Some will find this series of shorts familiar - I had posted them to the JQML before. I decided to give them a little polish and present them here. For what reasons you may ask? Utter depravity? Attention seeking? Well, I plead the fifth, so there. :P

With tongue firmly in cheek, I present:

Odd lil fic part 12 million and two: Outmatched Matchmaker

It was a quiet evening in the Quest compound as Dr. Benton Quest settled down on the living room sofa with a book and began to read. The kids were in the lighthouse cooking up a new program for QuestWorld, and Race-

He heard the front door slam, and a few minutes later Race stood before him. Dr. Quest did his best not to laugh, but failed miserably. His friend and bodyguard was soaking wet, his clothes sticking tightly to his skin, and if he wasn't mistaken, reeked distinctly of fish.

"Race, I-"

The look Race gave him quieted his laughter. "The next time I mention my love life to you, do me a favor and don't help!"

Dr. Quest put his hands up in mock surrender. "Arlene is a highly regarded member of the scientific community and-"

"She's a marine biologist," Race finished. "I know, I know. Her idea of a good time was to take me on a boat tour of the ecosystems just off the coast. It wasn't so bad until we ran out of fuel."

"Ran out of fuel?" Dr. Quest's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Yeah, imagine my surprise." Race replied dryly. "Anyhow, she put on some music and unpacked a picnic lunch consisting of wine, bread, oysters, and caviar. Arlene encouraged me to relax and claimed that she called the coast guard. Three hours later, after she had a downed the bottle of wine and half the oysters, she came on to me and wouldn't leave me alone. I had to swim to shore to get away from her."

"Which explains the state of your clothes and the smell," Dr. Quest commented. "I didn't realize she would do that to you. Why don't you go upstairs and get cleaned up?"

Race pointed at him. "Only if you promise me that you will never interfere in my love life ever again."

"but-"

Race gave him a sadistic smile. "No buts or I call that lab assistant you met in Singapore and tell her that you are interested in her."

Shuddering, Dr. Quest remembered all too well the brunette who helped him in Singapore. She had been so overly eager to impress him and snag a date, she had nearly blown up the lab they were working in at the time. It was easily apparent that he couldn't win this battle. "Okay, Okay, I promise. Now go on up before you ruin the carpet."

Race stomped off and headed up the stairs, his hair dripping water everywhere.

With a sigh, Dr. Quest returned to his book and continued reading.

Minutes later, the phone rang. Dr. Quest grabbed for the cordless phone sitting on the arm of the sofa and answered it. "Hello?"

The purr of the silky female voice on the other end of the line was unmistakable. "Why hello Doctor Quest, I was wondering if I could talk to that sexy bodyguard of yours."

It was Jade. He groaned and then thought for a moment before he replied. "Ah, Jade, actually this is not the best time-"

"But nonsense- I just wanted to ask him-"

He guessed what she was going to ask, and figured Race had enough of dating for a while. "No buts, Jade. Trust me, Race could use all the time off he can get."

Before she could protest further, Dr. Quest hung up the phone and turned back to his book.

An hour later, Race came into the living room, hair dry and wearing a fresh set of clothes.

"Hey Benton, if Jade calls, tell her I'll meet her at the airport in an hour, ok? She wanted me to go with her to Tokyo to have lunch."

Dr. Quest stared at him in disbelief before he dropped his book and stood up.

He got as far as the front door before Race asked him. "Where are you going?"

He turned and looked at Race with a sour expression. "To Singapore. I think I would rather take my chances with the brunette."