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Love is Strong	By : harry102 Category: +M through R > New Adventures of Jonny Quest, The Views: 8127 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Jonny Quest, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Jonny doesn’t think that he fully breathed again, or had a rationale thought, until he was strapped into a plane seat and on his way home. The moment that Jessie walked away from him was the moment that his mind and body went on autopilot. He knew if he allowed himself to feel everything their conversation made him want to feel that he’d become unfocused.

As much as he loves her, and as much as he wants to work things out, he can’t afford to become any more sidetracked. He can’t even afford to be around her anymore. Everytime they’re together, an emotional explosion occurs and he becomes distracted. Jessie owns his heart, but his mother is depending on him now, and he can’t turn his back on her. He won’t, and he won’t put Jessie in danger by telling her, no matter how much it costs him.

‘What if she’s not alive and you still lose Jess,’ he thought for the thousandth time.

‘I never had Jess,’ he thought back. “And my mother is alive,” he whispered to himself for the first time, feeling his heart speed up a mile a minute at hearing those words out loud.

‘OK,’ he thought. ‘Dwelling on that subject is not a good idea either.’ At that thought, he buzzed the flight attendant in the hopes of finding a way to occupy his mind. If he couldn’t, then he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise to Jade. He promised that he wouldn’t do anything rash, but he’s also quickly losing patience. He’s a man of action and always has been. Most of the time that’s the only way he knows how to escape the damage that his mind is capable of inflicting if he sits still for too long.

“Sir, how can I help you?” a beautiful flight attendant interrupted his thoughts. She was staring down at him with a big smile.

“I need a distraction,” he told her.

“A distraction from what?” she asked, which surprised him a little because he had just expected her to ask what type of distraction he’d like. Music, pillow, ect…

“From life,” he told her honestly.

“So, are you currently running away from something or running towards something?” she continued, taking a seat across the aisle from him.

“Both to tell you the truth,” he started. “My life’s a little crazy, but I always find a way to take things to the next level,” he chuckled morosely.

“Well, I’m a good listener if you need to talk,” she told him, brushing his shoulder lightly.

“I’ll be fine,” he told her, becoming uncomfortable with her forwardness. “Besides, I wouldn’t wanna monopolize your time. I’m sure the other passengers wouldn’t appreciate it,” he finished.

“Ok,” she said, standing back up. “But I’m just a buzz away if you want me Mr. Quest.”

It took him a second to process what she had said, but not long to realize the reason. ‘Mr. Quest,’ he thought. ‘That sounds weird.’

What he really wanted to do was talk with Jade. He knew, however, that it was still too early for that. He’d call when he landed, and hopefully catch up with her before she got to Grobin’s house. Now all he had to do was figure out how to occupy his mind for the next two hours.

With that, he buzzed the flight attendant again.

“I’m glad you came to your senses,” she smiled confidently.

She was beautiful, but he couldn’t do it. “Uh…,” he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Do you have a crossword book or anything?” he asked, avoiding eye contact.

“Sure,” she said in an annoyed tone, pulling a book from the back of another seat and dropping it into his lap unceremoniously.

“Thanks,” he told her.

“Yep,” she called over her should as she walked away.

“Jesus,” he breathed, opening up the book.

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Two very long hours later, an exhausted young man hailed a cab from just outside the airport. The lack of sleep and compounding stress of the last few days were catching up with him hard. He knows that he needs a good nights sleep, but he can’t justify taking a break or indulging himself in any way while his mother is still being held captive.

He feels guilty now for even considering going to D.C. tonight instead of staking out with Jade, and he doesn’t feel guilty just because things turned out so badly. He put Jessie before his mother, plain and simple. He can’t let that happen again, no matter how natural that impulse may come or how tempting it may be. The only problem is that he feels all over the place right now and, even though she’s a major contributor to his current state of mind, Jessie’s still the only person he wants to talk to. Just being with her would put his mind at ease a little.

‘Well, if she didn’t talk anyway,’ he suddenly thought and then laughed to himself, knowing that would never happen.

Once the cab driver had them on their way for a while, Jonny turned on his cell to call Jade and had no less than three voice mails waiting for him. He chose to ignore them for the moment, however, to keep a clear mind while making this call.

“Hey,” she answered in an exasperated tone. “I don’t have anything to report. I haven’t even gotten out there yet. Are you…”

“Good,” he interrupted. “I’m back in Rockport. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Jonny, just let me handle this on my own tonight. I lose valuable time if I have to wait for you, and you’re the one who wants this taken care of as quickly as possible. We can’t afford to waste time,” she reasoned.

“I don’t want you to wait for me,” he started. “I’ll meet you out there. I remember how to get there. I just wanted to warn you that I’m on my way.”

“And what if Grobin has his men farther out on the perimeter tonight, huh?” she asked.

“When are you gonna stop treating me like a child?” he asked angrily. “For the thousandth time, I can take care of myself. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he finished, hanging up the phone before she could respond.

He feels bad making things harder on Jade and taking his frustrations out on her, considering that she’s going out of her way to help him, but he needs to be involved in every aspect of this. It can’t go wrong a second time, and he won’t screw up. He knows that he has a reputation for impulsive behavior, but he always comes through when it counts, and the root of his impulsive behavior usually stems from the fear that Jessie is in trouble. As long as he knows she’s safe, he shouldn’t have any problem keeping a clear head.

‘And I will keep her safe,’ he thought with a sudden wave of protectiveness and a little anger towards his father. ‘I’ll never let anything happen to her. I’d die first.’

He’s never blamed his father once for the loss of his mother, but it’s hard not to be a little angry. He can’t help but think that, if positions were reversed, he would know. He would know Jessie was still alive. He’d feel it. He doesn’t let those thoughts consume him for long, however, because he knows they’re unfair. No one in the world can question his father’s love for his mother. Him least of all. He just wants to bring his parents back to each other, and he doesn’t want history to repeat.

“Take a left here,” he directed the cabbie, as he bit the bullet and began to check his messages.

The first voice mail was from Jessie. He almost deleted it without even listening, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“Hey, Jonny listen. I’m sorry for the way that I acted tonight. I was…I don’t even know. Just please call me when you get this. And…ok…I know I promised that I wasn’t gonna bother you about this anymore, but please…please…call me if you are in trouble, or call my Dad. Just don’t get yourself hurt. I need you to be ok, alright? Bye”

Next message sent 10:57 P.M.

“Jonny, it’s Hadji. Just wanted to make sure everything was ok. I didn’t get a chance to catch up with you tonight. I’ll be up late if you wanna talk. Otherwise, I’ll look forward to catching up tomorrow.”

Next message sent 11:24 P.M

“Jonny, it’s you father. Call me when you land.”

End of messages.

‘Shit, my dad sounded pissed,’ he thought, as he dialed his father’s number.

“Where are you?” his father answered in an angry voice.

“I’m on my way home. I’ll be there in a few minutes. What’s the big deal?” he asked.

“You should have asked me before leaving,” he yelled.

“Would you have said yes?” Jonny asked.

“Absolutely not," his father answered.

“I know,” Jonny told him. “That’s why I didn’t ask.”

“Jonathan, what has gotten into you lately? I want an answer now,” he demanded.

“Pop,” he started.

“NOW,” he ordered.

“I didn’t want to go in the first place,” he yelled back. “I don’t like those things. I hate how people suck up to you, and I hate being paraded around like an idiot. I’m sorry.”

“Well, that explains why you left the party,” his father said. “Now do you wanna tell me what possessed you to leave the state? Without letting any of us know? Race is around for a REASON Jonny. How could you be so careless?”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized half-heartedly

“Sorry isn’t good enough this time. BE at home tomorrow when we get there. You and I will be having a long talk,” his father finished.

“I’ll be there,” Jonny told him and then heard the phone click.

“Fuck,” he whispered, leaning his head against the cool windowto rest his eyes for a moment when he felt the car come to a stop.

“Fifty dollars,” he then heard from the cabbie, who got out of the car to retrieve his bag.

“Thanks. Keep the change,” Jonny told him, and then approached the main gate to obtain access to the Compound.

“Please present code,” IRIS asked once he was within five feet of the gate.

“Jonny. Alpha. 27. 54. Jagger,” he spoke into the system.

“Correct,” IRIS responded. “Present eye for retina identification.”

Jonny did so quickly and was heading up the long road to the Compound moments later. While walking, he passed the tree that he and Jessie used to play under for hours when they were little and he couldn’t help but smile. It’s been quite a while since he’s had to walk up this road. Stopping by the tree, he pulled out his phone and typed in a quick message:

I’m fine, and I’m sorry too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Ace

He didn’t think it was a good idea to talk to her right now, but he didn’t want her going to bed thinking he was angry either. With that, he started at a sprint toward the house. He wanted to get to Jade as quickly as possible.

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I’m fine, and I’m sorry too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Ace

Jessie felt a lot better after reading his message. She’s still mad at herself for not telling him how she feels, but is at least happy that Hadji talked some sense into her. He was right.

‘Jonny deserves to know,’ she thought. ‘And I need to know how he feels either way.’

Deep in her heart she finds it hard to believe that he would kiss her like he has for the last few days and give her his mother’s locket, if he didn’t care for her too, but there’s always that little doubt in that back of her mind that screams:

‘He’s a teenaged boy. He’ll make out with almost anything’ or ‘Maybe the locket really was just a meaningful gift between great friends.’

Even if her insecurities prove to be true, however,she needs to take the chance. She’s tried to forget this man, but has failed miserably. It’s the only thing she’s ever failed at.

‘Hopefully, that’s a good thing,’ she smiled to herself, feeling a little giddy with the knowledge that she was gonna tell him. She doesn’t even care about Jordan or her mom anymore. She’s made her feelings to them clear, so she’s not gonna feel bad or walk on egg shells anymore.

She was thinking abouthow she was gonna tellhim when she heard a knock on the door. She was very tempted to just ignore the sound, afraid that it was Jordan or her mom, but got up anyway.

Relief filled her, at least slightly, when she looked through the peep hole and saw her father.

“Hey Daddy,” she greeted, as he walked into her room.

“What’s going on, sweetie?” he asked without hesitation.

She took a deep breath before answering and they both took a seat on her bed.

“I screwed up tonight, but I’m gonna make it right tomorrow,” she told him.

“What happened?” he asked.

“I just…I haven’t been myself lately,” she admitted. “I’ve been allowing my emotions to control my actions, but I’m done now, so you don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

“Do you wanna elaborate?” he asked.

“Not really,” she confided. “Look, I’m ok now. I’m done with this Jordan charade, no matter what mom does, and…and I’m gonna tell Jonny how I feel,” she finished and then looked away. “I really need to,” she added, looking back.

“Wow,” her father responded. “That’s a big step. Are you sure that’s…”

“Daddy,” she interrupted.

“No, right…right. I get it. This is good,” he sighed. “It’s good.”

“Are you being supportive or just trying to convince yourself,” she smiled. It was weird to watch the most cool and collected man in the world get all nervous and tongue tied.

“You’re my baby,” he said matter-of-factly. “You’re still my little girl. I know I’m lucky that you’ve chosen a good guy and I know I’ve been preparing myself for this, but it’s still hard. I like being the most important guy in your life, and it’s much easier to pretend that I still am when you and Jonny are still just best friends,” he smiled a little sadly.

“Dad,” she started, but he put a hand up to stop her and patted his cheek with his finger.

“Just give me a kiss Ponchita,” he said.

“I love you,” she told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek and a big hug.

“I love you too,” he responded, holding on a little longer than normal.

“So, how much do you love me?” she suddenly asked.

“Huh?” he responded in confusion.

“I’m gonna need you’re help so I can do this right. Will you help me?” she asked nervously.

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Jonny was changed and halfway out the door when Jade called him.

“I’m on my…,” he started, but couldn’t get out a full sentence.

“Something is wrong,” she interrupted in a loud whisper.

He stopped frozen at those words and felt his heart drop to the ground.

“What’s going on?” he asked anxiously.

“Can you get access to the satellite picture of Grobin’s house again?” she asked.

“Yes. Tell me why,” he demanded.

“The amount of men patrolling the grounds has increased considerably since last night. I want to know if he’s brought in more men, or if he’s just shifting the resources that he already has,” she told him.

“I’m on it,” he responded, running toward the lighthouse. “What do you think is going on?” he asked.

“It could be a number of things. I don’t wanna jump to conclusions” she sighed, not wanting to voice all of her thoughts for fear that he’d overreact.

“I know you have at least some ideas,” he told her a little out of breath. “So give.”

“It could be as simple as he’s just being careful and changing up his patterns for security reasons,” she breathed.

“Or it could be as complicated as…,” he pushed, needing to know what she was thinking.

“As he’s planning to make a move, or to move her, or maybe he suspects that he’s being watched. Maybe we’re both gonna regret not involving Race. No wait, I mean you’ll regret it because I already do,” she ranted, and then took a deep breath. “Jonny,” she started again slowly. “Do you trust my instincts?”

“Totally,” he admitted begrudgingly, making his way up the lighthouse stairs.

“Something’s not right,” she told him quietly.

“Maybe you should get outta there then,” he suggested, starting to get worried about her. He didn’t want her getting hurt trying to help him.

“I’m probably just being paranoid,” she backtracked. “But I would feel better if you just continued to monitor the situation from where you are, AND BEFORE YOU START YELLING,” she said louder than she should have in order to cut off his protests. “I’m suggesting this as much for strategy and for my safety as for yours. Not only will you be safer there, but you’ll be able to watch my back and have a bird’s eye view of everything going on. You should be able to get a better idea than me of their patrolling patterns, overall. I’ve only been observing the east entrance, which we will be using to get in, but it’ll be very helpful to know where all those men are when they’re not guarding our entrance and exit point,” she finished.

“Ok,” he conceded.

“That was too easy. What’s the catch?” she asked, caught off guard by his answer.

“You’re right,” he sighed. “Look, I may be emotional about all of this, but that doesn’t mean I’m not rationale and realistic too. The stake-out is important, but it doesn’t really require two people. Besides, this is important too. I only have an issue with doing nothing. I can’t do nothing when my mother’s life is at stake. I’ll stay here and give you a call if anyone gets within two hundred feet,” he agreed.

“Sounds like a good plan,” she said with relief.

“You’ll drop by once you’re done to go over everything?” he confirmed.

“Absolutely. We’ll regroup in a couple of hours,” she promised.

“Ok, everyone is still in D.C., so feel free to come up to the house. Take care of yourself,” he told her.

“Will do,” she promised again.

“Bye,” he whispered, hanging up and sitting in front of his father’s computer to get comfortable. This was gonna be a long night.

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‘No,’ she screamed in her mind when she heard the door open. That was her least favorite sound in the world behind the sound of the door locking.

“Sweetheart, are you still awake?” he asked. Just like every other night.

Then she felt the bed shift under his weight as he crawled in without showering or changing his clothes to cuddle up behind her. Just like every other night.

He smelled like expensive cologne and Cuban cigars. And he was breathing heavy into her ear from just having climbed all those stairs. Just like every other night.

So she just closed her eyes a little tighter and refused to make a sound, thinking, ‘I just have to get through one more day. Give me the strength for another day, Lord.’

Then a tear rolled down her face. Just like every other night.
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Love is Strong