Authors note: The song isn't mine, it's from the movie a League of Their Own and is sung by Madonna (I was on a Madonna kick when I started this fic). Thank you to those of you who've been reviewing! And yes, there's more to come.
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"Jessie, Jonny." Dr. Quest called from the other room.
"Yeah dad?" Jonny answered, still stroking Jessie's hair as she softly sobbed.
"Hadji's here."
"Hadji's here?" Jessie pulled away from Jonny and smiled. Jonny smiled to himself, at least Jessie was smiling again. The two walked to the front hall where Hadji was walking through the front door.
"Hello my friends." He smiled.
"Hadji!" Jessie grinned and ran to him, jumping in his arms. He spun her around as he did whenever he came to see her.
"Hey Hadj, you gonna spin me around like that too?" Jonny laughed.
"I am sorry, but that is reserved for Jessie." Hadji laughed with him.
"You guys are impossible." Jessie laughed as well.
"Jessie, your hair looks beautiful." Hadji told her.
"Oh, thank you." Jessie blushed slightly before giving Race a look.
"It's slammin' Jess." Jonny added, not to be outdone. He vaguely realized that this was the first time he'd said slammin' in months.
"You guys." Jessie giggled softly.
"So, how have you been Jonny?" Hadji asked.
"Decent." Jonny shrugged.
"I have news kids." Dr. Quest told them.
"What is it Dr. Quest?" Hadji asked.
"There's a party tonight we've been invited to, a Christmas celebration. Are you three interested?"
"I am." Hadji told him.
"Yeah, I suppose it could be fun." Jessie grinned.
"Sure, I'm game." Jonny added.
"Wonderful. Jessie, if you'd like to get a new dress, you can use my credit card." Dr. Quest handed Jessie a card.
"Thanks Dr. Quest." Jessie said, looking wide eyed at the card.
"That's not necessary Benton." Race glared at Jessie.
"I think we all need to look our best. Jessie is a beautiful young woman, if she looks good, we all look good." Dr. Quest said, nodding at Jessie.
"Does anyone want to come shopping with me?" Jessie asked innocently.
"Regretfully Jessie, I am still tired from my flight." Hadji bowed.
"Yeah Jess, you know I'd do anything for you, anything but shopping." Jonny added. Jessie laughed.
"If you say so, see you all tonight. Thanks again Dr. Quest." Jessie ran out the door, grabbing her keys on the way. Everybody laughed.
"See Race, she hasn't changed that much." Dr. Quest put his hand on Race's shoulder.
"Fur on catfish Benton, that is not the Jessie we knew last year."
"I hate to say it dad, but he's right." Jonny looked wistfully at the door.
"More than any of you know," Hadji added, "more than any of you know."
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Jonny nervously tapped his feet at the bottom of the stairs. Hadji stood next to him clad in his formal sultan wear. Jonny, Race and Dr. Quest were dressed almost exactly the same in tuxedos, Jonny held a perfect white rose in his hand. None of them talked, they just waited for Jessie. Jonny had knocked on her door, but she'd sent him away without opening the door. Jonny turned back to the rose and started to pace. Jessie stood at the top of the stairs and slowly started to walk down the stairs. Jonny looked up and gasped.
"God she's gorgeous." Jonny whispered so softly that not even Hadji heard him. Her velvet dress clung to her curves and flowed down to her ankles. It looked black until she stepped into the light, then Jonny noticed that the dress was actually a dark hunter green. Around Jessie's neck was a gold chain with a small emerald hanging from it, on her ears were simple emerald studs that Jonny knew Race had given her one Christmas. Her blond hair was curled and piled on the top of her head, she did not look like the same girl that Jonny used to have hover board races with. She looked like an elegant woman. Jonny was unaware that he wasn't the only one staring at Jessie in such awe.
"Shouldn't we go?" Jessie asked, smiling at them.
"Yeah," Jonny shook his head, "here, I um got a rose for you." He blushed, holding out the flower nervously.
"Oh Jonny, thank you," Jessie's eyes lit up as he handed her the flower, "I'm going to run and put this in water." She turned and hurried to the kitchen.
"Stop drooling son." Dr. Quest whispered in Jonny's ear.
"Look at her dad." Jonny answered.
"I don't have to, you and the others are doing enough looking for us all." Dr. Quest laughed softly. Jonny looked over, Hadji was watching every move Jessie made and Race's hands were tightly clenched, his eyes narrowed. Jonny snickered at Race then lightly hit Hadji.
"Hey man, don't look at her like that."
"I am sorry Jonny, but I cannot help myself." Hadji said, not turning his eyes away from Jessie once.
"I know what you mean Hadj. I know exactly what you mean." Jonny watched as she sashayed over to them.
"So, you guys ready?" Jessie asked.
"Yeah Jess," Jonny held out his arm, "shall we?"
"Ok," Jessie smiled, turning to Race, "come on dad." Wordlessly, Race started to follow them out. Hadji and Dr. Quest shrugged before following the others out the door.
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When they arrived, Jonny and Jessie walked in together, still arm in arm. Her blood red nails dug into Jonny's arm as she tightly held on to him.
"What's wrong Jess?" He whispered softly.
"Why are they all looking at us?" She answered back in a small voice.
"Not all of them are." Jonny found her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. He knew why people were staring though, for the same reason that she had gotten so much attention at the house. In the past few months, Jessie's beauty had risen to an all time high. There was no doubt in Jonny's mind that she was the most beautiful woman there.
"Would you like to dance?" He asked her with smile.
"Not yet Jonny, I have something to do first." She answered, looking into his eyes. Then, before she could think twice, she lightly kissed his cheek then rushed away. Jonny's hand went straight to the spot and smiled. Jessie walked through the crowd and then stopped.
"Would you like to dance dad?"
"It would be my honor Ponchita." Race answered, leading her out to the dance floor. Gracefully, they started to move.
"Dad I don't get it, why can't you accept me?"
"It's hard for me, two years ago, you were still my baby, wearing that ridiculous pink outfit and following me and the doc on adventure after adventure. Even last year, you were a sweet innocent high school girl. But now, there are guys at this party who are stuck on you like white on rice, and they haven't even met you yet."
"I'm growing up dad, you need to accept that."
"But Jessie, you don't know guys like I do. They're scum, and that's on a good day. There are men staring at you who used to be my superiors. Jessie, you're just my little girl."
"But you can't treat me like a little girl anymore. I'm always going to change, it's part of growing up. If you don't accept me, then sooner or later, I'll rebel. If something happens, I don't want to fear telling you."
"It was more than just your hair I couldn't accept. It was like a slap in the face that you were no longer my baby. You always had flaming red hair, like your mother, like your temper," Race smiled, "there was something different in your walk too. It reminded me of Jade, and that scared me."
"My walk reminded you of Jade?" Jessie asked curiously.
"Yes it did Ponchita, and Jezebel Jade wasn't who I imagined you to turn out like."
"I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment." Jessie said softly. "Jessie, you may have changed drastically and turned to a young woman over night, but you have never disappointed me."
"Thank you dad." She whispered, smiling at him. The song ended, and Jessie gave him a hug.
"Excuse me, may I have this dance?" A male voice asked, cutting in. Jessie and Race looked up to see a politician in his mid thirties. Jessie looked up at Race and he smiled, slightly nodding his head.
"I have to let her go." He whispered so softly that Jessie almost didn't hear him. She walked off with the politician and he took her in his arms, a little closer than she would have liked.
"You're Race Bannon's girl, aren't you." He asked.
"Uh huh." Jessie muttered.
"I almost didn't recognize you with the new hair, how old are you now?"
"Nineteen." Jessie suddenly wished she was younger.
"We could always use a passionate girl like you helping our party out." He said, pulling her closer.
"I'm a Democrat sir." She answered in an even tone.
"But I could offer you so many opportunities." He whispered in her ear.
"I'm sure my father would love to hear how kind you are to me." Jessie said sweetly. Instantaneously, the politician's grip loosened and he stopped talking. When the song ended, another man came up to them.
"May I cut in?"
"Of course," the politician answered, "I will see you later Jessica. Save me another dance."
"So, shall we?" Asked the older man who had cut in on the dance.
"Sure." Jessie shrugged as another song started. He pulled her close and Jessie sighed. At least the guys at this party could dance.
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"May I cut in?" A voice asked three hours later. Jessie smiled gratefully at Jonny."Sure." She answered, before the forty year old business man could answer. Jonny held out his arm, and Jessie clung tightly to it once again.
"Jonny, can we go sit down, I'm a little tired?"
"Of course Jess." He answered, leading her to one of the many tables off the dance floor.
"Thanks." She said as they sat down.
"No problem. Well, you certainly are the belle of the ball." Jonny grinned.
"Don't remind me! I've been dancing non stop for hours."
"Would you like a drink?"
"Sure." Jessie smiled. Jonny stood up and got two glasses of champagne. "Here, don't let it go to your head." Jonny laughed as Jessie took a sip.
"Thanks again, this is just what I needed. Jonny, I have to tell you something."
"Shoot."
"Remember on Halloween when I had to leave right after midnight?"
"Just like Cinderella," he smiled, "of course I remember."
"I didn't have to leave then, I drove myself to the party. I knew if I stayed, I'd get carried away." She looked him in the eyes.
"Can't handle the time alone with me?" He teased.
"Better you than them." She pointed to the dance floor.
"I tried to get to you, but you were always tied up with someone."
"Yeah, and almost all of them were at least ten years older than me." Jessie rolled her eyes.
"Hey, you always did like older guys."
"Yeah, I did," she smiled wistfully, "but then I had to go off and fall in love with a younger one." Jessie's eyes met Jonny and for a brief instant, they forgot where they were. Jonny stood up and walked to her.
"Dance?"
"I'd love to." She whispered. He took her hand and led her back on the dance floor. The song began and slowly, they started to dance. In some ways, it was almost as if nothing had changed between them.
This used to be my playground
This used to be my childhood dream
This used to be the place I ran to
Whenever I was in need
Of a friend
Why did it have to end
And why do they always say
Don't look back
Keep your head held high
Don't ask them why
Because life is short
And before you know
You're feeling old
And your heart is breaking
Don't hold on to the past
Well that's too much to ask
This used to be my playground
This used to be our pride and joy
This used to be the place we ran to
That no one in the world could dare destroy
This used to be our playground
This used to be our childhood dream
This used to be the place we ran to
I wish you were standing here with me
This used to be our playground
This used to be our great escape
This used to be the place we ran to
This used to be our secret hiding place
This used to be our playground
This used to be our childhood dream
This used to be the place we ran to
The best things in life are always free
Wishing you were here with me
The song ended, and Jonny and Jessie briefly pulled apart, their eyes meeting. Jonny pushed a curl off Jessie's face, his eyes never leaving her own.
"Jonny." She whispered softly.
"Jess." He whispered, just as softly.
"May I have this dance?" Asked a young man who appeared to be a few years older than Jessie. She and Jonny exchanged a look, someone's son.
"Ok." Jessie tried to smile as he took her in his arms and started to dance. She watched as Jonny got further and further away. She looked up at the young man she was dancing with and gave him a real smile.
"Thank you, you brought me back to myself."
"It was my pleasure." He answered, spinning her around. She didn't see Jonny again until they were driving home. And even then, they didn't speak.