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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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“Don’t make me laugh,” he hissed, as they huddled together in the laundry room by the kitchen and listened to his father yell. They were able to get there through the garage without being seen, but couldn’t go any farther until the kitchen was clear.

“Why has he been acting so irresponsible lately?” Dr. Quest sighed. “I mean, he’s always been the most reckless of the three by far, but this is getting ridiculous. He knows that he can’t just up and leave like that, and his attitude over the last few months has been unacceptable,” he steamed. “And why would you let Jessie follow suit?” he suddenly asked his long-time friend.

“She needed to talk to him,” Race said simply.

“What could they possibly need to discuss at three in the morning?” he exhaled back noisily.

“Benton,” Race started more patiently than he ever thought possible.

“What?” Benton interrupted and Race realized that the older man really had no idea.

“I’m sure he’ll be home soon and with a good explanation,” Race finished, deciding it was best to keep his mouth shut until he knew what was going on.

“I just wish he’d think before acting for once in his life,” Benton sighed.

“Jonny’s a good kid,” Race interjected.

“I know that,” Benton smiled, almost wistfully. “He really is, but I just wish he’d be more cautious. I couldn’t bare it if something happened to him.”

Jonny felt the air leave his lungs at his father’s admission and felt Jessie’s hand in his a moment later in response to his reaction.

“Nothing will,” Race replied with confidence. “He may be impulsive, but he can take care of himself and we are here to help him with the rest.”

“I know that too,” Benton sighed. “I’m gonna go get some rest,” he then changed gears. “You should, as well. You need it more than me.”

“I’ll catch a nap in a few minutes,” he promised. “Estella left an unintelligible message on my phone. Something about Jessie being irresponsible and leaving, so I should probably give her a call back,” he breathed reluctantly.

“Good luck,” Benton chuckled a little. “And please tell my son that I’m looking for him if you cross paths?”

“I will,” Race promised as Benton walked out the room. “Shit,” he then whispered to himself, leaning against the counter to call his ex-wife.

“I have to go now,” Jonny whispered, jumping up to get to Race before he could call Estella.

“Wait,” Jessie pleaded, grabbing his arm. “I…um,” she stuttered and then received a soft kiss.

“No worries,” he said quietly into her ear and then made his way into the kitchen. “Race,” he called out to stop the phone call.

“Hey man,” Race replied a little surprised, flipping his phone shut. “You’re father was…”

“Yeah I know,” Jonny interrupted. “I was hoping to talk to you first though,” he asked a little nervously.

“Everything alright?” Race wanted to know.

“Can we go for a walk?” he then asked, afraid that his father would walk back in at any moment.

“Let’s go,” Race agreed, leading the way quietly down to the beach so they wouldn’t be interrupted. “What’s going on?” he asked the moment their feet hit the sand.

“A lot,” Jonny breathed out, suddenly hit by a wave of emotion. He was about to tell the man that he’s idolized for as long as he can remember that he’s in love with his little girl, and that they had acted on that love…multiple times. Well, maybe he’d leave the multiple part out. What if Race didn’t really think he was good enough? Or what if he thought less of him for not stating his intentions before things went to another level. In any case, he found himself praying that the older man would have an entirely uncharacteristic reaction because he couldn’t bare the thought of losing another parent, or even majorly disappointing one, at the moment.

“Jonny?” Race encouraged. “You can talk to me, kid.”

“I don’t feel like a kid anymore,” he smiled, but it didn’t go to his eyes.

“You’re certainly not,” Race sighed, getting a little concerned. Perhaps things hadn’t worked out the way he thought they would between Jonny and his daughter. The kid seemed nervous, which Race would’ve expected, if this conversation was going to be what he expected, but he also seemed sad. “Why are you upset?”

“I just feel outta my element,” Jonny replied quickly. “There’s a lot on my mind and I’m unsure of how to handle certain things, which freaks me out. I just don’t wanna let anyone down, and I know my father is concerned…” he paused.

“Just tell me what I can do to help,” Race offered, and this time Jonny smiled genuinely.

“What I need is too selfish to ask for,” Jonny said slowly.

“Try me,” Race countered, taking a seat on the beach and admiring the view for a moment. “What do you need?”

“I just need you to understand,” Jonny sighed, sitting down beside Race, and wrapping his arms around his legs.

“Understand what?” Race asked quickly, but patiently, and waited for a response.

“How much I need your daughter,” Jonny practically whispered and his breath hitched.

“Need her for what?” Race asked calmly.

“Only everything,” Jonny breathed, fidgeting with his hands and then finally looking Race in the eye.

“Have you told her this?” Race asked a little bemused.

“Early this morning,” Jonny admitted with confusion.

“Then what’s the problem?” Race laughed.

“Well, I …uh,” he scratched the back of his head and then let out a long breath, only to hear more laughter at his side. “I…um…just thought…there would be some sort of…interrogation,” Jonny said slowly.

“What the hell do you think the last twelve years have been,” Race grinned.

“So you’re ok with this?” Jonny asked, still cautious.

“The only thing that would make me happier is a convent,” Race sighed.

“What?” Jonny laughed awkwardly at the backhanded compliment.

“Look,” Race started. “This is by no means easy for me, but there is no other man in this world, not even Hadji,” he paused. “…that I could give her up to…just you,” he paused again, and Jonny thought he sounded chocked up for a second. “…because I know you see how special she is, just as clearly as I do, and I know you’d do anything for her,” Race breathed.

“I would,” Jonny replied solemnly.

“I know,” Race said seriously, looking him right in the eye. “I trust you.”

“You have no idea how much that means to me,” Jonny half smiled.

“Then why do you still look like you’re gonna puke,” Race grinned.

“Because I know why Estella is pissed,” he sighed.

“Don’t listen to her crap, ok?” Race started a little heatedly. “She’s been out of line the entire time she’s been here…and don’t take anything she says to heart,” he finished a bit calmer.

“I don’t,” Jonny said emphatically. “Well, not anymore. Believe me,” he rolled his eyes. “…but she’s pissed nonetheless, and I just wanna minimize the fallout as much as possible so Jess doesn’t get ambushed.”

“Agreed,” Race started, but was quickly interrupted.

“…which is why I wanna tell you why she was calling, so you hear it from me first,” he paused.

“What is it?” Race urged a little nervous.

“Jessie and I slept together last night…this morning…after you left,” he breathed. “We talked and then…,” he stopped, his heart never beating faster, save for the moment he was about to make love to her for the first time.

“I love her so much,” he whispered a minute later, still waiting for any reaction.

“And Estella walked in…,” Race shook his head in disbelief.

“No, but she figured it out,” Jonny corrected.

“Would you have told me if she hadn’t,” Race then asked a little tightly. He didn’t wanna be angry, but was finding it hard to control his emotions. He wasn’t prepared for this, even if he should have been…and he was mad, even if he was being a complete hypocrite.

“No,” Jonny replied honestly, and Race turned to him in shock.

“I’m sorry, but it’s no one’s business,” he said evenly. “We deserve a little privacy, but I just wanted to be completely honest with you since we’re not gonna get that. I want you to know that I have every intention of devoting my entire life to her and a life with her. I want you to know that she means everything to me and that we did discuss it. We weren't irresponsible.”

“Thank you for being honest,” Race said through gritted teeth and then stood up to head back to the house.

“Race,” he called out slowly.

“Just,” Race started, putting a hand in the air. “I’m sorry, but I need some time with this. I’m just a little…you should probably steer clear for a few days,” he said in almost a haze, leaving Jonny feeling like he just got punched in the face.

“That could’ve been worse,” he then whispered to himself, but he still couldn’t shake that gnawing feeling inside of him that Race would never look at him the same way. He wasn’t sorry. He would never regret it for a second. He was just sad. He knew that Jess was probably waiting patiently for his return, but decided that he needed to clear his head with a run against the wind and crashing waves first. He didn’t wanna increase her burden.

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Jessie watched from her window as the two men she loved most in the world discussed her. She knew that her father was pretty much in the loop on both their feelings, as well as, the fact that they were more than mature enough to handle a sexual relationship, but she was still holding her breath as she watched them, petrified that her father would do or say something to hurt Jonny.

It seemed to be going well, but when she saw her father heading back to the house with Jonny still on the beach, she wasn’t sure which one to go to first. Ultimately, she decided that her father was the best bet. If he was pissed, then she needed to do some damage control. She was the only one that could ever calm him down when he was being unreasonable. However, her heart one out and she decided to go after Jonny instead.

She was pretty sure everyone was in bed after the early flight back, but ran down the back steps and around the house anyway to avoid running into anyone, especially her father.

When she got down to the beach, she noticed his tracks and began running in the same direction. It took forty-five minutes before she was able to catch sight of him, sitting in the distance against a sand dune. She slowed her pace then to think about what she was gonna say to him. Clearly, it hadn’t gone as well with her father as she had hoped, unless he was just getting anxious because of his mother.

He smiled as he saw her approaching and that warmed her soul.

“Hey,” she smiled back, taking a seat beside him and playing with his hair. “So…”

“Well, it went better than expected,” he grinned, but she knew he was just trying to protect her.

“Tell me,” she whispered, wrapping herself in his arms without waiting for an invitation.

“I like this,” he sighed, settling back against the dune. “It’s only been mine for a few hours, but I don’t know how I could ever live without it again.”

“It was always yours, Hotshot,” she hugged in response. “…but don’t try and change the subject.”

“It went better than expected,” he repeated. “Actually, it was going REALLY well until the ‘we slept together part.’ He just looked so disappointed when I told him,” Jonny finished quietly, stroking her hair.

“I’m sure it was shock. Not disappointment,” she encouraged. “My dad is not naïve. He knows in his head that there’s nothing wrong with this, but he can’t separate the fact that I’ll always be his little girl from the fact that I’m actually quite grown up. He needs to realize I’m both.”

“It just sucks,” he breathed. “The whole thing would’ve been perfect if we were able to keep a bit of privacy. He was happy,” Jonny smiled. “He told me that he trusted me to take care of you. He said I was the only one he trusted,” he sighed. “I just wish…it doesn’t matter.”

“What did he say when you told him?” she asked quietly.

“Not much,” he whispered.

“You’re holding something back,” she knew and felt him take a deep breath.

“He just told me to stay away from him for a few days,” he told her and it hurt just as much coming from his mouth.

“What?” she demanded.

“He just needs to cool off,” Jonny defended. “I’m sure that’s not a conversation any father wants to have with his daughter’s boyfriend, so I understand.”

“You’re more than just my boyfriend in this equation,” she said sadly, sitting up.

“I know, which is why it hurts a little,” he replied. “…but I have to believe he’ll get over it. I mean, he wanted us together, so this had to have crossed his mind before. It’s not like it’s coming out of left field.”

“You’re much calmer and more rationale about this than I would have expected,” she smiled, running a hand down his chest.

“Well, taking a long run to clear my head does wonders for my sensibility,” he laughed, pulling her back down to him. He knew it would take a while before things were back to normal between him and Race, but also knew they’d work it out eventually. Besides, he had bigger worries at the moment. “I’m still confident that this year has the potential to be the best Christmas ever,” he whispered. “…despite this oddly warm weather,” he added with a small chuckle.

“I hope so,” she breathed, closing her eyes for a minute, happy to ignore all the obstacles that they had yet to face to achieve that goal. “I love you so much it hurts,” she then whispered, placing a soft kiss on his neck and allowing her lips to linger long enough to be met by his a moment later when he shifted his position. They kissed lazily for a few minutes, neither attempting to deepen the embrace. Then Jonny placed his hand on the side of her face and her mouth opened to his. Things quickly turned heated, and it blew his mind how his emotions could change in a heartbeat of kissing her. He pulled back before things could get outta hand, however.

“My resistance for you is non-existent, so…”

“Good,” she interrupted, cutting him off with another searing kiss and placing a leg between his to tease him a little.

“Jess,” he warned. It wasn’t convincing, but she knew he was right.

“I know,” she breathed heavily. “You’re right,” she conceded, rolling away from him.

“God I want to though,” he sighed.

“Me too,” she giggled, curling up to him again. “Tonight,” she then whispered. “I fall asleep in your arms tonight,” she said slowly, wanting to remind him of the promise he had made earlier.

“I want that too,” he replied quietly. “Can we just lay here for a while?” he then asked.

“As long as you want,” she agreed, holding on to him like her life depended on it.

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“Stel…just calm down,” Race pleaded.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she yelled.

“There’s no point in getting worked up about it though. It’s done,” he sighed. “Just let it go.”

“I can’t,” she screamed.

“Then you’re gonna lose her,” Race whispered.

“What?” Estella asked in a shocked tone.

“She’s an adult and she’s already older than we ever were,” he said slowly. “…and you can say what you want about it now, but no one could keep us apart back then once we decided that we wanted to be together.”

“She’s…,” Estella started.

“Old enough to make her own decisions,” Race finished. “…and old enough to make her own mistakes.”

“So you at least agree this is a mistake,” Estella reached.

“No,” Race replied. “But since you do, I’m informing you that it’s her right.”

“I shoulda never left her with you,” Estella hissed, and then Race heard the dial tone.

“Merry Christmas to you too,” he whispered, lying back against his bed to catch a few hours. He was exhausted in every way.

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“I need to go talk to my dad,” Jonny whispered about an hour later.

“Let’s head on back then,” she smiled, intending to do the same.

“We can walk slowly though,” he grinned, grabbing a hold of her hand.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she grinned right back.

When they reached the house, Jonny kissed her goodbye quickly and then made his way up to his father’s room. Jessie told Jonny she was gonna watch some TV, but as soon as he was out of sight, she headed straight for her father’s suite.

She knocked softly when she got there, but just walked in a moment later when she got no response.

“Daddy,” she breathed lightly, approaching him slowly and sitting on his bed. “Can we talk?” she asked as he focused on her.

“Not right now sweetie,” he sighed.

“No,” she cut in. “We need to,” she said with finality and he sat up with a bit of a grunt.

“Sometimes you remind me too much of your mother,” he mumbled.

“Dad,” she scolded.

“Sorry,” he apologized quickly. “Cheap shot.”

“I’m sorry if you’re disappointed, but I’m not a child and I love him,” she said in a tone that wasn’t to be argued with.

“I know that,” he sighed. “…but this is all new territory for me, ok?”

“Me too,” she replied. “It’s not like I wanna be having this conversation with you, but I’d like to do it maturely if we have to.”

“We don’t have too…,” he started.

“Yes we do if it means you’re gonna look at me differently…or if you’re gonna treat him differently,” she said cautiously. “This was gonna happen some day. Would you rather it have been with someone like Jordan”

“That would make it a lot easier to hate him,” her father admitted honestly.

“Dad…”

“Look,” he interrupted. “I’m happy he’s the person you want to be with and I hope it works out for the long haul. I really do. I think you’re perfect for each other, but I can’t just be ok with this. It’s not natural. I need a little time to get comfortable with it... at least as comfortable as I could ever be.”

“Ok,” she agreed slowly. She understood his position, but it still hurt to think her father would be looking at her differently. Now she knew how Jonny must be feeling. “I’m sorry I woke you. You must be exhausted. Get some sleep,” she smiled, heading towards the door.

“Hey baby,” he called out, stopping her in her tracks.

“Yeah,” she asked, turning back around.

“I love you more than anything,” he stated simply.

“Me too,” she smiled. “And about Jonny…” she started.

“He’s my son,” her father said quietly. “In every way that matters,” he finished.

Jessie just nodded and then left her father to catch up on his rest. She couldn’t help but smile when the door shut behind her. Unlike her mother, her father always made her feel better no matter what.

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Unlike Jessie, Jonny had yet to make any progress with his father. In fact, he hadn’t gotten a word in edgewise since waking his father to ask if they could talk.

“You can’t be SO reckless,” his father continued. “There’s no excuse for this behavior…”

“I can take care of myself,” Jonny interjected when he saw his father take a breath. “Race has been teaching me to do that for the last twelve years, so you need to stop worrying so much. What are you gonna do next year when I’m off at school? You need to trust me,” he said slowly.

“I do trust you,” his father sighed. “I know you can take care of yourself, but that doesn’t excuse taking unnecessary risks.”

“I’m sorry,” Jonny apologized and saw the anger leave his father’s face.

“I’m sorry too,” his dad smiled. “I don’t like fighting with you, especially during the holidays and after finding out how well you’re doing with school. I’m beyond proud of you. You just worry me sometimes. I can’t help it. You’re so much like your mother. So much,” he paused. “She used to call me a worry wart,” he laughed.

“I like it when you talk about her,” Jonny whispered. “You never do, but you’ve mentioned her twice in the last two days.”

“I guess you’re looming independence is just making me miss her more,” he said sadly and then changed the subject. Jonny wanted to push him, but decided against it. “So why did you leave?”

“A girl,” Jonny smiled. “She’s fried my brain.”

“Mary,” his father grinned. “She’s very charming and beautiful.”

“No,” Jonny laughed at his father’s naiveté. “I’m in love with Jessie, Dad.”

“What? Wow…when did this happen?” his father stumbled.

“The moment I met her,” Jonny grinned. “She loves me back…that’s the crazy part.”

“It’s not so crazy,” he breathed. “You’re a good man. You’re exactly what she deserves.”

“Thanks Pop. That means a lot,” Jonny beamed. “I just had to get away from her and Jordan, ya know? Then she came after me.”

“Does Race know?” he asked suddenly, mildly concerned for his son’s well being.

“Yes,” he laughed. “…and I’m still here, so even more reason to be happy.”

“It’s good to see you this way,” his father said a little sadly.

“Thanks,” Jonny replied slowly, suddenly wanted nothing more than to get as far away from his father as possible. It didn’t feel fair that he got to feel this way when his father couldn’t, and knowing that he held his father’s happiness in his hands to a certain extent was too much in that moment. “Get some rest. I think I’m gonna do the same,” he then breathed, exiting faster than he intended.

“Shit,” he whispered, feeling the pace of his heart increase. Before getting lost in thoughts of things he couldn’t control, however, the phone at his side was ringing.

“Hey,” he answered closing and locking the door to his room. “I thought I was supposed to call you. Is everything alright?”

“No change,” Jade answered quickly. “I’ve just been thinking a lot about tonight and thought I’d try to talk some sense into you one more time,”

“Jade,” he breathed out in exasperation. “Please don’t do this to me. I can’t handle any more complications today.”

“Fine,” she sighed

“Is it really fine?” he asked in annoyance. “Things generally aren’t that easy with you.”

“I’m just worried,” she admitted. “I had to try. Just meet me at midnight and try not to stress. I won’t say anything.”

She hung up then, but her words didn’t do much to ease Jonny’s mind. He was juggling too much and there were too many variables floating around for him to be certain of anything. The worst part was that there was nothing he could do except obsess until later that night, so he did the only thing he could. He went to find his girlfriend.
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Love is Strong