PART 1:

"Bringggg-!" A shrill buzz sounded from Butch's alarm clock. His hand quickly shot out to hit the snooze button, then it swiftly moved to the back of the clock where he turned it off. He lay there motionless, barely daring to breathe for fear it would rouse his sleeping partner in the room next to his. Cassidy always was a light sleeper.

With the door cracked, Butch could hear her breathing, slow and even. The noise had not disturbed her. He breathed a sigh of relief and gazed at his clock, 2:45 am on the dot. He slowly climbed out of bed, mindful of the creaks, and got dressed in his black Team Rocket uniform. He walked in the bathroom and ran a comb through his hair which had been ruffled by sleep.

"Hmmm... vain till the end.." he thought sadly as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. It showed his eyes wide and paranoid, his body tense. But he paid no mind to this, as he pocketed the handgun he kept in his dresser drawer. He opened the door leading to Cassidy's room very slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. If she woke up, his mission would be blown.. and ..and.. he just couldn't think about what would happen then!

Across the room was the door that led to the main halls of Team Rocket headquarters. He slowly ventured past Cassidy's bed and her sleeping form nestled comfortably between her blankets. But he could not just leave without gazing at her longer..

"She looks just like an angel..." Butch thought, his eyes resting on her perfect face. Her hair. Her lips... ****The next thing he knew he had leaned over and was softly kissing her perfect lips with his own. ****Butch's heart ached with all the "if onlys" that came racing at him at once. He loved her. There was no other explanation for it.

Ever since he had met her, it was like they both shared some unexplainable bond. They'd been through many times together, good and bad, and he knew he could never hurt her, ever. She is the only one he trusted fully with his life.. and heart. What had started out to be a normal teenage crush had crossed the boundary into true love, but he must now reject the precious gift of her own love to save her....

He pulled away from the tender kiss and watched her long and hard. Did he wake her? No, she only rolled on her side in her sleep. He placed one final kiss on her cheek and faced the door, his heart heavy. "If only I had the chance to say good-bye.." was his final thought, as he silently closed the door behind him, and turned away to meet his fate....

Cassidy ran through the halls of Team Rocket Headquarters, stumbling over people in her path every few feet. She could hear someone calling her name in a frightened voice, but she only increased her speed. Nothing would deter her from the decision she had made. Nothing.

She spotted the doors to Giovanni's chamber and the large crowd quickly gathering in front of it. Cass slowed to a stop. The sea of Rocket personnel parted as the large double doors slowly opened, squeaking and groaning from strain every inch.

A single tear rolled down Cassidy's cheek while she watched in horror as two armed bodyguards walked down the aisle to the door. It wasn't them that touched her soul, but the prisoner between them. It was her partner, her Butch.

It was truly a pathetic sight indeed. His normally perfect green hair was in disarray as his soulful brown eyes peeked out beneath it. His hair partially covered up his bruised eyes and scraped face. He had his hands bound tightly in front of him and his head bowed, whether from shame or sorrow, Cassidy couldn't tell. He had his eyes closed tight, shutting out the reactions of the on-lookers.

Most jeered him, shouting obscenities and insults, while others just stood and silently watched him, proud of what he had tried to do, but too afraid for their own lives to admit it. Butch had tried to assassinate Giovanni, head of Team Rocket. But he had failed.

"Cassidy...." A small voice called out to her. She slowly turned to meet the frightened eyes of Mondo. Younger by Butch and Cass by a few years and newly recruited, Mondo had not been part of Team Rocket the last time treason had been committed. Cassidy greatly envied his innocence.

"Cassidy, what's going to happen?" Mondo asked in a halting voice, thick with emotion. He knew. He just clung to some faint, obscure hope that somehow everything would turn out alright. But he knew in his heart he was wrong. He gazed up at her face, wet with tears. He embraced her, trying to comfort her and himself at the same time.

As Cass looked down at the boy, holding him tight, her thoughts wandered to her own early days at Team Rocket. She was naive, and in no way aware of the vast evil brewing in the heart of Giovanni. The seriousness of the situation she had placed herself into was beyond her comprehension, until another Team Rocket member also made the mistake of betraying the Boss.

The woman was stripped of all rank and dignity, then brutally put to death with all of Team Rocket watching. It was then that Cassidy lost her innocence, all sense of what was right and wrong... everything was for the good of the Team. Even if it meant murdering innocent people who had done nothing to deserve it.

"Why..?" Cassidy thought bitterly, "Why did you have to play the hero, Butch?..." She shook her head sadly. She watched as the bodyguards led Butch inside of Giovanni's chamber, out of her range of vision. The sea of people followed by slowly filing in after them.

By this time, Mondo was sobbing on Cassidy's shoulder, his grief incredible. But Cassidy had it dead set in her mind what had to be done and pulled away from the broken-hearted boy. At this he hastily wiped his tears on his white Team Rocket uniform. His pet Ditto sat at his feet, its sad expression mirroring that of its master.

Suddenly a gloved hand came down on Cassidy's shoulder, causing her to jump. She spun around to see that the hand had belonged to James. Right behind him were his partners, Jessie and Meowth. "Sorry..." he mumbled with a sheepish look on his face. The trio had much sympathy in their eyes.

"We're so sorry about dis..." Meowth muttered sadly. "We know you guys were really close..." he trailed off, not knowing exactly what else to say. Cassidy's eyes grew wide and she began to tremble. Meowth had talked about Butch in the past tense, as if he was already dead.

Jessie looked on, her mind racing in a million directions at once. She stared at her rival, now left a broken mess by the events of the last twenty-four hours and before the day was over, her partner would be dead, killed by Giovanni's own hand, in front of everyone. Jessie could not even begin to imagine the pain, fear and confusion that Cassidy must be feeling. Even she knew that what Giovanni had asked of them was wrong, and she didn't blame Butch for doing what he had tried to do.

"If I had any guts, I would have pulled the trigger alongside him..." Jessie thought, lamented to herself. Despite all past disagreements, ***Jessie drew Cassidy into a warm embrace, and for a few brief moments the two former friends felt years of hate and conflict melt away.****

Hating to break up the tender moment, James spoke slowly. "Mondo.. we are under orders to attend the boss's meeting..." Cassidy grew stiff and pulled away from Jessie's hug. She turned about face and walked determinedly toward the two double doors where Rockets were finishing piling in.

"Stop Cass, please!" Cassidy heard Jessie frightened call, but she refused to turn back. She was almost there when she felt Jess's hand clamp down on her arm. "Cass, please.... don't do this! There has got to be a better way!" Cassidy turned slowly and looked into Jessie's eyes, large and scared.

But Cass only gave her an icy stare and said coldly, "There is no other way....." she started to turn back toward the door when she felt Jessie's tug once more. "Let go of me... I know what must be done!"

Mondo, James, and Meowth raced to where the two girls were bickering. "Please stop arguing you two!" Mondo pleaded, looking like he was going to start crying again. Cass in one motion, yanked her arm out of Jessie's grasp and ran for the door. Mondo's Ditto did a flying leap and tripped Cassidy, causing her body to skid across the floor until she came to a stop, several feet from the doors. She lay there flat on her back, with the others standing around her.

The Ditto climbed up on Cassidy's stomach as if to say "You aren't going anywhere!" Cassidy broke down into incoherent sobs, her body shaking, as the sentencing began in Giovanni's chamber. She couldn't get back up even if she tried... she was too overwhelmed by her complete feeling of helplessness.....

Giovanni's chamber was a vast auditorium with rows and rows of bleachers on three sides, surrounding a central point in the center. Next to the north wall sat Giovanni's massive chair, where he sat petting his persian with his free hand. The other shoulder was wrapped in a large blood-stained bandage.

Jessie and James, stood at his sides as his right hand men, a honor that they would have been delighted to enjoy... any other time. Both had dismal expressions on their faces, wishing they were ANYWHERE but here.

Mondo sat up in the bleachers near the end, so that he could make a quick escape if it became too much for him, which he knew that it most certainly would. His eyes wobbled as they filled with tears precariously threatening to spill. Even the sober Meowth in his lap could do nothing to comfort him.

A few feet in front of Giovanni's chair, Butch was on his hands and knees, his head drooping lower than ever, the bodyguards ever present beside him. Giovanni motioned to the one on his Butch's right and the guard responded by giving him a swift kick in the ribs.

Butch let out a low moan of pain and slumped forward, writhing in agony. Another snap of the Boss's fingers and the other bodyguard followed suit, leaving Butch lying there with his chest heaving, gasping for air. This exchange continued for several more minutes.

Mondo, Meowth, Jessie and James cringed more and more with every kick administered or cry of pain uttered from Butch. Jessie's eyes grew misty as she never watched him beg or cry out for mercy. Not even once.

Giovanni had an evil smirk pasted on his shadowed face. He was getting much enjoyment out of all the pain and humiliation that Butch was suffering. That would teach everyone to never betray the boss of Team Rocket ever again. He just kept signaling the guards for more kicks until....

Butch grew still and motionless. The crowd gasped and leaned forward to get a better look. Was the show over already? Giovanni himself leaned forward to get a better look himself. No, his chest was still moving slightly. With a flick of the wrist, Giovanni made another motion to the guards. This time they dragged Butch by the arms up Giovanni's feet.

"Well, have you had enough?" Giovanni asked mockingly in his distorted mechanical voice. Butch gave no answer. In one fluid motion, Giovanni ripped off the surcoat of Butch uniform leaving only his white t-shirt left. He then tossed it off into a dark corner of the auditorium. "You are not worthy to wear the Rocket uniform!" He shouted in Butch's face. Again, Butch was silent.

Giovanni held his outstretched hand to James, signaling him. James slightly hesitated, but had no choice. He reluctantly set a powerful handgun in the Boss's hand, sealing Butch's fate. James supposed that this was his punishment for this group's constant failure, by helping send Butch to his death.

Butch's eyes met James' own and he saw only immense sorrow and regret in his emerald eyes. Then he looked at Jessie to see her rapidly blinking back tears, but not succeeding. The whole time Butch had known her, he had never seen Jessie cry once.

The auditorium was completely silent except for the faint sobbing emitted from Mondo, and the cruel, harsh click as Giovanni cocked the gun. All time seemed to stop as he lowered the gun at point blank range to Butch's head.

The last several years of Butch's life passed quickly before his eyes.. meeting Cassidy for the first time, joining Team Rocket, having the Breeding Center scam fail and them being carted off to Jail. He remembered when he first fell in love with Cassidy, and right up to kissing her good-bye on the cheek the other night.. "God, I love her..."

Then he stiffened and prepared himself for death as he heard Giovanni's finger tighten on the trigger-

"STOP! HOLD IT!!!!!!" Everyone looked up startled as Cassidy threw open the double doors and everyone blinked at the bright light that came flooding in. The light was blinding everybody, but they could still hear her determined voice.

"No.. you're punishing the wrong person. It was me. I put Butch up to it. He only did what I told him to do... because he's my partner."

It was as if the whole auditorium let out a collective gasp. Cassidy had just thrown her life away, and what for what? Nothing, other then there would be two burials tonight rather then just one.

Giovanni leaned forward with an amused expression on his face, then motioned to the guards. Butch yelled out as they dragged him off to the side, away from Giovanni. He then watched in horror as two bodyguards descended on Cassidy, like a flock of Spearows circling their helpless prey.

"Cassidy! No!!" Butch screamed in sheer terror as he watched them drag her cruelly in front of Giovanni. "Don't listen to her! She's--" A bodyguard's hand clamped over Butch's mouth, silencing him.

Cassidy was thrown on her hands and knees in front of Giovanni, in a bowing position. The Boss lowered the barrel of the gun to Cassidy's head. He looked over , smiling at Butch, struggling in vain to escape the clutches of the bodyguards to save his love. This day just got better and better for him. Now Butch would suffer the ultimate pain.

Butch got his head free for a few split seconds to let out an agonized cry, "CASSIDYYYYYYYYY!"

***Giovanni looked in Cassidy's frightened eyes***, then said with no emotion at all, "Consider yourself discharged..."

Then the thick silence of the room was shattered as Giovanni pulled the trigger, than threw his head back in maniacal laughter........