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Chapter 10-Square One

"I can't believe it. The biggest find in over a decade and now it's gone." Estella shook her head, letting out a discouraged sigh as she stood up from studying the fake gem. "Jade sure did her research before taking the damn thing. This one looks just like the real thing."

Grace nodded in agreement. "Of course, I'm curious to know how the hell she got the stone out from under our eyes without burning herself."

"I don't think it matters too much at this point how she got it out," said Benton, "but where it is now. Jade's long gone—god only knows where she made off to."

"Hell—where she belongs," muttered Estella darkly.

"I hardly think that's likely, Estella." Benton rolled his eyes. It was times like these he could see the similarities between Jessie and her mother.

"Well that's where she should be…but someone didn't want to give Jessie a gun." Estella shot Race an accusing look, making the white haired man throw up his hands in the air.

"You threatened to kill me if I ever let Jessie touch another weapon again—I thought I'd be doing us all of favor from attending a court session after Jessie got charged with first degree murder!"

"Oh like you couldn't just cover it up? What the hell did they teach you in the C.I.A.?"

Grace chuckled in amusement. "I would think that all that mattered is the fact that Jessie is perfectly fine—as well as Jonny. Jade may be gone now…but I'm sure she'll pop again eventually. She has to if she's working for Surd, Rage, and the Zins. I have a feeling they won't give up their own personal vendettas against Benton and Race. Now we simply have more work to do. We have to find that stone again and lock it up for good. It's a danger so long as it contains its powers of immortality."

Benton nodded in agreement, glancing back and forth between Race and Estella. "Grace is right. As of now, we're back at square one."

Elsewhere

"What do you mean you don't have the stone?" demanded Dr. Zin angrily as he pounded a fist on his desk. Jade flinched at the sound. "I was assured that you were the best thief for the job!"

Jade sniffed disdainfully. "Oh get over it. I know exactly where the damn gem is."

"I don't care where it is! I was promised that gem—and it isn't here! I want it immediately!"

"Look, I was all set on handing the fuckin' thing over to you as soon as I nabbed the Quest boy. It wasn't my fault the damn red head got in the way!"

Melana snorted. "You mean she kicked your ass and made you look like a fool. Apparently you underestimated the Quest team. They are not as simple as they seem. Like wine, they have aged—only for the better."

Dr. Zin got to his feet, crossing his hands behind his back as he turned to look out his office window. His next words were directed solely towards Jade. "Your mission was to grab the stone, dispose of the Quest boy, and kidnap the Bannon girl. The entire plan was botched by you…it seems you have let your emotions get the best of you. Rather than kill the boy and take the girl, you kidnapped the boy—fully intent on killing the girl. That was not part of the mission, Jade. If you cannot get your priorities straight, perhaps it would be in my best interests to find another master thief to do my dirty work."

By now Jade's face seemed made of stone, only her eyes smoldered with anger. "The mission was clear, Doctor. I made a small lapse of judgment…it won't happen again. I will retrieve the gem, kill the boy, and get the girl. Your plans will press forward as you wish."

"Good. So, where is the gem now?"

Jade smirked. "Sitting in the suitcase of one Jessica Bannon."

Zin nodded slowly, not glancing over at the dark haired thief. "See to it that you do not screw up this time…or it will cost you your life."

"Of course." Jade turned on her heel and strode out of the room, fuming at the reprimand. Under her breath she muttered, "I'll get the gem alright…but if the damn girl gets in my way one more time, I won't be held responsible for her death. Zin is just gonna have to deal with using Jonny instead of Jessie…because I have no intention of letting her slip out of my hands alive."

"Jade!"

Jade glanced up, frowning as Julia appeared further down the hallway. "What?"

"Jeremiah would like a word with you."

Grumbling under her breath, Jade turned to follow Julia into another room where Surd was seated in his wheelchair. "You wanted to see me?" murmured the dark haired woman carefully.

Surd nodded. "I heard you screwed up your mission. I hope you aren't losing your touch, Jade. I'm paying you good money to complete the job."

"My touch is fine, thank-you very much. I just had an off moment. I was caught by surprise. Jonny and Jessie work too well together. He distracted me and she attacked. It won't happen again."

"I hope not. Time will run out once Benton discovers that the real stone is missing. Time is of the essence, Jade."

Jade nodded. "Don't worry, Surd. Time is no match for me."

Rockport

Quest Compound

"I said I was sorry, didn't I? Come on, Estella, it wasn't like I knowingly endangered our daughter's life—it was Jonny that Jade was after!" protested Race as he followed his ex-wife inside the house. He was lugging both his and Estella's luggage trying to make up with her for not listening to her concerns about Jade in the first place.

"Fine then—you knowingly endangered Jonny's life. What kind of a parent are you if you can't protect the boy you've been helping to protect for the last fifteen years?" retorted Estella hotly.

Behind them Jonny and Jessie were doing their best to stifle their laughter. Race and Estella had been going on like this since they had left Mexico early that day. Even Hadji had been hard pressed to keep a smile off his face during the plane ride home.

Benton rolled his eyes. "Alright you two, do I need to separate you and put you both in time out? You're starting to remind me of the good old days when I had to do that with Jonny and Jessie every time they got into a shouting match."

"We weren't that bad," protested Jonny with a frown on his face.

"I thought you kept giving us time out for chasing Mrs. Evans up and down the stairs with a fake spider," murmured Jessie creasing her forehead in thought.

"And you wonder why she prefers my own self to that of yours," said Hadji.

"There he goes again," grumbled Jonny, "making jokes. I'm starting to think that the real Hadji was abducted by aliens."

Jessie snorted. "Are you sure it wasn't your brain that was abducted by aliens, hotshot? Hadji's finally getting a life—remember how we used to encourage that once upon a time? Now he isn't the stuffy ol' beanpole he used to be."

"I thought we called your dad the stuffy old beanpole."

"Then what did we call Hadji?"

"I think we called him an old windbag."

"Naw, I don't think that's right…we called your dad the old windbag. Wait, didn't we call Hadji a snake charmer?"

Jonny grinned. "Now that you mention it, yeah, I think we did call him a snake charmer."

"A snake charmer?" repeated Grace curiously.

Jessie chuckled as she answered. "We only called him that 'cause he could pull pranks with me and Jonny and never get in trouble for it. He had everyone in the house wrapped around his little finger simply 'cause he could talk in riddles all the time."

"I never pulled a prank in my life," murmured Hadji with a slight shake of his head.

"Oh please, Hadj," replied Jonny, "remember when Jessie first started wearing bras? You helped me hang them in the tree outside so the pizza delivery guy could see 'em when he delivered our pizza. Boy, those were some good times."

"I knew it!" cried out Jessie turning to face both Jonny and Hadji accusingly. "You are both dead!"

In a flash all three teens were gone—the only leads to their sudden whereabouts were the rumble of footsteps leading up the staircase.

"Did we ever ground someone for that particular incident?" asked Benton.

"Beats me…I'm still trying to remember exactly when that happened. I don't remember it happening," said Race with a shrug.

"What kind of father are you?" questioned Estella placing her hands on her hips.

Grace smiled. "Apparently he's one of those absent minded ones."

That Evening

Jonny looked up upon hearing a knock on his door. "Come in," he called out.

Benton opened the door and stepped inside, making his way over the bed to take a seat. Jonny closed the window on his computer to turn in his chair and face his father. The look on Benton's face was serious.

"What's up?" asked Jonny curiously.

"I feel like we haven't really had any time to talk since yesterday. You gave me quite a scare, did you know that?"

"Ehh…I'm fine now. It's not that big of a deal."

"Uh-huh. I think it was a pretty big deal. If we hadn't discovered the fact that the stone had been stolen I never would have called Race and you would never have gone off with Jade…or would you have?"

"Huh?"

Benton sighed. "Jonny, Race is under the impression from Jessie that there was something going on between you and Jade beneath our noses. I'm not going to lecture you if there was. You're old enough now to be making your own decisions…but I just want you to try and think with your brain…and not the rest of your body when it comes to someone like Jade. She's a very beautiful woman. And women like that know they can use their looks to get anything they want."

Jonny squirmed in his seat. The conversation was a little embarrassing to be having with his father. "I know…I…it was a mistake. I know that now. It was a stupid thing for me to do, believing every word that came out of her mouth. I couldn't help it though, you know? She…she seemed so nice and good on the outside. But on my behalf, dad, I wasn't the only one who couldn't see through Jade. I think the only ones who really did were Jessie and Estella."

"Yes, well, they would have every reason to see through her. Jade is a part of their family history…and we both know how protective Jessie can be with her father. Remember when he dated that French model last year? I clearly remember Jessie being against that from the beginning. It's a female thing, son. Women can pinpoint danger in the most minimal of circumstances."

"Yeah, I think I know that now. I probably won't be betting against Jessie any time soon when it comes to those kinds of things."

Chuckling, Benton shook his head in amusement. "I'm glad to see that you two have seemed to have worked things out. Do you mind me asking what was wrong?"

"I…I don't know really…it's complicated."

"I see." Benton became quiet, lost in his thoughts before speaking again. "You know, son, your mother was always better at giving out advice than me. She had a head for these things…but I remember her telling me that sometimes the most complicated things were quite possibly the clearest things to see."

"What? Are you sure mom said that? 'Cause it sounds more like something Hadji would say," replied Jonny scratching his head.

"What it means is that even though you can't see it now, the answer to your problem is always right in front of you, where you least expect to find it."

"That still doesn't make sense."

"Well, your mother was a wise woman, Jonny. I'm fairly sure you'll figure it out eventually. You're a lot like her—more than you will ever know."

Jonny nodded absently, hanging his head to study the carpet at his feet. The silence became comfortable. Finally, Jonny broke it with a whisper. "I miss her."

"So do I, son."

"Then why start dating again?"

"Because it's something your mother would have wanted me to do a long time ago." Benton reached out and squeezed his son on the shoulder as he got to his feet. "I'm always here if you need to talk, Jonny. Remember, you'll always come first in my life."

Jonny nodded once and watched as Benton left the room, closing the door behind him. The blonde teen let out a deep breath of air and glanced up at the ceiling, trying to mull over what Benton had claimed his mother had always said.

One Room Over

Jessie hummed to herself as she unpacked her suitcase. It always felt good to be home again. Of course, it helped that Jade was no longer under the same roof…breathing the same air…etc. She grabbed a pile of shirts from her suitcase, turning towards her dresser when she heard a thud on the floor. Before she could investigate there came a knock on the doorway. Rolling her eyes Jessie headed over to her door and opened it before turning back to her dresser to deposit her pile of shirts in one of the drawers.

Jonny entered, closing the door behind him. "Hey," he said sheepishly.

"Hey yourself. You can't possibly be done packing already."

"No…I haven't even opened up the suitcase yet."

"You're such a guy, Quest."

"Funny. Um, I actually came here to uh, you know, apologize."

Jessie paused in the midst of putting her shirts away, giving Jonny a quizzical look. "I could have sworn you apologized back on the yacht. Not that I don't like hearing you say I was right a zillion times…but, you're not one to apologize more than once. You've never been like that—not for as long as I've known you."

"I know…we've known each other a long time, haven't we?" asked Jonny changing the subject abruptly.

"Yeah…"

"And we're friends, right?"

"Of course." Jessie frowned. "Alright, hotshot, what gives?"

"I dunno. I just feel like things have changed around here…and I don't know what it all means."

"Jonny, if your dad wants to date, that's his deal. He's an adult. He doesn't need your permission to go to the bathroom—let alone to start dating again. If parents asked for their kids' opinions when it came to dating don't you think I would've sent my dad to a convent about now?"

Jonny shrugged, moving over to the bed and sinking down onto the mattress. Jessie sighed and pushed her suitcase aside to sit beside him. Jonny stared at the floor broodingly. "I just think nothing's ever gonna be the same again, Jess."

"It's called life. It's not supposed to be the same—then it would be dull," pointed out Jessie softly.

"It's not even that…I just feel like there's something different in the air and if I make the wrong move it'll disappear forever."

"Jonny, I hate it when you start talking cryptically. Only Hadji is allowed to talk like that. Look, things are crazy enough as it is 'cause this is our senior year in high school. We have things like prom, graduation, and college applications to worry about. And to top it all off you've got to look out for yourself…Surd is after you after all. That guy isn't gonna rest 'til he has both you and the stone. And as far as we know he already has the stone."

"I guess that's it. There's nothing like the old fashioned stalker to make you see the light of day, huh?" joked Jonny trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't start thinking too much of yourself, now, hotshot. I don't think your brain can handle too many thoughts at one time," retorted Jessie getting to her feet. Her foot hit something beneath the bed and she was about to investigate when Jonny got to his feet as well.

"This coming from the person who gets her license taken away every other day. If anyone's a hothead it's you, Ace."

"You're a funny man, Quest. I'm starting to think you like living dangerously. Maybe we should have someone kidnap you more often."

"Speaking of which…I uh, never really got to thank you for that."

"Your car keys will be thanks enough."

"You don't have a license."

"A minor detail. It's not like I'm gonna get pulled over or anything. I can usually outrun the police if it comes to that." Jessie brushed Jonny's point aside as though it was nothing major.

Jonny rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder why we're still friends."

"Because no one else goes along with your half baked ideas?" suggested Jessie with a raised eyebrow.

"You know one day you're gonna be finding yourself needing my half baked ideas."

"I'll hold my breath."

"Hey…we're always gonna be friends, right?" Jonny frowned, his forehead crinkling as he glanced at Jessie.

"Yeah…Jonny nothing's ever gonna change that."

"Nothing?"

"No, nothing. Just because you're a jerk sometimes doesn't mean I wanna trade you in for another friend."

"You're sure? 'Cause I don't know what I'd do if we weren't friends, Jess. You're a big part of my life."

"I'm starting to wonder if Jade didn't hit you harder in the head than I originally thought. You're never this mushy…or serious," remarked Jessie crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I'm just…I'm just afraid of losing you. Jade's out there now, probably planning her revenge," murmured Jonny.

"Jonny, I can take care of myself. You know that."

Jonny reached out, taking one of Jessie's hands in his own, nodding along to her statement. "I know…but sometimes I wonder…and I worry…and like I said, things have felt off lately."

Jessie pursed her lips together in a thoughtful manner, her eyes watching as Jonny's fingers entwined with her own. "Everything's gonna be alright, Jonny. It always turns out okay in the end. No matter how many times the bad guys come after us we always win in the end. We're lucky like that."

"But someday our luck might run out…and then where will we be?"

"I don't ponder over the what-ifs and maybes…and neither should you."

With a small smile on his lips Jonny glanced up at Jessie, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Jessie returned the hug and broke away to study him with a concerned look in her eyes. Jonny was right, there was something wrong with him, but she couldn't quite figure it out.

Time ticked by slowly, and before she knew it Jessie found herself leaning closer to Jonny, her lips nearing his. Before their lips met, however, Jonny broke away.

"I can't," he said. Jessie blinked in surprise, her eyes filled with hurt and confusion as Jonny stepped away. Running a hand through his hair, the blonde teen dropped his gaze to the floor and walked out of the room. As soon as the door shut behind him, Jessie sunk back down onto her bed, a single tear falling down her face.

Outside the doorway Jonny sunk down the ground, berating himself for what he had done. Everything was so confusing right now. Things with his dad and Grace, Surd, and now Jessie; and Jonny didn't want to deal with any of it. He had a dark feeling that Jade wasn't following Surd's plans. The look in her eyes on the yacht had only proven that she was one step closer to being completely insane…and if that were true neither Jonny nor Jessie were safe.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Jade viewed Jessie as competition, and Jonny wouldn't be able to live with himself if something ever happened to Jessie. Part of him wanted to go back into her room and kiss her…but the other part knew that getting too close now could ruin their friendship forever. This was Jessie. This was his best friend. They were too young to fall in love now—it could only end in heartache…and Jonny was tired of losing the ones he loved. First his mother, now his father…he wasn't going to lose Jessie either. No, they had to remain only friends if they were ever going to stay on good terms.

One More Room Down

Hadji sighed as he hung up the phone. He clasped his hands together, bowing his head to stare at the carpet. Bandit was seated by his feet, watching him curiously. It seemed the bulldog couldn't find Jonny in his room and had opted for Hadji instead.

"I do not understand it, my little friend. Why will she not answer? She is a good person inside, I know she is. She said she needed time…but I fear that time will not wait for her."

Across Town

Anaya listened to the phone as it rang. She didn't have the heart to turn it off…but neither did she feel up to answering it. Glancing at the caller I.D. she saw that this time it was Melana calling, not Hadji.

"Why is it that I don't know what to do anymore? When did my loyalties become so hard to define?" she whispered to herself as she wiped away her tears. "Why can't I answer the phone?"

But Anaya knew why she couldn't answer her phone. She wasn't sure which call to take…she wasn't sure which call would be safer. All her life she had done according to plan, never questioning her father or what she was supposed to do…but after meeting Hadji all that had changed. Now she questioned everything from her father to her own self.

A/N—Okay, here's the promised update…and some not so good news. I won't be able to update at all this summer. I need a real vacation and I have slim computer access back home…so please, please bear with me. I promise to update at the end of three months. You are more than welcome to email me, PM me, or even rant and rave on my forum that I have up for this story. Thanks.

-Storytellergirl-