Disclaimer: Jonny Quest, The Matrix, and Penney Memorial Church are not mine. However the Iverson Assembly, Garman the scientist, and Sanjana are all products of my own imagination. Also, the seating capacity and all physical descriptions of Penney Memorial Church are fabricated.

A/N: I started writing a one-shot about Benton's wedding and then in the middle of it I realized I had a couple of ways I could go with it. So this is the second of two story-lines based on the same basic plot.

I do not have any factual support for any medical ideas mentioned herein.

Chapter 1: Left Behind

There were just too many people milling around the expanse of stone and wood; eight-hundred-and-seventy-eight, to be exact. Far too many for a building which normally housed a congregation of approximately four hundred people.

There were even two high-definition screens for the overflow crowd; one located in the fellowship hall and the other in the largest practice room to be had. Why it was necessary to put this spectacle on big screens for several hundred people who did not really even know the bride and groom… well, that was entirely beyond the comprehension of some. Nevertheless, it was all set up and ready to go for the enormous mass of people gathered at Penney Memorial Church in Augusta, Maine.

Ironically, a head of messy, dirty-blond hair stood out more obviously in the large crowd than expected and against all odds the young man who owned said hair felt himself fighting a never-ending stream of well-wishers. Despite his dearest wish to get away, Jonny Quest felt hands reaching out from everywhere, grabbing his hand as if it were a water pump in the middle of the Sahara. He tugged at the increasingly uncomfortable collar of his tuxedo as casually as he could, but he still drew a disapproving glance from some stiff-backed society woman he had never even met.

The twenty-one-year-old's head felt fit to burst from all the commotion ringing in his ears. The pale-haired youth felt out of his element. At home, Jonathan Quest could be himself, which ultimately meant that his witty, people-saving, comical, never-fear attitude was firmly in place and never out of style. Unfortunately this was not home and even if it was, it would currently be invaded by so many government officials and celebrities and wanna-be-famous-scientists that he would be overwhelmed. Never mind that he was quickly becoming renowned for his 'technological mastermind' as Race had so laughingly put it.

As the young blond-haired daredevil the public was so familiar with, he may be able to charm an alligator out of its skin, but right now he did not stand simply in the role of 'Jonny Quest: Adventurer', he stood as Jonathan Alexander Quest, son and groomsman and temporary non-comic. This entire hullabaloo was his dad's arena, not his.

Then again, his dad apparently had totally and completely sold out his brains in order to marry the woman that currently settled in the sanctuary's main anteroom getting ready to walk down the aisle. Not that Jonny felt extremely upset about it. Admittedly, Jonny was not very close to his future stepmother, not even as much as he had been in the first few weeks he had known her in the Czech Republic as a teenager. Alena Stasny had become distinctly less intellectual since ending her term as president.

No matter, Jonny could accept that his dad looked happy. He could be pleased Alena and his dad had finally passed 'Go' and actually collected the two-hundred dollars. Jonny was not upset about there being a wedding. But the idea that his dad thought him the perfect host to take up the eight-hundred-plus wedding crowd which moseyed everywhere from the sanctuary out to the entrance drive? Now that was upsetting. Sure, he could talk his head off, but not this much and not with these people.

Actually, Jonny had been beginning to wonder just why his dad agreed to such a fussy, peculiar, and inelegant ceremony and reception. All this stylistic mumbo-jumbo fielded an increasingly similar look to what Jonny knew of Jade Kenyon's idea of beauty – as in wild and untamed. For being a black-tie event, his dad's wedding looked awfully informal. Then again, the black-tie bit only applied to the dress code that Alena had required, not the decorations.

Benton Quest may follow the fantastical in his research, but this? Just as he thought of the incredibly bizarre decorations, some strange flower-that-looked-like-an-alien caught Jonny's lapel and refused to let go. Covertly as possible, the young man picked the offending foliage from its stem in order to free it from at least one end and then set it inside as if it naturally grew from the middle of the combined stems.

What really made Jonny's day twenty times worse was the fact that Jessie wandered off somewhere in the sprawling mass playing up the perfect hostess, taking up the role with him because she knew he hated to do this. She always did that, ever since he could remember, but it still did not make him feel a lot better. He would rather stand with her and make attempts at civil conversation than stand there without her and get stared at because his gas tank of conversation had run on empty about fifteen minutes in.

Somehow, Jonny should have known that he would be left on his own to face the music. The Bridal Chorus would only be a small B-Section of the larger symphony.

Irina Kafka, lately returned from an international tour, would likely appreciate that sentiment if she had one ounce of brains left in her head after getting swept away by fame and fortune. The brunette pianist constantly encroached on Jonny's personal space without his consent. It became a frequent thing whenever she visited the compound with Alena. Yes, he had flirted when they were about fifteen and once – when he was sixteen – they had dated very lightly for about a month. Honestly, though, was five years not enough time to realize he held no interest anymore?

Consequently, Jessie had forcefully pulled the pianist away from him a half-hour ago and as far into the crowd as possible; introducing her to all the people that Jessie knew would talk for long periods on the exact subjects that interested Irina. Lucky thing, because if Jonny had listened to one more ditzy comment about luxuriant hotels, posh ballrooms, and Irina's unsurpassed skill, he would have strangled her with his bare hands. Jonny felt rather disappointed that the previously intelligent teenager had turned into such a vain peacock.

At least he had Jessie for a friend. True, most people believed they were more than best friends, but the old adage "just good friends" had been tried and tested on them during their senior year of high school and freshman year of college. For all their trying, it never worked out and they parted ways like the good friends they were.

At any rate, Irina's forward flirting was one reason Benton had not asked Jonny to be his best man. Jonny wanted to walk with someone else at all costs. Alena refused to have anyone but Irina as her Maid of Honor. Walking with Irina was simply out of the question as far as Jonny was concerned, and so Benton asked Race. Catching Irina's eye once, when she had just arrived at the church, only served to convince Jonny that his dad had made the right choice.

Then there was Hadji and his wife Sanjana; the two caused a stir amongst the masses an hour earlier merely by name and association to the Quest family. Of course, the actions of a certain Sultan in Bangalore had become quite renowned, and realizing he was the same Sultan blared across some international headlines endeared Hadji to a number of what Jonny kindly labeled the 'Welfare Celebrities' of the world, since the only time they seemed to be famous was when they lost money. They constantly sidled up to truly rich and famous people, hoping to become famous, rich, or both.

'Moochers International' was another fitting term Jonny labeled them with, among a rather large list of terms written about a week ago in his frustration. Jessie had calmly removed the paper from his desk and pushed a faulty piece of new Questworld software under his nose for inspection. He had still been thinking up names, though, and the following morning he had shown her an equally long list which she promptly threw into the fireplace – promptly after reading it, at least.

Then Jonny had been asked – begged, really – to help sort out the wedding and reception invitation list with his dad while Alena, Irina, and Jade went out shopping. The day had grown steadily worse after Jonny accidentally let slip one of his 'terms' to his dad, in an effort to convince him to eliminate some of the more notorious offenders of 'Moochers' from the invites.

Benton did not typically take such a hard stance with him, even as a reckless teen.

Well, he was still reckless sometimes, but that was not the point.

Seeing his dad so upset about something he normally would have laughed off as truth made his only son realize just how off-kilter and preoccupied the man truly felt about all of this. Jonny had not spoken to his dad since then except to say 'hey' on the rare occasion that his dad's focus did not center on the bride-to-be; he merely waited for the moment when he was to stand as a groomsman between Hadji and Race. A week without talking to his dad became depressing, but he knew his comic responses did not help the doctor's nerves any.

To put icing on the proverbial cake, there was the appearance of Jade, whom Race convinced to settle down with him a few years back. Granted, the two never married and Jade lived apart from Race a lot of the time, but they saw each other often enough to keep a steady relationship going. Race had figured that was about as settled as Jade ever could be, and he had lived with it ever since.

Much later, Jonny found out from Jade herself that business dealings virtually disappeared and so she settled for a relationship instead. If that was the case, Jonny did not really understand where Jade could be during her solo time without any business to attend, but for Race's sake he had let it lie.

Regardless any of the reasons, Jessie obviously did not react well to Jade's reappearance in their lives, especially as now that meant Jade would attend family events such as this wedding.

Appreciation filled all of them that Benton Quest had not been totally, fully immersed in a preparation stupor. Otherwise, they would have had a very big problem with Jessie and Jade walking so near to each other. Race would walk with Irina as Best Man and Maid of Honor, respectively. Jessie and Jonny walked next, followed by Hadji and Sanjana. Jade and Pasha would end the line.

Jade and Jessie were kept apart only by providence, as far as Jonny was concerned. Hadji could try his calming routine all day long, but he would not be able hold Jessie back if Jade uttered one word out of line, as she normally did. And for all that she was the wife of a Sultan, Sanjana could be almost as fiery as Jessie when her friends were offended and would be more likely to help than hinder.

Alena was not privy to the explanations of Jessie's hostility toward Jade, or vice-versa. The exotic woman was strangely not very forthcoming either. Not that anyone but Jessie and Jade knew the true, complete reasons in the first place, but Alena knew even less than everyone else did.

To top that off, oddly enough Alena had taken a liking to Jade and dislike to Estella, Jessie's mom.

Jonny had not exactly disliked Jade the first few years he had known her either. Now, however, he seriously could not see how Jade's personality would win out over Estella Velasquez. Jessie's mom was honest and did not push herself on them, whereas Jade never seemed to get the memo under any circumstances. Not to mention she was cocky, vain, and a downright—

Jonny stopped his wandering mind immediately. Jessie really needed to stop saying those things to him. He was getting in a bad habit of saying them at the most inopportune times.

Just the same, Jonny knew it was true and happened to enjoy Estella's company any day over Jade's. Perhaps it was partly the fact that he had grown up and could hold an adult conversation now.

Benton had confided in Jonny only a day or so prior to the big day, that after raising Irina as her own, Alena seemed to have taken offense at the fact that Estella had not seemed to spend every waking moment with her own daughter. The blond-haired young man could hardly see how that was any of Alena's business, much as he was willing to try and accept her in his dad's life. Especially since Jessie, the victim of this supposed 'crime of motherhood' as Irina had apparently described it, had forgiven Estella for any lapses and bonded more closely to her mother than anybody, with the exception of Jonny.

Now it was a plain fact that Benton considered Estella a friend and shared a common interest in science, history, and exploration with her. It was another, doubly-plain fact that the archaeologist was not to be left out of the invitations or everyone would be running from a very angry Jessie Bannon, a mildly disappointed Benton Quest, and a snappish Jonny Quest.

Who could avoid being snappish, after working to calm down his flame-haired best friend?

Even Alena had seemed to take the hint about the subject – reluctantly and with a certain amount of condescension that Jonny thought very unsuited to the situation – especially after Jessie had blurted out the fact that, ironically, an unconscious Alena had been saved by none other than Estella and her archaeological team when her plane crashed over Brazil four years earlier. Talk about coincidences…

Alena had not, apparently, taken the hint that an invitation also meant being treated civilly by the bride and her guests. Maybe she was taking lessons from Jade... At least, that was what Jessie's face told him from the other side of the crowd – and what she had been spouting about the previous day. Jonny had difficulty seeing his best friend's features clearly at such a distance, and it was even harder to see what her eyes settled on, but he could sense she felt displeased. Right now he could almost feel her indignation and simmering fury like a tangible thing. The connection was just something that developed between them after being in so many tight situations.

Jonny looked around to find his dad instead and caught sight of him fairly near. He had little difficulty it the sighting, considering the color and design of tie Benton had been finagled into wearing this morning. The scientist looked happy enough to his son's eyes, but the groom's brows furrowed just the same. Frowning mildly, Jonny followed his dad's concerned line of sight and found his eyes landing upon on a lonely-looking Estella Velasquez.

Irritation made a blazing trail through the young adventurer's mind. Was it so difficult to be nice to the woman? Unless someone threatened Jessie, Estella behaved in a friendly and highly intelligent manner.

Jonny believed most of Jessie's smarts came from her mom, not Race. The former I1 agent acted based in instinct far more than intellectual capacity. Not to say the guy did not have smarts, but it was not at the forefront of his personality to be exceptionally brainy like Jess. No, that definitely was a trait learned from her mother.

When he looked back at Benton, Jonny could see whatever conversation had been pushed on his dad at that moment did not have his attention at all. With a feeling his dad needed a little picking up, but knowing Alena would be royally ticked if it was anyone but herself, Hadji, or Jonny that did so, the blond-haired youth walked the short distance to his dad's side and fairly dragged him away from the clutches of a familiar hot-headed researcher and two supposedly-undercover officials from the CIA that did not seem to have learned the meaning of 'subtlety' yet. What did they think this was, anyway? A secret convention for mad scientists? It was a wedding, for crying out loud.

"Thank you," Dr. Quest exhaled quietly, speaking in exasperated undertones to his son as they walked away. "I think Garman was going to ask me to give a speech on legalizing experimentation at the Iverson Assembly. You know how much I detest his idea of lab work."

"Oh, I don't know," Jonny had to snort as he glanced back at the Agent Smith copycats standing next to the brown-haired researcher. "Maybe you should have agreed and then let the guys in the specs leave with something other than a 'thank you' card."

The elder Quest glanced back as inconspicuously as possible, chuckling quietly as he faced forward again.

"At least they aren't the twitching type I remember," he confided in his son even quieter, turning serious. "Before Race came into our lives, when you were still very small, I didn't dare let you out of my sight. I was afraid you would to end up shot whenever you did something unexpected. Some of the early agents they sent to watch over us were inexplicably trigger-happy."

Jonny's curious look prompted Benton to pull him away from the crowd and into one of the smallest anterooms, which was mercifully unoccupied, and shut the door behind them.

Father and son let out a relieved sigh and gladly settled into two of the four wing-backed chairs in front of a set of ceiling-high bookshelves. This room felt cooler than the others and Jonny wished he could loosen his tie a little.

Despite his tie, the younger Quest sent his dad a look that said 'Well?' and arranged himself more comfortably in his seat.

"One time," the redheaded doctor began his story with a resigned sigh, "just after your mother died, they sent agent Dylan Moss to the compound. He had a nervous temperament to begin with… so much so that I wondered why he even hired into such a nerve-racking occupation. The first night there, he had me up discussing the new and old security measures long past the usual hours I kept. You clearly woke up before I did the next morning and decided to get breakfast on your own. Somehow you reached the top shelf for one of the ceramics, but you grabbed more than one. Obviously it was too heavy for you, considering you were only four. Moss claimed he thought the crash was an intruder breaking through the windows."

"I don't see why he thought he should start firing immediately," Benton's tone turned distinctly bitter. "I also thought it was an intruder when I heard him shooting like that, but then I went to get you and found you weren't in your room… You weren't shot thankfully, but he just missed you by inches and it scared you half to death."

"I never knew that," Jonny was stunned. No wonder his dad had an issue with guns. "I don't even remember it."

"As a part of your mental defenses," Dr. Quest sounded a little more like his old self at that moment, "your mind probably blocked it. It was too frightening and you closed off the memory out of self-preservation. It's common enough in a situation like that, especially at such a young age."

"Wow," the young man shook his head in amazement. "I know they hire these nutcases often enough to have a special department for the ones that go wrong, but that's pretty crazy, Dad."

"There are a lot of ridiculous things out there," Benton replied wearily with one of those age-old bits of wisdom that he usually preferred, but somehow that particular piece seemed to slap him in the face when he thought of this unnecessarily elaborate event that Alena had insisted on for today. Nonetheless, the doctor decided that he would not bother over it. Little enough had happened of this magnitude in his life since Jonathan was born. Besides, it was the first time for Alena. He supposed she had the right to do it the way she wanted.

Silence descended upon father and son for several moments and Benton's mind wandered peacefully for the most part.

Jonny, on the other hand, could not seem to get his brain to slow down all of a sudden. Nothing about today had felt right to him and now that he had his dad alone, he planned to see if they could pinpoint exactly what troubled him. It was not like he did not have a smart enough idea as to what it was; it just seemed better to clear the air before his dad went away for a solid two months.

"Dad?" Jonny's voice made Benton look up with a questioning expression, only to find the younger Quest gazing at the nearest grouping of books without seeing them, brows furrowed in consternation.

"Yes?" the bearded scientist verbally acknowledged the young man after a beat, not recognizing the look on his son's face.

"Why?" his son's voice held curiosity, but also something else beneath that which Benton was unable to identify. Strange that he was not able to read Jonathan very well anymore.

After a short pause, Benton prompted again, "What do you mean?"

"Why marry Alena?" Jonny felt mildly uncomfortable questioning his dad on this, but it drove him up a wall. The two had shown zero romantic interest since the former President began coming around. The only reason the young man had been expecting a wedding was because Irina had frequently mentioned the possibility.

Dr. Quest thought on it for a long moment, warring within himself as to whether or not he should tell his son the truth or tell him what most people wanted to hear. Jonathan was always an accepting person, however, so he decided on the truth.

"Honestly?" the elder Quest's quiet query was hesitant as he glanced over to his son. "We were both lonely."

"You were lonely?" Jonny's tone was full of disbelief and the slightest confusion.

Benton looked exceedingly unrepentant as he shrugged a little, but Jonny needed to get this straight in his head. Marrying the woman in an hour and he did not even love her? Jonny had always admired his dad's sense of right and wrong; now his admiration began to crumble a little.

"You're supposed to marry this woman!" Jonny emphasized the word 'marry' emphatically. "In. An. Hour. You know…till death do you part? To love, honor, cherish, and all that?"

"I think I remember the vows, Jonathan," Benton's voice rang with distinct irritation. "That isn't the problem here."

"Then what the hell is?" Jonny did not normally swear – and especially not that loud, or in front of his dad – but his dad needed a serious wake up call.

"Jonathan."

The warning in his father's voice went unheeded as the young man continued, turning his back on the doctor.

"God," Jonny's voice became incredulous. He began throwing disbelieving looks to the ceiling, pacing and ranting, not necessarily to his dad or even anybody in particular; just blowing steam because he had gotten what he considered to be the shock of his life. "You think your dad is full of wisdom and common sense because he's been around longer than you have. You take for granted the fact you'll never have to bail him out of anything, at least where the heart is concerned, because he's older and he's always known better and he's been through it before. And then he goes and pulls a stunt like this!"

"Do you even know," this part was directed straight at Benton when Jonny suddenly swung back around to face the elder Quest, matching the simmering look on Benton's face with a smoldering expression of his own, "just how much trouble you've gotten yourself into? I'll admit Alena isn't exactly a romantic. She may even have gone a little cuckoo in some respects after so many talks with Jade, but she's not entirely stupid. She's not going to forgive you for this."

By this point, Dr. Quest gripped the arms of the chair so tightly that his knuckles looked translucent.

"Jonathan, what do you really know about her? About her feelings? Her goals?" Benton countered crossly.

"What do you know about those things?" Jonny countered with mounting frustration. "Imagine how she'll feel if you get to your ten-year anniversary and you don't know her feelings and her goals and what she wants out of life!"

"Imagine how she's likely to feel if I back out of this now!" Benton argued back, brows drawn into a severe line.

A gentle knock on the door interrupted the steadily-worsening conversation, startling both men to stare at the door in apprehension despite their still-fierce stance and countenance. Benton composed himself as best he could, brushing imaginary wrinkles out of his tuxedo jacket as he stood from his seat. "Come in."

Jonny began fiddling with the edge of his sleeve, a habit of nerves Benton happened to recognize by some luck. Benton almost felt guilty, but he also felt too frustrated to let the guilt keep his thoughts in check.

The dark paneled door opened quietly and somewhat hesitantly to reveal Estella, who had obviously changed into more formal attire than she had been wearing when they had seen her almost twenty minutes ago. If Jonny was not so tightly wound, he would have flattered her on the flowing teal-colored dress that complimented her hair and eyes so well. As it was, the tension in the room felt palpable, nearly breathable, to someone who knew Benton and Jonny well enough.

Estella certainly knew them well enough and she looked quite concerned for father and son. Jonny wished he could reassure her on that count, but he had no such words to offer.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Estella finally spoke, stepping over to stand nearly in-between the two men, plainly in hopes of preventing further argument at the moment, "Jessie asked me to help find the two of you. Alena is almost ready. Jessie estimated another twenty or so minutes."

Estella, too, noticed Jonny's familiar little habit of a sudden. The redhead casually reached over to stop the nervous habit with a gentle tug on his fingers. It worked like a charm.

Benton found himself a bit surprised. No one had ever been able to quell Jonny's habits like that. The younger Quest usually lived such a restless lifestyle that he had to be doing something, but he simply stopped upon her light reminder.

"We'll be in," Jonny spoke up, at the very least attempting to sound completely truthful. "Just need to discuss a little something before we go."

"All right," Estella looked doubtful, inquisitive, and resigned all at the same time.

Jonny did, however, avoid the woman's gaze. A piercing look graced Estella's features at this, but she merely reached up and straightened the tie which Jonny had not remembered loosening.

"We won't be long," Benton added, meaning every word he spoke as he watched the unusual interaction between his son and Estella.

The redhead did not say anything else, but left the situation in their hands with no little amount of doubt. Jonny looked up at the last minute, just as the door swung shut behind her.

"That was a lie," Benton accused his son in a low voice. "There's nothing more for us to discuss, Jonathan."

"I didn't lie," the twenty-one-year-old responded flatly, refusing to show the mild hurt he felt at his father's accusation. "The only discussion that I was hoping for is you telling Alena the truth."

"Who do you think you are?" Benton retorted, unusually hot-headed. "You're my son, not my master. I'll decide what I'm going to do about this. Thank you for your opinion, although it wasn't necessary. You can't just waltz up and try to change things to your liking. I have to admit, Jonathan, this is rather disappointing."

If Jonny felt any particular way about this, he hid it well. The elder Quest wondered just when his only child had acquired the ability to hide his emotions so well. Jonathan's mindset had always been as easy to understand as Benton's own.

Sometime during his wondering, the bearded scientist came to the startling conclusion that he did not know Jonny as well as he thought he did. He had assumed this was the same boy who made death-defying leaps of faith, tried out the latest and most dangerous stunts, and provoked criminals without flinching. The doctor had assumed the youthful exuberance and genuine honesty in his son would never be dampened by anything or anyone. And yet here was that same boy hiding his feelings beneath a layer of indifference and assuming he could direct his father because he felt left behind.

Jonny felt anything but indifferent on the inside, but feeling left behind was not so far a stretch. The young man had looked up to his father for as long as he could remember. He had wanted to be like him more than anything; wanted to make him proud more than anything.

It was at the age of about seven that he knew he could never be like his dad. They were different and that was the end of that. He thought he could at least make him proud and for the fourteen years following that, Jonny believed he was succeeding. But the man who had been his hero since his birth just pushed him away and told him point-blank he was a disappointment… and it hurt.

It hurt more than Jonny ever thought it would. It felt like his dad had just sucker-punched him straight in the gut. The young man had a hard time breathing properly and his eyes burned fiercely. Unconsciously, Jonny clenched his fists tightly. He desperately wanted his dad to take back his words; they were so hard and unforgiving.

"Dad."

His only child's hushed voice was as close to pleading as Dr. Quest had heard it in almost three years. "I'm marrying her, Jonathan."

Benton did not even make an attempt to see the real reason his son pleaded with him. He had no idea if he could forgive the accusations spoken between them today. The elder Quest walked over to the door without a word.

The continued use of his full first name stung and Jonny closed his eyes, fearing what he already knew had taken place. He wished he had just shut his mouth. Was his relationship with his dad worth losing like this?

"Please, Dad." Jonny opened his eyes and stepped nearer, feeling a panic overtake him as his father turned the handle of the door. If his dad walked out now, it was over. "I… I'm—"

"I have to go," Benton forced the words through clenched teeth as he opened the door and stepped out. He did not look back at his son when he pulled the door shut behind him.

The moment the door clicked shut, something in Jonny cracked. This was more than delaying the conversation. Benton was shutting him out.

And he was not going to let him back in…

Jonny stood frozen to his spot for some time, replaying that last moment with his dad in his mind. At last, he blindly reached up to unbutton his collar and remove his tie and jacket before heading towards the door himself. He did not care that he left the jacket and tie behind on the chair; he had hated them anyway.

When he opened the paneled barrier between himself and the outside world, Jonny could hear the Bridal Chorus sounding over the out-of-date P.A. system. Coming around the only corner that barred his view of the main hall, Jonny could see the tail end of Alena's insanely long train as she walked into the sanctuary to meet Benton at the altar. With a sigh of relief mixed with sadness, the blond-haired twenty-one-year-old made his way toward the entrance.

Or exit, as it were.

Blue eyes filled with unshed tears, Jonny left the church and made the way to his car; he would head home before anyone could follow him.

The Quest Compound never felt as lonely as when Jonny pulled in the drive. After having sped well over the legal limit the whole way back, every step toward the house was contrarily sluggish; he had no real reason to rush he realized. Besides, he wanted to spend time in his childhood home before the newlyweds returned later that day. He certainly did not want to be there when they did and so made his way up to his room to pack everything he owned and change into less constricting clothing.

His sea blue sweater and thick gray coat felt slightly warm, but in spite of how beautiful the current weather was, Jonny knew all too well how cold it might be on a New England night in April.

Thanks to Jessie's previous organizational excursion in the room, he finished packing in only an hour. Once his things waited in the trunk of the car, he dragged himself back inside with one last purpose.

The younger Quest absently walked into Benton's study, where everything sat in pristine order as always. The photographs on the dark walls seemed as though they had never been moved or gathered a speck of dust since time began. They were almost too perfect. Looking at the photos in their plain black frames upon the forbidding oaken desk caused Jonny to feel a sharp pang of discomfort when he realized that none featured his mom. In all truth the blue-eyed world traveler had not been in this room since he was about eighteen, but he could have sworn to seeing photos of his mom sitting around back then.

Rachel Quest deserved to at least be represented in a family photo, if nothing else. Even if Benton had wanted to put Alena first now – whether he loved her or not – and not dwell on the past, there was no reason not to acknowledge Rachel as a part of the doctor's history. She was the woman who loved him, married him, and had a son with him, after all. There were more than enough pictures to choose from, as Jonny well knew. The woman may have died only a few years after Jonny was born, but there were no end of photos taken during that short time she dated and was married to Benton Quest. Benton had never neglected to show them to Jonny when he was younger. Frustrated by the lack of consideration, the young man left the study and headed up to where the family albums were stored.

The first photo he took beheld a very young Rachel Quest sitting up in a hospital bed, holding her newborn son in her arms. Benton leaned over them with the biggest smile Jonny had ever seen on his face.

The second photo was more recent than the first; having been taken when Jonny was about nine years old. It was one of the first few times Race had brought Jessie to Rockport. Jessie sat with Jonny on the ground in front of their dads. His dad and Race both looked pleased their children were already such good friends. Hadji stood next to Benton, while Bandit sat (for once) quite calmly in Jonny's lap.

Everyone seemed happy in both pictures and that was exactly how Jonny wanted to remember them. He had no intention of staying at the compound after what transpired with Benton, even if he had no idea where to go. Nothing would be fixed there and it would never be a happy place for him now.

The only thing missing now from his family portrait was Estella. Jessie's room generally stood as a restricted zone, even for Jonny, but he went in anyway to find a good selection of pictures in her photo album. There was one in South America far enough back that Jessie's features were not clouded with upset over Race's new romantic partner, and in which Estella looked almost as young as her redheaded daughter and practically as happy. That was the one he took.

Sighing heavily, Jonny sat at Jessie's desk to make use of her simple, standard stationary. Only a couple of things seemed adequate to explain what had happened to him.

Hey guys,

I guess this is really it. I'm going. Not going away for a little while in order to clear my head for the hundredth time. This is permanent. I can't come back to what little is left of the family I used to know.

Hadji, believe me, blood isn't always thicker. You're my brother, through and through, even though we can't spend as much time anymore. Responsibilities are a pain sometimes. You and Sanjana make an amazing pair to rule Bangalore. Tell Neela she's wonderful, as always.

Race, I'm grateful you were there through everything. I don't like how you've neglected Jessie in recent years, but you weren't always that way.

Dad, I don't know how it happened, but we lost whatever bond there was between us. I'm sorry I disappointed you. I'm sorry I wasn't good enough. Be happy, okay? You deserve it after spending this long alone.

Jess, I'm sorry for leaving you alone like this, but I can't stay. There's no place here for me anymore. You're the best friend I have and the one person who was always rock solid. Tell Estella she's the best. I'll miss you both, Ace.

Jonny

The twenty-one-year-old could not help his eyes welling up with tears – though he would not let them fall – as he sealed his letter in an envelope. All the happy memories he had in the Rockport compound rushed up to meet him with every breath he took.

He hoped Jess would not be too mad she was left alone, but also knew his best friend would understand better than anyone how he felt. Yet, he still felt like a failure in some ways for leaving this huge mess on her shoulders.

"Sorry, Ace," Jonny murmured with a small, sad smile in memory of his best friend. "I'm not such a hot-shot anymore."

"Is that so?"

That oh-so-familiar voice startled Jonny from his thoughts. He whipped around to find none other than Jessie Bannon standing in the doorway with a hand placed imperiously upon her indigo-clad hip. "Then how exactly did you manage to make life ten times more interesting today?"

"Jess." Jonny stood with surprise, reaching out to pull her into a tight hug in absent ignorance of her easily-wrinkled gown. "What happened? I thought you'd be at the church still."

"You honestly believe I'd go through that without you there?" The redhead rolled her eyes as she pulled back from him, also taking his letter into her own hands. "I'm not stupid. Besides, Alena would have freaked out if I'd walked alone. Might have ruined her 'symmetrical asymmetry' or whatever the hell she called it. Now, let me be the one to explain this letter to everybody. And what are you doing here still? Aren't you going someplace far, far away or something?"

"Yeah." Jonny reached for his cuff, fiddling with it again in his anxiety. "About that. If you don't think I should go…"

"Of course you should!" she exclaimed with an incredulous expression, leaning back to look directly into his blue eyes. "This is the one, very rare, time in which you will have to be the wise one between you and your dad. If you don't go, this family situation is only to go from bad to worse."

"Isn't it already worse?" the younger Quest sighed sadly. "I've pushed him too far."

"For God's sake, Jonny," Jessie sighed in deep annoyance, flicking a lock of her flaming tresses over her shoulder. "Your dad needed to hear the truth, okay? I'm sorry it had to end up like this for him to see sense, but there you have it. Now come on, you need to go and start fresh. Preferably with someone you trust not to wig out like Dr. Quest has."

"Who were you thinking of?" Jonny asked resignedly, no one coming to mind except for the girl at his side. "I don't trust anyone but you anymore."

"You don't trust my mom?" Jessie inquired in surprise, snapping an eyebrow up towards her hairline in disbelief.

"Well…" Jonny did not know what to say, reaching anxiously for his cuff again. "Yeah, but—"

"Okay…" Jessie dipped her head to side while prompting him as if he were a very small child, "so, you go live with her until you figure out what exactly you're going to do after this. That would be a big improvement on you being stuck here until you rot. Right?"

"Jess, I know you're trying to help," Jonny denied the idea with a negative shake of his head, "but I think I need to go off alone for a little while. Just to sort through it all."

"You could do that if you lived with her," Jessie pointed out persistently, "just as well as on your own."

"I'm not just going to bounce back into something steady, Jess," Jonny insisted just as strongly. "If I live with Estella, I'll want to seem normal, so she won't worry about me. That's not going to help me figure everything out at first. I promise she'll be the first person I call if I need a place to stay. All right?"

"Fine," Jessie sighed in resignation, throwing her hands up into the air, "But you'd better call me whenever and wherever you do settle for a while. I'm not going to sit patiently if I'm worried about you."

"It's a deal, Ace," Jonny grinned half-heartedly, but it got a small grin from Jessie as well.

"Deal, Hot-Shot," she retorted rapidly. "Good luck. I'll miss you."

"Miss you too." Jonny offered a second hug before heading out of the house, into his car, and proceeding to drive away from the Quest Compound of Rockport, Maine; for what was presumably the rest of his life.

A/N: To be continued…