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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.

Chapter List
- 26
- 27
- 28
Author Note: I know it's been awhile. Life has been crazy. I tried to make this a good one and I longer one. Hope you enjoy!

“So what time are we set to go?” Jessie asked as they made their way back to the house hand in hand. She had been avoiding the details as long as possible because she didn’t wanna hear his objections to her role in the evening again.

“Midnight. Edge of the compound,” he said with little emotion and she couldn’t help but flinch. It made her feel extremely lonely when he used that tone, and it scared the hell out of her that he could detach so easily.

“What’s wrong?” he then asked with concern, noticing her distressed look.

“Nothing,” she responded on auto pilot, but then quickly decided to be honest. “It just scares me when you disconnect like that without skipping a beat,” she breathed.

“Hey,” he softened, pulling her close as they reached the back porch.

“Come on kids. It’s getting cold,” Race interrupted, sticking his head out the door.

“Let’s go,” Jessie smiled. “We have years to talk about my feelings,” she ensured. “By the way, I have a feeling this dinner is gonna be a little painful.”

“Can we play footsies under the table at least?” he quipped.

“Oh… I’ve always wanted to do that,” she laughed, pulling him into the house.

Dinner wasn’t as bad as Jonny had expected…and not just because he got to play footsies with his girlfriend. His father was unusually happy, Hadji was as diplomatic as ever, and Race wasn’t overtly pissed off. All in all, it was a nice family dinner that would’ve been perfect if he hadn’t spent the whole meal thinking about his mother.

“It’s been too many months since we’ve all sat around this table,” Dr. Quest sighed, breaking into his son’s thoughts.

“Yes it has,” Jessie agreed quickly. “I’m sorry that I didn’t make it home more this semester.”

“It’s alright,” Jonny sighed dramatically. “We know you were busy with Jordan,” he teased with a roll of the eye.

“Wow…below the belt Hotshot,” she scoffed.

“Well...he was a mammoth douche-bag,” Race then piped in with a laugh.

“Thanks,” she commented dryly. “Dr. Quest…Hadj…anything you wanna add?” She knew that she sounded annoyed, but was secretly enjoying the meal a lot more than she had anticipated. She had really missed her boys and their teasing.

“I like your current choice of boyfriend a lot more,” Dr. Quest smiled.

“…much better suited,” Hadji added.

“I’ll agree with you there,” she grinned at Jonny. “…and thank you again for helping me get rid of that giant pain in my butt, Dr. Quest.”

“It was a pleasure,” Dr. Quest laughed.

“I thought you liked him, Pop? Oxford and Dr. Monroe and Physics… blah…blah…blah?” Jonny couldn’t help but ask, finding it odd that his father would take pleasure in kicking someone out of the house. He wasn’t the type.

“He wore out his welcome,” Dr. Quest replied vaguely.

“So what school are you leaning towards?” Hadji then asked in Jonny’s direction, sensing Jessie’s distress at her boyfriend’s and her father’s curious stares in response to Dr. Quest’s comment.

“Uh…,” Jonny started, clearly distracted. “I haven’t really thought about it,” he lied.

“Cambridge is beautiful in the fall,” Jessie then grinned sweetly, which distracted him even more.

“…and MIT does have a great program,” he teased.

“I won’t complain if you choose MIT,” she laughed. “I’ll be happy as long as you are, but it’d be nice to keep you on the East Coast. I won’t lie.”

“I would feel better if one of us was in the same state as her,” Race commented. “…and I know you can take care yourself,” he quickly added before Jessie could. “It would just make me feel better.”

“I don’t want to sway you now,” Dr. Quest smiled and jumped in. “…but my alma mater would offer an amazing four years.”

“It would,” Jessie agreed quickly.

“Or you could come to Yale with me next year,” Hadji offered and Race laughed out loud.

“You wouldn’t both do that to me now would you?” Dr. Quest shook his head. “Thank god for Jessie.”

“Let’s just talk about it after Christmas,” Jonny suggested with a little smirk. He was having trouble thinking about the future, even if they were only kidding around.

“That’s fair,” his father acquiesced. “So what do you guys want to do tonight? I think we should go into town and watch the light show like old times. Not that I didn’t enjoy the time with our guests, but it’s kinda nice to have things back to normal.”

“Sounds great to me,” Jessie confirmed, hoping it would help distract Jonny for a few more hours.

“Jonny?” Dr. Quest then asked.

“Let’s leave soon so we can get good seats,” he said with a smile that Jessie knew was purely for his father’s benefit.

“I actually have some last minute shopping to do,” Race sighed.

“Dad,” Jessie whined a little.

“I know,” he grumbled. “Things have been so busy that I haven’t had a chance to finish. Believe me, I’d rather be hanging out with you guys. I just want to get it over with.”

“Let’s all get going then,” Dr. Quest announced. “Race, we can drop you off at the mall.”

Thirty minutes later, they were waiting for the show to begin. Seats were sparse so Jonny and Jessie opted to stand by the fence in the back. Jonny ended up being glad that Race still had shopping to do because it calmed him to hold Jessie and he didn’t feel entirely comfortable doing that around Race yet.

With those thoughts in mind, he wrapped his arms around her from behind without fear and like it was the most natural thing in the world. He didn’t care if the rest of Rockport saw. He wanted everyone to know she was his girl.

“Hi,” he whispered in her ear as the show began.

“This is nice,” she smiled, relaxing further into his embrace.

“So what exactly did Jordan do to piss off my father?” he tried to ask calmly a moment later. He caught her a bit off guard. She knew he was gonna ask, but thought he’d let it slide a little longer given the circumstances.

“Jonny,” she sighed, turning around in his arms. She melted again the moment their eyes met, however. “Jordan wasn’t happy about our ‘so-called’ break-up,” she shrugged. “He also wasn’t happy when I asked him to leave, so your father kinda helped me change his mind,” she smiled. “Your father can be a very persuasive man.”

“My father would never have made them leave unless that jerk did or said something inappropriate to you though,” Jonny reasoned. “I know my father, Jess.”

“He was angry and let loose on me for a minute,” she sighed. “I bruised his massive ego, so a little backfire was to be expected. Your father interrupted us and put a stop to it,” she then admitted and saw Jonny’s jaw clench. “All that matters is he’s gone though,” she added quickly. “Now will you please kiss me already? I’ve always wanted to kiss you under these lights,” she breathed against his lips.

“I love you,” he then kissed her softly. “…but I still want to know…” he started and was quickly interrupted by a vibration against his leg. “Saved by the bell,” he told her.

“Jade. What’s up?” she heard him greet a moment later and couldn’t help the dirty look that crossed her face.

“Just wanted to make sure we were still on for midnight?” Jade rattled off.

“We’re good,” he confirmed. “I’ll check the satellite again before coming to meet you.”

“Great,” she replied.

“See you soon,” he breathed, snapping the phone shut.

“Why didn’t you tell her I was coming?” Jessie asked a little paranoid.

“Because I don’t want Race to know,” he sighed. “I can’t afford to let Jade think about the implications of you coming…any more than I can afford to think about them. I’m already having enough trouble keeping her quiet about taking me. I know she won’t keep quiet about you.”

“She thinks I can’t handle myself?” Jessie bristled.

“No,” Jonny interjected. “She just cares more about what your father thinks than she’d ever admit.”

“New subject,” Jessie groaned. She didn’t want to think about her father and Jade’s ‘relationship’ any more than she wanted to think about Jonny and Jade’s relationship…friendship…whatever.

A full minute passed then where Jonny just leaned his forehead against hers with his eyes closed. Jessie could only guess what he was thinking about as his breathing slowed. She just settled for caressing the base of his neck and hoping it made him feel a little better.

“So how nice is Cambridge in the fall?” he suddenly asked with a smile and she felt her heart rate increase.

“Why?” she grinned a little cautiously, not feeling the need to give him any space.

“Because I can’t wait to start our life,” he said simply. “Certainly not four more years.”

“Our life,” she breathed in total contentment. “Cambridge would be so perfect with you there,” she said a little choked up, thinking about how much she had missed him over the last few months.

“Maybe I can visit you next semester?” he suggested, pulling her even closer. “We can figure out the rest once I’m there. You can show me around, Ace. We can see what it’ll be like on our own,” he said a little wistfully.

“I can’t wait. I want that so much,” she whispered, kissing him again and more deeply this time. “You make me so happy,” she pulled back with a smile and inexplicable tears rolling down her face. He just wiped them away because he knew how she felt.

They remained in their embrace for the next hour, enjoying the show in the other’s eyes. Time stood still and flew by at the same time. Eventually, the clapping of the crowd pulled them back to the real world.

“Two hours,” he then whispered.

“Let’s go,” she pulled him back towards the car.

Once home, Jessie immediately went to bed. Jonny considered doing the same, but couldn’t stand the thought of sitting in his room and waiting. He quickly realized, however, that standing around the kitchen wasn’t much better.

“Cowboy,” he then heard. “Can we talk?”

“Yeah…sure,” he said a little surprised by the request. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you this morning,” Race started uncomfortably. “I didn’t really mean it.”

“I know,” Jonny sighed. “I understand. I mean, I know that wasn’t a conversation any father wants to have.”

“No…it’s not,” Race agreed. “…but most fathers aren’t lucky enough to have a man like you fall in love with their daughter either.”

“I…,” Jonny faltered as an incredible wave of guilt washed over him, knowing the danger his love was about to put Jessie in.

‘Why couldn’t you just keep your fucking mouth shut,’ his conscience screamed at him. ‘She’d be safe if you had kept your mouth shut. You’re so selfish.’

“I love her,” Jonny then whispered honestly. “I don’t do anything without thinking about that.”

“That’s what makes you a good man,” Race told him. “A better man than I’ll ever be. I couldn’t ask for more.”

“Thank you,” Jonny said quietly. He wasn’t sure if he could respond without throwing up due to the hypocrisy of it all, so he just opted to keep silent.

“Now are you ready to tell me what else is up?” Race then asked. “Your confession this morning doesn’t add up to the way you’ve been acting. I know you better than that.”

“I’m fine,” he lied out right. “I just have a lot on my mind right now between school and Jess and the holidays. I’ll be back to normal in a few days, especially since I don’t have to deal with Jordan anymore,” he laughed, hoping to sway suspicion.

“Jonny,” Race sighed. “You can talk to me.”

“I know,” he whispered. “…I just miss my mom,” he then said quickly, hoping that a little honesty would help to end the exchange.

“Wow,” Race started, not expecting that answer. The kid had never brought up the subject of his mother.

“I know this must seem a bit out of left field,” Jonny started. “I just…,”

Race sat there quietly as Jonny processed his thoughts, hoping that he would continue and knowing that he needed to let it out.

“I don’t know if my dad knows about this,” Jonny started again quietly and looked quickly to the door to make sure they were still alone. “I got a letter from my mom a few months ago…on my birthday,” he admitted. “I guess she wrote it right after I was born in case…,” he faltered. “…so I’ve just been thinking about her a lot lately and I guess I don’t always handle how that makes me feel in the best way. I’m sorry if I’ve caused headaches, but I’d rather deal with it on my own and I just don’t really wanna talk about it, ya know.”

“Jonny,” Race started.

“Please…,” Jonny interrupted and Race just nodded his head. He knew as well as anyone how it felt to not wanna talk, or even think, about the awful experiences in life.

“I’m always here,” Race then said simply, pulling him into a quick, but tight, hug. “You’ll be fine.”

“I know,” Jonny smiled, feeling a little better somehow.

“See you in the A.M.,” Race took his leave.

“Hey Race,” Jonny called out, stopping the older man in his tracks. “I hope you know that if I’m a good man you’re a huge part of that,” he breathed evenly.

Race just grinned and kept on going.

‘Alright,’ his conscience warned. ‘Go to your room now. I can’t stomach any more heart to hearts today.’

Jonny agreed with himself, quickly making his way up the stairs. He was greeted by the most beautiful girl in the world asleep on his bed when he walked in. He knew she’d be there. He knew she was afraid he’d leave her behind at the last second.

He sat in his computer chair and stared at her for twenty minutes before crawling into bed and curling up next her.

“Mmm,” she awoke quickly as his arms wrapped around her. “Is it time to go?” she sat up startled.

“We have a few minutes,” he whispered, settling in the center of his bed. She quickly laid against him and listened to his heart beat for a few seconds.

“I can’t believe I fell asleep,” she balked.

“You’re exhausted,” he whispered, stroking her hair. “You didn’t get much sleep last night,” he said with a smile in his voice.

“That’s true,” she played along, pulling herself up to give him a quick kiss. “By the way, I plan to give you plenty more naked sleepless nights when this is all over…just so you know.”

“If that’s not a motivator than I don’t know what is,” he kissed her back. “We have to go,” he then changed gears.

“Come on,” she said with confidence, pulling him off the bed. “I assume Jade has all the equipment we’ll need?” Jessie posed.

“All but the PDA,” he told her while booting it up. “Still forty-eight,” he whispered to himself a few minutes later.

“What’s that?” she asked, throwing on another layer of black clothes.

“Grobin hasn’t increased security. We still have the element of surprise,” he said calmly. Almost too calmly in her opinion. “Let’s get going,” he told her. “I’ll explain more on the way.”

They got lucky while sneaking out of the house as everyone seemed to be in bed. He continued briefing her once they were clear of the house.

“Alright,” he sighed. “We have ten minutes.”

“Jonny?” she questioned when he didn’t start filling her in a moment later.

“Please,” he started. “…be careful,” he begged one last time, hoping the fear in his voice would stay with her.

“I promise,” she whispered, pulling him close for a minute.

“Most of the men are outside,” he began. “Jade has been staking the place out for the last few days. I’ve only been there once, but it seems like its pretty simple to get within a hundred yards and then the security is insane. There are forty-eight people on the grounds according to the PDA, so most of them have to be security. They seem to be heavily concentrated outside of the house, so it’s not gonna be easy to get in,” he paused. “Jade was able to get inside another one of his homes about eight months ago, so I’m confident she can do it again. I trust her to get us in there safely. Please listen to her, Jess.”

“I will,” Jessie promised for his benefit. “Have you guys discussed a plan for once we do get in the house?” she then asked. “And how are we gonna get out without alerting anyone? He must be tracking her every move if she hasn’t been able to contact anyone in thirteen years,” she sighed, trying not to sound too disheartening.

“I know,” Jonny breathed, looking away for a moment. “I’ve left the details up to Jade to be honest. I was afraid if we talked about it too much that she’d decide to tell Race. I couldn’t take that chance.”

“Alright,” Jessie nodded resolutely. “We’ll sort it out once she gets here…and I promise to behave,” she added quickly. She knew he didn’t need to be dealing with the arguing of two bull-headed women on top of everything else.

“I love you,” he then whispered, kissing her gently. He knew that wouldn’t be easy for her and it meant the world that she was putting him before her own feelings.

They were interrupted a few seconds later by a small flash of light about fifty feet from the compound.

“She’s here. You ready?” he asked, giving her one last chance to turn back.

“You’re stuck with me,” she grinned. “Let’s go,” she then told him, grabbing his had and taking the lead. She knew he was scared.

“What the fuck, Jonny…” was the first thing they heard.

“Jade,” he quickly interrupted. “Let’s just do this. Jessie is more than capable of taking care of herself. She’ll be an asset.”

“First of all,” Jade breathed heavily. “Less is more in this situation. I’ve been worried enough about getting the two of us in that house and now you pull this shit on me last second.”

“Listen,” he interrupted again. “I’m sorry. I should have called you.”

“I’m calling Race right now,” she scoffed, pulling out her phone.

“Don’t,” Jessie then yelled, but calmed down quickly. “Please…Jade. I won’t slow you down and I will do whatever you tell me. I promise. There’s no need to involve my father,” she said sternly, secretly agreeing with the woman for the first time ever, but not willing to alienate Jonny or betray his wishes.

“This is ridiculous. Why haven’t you talked some sense into him?” Jade directed to Jessie.

“Have you met him,” Jessie half laughed. “Stubborn doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

“Can you two stop discussing me like I’m not here? We’re wasting time,” Jonny spoke up in annoyance.

“This is out of line, Jonny. This is asking too much,” Jade whispered fiercely.

“I never asked you to get involved in the first place,” he then screamed. “I never asked you to come turn my life upside down…twice.”

Seeing that he was about melt down, Jessie approached and gently pushed on his chest until they were out of earshot.

“Baby,” she whispered and gave him a smile that he couldn’t deny. “Getting angry is not the way to get her to cooperate.”

“You’re so right,” he sighed.

“Ah,” she grinned. “I only like to hear three other words from you more.”

“Thank you,” Jonny whispered, making his way back toward Jade to work things out.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized again. “I should have discussed it with you first, but please just do me this one last favor,” he said evenly.

“Jonny, you know I’d do almost anything for you,” she sighed and Jessie cringed at the softness in her voice.

“Then please do this,” he interrupted quickly. “Come on, do you honestly believe that I’d risk her safety without thinking about it long and hard? Besides, you know that I’ll be more likely to let you call Race if things get out of hand with her there. He’ll kill me if something happens to her. I wouldn’t risk her like that if I didn’t think she could handle herself…not even to protect my father. You know I wouldn’t.”

Jessie felt like screaming at them to stop treating her like she was made of glass, but quickly decided that another outburst towards Jade would be counterproductive since Jonny seemed to be wearing her down.

“Let’s go before my better judgment kicks in,” Jade then conceded.

“Thank you,” Jonny said in an exhausted tone and immediately made his way to the car, leaving Jessie and Jade behind to size each other up.

“You better be able to take care of yourself,” Jade whispered, not hiding her annoyance at the situation or the young woman who’d given her nothing but grief over the years. “He needs…”

“I know what he needs,” Jessie responded hotly. “You just better be able to do what you’ve promised and this better not be a fucking score, Jade. If you’re working him, I swear to God I will help my father hunt you down and we both know that’s exactly what he’ll do.”

“This isn’t a game,” Jade scoffed. “I wouldn’t do that to him. He knows that even if you don’t…not that he’d fall for a game anyway. He’s too smart for that. Maybe you don’t know him as well as you think…or maybe you just underestimate him. I’m not sure which is worse.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jessie laughed, pushing past Jade.

“Yeah, well like it or not, I know him better than you think,” Jade shot back. “..and I don’t underestimate him for a second. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be going through with this right now and YOU certainly wouldn’t be here. He NEEDS someone who believes that,” she hissed as she passed Jessie on the way to the car.

“Are we ok?” Jonny asked slowly as the two women jumped into the SUV and slammed their doors.

“Fine,” they both responded through gritted teeth.

He had opted to sit in the back so he could be closer to his girlfriend and was glad he made that decision as Jade started up the car and sped down the road.

“What’s the game plan?” he finally felt safe asking once they were on their way.

“Alright,” Jade sighed. “I’m gonna park three miles from the lookout point and we will make our way through the woods again. We will have to move quickly because our window of opportunity is small. Over the last few days, I’ve still seen no sign that his security perimeter extends into those woods, but we can’t take that for granted. Just follow my lead and DO NOT make a sound,” she caught Jessie’s glare quickly in the rearview mirror.

“Thanks for the advice,” Jessie mumbled under her breath, but let it go.

“I’m sure the PDA you reconfigured will be a huge asset, but I don’t want to rely on it too heavily and get comfortable,” Jade continued. “Plus, who knows what else he may have out there…video equipment…motion sensors. I wouldn’t put anything past this sick fuck.”

“Got it,” Jonny confirmed. “How are we getting in the house?”

“If patterns hold,” Jade began again. “…the guards will be switching up at two a.m. They seem to be working in four hour shifts to keep fresh. It only takes about five minutes for them to switch weaponry and reposition. They do it one by one so that the patrolling pattern never fully breaks, but this is our best opportunity to get in the house because the new guards are just catching their bearings and the old shift is tired, cold, and hungry on the inside.”

“What about cameras outside the house?” Jessie piped in.

“There are two within range of our entrance point One is stationary and should be easy to maneuver, but the other is definitely motion based so we will need a distraction for at least thirty seconds to be safe while I pick the lock.”

“The dogs?” Jonny questioned.

“My thoughts exactly,” Jade confirmed. “They freak out at least twice a night due owls catching their attention or whatever else and the cameras follow them, so it shouldn’t raise too much suspicion if the cameras don’t pick anything up besides the dogs, but the guards will still come running. They won’t get there until about thirty seconds after the dogs start going crazy so long as they are as far away from that spot as they ever roam. Timing is obviously very important, so you two better listen to everything I say,” she directed toward Jessie again.

“She already promised to listen,” Jonny quickly defended before Jessie could react. “She always keeps her promises, so let’s stay focused. How are we going to distract the dogs?”

Jessie appreciated his words and resolved to stay even more patient with Jade, so she wouldn’t disappoint him.

“I set up a little surprise last night for our four-legged friends. It should distract them long enough to get past and avoid the camera.”

“So where do we need to be when this surprise takes place?” Jonny asked.

“Within thirty feet of the house,” she sighed. “The motion sensors won’t pick us up that far out, but we’ll have to be careful to avoid the guards…obviously. This is where I’m hoping the PDA will help. What’s the delay?”

“I want to take a minute to test it out once we get there, but I’m gonna estimate three seconds as the best case scenario and thirty as the worst. It will depend on the signal strength.”

“Here’s hoping for three,” Jade responded. “I think we’ll be fine either way getting in the house though because I have their patterns down. I got within fifty feet last night…no problems, but I don’t know what it’s gonna be like on the inside, so that little device will be a major help.”

“Where are we entering the house?” Jessie asked.

“According to the blueprints, the window we go through should lead right down into the basement. I don’t see any reason he’d have men down there, so we should be able to regroup once inside,” Jade responded.

“Doesn’t look like he has anyone down there?” Jonny mumbled, while focused on the PDA.”

“How can you tell?” Jade asked.

“I interfaced the blueprints of the house with the satellite program to get a better idea of where people were inside. It worked out better than I expected. I knew you hadn’t been in the house yet, so I wanted to make sure we weren’t walking in completely blind.”

“God damn you are good kid,” she laughed.

“I’m highly motivated…what can I say,” Jonny replied quickly. “So we play it by ear once in the house…”

“With a two hour window…minimum,” Jade enforced. “We have to be out of there in two hours whether we have her or not, Jonny. No negotiating on that one. We need time to get safely away before the sun starts to rise. Ample time. We need to make sure that we are safe first. If we have to go back…we have to go back.”

“Speaking of getting out…,” Jessie prompted.

“Again,” Jade sighed. “…the PDA will be a huge help because we can’t predict what will happen in those two hours. If we get her inside thirty minutes than I want to be out in forty. We’ll have to figure out the safest escape route when the time comes, but whatever we do has to be contingent upon that time frame. I’ve got cars parked exactly one mile in every direction, exactly north, south, east, and west of our entrance point. The doors are unlocked and the keys are under a rock by the front driver’s side wheel. If something happens and we get separated, just get to one of those fucking cars and drive. I have compasses if you need them.”

“Our watches have compasses,” Jonny said hastily. “How are we getting out of the basement?” he then asked.

“Game time decision,” she breathed. “I would like to know if the ventilation system is a viable option though.”

“Looks good from what I can see,” Jonny told her a moment later.

“That might be our best shot then,” she sighed.

“Ok,” Jessie started. “So we get into their room undetected. It’s gonna be late and I assume Grobin will be there with her…how do we subdue him?”

“How about I break his fucking neck before he has the chance to scream for help?” Jonny said bitterly.

“Hey,” Jessie whispered.

“I make no promises, Jess. The bastard stole my mother away from us and has been making her do God knows what for years,” he seethed. “This is another reason I didn’t want you to come.”

“It won’t make you feel better,” Jessie sighed.

“How do you know?” he bristled.

“Because I know you,” she said quietly, sitting back and trying not to feel dejected. He was scaring her, but she didn’t wanna let it show. ‘This isn’t about you,’ she reminded herself. ‘Just let it go.’

“Do you have any other suggestions?” she then asked Jade, clearing her throat.

“I may have a few tricks in my bag,” she replied cryptically. “…but I always enjoy a good neck breaking,” she laughed.

Jessie did not find it funny.

“What about guns?” Jonny interrupted.

“More than handled,” Jade promised. “Just try to relax boys and girls. We will be there in twenty.”

With that, Jonny sat back and noticed that Jessie was about as far away from him as she could manage. He didn’t know what he could do or say to make her feel better so he just stared out the window and let his mind roam for a moment before turning in the hopes of catching her eye.

She was already looking at him when he turned and words clearly weren’t finding her either, so she just offered her hand and he held on for dear life.

When Jade put the car in park about twenty minutes later, Jonny felt all the blood rush to his head, but quickly pushed it aside. He knew that he had to stay focused, but all he wanted to do was freak out on Jessie and get her out of the line of fire.

“Jess,” he called out, pulling her away from the car as Jade prepped backpacks for them. “I want you to call your dad if you feel like you need to alright?”

“I promised to see this through without involving him and I will,” she said softly. “Besides, I care how this affects your father too.”

“I know,” he breathed, putting his hands on her shoulders. “But your life is more important than my father’s hurt feelings, so just follow your instincts. I trust them.”

“Don’t talk like your life is expendable because I’ll call my father right now if you do that,” she warned and had to look away for a moment.

“Hey,” he whispered gently. “I have no intention of leaving you…or missing out on all those naked sleepless nights you promised,” he said with a grin and got her to laugh a little.

“Just don’t forget that I’d die without you,” she whispered back and then he pulled her head between his hands and kissed her deliberately. He didn’t care if Jade saw. He pulled back after a few seconds, but kept them locked in their own little world for a few seconds more, forehead to forehead, while he caressed her cheek.

“I love you Jessie Bannon…heart and soul. You’ve got it all and you’ll never lose it. I promise,” he breathed.

“I love you more,” she barely managed to get out without choking up.

“You lovebirds about done,” Jade asked dryly, walking towards them.

“Just lead the way,” Jonny said coolly, catching the backpack she threw at him and handing it to Jess.

“Ok, we’ve got your standard government-issue and untraceable Glock 22s, with silencer of course, and enough ammo to start a war in a third world country,” she told them.

“Jesus Christ,” Jonny scoffed, looking inside his bag.

“Hey,” she started.

“Yeah. I know,” he interrupted. “Always be prepared. I know the drill. A few things before we go. Once we get to the lookout point, give me a minute to evaluate the PDA delay.”

“Done,” Jade confirmed. “What else?”

“If we do end up in separate cars, where do we meet?” Jonny asked.

“Right back here,” she told them. “It’s already programmed in the GPS as ‘home’.”

“What’s Plan B?” Jessie then asked quickly.

“The Blue Lagoon Motel…room 69,” Jade confirmed.

“Alright,” Jonny nodded, showing no reaction to her choice of hotel or room number. “Let’s get started. Everyone’s watch have 12:49?”

“Yes,” both women confirmed.

“Stay close, keep up, and put your masks on” Jade then whispered. “We’ve a lot of ground to cover.”

With that, she was off at a trot and three miles never felt so long to Jonny. Once they hit the lookout point, the blood pumping through his veins was like electricity, but his brain set on autopilot and he went about doing what he needed to do.

“Looks like two seconds,” he smiled.

“Nice,” Jade whispered. “Alright, let’s try to get into position in the next thirty minutes. Keep your heads down. We use hand signals from here on out.”

Over the next half hour, Jonny kept his eye on the PDA and they managed to avoid the cameras, the dogs, and the guards. Jonny wanted to attribute their luck to fate, but knew that it likely had much more to do with Jade’s instinct and skill.

They were where they needed to be a little before two. If the guards held their current pace, it appeared that they’d have the full thirty seconds for Jade to pick the lock on their way in. ‘Knowing Jade though, she’ll only need ten,’ Jonny thought quickly.

Jonny couldn’t take his eyes off the time as they waited for the guards to be in the right position. He kept telling himself to calm down because he felt like his breathing was loud enough to alert every guard. Then he felt Jessie’s hand slip into his for one last reassuring squeeze.

The next few minutes were a massive blur. Once he gave Jade the ‘go’ signal, what appeared to be a bird shot up from the brush and made an almost unnatural sound. Not weird or loud enough to raise suspicion with the guards, but the dogs went crazy right on cue. Following Jade’s lead, they made their way to the window and managed to avoid the cameras. Jonny and Jessie kept absolutely still while Jade did what she did.

“We’ve got incoming in about ten seconds,” Jonny warned.

“Don’t need it,” Jade whispered, climbing down into the basement. Jonny and Jessie quickly followed and then they all held their breath as the guards approached.

“Fucking dogs,” they heard one grumbling a moment later and then let out sighs of relief.

“What now?” Jonny whispered once the guards were out of range. “I think we should try the ventilation system.”

“Agreed,” Jade responded quickly. “How many are in the house and where?” she asked, as Jonny was already making the assessment.

“Looks like ten in the kitchen, five in what I’m guessing is the living room, and three outside a room upstairs. Those are the only concentrations,” he breathed heavily. “The room being guarded upstairs has two people inside,” he added through gritted teeth, assuming those two people were his mother and Grobin.

“How’re we gonna climb up a ventilation system without making any noise?” Jessie asked worriedly.

“Let’s figure out if we’ll even fit first,” Jade interrupted. “Jonny?”

“Over here,” he breathed, pointing towards the stairs.

They made their way over quietly and Jade shifted some boxes out of the way only to be disappointed.

“Shit,” she whispered. “This is too tight. I think Jess is the only one that’d fit with enough room to maneuver…and that’s still a maybe.”

“I can…” Jessie started, but was quickly stopped.

“No,” Jonny shook his head.

“Listen,” she began again, and he knew she was mad.

“This isn’t a macho thing, Jess. This is for my own sanity,” he almost begged. “You and I are not separating, ok?”

“Fine,” she sighed. “Let’s just figure out what we’re gonna do. I don’t wanna waste any time arguing.”

“Good thinking,” Jade piped in. “If the guards are all concentrated in other rooms, then we may be able to get upstairs undetected, but we should do that quickly before they start roaming.”

“What about cameras?” Jonny asked.

“I’d bet my life they’re all stationary like the home in London, so we should be able to maneuver,” she answered quickly. “Also, the cameras are probably monitored in the kitchen where most of the guards are currently distracted. We gotta move now though.”

“Alright,” Jonny started quickly. “Once you’re upstairs, head for the first room on the left. There’s no one in there at the moment and it’s not visible to the guards at Grobin’s door.”

“Follow-me,” Jade then whispered.

“Wait,” Jonny stopped her. “Take the PDA.”

“Aww…baby,” she started sweetly.

“I want it back, Jade. The moment this is over. No arguments,” he said sternly.

“Mmm…this assertive side of you is a major turn on,” she then said quickly and brushed up against him as she made her way up the basement steps.

Jessie knew that Jade was trying to get a reaction out of her, so she just took a deep breath and followed the older woman, letting Jonny bring up the rear.

Jade tested the door with ease once at the top of the stairs, finding it to be unlocked and quickly discovering that their first obstacle was about ten feet away. She then signaled for Jonny and Jessie to stay low and made a mad dash for the stairs. Jonny’s heart began to beat wildly again the moment she was out of sight and he had to take a second to focus. He saw the camera a few feet from the door once it was his turn to make a move and made sure to close the basement door quietly and crawl quickly to the stairs to avoid being seen.

Jessie and Jade were already half-way up by the time he got there, and he looked nervously behind him a moment later as Jade checked out the hallway. He knew it only took her two seconds to assess the situation and move on, but it felt like much longer. He didn’t like being out and so vulnerable. He found himself unconsciously checking for his gun again.

He breathed yet another sigh of relief when they were behind closed doors.

“I don’t want to do that again?” Jessie voiced and it was clearly the opinion of all present. “It’s just dumb.”

“I’m hoping our exit will be much quicker,” Jade said evenly. “If you find yourself in need of jumping out a second story window by the way, you have what you need in the bag,” she added almost distractedly as she studied the PDA.

“We can’t get past those three guards without raising a red flag,” she then stated the obvious. “…and I don’t think a distraction will work the same as it did last time,” she directed towards Jonny. “He’s got more men on the door this time, so I’m sure that at least one of them has orders to stay put no matter what happens. Grobin is not gonna make the same mistake twice,” she finished.

“Let me go through the ventilation…,” Jessie started.

“No,” Jade interrupted before Jonny could. “There are too many things that could go wrong and Grobin will shoot first and ask questions later. No one is going in there alone until I decide it’s safe,” she said with finality. “Just let me think for a moment.”

Jonny gave her a few seconds, but wasn’t willing to wait any longer given Jade’s strict timetable. “The door and window are not any option,” he breathed. “It has to be the ventilation duct to get in the room.”

“I know,” Jade interrupted, but she didn’t like it. “Here’s the deal. I’m going in the room alone. Grobin should be asleep at this point, so hopefully I can get in quietly and detain him before he can make any noise. I’m also hoping your mother won’t do anything to alert the guards. In a perfect world, I’ll take him down and your mother will fully cooperate.”

“…and in a realistic world?” Jessie then prompted.

“We have to assume that one of them will catch a guard’s attention, so you guys need to be ready to incapacitate at least two of the guards,” she breathed. “Hopefully, I’ll be fast enough to catch the third one on his way in the room. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that they won’t have enough time to radio the other men. If they do, we run and don’t look back…with or without your mother, ok?”

“Ok,” he agreed.

“You better listen to me once things get going,” Jade warned.

“We will,” Jessie promised, letting Jade know with a look that she’d keep him in line.

“One more thing,” Jade started. “I don’t think you should take your mask off or try to talk to your mother until we are safe.”

“I agree,” Jonny interrupted. “I’m not gonna do anything to jeopardize this.”

“Ok,” Jade smiled. “It’s time.”

“Be careful,” Jonny then whispered. He knew there was no point in arguing with her. He’d gladly be the one to put himself in the most direct danger if she’d let him, but he knew that wasn’t the best plan.

“I will,” she promised, unscrewing the entrance to the vent in the corner of the room. “There’s a squirt bottle with chloroform in your bags. Use it wisely kids and be careful. I’ll see you in a few,” she then smiled, disappearing into the vent with a wink.

“You alright?” Jessie asked him quietly the moment they were alone.

“I will be when my girls are safe,” he whispered, caressing her cheek. “You ready?” he then asked.

“Let’s do this,” she smiled just for him.

“I’m glad you’re with me right now,” he then whispered in her ear and pulled her close before she could open the door.

She turned around at his words and embraced him tightly. He held onto her like it was the last thing he’d ever do and it broke her heart a little.

“You better get used to it babe,” she whispered back before releasing him.

The next thing he knew, they were back in the hallway, chloroform ready, and just waiting for any indication that Jade needed them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘Fuck me,’ Jade thought as she tried to maneuver her way through the tight crawl space as quickly as possible, wishing she was as tiny as Jess for a split second. She didn’t wanna leave those kids alone for too long. She’d never admit it to anyone, but she didn’t even wanna disappoint Race let alone piss him off beyond belief and, not to mention, break his heart if she didn’t get them out of this safely.

Once she reached Grobin’s room, Jade checked the PDA one more time before making her move to unscrew the vent cover and enter. It took a little longer than she would’ve liked to get through given the position she was in, but she got the job done and crept into the room quietly a moment later.

She felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck as she stood up straight. She was just a few feet away from a monster, but still a man she had idealized for years. She was just a few feet away from an opportunity to do something unselfish for once in her life and to help make a good man’s dream come true.

She was praying to be able to subdue Grobin before he ever knew what hit him and to wake Rachael without causing a stir. The chloroform soaked rag was clutched tightly in her right hand and her heart beat wildly as she approached the bed. She was also praying that Grobin wouldn’t recognize her form in any moments of consciousness that he managed to hold on to. This was not a man she wanted as an outright enemy.

The next three minutes passed by in a blur. Jade managed to get the rag over his mouth before he awoke, but the old man put up more of a fight than she had anticipated. He twisted around violently for a moment and she barely…very barely… managed to keep his head turned away from her and his arms at his sides. Rachael stirred almost immediately, but remained relatively quiet upon hearing Jade’s whispered assurance.

“I’m back to keep my promise.”

Rachael remained quiet after that and just watched as her captor was restrained. Jade wasn’t sure if it was because she was scared or thankful. Either way, Jade was thankful that she didn’t have to deal with a hostile Rachael, as well.

Jade kept the rag over Grobin’s mouth a full twenty seconds after he stopped fighting to ensure that he wasn’t playing possum.

“Who are you?” Rachael asked when she felt it was safe.

“I’m here to take you back to your family,” she swore, lifting up her mask quickly to give a reassuring smile and so Rachael would recognize her. “I’ll explain later though. We don’t have much time,” Jade added quickly.

“But…,” Rachael started, unsure if she should be trusting this woman.

“How can we get the guards to come in here?” Jade interrupted. “We have to take care of the three out there if we have any chance of getting out unseen and unheard.”

“Two knocks,” Rachael stumbled slowly. “Two loud knocks on the bedside table is the signal for them to come in. They will call the other guards immediately though,” she breathed, unsure if she should be divulging the information.

“I have people in place to take care of that,” Jade responded. ‘At least I hope I do,’ she thought quickly. “Get in the bathroom for now, but be ready to move quickly once the guards are taken care of.”

Before Rachael could respond, she heard two loud bangs and saw Jade run towards the door.

Jade was on top of the first guard to enter the room before he knew what hit him and Jessie and Jonny had the other two under control before they had any hope of getting to their guns or their radios.

“Never doubted you guys for a second,” Jade smiled breathlessly as they drug three more lifeless bodies into the room.

Once the door was closed and locked behind them, Jade began giving out orders and Jonny looked around anxiously.

“Get them all tied up. Hands and feet. Cover their mouths and cover their eyes…quickly,” Jade whispered fiercely. “We need to be headed out that window in the next five minutes. Everyone is still downstairs,” she breathed, glancing at the PDA. “…but I don’t plan on assuming it’ll stay that way for long.”

Jade then proceeded to tie up one of the guards and Jessie went straight to Grobin, intercepting Jonny’s attempt.

“Take those two,” she whispered softly.

“Mmm,” he half grunted and then felt his knees turn to jelly as his mother emerged from the bathroom unharmed.

His head wasn’t gonna believe it was her until IRIS did a full DNA test, but his heart knew better.

Jessie wanted to go to him immediately, but knew she was better off helping Jade with the task at hand.

“Who…who are you people?” Rachael asked, watching them tie-up her captors. Three masked people interrupting her in the middle of the night did not give her a warm and fuzzy feeling…no matter what they promised. These were not the first people to try and take her away, but they were certainly the first to trust her enough not to scream to the high heavens for the other guards.

“We need your help,” Jade whispered to Jonny as she passed him by, ignoring Rachael’s question.

Jade’s request woke him up and he quickly began to help the girls. He wanted to talk to his mother. He wanted her to know she was safe, but he didn’t know what to say first. ‘I love you.’ ‘I’m sorry.’ He couldn’t make any words come out though.

“Answer me,” Rachel then ordered.

“Be quiet,” Jade responded louder than intended.

“Why should I just go with you?” Rachael asked breathlessly. “People have been trying to take me away for years…to use me against him. Why should I believe you are different? How do I know you won’t treat me worse?” she asked with fear in her voice. She was still trying to assess the situation. ‘Why haven’t they tied me up or knocked me out?’ she thought. She wanted to trust them so badly, but the risk was too great. The risk was more than she was willing to take.

“He can’t think I TRIED to escape,” she then continued with tears running down her face. “He’ll kill my fam…my family,” she cried, taking a fearful look back at Grobin’s still unmoving form. “He’s an evil bastard. I can’t take that chance.”

Jonny began to move towards her, but then felt Jessie’s hand on his arm. He knew she was right…this wasn’t the time. They needed to get to safety first, so he was gonna let Jade handle it.

“I’m gonna take you to your family,” Jade promised softly. “They are friends of mine.”

“I can’t,” Rachael cried, making a break for the door to alert the guards.

“Don’t…don’t mom,” Jonny barely managed to choke out, but it was quick enough to stop her in her tracks.

He lifted his mask as she turned around slowly so that she could see his face and wouldn’t be afraid. “Don’t be scared,” he then whispered, trying to fight back tears. “We’re gonna get you home. I swear.”

“My baby,” she breathed, covering her mouth and falling back a bit against the wall.

Jonny started towards her slowly and then she rushed him, enveloping him in a hug that felt so good it almost made up for all the years he went without.

Jessie couldn’t help her tears as she watched the exchange. The happiness she felt for them was indescribable.

“How is this possible?” his mother asked, pulling back slightly to get a good look at him. “I love you so much,” she then breathed without giving him a chance to answer.

“We need to go now,” Jade had to interrupt.

“Let’s get out of here,” Jonny smiled at his mother, hating to cut the reunion short. “We have the rest of our lives to catch up, but she’s right. We need to go now. Don’t worry, we’ll keep you safe and we can keep ourselves safe too.”

“Put some shoes on,” Jade instructed. “In a few minutes it looks like we’ll have enough time to get out this window without being in the eye line of any guards. Jonny and Rachael go first. Once you hit the ground, just run like hell. Get your mother to the car to the West,” she directed to Jonny, promising with a look what she couldn’t dare say out loud. “Jessie and I will be right behind you,” she added, getting the ropes ready. “We’ll head East to split the guards’ attention in case they catch on. You know where we meet.”

A lump formed in his throat at the thought of leaving Jessie behind…even if it only was for a few minutes. He knew that his mother would need him more though and he knew Jade would do everything possible to protect her.

“Will you be alright climbing out the window? We’ll have to go fast,” Jonny informed his mother, pushing his fears aside.

“Yes. I can do it,” she said firmly, wiping fresh tears from her eyes. “I want to go home.”

“Get ready,” Jade then told them, and Jonny quickly led his mother to the window, squeezing Jessie’s hand so tightly as he walked by.

A minute later, Jade gave the ‘go’ order and Jonny and his mother were off down the two ropes that Jade had hanging out the window.

“As fast as you can,” he urged his mother. He felt pretty confident that they could get down unseen, but was afraid for Jessie and Jade. They would have a much smaller window, given the guard patrolling patterns and the motion cameras that he and his mother were bound to set off.

It took about thirty seconds for them to get down. He took a quick look up once he knew his mother was safely on the ground and saw that the girls were making their way out the window. That calmed him only slightly and he had the urge to wait, but didn’t dare go against Jade’s wishes.

“Stay close,” he whispered to his mother and then took off. His heart sank in his chest when he heard the dogs going crazy a second later. He just grabbed his mother’s hand and kept running though.

“How much farther?” his mother asked about ten minutes later, a little breathless. “I’m sorry. It’s been forever since I’ve been allowed to run.”

“We’re almost there,” Jonny promised.

“It doesn’t sound like they’re following us,” she said hopefully.

“I think they’re headed east,” he said a little painfully. “Are you ok?” he then asked and felt his legs almost give way when he heard gun shots.

“I’ll be fine,” she huffed as an afterthought.

“There’s the car,” he yelled, speeding up to find the key. It was right where Jade said it’d be and he quickly jumped in to start up the car. He wanted to get to the girls as fast as possible.

His mother was next to him a few seconds later and then he peeled out of the hiding spot. It only took four minutes, with the way he was driving, to get back to the designated spot and he knew that waiting for Jessie and Jade would be some of the longest moments of his life.

“Shit,” he whispered five minutes later. “Come on.”

Rachael had been watching her son silently since they jumped in the car. She knew he was extremely worried, but didn’t know how to comfort him.

“I love you little man,” she whispered softly. “You’re just not so little anymore,” she half laughed through tears.

“I love you too,” he smiled through his own tears. “I’ve missed you everyday.”

He felt a little better when she pulled him into an embrace, but what he really needed was to see headlights soon.

“Get down,” he then ordered as he saw a car approaching. The lights flashed three times a moment later and he knew it was them. It was probably the happiest moment of his life.

“Let’s go,” he grinned. “We’re going home.”

Jade jumped out of the car as they approached.

“You want me to drive?” he asked confused.

“Jonny,” she said soberly.

“No,” he practically hyperventilated, backing away and feeling all the air leave his lungs. “Where is she?” he almost cried, but wouldn’t let himself breakdown yet.

“I don’t know…”

“WHAT?” he screamed, grabbing her shoulders. “We heard shots. Was she hurt?”

“There were thirty guards coming after us…at least. They were firing at us. She pushed me out of the way when the first ambush came outta nowhere. She probably saved my life” Jade sighed. “We got separated. I tried backtracking when I lost the ones following me, but couldn’t find her. I was hoping she’d be here. I’m SO sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” he whispered, breathing heavily and knowing he’d never survive it if she wasn’t alright. “She can take care of herself,” he said slowly, trying to convince himself as much as Jade. “…but I need to go find her. Can you get my mother to the hotel?”

“I can’t leave you.” Jade scoffed.

“I agree,” his mother piped in.

“Please,” he begged. “We’ve worked too hard to let this slip through our fingers now. Besides, I’ll focus better on finding Jess if I know that my mom is safe…and I will find her. I’ve made a lot of promises to her and I fully intend on keeping all of them, so don’t worry about me.”

“Ok,” Jade agreed. She had to trust him. “Let’s get outta here.”

“No…”

“Mom,” he interrupted. “I’ll see you soon. I swear, but I HAVE to go find her now. She needs me.”

“Oh, you better keep this promise too then,” she cried, pulling him in tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he whispered back. “Take care of her,” he then directed toward Jade and was off at full speed. He figured the best place to start was the car to the north. He knew if anyone could evade thirty guards it was Jessie. She was just amazing like that, but he also knew that he needed to find her fast to avoid the mental breakdown he wanted to have.

A million thoughts were racing through his mind as he frantically ran, but he zeroed in on one. All he could really think about was holding her all night while she slept safe in his arms. Just like he had promised her. He was gonna keep that promise or die trying.

‘Baby, where are you?’
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Love is Strong