess..." he began.

Jessie batted his hand away. "No!" She said forcefully. "I wanna know! What made the big, bad Red come crawling to us?" James drew back. Never had he heard such hate and rage in his wife's voice. "Answer me, you murdering bitch!" Jessie commanded.

"My baby!" Annie screamed as her front collapsed and tears began to fall down her cheek. "I had a baby- Severin's baby- and I held the hope of being a mother! It- it- it was the most amazing, most wonderful, most special thing that I could ever imagine or hope for, and that bastard Giovanni took it all away!"

James looked at his nemesis. "Took it away?" he whispered in shock.

"He stole my baby. My daughter. To raise as the perfect Rocket." Annie said between sobs. Her voice cleared, then came in a raw, acidic bitterness. "That son of a bitch had my life, and it wasn't enough. He wanted my child's life as well."

"I don't believe you." Jessie said coldly. It was a half-truth. Part of her believed, part of her didn't.

Annie looked at her, and dropped to her knees. Again, her hand reached passively for the gun and pressed it against her head. "Then do it." She whispered.

The .45 trembled against Annie's head as Jessie's face scowled, then relaxed, then tightened again, then finally relaxed resignedly. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" Jessie muttered as she lowered the gun. "You aren't lying, are you?" she asked grudgingly.

Annie shook her head, confirming that she was not lying. Jessie threw Virginia's gun onto the couch in frustration. The Black Rocket warily extended her hand to help her enemy to her feet. Annie rose from the ground, and Jessie pulled her close. "Know this. If you give me even the slightest reason to doubt you, I will kill you with my bare hands."

Annie looked at Jessie with respect. "I don't doubt it." She replied softly.

"Where do we begin?" James asked.

"Right at the top." Annie said as she sat down on their couch. At that moment, a small figure walked out of the bedroom with a yawn. Meowth was just waking from a catnap, and he rubbed his eyes sleepily before they came into full focus. When they did, he leapt back with surprise. "Masterson!" he yelped. That was when he realized that Jessie and James were sitting calmly with their enemy. "Uhhh… Okay, guys, what the heck did I miss?"

As she had said, Annie started at the top- her child with Severin, a name that still made Jessie cringe. Next came the way she had found and trusted Ian Loomis, the way the whole delivery had been an elaborate front for the grab, Giovanni's plans for the baby, the assassins who had been waiting for her, and finally the betrayal of Butch and Cassidy.

"Hardly surprising, knowing them." James said dully.

"I suppose." Annie agreed. They always had been putrid little backbiters, after all.

"I always knew Giovanni was a bastard. I never knew he could sink this low." Jessie growled, without a hint of satisfaction at Annie's current state of affairs.

"But what can we do?" Meowth asked.

Annie looked up cautiously. "A Red would be able to find out where the baby is." She said quietly.

James looked at her. "Michael." He replied.

Annie nodded. "Would he- would Michael help me?" There was a quiet pleading in her voice.

"Not for us to say." Jessie answered. "All we can do is contact him and ask."

"Meowth and I will get him from Headquarters tonight." James volunteered. "He has tomorrow off of duty, anyway."

"Uh, Jimmy… What about… you know…" Meowth began, glancing at Annie. He pointed a claw outward. "Bang, bang, bang?" he finished without a hint of subtlety.

Annie looked at the Pokemon. "You don't trust me." She said.

Meowth sweat dropped as she looked down at him. "Uh…"

"I don't blame you." Annie finished. She passed her own .45 to Jessie, and Virginia's to James. "You have all my weapons. Jessie can keep that one, and James, you keep that one. Better?" she asked Meowth somewhat grudgingly, though she knew she was only enduring the reputation that she herself had built.

"Sorry." Meowth replied. "It's just dat…"

"Help me," Annie interrupted, "and I swear that none of you will ever be a target of mine again."

Jessie looked at Annie's eyes, and passed the .45 back to her. Annie accepted the weapon with surprise. "You're a better shot if there's trouble." Jessie explained softly. The four looked at each other, and realized that the past was fading more with each passing second.

CHAPTER TEN: PROJECT CONQUEST