Title: Dragonfly
Chapter Title: Transitus
Author: A Navy Brat
E-mail: catnmouse90637@yahoo.com
Part: 1 of 3
Rating: PG-13 for language
Warnings: For those who have not watched Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures, the story may be confusing. For those who are looking for a hopelessly romantic J&J piece, this is not one.
Summary: Jonny and Jessie finally get to spend some time together after several years apart; then a series of events take place that make both of them wonder if they really are "just best friends."
Disclaimer: All characters in this piece are owned by and copyrighted to Hanna-Barbera and whoever took part in the creation of Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures. This is an original piece that does not intend to infringe upon their copyright and is strictly a non-profit endeavour. All characters and lyrics are used without permission. Characters and stories are in no way affiliated with, approved of or endorsed by Hanna Barbera. All other materials copyright by A Navy Brat, 2001. All rights reserved. If you wish to post this piece at some other website, please inform me first at the e-mail address given above. Constructive criticism and reviews are appreciated. Personal criticisms should be sent to the address above. Thank you.
Dragonfly
Chapter 1: Transitus
By A Navy Brat, December 11, 2001
"I must be getting out of shape. That marathon was harder than I remembered it," Jonny sighed as he dunked his head under the hot stream from the showerhead. "Or maybe because a certain redhead wasn't there trying to kick my butt." He grinned. It had been, what, two years since he last saw her? Well, not really. He had "seen" her just two days ago, when she called him to apologize for not being able to participate in the marathon. "I have to meet with my mentor about my doctorate," she had said.
"Tsk, tsk, Jessie the procrastinator," he ribbed.
"Hey! It's not my fault that he was out for two weeks with the flu! Or else I could have gotten that Ph.D. before you, Hot Shot."
"Don't remind me."
"Of your doctorate thesis…"
"Hey! That was low." He was awarded with her laughter. "I owe you one, Ace."
"It's not like you could have kicked my butt in the marathon anyway."
"Wanna bet?" He heard the chime of the doorbell in the background. "Uh oh. I'd better let you go get that. I'll see you soon."
"See you, Jonny."
"Bye, Jess."
But talking to a hologram wasn't the same as talking with Jessie. Not even one developed by his dad. Jonny sighed again. It would be another three weeks, at best, before he finally got a chance to see Jess again. Unless, of course, she decided to spend the summer with Estella in Columbia on another dig, like she had for the past two summers. And then his own prof wanted him at Harvard during the winter to help with research and Jessie was due back at Oxford in the spring to present her findings to the panel. The rest of the time they'd be running orbits around the globe pitching for Quest Enterprises; if they were lucky, they just might meet while waiting for connecting flights at Tokyo's airport. Jonny wryly smiled. Which reminded him, he had better brush up on his Japanese.
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In the room's dim light, Jessie squinted at her watch. 12:42 p.m. Monday, Taiwanese time. Well, there was a 12-hour time difference between Taipei and Palm Key, Florida, which meant that it was 12:42 a.m. Monday in Palm Key. So much for calling Jonny. Although he had told her to call before she left, Jessie seriously doubted he would be up at that hour. She would have a chance to talk to him soon enough. She had a flight at 5:30 that afternoon back to Palm Key for a two-week vacation before hopping over to see how her fellow researchers were faring at Oxford. Unless the Japan deal completely fell through and Jonny had to go back, she would get to talk with him then.
As she packed the last of her bags and prepared to head out the door, Jessie's cell rang. She pressed the tiny button on her headset to answer. "Hello?"
"Heya, Ace. Thought you said you were going to call."
"Jonny? It's two in the morning where you are! What are you still doing up?" She grunted as she heaved the suitcase into an upright position and began rolling it out the door.
"Nothing much. Fiddled around with Questworld some. Got worried when you didn't call and wondered if someone snatched you again."
"Sorry. I didn't think you were up and I didn't want to wake you at that ungodly hour."
"I was planning to stay up for a while longer. I'd much rather be woken up by your call than by the radio telling me that you've been ransomed again." She could hear him typing something into IRIS in the background.
He's probably checking my flight plan, she thought.
"Point taken. How's Julie?" There was a slight hesitation on the other end before Jonny answered.
"I wouldn't know. She hasn't called me since we broke up."
"Ouch. When?"
"'Bout two weeks ago." Again, there was a slight pause before he continued. "She made her financial interests a little too obvious."
"I'm sorry."
Jessie heard Jonny shift and slightly sigh. "Yeah, well, things like this are to be expected."
"Hey, Jonny, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm right here."
"I know Jess. Thanks."
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Jonny swept Jessie into a hug as she emerged from the Dragonfly. "Oh, wow, I haven't seen you in so long," he gasped. "You look wonderful, Ace."
"Same to you, Hot Shot. You've grown."
"A bit. C'mon, we have some serious catching up to do." He picked up her luggage before she could protest. "Milady?" he asked, proffering his arm.
"Why, thank you, Mr. Quest," she answered, dipping in a mock curtsey. The two strode arm in arm to the house, already laughing over old acquaintances and shared memories.
"She's matured quite a bit, Race," remarked Dr. Quest.
"Yeah," assented Race as he clambered out of the pilot's seat, "sometimes faster than I wish she would."
"Same goes for Jonny," sighed Dr. Quest.
"But y'know, even now, I trust that boy with my life." Race turned towards the house, grumbling, "I don't see my daughter for two years and the first thing she does is go off with someone else."
Dr. Quest smiled and rubbed his eyes. He hoped Race was right; he couldn't think of anyone else who could handle his son.
Inside the house, Jessie and Jonny were lounging in the sitting room, swapping stories from the past two years.
"And then there was Garrett when he tried to make lunch for us once," began Jonny. "I realized he was a bit of a klutz, but, geez, I still don't know how he managed to catch his hair on fire while making instant noodles."
Jessie laughed, throwing her hair back so it rippled and cascaded down her back. For a brief moment, Jonny was suddenly struck by how beautiful his childhood friend had become. "He wasn't hurt, was he?" she asked.
His thoughts snapped back to reality and he answered, "No. He got the scare of his life and had an interesting buzz-cut look for a couple weeks, but he was fine. Barely even third-degrees." Jonny suddenly became quiet, looking at the water glass that he was playing with.
"What 'cha thinking about, Hot Shot?" Jessie asked.
"Hmm?" Jonny was still distant in his reverie. "Oh, I just remembered how I met Julie. She was a friend of Garrett's sister."
"Do you have a picture of her?"
"Yeah, I should, somewhere in my stack of stuff." He put down the water glass and the pair walked into Jonny's room, where he began rummaging through a stack of postcards, letters, and photographs. "She's a redhead just like you, with green eyes, too. Here's the last photo we took together." Jonny handed Jessie the photograph while continuing. "This was from about a week before we broke up."
Jessie noticed that the picture had been taken at the cliffs behind the Maine Compound. "You brought her here?" she asked, eyebrows arched. She had never known him to bring any of the girls he had dated in college and grad school back to the Maine Compound.
"Yeah. I actually thought it might go somewhere, but once she figured out who I was, she became…a little too interested in finances." He was suddenly interested in the pen in his pocket and began playing with it.
"Oh." Jessie swallowed.
"What's wrong, Ace?" Jonny looked up at the strange catch in Jessie's voice.
"I met a kid like that in Oxford."
She had hit it off pretty well with Jeffrey, until he found out her dad was a close friend of Dr. Quest's. Then he had become…slightly too affectionate. Like damn well trying to force himself on me. But Jeffery had not bothered to figure out what Race did. As a result, he had not known that rugby player build gave him a disadvantage: It was a lot farther to the ground and there was more flesh to bruise.
Jessie shot a look at Jonny's pinched face. "Mind you, I didn't tell my dad for a reason."
"Then why'd you bother telling me?"
"Because I'm trusting you're not going to go hunt him down and beat his face in."
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."
"Because I already have."
"Not good enough, but it'll do, for now."
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"Haven't you ever thought it would be nice to settle down a little, not always worrying about catching the next flight? I mean, we have our degrees, so it's not as if we're unqualified to take a more established job," Jessie mused as she swivelled in the chair in Jonny's room.
"Jonny? Jessie? Race? Can you come into the library?" Dr. Quest asked through the intercom.
Jonny and Jessie interrupted their conversation and looked at each other. Jonny vaulted up from his bed and waited for Jessie before they both headed downstairs to the library. Race and Dr. Quest were already waiting for them when they got there.
"What's up, Dad?" Jonny carefully looked at his father. In the four years he had been away getting his degree and off working for Quest Enterprises, he had never noticed how much his father had aged, although still very active for his 57 years.
Jessie was simultaneously making a similar examination of her father. Race was still Race, except maybe a little slower. But he could still do a pretty damn good job of kicking butt when necessary. There was no question that he was still formidable but there was also no question that he was getting a bit old for his job at 50.
"Jonny, Jessie, I have a proposal for both of you," Dr. Quest began. "Both of you have been out globe-hopping for a while now and I would like to see more of you. How about officially becoming my personal assistants?"
Jonny and Jessie shot surprised glances at one another as Dr. Quest continued.
"I know that you guys enjoy travelling and such, but after the last time Jessie got snatched, I've been worried and thinking about bringing you two back to Maine and Palm Key to work directly with me on some of the prototypes that I've developed. And quite frankly, with Hadji in Bangalore again, I could use help." Dr. Quest paused. "What do you guys think?"
Race broke in first. "Yeah doc, you do have a point about security. It would be much safer..."
Jessie cut him off. "Dad, I can take care of myself. I'm 22. I really don't need a half-cracked bodyguard tagging around perpetually like some love-sick puppy."
Jonny piped up. "Jess, we all know you know how to kick butt. You've taken down Race a couple times. You're capable of self-defence when it's hand-to-hand-combat, but when it's twenty to one, I'm sorry, you're a little on the short end. We were just talking about how nice it would be to actually know what time zone we're in. I don't know about you, but I'm interested. Very."
Jessie shrugged. "I didn't say I'm not, but I'm saying that security shouldn't really be that much of a consideration. And you're right. It would be nice to know what time zone we're in. Right now, I think it's the Eastern, right?"
Jonny wryly smiled. "Really? I thought it was the Pacific. Joking aside though, Dad, I think it's a great idea."
"What about you, Jess?" Race asked.
"I share Jon's opinion. It would be nice to spend a little more time than two weeks a year with my family."
"Great! So you guys will take it?"
Jonny and Jessie gave one last look at each other before simultaneously nodding.
"Then it's settled. When do you guys want to start?"
"Whenever you want us to."
"How about right now?"
"Sounds great. What do we do?"
"Well…sweeping the lab floor would be nice…"
"Dad!"
"Dr. Quest!"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding…Sheesh."
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"Hey Jessie!" Gabrielle called from across the movie theatre parking lot. Jessie had known Gabrielle from high school when the girl had been one of numerous girls pursuing Jon. They had eventually become fairly good friends and Jessie occasionally talked with her on the phone while travelling. Jessie waved back as Gabrielle ran up. "Hey, chica! When did you get back?"
"About a month ago."
"What? And your job hasn't spirited you away yet? I'm disappointed, Jessie. I thought you were invaluable to the company. I thought no one could make a sales pitch like you. And here you are, grazing." Laughter sparkled in Gabrielle's eyes.
Jessie laughed. "Oh ye of little faith. I just got a new job with QE based here, so I won't be globe-hopping as much as I used to."
A sly glint appeared in Gabrielle's eye. "You still single, chica?"
Jessie groaned. "Who are you trying to set me up with now?"
"A friend of a friend," she chirped happily, ignoring Jessie's sarcastic tone. "His name's Paul Davin. He just graduated from Columbia. He seems like a nice guy."
"No."
"Oh, come on, chica! Live a little, will you? C'mon, just see him once. Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
Jessie let out an exasperated sigh. "What makes me think that you've already set me up with him without my knowing of it?" Gabrielle just looked at her with pleading eyes. Jessie sighed again. "Fine. One date. If I like him, I may see him again."
"Cool!" Gabrielle began to bounce off. "I'll email him your number!" she called over her shoulder.
That girl has far too much fun matchmaking Jessie thought with a shake of her head.
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Jessie flopped back on her bed, throwing her head so that her shimmering hair cascaded down the side. She propped herself up on one elbow and glanced at the clock on her nightstand. Only 10? She had thought it would be later than that. Not that she minded the date ending early. It thankfully ended Paul's attentions early. She had gone on a double date with Jon and Aurora and couldn't help but watch them closely through the entire thing. Paul had complained that she wasn't paying any attention to him. But there had happened to be something more important occupying her attention. Something about Aurora just didn't…settle. Her entire demeanour towards Jon wasn't right. It wasn't sycophantic or servile or anything, it was just… expectant. As though she expected for him to break out something expensive. She had the mercenary look, as though she expected money. Didn't help that she already knew how well off Jon was, considering she lived in Rockport. Aurora didn't feel anything for him. Jessie was sure of that. The only feelings Aurora had were for his money.
Jon settled back in his chair. He knew that Aurora had an eye out for his cash. As if every other girl in Maine and Florida didn't. Well, there was one girl who didn't, but they were more like really close cousins than anything. Jon frowned at the recollection of that night's date. Paul had been so damn forward. He had been practically begging for attention. Except it was attention. He kept on trying to steal kisses from Jessie and put his hand on her thigh. If Race had been there, Paul probably would have ended up pirdiendo su cabeza. Hell, Jon had to keep his own fist in check when he saw what Paul was doing. Jessie could more than take care of herself, which she did, but Jon couldn't help but feel protective. When Paul and he had been left standing in line to buy tickets for the movie while the girls visited the water closet, Paul had accused him of trying to steal his girlfriend. Jon replied that he and Jessie were best friends and confidants, nothing more. That had not seemed to satisfy Paul, but Jessie, who had just walked back and heard what was going on, had broken in and with a pointed glare, informed Paul that she was his date, not his girlfriend, that they were not going out, and that he should leave off beating on her best friend.
"But doll," Paul had began.
"And I am not your doll." Jessie finished. That had ended the conversation and Paul had lapsed into a sulky silence during the rest of the date.
Jessie's mind drifted back to the movie. She had talked with Aurora while there and the questions Aurora had asked were…prying. Almost as if she were trying to interrogate Jessie without interrogating. How long had she lived with Jon? Who does he hang out with? What did Jessie think of him? How many cars did they have? What types of gadgets did they have? How wealthy was Dr. Quest? How serious was Jon about getting married? How many girls had Jon gone steady with? All the while Jessie could only think What the hell does any of this have anything to do with you, ditz? And an airhead Aurora definitely was. She was aghast that Jessie had come in jeans and a t-shirt—We're going to a movie and a quick dinner. What do you expect me to wear?—whereas Aurora's main objective seemed to be how scandalous she could be without being scandalous. Yes, Aurora definitely had an eye out for Dr. Quest's piggy bank and had the collective intelligence of a beetle.
Jon swivelled around and propped his feet up against his bed. He was restless. Jon knew why, but was also pretty sure that finding Paul Davin and smashing his face in wasn't legal. He got up and padded down to the gym in the basement. Not surprisingly, Race was there, jabbing away at a punching bag.
"Heya, kid. Isn't it kinda early for you to be back from your date? It's only 10.30," Race grunted.
"Dinner was short, movie just as short and we came back right after the movie ended," Jon answered. He picked up his staff and twirled it, checking for balance. "Care for a sparring partner?"
"Sure," replied Race, looking curiously at Jon. Usually the boy wasn't this pensive. "Something wrong with you and Aurora?" he asked.
Jon flashed a half-grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Besides the fact that she's after my father's very deep pockets and doesn't care a whit about me, nothing. I'm actually thinking about Jessie's date. Are you ready?"
Race changed his grip on the staff to a slightly more comfortable position. "Is that bitterness I hear, Jonathan? Yeah, I'm ready."
Jon crouched slightly and shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, waiting for Race's attack. It came a moment later. Jon easily blocked the older man's initial strike, then counterattacked with a curving swing of his own. "Yeah," he panted after they separated, "I'm a little bitter. Only thing most girls see me as is a money spigot. Only girl I can think of who doesn't is Jessie. But like I said, I'm a little more concerned with Paul right now." He came at Race with another curving swing. Race blocked it, then spun his staff around to give Jon a hard jab in the stomach. Jon stumbled back and fell on the mat, but quickly flipped to give himself more distance between himself and Race.
"What'd you say his name was?" Race asked.
"Paul Davin."
They were interrupted by Jessie coming down the steps. "Jon, phone call. It's Aurora."
Jon dropped his staff and picked up the phone. "Thanks," he smiled. "Hey, Aurora. Can we talk?"
Race shot a worried glance at Jessie as she headed back upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. What was this Paul Davin doing to his little girl? Whatever it was, Jon was uneasy, which made Race very worried.
© A Navy Brat, 2001