Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own this stuff.

Chapter 7—Hard Feelings

Jonny looked up with a yawn as Jessie made her way down the stairs, humming to herself. "What are you so happy about?" he asked as Hadji entered the kitchen and took a seat beside Jonny. Race and Benton glanced up as Jessie poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"Oh nothing much, really. I just have a date tonight."

"A what?" exclaimed Race and Jonny at the same time. Hadji shook his head as Race got out of his seat. The young sultan had a very good idea where Jessie was going with this.

"How can you have a date—and how come I didn't know about it?" demanded Race.

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Maybe because you were asleep when I agreed to it? Dad, I'm almost eighteen. I'm allowed to date, remember? You gave me permission to do that when I turned sixteen."

"Yeah, but I said you could go so long as you got permission. You didn't ask permission for this one."

"Yes I did."

"Oh really, with who?"

"Mom."

"Liar."

Jessie raised her eyebrows and held up a single hand solemnly. She brought her other hand up to her face to study the watch and began to count down using her raised hand. As soon as she reached the one the phone rang.

Race made a face as he answered it. "Estella?" Race made a fist at his daughter as Jessie blew him a kiss on her way out of the kitchen. Jonny glanced over at his father and Hadji, both of whom were busying their selves with their breakfasts. At the kitchen stove Mrs. Evans was wisely concentrating on the next stack of pancakes.

"Hey, Jessie, wait up!" called out Jonny racing after his friend. Jessie paused at the front door and turned to look at Jonny with an innocent look. Too innocent.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Who's the date with? And how come I didn't know about it?"

"You were a little busy last night, and besides, it's really not that big of a deal," remarked Jessie with a shrug. "It's just Brad."

"Brad? You're going on a date with Brad?" Jonny's voice rose an octave in disbelief. His next words were drowned out by the beeping of a horn. Jessie opened the front door and both teens stepped outside to see Brad sitting in his jeep waiting.

"Like I said, Jonny, it's no big deal. Don't wait up tonight." Jessie gave Jonny a lazy wave as she headed over to Brad's jeep and hopped in. Jonny watched with a tug at his heart as the jeep drove away. He ran an unsteady hand through his hair before turning to go back in the house. In the kitchen Hadji already had Jonny's keys in his hand.

"Thanks," said Jonny as he snatched the keys and grabbed his backpack off the floor. "I'll see you guys later."

"Jonny, wait!" said Benton waving at his son to look at him. "Tonight you and I are going out to eat. I want to talk to you about some things."

Jonny nodded absently. "Yeah, dad, sure, can I go now? Jessie's making the biggest mistake of her life. Brad Hailey! What is she thinking?" Shaking his head and muttering to himself Jonny turned and headed out of the kitchen as Race started yelling into the phone.

"I don't care what she told you—but that boy is not to be trusted! You're right; I don't trust any boy when it comes to my daughter! She shouldn't date until she's thirty-five—at the earliest!"

On the Other Side of Town

Jade sighed as she picked up her cell phone. She glanced at the caller I.D. and smirked before answering it.

"Hello? No, things are going according to plan. The Bannon girl doesn't trust me—losing the respect of her father and friends; Race is preoccupied with the C.I.A.; and Jonny is infatuated with me. A few more days and he'll be willing to put down his life for mine. Don't worry, everything's under control. She isn't a threat anymore…she returned to South America. I promise you'll have everything you've ever desired within the week."

In satisfaction Jade hung up the phone and leaned back against the headboard of the hotel bed. She lit up a cigarette and smiled to herself as she mentally went over the plans a second time. Everything was running smoothly at this point. She just needed a little more time to finish up the job.

"If only that girl would mind her own damn business," Jade muttered to herself in between puffs of smoke. But she could easily deal with that problem if it continued to present itself.

Quest Compound

Makeshift C.I.A. Headquarters

"Sir! You should have a look at this. It's a garbled phone message made by Surd."

Corbin glanced up from the papers in front of him with a guarded look. "Can you make anything of it?" he snapped.

"Well…all we can make of it so far is 'Quest', 'kid', 'stone'," replied the agent sheepishly.

Corbin nodded absently. "That's enough. Get a hold of Race and let him know what we've found. Oh, and get some agents to tail Jonny from now until I cut them off. I have a feeling that's who Surd is after."

"You've got it, sir."

That Evening

Jonny drummed his fingertips along the tabletop as he waited for his dad to finish looking at the menu. Truthfully, Jonny didn't want to be here. He wanted to be home sitting on the front porch waiting for Jessie to return from her date with Brad. Of all the guys to date, she had to pick the one guy who was only looking for an easy lay.

School had been miserable. Everyone had heard about Jessie's date with Brad…and Jonny had received numerous condolences on losing his girlfriend to the star quarterback. Up until today Jonny had had no idea how many people in Rockport thought he and Jessie had been a couple.

"Son, are you alright?" questioned Benton eyeing Jonny carefully.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, great."

Benton sighed. "Why don't you tell me what you did to make Jessie mad enough to go out with Brad?"

"It's nothing, dad. We're just having a little…disagreement of sorts. She'll get over it soon enough…and by then she'll realize Brad's a complete asshole," replied Jonny flippantly.

"Of course. It's nice to see that you and Jessie always seem to work out your differences in the most extreme or manners. Race has been trying to get a hold of his lawyer all day—something along the lines of keeping Estella from making parental decisions without his okay."

"It's not my fault that Jess took after Estella and Race can't handle it." Jonny shook his head and became quiet silent as the waiter arrived to take their orders. As soon as the waiter was gone, Jonny started to talk again. "So, uh, what'd you want to talk about, dad? You made it sound important this morning."

Benton cleared his throat and shifted nervously in his seat. "Well, it is important. Jonny, you're practically an adult now, next year you'll be off in college and out of the house. I'll still be working around the globe…but I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I think it's time I started dating again."

"Dating?"

"Yes. Jonny, it's been fifteen years now, I think it would be more than appropriate for me to move on, don't you?"

"Dating? Who would you date?" demanded Jonny suspiciously.

"Well, I was…thinking…of um…Grace," answered Benton softly.

"Grace? Grace Lin, Grace?"

"Yes."

"Dad, do you honestly think you've thought this completely through? Dating is a big thing. Maybe you should think about it some more."

"Son, I know it's hard to see your old man dating again, but it is time. I'm lonely, Jonny…and Grace and I, well we used to date once upon a time. It's been wonderful seeing her again and catching up. It has made me realize just how much I miss having a significant other in my life."

"If you're lonely we can get you dog! Bandit needs a new friend too!"

"Jonny, you have to understand. I am an adult…just as you are. I really care for Grace, and I would like the chance to see if perhaps she feels the same way about me. I'm not asking for your opinion or advice on this. I just wanted to give you a heads up so that you wouldn't be completely surprised to see more of Grace after the Immortal Stone is secured somewhere permanently."

Jonny's face tightened with a mixture of hurt and anger. Without a word he pushed himself out of his seat and stormed off towards the men's restroom. Benton sighed wearily as he let his son go. Jonny just needed time.

Time, however, was the furthest thing from Jonny's mind. First the fight with Jessie, then the whole thing with Jade, and now this…Jonny wasn't sure what to make of his father's announcement. Sure the man was lonely…but Grace? Hell, any female in the world could never come close to being the perfect woman to take care of Benton for the rest of his life.

With a furious shake of his head, Jonny pushed the restroom door open with a hard shove as he entered. Marble tile was the theme, causing Jonny to groan; it always made him feel as though he had to be sure and not make any messes while in such a place. His thoughts were interrupted however, by a thick hand gripping him by the throat and lifting Jonny into the air.

Choking, Jonny glanced down. The thick hand belonged to a burly man with several scars on his tanned face. The man looked anything but friendly.

"You're comin' with me, kid," growled the man with a dry chuckle.

"Sorry, bud…but I…have other…plans," gasped out Jonny clasping both his hands around the wrist attached to his throat. With a grunt Jonny thrust both of his legs into the man's gut, knocking the fellow backwards. The man loosened his grip around Jonny's neck, enabling the teen to wrench free and drop to the ground. Jonny dodged another grab by his attacker, moving further into the restroom.

The attacker turned around and charged towards Jonny once more, but Jonny was ready for him. The teen grabbed the metal trash bin sitting beside the wall and hurled it at his attacker with all his might. The man stumbled backwards in a daze just as Jonny threw a fist into the man's nose. Blood squirted out, dripping onto Jonny when the attacker lunged forward yet again, knocking the teen backwards into the marble sink.

Jonny sucked in his breath as pain jolted up and down his spine. He gritted his teeth, however, and punched the attacker in the jaw as hard as he could. A cracking sound was heard, but Jonny ignored it. The blonde launched himself forward with several more punches into the man's face until both Jonny's fists and the man's face became bloody. The man growled and reached towards Jonny, but Jonny quickly flipped the man over his shoulder and into the sink. There was a sickening crunch as the man's head came into contact with the marble countertop before hitting the floor with a loud crack. Blood oozed into a large puddle beneath the attacker as Jonny leaned back against the door of a stall to catch his breath.

"What the hell?"

Jonny looked up as a customer walked into the restroom, stopping short upon spying the fallen man lying prone on the ground. The patron glanced at Jonny and backed out of the restroom. As the door closed shut Jonny could hear the patron calling out for police and an ambulance.

Taking a deep breath, Jonny forced himself to kneel down beside his attacker to check the man's pulse. Nothing. With a shake of his head Jonny swiftly rifled through the dead man's pockets searching for clues as to what he had wanted with Jonny.

Benton burst into the restroom with two undercover agents just as Jonny pulled out a single piece of paper from the man's back pocket. Opening it up all Jonny could see was an address scribbled on a piece of paper.

It was the address of the restaurant Jessie was having her date with Brad at.

On the Other Side of Town

Forcing a smile onto her face, Jessie lifted a forkful of lettuce into her mouth. This was the first and last time she ever let a guy order food for her. Salad—who ate salads as a full meal these days? Brad definitely wasn't earning any brownie points in Jessie's book. In fact, she was starting to regret agreeing to this date in the first place.

"So there I was running as fast as I could at the end zone when all of a sudden the quarterback from the other team appeared out of nowhere. I dodged left, and then I dodged right, and then when I saw that my guys weren't anywhere near me and the other team was closing in I leaped over the quarterback and made my sixth touchdown of the night." Brad sat back in his chair with a goofy smile on his face, recalling the apparently enchanting moment from his recent past. Jessie eyed the silverware in front of her wondering if anyone would notice her trying to kill her date off this evening.

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by the ringing of her phone. With an apologetic smile, and a quick prayer that there was an emergency on the other end, Jessie quickly answered her cell phone. "Hello?"

"Jessie? It's Grace; I'm heading over to your restaurant now. Benton just called—Jonny was attacked at dinner, and the attacker had the address of your date's restaurant in his pocket. Agents are on their way, but they're on the other side of town. I'm the closest one to you this evening, so I'm picking you up. Be careful—whoever's looking for you could already be there."

"I got it, thanks." Jessie hung up and glanced around the restaurant suspiciously. She instantly spotted a pair of men who stood out like sore thumbs. "Brad, we've got a problem."

"What kinda problem?"

"Two very muscular problems. Jonny was attacked at dinner with his dad—and now it's my turn."

Brad made a face. "Jessie, whatever's going on, I promise I'll protect you. But I don't think you have anything to worry about. I'm the quarterback of the football team—no one would be stupid enough to attack you with me around."

Jessie chomped down on her tongue as Brad ended his speech with an unnatural squeak as the two men knocked their table aside, sending nearby patrons running and screaming out of the restaurant. With lightning quick speed Jessie slipped out of her chair and launched a roundhouse kick at one of the men bearing down on her. The man stumbled backwards into a nearby table, knocking both the table and himself to the ground.

With a snort Jessie turned her attention to Brad who was being wrestled to the ground by the other attacker. Jessie grabbed the attacker by the hair, pulling him high enough off the ground to knee him squarely in the face. From behind her, Jessie felt the first attack grab her, pinning her arms to her side. Gritting her teeth Jessie backed the man up into yet another table, knocking him backwards flat on the tabletop. The man didn't loosen his grip until Jessie kicked her legs into the air, sending her in a flip over the man's head. His back cracked loudly as his arms struggled to keep her in his grasp.

Jessie stumbled into a steady position as the second attacker punched Brad and turned his attention to Jessie. The red head narrowed her eyes and waited for the man to make the first move. She wasn't disappointed. He lunged towards her, only to go sailing over her head as she dropped backwards onto her back, using her legs to hurl the man into the air. He landed with a crash onto another table, sliding to the ground in a tizzy.

Brad scrambled to his feet and readied himself for another onslaught, but none came. Instead police officers surged into the restaurant with their guns raised. Right behind them was Grace and an undercover agent.

"What the hell just happened?" demanded Brad with wide eyes.

"I told you there was a problem."

"Then why didn't you let me handle it?"

Jessie's face darkened. "I'm not fragile, Brad. I can take care of myself. Besides, it looked like you had things far from handled."

"You didn't even give me a chance!" argued Brad hotly.

"Apparently I shouldn't have given you a chance for this date. It's obvious you're not my type. But thanks for dinner. The next time I feel like playing the part of a bunny I'll give you a call." Jessie turned on her heels and headed over to where Grace was. The Asian woman wrapped an arm around Jessie's shoulders and led her out of the restaurant, while dialing Benton's cell phone with the other hand. It had been a rough evening.

Quest Compound

Race paced back and forth along the porch. Jade watched in amusement. They had just received word that Jonny had been attacked at dinner, and that agents were on their way to check on Jessie.

With a frown, Jade finally spoke, initiating the next part of her plan. "Race, I think that tonight's attacks have something to do with the Immortal Stone."

"You're damn right it does—someone wants to use Jonny and Jessie to activate that fuckin' rock!" growled Race angrily.

Jade rolled her eyes at Race's back. "Well, yes, but I think you need to know something. A break-in is being planned for the Immortal Stone. It isn't safe in London anymore, just like Jonny and…Jessie aren't safe either. I think though, that Jessie is just a decoy to throw you off."

"What do you mean?" asked Race stopping mid-stride to glance over at his lover.

"Dr. Quest is a very important man. He has many enemies wishing for his demise. Jonny is heir to all that Dr. Quest is and has. By killing Jonny, or using him for the Immortal Stone, that would be a direct blow towards Dr. Quest himself. But they're targeting Jessie as well simply to make it seem as though any of your kids could be used for the stone."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Race, I know you have your own enemies, but honestly now, do you think they're smart enough to go after the Immortal Stone? And to target your own flesh and blood—honey, they'd have to be insane to invoke your wrath," finished Jade smoothly. Race nodded slowly, his eyes studying the woman before him suspiciously. In his mind Estella's words were repeating themselves over and over again about Jade.

A car pulling into the driveway interrupted his train of thoughts, however. Race looked over cautiously as Jonny hopped out of the car with Benton. Behind their car was another one with two agents in it.

"Where's Jessie?" demanded Jonny anxiously.

"She hasn't arrived yet," answered Race with a weary sigh. Jonny frowned and pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket. He flipped it open and punched in a phone number, bringing it up to his ear upon hitting send. The phone began to ring just as Grace pulled into the driveway with Jessie in the passenger seat. Jonny hung up the phone and watched wordlessly as Race rushed over to the car and pulled Jessie into his arms.

"Dad, I'm fine," said Jessie struggling to breathe despite her father's tight grip around her arms.

"Are you hurt? Is this blood? Should I call an ambulance? Ponchita, tell me something." Race took a step back as he inspected Jessie for any telltale signs of cuts or bruising.

"You mean other than the fact that I'm swearing off all men? Dad, I'm fine. I promise. The date was a total disaster…but at least there was some entertainment involved. It's not every day that I get to destroy a restaurant."

"This is why you shouldn't date," pointed out Race. Jessie rolled her eyes and moved towards the house. She passed Jonny without a word.

Grace sighed. "She's upset because Brad had a hard time dealing with the fact that a girl had to protect him."

"I could've told her he was a wimp," muttered Jonny. With a shake of his head the blonde teen turned towards the house and disappeared inside, passing Jade without seeing her.

Taking the stairs two at a time Jonny came across Jessie barely reaching her room. He reached out a hand to turn her around to face him, pulling her into his arms. Jessie was silent as Jonny pressed his lips to her forehead and running a hand through her hair.

"I'm fine, hotshot," murmured Jessie softly as she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I'm just double checking," whispered Jonny as he pressed his forehead against hers and bringing a hand up to her face. "I was scared. I thought they'd get you before I could tell you I was sorry."

Jessie gave Jonny a tiny smile. Jonny ran a thumb across her cheek gently, his face growing closer to hers, until he felt her lips beneath his own. The kiss was soft and short, but before they fully broke apart Jonny brought his lips down on hers again, deepening the next kiss. Jessie's eyes fluttered open from their closed position upon realizing what was happening. In a moment of clarity she shoved Jonny away, both of them breathing heavily.

"What are you thinking?" she hissed.

"I…well, I…sor-sorry," stammered Jonny nervously. "I just thought…well…"

Jessie groaned. "Jonny, I saw you and Jade last night. I…no. I can't…you….me…no, it can't happen. Your lips touched hers, and now you're kissing me? I'm not okay with that. You say you're sorry, but I know deep down you still trust her. I can't do this."

Jonny watched helplessly as Jessie turned around and entered her room, closing the door in his face. He was confused beyond all reason now. Jonny didn't know what he wanted anymore.

A/N—Another chapter, hopefully a satisfying one. Anyway, the next two chapters are my personal favorites, so I'll try and get them up on the weekend. Thanks for all the great reviews so far!