Disclaimer: No es mio, and that's a fact.
Chapter 14-Found
A/N: Yes, this update took forever. Yes, you should hate me for it. No, I don't know when the next one will be. I've got a lot going on with school right now, so free time is virtually nonexistent. Keep up the reviews and nagging, and I will work my hardest to get the next chapter up sooner.
Now on with the story.
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Jessie blew out a frustrated breath of air that sent her bangs flying upwards. She was seated on the floor of her room and her green eyes were currently searching high and low for a missing shirt…and not just any shirt, her favorite one that Jonny hated. Okay, so she really wasn't all that fond of the said shirt seeing as how it normally caught the attention of too many people, like boys, but today the red head was willing to make an exception. Things with Jonny were…fragile to say the least. Since the break-in the pair had resorted to not talking again, although this time it was Jonny refusing to speak to her. The argument they had had after the cops had shown up to take the attempted murderers away had ended in yet another stalemate. Jonny seemed convinced that Jessie's life had been in danger while Jessie had been positive that Jonny's own life was in danger. Go figure neither one could seem to agree on a compromise of sorts.
So now Jonny wasn't talking to Jessie and everyone in the compound was feeling the effects of it. Since the pair was still suspended from school things around the house were icy and Jessie was getting sick and tired of it. Everything between her and Jonny was wrong. They had been for months now and she had a feeling she knew the reason why. But like all teens before her Jessie was refusing to even think about it.
"Boys are stupid anyway." She pressed her hands against the floor to push herself to her feet when one hand landed on something unusual. With a cry of pain Jessie slipped, her shoulder ramming into the side post of her bed. Wincing, the red head clutched the object her hand had landed on and pulled it out from under the bed. Her eyes widened as a blood red ruby glittered in the daylight.
"Shit."
Downstairs Grace and Estella were deep in conversation, each with a coffee cup in their hands. Benton sat at the end of the table reading a newspaper while Race brewed a pot of coffee, and both Jonny and Hadji were silent as they ate their breakfasts, but each for a different reason. Hadji's mind was on the hospital every time he glanced up at the clock, waiting impatiently for it to turn ten so he could visit Anaya. He had been there the last couple of days sitting at her side during the entire length of visiting hours. She hadn't stirred from her coma once yet. Jonny, on the other hand, was busy ignoring the buzzing of his cell phone, not quite ready to pick up and deal with Samantha's tearful 'I miss you' blubber.
No one bothered to glance up as Jessie bounded down the stairs and came to a halt in front of the table. Jessie narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. Benton glanced up in amusement and figured that she was trying to catch Jonny's attention. His eyes returned back to the newspaper in his hands…and then doubled back to Jessie. "Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed dropping the newspaper and jumping to his feet. At the sound of his cry the rest of the table looked up in time to see Benton rushing over to Jessie, his hands reaching out towards her outstretched palm, freezing only inches away.
"The Immortal Stone!" cried out Grace in shock. "Impossible!" She got to her feet as Estella pushed back her own chair.
"How…when…where?" questioned the red headed woman with concern evident in her eyes as she gazed at her daughter, unable to finish each question that she clearly wanted answered.
Jessie shrugged. "I found it under my bed. I think it fell there when I was unpacking after we got back from Mexico. Are you sure this thing is really full of magic powers, because it isn't doing anything to me. If you want my opinion it's nothing spectacular. Here." She tried to offer it to Grace but the Asian woman shook her head and took a couple of steps away from Jessie.
"I can't. That's the Immortal Stone and it seems as though you're the only one capable of touching it."
"Well that's a relief," stated Race dryly. "It proves she's still…whole."
Estella rolled her eyes. "What a way to put it," she murmured. "I can't wait to see the look on your face when she finally gets married."
"Who said she ever was?"
Jessie sighed. "Ye-ah, do you guys think you could take this away from me? The thing gives me the creeps and I'd rather not have to take with me everywhere for the rest of my life. Eventually prom's coming and I'd kind of like to not have to take the thing with me. It isn't exactly my kind of jewelry."
Benton nodded with a small gulp. "We can place it into the safe until we can call London and set up a return date." He motioned for Jessie to follow him, Grace trailing along as the pair left the kitchen. Estella took the brief interruption to grab Race by the arm and push him out the backdoor, and if her face was any indication she had a lot on her mind.
Jonny's eyes were glued to the hallway that Jessie had just vanished down, his mind turning over the sight of her with the jewel in her hands. She hadn't even looked like she cared that she was holding the most dangerous object in the world. Unconcerned and slightly annoyed were better descriptions of the look on her face…something that Jonny had always loved about her. His eyes widened at his thoughts and he could feel his face going pale. A buzz on his thigh returned him to the present. Standing up and sticking a hand into his pants pocket Jonny pulled out his cell phone and was answering it on his way to the living room.
Hadji watched his blonde friend leave the room, his head shaking from side to side to show his disapproval as to how Jonny and Jessie were handling their problems with one another. He was worried about them but wanted the pair to fix things themselves. They wouldn't always have Hadji around to take care of them and give them advice. He had other priorities in his life as well…and speaking of which it was just about time to go take care of one. Standing up Hadji took one last glance at the clock on his way towards the front door. If he left now he would make it just in time for hospital visiting hours to start.
Later That Night
Race crossed his arms and gave a long sideways glance to Estella who was standing beside him. She chose to ignore the look, which was really more of a glare, and instead stared straight ahead of her. The pair was currently standing at the bottom of the staircase of the Compound, neither one saying a word to the other. In truth they were both waiting for their daughter to emerge from upstairs, dressed and ready to go out to dinner with them. As it was, they had been standing there waiting for close to two hours now. Quite naturally it was Race that broke the silence.
"Stella," he started, his voice at a cross between irritated and concerned, "it's been two hours now – maybe you should go up and check on her."
"She's fine, Race. Just because she's taking a little longer to get dressed doesn't mean a thing," replied Estella without bothering to look over at her ex-husband.
"Of course it doesn't." Making a face Race turned away in a huff, muttering under his breath, "It's a damn good thing I decided against making reservations."
Estella opened her mouth to say something unkind in return but her words were halted by Jessie herself as the teen came down the stairs in a pair of jeans and tee-shirt. The look on Jessie's face was more than enough for Estella to know that the girl was upset, but with Race already in a poor mood due to hunger she decided against prodding Jessie for an answer – an answer in which she felt she already knew.
"Can we go before guests start arriving? It'd be rude to meet and greet and run out the door like we want nothing to do with them," stated Jessie with a grim expression.
Race opened his mouth to point out that the one holding them back from leaving had been Jessie, but Estella was already pushing him towards the doorway, her eyes hinting that should a single dark word come out of his mouth he would be experiencing pain unlike any other, and despite the fact that Race was the ex-CIA agent, he was rather afraid of what his ex-wife would actually do to him should he not comply.
Jessie followed along behind them, her arms crossed in front of her chest and her eyes slightly downcast. She had only agreed to eat out with her parents this evening because Jonny had invited Samantha over for dinner to meet his father – naturally it was turning into a double date of sorts with Grace coming as well, and while Jessie knew Jonny would need watching in order to be nice to his father's love interest she was in no mood to deal with Samantha as well. It would be more than she could bear, and not because she was likely to cry, that simply wasn't the case. It was more likely that should Jessie stick around she would find something on the table to attack the blonde girl with – and spending the night in jail simply didn't appeal to her this evening, possibly because that would distance her from Jonny even further. Besides, she had already come to the conclusion that boys were stupid anyway. Why bother fighting over one when it was likely she could kick the other girl's ass and still manage to lose the guy?
As she stepped out onto the front porch her eyes flickered upwards at the flash of headlights. Her eyes darkened as she realized it was Jonny's car that had pulled up, which meant he had arrived with Samantha. Gritting her teeth Jessie had to restrain herself from brushing past her parents and into the car. She needed to get over seeing Jonny and Samantha together – that was the adult thing to do, and Jessie was going to be an adult about this … alright, maybe she would be an adult tomorrow. In her mind she was already plotting how to trip Samantha when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing upwards the teen opened her mouth in surprise as her mother gave a silent shake of her head. It seemed the older woman knew all too well how Jessie's mind worked. With a slight frown Jessie allowed herself to be led to the car, opening the back door and slipping inside without bothering to look in Jonny's direction.
Jonny in the meantime was getting out of the car, his own face set in a strained expression as he watched Jessie and her parents get into the other vehicle. He knew their broken friendship was of his doing this time around, though it was much easier to simply blame Jessie for it. He couldn't help be worried about her however, even if she was with her parents this evening. He had half been hoping she and the Bannons would stick around for dinner, especially since Grace was going to be showing up, but Estella had quickly decided that she wanted to eat out with her beloved daughter and get the scoop on Race's poor parenting skills – which had been more than enough for Race to step in and demand he attend as well, if only to keep Jessie from spilling the beans about too many adventures he had been trying to keep from his ex.
"Jonny?"
The blonde turned with a blank expression on his face as the voice dug through the thoughts running around his mind. "What?" he asked. "Oh, sorry, Samantha – I sort of spaced out for a moment."
Samantha was clearly annoyed by that if the fact that her hands were now on her hips was any indication behind her mood now. Jonny sighed and quickly moved around the car to where she had helped herself out after seeing that her boyfriend had been much too caught up with watching Jessie and her parents take off. She had been half afraid that they would be joining them for dinner, but seeing the car drive off had done more than relieve the blonde girl's fears. It didn't matter that she had Jonny as a boyfriend – he still lived with Jessie, and no one, herself included, could deny the fact that there was something between Jonny and Jessie that no one else would be able to break. It was almost depressing, and being the hardcore romantic she was Samantha should have stepped back long ago to make way for what was more than likely a love story in the making, but the fact of the matter was that Samantha hated Jessie with a passion, and she was not about to lose Jonny, or any boy, to the red head. Not now and not ever.
She waited expectantly for Jonny to come to her side, taking his arm without bothering for him to offer it to her. A friend had already mentioned a while back that while Jonny was certainly good looking, he was still a step back from the usual guys that Samantha dated. She usually went with guys that adored her without question, opened doors and put down the coats over a puddle of water so she wouldn't get dirty … Jonny wasn't quite like any of them, and yet here she was about to attend dinner with him and his father. One would think she was striving for a future with the boy when it was really only to stay one step ahead of Jessie and their petty rivalry.
As the pair walked up the front porch and into the house Samantha took a deep breath, preparing herself to be the epitome of the perfect girlfriend. In her head she was only thinking one thing. Let's see you top this, Jessie Bannon.
Across Town
Race eyed Jessie critically as she seemed entranced by the menu in front of her. Something was going on and he would be damned if he didn't find out what it was. Yet every time he opened his mouth to ask Estella would shoot him the darkest of looks, which would immediately shut him up. It was something of a conspiracy theory against him. He had every right to know what was troubling his daughter – especially if it had something to do with Jonny, because at this very moment the one reason behind her unhappiness was not a thought he wanted to be true, even if he did love Jonny like a son. Well, perhaps Jonny was a couple of notches higher than all other males on the planet, but that didn't mean Race wanted the boy to date his daughter … or anything else remotely related to her. It was bad enough raising him – but what if the pair got married and had kids? It would be a royal disaster … and grandkids? Oh no, Race wasn't ready to even consider grandkids.
His eyes moved upwards as the waiter appeared, clearly waiting for their orders. "Uh, I'll have the Peking duck," stated Race as he shut his menu.
Estella pursed her lips together, obviously making a last minute decision. If he knew her like he was pretty sure he did she was wavering between Mongolian beef and chicken lo mein, and she would more than likely choose shrimp fried rice. That was the way it had always been when they had eaten out together in the past. "I'll take the shrimp fried rice."
Race smirked in triumph as he turned to Jessie, wondering what she would choose since the teen had the horrible habit of picking something different on every outing – usually not liking it and taking his meal instead. All eyes centered on Jessie, but the teen seemed oblivious to their gazes, her eyes unfocused on the menu in front of her. Apparently her mind was miles away. Clearing his throat, Race spoke softly, "Jessie? What do you want to eat, Ponchita?"
Jessie blinked in surprise and glanced up at her father, her eyes clearly troubled. "I have to use the restroom, excuse me," she murmured, her words barely audible. Race felt his mouth fall open and he moved to follow her when he felt Estella place a hand on his arm. She shook her head and turned to the waiter, asking for another order of Peking duck. Race waited until the waiter had gone before speaking again.
"Stella, there's something wrong with our daughter."
"Leave her be, Race. She's going to be just fine."
"But – "
"No buts. She just needs some time."
"You better not be telling me what I think you're telling me."
"And what if I am?"
"Jesus, Stell, she's our daughter!"
"And practically an adult. Race, you can't keep her from growing up."
"But Jonny?"
"My father said the same thing about you."
"That was different."
"No it wasn't, it was worse. You came with a history; Jonny and Jessie share the same history."
"They're teens."
"And you're in denial."
"I am not in denial, I just think it wouldn't be healthy – "
"And raising her with Jonny was healthy then?"
"I – it – you – aw man, you always win, don't you?"
A smile appeared on Estella's face as Race seemed to deflate in the midst of their minor argument. She had expected that from the beginning. Having known Race for so long now had made the woman a bit of an expert on him and how his mind worked. It usually took a while, but eventually the man would come around in the end. She knew what he really wanted was some assurance that Jessie would return to normal soon and that she and Jonny would stay friends, but she knew she couldn't ally those fears, at least not now. Estella wasn't at all sure how things would end up between Jonny and Jessie, and she was slightly worried about it. The two had resorted to taking their anger out in the oddest of ways lately – that fight at school for instance had been completely absurd and out of the blue, and now the silence. What had once been thought of as puppy love was obviously much more than that. It wasn't that Estella was at all surprised by the change in the relationship between Jonny and Jessie – she had always known they would fall for one another eventually, but to fall so hard like this was quite unnerving. It was as though they had skipped the puppy love and gone straight to the deep love that was the basis of any relationship, and their status as teens was wrecking havoc on what was likely to be an intense relationship – damn hormones.
"They're adults," said Estella with a soft sigh, her shoulders moving in a shrug. "We have to let them handle this on their own, no interference on our parts."
"You know that isn't how I like it."
"No, but Jessie would never forgive us if we stepped in and meddled. She's more like you than you think, Roger. This is her fight, let her fight it."
"Fine – but that doesn't mean I won't worry about her."
"I wouldn't expect any less of you," agreed Estella with another small grin on her face.
Race chuckled, his face softening. "I've missed this."
"What?"
"Co-parenting without fighting. We used to do it, remember?"
"You mean before our daughter turned thirteen and blossomed over night, giving you a heart attack?"
"I wasn't that bad."
"Mmm, I seem to recall a phone call in which you asked why Jessie was suddenly developing in certain places."
"She was thirteen!"
"You knew she had to grow up some time, Race. What did you expect, that she would stay five forever?"
"It would have been nice," admitted Race ruefully. "I miss those days, when she wasn't rebellious and you and I … well … "
"Our relationship has never been ordinary, Race. We had so little in common when we married – and we hadn't even been together all that long."
"Six months."
"We were young and foolish – "
"I wouldn't go back and change a thing," stated Race firmly. Estella eyed him carefully, her eye knitted together as she studied him.
"Neither would I," she murmured after a moment.
"I never meant to hurt you, Stell – Jade – "
Estella shook her head, though her face didn't take on the usual angry look it normally did when Jade's name was mentioned. "Don't. That woman is good at conning even the most loyal of people – I doubt even the Pope would be able to withstand her charm. I won't say it didn't hurt, because it did, but it's been so long now … it's in the past, and I for one am tired of living in the past."
"It wasn't all bad. We had some good times together."
"We did."
Race studied Estella, their eyes locking and neither saying a word. Then, very carefully, Race reached across to run a hand along her face, cupping her cheek. "I've missed you … you have no idea how much I've missed you."
"Why Race Bannon, I do believe you're growing sentimental in your old age."
"I love you, Stella."
"And I've always loved you." Estella gave him a teary eyed smile as he reached up to cradle the hand that was on her cheek.
"Do you think we can start over?"
"I'd like that very much."
As Race and Estella reopened a door in their relationship, their daughter stood in front of the bathroom mirror, her eyes boring into themselves as she gazed at her own vision. She had retreated to the restroom in hopes of splashing water on her face and snapping herself out of the funk she was in, but it was to no avail. Jessie couldn't seem to get past the fact that something new was developing within her – an intense jealousy of Samantha of all people. It was a terrible thing to admit, and it was even worse knowing that it was because of Jonny she was feeling this way. He had to be dating the blonde cheerleader and not speaking to Jessie all at the same time, didn't he? God forbid could he date someone normal, or even man up to whatever the hell was going on with them. Hell, it would have been nice if Jessie could admit to herself what was going on.
"I just want to be over this," she muttered to herself, her eyes fluttering shut as she gripped the counter edge. "I want to wake up and find this is just some dream and that everything is okay between us. I can't feel this way … it isn't like me … it isn't right … I … " Her eyes flew open, tears evident as she gazed at herself once more. "Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? He's my friend – he's supposed to be my brother! When did sisterly affection turn into … this?"
The teen whimpered as she tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. She didn't want to admit it, because admitting it would mean only make reality a little more inevitable for what it truly was – a pain filled world with nothing but heartache. And it was more than just the fact that Jonny was dating Samantha, it was the fact that this unresolved issue between them was likely not the silly school girl crush she would like it to be.
"Oh god, no … " Jessie's eyes widened as she realized where her thoughts were heading. "No … that's impossible … I can't … I don't … oh my god, I love him. I am so dead." She continued to shake her head, denial trying its best to keep itself in full rein of her thoughts, but the more she shook it the more Jessie realized that was exactly how she felt about Jonny. She loved him – and it wasn't the sisterly love one would expect after living with him for so many years, nor was it the affectionate love one had for a friend – this was something much deeper and less pure than all that – this was love in its entirety, and it scared Jessie more than anything else in the world.
And with that revelation didn't come a sigh of relief or a load off her shoulders. If anything, Jessie grew angrier and more frustrated than she had originally been. Her jaw tightened as she clenched her teeth together, her eyes going back to the mirror in front of her. Of all the dumb things to go and do she had fallen in love with her best friend – the stupid idiot that was currently dating the school bimbo. He didn't love her – not if he was with someone else and able to not speak to her, never mind the fact that Jessie had been the one to initiate the silence the first time around they had decided not to speak to each other – that was hardly the point. The point was that she was in love with the last person on the planet that she currently wanted to be in love with.
Shaking her head Jessie acted without thinking through her actions, anger taking a hold of her mind. Her hand balled into a fist and shot forward, shattering the mirror in front of her, causing the woman that had entered to let out a loud scream, which was more than enough to get Race and Estella moving in the direction of the women's restroom.
Rockport Hospital
Hadji was seated beside Anaya's bedside, his hands clasped together as he studied her sleeping frame. She had yet to wake from her coma, though the nurses had done nothing but assure him that she was going to be fine once she woke up again. The assurances had done little to relieve his mind. Anaya had taken a beating unlike any other – even Race had been grim at the sight of her battered body on their doorstep, and he was the former CIA agent who had seen more bodies dead than alive.
He sighed forlornly as his eyes strayed over to the machine that Anaya was currently hooked up to. He needed to assure himself that all was well; otherwise he was likely to lose his mind. His attention shifted at the sound of a footfall entering the room, his eyes going over to meet that of Corbin's as the older man nodded in greeting.
"How is she?" he asked.
Hadji looked back at Anaya before answering. "The same as yesterday," he said. "There is no change."
"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Hadji. The girl's a Zin – they're been trained by some of the best. It'll take more than a beating to take her out."
"I hope you are right, but in the meantime I cannot help but worry about her. What if the attacker returns to finish the job?"
"I doubt it. If they had wanted to finish the job they would have done it the first time through rather than let someone drop her off at the house."
"I suppose there is logic in that," agreed Hadji with a small nod of his head. "I only wish that she would awaken soon. I am very worried."
Corbin glanced down at the younger man with a sad smile on his face. It was touching that Hadji truly cared for Anaya in the way that he did – it was reminiscent of undying devotion … love of sorts despite their opposing viewpoints, though Corbin suspected that Anaya was trying to change. Rather than speak, Corbin allowed silence to fill the room, the only actual sound being that of the machine beeping every other second.
He wasn't all that sure why he had come, possibly to check on Anaya and assure himself that she was still alive as well. He had a feeling he knew who had instigated the beating, and while he wasn't all that surprised behind it he was hoping the Asian woman would awaken and give some more insight as to what exactly was going on, and what the cause behind the breakup of dynamics between the Zins, Surd, and Rage. Well, in truth he really wanted to know what the real reason, other than that damn Immortal Stone, was uniting them together this time around. There were so many twists and turns' going around that Corbin was starting to think soap operas would be easier to understand.
A few minutes passed and Corbin was ready to say his farewell to Hadji and return to the office for the evening, possibly dropping the boy off at the Compound as visiting hours would be drawing to a close shortly. And, just as he was about to open his mouth and suggest this, a soft sound like that of a moan caught his attention, and that of Hadji's. Both men glanced over at Anaya whose lips were moving soundlessly. Without needing to speak the males moved to either side of her bed, leaning closer in hopes of catching what she said. Another minute passed by and finally a word was made audible.
"J – Jade."
Quest Compound
Jonny used his fork to poke at the peas on his plate. His mood had gone from bad to worse since his own arrival at the compound. For starters, Samantha was really laying it on thick with his father. She was actually acting as though she were interested in his job and the like – and Jonny knew for a fact that for every answer his father gave the blonde girl was completely at a loss as to what it all meant. She was simply nodding and smiling along to Benton at this point, which was fine by Jonny. He was too busy trying to figure out how to remedy his current situation with Jessie. He hated not talking to her – she was the voice of reason he normally turned to in things like his father and Grace, though he knew she was all for his father dating again.
The teen couldn't quite put his finger on the reason why his father and Grace bothered him so much. He was figuring that it had something to do with the fact that they had apparently dated before his mother had come into the picture, and that they were so easily picking back up from where they had left off. How could his father forget about his mother so easily like that? It didn't matter that it had been a number of years since Rachel Quest's death, his father was a widow, and in Jonny's eyes that was how Benton was supposed to stay, otherwise it wasn't true love.
And it was that thought alone that made everything crystal clear for Jonny. If his father couldn't stay true to his mother, than what was to keep Jonny true to Jessie, because surely he cared for her more than he should … and should anything happen, like a break up, well, what was to keep them friends after that? Nothing. Their relationship would be completely shattered for good, and that was the last thing in the world that Jonny wanted. He needed Jessie more than anyone else in his life, and if the only way to keep her was to be solely friends, then that was exactly what he was going to do, and nothing was going to make him change his mind.
Across the table Grace was feeling the unease with which Jonny was providing. She had known that he hadn't been all that pleased when it had come out that she and Benton had a tie in the past with one another, but Grace had been hoping that after some time together Jonny would open up to her and they could grow to respect one another … but thus far that seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream. A quick glance over at Benton and the archeologist knew that he was sensing the same thing … and that sooner or later it would cause more than a little unease in their relationship. She had never intended to pit father and son against one another, but surely that was what was happening the longer she stuck around.
Oh, she could pretend that much of it was to do with Jessie and all that was going on with her and Jonny, but Grace knew that whatever was going on there was only a small part of what would inevitably come out between Benton and Jonny. She wanted no part of it … she couldn't have a part in it. It would be more than she could bear, especially considering she and Rachel had been such close friends once upon a time. And it was with this thought that Grace knew what she had to do. Letting out a soft sigh that was missed by all she took the napkin from her lap and placed it atop the table, pushing back her seat as she cleared her throat to speak.
"I'm afraid I need to be going … I just remembered something important that I have to take care of."
Benton glanced up with a quizzical expression on his face. He pushed his own chair up, hastening after Grace as she exited the room. Samantha frowned and turned to Jonny, but he too was getting up out of his seat to see what was going on, curiosity and hope getting the better of him. Jonny followed along slowly, not wanting to be seen or heard, eventually pausing behind the door to the hallway to eavesdrop on his father and Grace.
Benton ran a hand through his head as Grace gathered her things. "I don't understand, Grace. What's so important?"
"Your son is," stated the woman softly, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Benton, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything were to come between you and your son, especially if that thing were me. Rachel wouldn't want this … and neither do I. He's your son, Benton, and clearly he doesn't approve of us. It's probably for the best anyway, don't you think? There was a reason we never got together so long ago, fate had other things in store for us, and frankly, I'll be damned if I try to change things just because I feel a certain way about you. I can't do this – not when it's hurting someone else."
Benton opened his mouth to protest, but Grace shook her head, turning in the direction of the door. "I'll call you when I hear back from London, Benton. Thank you for everything though. I'll remember it for always."
Jonny turned away from the door as he heard the front door open and close with a soft click. He knew his father would stay there for a while, choosing to pull himself together before returning to the dining room. The teen slowly headed in that direction himself, his emotions torn. Grace and his father were no longer going to be together … and while Jonny knew this was exactly what he had wanted, all he could remember was the look upon his father's face as Grace had broken things off. It had been one of pure hurt, a hurt that Jonny knew all too well … and if it had been what he thought it had been then this was quite possibly the worst moment of his life – for it would be Jonny Quest that had torn his father from the woman he loved.