Title: Love and War, 26/28

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: December 28, 2016

Category: JJHR, Adventure

Summary: Christmas in Prague doesn't go exactly as anybody planned.

Disclaimer: I do not own JQ. I make no money off this story. I am only using the characters for my own unique story.

Author's Note: Thank you for the favorites and follows! Enjoy!

Chapter 26

Jessie was still shivering. Her arm still hurt like hell. She was still exhausted and starving and dehydrated.

But now she had Jonny beside her. His arm around her, pressing her to his side, didn't do much against the Czech winter day. Or the cold already settled into her bones. Jessie could feel the little shivers that ran through his body. He'd given her his coat, and his turtleneck wasn't much protection against the cold.

But his presence made all the difference to Jessie.

Still, they had to get out of this forest, out of the cold, as soon as possible. They were moving as quickly as they could, following Jonny's trail back to the estate. But Jessie felt like the trees were never going to end.

They both scanned the forest around them. As far as they knew, Reznicek was no less a threat. He could appear at any moment.

And now Jonny was in as much danger as Jessie was. That was the other side of the coin of having him by her side. If Reznicek found them, what would he do to Jonny?

Jessie couldn't think about it. She gripped her gun, holding it slightly in front of her as she watched the trees all around for any movement.

One bullet. One chance to kill before being killed.

She'd given the knife to Jonny. She'd made him take it so he had a weapon. He held it loosely in his free hand, the one not wrapped around her. It wasn't much, Jessie knew, but he knew how to use it. And it was better than nothing.

She glanced at Jonny and he glanced at her, their eyes meeting for a moment. Just long enough for Jessie to feel a rush of excitement and relief and even hope all tangled together before they both focused back on keeping a look out.

"How'd you know to find me here?"

Even speaking softly, Jessie's voice sounded too loud in the quiet of the forest, too revealing. But she was tired of silence. It was going to drive her insane.

"It was really just a lucky hunch," Jonny answered, keeping his voice low as well. "Your background search on the baron was a big help though. Reznicek has a lot of shady events from his past."

"I'm not surprised to hear that," Jessie said. "You managed to get into my laptop?"

"Hadji did."

"Damn. I'll have to change my password."

"President Stasny loaned your dad a few Special Forces guys to come check this place out. And I tailed along."

Jessie glanced at Jonny. He was grinning.

"What did it take to convince dad to let you come?"

"Uh, a whole lot of charm," Jonny evaded.

Jessie snorted. "And what about your dad?"

"I went with just not telling him," Jonny admitted.

Jessie raised her eyebrows at his answer as she continued to scan the horizon. "I hope I'm not around when-"

Jessie froze. A sob almost escaped her. She leaned forward, needing to make sure she was really seeing what she was seeing.

"Dad," she breathed.

She felt Jonny turn in her direction. She was unable to take her eyes off her dad, fifty yards away, stalking through the trees holding a rifle at the ready. But from the corner of her eyes she saw Jonny raise his hand to signal to Race. Jessie shushed him before he could call out. He looked at her in confusion, but Jessie just pointed.

With her gun. And she didn't let her arm fall.

Another figure moved through the trees a few yards behind her dad. Reznicek. Stalking after Race.

From what Jessie could tell, neither of them had seen the teens or knew she and Jonny were watching.

Her breath caught when Reznicek paused and brought his rifle up. He aimed right at Race. Jessie focused her aim on the baron.

Her hand was shaking.

"He's gonna shoot Race," Jonny whispered, the same fear in his voice that was clenched around Jessie's heart.

Jessie stepped away from Jonny. The last time she'd tried this shot at this distance, she'd missed. This time if she missed…

Jessie forced herself to breathe out, then in and then pause her breathing. She lined up the sights of the gun.

Jonny placed a hand gently on her back.

Jessie squeezed the trigger. The shot scared off the birds in the area. The bolt locked open.

Both Race and Reznicek dropped to the ground.

"Race!"

Jonny was the one who had cried out. Jessie couldn't move, couldn't breathe. She was still pointing the gun at where the baron had been. She counted the beats her heart should have thumped out in her chest.

Please, dad. Please get up.

Behind her, Jonny was just as still.

Jessie finally let her arm drop when she saw movement. And then the breath exploded from her when her dad stood up.

Race looked around, then finally spotted Jessie and Jonny. Jessie caught her father's eye. She pointed to where the baron had been. He nodded and stalked back in the direction she indicated, rifle at the ready.

Jessie tracked him with her eyes, reminding herself to breathe. She gripped the gun, useless as it was.

Her father approached the spot where Reznicek had been standing. He paused, nudged something with his foot, then lowered his rifle.

Jessie finally relaxed, the adrenaline leaving her body. She felt herself beginning to fall.

But once again, Jonny was there to catch her.

Jessie held onto him with her good arm, dropping her useless weapon to clutch a bunch of his shirt in her fist. She watched her father approach at a run. He swung his rifle around so it was positioned behind his back.

"Watch out. Her arm's broken," Jonny warned, stopping Race before he pulled her into a bear hug.

But Jessie stepped forward and wrapped her good arm around her father, pressing her face into his chest. She felt his arms gently encompass her.

It felt like home.

"Jessie," Race said with a shaking voice, his warm breath against her scalp and in her hair.

"Dad," Jessie breathed back, holding back her sobs. "I knew you'd come."

"I'll always come," he promised.

Jessie tightened her arm around her. She felt Jonny's presence behind her, quietly, patiently watching them. She raised her arm to look into her father's face. He brought a hand to her face, gently rubbing a thumb across her cheek.

"Reznicek?" she asked. She had to now.

Race just shook his head. It was enough for Jessie.

"Come on, you two," Race finally said, guiding Jessie carefully to his side, "let's get out of here."

Jonny sat alone in a hospital waiting room leaned forward with his arms resting on his thighs and his head hung down. Race had gone with Jessie through the restricted double doors to his left about a half an hour ago. But Jonny wasn't technically family. So he waited for his own family and Estella to arrive.

After Jessie had killed Reznicek, she, Jonny and Race had walked out of the forest together, Jessie tucked into Race's side. The Special Forces team was waiting for them. Backup had already arrived. A helicopter sat right in the expansive backyard, it's rotors circling slowly, ready for takeoff.

Skala had already been treated and loaded in. Race, Jessie and Jonny were escorted right to and in the chopper. As soon as they were secured the chopper lifted off.

Jonny sat next to Jessie for the two and a half hour ride back to Prague. The entire time he'd watched her while she'd leaned against her dad, holding tightly to Race's hand. Honestly, Jonny had been a little jealous. He sat on her left, the side with her broken arm, wishing he could hold her hand too.

He'd had to remind himself that he should be happy he was sitting next to her at all, safe and mostly sound. He focused on the shivers in her body, and how they gradually diminished in the warmth of the helicopter. Sitting between Jonny and Race absorbing their body heat probably helped as well. He hoped it did.

"The shooter at the café," Jessie suddenly spoke. "He was hired by Reznicek."

Race looked at his daughter and Jessie lifted her head to look into her dad's eyes.

"Reznicek thought you were joining us for lunch there. He wanted to see you in action. He originally meant to take you, not me. But then I took care of the situation and…"

Jessie swallowed, her gaze lowering. She rested her head back on Race's shoulder, closing her eyes. Race kissed her hair, lingering, before resting his cheek against his daughter's head. Jonny slowly breathed in and out.

Reznicek was dead. Jessie had killed him.

"Jonny!"

Jonny lifted his head, then stood. His family rushed toward him, Estella at the front.

Jonny reached out and pulled her into an embrace as she reached him.

"Where's Jessie? Is she okay?"

"She's okay," Jonny assured. He put Estella at arm's length. "She suffered some injuries. She's waiting for you. You can go on through those doors. The staff knows to expect you. They'll take you to where Jessie and Race are."

Estella squeezed Jonny. "Thank you." Then she was rushing off again.

Jonny watched her until the double doors swung closed behind her. Then with a deep breath he turned to face his family.

"Is Jessie okay?" Hadji asked before anyone else could speak.

Jonny nodded. "She will be. She's got a broken arm, a few other injuries. She was pre-hypothermic when we finally found her."

"And the baron?" Benton asked.

"He was behind it, just like we thought." Jonny had to pause and shake his head before he could explain to his dad and brother the entire situation.

Jessie is safe and alive. They're treating her now. You'll see her again soon.

"The baron was hunting her," Jonny said.

"What?"

"Hunting her how?"

"I don't know all the details, but basically he took her so he could hunt her like some wild animal."

Jonny stopped. He couldn't speak for the rage boiling up in him. His jaw and teeth hurt from how tightly they were clenched.

Hadji placed his hand on Jonny's arm. Jonny caught Hadji's dark, concerned gaze. "She is safe."

Jonny nodded.

"Then let us be glad for that," Hadji advised.

Jonny nodded again, glancing over his shoulder at the double doors.

"What happened to Reznicek?" Benton asked.

Jonny turned back to his family. "He's dead. Jessie shot him."

Benton nodded. Neither he nor either of his sons spoke for a moment.

"I'm glad she's come back to us safely," Benton finally said.

Again Jonny heard that fatherly concern in his dad's voice for Jessie. But in his next statement it was gone.

"Now would you care to explain what you were thinking, Jonathon?"

Jonny stared at his dad, keeping his expression neutral. Benton stared back, patiently awaiting his son's response with sternness in his eyes.

Jonny started with, "Don't be mad at Race."

"Race and I will talk later-"

"No. He didn't want me to come along. I gave him no choice. I promised him I wouldn't let you blame him for my going with him. So you can't be mad at him."

Benton sighed and rubbed at his face. "That doesn't explain why you thought heading into a dangerous situation was a good idea."

"Because Jessie was in that dangerous situation. I was going for her." Jonny stuttered, struggling to put into words the tangle of feelings inside of him.

"Race went after her. With a team of specially trained soldiers. He's her father and he's more than capable of taking care of such situations."

"I couldn't just sit around waiting to hear if Race was successful or not. I needed to be looking for Jessie. I had to help find her."

"Jonathon, you're sixteen years old."

"And I've been through more than most forty-year-olds!"

"That doesn't negate the fact that you had no business going."

"You tell me that if it had been mom, you wouldn't have done the exact same thing."

Benton froze. Jonny knew he'd hit his dad's sore spot, bringing up Rachel Quest. It was both their sore spots. But Jonny hadn't brought her up for that reason. He wasn't trying to blindside his dad.

Jonny just wanted his dad to understand.

"You told me you loved her the moment you met her. Go ahead and tell me that if, a week after that, she'd been abducted, you wouldn't have gone after her."

Benton sat hard in one of the waiting room chairs, staring out at nothing. Jonny stepped back, wondering if he'd gone too far. He glanced at Hadji who was staring at his family with wide brown eyes. The elder son caught his little brother's eyes and Jonny silently wondered what Hadji must be thinking right now.

Hadji shook his head. It wasn't an answer to Jonny's pleading eyes. The elder son simply didn't know what to do.

"Are you saying," Benton suddenly spoke, pulling Jonny's gaze down to his dad, "that you feel about Jessie the way I feel about your mother?"

Jonny stuttered, unable to answer. Finally he sighed and sat down by his dad.

"I don't know," the teen answered hesitantly but honestly. He was suddenly afraid of the things he was admitting to his dad. But he couldn't deny them. "I know I feel very strongly about her, and I know it's real. And I know losing her would absolutely tear me apart."

Benton looked at Jonny. The elder Quest looked as if he would say something, but then he closed his mouth and stood.

"There's nothing more we can do here. Let's return to the castle. We can wait for Jessie, Race and Estella there. And Alena would appreciate an update, as well," he said.

Benton walked toward the exit. Jonny exchanged another look with Hadji. This time the elder of Dr. Quest's sons had no comfort to give his younger brother.

With another sigh, Jonny followed his dad and brother, but not before one more glance at the double doors at the end of the hall.