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Love is Strong	By : harry102 Category: +M through R > New Adventures of Jonny Quest, The Views: 8124 -:- 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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It was 3:05 in the morning when Jonny noticed the figure in Jade’s position move. With the way she drives, he anticipates seeing her within the hour to discuss a game plan. He’s pretty excited too because the last two hours have proven to be very productive. Not only did he determine that Grobin has shifted his men as opposed to adding more, but he also figured out a way to download the live satellite feed he’s been watching to his PDA without experiencing interruption, which will increase their chances of success exponentially.

He was configuring his PDA about a half an hour later when he felt his phone vibrating against his hip.

“So I see you gave IRIS that facelift I suggested,” she greeted. “I’m impressed.”

“You couldn’t find a way in?” he joked. “Damn, I'm good.”

“Hey, give me a good night’s sleep and one hour. I’ll knock that smile right off your face,” she countered. “Oh and hey, let me in will ya,” she ordered. “I’m at the front gate.”

“I know, and you got ten seconds,” he informed her. “I’ll meet you halfway.”

Jonny then quickly made his way down the stairs and secured the lighthouse. He found her sitting under their tree, and felt like she was violating something sacred for a moment, but forgot that thought quickly when she began to talk.

“Any luck?” she asked.

“A lot actually,” he informed her, leaning against the tree next to her.

“Any conclusions?” he threw back.

“You first,” she told him.

“Ok,” he started. “It’s still only forty-eight bodies. He hasn’t added any men, so, if he keeps the new pattern of having the majority of his men outside, then we’ll be in luck. That’ll make it a lot easier for us to maneuver once inside. Plus, I’ve figured out how to download the satellite feed to my PDA without interruption. We should know where everyone is at all times,” he finished.

“No interruptions?” she questioned.

“Well, I’ll test it out tomorrow, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure,” he confirmed.

“Really?” she smiled, raising an eyebrow. “Impressive.”

“Thanks, and you’re not getting your hands on it no matter how much you help me,” he smiled back.

“Jonny,” she pouted.

“No,” he enforced. “No way, this is my father’s technology. Besides, I thought I didn’t owe you one,” he reminded her of their earlier conversation.

“Can’t blame me for trying,” she grinned.

“So…conclusions?” he prompted, trying to get her back on track. “You promised to think about it.”

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” she asked.

“Are you serious?” he breathed in disbelief, feeling his heat speed up at her suggestion.

“If your PDA test works out tomorrow, then I say no time like the present,” she told him. “That'll give us a major advantage, and I don’t wanna lose the element of surprise either. The longer we wait, the greater the chance Grobin will realize that he’s being watched, and I’m starting to get itchy. The last thing we need is for him to be on the defensive,” she sighed.

“Why are you itchy?” he asked, sinking to the ground with her following. He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Just a feeling,” she responded vaguely.

Jonny didn’t ask any more questions, knowing it was pointless, but trusting that her instincts were well formed.

“We’re gonna get her back,” Jade whispered, rubbing the back of his head lightly.

“I know,” he replied softly, and without much confidence. "You really believe it's her, right?" He needed to hear her say it again.

“I do," she confirmed with such confidence that it made him feel a little better. "Call me tomorrow, ok?” she asked, getting to her feet.

“I will,” he promised, watching her walk away.

Then he leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes to catch his breath. He suddenly felt more afraid then ever before, and was finding it difficult to move. He’s so scared that he’s gonna screw up somehow, and let everyone down.

‘Shit,’ he thought, putting his head down and breathing heavily. ‘I can’t do this again.’

She wanted to scream, and she wanted to rip that bitch’s hair out. The only problem was that she had no air in her lungs, and she was currently frozen in her tracks for the second time in one night.

‘What the fuck?’ she thought. ‘Why is Jade here so late when Jonny is the only one home?’

She felt a lump forming in her throat at that thought, but forced it down. She'd spent an hour trying to convince her father to let her fly home early. She knew that it’d suck for him to have to deal with her mother and Jordan the next day, but she really needed to talk to Jonny before she lost her nerve, and she needed to do it without the possibility of being interrupted.

Now she’s standing behind the bushes about twenty feet from the front gate of the Compound, which was her natural reaction upon seeing the gate open at almost four in the morning, and she’s watching Jade get into her black SUV.

Numb, but able to move a few minutes later, she then made her way through the front gate and up the path to the Compound. She didn’t know what she was gonna do now when she saw Jonny. Part of her wanted to go find him and shake all the answers she wanted right out of him, but the other part wanted to avoid him completely.

Unfortunately, her decision was made for her when she came upon him under their tree a moment later. Within two seconds of laying eyes on him, however, anger gave way to worry. He had his head between his knees like he was hyperventilating, and he was running his hands through his hair like he did when he was nervous.

She was walking towards him before she even realized that she was moving and, as soon as she was close enough, she sank to her knees in front of him and stilled both of his fidgeting hands with her own..

“What…hey…what are you doing here?” he asked in shock.

‘Shit. How long has she been here?” he thought simultaneously.

The guilty look that crossed his face didn’t escape her for a second, but she just continued to hold his hands and stare at him. She was willing him to talk.

“What are you doing here?” he asked again. “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah,” she responded, dropping his hands and wrapping her arms around her body to combat the minor chill she was feeling. “Everything is fine. I just…why was Jade here?” she suddenly asked, removing any pretense.

“Jess,” he said softly.

“Are you two…what were you doing?” she asked, making every effort to keep the waver out of her voice. She didn’t care if it wasn’t technically any of her business because they both knew it was.

At her question, he realized a new window had opened that he never would’ve considered before.

‘Does Jess think I could have something going on with Jade?’ he thought.

It was beyond tempting to go along with the idea. She’d get so mad that she wouldn’t even consider speaking to him again until well after everything was cleared up. It’d guarantee her safety, but he still couldn't do it, and mostly for selfish reasons. He knows how bad such a lie would hurt her. He doesn’t wanna do that to her, and he doesn’t wanna take the chance that she won’t forgive him for it. He also doesn’t wanna increase the risk of Race figuring everything out, which will triple when Jessie decides that she can’t trust Jade and goes to her father.

“Jonny, whatever’s going on,” she started, but then her breath hitched. “You can’t trust her. I don’t care what…you can’t…”

“Yes I can,” he interrupted.

“No, you don’t understand,” she started again.

“Yes…I…do,” he said with finality, making sure he had her eyes.

“Oh, my God,” she breathed. “What is it about her? She has you too…”

“No, she doesn’t,” he exclaimed. “She couldn’t,” he promised, gently grabbing her chin and making sure he had her eyes again. “Not ever.”

Relief coursed through her, but she was still confused as hell.

“It’s a really long story,” he whispered, surprising her. She hadn’t expected him to say anything else.

When she looked up, he had his head in his hands again.

“You don’t have to tell me,” she whispered back, feeling guilty for upsetting him.

“I can’t lose you,” he told her.

“You think you will if you tell me?” she asked.

“I think I risk it either way,” he sighed. “And that’s not really a risk I have any desire to take, which is why I’ve been avoiding this discussion,” he finished.

“You won’t lose me either way,” she told him firmly. “I promise you.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he warned.

“I wouldn’t. Not to you, and not when it’s so important,” she swore.

He hesitated so long that she thought he didn't believe her.

“Alright, but let’s go inside,” he said, standing and helping her up. “I don’t want you to get sick.”

He doubted his decision as soon as they reached the front door of the Compound, but he knew there was no turning back.

“Ok,” she said slowly, as they both took a seat on the couch. “What’s going on?”

“You’re gonna think I’m crazy,” he sighed, biting his lip and looking away.

“Just tell me,” she urged.

“Like I said,” he started. “It’s a really long story, and you’re gonna think I’m crazy, and you’re gonna have a lot of questions, and you’re probably gonna wanna hit me at some point, so it’d be for the best if you just let me talk without interruption for a few minutes. That way I can get it all out, and try to make you understand,” he breathed.

She nodded in agreement with a concerned look on her face, but grabbed hold of his hands again to let him know that she wasn’t going anywhere.

He began with a disbelieving laugh. “Ya know, I was actually sitting right here the moment it happened. It was a little over two years ago. You, dad, and Hadj were at that conference that Race and I managed to avoid. It was just us, so we…uh…we ordered pizza one night,” he faltered. “And I ended up answering Race’s phone because he was in the shower. I thought it was the pizza guy, only it wasn’t. It was Jade, and before I could even say ‘hello’ the words were out of her mouth,” he paused, and then looked down.

“What did she say?” Jessie asked, trying in vain to hide the disdain in her voice.

“Rachael Quest is alive,” he repeated slowly, picking his head back up to see her reaction.

“WHAT?” she screamed, never angrier in her life.

“That’s what I said too, but she had already hung up,” he continued. “So I went to meet her. She was less than thrilled to see me instead of Race to say the least, but I had to find out what was going on.”

“That bitch only said it to get my father to come,” she ranted. “Probably to trap him into helping her with something. Jesus, you didn’t help her did you? Is SHE the reason you were taken?” she asked, realization dawning at the timing. “And now she needs your help again? No, absolutely not. I will fucking kill her first…”

“JESS,” he yelled, catching her off guard. “I need you to just listen,” he then requested softly.

“Alright, I’m sorry,” she apologized in a broken voice. “You just don’t understand what it was like when you were gone, ok?”

“I’m sorry too,” he whispered, squeezing her hands, and letting himself think for a moment how he’d feel if he couldn’t find her for a week. He didn’t wanna go there, however.

“Look,” he continued gently. “I thought the same thing at first. I certainly didn’t believe that my mother was alive. I saw her die…I saw it. The memory is seared into my brain, and I still dream about it like it was yesterday…but Jade wasn’t messing around, Jess. She really believed that my mother was alive. No games. No angle. She just wanted to help,” he finished.

“You really believe that?” she asked in disgust.

“With every bone in my body,” he confirmed, and she pulled her hands away.

“You weren’t taken, were you?” she accused, shaking her head and already knowing the answer.

“No,” he whispered, and then continued quickly before she could go off. “I believed her Jess. Or…I at least believed that she believed herself. She was gonna tell Race. What if Race told my dad?”

“He would never have done that without proof,” she countered.

“YOU DON’T KNOW THAT,” he screamed, jumping off the couch. “YOU DON’T, AND YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND,” he breathed heavily, and then turned from her to look out the window.

She was too stunned to talk.

“You weren’t there, Jess. You see how he is about her now. Imagine how he was when it happened?” he challenged. “It totally wrecked him. I didn’t just lose my mom when she died. He’s never been the same. I couldn’t let him go through that again. I couldn’t go through that again. I couldn’t even risk it,” he paused. “So, I did the only thing that I could,” he went on. “I put on a stone face, and decided to take care of the situation. And I had to do it alone,” he told her. “I will never forgive myself for what I put you guys through, but I don’t regret it. And I assure you that I was punished for it,” he broke. “I thought…”

When he cut himself off mid-sentence her heart stopped.

“Jonny,” she whispered, coming up behind him and placing a hand on his back.

“I was in Paris,” he then added quickly, clearing his voice. “We were in Paris for a few days, and then we were in London. We…”

“Jonny,” she interrupted. “Did you really think she was alive?”

When he wouldn’t answer, she forced him to turn around. Tears were streaming down his face and it all fell into place for her. The reason he was so upset when she found him on the beach that day. Why he would never talk about it. The reason he was different. She wanted to rip Jade apart for being the catalyst to all this, but she was more concerned with making him feel better.

She didn’t know what to say. Nothing seemed appropriate, so she just wrapped her arms as tightly around him as possible.

Holding her made him feel better, but he knew that he still had a lot to tell her, so he pulled away and they both sat down in the window seat.

“So obviously I didn’t find her,” he laughed morosely without making eye contact, and wiping at her eyes. “We got into the house, and she looked like she could be her sister, but it wasn’t her. I felt like…I can’t even explain it. It was so awful.”

“Whose house?” she asked, trying to put it all together.

“Richard Hill,” he breathed. “More popularly known these days as Anton Grobin. My dad went to school with him. He’s…he’s the man who took her. I recognized him immediately,” he informed her, clenching his jaw tightly. “This guy is fucked up, and he hates my father. He’s also cautious as hell. I’ve never seen so much security for someone that’s not a president, and it’s only gotten worse,” he finished, rubbing his eyes.

“What do you mean it’s gotten worse?” she asked in an alarmed voice. “You know where he is?”

“Yes,” he whispered.

“Then why haven’t you called the police?” he questioned, afraid of what he was planning.

“Richard Hill no longer exists, Jess. He died in a freak motorcycle accident eleven years ago. At least that’s what all the records say,” he sighed. “This guy is real good. I’ve never been able to find anything on Hill or Grobin and, believe me, I’ve spent days looking. I can’t prove otherwise without getting Jade in trouble. Her sources aren’t exactly legit.”

“Fuck her. This man killed your mother,” she yelled, disbelief coursing through her.

“Jade was trying to help. I wasn’t gonna hang her out to dry. Even if I tried, do you think her source would come forward? It was pointless,” he sighed. “Besides,” he started again slowly. “I didn’t wanna deal with it, Jess. It was a dead issue. She was dead, and I couldn’t prove that he wasn’t. That was selfish of me, and I can even begin to explain to you how much I’m regretting that decision right now. All I can say is that I thought it was the best decision for everyone involved at the time.”

“So you just took it all on by yourself,” she whispered, grabbing his hands again. “You could’ve talked to me.”

“I knew you were there, but I couldn’t talk about it. I didn’t want to,” he scoffed. “It’s awful. I know that, but it was just easier to forget again. It’s hard to explain, and things keep changing on me, which doesn’t make it any easier,” he admitted.

“Just breathe and tell me,” she encouraged. “I won’t interrupt."

He stared out the window for a few minutes, breathing a little heavy and gathering his thoughts. He wanted to get all this out right.

“Ok, I think I told you the other night how I’ve always felt guilty because I pretty much act like my mother never existed. Maybe I was jut following my father’s lead because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do or what he needed, but I still did it. I do it,” he paused. “And I’m ashamed of myself. Along the way I got so used to not talking about her that I couldn’t even stand to hear her name. I got to a point where I just never wanted to think about it again, and I convinced myself that was for the best, which was pretty easy to do considering how my father handled everything. I mean, he’s never dealt with, so why should I?” he stopped with laugh that held no humor. “Then Jade comes along and turns my whole world upside down. I didn’t believe her at all, but I had to go along and prove to her that I was right. I couldn’t have her coming in and disrupting everything, but I also couldn’t ignore that ‘what if’ in the back of my mind. And that tiny ‘what if’ made me feel like the most selfish bastard alive because here I was pretending like she never existed when I should have been helping her escape if it were all true. Then we get to Paris and I see her, or whoever I saw. I still don’t know, but I thought it was her, Jess. And that guilt ate me alive for days because of what I’d done...just forgetting her like that," he breathed. Jade had to physically restrain me more than once. It felt like it took forever before we could finally get to her too because he moved her to London in the middle of everything. And then when we finally got into the house…it wasn’t her, and I was back to square one in a heartbeat. It felt like I had lost her all over again, and that’s why I was so upset when you first saw me on the beach that day. I couldn’t break down in front of Jade,” he paused. “But then I saw you...and you were upset...and I couldn’t handle it, but I also couldn’t talk about it. I just wanted things to go back to the way they were before I had picked up your father’s god damned phone, so I just…I forgot her again,” he broke with fresh tears pouring down his face, the stress of everything finally overwhelming him. “I’m such a dick, and I was so selfish. I just forgot. I left her there. I left her with that psycho because I was too blinded with my own feelings to think clearly,” he cried, breathing heavily.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, getting worried again.

“She’s alive,” he choked out.

“Jonny…”

“No, you have to listen. I know you hate Jade, and I understand why, but she does not have an agenda here, ok? There’s no doubt in my mind about that. She’s got nothing to gain from this. Why would she make it up?” he posed.

“To manipulate my father,” she immediately responded.

“Your dad’s not even involved though,” he reasoned. “He has no idea what’s going on. Jade’s never mentioned this to him.”

“Yeah, because he’d fucking kill her if he found out that she took you to Paris, put you in such a dangerous position, and filled your head with her lies,” she shot back.

“She’s not a bad person, Jess. Do you really believe that your father would let her anywhere near you, or any of us, if he thought that?” he asked. “She’s not that beautiful,” he clarified. “And I don’t know for sure that any of this is true now, but I do know that Jade believes it to be true, and I know even more that she wouldn’t have come back to me with all this again unless she was 1000x more confident. I doubted her a lot the first time around, but she convinced me. We spent a whole week together, and we got to know each other pretty well. I’m not saying I trust her, Jess. I’m saying that I trust her with this. I know that she would try to manipulate me if the right opportunity presented itself. I don't doubt that for a second, but if she was gonna manipulate me for any reason, she wouldn’t use my mother as the bait. I know that too. I know that she wouldn’t do that to me like I know you’d never hurt me on purpose. I know it with every breath I take. Please believe me,” he almost begged.

Jessie didn’t like being compared to Jade in any way, but she couldn’t turn away from him.

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” she whispered. “That’s all I care about. I don’t know what else to say, but I don’t trust, Jade."

“Trust me then,” he told her.

“I can’t believe this without physical proof,” she countered. She needed to stay rationale.

“Me too,” he agreed. “I don’t care if she’s an exact replica of my mother. I won’t let her near my father until we can do a DNA test.”

“What about you?” she asked quietly.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve been dealing with this for a while. Don’t worry, I’m not getting my hopes up,” he promised.

They both knew that was a lie, but Jessie wasn’t gonna argue with him. It’s obvious to her that he needs to see this through no matter what, so she’s gonna be there for him.

“I assume you have more than just Jade’s word to go by?” she then asked with a small smile, which she received in turn.

“Not much,” he sighed. “Mostly it’s just Jade’s word, but I trust it, Jess. She got into his London home again about eight months ago. She never believed that she was wrong about my mom, but was even more convinced when Grobin called her in for another job. She said there were multiple women there that looked like my mother...just walking around the house, and he called them all ‘Rachel.’

“Decoys,” she interjected.

“That was Jade’s thinking,” he continued. “She managed to get into the house again a few days later, and shadowed Grobin. She hung around all night, and then snuck into the room that he had spent the night in the next morning,” he breathed. “My mom was in there,” he smiled, and it totally broke her heart.

“She got a picture, Jess. If it’s not her, then it’s her twin. I really think it’s her,” he grinned.

“How,” Jess started, but he interrupted quickly.

“Because she didn’t scream, Jess. When Jade got in, she told her that she was gonna help her, and that she needed to take a picture,” he breathed. “She didn’t scream, and she didn’t alert the guards.”

“That doesn’t…”

“I know,” he interrupted again, not wanting to hear her say it. “But it’s something.”

“What if he’s using Jade?” she questioned. “What if this is a trap? If this guy is as good as you say then I’m sure he knows that Jade is connected to our family. He may be…,” but she didn’t finish her thought. She was officially scared.

“I have to take that chance. I have to know either way. I can’t live in this limbo,” he told her.

“I understand that, but we need to tell my father,” she urged.

“I already explained that,” he said in a dead voice, annoyed and not wanting to argue.

“My dad wouldn’t say anything to you’re your dad,” she assured.

“You don’t know that,” he replied.

“Jonny, there’s so much uncertainty here. This is dangerous,” she tried to convince him.

“I know,” he whispered. "That's why I didn’t want to tell you."

"Well," she began. "Whatever we end up deciding, I'm going with you."

"I know," he whispered again, closing his eyes as if in pain. That horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach was growing by the second.
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Love is Strong