A/N: Yay, new chapter! Enjoy!

chapter 25

Jess walked into Daniels office. He looked up, slightly surprised to see her. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes.

"OK," she told him. Daniels seemed confused for a second, but when he realized what she was talking about he stood up and walked over in front of her.

"Are you sure?" he asked firmly. Jess nodded. "OK."

xxxxx

"So we found a guy from their old unit, living right here in LA. Colby and David went to go talk to him," Megan informed Don.

"Great, maybe he can tell us what his buddies are up to."

"Yeah, hopefully."

"Hey, can I talk to you?" Daniels asked coming up to the pair. Both Megan and Don looked over at him.

"What's up? What are you doing here?" Don countered.

"I need to talk to you," he replied. Don glanced at Megan, she gave him a slight nod, and left the room.

"OK, so what's up?" Don questioned, feeling slightly uneasy.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad," Daniels assured him. "I just need your signature on something." Don gave him a curious look.

"For what?" he inquired. Daniels pulled out a piece of paper.

"Since Jess is a minor, it needs a guardian's signature," he explained, handing Don the paper. Don read over it, and looked up at Daniels.

"This is a restraining order," he stated. Daniels nodded. "Against Rachel." Once again Daniels nodded. Don sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Wanna explain this?" Daniels smirked.

"She didn't mention this, did she?" he guessed. Don looked at him and shook his head.

"No, she didn't." Daniels nodded.

"That explains your confusion then," he noted. "Look, I know you and Rachel had a thing, but you've seen how she is and how Jess reacts." Don nodded, shrugging slightly. "Frankly, I'm glad Jess finally decided to do this." Don gave him an inquiring look. "You know Jess hates her mom, but Rachel is still her mom. Before now I think Jess was holding on to a little bit of hope that her mom would change." Don shrugged a little, it made sense. "But then when Rachel never showed up when Kyle died...I think that convinced Jess that her mom would never change." Don nodded slowly.

"So why now? Why not when Rachel first showed up?" he wondered. Daniels shrugged.

"She probably thought she could handle it. Jess never has been good at asking for help." Don did his best to hide his grin.

xxxxx

Alan sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head, as he passed Charlie and Larry arguing in the living room. He made his way upstairs, and noticed the door to Don's old room was slightly ajar. He walked over and peeked inside. Jess was laying on the bed, with her head at the foot, tossing a baseball in the air. Alan smiled at the familiar site, though he hadn't seen it since Don was that age.

"What's bugging you?" he questioned as he entered the room. Jess saw him and sat up quickly.

"Hey," she greeted. "Sorry, I was just..."

"Getting away from the geniuses?" he guessed. Jess grinned a little.

"Yeah." Alan smirked.

"Don't worry, I was doing the same thing." Jess chuckled.

"Normally I would've just gone outside or something, but with the rain..." Alan nodded his understanding.

"Yeah, understandable. Don't worry, it's fine. You can be up here all you want," he assured her. Jess smiled.

"Thanks."

"Do you mind?" he asked, motioning to the desk chair. Jess shook her head.

"No, go ahead." Alan nodded and sat down.

"So...what's eating you?" he asked gently. Jess looked dazed for a second, but quickly recovered herself.

"What makes you think something's bothering me?" Alan chuckled.

"Because when I came in you were laying on the bed tossing a baseball in the air," he stated. Jess looked bewildered.

"So?" He smiled.

"Don would do the same thing whenever something was bugging him," Alan explained. Jess smirked slightly. "You wanna talk about it?" he offered kindly. Jess looked down, tossing the baseball back and forth between her hands.

"Thanks for the offer, but it's kind of a long story," she replied honestly. Alan nodded.

"Well, if you ever do wanna talk...I'm here," he told her sincerely. Jess looked at him and smiled.

"Thanks." Alan returned the smile.

"Anytime."

"Hey, there you guys are," Don said as he entered the room. "What are you guys doing up here?" Alan and Jess shared a look.

"Hiding," they answered in unison. Don raised his eyebrows, but then starting chuckling.

"Glad I'm not the only one who does it," he commented. Alan grinned, and Jess snickered.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone," Alan said, getting up to leave. "Dinner should be ready in about a half hour," he added as he left. Don and Jess nodded.

"So, you like baseball, huh?" Jess questioned sarcastically, gesturing to all the baseball stuff in the room. Don chuckled.

"Yeah, I kinda do," he replied in the same tone. Jess smirked. "So...anything you wanna tell me?" he inquired, much more serious. Jess sighed.

"Mac came to see you today, didn't he?" she guessed.

"You should've told me," Don said simply. Jess nodded.

"I know. I started to, but I was afraid you might try to talk me out of it," she admitted. Don sighed and sat down in the chair Alan had previously occupied.

"You were probably right," he conceded. Jess raised her eyebrows. "I probably would've tried to talk you out of it."

"So, did you..." Jess started slowly. Don nodded.

"Yeah, I signed it," he told her. Jess looked at him questioningly. "Daniels explained some stuff." She nodded, seeming to accept that answer.

"Thanks," she said quietly. Don smiled.

"Next time, just...you tell me first, before I have to find out from someone else, OK?" he proposed. Jess nodded.

"I can do that," she agreed.

A/N: Well, I hope you liked that chapter! I'm not sure when I'll update again, but it'll probably be relatively soon. Anyway, as always reviews are greatly appreciated!