Disclaimer – as much as I would like to say this is mine, it really isn't.

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Chapter 15 – Round Two

When the days are long it is said that the nights are longer. Jessie was quickly becoming a firm believer in this mantra. The red head was fairly positive this night was going to be one for the books, and not in the good way. For one thing she was spending it with three others, two of which she simply wanted to strangle and dispose of their bodies in the first ditch she happened across. That was fairly mild in comparison to her earlier thoughts of simply running people down with the first car she managed to hotwire, which would probably be a police car if she didn't get home soon. Unfortunately that was the sole reason for the night dragging out as it was.

Jessie had awoken that morning to a knock on her door. For a minute she had simply laid there ignoring the knock in hopes that whoever it was, either her mother or father, would get the hint she was still sleeping off the pain medicine she had been dosed with before going to bed the night before due to a little mishap with a restroom mirror – which had totally jumped out at her by the way. Unfortunately the person on the other side of the door had gone for the persistent route rather than retreat, which forced the teen out of the comfort of her bed and over to the door. With half a mind to lash out at her parental unit, whichever one it turned out to be, Jessie was thoroughly unprepared to find Jonny standing on the other side of her doorway.

To say that it was a pleasant surprise would be a lie. If anything Jessie was fairly sure she had scowled at the blonde teen and there might have been a last ditch effort to shut the door in his face, but as already stated the pain medicine from the night before was still very much in her system, and Jessie's bandaged fist was still hurting, which made it rather difficult to shut said door in the face of one Jonny Quest.

On Jonny's behalf it couldn't be said that he was entirely thrilled to be knocking on Jessie's door either. His main fear lay in the possibility of Jessie decking him a good one yet again, even with an injury to her good arm. He had heard, albeit through rather sneaky means, all about Jessie's little mirror escapade from the night before. He knew her parents were worried about her mental well being, something Jonny had scoffed at if only because Jessie was the last person to worry about getting a mental breakdown. He was pretty sure she was still pissed him for one reason or another.

So while Jonny was generally concerned when it came to Jessie and mirrors and, well, Jessie in general, that was not the reason for his visit to her bedroom. The person he was more worried about was Hadji, and considering Jessie was friends with Hadji as well Jonny had come in hopes of getting some help on the matter.

"Quest," murmured Jessie crossing her arms.

"Bannon," returned Jonny just as coolly, his back still facing her. She had just initiated the cold shoulder routine they had been flirting with the last few weeks, giving Jonny all the reasons in the world to follow up on it. If she didn't want to play nice then he didn't either. Besides, Jonny was growing a headache from trying to decipher Jessie's actions on any level these days. He wasn't even positive he knew how to decipher his own actions let alone anyone else's. Well, Samantha was fairly simple, but that lay in the fact that she was a fairly simple creature to begin with, as much as Jonny hated to admit. He had always sworn to himself that he would stay as far away from simple minded girls as possible whenever he started the whole dating game; it was a shame he hadn't followed through on that promise to himself. It probably would have staved off a whole world of problems with Jessie, but it really was no use crying of lost causes and the like. Jonny was on a mission.

With a sigh Jessie made herself act as civil as possible. She tried telling herself it was because she was the better person, but it was more or less because she seriously wanted to crawl back into bed. One wouldn't know it by looking at a mirror, but they hit back like a bitch. Stitches were still a possibility if the wound didn't stop bleeding every time Jessie stretched a single finger. "Out with it."

"It's about Hadji."

At this Jessie actually blinked in surprise before guilt swept in. The last few days she had been so focused on Jonny and Samantha that she hadn't really thought about Hadji, and she knew for a fact that this was one of the times when he needed his friends more than ever.

In speaking Jonny had turned around to face Jessie in time to see the guilt flash through her eyes as she focused on the floor rather unsteadily. He knew exactly how she felt about the entire matter. That was how Jonny had woken up that morning – guilt heavy and worried as hell about his best friend and brother. "He's been sitting around Anaya's bedside since she was taken to the hospital – he eats, he sleeps, he sits … he isn't talking to me or you. He's barely talking at this point."

"He's worried about her," stated Jessie gently.

"And I'm worried about him. Hadji's taking this really hard, Jess. He needs us."

"We've been so caught up in being mad at each other we've ignored him."

"Yeah." Jonny's voice was soft, his eyes now focused on the ground as well rather than the teen girl in front of him. What he really wanted to do was reach out and pull her into his arms to never let go, but knowing Jessie as well as he did, and due to the past experience with their first two kisses, Jonny knew his efforts wouldn't be well received. Jessie needed time to cool off just as Jonny needed time to clear his head.

"So what do we do, Hotshot?"

Jonny's head moved upwards rather quickly at the usage of Jessie's nickname for him. He could see by the look in her eyes he was hardly forgiven for past sins, but she did seem to be making an effort to put things aside for Hadji. That was better than nothing at this point. "I was thinking of dragging Hadji out to see a movie tonight – you know, just the three of us like old times?"

Jessie pursed her lips together before nodding in agreement. "I think that's a good idea."

Of course the good idea had quickly morphed into a bad one by the time it came time to drag Hadji away from Anaya's bedside and out on the town for the evening. Jonny had inadvertently let Samantha know about the whole cheering Hadji up business only to invite herself, possibly to keep an eye on Jessie and make it well known Jonny was hers and hers alone. By then it was too late for Jessie to back out on the deal and she had been resigned to watch Jonny and Samantha cuddle at the movies. Well, it had mostly been Samantha doing the cuddling, though Jessie hadn't been too busy watching them as much as she had been busy coaxing Hadji that he didn't need to call and check in with the hospital every five minutes. In the end she finally stole his wallet and stuffed it in Jonny's pocket with a dark glare informing him that the giving up of the wallet would result in a slow and painful death. Some good had come out of it – like Jessie finding an altogether lovely place to stick her gum once she had finished with it.

"Did you really have to stick gum in her hair?" questioned Jonny with a sigh as he massaged his temples. Samantha was currently in the theater restroom washing out the gum she had found in her hair only moments after the credits had begun showing.

Jessie shrugged in reply, her eyes centered in the same direction as Jonny. Hadji was standing at the pay phone making the first phone call to the hospital he had been allowed to make since fifteen minutes into the movie.

"Jess."

"She had it coming, Quest, move on. I have."

"Would it kill you to be nice?"

"It just might."

A wry smile appeared on Jonny's face at Jessie's comment, his amusement stemming from the stubborn look on Jessie's face. Things were still fragile between them at the moment, but there seemed to be something of a mend on the rise. Perhaps their united front in regards to Hadji was bringing it about, or possibly something else was afoot, but either way the pair were slowly but surely resorting to old times if their current bantering was any indication of it.

For Jessie Hadji was of the utmost importance now. Getting him back on his feet came before some silly infatuation she held for Jonny and the hatred she felt for his girlfriend. In truth she was resigning herself to the fact that this would be one of those unrequited love types of relationships that they had watched one too many times on television. Oh, this wasn't to say she was going to just bury the hatchet with Samantha, but honestly, if Jonny was going to claim to be attracted to the blonde bimbo in the first place he obviously had really bad taste in women, right? Alright, so it was only a minor consolation to Jessie, but at this point in time it was better than moping around and plotting all sorts of unpleasant ends to Samantha. Okay, it was better than just moping. Jessie rather liked plotting Samantha's demise every time the cheerleader turned around to gloat. It was almost therapeutic, though the real deal would be just turning around and hitting her in the nose, but Jessie wasn't fully up for another fight with anyone at the moment. Her hand was beginning to ache again, and as much as she hated to admit it, Jessie was in some serious need of Tylenol.

In Jonny's case the mend was a result of him not letting much of what Jessie did get to him. Samantha was beginning to get pissed over that part, but he wasn't quite sure what to tell her other than no girl was worth losing a friend over, even if that friend happened to be a girl as well. Truthfully Samantha's antics were beginning to bother him, and while it wasn't a characteristically good thing on his behalf, Jonny couldn't help but recall the sole reason for giving Samantha the time of day – he had been doing it in an effort to stop thinking about Jessie in a not so pure manner, but by doing so he had only made Jessie the only thought in his mind on a regular basis, thoroughly destroying his peace of mind. But breaking up wasn't something Jonny was very good at, and he really didn't think it was fair of him to do considering Samantha seemed to really like him, at least as far as Jonny could tell she did. Women weren't generally one of Jonny's best subjects. It was the only reason he wished he had a mother figure in his life to help guide him around girls. He had thought about asking Estella once before, but seeing how she and Race interacted and comparing it to him and Jessie had left Jonny with the impression he was doing everyone a favor by not asking her for help. He would rather suffer through it than end up analyzing himself and Jessie any time. Jonny was sure he wouldn't like what he saw anyway. Besides, now wasn't about him and Jessie; it had nothing to do with him and Jessie. It was all about Hadji.

The pair breathed in relief as Hadji hung up the phone and made his way back to them in silence. While it was rather depressing to see their friend in such a down mood they were glad to avoid further conversation with one another. Jonny reached out to place a hand on one of Hadji's shoulders as Jessie did the same with the other shoulder.

"Hadji," started Jessie, her voice striving to be neutral, "you really need to stop beating yourself up over this whole thing. What happened to Anaya wasn't your fault. I'm sure if she were awake she'd tell you the same thing. There's more to the story than we can see."

"Jessie's right, Hadji. We don't even have much to see yet – you need to relax and breathe easy."

"Jonny, he's worried about a person, not preparing to have a baby."

"Meditation, Jessie."

"Hmph. You suck at describing it."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Don't make me hit you, Hotshot."

"Just try it, Ace. Twenty bucks says you can't do any real damage with that bum arm of yours."

"Oh ye of little faith."

A chuckle from Hadji brought Jonny and Jessie back to the present, their eyes moving away from the dagger eyed glares they had resorted to in order to eye their friend. There was a genuine smile on Hadji's face as he clasped the shoulders of his friends. "You two are the best of friends I could have ever asked for. Thank you. Come, let us collect Samantha and find some ice cream. There is a shop on the other side of the park that has all eighty-one flavors if I do recall correctly."

With a grin on her own face Jessie tucked her arm into Hadji's. "You are so my new favorite person, Hadji. Ice cream solves everything."

Shaking his own head in amusement Jonny followed along at a slower rate, calling out to Samantha who was still inside the restroom. "We're leaving, Sam!"

Nearby

She had never been bested in all her life. From early on in her childhood she had always been the best – it didn't matter what the subject was, she excelled at all she did. It was possibly good genes. Her mother had the looks, her father the brains. Their union had resulted in her, and even though their own relationship had ended rather badly it had never reflected poorly on her. Her parents had only made her half of what she was today. The other half had been pieced together after years of shaping herself into the person she wanted to be.

She had no real qualms about herself. So she wasn't at all the girl she had started out as. No one ever stayed the same, and if they did they obviously had no life. But she had a life. She had various aspects to her life to be more truthful. She loved, she hated, she worked, she did nothing, she did everything, she slept, she ate, she moved. She was everything and she was nothing at the same time. She had perfected the art of womanhood in her own eyes; none could do it better than she. None could come close to touching her – everyone that did ended up badly off. That was how it had always been.

But this time around things were different. She had actually lost. It would have been no concern of hers had it been something minor, and to some it may seem that what she had lost was minor indeed, but in her eyes it was the worst loss of all. It was two losses in one. Perhaps this loss had torn something within her, twisting her darkened heart even further, for now she was more than ruthless, she was determined. Losing was not in her vocabulary. It never had been and it never would be. She was going to cross out this mark on her name once and for all – she was going to win at all costs possible, and she wanted the person that had beat her to know it.

Obsession is hardly a laughing matter, which is why Jezebel Jade is not laughing.

She was in this for the long haul.

Back

"Gum, Jessica Bannon. Gum. Do you know how much it's going to cost me to get my hairdresser to fix the mess you've made?" Samantha was highly irritated, and even halfway through the park she was letting the whole world know that she was irritated. The person with whom she was irritated naturally didn't seem to give a damn what the blonde girl thought of her. She was still three feet ahead of Samantha ignoring her every word.

Or perhaps not.

"I'll give you ten dollars to let me cut your hair, Samantha. I'll have all that gum out in no time," replied Jessie breezily. So far spending the evening with Samantha around hadn't been too horrible, but Jessie wasn't about to go about repeating it ever again.

"That is anything but funny, Jessica."

"Hmm, and yet I honestly don't care."

"You've ruined my hair!"

"Ruined is such a strong word. I'm going to opt for changed here. That seems like a better fit since you'll have to get a whole new style done to get all that gunk out – but just think, next time you'll know to stop flipping your hair in my face."

Samantha's eyes narrowed at the back of Jessie's head, her hands clutching Jonny's arm just a tad tighter as if to ward off whatever spell the red head might cast over Jonny while she wasn't looking … or even looking. At this point in time Samantha wouldn't put anything past Jessie.

With a sigh Jonny simply resigned himself to watching Samantha in case the blonde female decided to lunge out at Jessie. He wasn't sure if she would, but he was fairly certain Hadji was keeping Jessie under restraint so she wouldn't turn around and attack Samantha. Anything was possible at this point.

Jessie grimaced but didn't bother turning around. She was tired and in pain and craving three scoops of chocolate ice cream. If it was that time of the month she'd be relieved seeing as how frustration was never quite good when it led to blowing a fuse – something in which Jessie felt she was about to do at any moment. It was more than just frustration, the teen was beginning to feel antsy, and she wasn't sure why. The only time she ever felt antsy was when it seemed as though something were about to happen – or her senses were on edge. Of course if it really was that time of the month she could put it off at frayed nerves due to dealing with Samantha for far too long, but that seemed to be happening too regularly for Jessie to really feel antsy so often, right?

Too right.

Jessie felt her feet freeze at the sound of footsteps coming from the woods surrounding the park. Of all the things to have, Rockport just had to have woods around their park path. It was almost designed for trouble in that way, and tonight trouble was making its appearance in the bodily form of Jade. Almost immediately Jessie felt herself gritting her teeth as she and her companions were forced to come to an abrupt halt, finding themselves rather surrounded as men emerged from the shadows.

"Hello, Jonny," murmured Jade, her voice practically a purr as her eyes narrowed in on the trembling blonde on Jonny's arm. This wasn't quite what she had expected to find, and Jade had to say the turn of events wasn't any more welcome than her first fear of Jessie and Jonny being cozy with one another. Actually, while this wasn't welcome, it was rather amusing. It seemed Jade wasn't the only one that had lost – yet that was beside the point. The entire purpose of this expedition was to crush Jessie and the rest of the Quest clan in any way possible. The blonde girl was only a minor setback, one that would easily be taken care of.

"Look what the cat brought in," muttered Jessie. "I should have known you wouldn't have given up that easily."

Jade's eyes flickered over to Jessie, giving the teen a glimpse at the manic hunger that lay behind the older woman's. "I never lose, Jessica, you of all people should be well aware of that. I stole your father from you and your mother before you could even talk – I always get what I want, even if I don't have any use for it."

"So long as I can still think of you as part time slut with a passion for insanity I really don't give a damn what comes out of your mouth at this point."

"Jess," hissed Jonny, his own eyes taking note of the wild look in Jade's eyes, "pissing her off isn't going to make things better here." It was more than pissing Jade off, it was pissing Jade off with Jessie injured. Now, he supposed he ought to be worried about everyone considering they were surrounded by men that seemed anything but reasonable, but Jonny knew all too well the vendetta Jessie and Jade held with one another. It was as though neither could be happy while the other was alive, and that scared Jonny more than anything. Jessie was in no condition to be fighting tonight, and he wasn't sure how well he would stack up in protecting her as well as Samantha who was clinging to his arm.

"Speak for yourself, Hotshot. Jade knows I adore her."

With a snort Jade said, "You aren't any concern to me, Bannon. You're no longer a threat."

It didn't take a genius to figure out just what Jade meant by her words. Jessie for one caught the meaning straight away. She wasn't sure about anyone else, but to her it was practically a war cry even as it was a brush off. The red head didn't like the thought of Jade knowing she had lost Jonny as well, especially to someone like Samantha who really had nothing going for her other than looks. At the same time Jessie was actually afraid – for Samantha of all people. She already knew about Jade's wrath from personal experience and even that fight on the boat in Mexico had been a little more than she was used to, meaning Jessie knew her match when she met one, and there was no way in hell Samantha stood a chance against Jade. As much as Jessie disliked the blonde she wasn't cold hearted enough to let her go up against Jade one on one. Guilt wasn't something the teen wanted to deal with for the rest of her life.

Her head glanced up as a pair of hands came down on her shoulders, gripping them in such a manner Jessie couldn't help the wince from appearing on her face. A quick glance around showed her that the rest of the group was undergoing the same treatment, save for Samantha. The poor blonde had been left free and as a result was frozen to her spot, her eyes wide with fear as Jade approached.

"Hello Princess, I see you're Jonny's new plaything. I'm afraid tonight will be your last night in that coveted role, for Jonny is going to be taking a little trip," cooed Jade.

"Like hell I am," stated Jonny firmly.

Jade ignored him, her eyes studying Samantha. "You really are a pretty little thing. I can see why Jonny finds himself interested in you."

"Oh, for the love of god." Jessie's low mutter caught the attention of the man holding onto her, forcing his eyes to peer down at the teenage girl only to meet her fingertips dead on. Giving a howl of pain the man instantly let go of Jessie, his hands going to his eyes in pain. Jade knew she only had one chance to act and without really thinking about it let her fist loose, only to find it blocked by a bandaged fist. Jessie let out a small smirk. "Hi, Jade, remember me?"

"You aren't a threat, Bannon."

"Oh, but I am. Get rid of Princess here and I win, plain and simple. As far as you should be concerned, Jade, I will always be a threat to you. In case you've forgotten, it was you that destroyed my parents' marriage. I never really got to thank you for all those years of anguish – so let's start with that, huh? Then we can move up to the here and now of the princess."

"And what makes you think you can hold your own against me, Bannon?" Jade's eyes moved down to the bandage around Jessie's wrist.

"I'm twice the woman you'll ever be."

Jade snapped, her eyes blazing in anger as she sent her other fist flying in the direction of Jessie's face. Trained to follow instinct Jessie was ready for the fist, blocking it with her other arm as she maneuvered herself completely in front of Samantha, edging the blonde cheerleader back a few feet. Rather than wait for the next attack Jessie took the next punch, her injured fist flying forward in an effort to connect with some portion of Jade's face, but it was blocked almost as easily as Jade's had been. As the two exchanged and blocked punches and kicks Jonny worked his way free, rendering two of the men immobile in the nether regions. Several of the men began to move in his direction as Jonny encircled an arm around Samantha's waist, his eyes going over to Hadji who was currently wiping his hands of filth that had come off his own attacker in the process of getting free as well.

"Jessie!" Jonny let go of Samantha, twirling her in the direction of Hadji. The blonde girl didn't bother protesting, instead wrapping her arms around Hadji's neck and burying her face in his shoulder. Everything that was going on around her was more than the girl could bear and all she really wanted was for it to simply go away and leave her in peace again. If this was what it was like to date someone like Jonny Quest then she would gladly let Jessie have him. Danger was not her middle name, nor should it be remotely linked to her in any shape or form. It was high time she dated Brad anyway – he was the quarterback of the football team after all, and her a cheerleader. Who could ask for a more perfect match?

Hearing Jonny call her name Jessie knew the cards were back in their favor – but only if they managed to get away from their current position. Unfortunately Jessie wasn't about to let go of this chance to take Jade out, even if she really couldn't inflict much damage. It was working wonders on all the built up frustration she had within her – anger management would simply never be able to match up to beating on Jade.

The red head spat out a little blood as a wild punch got her in the jaw, knocking the teen back a few feet. She wiped at her mouth, her eyes not leaving Jade's as the other woman stood still only a few feet away. Jonny took the chance to pull at Jessie's sleeve but she merely shrugged him off. She wasn't going to get another chance like this and there was still the matter of getting away.

"Jessie, we need to get out of here," urged Jonny.

"Then get out of here, Jonny – I've got unfinished business."

"Are you insane? She'll kill you!"

"Not if I kill her first."

"Jessie –"

Jonny took an involuntary step back as Jessie swept her gaze onto him. "No. You don't understand, Jonny. Jade's the reason my parents split; she's the reason my life is all fucked up – I'm not letting her go anywhere, not unless she gets the best of me, and I don't intend to let that happen this time around."

Taking a stubborn look on his face Jonny scowled. "Killing her isn't the answer, Jess."

"Don't you want to kill Zin for what happened to your mother?" Jessie's question hung in the air giving Jade a chance to survey the situation, her hand moving towards her belt in an unobtrusive manner. Jonny felt his mouth open but no words came forth. She spoke the truth when it came to Dr. Zin – Jonny hated him for all he had done to his family, taking his mother away before her time. It was no great secret Zin had done this, he had admitted as much almost three years before in a chance meeting between him and Jonny, and since then the teen had held a longstanding grudge against the man. Jonny wanted Zin to pay for his mother's death by any means necessary.

Seeing Jonny pause gave Jessie the edge she needed. "Jade's my Zin, Jonny. I can't let go, just like you can't let go."

"It sounds to me like the two of you have issues letting go," stated Jade coyly, her words gaining the attention of the foursome. All were surprised to see a gun in Jade's hands, pointed in the direction of Jonny and Jessie. "Why don't I take of it for you?"

Time froze for only a moment as Jade's finger pulled at the trigger. Hadji acted first, Anaya's voice repeating the name of Jade over and over in his head. How he managed to entangle himself from Samantha and move so quickly is still something of a mystery, but he did. Moving faster than even he could imagine Hadji managed to shove his friends to the ground as the shot rang out, causing Samantha to scream.

Scrambling onto his knees Jonny moved to tend to his friend, searching for a gunshot wound. It didn't take long to find as blood began to well up in Hadji's right shoulder blade. The sight of blood made both Samantha and Jessie act as one, though in different manners. As Samantha tore at the fabric of her skirt to try and bandage up Hadji, Jessie was moving in Jade's direction to fight for the gun.

"You bitch," she hissed, her fist flying through the air to connect with the arm handling the gun. Jade tightened her grip on the gun, shouldering her way into Jessie as the teen latched onto her arms and refused to let go. There was no way in hell that woman would be keeping the gun for much longer.

From the ground Jonny found himself torn. He allowed Samantha to bandage Hadji up, his own face wincing in pain as Hadji let out a moan of pain. Things had gotten wildly out of hand this time, and Jonny wasn't sure how that had been possible. Looking up told the teen they would have to move fast as the shock of the gunshot was fading from the men Jade had brought with her – it wouldn't be long before they launched their own version of an attack upon the teens as Jessie and Jade fought over the gun. But as much as Jonny knew now was the time to leave, he couldn't. Not with Jessie dealing with the madwoman in her condition.

Out of the corner of her eye Jessie could see the men moving towards Jonny, Hadji and Samantha. Honestly, Jonny wasn't going to suddenly lose his brain now, was he? Gritting her teeth as she swerved Jade's arm upwards, her fingers digging into the other woman's skin, Jessie let out a small shout to get Jonny moving. "Get out of here, Quest! Hadji needs you!"

That was all Jonny needed to get himself back onto his feet. With the help of Samantha the blonde boy hoisted Hadji onto his feet, wrapping his friend's good arm around Samantha's shoulders and pushing them forward. He turned around, his eyes going to Jessie who was still struggling for the gun, but his fears had to be brushed aside as a man lunged at Jonny. With a block of his arm the teen managed to keep the man from really doing any bodily harm, though soon enough he found himself growing outnumbered. All attention seemed to be on him rather than the escapees, which was something of a relief to Jonny. Concentrating on the men Jonny put up a fight, his eyes only able to glance at Jessie every once in a great while as doing so more would have ended with a few more bruises than he was gaining.

For her part Jessie was finding strength she had earlier been missing. Her blood was pumping with adrenaline as the red head shoved her shoulder into Jade's chest, knocking the woman off balance with a screech of pain. Jessie yanked the gun out of Jade's chest and without even thinking about it pointed the offending weapon in the other woman's direction, cocking the trigger just as Jade lunged at the teen, knocking Jessie's aim off as she moved the gun back in Jessie's direction.

With a loud cry Jonny knocked one last man out, his body swaying with the bruises he had accumulated in this particular battle. He had a feeling a rib or two had broken in the melee, but that hardly mattered, for a gunshot rang out and all else was forgotten.

Across Town

Estella chuckled at Race's joke, her mood relaxed for the first time in years. It had been ever so long since she had actually felt this happy. It was amazing how that happiness seemed to only come about when Race was involved. She had hoped that after their separation and divorce she would move on with her life and find another form of happiness, but her heart had never seemed to have forgiven Estella the cruel time spent loving a single man. He had always brought out the best of her, while also bringing out the worse. It was a passionate love they had shared, and sitting now across from him told the older red headed woman that perhaps not all was lost. There were reasons why she had fallen in love with Race in the first place, and this evening she was beginning to remember all the reasons why.

The same could be said of Race as well. He was wishing he had fought for her harder after she had left, but he hadn't. He still felt guilty betraying her as he had, especially given the fact that they had a beautiful daughter together. Oh, the past was the past, yes, but Roger Bannon knew all too well how long one could remember the past as though it were no more than yesterday. He had spent so many years being mad at himself rather than Estella for the ruined marriage. It had taken him the longest time to get her to give him the time of day, and when that day had finally arrived all the pieces had clicked into place, turning things into a whirlwind romance as only books could describe. It was cliché, of course, but Race could think of no better way to describe his relationship with his ex-wife. She was the one that had gotten away, and Race would be damned if he let it happen again.

"Do you remember – " Estella's words were cut off from a ringing of her cell phone. She frowned as she glanced down at her purse from whence the ring was coming. Of all the things, a phone call? Who could be calling her? She had let it be know she would be out and off limits for the evening … well, several evenings really. Estella was in no hurry to return to her original dig site, not when Jessie was in the fragile state she was in and Jezebel Jade was still as loose as a cannon. It wouldn't have been right.

For half a second Estella thought of ignoring it, but the moment Race's own cell phone began to ring she knew something was wrong. As one the pair answered their respective phones, neither one hearing anymore than 'Jessie is at the hospital'.

Rockport General Hospital

Race was the first one through the emergency room doors, Estella no more than a foot behind him. Both wore frazzled looks on their faces as their eyes sought out a familiar figure or two. Glancing up from his seat Benton stood and motioned for the pair to come his way. The fact that his own face was somber was all Race or Estella could see; neither one took in that Benton did not seem overly upset.

"Where is she?" demanded Race as his arm went out to cup Estella's elbow. He knew her all too well, and if Benton didn't give an answer shortly the white haired man knew his ex-wife would be lunging herself at the esteemed scientist. Estella had always let her emotions get the best of her in the past, and when it came to their only child Race was fairly certain she would be worse off than ever.

Sensing this Benton began to move down the hallway of the hospital, Race and Estella not far behind him. They approached a door just as an orderly came rushing out, his face a pained expression. "Mr. Quest, I know she isn't your daughter, but couldn't you please ask her to stop talking murder like its second nature. She's starting to give people the idea that the cops ought to be called in."

"Don't worry about it, James. The CIA is on their way."

That seemed to make James' face pale even more and the man quickly brushed past the trio in an effort to escape what was likely madness. Benton chuckled and stepped aside as a quizzical looking Estella moved towards the door. Upon opening it she and Race were greeted by a rare sight. Jessie was seated cross legged on a bed with a bright grin on her face as she proudly extended her injured hand from the previous night, now sporting three stitches.

"Jessica?"

Jessie glanced up at the sound of her mother's voice, a sheepish look appearing on her face. She had heard from Dr. Quest that her parents hadn't allowed him time to explain just what had happened – apparently they had hung up on both him and the doctor calling to inform Race and Estella that Jessie had been involved in a fight and had been forced to the hospital when it seemed her injured hand wouldn't stop bleeding.

"Uh … you were right, I needed the stitches after all."

"What the Sam hell is going on here?" demanded Race, his face a twisted look of fury as he pushed further into the room. His eyes swept about and took in the fact that Hadji had his arm in a sling, Jonny seemed a little worse for wear, and Samantha had torn clothing.

"Jade." Jessie's simple answer did little to relieve Race.

"Oh, is that all?"

Jonny winced. He could tell by the look on Jessie's face that she was ready to battle most anyone this evening despite all that had happened – even her own father. "Jess." Turning to Race Jonny cleared his throat. "Funny thing about your ex, Race … she's insane. She came at us with a group of men, brought out a gun, shot Hadji and almost shot Jessie."

"And where is she now?"

At this Jessie's face clouded over. "Gone – again. Damn bitch thought she had me but I managed to the hit the gun out of my direction again – it went wild and Jade took off. By then we could hear the police coming. Someone seriously needs to tell them that shouting into their walkie talkies is a dead giveaway that they're coming – I almost had her!"

Almost immediately Estella began to curse in Spanish, her wrath turning on her ex-husband as he too began to shout, though in English and at his reckless daughter. This was more than enough to convince the rest of the room's occupants that it was time to leave. Jonny slipped out after Samantha, his eyes raking over Jessie one last time before the door shut behind him. Ahead of him Hadji and Benton seemed to be deep in conversation as they walked down the hallway, possibly in an effort to distance themselves from the war zone when doctors started calling for help again after hearing Race, Estella and Jessie go at one another.

"Ahem."

His eyes must have closed for a moment for Jonny found himself opening them to see Samantha standing in front of him, an odd look on her face. "Sam – "

The blonde girl shook her head. "Don't apologize, Jonny. It wasn't your fault the date sucked. I shouldn't have been there anyway. I know you wanted to cheer Hadji up … and I'm sorry."

Jonny blinked in surprise. Had he heard her correctly? "You're sorry?" he asked.

Samantha nodded. "Yeah. Jonny … you and I … we have nothing in common. The only reason I dated you was because I thought there was something incredibly special about you … and there is, but not my kind of special. I knew it after the first date, but I couldn't just give up so easily. Jessie would have won that way. I know you probably don't want to hear this, but you and her have this connection unlike any other. Everyone can see it at school – that's why there were all those rumors about the two of you. I guess I was just … jealous; not of her being with you, or being hinted at being with you, but because you guys had something that the rest of us aren't going to have for a long time."

"I …"

"I know. You don't get what I'm saying. It's perfectly understandable. You're a guy, though I don't think Jessie knows what you guys have either. I shouldn't have let my annoyance with her take over all my thoughts. It was a bad lapse of judgment on my part … and tonight … tonight was a huge wake up call for me. This isn't my world – this is yours, and hers, and your families. Not many people can fit into this world, and I really don't envy them seeing as how you have crazy people attacking you when you least expect it." Samantha sighed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's over, Jonny. It was over from the start, and I think you knew that just like I did."

Jonny sighed as well. "I did."

Nodding Samantha turned to go. "Brad's waiting outside. I gave him a call to pick me up, but Jonny, take care of yourself – and Jessie. As much as I dislike her, I'd hate to not graduate with her this year."

Without a word Jonny nodded in understanding, his eyes following Samantha as she walked away. For the first time in a long time everything seemed clear to him – and all because the last person he had expected had pointed it out to him.

Later That Evening

Corbin sighed as he sank down into the chair beside Anaya's bed. It had taken hours to clear up the mess at the hospital. Race had been hard to calm upon learning Jade had pulled a gun on his daughter and Jonny. Corbin wasn't surprise in the least. Everything had been escalating in the last few weeks – Anaya was proof enough of that.

And it all mattered very little.

Jade was gone yet again, possibly off licking her wounds and waiting for another chance to attack the teens when the least expected it. Corbin had promised to assign a few agents to watch over Jonny and Jessie more than usual for their own safety. It was the least he could do, though he had no idea what else he could try. Preventing Jade from showing up again was like trying to prevent a hurricane from hitting an island directly in its path. It couldn't be done, at least not as far as Corbin knew.

Running a hand over his face Corbin leaned forward, his hands clasped together as he studied the injured woman in front of him. Hadji had been injured this evening as well, worse than either Jessie or Jonny, though he was bearing it better than the other two.

Yes, things were escalating for the worse. Corbin was afraid that the only way it would end would be in death.

His eyes closed for a moment, fluttering open at the sound of Anaya mumbling in her sleep. Holding his breath Corbin half stood and leaned towards the bed, his ear bent towards Anaya as she mumbled yet again.

What Corbin heard was a name.

--

A/N – it's amazing what countless hours of Spanish soap operas will do for a muse. This was supposed to have been put up directly after Thanksgiving, but silly me caught the flu and ended up dead to the world for a week straight, and now finals have appeared … but no worries, it's four in the morning, and this is the finished product. The next reply will be up upon my settling in at home for Christmas break.