Jessa had collapsed in an unknown part of the Terrible Tunnel, unknown even to her, and sobbed. She dwelled on everything in her life. Her pain went beyond just breaking Boober's trust and keeping her shazzle genes a secret. Jessa was surprised that she even had the energy to cry considering how weak she had become. Her legs were incredibly sore from walking so much and all the weight she gained in Fraggle Rock had since disappeared, resulting in her becoming frail and bony again. She didn't bother seeking nourishment anywhere because, in her mind, she didn't deserve any food. She didn't deserve breaks, water, or any type of luxury.
Life had never been kind to Jessa. From the moment she was born, the other shazzles gave her grief for being half fraggle. That grief continued until she left, but living in the Terrible Tunnel didn't improve things. It only allowed Jessa to give in to her inner demons and become a drunk. Fraggle Rock was the only place in the world she was truly happy.
Thinking about Boober again, Jessa cried before screaming in anguish, her emotions causing the stone ground around her to melt into a large lava lake. It bubbled in fury while it grew in size. Jessa let it spread 10 feet from her before making it stop. If anyone bothered to track Jessa down, they couldn't cross her lava lake. They couldn't get close to her. From anaerial surveillance point of view, it looked like a target. So much hot lava around and right in the center of it all was Jessa sitting on solid ground.
Why did she agree to accompany the fraggles in the first place the day she met them? Why didn't she just ignore them and go on about her day? Not that it would change anything, but she certainly wouldn't be feeling like she hit rock bottom. Now Boober was understandably angry at her for not telling him the truth. But time would go on. Boober would get over her and find someone else. Someone who wasn't a lying brute like her. Meanwhile, Jessa would die forgotten in the middle of her self-made lava lake. This hurt her deeply as she loved Boober.
"I messed up," she admitted out loud, not caring if anyone heard. "My whole life is a circus."
She got so angry at herself that her talons appeared. Had she not been in love with Boober, a second Bloodlust would have happened. Love was the only thing preventing it.
Jessa lay down on her back, staring aimlessly up at the cave ceiling and waiting for death to come and claim her soul. If she couldn't be happy or have any peace in this life, then perhaps death was a far better option.
"Boober, are you serious?!" Gobo asked him.
"Have I ever been the type to kid, Gobo?"
"No, but, you're talking about doing something far out of your comfort zone."
Boober had come to a decision days after his talk with Mokey: he was going to find Jessa and convince her to come back. He had told his friends his plan and they were shocked.
"I know, but I… I have to find her. It's killing me knowing she isn't here anymore."
"But we don't know where Jessa ran off to. How would you know where to find her?"
"Knowing what Jessa is capable of, that shouldn't be too hard," Red added.
"You don't think she ran off to the Terrible Tunnel, did she?" Wembley wondered out loud.
Immediately after saying it, everyone got quiet and put 2 and 2 together.
"Oh no," Boober said before crying a little.
Mokey comforted him in response.
"My girlfriend is in there," he cried while whining his tears away.
Alongside planning to retrieve her, Boober realized he still loved Jessa more than anything. He loved how sweet she could be and how she didn't judge him for his interests. He loved that she skipped the summer solstice after party to look after him. He got to know who she really was before knowing that she was half shazzle. What Jessa was didn't define her as a person, but her actions did, which have been nothing but selfless.
"If I don't go in there and bring Jessa back, who knows if she's still alive or not."
"Funny how the tables have turned," Gobo commented. "Because I remember he once made a vow to never go in there."
"Love does make people do crazy things," Red replied.
"Boober, if you want to go find Jessa, then I support your choice," Mokey said to him.
"Really?" Boober asked in surprise.
"Me too," Wembley added.
Gobo rummaged around for his pickaxe while Red cracked her knuckles.
"As long as that boulder is still blocking the Terrible Tunnel, we'll have to mine through it."
"Gobo, that will take forever!" Boober whined.
"What other choice do we have?"
"If only Jessa left some kind of trail."
"Maybe she did," Mokey added, trying to be optimistic.
"Let's hope so," Red interjected.
The fraggles headed out to the boulder to start mining it. Luckily, the other fraggles were too busy lollygagging to notice them, which provided a bit of relief for Boober.
"Boober, I never thought that one day you would actually go in there," Wembley admitted to him.
"Under normal circumstances, I would stay as far away from the Terrible Tunnel as possible. But Jessa is in there somewhere. Hopefully still alive and not dead. I wish I had been more understanding of her problems."
"She wouldn't tell you what she was going through though. Or any of us."
"That's what I'm worried about. If she isn't willing to talk about it, then it's something catastrophic."
While this discussion was happening, Gobo glanced down at the picture Jessa left behind. The fact that she was his cousin was a lot to take in. What would Uncle Matt think if he already didn't know about Jessa? Gobo had also kept the other photo out of his uncle's journal. No matter how many times he looked at them, the fraggle was in fact, Jessa's late father.
"My cousin is in that cave," he thought out loud.
"You still have that picture?" Red asked him.
"Yeah," Gobo replied. "I never thought that I of all people would be related to a shazzle."
"I thought shazzles went extinct after the war 3 centuries ago."
"That's what we all thought. But Jessa said they went underground. Farther underground than us."
"I never thanked her for saving my life."
Gobo looked at Red, who had a look of guilt on her face.
"If Jessa does decide to come back, I'd like to learn more about my late aunt and late uncle."
"Speaking of, how do you think your uncle Matt will respond to Jessa?"
"I'm not sure, Red. But I won't tell him yet until Boober brings her back."
Gobo prepared to mine the boulder while everyone stood back, trying their best to avoid his pickaxe as he swung backward. But before he could even attempt to make a dent in the boulder, Mokey got everyone's attention.
"Hey, I found another entrance!"
Boober rushed over before anyone else did.
"She must have lava bent her way out of here."
Boober inspected the molten archway before replying.
"That's definitely Jessa's work," he confirmed.
Boober had analyzed her handprint long enough to know that it wasn't ordinary lava work.
"I guess we'll go in and find Jessa now," Wembley said.
"Wembley, I don't know how to tell you and everyone else this, but this needs to be a solo trip," Boober told him.
"What?" Wembley asked as Mokey gasped.
"I'd rather not risk the rest of you accompanying me. This is the Terrible Tunnel we're talking about. "
"Boober Fraggle," Red piped up. "You mean to tell us that we came all this way not to be invited to find Jessa?!"
"That's not what I meant, Red."
"What Boober is trying to say is that he needs to be alone on this journey," Mokey explained.
"And besides, Jessa may not open up if all five of us went. She needs somebody close to her to listen."
Boober entered the Terrible Tunnel, inhaling deeply and exhaling nervously. He hated this Tunnel with a passion, but his love was in there somewhere. His mate.
"I'm not sure when I'll come back if I ever do. But I want you guys to know that you are all great friends. Wembley, you're the best pal any Fraggle could ask for."
"Oh Boober," Wembley said before sharing a bro hug with him.
"Mokey, you're like a sister to me. And you're a good wing woman for helping me find the courage to ask Jessa out."
"Boober, it was my pleasure," Mokey replied sadly while they shared a hug.
"Red, you and I may not have much in common, but you're still someone I value."
Red had to look away so nobody would see her tear up, but Boober could tell it meant a lot to her. They hugged at last before he faced Gobo.
"Gobo, I promise to find your cousin and do what I can to bring her back."
"Thanks, Boober."
After getting these things off his chest, Boober went in and began his journey. He didn't get very far when he realized that he had no idea exactly where Jessa went.
"This is going to be harder than I thought," he admitted just as he spotted something on the ground in front of him.
Boober bent over to pick it up and he realized it was the Lucky Protection bracelet he gave Jessa weeks ago. But the crystals on it had absorbed her emotions and thoughts, so they turned completely different colors.
"Her bracelet."
Boober then made a silent wish while holding it close to his heart.
"I wish I could find Jessa," he prayed. "And I wish I knew whether or not she's still alive."
The bracelet ignited the same purple flames that Jessa radiated that day and flew outwards. This frightened Boober as he flinched and yelped, though the flames didn't burn him. In fact, they didn't feel hot at all. The flames then descended to the ground and created a trail. A trail that picked up Jessa's tracks. Boober took comfort in having the bracelet on hand, both from superstitious belief and that it had Jessa's scent on it. So off he went, following the purple flame trail. At least he had some sort of guidance. Had Jessa not taken it off, finding her would have been hopeless. While he followed the flames, Boober tried to think of the right words to say to Jessa. Something to bring his beloved back to Fraggle Rock.