Title: Red Headed Goddess, 6/?
Author: Goddess Evie
Date: July 5, 2007
Category: JJHR, Angst
Summary: Jonny and Jessie make up.
Disclaimer: I do not own JQ. I am only using the characters for my own unique story. I am using lyrics for the song "Disappear" by "Hoobastank." I do not own it, either.
Author's Notes: Another uneventful chapter. This story really just needed some light fun before we delve into the serious, dark stuff. Hope this is enough to tide you over until the next chapter comes out! I have to say, though, it was way fun writing the three teens hanging out together! I liked giving Hadji a little bit of humor!
Review Replies:
Sweetluck- Thanks for the wonderful review. I know I'm probably not turning this out as quickly as you'd like, but I hope this small offering will appease you and convince you to leave me another review to motivate me to write more! I'm really enjoying the way I'm portraying the characters. Usually I lay the romance on thick, but I think I like it better this way. And I am honored you think I am keeping the characters close to the original. That is my goal with every fandom I write for!
Danya- Where I'm going to take this? Well, not to ruin any surprises, but after this chapter it's going to start getting darker. I won't say how, I'll just give you the warning. Heheh. I really haven't been leaving any clues as to who the stalker is. He's an OOC villain dude. Next chapter will have a small clue, but not enough to allow anyone to point any fingers. It's really been interesting writing a fanfic in which the villain has yet to show up. But it won't be long now. Dang it, I'm giving away too much!
Laura- Old news or not, I still LOVE this show and it's still my favorite to write fanfiction for! You can probably tell by how many of my stories are JQ based. If it's sad that you're still obsessed with it, then hand me a tissue, cause I'm still obsessed, too! And I'm so honored that you think my humble little JQ story is worth reading! I would agree at least compared to most of the other JQ fics I've submitted to this site. Heheh, like I told Sweetluck, I usually lay on the J/J Romance pretty thick, and they're admitting their feelings for each other halfway through the fic. This time, I'm having fun hinting at it without it being the center of the whole story. I'm trying not to forget about this story, but I have others that need working on as well, including a separate JQ story altogether that is already humongous! (I'm currently working on chapter 13 and the chapters tend to be around 10 pages each in Microsft Word. But it's far from ready to be posted!) I'll do my best in finishing this story, though!
Chapter 6: Do you know that every time you're near, everybody else seems far away?
Jessie left the lab silently, slipping away while the three men worked at the little evidence they had. Evidence that was no closer to identifying who her stalker was than when he had been discovered three days ago. It was really quite scary how careful this guy was being. Did it mean he had some kind of training? Government, maybe? It was a scary idea and one Jessie would have to bring up to her dad, but some other time.
Right now she needed to go find Jonny and fix things with him. Hadji was always so subtle in the way he got her to see how tunnel-visioned she was being. She never ever saw it coming. Mostly because she was so tunnel-visioned and too focused on her anger to see him wheedling his logic and sense into her.
Arriving back at the house, she decided to do her own search for Jonny before turning to IRIS. Luckily, she didn't have to search long. As she was passing the kitchen she saw him sitting on a barstool alone eating half a sandwich. She paused for a moment to watch him, noticing the dullness in his usually bright blue eyes and how he seemed more tired than usual. They were all that, but with Jonny it went past bloodshot eyes and dark circles. It was like he was too tired even to smile.
Jessie forced herself to enter the kitchen, offering a "Hey," to Jonny. He looked over his shoulder, noticing her light, friendly tone. "Hey," he replied back, eyeing her.
She tried to act natural. She couldn't remember the last time she had tried to eat, so went about making toast. It was quick and easy and hopefully something she could stomach. It also gave her time to think about what she should say since she hadn't yet put thought to it.
She turned to face him as she waited for the toaster to pop. He had turned on his stool 90 degrees so he could keep an eye on her. He continued to eat his sandwich, waiting for her to make the first move. They watched each other unsurely for a while in silence.
This is stupid. Just say something, Jessie scolded herself.
"I'm sorry," she was finally able to say. "I overreacted last night."
He didn't respond at first, shoving the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. Jessie knew he was only taking time to consider his response and make sure she was done speaking.
"Jessie," he said once he had swallowed, "you know I only protected you because I care so much about you and can't stand to see you hurt. You're part of the family." He added that last part because it was sounding too much like the love confession he wasn't ready to make. "You know that I know that you can take care of yourself. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to ignore your safety and expect you to do it alone."
She nodded at him, saying nothing.
"And it's what I'd expect you to do for me."
Her toast popped at that moment, interrupting them. Jessie moved quickly to spread butter on it before it cooled. She brought it over to sit next to Jonny, taking the stool adjacent to his.
"I know," she said, nibbling at a piece. "I just, I don't want you getting hurt trying to protect me."
She looked into his impossibly blue eyes to add emphasis to her statement. He smiled at her, the energy returning to him. She found she could breathe easier to see the smile back on his face.
"Hey, let's make a deal. I promise not to get hurt if you do."
Jessie laughed at that and nodded, taking a bite of buttery toast. Jonny reached out and rested an arm on her shoulder, raising one blonde eyebrow. "Friends?"
"Best," she replied, grinning to match his.
He pulled her into a hug and she wrapped her arms around him, glad the fight was over.
JQ
That night found Jessie sandwiched between her two best friends on a couch in front of a big screen TV. Loaded down with popcorn, sodas and the rest of Hadji's rented movies, the three teens were ready for a film fest. And since no one at the compound was getting any sleep anyway, there was no reason not to stay up.
Detective Dougan had left a few hours ago and their dads were still out in the lab trying to find anything new that would get them one step closer to figuring out the identity of Jessie's photographer stalker. But she wasn't going to think about that tonight. She was going to allow Hadji, Jonny and a few movies distract her for the night.
With all three of them together, they had a hard time paying attention to the movies. Race or Benton would walk by every once in a while, taking a break from their work and checking on their kids. Most of the time they had coffee cups in their hands, usually steaming on the second pass.
Jonny started a popcorn fight during the second movie when he non-chalantly threw a handful at Jessie. He kept eating the next handful he grabbed like he hadn't done anything, but the wicked smile he wore identified him as the culprit. Within moments the air was filled with flying kernels. Hadji upped the ante when he walloped Jonny in the back of the head with a pillow. After that it was full blown war.
Benton and Race's combined voices halted the three teens where they were sprawled on the floor covered in popcorn and still trying to hurl pillows at each other while simultaneously wrestling. Still, as they relaxed and looked at their parents, they couldn't get rid of the identical grins they all wore.
Jessie found she was lying with her head on Hadji's stomach, the pillow she'd been beating Jonny with still clutched in her fist. Jonny was lying across her legs, effectively trapping her to the floor, and Hadji had Jonny in a headlock. They all breathed heavily as they looked up at their fathers with red faces and laughter in their eyes.
"I find anything broken in the morning and all three of you are grounded," Benton threatened, but the teens on the floor could hear the amusement in his voice.
"And you guys are cleaning up this mess tomorrow," Race added, shaking his head to hide his own smile.
Hadji, Jonny and Jessie managed to disentangle themselves and make it back to the couch. The movie, forgotten, was still playing, and as they adjusted and got comfortable again Jonny asked if anyone had seen what had happened during their battle. Jessie suggested rewinding but Hadji assured them that he could fill them in on everything that had happened and proceeded to make up an outlandish storyline to fill in the unseen gap.
"No," Jessie objected, "You see, this is what happened." And she launched into her own version, trying to outdo Hadji's plot line in absurdness and oddities. When she was finished, Jonny was shaking his head. "You're BOTH wrong," he assured them, before telling them the craziest story that included anything and everything supernatural he could think of, often borrowing and mixing some of their adventures into his tale. By the time he was done all three were laughing so hard that Jonny could hardly find breath to finish his story.
The night continued in much the same fashion. Watching movies only in the sense of sitting on a couch with popcorn and drinks in front of a TV where a movie was playing. How much of their attention was actually paid to the film was questionable. They spent more time laughing at each other than any comedic exploit on the big screen.
By the end of the last movie, and none of them even wanted to know what time it was, they were all tired and discussing turning off the TV and heading off to bed. But none of them moved, sprawled all over each other and already falling asleep. That was how Benton and Race found them, when they finally came in from the lighthouse to retire for the night.
Silently they moved to spread blankets over the three and work in a couple of pillows. Benton turned off the TV and DVD player, trying not to grind popcorn kernels into the carpet any more than the three teens already had. Race gently kissed Jessie's forehead and smoothed her hair before he followed Benton out of the room, softly ordering Iris to extinguish all lights.
JQ
Amazingly, Jonny was the first to awaken the next morning. He blinked at the sunlight streaming into the room through the bulletproof picture windows flanking the large TV. The clock on the DVD player (the Quest's had to be the only family in the world who actually knew how to set those) said it was after 10: 30 but not quite 11. Habitually his hands moved to rub at his tired baby blues, but only one was willing-or perhaps able-to move. Rubbing with his one free hand, and running it through his bed head, he looked to his right and smiled.
Jessie still slept, leaning against his arm and effectively trapping it. On the other side of her, Hadji was peacefully resting, as well, his feet and legs cradled in Jessie's lap, head pillowed on the arm of the couch. The blankets draped across all three had to have been the work of their fathers, because Jonny didn't remember any of them getting them.
As rarely as it happened, Jonny loved waking up next to Jessie. Especially if he managed to wake up first. Watching her sleep was such a treat for him. More desirable to him than having the high score in Quest World, learning a new judo move from Race, or getting to try out his father's latest gadget. He yearned to caress the stray locks of hair falling over her cheek, smiled gently at her ruddy lashes against her pale skin, and relished in her warm weight against his side. For a brief moment he very lightly rested his own blonde head on hers, his eyes closed.
However, Jonny also realized the predicament he was in. He was unwilling to wake Jessie prematurely, which he'd have to do in order to get off the couch. He was awake for the day, so falling asleep again until his two friends woke was not an option. His stomach rumbled hungrily, letting him know that the popcorn and sodas from last night had long run out and it wanted breakfast. And the position that had been oh so comfortable the night before now left him cramped and needing to stretch like he was at the end of a long flight, private Quest jet, or no. Feeling more trapped than he ever had in his life, Jonny looked at his brother and his best friend now with a little glare.
Jonny sighed. He had no choice but to resign himself to his fate. Until at least Jessie woke, he wasn't going anywhere. He rested his head on the back of the couch, wondering how long he was stuck. He closed his eyes and wished fervently for many long minutes that he could indeed just fall back asleep. Jessie stirred, but Jonny ignored her, figuring she was just trying to find a more comfortable situation to continue sleeping in. When she moved again, he lifted his head a little and opened an eye to peek at her.
Her jungle green eyes were blinking up at him as she went through the same morning routine he just had: rubbing eyes, pushing away unruly hair. She had the glory of stretching, and she pulled one arm from her blanket to do so, quickly tucking it back in when she was done. Jonny had lifted his head and opened both eyes to watch her with a smile as she looked at Hadji and laughed to herself at his feet in her lap. Then she turned that smile onto Jonny.
I hope you never have a reason not to smile like that everyday, he silently thought to her.
"Morning," she mumbled.
"Sleep well?" Jonny asked her with a grin.
"Mmmm," she nodded, snuggling against him.
Jonny certainly didn't complain. "We haven't fallen asleep during a movie like this since Hadji was fourteen."
"Well, technically, we fell asleep after the movie," Jessie corrected.
Jonny rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You know what I mean."
Jessie nodded, her giggling fading into a comfortable silence between the two. They sat for a few moments, both of them watching Hadji continue to sleep like a baby. Curled up on his side with a blanket tucked up to his chin, with his turban now off kilter from his slumber, he really did look like a baby.
"So, what do you want to do today?" Jonny suddenly asked.
Jessie looked back up at him with a grin. It was a tradition they held from their first fight that after they made up, they'd spend a day together. Sometimes Hadji came along, but usually they just kept it between themselves. Jonny watched her debate their possibilities in her mind.
"I don't know," she finally responded with a little frown before her face fell completely. "Besides, dad probably won't even let me leave this house."
The unspoken "not until" descended heavily between them. Jonny silently pleaded to go back to the smile she'd graced him with when she'd first awaken.
"Hey, don't be so sure. We've never missed a make-up date, yet. I'm not about to let that happen, now," Jonny told her determinedly. "So, you keep thinking about what you want to do."
Jessie threw an arm around his waist, hugging Jonny, and he managed to free the arm she had trapped beneath her and wrap it around her shoulders. I'll take care of you, he promised her softly. No matter how mad at me you get, I'll always take care of you.
JQ
An hour later, all three teens were awake and had eaten, showered and dressed in varying orders. Jessie could hear Hadji in the bathroom still as she jogged downstairs. Although the threat of her stalker still loomed over her like an overcast sky, Jessie felt good this morning. Better than she had since the day she had walked into the room to see thousands of pictures of herself staring back at her. Perhaps it was because of the carefree night she'd spent with her best friends and the nostalgia of waking up with them in a tangle on a couch that was now just a little on the too small side for them to be doing that. Or maybe it had to do with making up with Jonny after their fight.
Jessie slowed when she heard voices coming from the kitchen. She wasn't sure why, but she felt the need to not intrude on the conversation.
"I promise we'll be really careful."
That was Jonny.
"I'm not worried about that, Jonny," her father's voice responded lightly, assuringly. "I just don't like the idea of Jess, or any of you, being off the compound grounds when we have no idea who the guy even is."
"I wouldn't even ask if you weren't going into town, too," Jonny wheedled.
"Yes, you would," Race laughed.
Jessie smiled, too.
"Fine, but you know Jess doesn't take kindly to being caged," Jonny reminded. "She fares much better in any situation if she doesn't feel like she's being locked up and protected."
Maybe you did learn something from our fight, Jessie thought to herself from around the corner.
She heard her father's sigh and his reply. "Jessie isn't the only one I'm worried about."
"Hey, if I see any more flashes from bushes, I promise to tackle them, whether they be more reporters, kids playing a prank, or the guy himself. Even if it does mean incurring Jess' wrath again."
Jessie laughed to herself along with Jonny's chuckling at his own statement. As Race sarcastically replied, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear," Jessie could hear mirth in her father's voice at Jonny's statement, as well.
There was a silence, then, and Jessie knew this was the pivotal point. She could picture the look on her dad's face as he debated the issue, deeply turning the pros and cons in his mind. Jonny was experienced enough to keep his mouth shut. The moments she waited for his final verdict felt like an eternity, but finally her father exhaled loudly and acquiesced, "Alright, you two can go. But only when I do and you come back home when I do."
Jessie took a moment to silently triumph to herself before bounding into the kitchen, hoping she looked like she hadn't been standing there for the last five minutes, as Jonny excitedly thanked Race and assured him they'd abide by his rules. Father and daughter shared a smile as Jessie grabbed a piece of fruit from the basket on the counter and Jonny turned to her with a grin that, had she not just been eavesdropping on his conversation with her father, would have told her he'd gotten permission.
"So, did you make up your mind?" Jonny asked her.
"Yeah, I just want to do something simple, like…a walk in the park. You know the completely natural one on the south side of town without any sports courts or playgrounds?" Jessie answered.
Jonny nodded. "Sounds good to me." He turned to look at Race, "So when are you going?"
"Soon," Race looked at his watch, "like in the next ten minutes."