From : Chihuahua
Date : 28th June 2003
Disclaimer : I don't own any of the TRA:JQ characters and neither do I own any of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. No money is made out of this fic. Don't sue me as I'm not sure I can afford Ally McBeal.
Category : A, JJ-HR, DBN-HR, F, E, JQ/Buffy Crossover
Rating : Parental guidance is advised.
Author's note : This takes place after Season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is my account on what happens and is based fully on my own creativity.
Archiver's Permission: Granted to those who want it. Just inform me on where it can be found.
CHAPTER 11: SEEKING NORMAL
Jonny pulled on a white sweater, grabbed his bag and darted out of his room, taking the stairs two at a time the way he always did.
"I'm off, people!" he called, grabbing his car keys from the hook as he sped by.
"Where to?" Race asked, coming out of the kitchen.
Jonny stopped and turned around to face the man. "School." He watched Race's expression shift from troubled to firm to confused. "What? Where else would I be going?"
Race cleared his throat. "Jonny… I thought that we might begin some, erm, training today."
"Race, I need to get back to school… need to catch up on a lot of stuff. I want to graduate you know…"
"Yeah, but…"
"Look, can we talk about this later? I really need to be there early, talk to some of my teachers to see if they'll you know, let me catch up or something. Pop quizzes, whatever… I'll take anything."
Race studied Jonny's face, saw his enthusiasm and lost. He nodded. "See you this afternoon then." He smiled and waved. "Training!" he added firmly and smiled faintly when he saw Jonny wave it away as he ran out of the front door.
"You sure sending him away is a good idea, Race?" Benton asked, stepping beside his friend. They watched the blue Honda pull out of the driveway and speeding off.
Race sighed. "It's not that I think it's a good idea. I-1 is demanding that Jonny be a Destined, full-time!"
***
School seemed normal. No, Rockport High was the only monument of normalcy left in his life… it had to be normal… it just had to be.
Jonny walked out of the staffroom, a huge grin on his face. He had managed to "coerce" his Biology teacher into letting him catch up, with a ton of assignments and quizzes notwithstanding. He checked his watch and paced himself to his locker. Calculus… he almost wished he had taken up Race's offer.
Scratch normal, he thought. Fight in the early morning, and it wasn't even of the ghoulish variety. Brad and gang, again! Today's victim, a sophomore probably, a very slender Chinese boy. Good-looking, pretty even. Prettier than me, he thought, remembering the night he met Buffy.
Seth backed away, arms coming up to protect himself from Brad's shove. He fell back hard, slamming painfully into the row of lockers. He tried to move away, but another shove sent him back into the lockers.
"Leave me alone," he said, his dark eyes flashing angrily. "What'd I do anyway?"
Brad smirked. "Not too bright, are you, Chink?"
Seth glared back. He pushed himself off the lockers and tried walking away. Brad grabbed his arm and yanked, hard. Seth seemed to fall backwards. Seemed to.
Jonny watched in awe as the slender boy pivoted at the last moment, jerking Brad forward, tripping him with an outstretched foot. Brad went down, hard.
Seth turned away and strode off. He flashed Brad the bird when the fallen bully called him a racist name.
Jonny allowed himself to smile, before hurrying off after the Chinese boy. Something about the way he moved puzzled Jonny, puzzled him enough to pique his curiosity. "Hey, wait up!"
Seth stopped walking and turned to regard Jonny. His hands remained in the pockets of his gray cargoes, but Jonny saw the tension there.
"Hey!"
"Yeah?"
Jonny paused for a second, glancing around for any witnesses. Satisfied that they were alone in this part of the school, he lashed out with a powerful roundhouse kick.
Seth seemed to move in slow motion, sidestepping the attack and executing a kick of his own that nearly connected with Jonny's face had the Destined not stopped its course.
Seth jumped back, posture poised for an attack. "What the hell is wrong with you people anyway?" he demanded, nostrils flaring. "I've just been here a couple of days and everyone wants a piece of me!"
Jonny grinned. "Just testing you. Are you a…?
"Destined, no! Seth snapped. "But I do know about you, Jonny Quest."
"How did you…?"
"You're the reason I'm here."
"Pardon me?"
Seth sighed. "I was sent here to be your Healer."
"My what?" Jonny demanded to know, zeroing in on Race.
"Your Healer." Race's voice was controlled. "A magician of some kind that specializes in healing."
"I personally prefer the term sorcerer," Seth quipped, from his slouch on the couch.
Jonny flashed him a glare. "Why would I need…?"
Seth sighed. "You need me because I-1 has deemed you valuable enough to get one. At no extra expense of course. All you need to do is to continue slaying vampires and demons and I'll be there to fix you up when you get banged up." He paused and returned an icy look at the Destined. "Unless of course you're dead. Can't help you there."
"Why now?" Jonny asked, his tone softening.
Seth shrugged. "Search me. I was pretty happy back where I was, next thing I know, my mom is giving me some crap about fulfilling my destiny."
"Your parents are…?"
"Healers," Seth finished. "Yep, it's a family biz… not that I really wanted in on it. But hey, free sponsored education to the States, again."
"What you mean again? You were here before you were wherever you were?" Hadji asked, breaking his adopted code of silence.
Seth looked over at Hadji and decided that he liked the older boy. Or man. There was something about him that seemed forever tranquil. Jonny was a case pending… he was every bit the rich brat he had imagined, but there was more, much more to it and he wasn't about to just write the blond off as a total asshole. Not just yet. "I lived here for the first half of my life. My parents were assigned to New York and I grew up there. When the shit was done, they were transferred back to Malaysia. I've lived there, till now."
Jonny raised an eyebrow at Race. "I-1 is networking now huh?"
"Always been, kid. We have operatives all over the world, reporting any signs of active demonic activity. Which is why they probably sent this kid."
All eyes were back on Seth, who seemed to shuffle a little uncomfortably. "I'm just here 'coz I have to be."
Jonny squared off on Race again. "Is there something you're not telling me, Race?" For a moment, Race caught a glimpse of the little boy he had raised. Just a little, before the jaded shell covered it again.
"A Hellmouth is opening here. In Rockport."
"That explains a lot…" Seth said, slouching again.
"More than you think." Race looked at Benton. "You remember asking why Jonny became the next Destined One instead of that other kid?"
Benton simply nodded.
"Well, this would be your answer. He was the more logical choice."
"And when did you acquire this bit of information, Race?" Race couldn't help but feel the slight hostility in Benton's tone.
"Just today. Don't look at me like that, Benton. I wasn't hiding anything from you."
"Glad that we've got that straightened out," was the icy reply.
Jonny looked confused. "Okay, people, back up. There was another candidate?"
"Another Potential yes. But it has since been reported that the boy has just been found a couple of weeks ago, dead. The operative who had been sent to guard him too. Both had been dead for over a month."
"What about the other son, the ailing one?" Benton asked. Something didn't sound good at all. Whatever it was, his scientific mind was whirring at hypermode, putting two and two together and coming up with an infinite number of possibilities.
"Dead. He was found much earlier, but he was hardly of any value to I-1 as we knew that his half-brother was the only other possible candidate."
Benton turned to look Seth in the eye. "Is that why you're here now? Because the chances of my son being killed are that much higher?"
"That would be the short version, yes."
"Why not someone older? Someone with more experience, no offence to you, my friend," Hadji asked.
Seth didn't answer, but Race understood.
"He is their best."
Jonny looked mildly amused and awed at the same time. "I've got some kinda prodigy watching my back now… that makes everything so much easier!"
Seth glared back. "From what I've observed, you need all the help you can get," he challenged.
Jonny fell for the bait. "Training room," he challenged, motioning for Race to follow. He stormed off, the rest following like an entourage.
When they reached the training room, they were greeted by a very sheepish looking Jonny. "I can't fight you… not in my motto."
Seth smiled. "Not quite as reckless as you've been credited for."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Whatever."
"Where are you staying, Seth?" Hadji asked, changing the subject.
"I-1 bed and breakfast," he quipped. "Very nice accommodations, if sterile and totalitarian is your style."
Jonny made a surprising request. "Why don't you just move here? It would be more convenient for you and at least you're out of the dorm from hell."
"Because you're moving over there," Race replied.
Jonny spun around, shock evident in his expression. "Excuse me?"
Race drew a deep breath. "I-1 has requested that you be sent over to them for future training and observation."
"Well, tell them that I'm not interested in their requests."
"Look, kiddo…"
"Forget it! I'm not doing it!"
"LIKE HELL YOU AREN'T!" Race exploded. Everyone was deathly quiet as the two of them faced off, glowering at each other. Seth backed away, unsettled by the domestic dispute.
"Yeah, I'm not!"
"It's not about you anymore, Jonny! Can you for one moment stop being a spoilt brat and give others some thought?" Race yelled.
Race's words stung Jonny. They echoed "Jessie's" words and brought out a deep running fear. "I'm selfish? Is it so selfish to want to be normal? Is it so selfish to want my life back? You know what's selfish? These bloody demands that keep being thrown my way!" Jonny lashed back.
"What aspect of your life has ever been normal anyway?" Race demanded. "Your life is in constant danger. If not from Zin then it's Surd, or any of the hundreds of lunatics out there. I can't keep watching…"
"Well, at least it's my life!" Jonny shot back.
"Jessie would be disappointed in you!" Race retaliated, and immediately regretted it when he saw the pain etched on the boy's features. He knew he had crossed the line.
Jonny took a step forward and slugged Race hard in the face, driving the man back into the wall. "Screw you!" He stormed off. A minute later, the front door crashed open and then slammed shut.
An uneasy silence fell over everyone. Race picked himself up, swabbing at the blood that ran from his cut lip. Seth shuffled uneasily. "I think I'd better be going now."
Benton nodded. "Pleased to have met you, Seth. Hadji, can you show Seth out?"
Hadji nodded. Seth followed unquestioningly. When they were out of earshot, he asked, "These things always happen?"
Hadji smiled a sad smile. "Only recently. Things have been… emotional since Jonny came home. Nothing's been the same since…"
Seth nodded. "Thanks, I can find my own way out."
"I can drive you back…"
"It's okay. Best that I-1 doesn't know that I've already met all of you yet. I don't need the Q and A session… not quite yet."
Hadji nodded. "Just walk straight down. IRIS will open the gate for you when you're there."
Seth gave a mock salute and turned away.
"Seth," Hadji called. "Welcome to the family!"
Dinner was a strained affair. Mrs. Evans who was upstairs in another wing during the outburst was totally oblivious to the tension as she left for her own apartment. After the Quest Compound had come under siege from Zin's robots, she had decided that she would feel safer living in her own place. The food was virtually untouched as each person toyed with their spaghetti.
Benton kept ticking glances at his watch and Race unconsciously massaged his sore jaw. Hadji excused himself after several tense minutes, citing not hungry as an excuse. Benton didn't protest like he would normally have, fully understanding Hadji's true reasons.
The silence prevailed for a few more terse minutes, before Race spoke. "Look Benton. I know that you're not exactly fond of I-1, but…"
"Race, whatever it is between you and Jonny has to resolved between the both of you. I refuse to get involved for dear of losing either of you." He dropped his fork, giving up on trying to eat. He just didn't feel in the mood to eat.
"He won't listen to reason, Benton."
"Maybe he is, but it's not I-1's reason. It's not your reason."
"Are you taking his side?"
"Race, he's my son. I'll always be on his side. But I won't stand in the way of his destiny, neither will I help send him away!" Benton got up and tossed his napkin on the table. "I'll be in my office."
The front door opened and closed. Benton heard Jonny's footsteps as they marched pass the dining room. "He's all yours to handle, but Race, talk to him as a friend, not a Watcher."
Jonny rabbit-punched the bag, throwing his energy at his envisioned foe. He pummeled the bag mercilessly, punching and kicking. The gym had been converted into a training room to accommodate his training so that he would no longer have to do it in virtual reality. A turning kick missed its mark slightly.
"You're spinning too fast. It's throwing your balance off," Race commented.
Jonny ignored it and continued to whack the punching bag.
"Jonny, can we talk?"
"I thought we've already done that!" Jonny snapped a kick at the bag, avoiding the swing and hitting it hard again.
"I mean as in really talk. Like how we used to."
"Things have changed, Race…"
"We still have that bond. That hasn't changed. You're still that little boy I took care off."
Jonny blinked back his tears. "Fine. Talk."
"What are you afraid of, Jonny? Why won't you comply by I-1's request?"
Jonny remained quiet. "I don't want to lose her, Race."
"Jessie? How can you lose her?"
"They'll kill me, Race. They'll destroy who I am… all that matters is that I'm the Destined One. They wipe me out, they'll tear her away from me."
"You'll never lose her. She'll always be with you."
"Race, why do you want me to leave?"
"I don't want you to, I-1 does."
Jonny looked Race in the eye, his crystal blue eyes penetrating the glacier tones. "No, seriously, Race. What's your reason? I've spilt mine, not it's time for you to spill yours."
"I can't keep doing this, Jonny."
"Doing what?"
"I can't keep fearing for you. Afraid that I might lose you."
"So that's why you're all about sending me over. So that you don't have to worry about having blood on your hands?"
"No, so that I won't have to be the one who finds you one day!"
"The day I die will come sooner or later anyway. Probably sooner, but you will have to face it when it happens, Race."
Race slumped against a wall, defeated. "I love you, kiddo."
"I love you too, Race. But I won't go over to the I-1 training center. I will work from here!" He hugged his mentor and friend. "If I die, it won't be your fault." He stepped back and focused on the punching bag again. "What was wrong with my kick again?"
"This will be your room," Jonny said, flicking the light switch of the guest room. "Bathroom's down the hallway. My room is the one next to yours and Hadji's is two doors down."
Seth dropped his bag on the bed. "Seems normal enough."
To be continued…
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