Disclaimer: HB owns the JQ lot, not me.   I'm making no money off this,
so
don't sue me, unless you wanna waste a bit of time on lil' ol' me.
It's
created out of (a lot) of love and respect for the series.  All none JQ
characters are my own.  You're welcome to use any of them in fics, but
please ask.

Warning: None of my stuff is ever beta read, which makes for a
dangerous
world of plotholes and spelling mistakes.  I'm still British, so please
ignore Britisms.  Oh, and a couple of Race-isms spring up from time to
time.
  This part in particular gets pretty nasty.  (Compared to my other
stuff, I
mean.)

Archivers: Suze and Aspen are welcome to it, of course.  Everyone else
ask
and it's yours.

Categories: Angst, mature language (I'm swearing in this one), violence
(quite a bit), HR.

Summary: Non J-J heathens can bog off.  (Only kidding.)
***********************************************************************
Race looked around the apartment.  It wasn't exactely a time consuming
process.   He dropped the mass of suitcases he had been carrying and
considered their situation.  When they had followed Project Rachel to
Miami,
it was close to midnight, and despite being incredibly rich, there was
very
little in the way of half decent accomodation available without
reservations.  Race sighed as he took in the peeling wallpaper and
heavily
stained carpet.  After living with the Quests, his standards had risen,
to
say the least.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Hadji came in sheepishly, followed by Jonny, who was grinning from ear
to
ear.

Jonny was wearing trainers and a black leather jacket.

"Planning on going somewhere?  At this time?"  He looked at Jonny
questioningly.

"Erm..."  His smile suddenly disappeared.  "Me and Hadj and Jess
kinda...going places."  He felt a rising panic.  Despite Race's usual
acceptance that Jonny and Jessie were too much like siblings for
anything to
happen, he *had* seen them in a very compromising position a couple of
days
ago.

Hadji felt the tension building.

"Erm...excuse me from barging in here like this...but I have a question
to
ask you."

Race seemed to forget Jonny.

"Go ahead."

"Race, do you know anything about Ms. Taylor?"  Jonny stifled a giggle.

"Look, we barely know her.  That is why I am asking."  He said
haughtily.

Race himself was having trouble keeping a straight face when he saw
Hadji's
expression.

"Well, I didn't know her that well, but everything seems to be in the
right
place..."

At this Jonny laughed outright.  Hadji's face went taut as he forced
himself
not to blush.

"Race, I am not sure we can trust her."

"Just a sec...."  Race got the impression that Hadji was deadly
serious.  He
jabbed a thumb at Jonny, who was having difficulty staying upright.
"You
knew he'd do this, so why'd you bring numbnuts along?"

Hadji smiled.  "Success often depends more on energy and drive than it
does
on intelligence."

Jonny finally stopped giggling.  For a couple of seconds he worked
through
what Hadji had said.  "Hey, wait a sec...Was that an insult, you
lanky..."

"Hold it, you."  *Brotherly love.  There's nothing quite like it.*

"Right, Hadji, I do know enough about Taylor to say we can trust her on
this.  She'll see a job through to the end, often ignoring her
superiors to
get it done.  Her last job was to keep Benton safe, so I figure that's
what
she's trying to do."

Hadji nodded.  "Thank you, Race.  You have done a little to alleviate
my
fears."  He nodded and turned to leave.  Jonny did the same.

"Wait."  Jonny winced before turning to face him.  Hadji had already
gone.

"What is it, Race?"  He got the impression Race wasn't in the mood for
jokes.

"This time you had a damn good excuse."  He bent lower, so he was
looking
Jonny straight in the eyes.  His furious glare made a cold shiver run
down
Jonny's spine.  "But if you ever hurt my daughter again, I *will* kill
you."
  There was no trace of humour.

Jonny met the stare and returned it.  His face was fixed in exactely
the
same manner.   Sparks seemed to pass between them.  "I wouldn't have it
any
other way."  He left, leaving Race speechless.
***********************************************************************
Hadji had noticed Race stopping Jonny but had deliberately carried on.
Jonny's ego could match Race's anyday.  He was passing Jessie's door
when it
opened.

"Oh, hello Jessie."

"Hey Hadj!"  She said brightly.  "Have you seen Jon?  He's kinda late."

"I am far too tired.  And are you sure it's safe to leave the hotel?
Jonny
has said that the man he met in Palm Key knew him by his face, at
least."

Jessie shrugged.  "Guess we haven't thought this through."  She
considered
it for a moment.  "It's a shame, 'cause he seemed really excited about
getting outside.  So where is Hotshot?"

"Race wanted to talk to him."  He smiled.  "I have always
wondered...why
Hotshot?"

She grinned evilly.  "Heck, it's either that or dumbass."  Jonny jogged
up.

"Hey guys!"  He looked at them laughing for a moment; confused.

Jonny cocked his head to one side.  "Did I miss something?"
***********************************************************************
The lithe figure of Claire landed lightly on the concrete.  Her sleek
catsuit glistened with persperation.  Getting in here was tough enough,
but
getting out was going to be a doozy.

Putting her back to the building, she looked around at the white-washed
walls of the plaza before continuing, carefully picking out the cameras
despite the gloom.  She had almost no idea where Barone was, and she
could
feel the time slipping away every time her heart beated.  She glanced
at her
watch.  One hour 'till sunrise.  Not long enough.

Ah, well.  She knew the security better now.  Getting back in would be
a
cinch.

A light perpendicular from where she was standing flickered on.
Crouching,
she made her way around the courtyard's path.  The silhouette of two
figures, one shorter than the other, could be clearly seen.  They
appeared
to be looking into the courtyard.

For a moment Claire held her breath.  Could she have been spotted?  She
rolled her eyes into her head.  *Duh.*  The place would be swamped with
guards by now.

Forcing herself to stay calm, she edged closer to the window.  She had
a
choice:  see who these two were, or get out of the place. It would be
extremely difficult to get a decent view of them without them spotting
her.
Impossible, almost.  A wry grin formed under her latex balaclava.

She was right under the window now.  Staying crouched, and her back as
close
to the wall as possible, she pulled her belt round on her body.
Opening one
of the carryall cases, she took out a tiny no-flash camera.  She
gradually
lifted it up to the window, and clicked the shutter release repeatedly.
***********************************************************************
This caused another burst of laughter from Jess.  "You...moron..."
Hadji
grinned.

For another couple of seconds Jonny tried to work it out.  Shrugging,
he
gave up.  "So we going or what?"

Hadji pulled himself together.  "Jonny, I'm not sure it would be such a
good
idea for any of us to leave the hotel.  You yourself said that the man
you
met in Palm Key knew your name."

For a moment Jonny looked like he'd protest.  Then, looking at Jessie's
flaming red hair, and knowing his own blond mop was instantly
recogniseable,
he looked down at the floor.

Suddenly Jonny's head snapped up.  He grinned.  "Aw, heck, wasn't that
important anyway."

Jessie shrugged.  "Fine.  D'you fellers wanna go to the swimming pool
'round
the back?  I can't remember the last time us lot were in the water and
weren't being attacked by some killer fish thingy."

Hadji closed his eyes.  He could almost fall asleep standing up.
"Jessie, I
know that I did not get very much sleep on the plane over here.  Aren't
you
two tired?"

They both looked at him as if he were crazy.

"Huh?"

Hadji shook his mind.  "Never mind.  See you both in the morning."  He
shambled off.

Jonny turned to Jess.  "Guess it's just you and me then."

"Guess so."  She tried not to grin.
***********************************************************************
Claire removed her mask as she slid through the lower story window.
No-one
would be awake at this time, for sure.  She silentely made her way up
the
stairs.  Not far now...

She walked into Jonny's back.

"Hm?  Oh, hello, Claire."

"Um...hello, Jonny."

Jessie, Jonny and Claire watched each other warily for a couple of
seconds.
"Kinda late to be up and about, isn't it, kids?"

Jessie's eyebrow raised.  Her voice was calm.  "Yes it is, Taylor.
What you
been up to?"

Jonny was suddenly behind her, Jessie blocking her path forward.

"Claire?  Where you been?"  Jonny didn't bother trying to keep the
accusatory edge out of his voice.

Without warning, Claire lashed out, catching Jessie across the jaw.
She
wheezed as powerful arms locked around her waist, winding her.  For a
second, she writhed in Jonny's grip, arms swinging wildly.

"I'm warning you...let go of me!"

She brought her elbow into Jonny's cheekbone.  He grunted but
maintained his
grip.  Jessie took a step forward, spinning round and swinging her leg
at
Claire's head.   Claire used all her weight in falling forward, pulling
Jonny straight into Jessie's foot.  The shot landed squarely on his
temple.

Taylor  landed on all fours, before suddenly straightening and jabbing
her
fist into Jessie's stomach.  She doubled over, Taylor wrapping her arm
around the back of Jessie's neck and pulling her face onto her rising
knee.
She repeated the action, bringing her knee into Jessie's face again and
again.
***********************************************************************
Jonny landed heavily on his back.  He used the momentum, placing his
hands
on the floor next to his head and tightening the muscles in his back
and
shoulders, bringing his knees close to his head.  Using the built up
tension, he pushed with his arms and body, snapping  back into a
standing
position.  With a sickening thud, Claire brought her knee into Jessie's
face
a fourth time.  With a snarl, Jonny wrapped his arms around Claire
again,
one around her waist, the other around her throat.  He lifted her
bodily off
the floor, making her loosen her hold on Jessie.  Claire choked and
gasped;
lashing out with her legs.  Jonny tightened his grip.

Jessie stood up, dazed.  She felt her upper lip gingerly with her hand.
With some slight horror, she realized blood was pouring from her nose.
She
looked up at Jon.  Claire had gone limp; she had stopped thrashing a
couple
of minutes ago.  Jessie staggered for a few moments before gathering
her
wits.

"Jonny, put her down."  She had seen that expression before.

For a moment Jonny hesitated.  Then, to Jessie's relief, he dropped
Claire.
She landed in a heap at his feet.

He looked over at her.  "Jesus, Jess!"  He stepped on Claire in his
hurry.
He took her chin in his hand, craning her head back and bringing her
nose to
the light.

She swatted at his hand.  "Wake dad.  I'll be fine."  Blood continued
to
drip, staining the carpet.  It was running freely down her chin.  She
suddenly felt very light headed.

"Right."  Jonny nodded once and went for Race's room while Jessie made
her
way to the bathroom.
***********************************************************************
Claire woke slowly.  There was a dull ache in her head.  She felt cramp
in
her back and her wrists stung; she had been tied to a chair.  She
opened her
eyes, an action she instantly regretted.  The trio standing there did
*not*
look happy.

Race slapped her across the face.  Hard.

"Bitch!"

Claire closed her eyes.  She knew where this was going.

"Damn whore!"  Jonny wasn't in a much better mood.  He took a step
forward,
his intent obvious.  Hadji held him back.

They traded looks.  Hadji's face was set.  Looking back at Claire,
Jonny
felt anger rising again.  It was all he could do to keep himself from
shoving Hadji away and attack Claire himself.

Race slapped the woman again.  Then he punched her.  First with his
right,
then his left.  It became a mantra.  He hit her again, splitting her
lip.
He was working into a well practiced rhythmn.  Jonny felt his resolve
weakening, this was going too far.

"Hey, Race..."

He jumped as the door opened.  Jessie walked in, holding tissues and an
icepack over her nose.

"Jesus!"  Jessie dropped the stuff and clung to her father's arm and
tried
to pull him off.  "Jonny, Hadji for God's sake, stop him!"

Jonny motioned to his brother,  who nodded.  They grabbed Race and
pulled
him off.

"Dad, please!"

"I trusted you!"  For a moment he looked as if he were about to renew
the
attack.

Jessie got in front of him, placing her hand on his chest.  She stared
into
her father's eyes.

"Please, dad, I'm fine, she can't do anymore..."  She was terrified
that he
would kill Claire.

"Ah, Hell."  He spun angrily and began to pace the room.

"Get her up."  It was an order.  Jonny and Hadj quickly lifted Claire,
though none too gently.  Jessie picked up the tissues and icepack.  Her
nose
was bleeding again.

"You two."  She turned angrily to face Jonny and Hadji.  "Get to your
room.
I'll deal with you morons after *you*."  She pointed an accusatory
finger at
her father.

Jonny opened his mouth to argue.  She walked up to him and  looked into
his
eyes.  "Are you sure you want the other two around when I chew you up?"

He shrugged and left.
***********************************************************************
For the past ten minutes Jonny paced the room, listening to the sounds
of
raised voices.  Hadji had his head in his hands.

"I would have let Race kill her."

"No you wouldn't, Hadj."  He put a hand on Hadji's shoulder.  "  You'd
have
snapped out of it before anything serious happened, I know."

The door opened.  Jessie's nose was still swollen, but the bleeding
seemed
to have stopped.

Jonny held his hands up.  "Hey, Jess, Hadj was too busy trying to stop
me,
he couldn't control both of..."

"Relax, Jonny.  It's *you* I wanted to talk to."

"For some reason, that doesn't help me relax."

She rolled her eyes and cursed under her breath.  "Hadji, I know you
tried
to stop them.  You can leave."

"I will make sure that Race does not do anything to Claire."

Jonny could practically feel the relief wash off Hadji as he left.

"Jesus, this has really shaken him.  I don't remember the last time
Race did
anything like this..."  He faltered when he saw Jessie watching him.

"This isn't about what happened with Race, is it?"

For a moment, Jessie had trouble keeping herself in check.  She had
always
known Jonny to react vehementely when any of his family were in danger,
especially his father.  To be honest, she was touched that Jonny had
reacted
like that, out of concern for her.  Then she remembered him grabbing
Claire,
strangling the life out of her, his eyes ice cold.  She knew what she
had to
do.

"Jonny, would you have killed her?"

"Wow, the direct approach."

"Jonny, answer me.  This is someone's life we're talking about."

He closed his eyes.  *No more joking.*  For a few moments he thought
hard.
He had been furious, already what exactely had happened was beginning
to
cloud in his mind.

"I...don't....know...I don't think so."  He was confused.

She nodded.  Jonny was trying.

"I don't want this to *ever* happen again.  I don't want you to get
yourself
or someone else killed because of me.  Please, promise me."  She took
his
hand.

"Did you just give Race the same speech?"  *Whoops...*

"God dammit!  This isn't who you are.  Whatever happens to me, don't go
on a
damn pointless vendetta.  If you succeed, then you will have commited
murder.  If you get killed, you will have died because of me.  I will
not be
responsible for your death!  Dammit, Jon, promise me."  Jonny tried to
ignore the desperation in her voice.

He took both her hands together in his.

She looked up at him.  For a moment she hoped he would relent, he sure
looked like he would.

"No, Jess."

She pulled her hands away from his angrily.

"You-"

"Jessie, you can't ask me to keep that promise.  If the tables were
turned,
if I asked you, would you be able to keep it?"

She faltered.  Closing her eyes, she clenched her fists in frustration.
Then she looked back at Jon and she softened.

"Sometimes you're a bastard, Jonny."  She hugged him, her head firmly
against his chest.

He gently massaged her back with his hand.  "And to stop it from being
a
permanent situation, we're going to question Claire.  Coming?"
***********************************************************************
Comments?  Suggestions?  Flames?  Praise?  Send 'em all to
SchmittVanDean@hotmail.com

Whoo!  Sleep deprivation and a growing addiction to caffeine are taking
their toll.

Tip For The Day:  Plan your fics before writing them.  Look what
happens
when you don't.

-Schmitt

*****************************
They may forget what you said,
but they will never forget how you
made them feel.
-Carl W. Buechner
*****************************