~*~Part 1: The Uninvited~*~

It had to have been the dance. Had he not danced with her, it never would have come out quite as it did. Whether it would have been different for the better or for the worse, neither of them will know.

There had been much celebrating in the headquarters of the nefarious Team Rocket. They had been waging unofficial underground war between them and their rivals from the group known only as Section, and Team Rocket had come out victorious. There was to be one large celebration that night before the raid on Section the next morning, and it was decided that it was to be in the form of a formal, complete with gowns and tuxedos. This was actually decided since the majority of Team Rocket were teenagers, with the exception of their boss and a few of the senior members, and they were probably never going to see prom, or other formal events that "normal" teenagers got to attend. So why not have a formal of sorts that night? It was a good idea at the time, anyway…

Meanwhile, across town in the police station, one of the officers was sitting at her desk doodling on a memo pad. Her name was Jenny, as all of the officers were named through strange coincidence, and she was new to the force. She had not had her first major assignment yet, and she dreaded it, since that assignment could either make you or break you.

She looked up with a start as her name was called over the intercom. She walked to her superintendent’s office, trying to conceal her visible shaking. When she came out a few minutes later, she was both overjoyed and frightened at the same time. She had gotten her first assignment: Infiltrate the Team Rocket base, and come back with any information she could come across. She was to start that night. There was to be a large event that night, they had been informed, and she could probably get in without a problem.

Two hours later, Jenny was standing in front of her mirror, but no longer in her typical police uniform. She was in a long gown, evening gloves, and 4-inch stilettos. She felt over-costumed, but she had been assured that she looked fine. Her hair was in an elegant updo, and although her makeup was less than flawless, she decided it would have to do. She hurried outside, hailed a taxi, and told them where to drop her off, about a quarter-mile from the Rocket base. She would walk from there.

The formal was in full swing by the time the stranger got there. She sat in the back of the room at one of the tables by herself, and at first no one paid her any mind, until someone pointed her out to Cassidy. Being one of the higher-ranked members of Team Rocket, Cassidy had always found it a note of personal pride that she knew almost everyone there was to know. So when someone pointed out an apparently new member, she went over to introduce herself.

"Hello," Cassidy said. She received barely a nod from her ‘companion’. "I said, hello. It’s rude not to respond," she tried again. "Mmm…" was the only answer she got in return. "You not talkative, or what?" Cassidy asked.

"Hunh?" Jenny said. She had barely realized that anyone was talking to her; she had been busy scanning the room for the boss of this entire outfit. She had never seen him, but she had heard things about him, none of them good, and she wanted to avoid him as much as possible. Not to mention, if the boss saw her, her cover would be blown. "I’m sorry," she said, "I’ve just been thinking…"

"So I see," Cassidy said, smiling. "You’re new here, right?" Jenny said that she was. "First day as well?" Jenny nodded. Cassidy replied, "Well, let me congratulate you then. It’s not too easy to get in, you know."

"I’m sorry for the abrupt change in subject, but is your…I mean, our boss going to be here tonight?"

"Giovanni?" Cassidy said. "Of course he is. He just believes in being fashionably late…see, there he is now."

"Where?" Jenny asked, a little too alarmed-sounding. Cassidy laughed. "Don’t worry, he can’t get you for anything you did on the first day. If he did that, no one would make the first week! But if you need to know his exact location…he’s over there." She pointed in his direction, trying to be as indiscreet as possible.

Jenny’s gaze followed the direction that Cassidy was pointing in. The Rocket girl was indicating a tall man with dark hair and extremely dark eyes, not handsome in the traditional manner, but somewhat attractive in his own right. "So that’s Giovanni," she muttered a bit too loud.

"Of course it is," Cassidy said. "Who else did you think it was? He’s kind of hard to mistake for one of us."

Across the room, Giovanni was beginning to regret coming to this formal…thing. He couldn’t stand parties most of the time. At least they were playing decent music this time. Most of the Rockets kept out of his way, and he was somewhat grateful for that. He didn’t need to deal with any of these half-wit teenagers. And teenagers they all were, as most of the senior members had possessed the common sense to remain in their dorms.

He scanned the main hall, locating people and making mental notes about them. Jessie…hitting James over the head near the front of the room, still hasn’t turned anything in. James…being hit by Jessie and even worse at turning in Pokemon ((stupidity must be contagious)). Butch…right next to me, hasn’t gotten arrested in two weeks, must be a new record. Cassidy…where was Cassidy, anyhow? He turned to Butch.

"Butch. Where is your partner?"

"She was in the back with that new female recruit, if I remember correctly, Sir." Giovanni gave Butch a strange look, making him think he had done something wrong. "If she’s not there," he choked out, "I can find - " Giovanni held up a hand to silence him.

"Shut up, it’s not that," he snapped. "What new recruit?" Butch started to say something, but Giovanni stopped him again. "Just show me where this ‘recruit’ is." Butch pointed the girl out. She was staring at him. He caught her gaze and held it for a few seconds, before Cassidy grabbed her arm and started chattering on and on again.

Keeping his eyes on the girls in the back, he said, "Butch. Look at that girl with Cassidy. She is the recruit, right?" Butch nodded, afraid to speak. "In your mind, take the girl’s hair and put it in a ponytail. Modify the outfit a bit. What are you seeing?"
Butch nearly fell over. "Officer…Jenny…" he practically growled.

"Call my guards. Just don’t tell them to do anything until I indicate to do so, do you understand?" Giovanni said.

"Sir, you shouldn’t stay here," Butch said. "Do you want me to arrange for transport as well?"

"No," Giovanni answered. "I can take care of myself." Butch began to protest. "Do not tell me what I can and cannot do, Butch. Just go call some of my personal guards, but not enough to call attention. I’ll handle the rest." Butch nodded and walked out of the room. Giovanni, on the other hand, began to walk towards the girls in the back.

Jenny kept looking over to where Giovanni was talking to Butch. Cassidy had expressed some anxiety at the fact that her boss was talking to her partner and not looking at all pleased, but Jenny was even more nervous. She hadn’t liked the way Giovanni had been staring at her.

She saw him send Butch off somewhere, and hoped to herself that he was leaving. To her great distress, he did just the opposite, crossing the room and coming over to her table. It took a bit longer than it would have had he cut straight across the makeshift dance floor, but as he went clear around the room, it gave Jenny more time to be terrified. She wondered if he did such things on purpose.

Cassidy had also seen the way that Giovanni had been looking at Jenny, and was taking it to mean the complete opposite. "He was looking at you, I’m sure of it. And since you haven’t done anything, well, maybe he wants to talk to you or something! Don’t be nervous, and for crying out loud don’t stare at him, and if he yells at you don’t talk back. It’s never smart to do that. And if…" She cut off as Giovanni got within earshot.

Giovanni stopped next to their table and said, "Cassidy. I was looking for you. Butch told me you were in the back talking to someone; this bella I’m assuming.. Who are you?" he asked Jenny.

"I…well, you see, sir…I…" Jenny stammered. Giovanni was going to grab her and do something evil to her, she just knew it.

To her surprise, he just smiled slightly and said, "I see. If you’ll excuse us for a minute," he added, talking to Cassidy but staring at Jenny. He extended a hand to her. "If I may have the pleasure?"

Jenny froze. Cassidy elbowed her in the side and whispered, "Go, go…" Jenny took his hand and stood up slowly. He led her out onto the dance floor and put an arm around her waist.

Jessie, who had found her way to the back of the room, asked Cassidy, "Who’s he with?"

"How should I know? Some new recruit. Didn’t catch her name."

"Well, whoever it is, he’s getting pretty intense with her."

Cassidy looked up at the two of them on the floor. The song was slow, so he had pulled her close to him. He then tilted his head downward, almost as if he were…

"Good lord," Jessie said. "What’s he trying to do? He’s going to give her a hickey if he keeps that up."

As Giovanni had led her onto the dance floor, Jenny had thought things couldn’t get any worse. She was wrong. The instant the music started, it got worse.

He placed his arm around her waist, which was fine in itself. Then he pulled her very, very close, so that she was pressed firmly against him. She tried to pull back, but he held her there.

"They won’t shoot you if you’re this close to me," Giovanni whispered. "If I were in your position, I’d stay right where I was, Officer Jenny." He could feel her stiffen against him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Butch had returned with a few of Giovanni’s personal bodyguards. He tipped his head slightly, so that he was almost talking into her neck. The 4-inch-heels made this considerably easier.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her. No response. "If you don’t want to say it, fine," he continued. "But you have no business here."

"What are you doing, then? Why don’t you just let them have me? I’m sure everyone can see who I am, if it’s this obvious to you."

"I have a trained eye," Giovanni responded. "I have to; it comes with the territory. And I’m not letting them have you because you have enough courage to be here in the first place."

"Truth," Jenny demanded. "Do you think I was born yesterday? Why won’t you let them have me?"

Giovanni rolled his eyes. "No lying to the legal authorities. Fine. I won’t let them have you because although you won’t tell me so, I’m almost positive you’re here on a mission of some sort. And if you turn up missing after this mission, then there will be a lot of speculation. I can’t afford to have speculation. So I therefore can’t allow you to turn up missing."

"But if you let me go," Jenny said, "I could tell them where you are, who you are. I’m sure your public records still exist somewhere. They could track you down in - "

"I’m well aware of how fast they could track me down, bella, I know how you work. But if I let my bodyguards have you, you would be dead so fast you’d be halfway to heaven before you realized you had even been shot." Jenny thought that over. It was true, of course. When she said nothing, Giovanni added, "I have decided to let you go. This once, and only this once. I figure you are new to the job; if you weren’t you wouldn’t be here in the first place. I’m taking an extreme gamble letting you leave in the first place, but I figure I should take the least to two evils. I am warning you, however: If you ever come near this base or any other again, and you are found out, I will not hesitate to order you executed. Do you understand?" The music ended as Jenny nodded numbly. "Don’t look so frightened," Giovanni advised. "Just turn and walk out. Act like you own the place. I’ll take care of everything else." She nodded again, then broke away from him. He turned and walked back to his guards, and she went in the opposite direction, out the door, without looking back.

"Sir," Butch began, when Giovanni approached him, "what do you want us to do about the officer?"

"Leave her. It was my mistake; someone I overlooked." Butch just stared at his boss in disbelief. Giovanni always kept careful records of who came into the Team, and also of who left. Not to mention, his admitting to committing an error was a small miracle in itself. Giovanni noticed Butch’s odd look and said, "I’m still human, I’m entitled to a mistake once in a great while. Not as often as you seem to believe yourself to be," he added dryly. Butch just nodded in silence, and the guard dispersed.