Description: As long as he remembered the promise he had made to her, everything would be fine...right?
AN: This takes place during Eternal Eclipse Part 1.
"And the Keeper is..." Razzle the small dinosaur paused for dramatic effect as the Keeper's chair spun round at high speed, eventually stopping to show a pink icon with the Air symbol on its back. "...Air!"
Jessica walked slowly to the chair, despite the urgency of the mission, and sat down. This mission was their most important yet, and she didn't want to let her friends down. At the same time, however, she couldn't help feeling worried. It was a given that this mission, being so important, would also be highly dangerous.
"We need to gate into the Lair of Despair itself, and face Obscurio head on!" Toby yelled with determination. Nick and Lucas nodded in agreement, both of them looking equally determined.
"That's not possible!" Jessica said, sounding alarmed. "I-I can't gate you guys there directly, can I?" Of course, none of them were worried- putting their lives at constant risk had become the norm for them.
As they began to discuss where exactly to gate in, Jessica began thinking about the mission and what it entailed. Once they were inside the Lair, she would lose all contact with them. There would be no way to know if they were- no, don't think like that! Her mind screamed at her. They're going to be fine. They're going to be fine. She repeated the words over and over again until they became a mantra, not realising she was also saying them aloud too. "They're going to be fine, they're going to be fine..."
"Jessica?" She looked up slowly, only to see her friends staring at her with concern written all over their faces. They had all spoken in unison, but it was impossible for her to tell who looked the most worried. As she gazed at them, it suddenly became too much for her and she broke down, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She turned away from them, trying unsuccessfully to hide the fact that she was crying.
The boys all looked at each other. The mission was important but making sure their friend was okay was also important, and it was obvious from the way she was acting that she wasn't. "Um, Nick?" Lucas asked in a hopeful undertone. "You don't, by any chance, happen to own a book that tells us how to deal with crying girls, do you?"
Nick shook his head. "No, I've never had a need for such a book and I doubt one even exists- we'd have heard about it by now. What do you reckon, Toby?" He glanced sideways at his brother, who was silent. "Er, earth to Toby?"
The blond was staring at Jessica in a helpless sort of way. He had always hated it whenever she got upset (which was rare) because he never knew what to do or say in those situations. "You two go on," he said to Nick and Lucas who gave him startled looks. "I'll talk to her."
As they made their way to the Gorm Gate, Lucas muttered, "Do you think he'll be able to find out what's wrong with her?"
Nick shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don't know, but if any one of us could – it's Toby." It was the truth; as long as they had all been friends, Jessica and Toby had always been closer to each other than to the group as a whole – as though they shared a bond meant only for them. Thinking no more of it, Nick and Lucas leapt through the Gorm Gate.
Toby glanced back briefly before making his way toward Jessica who was sobbing hopelessly. Razzle saw him approaching and scampered away, muttering something about leaving them alone.
Jessica sniffled, feeling stupid for falling apart in front of everyone. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. She turned around and, when she saw Toby, laughed weakly and attempted to smile. "H-Hadn't you better get going, too?" She asked in a small voice when she saw they were alone.
"Not until you tell me what's wrong – and don't say nothing because I know you don't cry unless there's a really good reason." Without warning, Jessica found herself being lifted out of the Keeper's chair and into Toby's arms. The next thing she knew, he was holding her tightly whilst rocking her gently. "Come on, Jess," he urged. "What's bothering you?"
She buried her head in his shoulder, her sobs having somewhat subsiding and whimpered, "I'm s-so s-scared! It's s-stupid but I can't help it!" She flung her arms around him and hugged him back, just a little too tightly.
Toby smiled and said, "You're going to choke me to death, here!" Jessica gasped and loosened her grip, apologising repeatedly but he waved her off. "It's fine – I just want to know what, or who, you're afraid of."
Jessica sighed. Of course he wouldn't just abandon her when she was like this – there would be no convincing him that she was fine. He wasn't going to leave until she had told him exactly what the problem was. "I don't want to lose y – any of you! This mission is so dangerous and you could all die a-and I'd never know!" She suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with tears. "What would I do if I lost any of you? If I lost...you?"
"You won't lose any of us, Jess! I guarantee it!" Toby said confidently in an attempt to reassure her. "Why are you so worried about me, though? It isn't like you to worry about just one of us – not that I'm saying you're not worried about the others but it's as though you're more worried about me!"
She looked up at him, a strange expression on her face. "That's just it, Toby – I am more worried about you. I worry about you all the time and I don't know why. I mean, we're friends, but it's like there's something else..."
"Like what?" Toby asked, looking and sounding intrigued. Even though he and Jessica had been best friends for years, and he was pretty sure he knew her better than anyone else, it was hard to get her to open up.
"I'll tell you what, kid." Toby and Jessica turned their heads to see Razzle perched on the monitor. "She's got a thing for you... she likes you... she has a crush on you." Upon seeing their blank expressions at his suggestions, the little dinosaur practically screamed, "Kid, she's fallen in love with you!"
Toby looked down at Jessica who seemed to be having an intense staring contest with the floor. "Is it true, Jess?" He asked, sounding curious but not angry. "Do you really love me?" When she nodded, he asked, "How long have you known?"
"S-Since the dome." She replied hesitantly. "At least that's when I knew I loved you – I think I fell in love with you long before then." Suddenly she gasped. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this; you're probably not interested." She laughed nervously. "I mean w-why would you be interested in me?"
Toby put on a mock thoughtful expression. "Hmm, I wonder. Maybe because you're smart, kind, funny, brave and clever – not to mention you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Jessica ducked her head shyly, secretly liking the fact that he had just complimented her by calling her beautiful. "But you're right – why would I possibly be interested in you?" He added sarcastically. "Why do you think I'm here, Jess?"
She looked at him, a slight frown on her face. "Because we're friends, and you hate seeing me cry, right?" To her surprise, he shook his head, a sad smile on his face.
"Well, I guess that was partly true but the reason I stayed behind was because I care about you." She gave him a startled look. "Yeah, it's true – I love you, and I think I figured it out at the same time as you as well. I've probably loved you for longer but I just hadn't realised it."
Once again, Toby found himself being hugged tightly but this time it was more comfortable as Jessica didn't have such a tight grip on him. He hugged her back, silently laughing at her failed attempts to get closer to him so she could kiss him. He had a good reason for holding back, though, but that would have to wait for another time...
"I'm going to promise you something, Jess." He said, gently rubbing her back. "I promise I'll come back to you and I'll never leave you again – no matter what it takes, I'll always be there to love you, okay?"
She nodded as they stood up and Toby lowered his head so he could kiss her cheek. Almost reluctantly, they moved apart, Jessica walking back towards the Keeper's chair and Toby jumping through the Gorm Gate to join Nick and Lucas.
As she watched him leave, Jessica's hand unconsciously drifted to her cheek. She could still feel the sensation of his lips against it, hear his confession and see the look of pure love in his eyes. A wide smile on her face, she started to manipulate the crystals so she could contact her friends, all the time thinking:
You'd better remember that promise, Toby Tripp...
AN: Well, I hope you enjoyed this. I can tell you guys that the Jessica/Toby (T) chapter will be a direct sequel to this one. Thanks for reading!