Disclaimer: HB owns the JQ lot, not me.   I'm making no money off this,
so
don't sue, 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.

If anyone's missed the rest of the fic, E-mail me privately and it's
yours.

Warning: None of my stuff is ever beta read, which makes for a
dangerous
world of plotholes and spelling mistakes.  I'm still Welsh, so please
ignore
Britisms.  Oh, and a couple of Southern fried Race-isms spring up from
time
to time.

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

Categories: Angst, mature language , violence, HR.

Summary:  The bit before the kick arse action.  Major angst alert.
***********************************************************************
Race hurriedly stuffed the backpack.  He was dressed in a tightfitting
body
suit, sleeves rolled up as usual.  He wore a heavy duty belt, akin to
the
one Claire had been wearing earlier, and if Race knew her as well as he
thought he did, she still was.  He checked his watch.  Eight hours of
darkness were left.

Jonny knocked before entering the room, and carefully closed the door
behind
him, traits Race normally wouldn't assosciate with the boy.  Jonny was
similarly dressed, but with the sleeves down.

Race lifted an eyebrow.

"Race.  I gotta ask you something."  He was practically sheepish, yet
another side of Jonny that Race rarely saw.

"Shoot."  Race's steely grey eyes fixed on Jonny's sky blue.  The boy
had
something on his mind, something that had been bothering him for a
while.
That much was obvious.

"What's going on with you, Race?"

Race took a deep breath.  The kid could be pretty smart for an idiot.
"What
are you talking about?"

"I mean, how come half the time you're trying to kill me, and the other
half
you're unbelievably smothering?  You keep pulling a Jekyll and Hyde
thing."

"You've got it wrong.  I'm always trying to kill you."

Jonny pulled off his  lopsided grin with relief.  As usual, Race  had
to
resist smiling.  It was so infectious.

"Race, that's rubbish and you know it.  Something's happened, and you
don't
know whether to hate me or love me."

"I definitely don't feel like loving you."  Race answered, deadpan.

"Race, open up."

"No."

"Ah, screw it.  I tried."  He turned and left, closing the door softly
behind him.

For a moment Race watched the closed door.  He felt like going after
Jonny,
to tell him he was like a son after all these years.  That he wouldn't
know
what to do if anything happened to him.  That, for all the joking, he
was
terrifed that one day he'd fail and cause his death.  He smiled as he
recalled finding Jonny and Jessie in each other's arms.  He knew his
daughter would fall for someone one day, and he had always hoped it
would be
someone like Jonny Quest.  Over time, he had realised that he had
wanted the
actual Jonny for her.  The boy was downright caring, overbearing even,
and
he would never hurt any of his family, whatever the cost to himself.
Then
he remembered his Ponchita, crying in his arms, pouring her heart out,
sobbing that Jonny had raised his hand to her.  That he was furious,
had
threatened to hurt her.  It had been the water solution that triggered
Jonny's reaction, Race knew, but all he could see were images of her
eyes,
tensed in pain...shaking his head, he continued packing.
***********************************************************************
Hadji turned to his brother, who avoided eye contact.

"You were not in there long."

"I tried Hadj, I really did.  Something's seriously getting to him."

"You know, Race would be touched if he knew how much you cared for
him."

"Yeah, well..."  Jonny scratched the back of his head.

"You really should talk to him.  He cares about you a good deal too,
despite
all the evidence to the contrary."

"He'd kick my ass for being such a wuss."  Hadji dropped the subject.
They
were both bull headed, and he doubted that would ever change.

"You are probably right."  Mischief suddenly sprang up behind Hadji's
eyes.
"Oh, and I did not disturb you and Jessie earlier, did I?"

"Huh?"  Jonny narrowed his eyes.  "Hadj, I was just checking her nose,
that's all."

"Jonny, I am not as naive or stupid as you obviously believe I am."
There
was a slight edge to his voice.

Jonny looked at his brother.  "Hey, I didn't mean...I'm sorry."

Hadji smiled.  "It's alright, Jonny.  I was merely trying to provoke
you
into saying something about your relationship with Jessie that you
would
regret.  I'll ask you straight out: where is yours and Jessie's
relationship
headed?"

Jonny frowned and focused on his feet.  "You're not going to get a
straight
answer because I'm not sure anymore."

"You seemed sure of yourself when you were holding her in your arms."

Jonny continued to stare at his feet.  "Too much is happening right
now,
with dad and everything.  I'm confused, I'll admit it.  I really like
what
Jess and I have at the moment, she's a great friend, and I don't want
to
ruin that.  Geez, she's like the big sister I never had.
But...sometimes...y'know..."  There was a pained expression on his
face.
"Hormones really do suck."

Hadji smiled comfortingly.  "Okay, Jonny.  I won't push it."  He
breathed
the next sentence under his breath.  "That just means I will have to
try
harder."

Claire walked up briskly.  She was still wearing the catsuit from
earlier.

Jonny cocked an eyebrow.  "Geez, did you sleep in that thing?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

They stood in a few moments of awkward silence.  A wry smile formed on
Claire's lips.

"If your father's blabbed, they could already have that Rachel thing
running
by now."

"Yeah, but he hasn't."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because he's dad."  He said it as if it he were talking to a child.

"I've seen stronger men than your father broken, kid.  I wouldn't be so
sure
of everyone as you are."

"Taylor, you're getting to be a right asshole."

For a moment, they faced each other off.  Hadji could feel the tension
mounting.  A light footfall broke the silence.

They turned to see Jessie, herself dressed in a sheer black catsuit.
Jonny
immediately forced himself to make eye contact.

"Hey, Jess."  Claire was immediately forgotten.

"Hey.  We ready to go?"

Hadji was mildly surprised.  He had expected an embarrassed moment,
with
both of them blushing and muttering at the other's attire.  If Jonny
was
going to be mature about all this, then matchmaking was not going to be
fun
at all.

"Race is still packing."

"So did you ask him?"

"Ask him wh...aw, shoot!"

Hadji looked from one to the other.  He got the feeling they did not
mean
what Jonny had just been to see Race about.

"What were you supposed to ask?"  He chose his words carefully.

"Why Race was being so lenient on us.  You know, letting us go with him
and
all."

Hadji nodded.  "Yes, I have been wondering about that too..."

Claire sparked up.  "It's because he's afraid.  He's not as young as he
used
to be, you know."

Jessie whirled on her.  Jonny, recognising the cold glare, and knowing
what
was coming, took a deliberate step behind and to the side of Jess.

He whispered into her ear.  "Jess, please, let this one slide."

She paused.  The fear was plain in his voice.

Claire smiled sweetly.  "What's up, cat got your tongue?  Or do you
know
just how badly I'd wipe the floor with you if bleach head over there
doesn't
get involved?"

Jessie clenched her fist.  She *so* wanted to wipe that grin off her
face.
Jonny put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

For a moment the women  continued to face each other.  Then Jessie
turned
and motioned to Jonny.

"We'll wait for dad outside."

"Coward."  Claire spat the word.  Jonny turned to say something, but
Jessie
grabbed his arm, yanking him down the stairs.
***********************************************************************
Jonny let the cool wind play with his hair for a moment.  Looking at
her, he
just didn't know what he was feeling.  He couldn't explain it to
himself.
The wind picked up, sending Jessie's firey mane flaming around her
shoulders.  After a while he noticed Jessie was watching him back,
waiting
for him to say something.

"Jonny?  You were terrified that I'd do something in there.  This isn't
through fear for me, is it?"  She said exasperatedly.  "I can take care
of
myself, you know."

He avoided her eyes.  "I know you could've...it wasn't
that...God...I..."

He crouched down, hands over his head.  Jessie bent down, facing him,
and
rubbed his back with the flat of her palm.  "It's not about me, is it?"
She
asked softly.  Something else was going on here.

His voice was a hoarse whisper.  "Jess...I just...if this goes wrong,
then I
lose my dad.  I can't...not again...."

*"Not again?"*

Realistion dawned.  His problem about Rachel's death had started
*before*
they were confined to the compound.  When he had broken down before, it
was
because of the emotional death of being forced to watch his own mother
die,
not because of some chemical imbalance.

"This is still about your mother, isn't it?"

He didn't look up.  "I'm scared, Jess.  I can't let another one of them
die.
  I miss mom...I don't want the same thing to happen with dad.  I can't
let
that happen.  I won't let that happen."

She slid her arms around him.  He was shaking uncontrollably now.

"I can't...I can't..."

"Jon, everything will be fine.  We'll get your father back, no
problem."
She stroked his hair.  He buried his eyes into her shoulder and gripped
her
fiercely, he didn't want to let go.  He felt safe and secure in
someone's
arms, for the first time in ten years.  Then, after a few moments he
stood
shakily.  She helped support him up.

Race had been standing by them for the past couple of minutes.  He
didn't
know how to react...the boy was terrified of losing his father.  And
his
father's kidnapping was his fault.  He was supposed to be guarding
these
two, and he let this happen.

"Are you sure you want to come?"  He held Jonny's shoulder, trying to
read
his face.

"Damn right."  His voice was shaky, but determined.  "We'll get him
back.
We have to get him back."

Jessie frowned and took Race aside for a moment, breaking apart from
Jonny.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.  "Why are you letting us go with you in
the
first place?  Usually we have to resort to following you to see any
action."

Race held her gaze.  "Because I don't want you to get hurt, Ponchita."
*Or
Jonny.*

"But, wouldn't taking us with you be more dangerous?"

"Like you said, you'd just end up following me.  I want to keep an eye
on
you, and I don't trust Claire, so I can't leave you with her."

Jonny overheard that.  "But you left Hadji with her."

Race returned to his normal volume.  There was no point trying to hide
it
now.  "He can handle himself, Jonny."

Sudden anger flared within Jonny.  "All Taylor cares about is revenge.
She'll get Hadji killed!"  His heart was pounding.  He felt a very deep
and
very real fear about Hadji's safety.

"Jonny."  Jess held his arm, slowly stroking his shoulder.  "She's not
some
psycho.  And dad's smart.  He wouldn't leave Hadji with her unless he
had
to, and unless he knew he'd be safe.  You won't lose any of us.  Both
Dr.
Quest and Hadji are strong.  Nothing will happen to them."

"And besides, it's too late to back down now."

For a moment Jonny looked as though he'd crumble again.  Jessie's heart
stopped.  She had never seen him this scared, this vulnerable.  Then he
slowly calmed, his features turning gaunt, haunted. "You better be
right,
Race.  You better be right."  He almost whispered the words.
***********************************************************************
Comments?  Suggestions?  Flames?  Praise?  Send 'em all to
SchmittVanDean@hotmail.com

Yes, this is incredibly short.  But the next part is kinda cool.  (and
freakishly long for me.)

Tip For The Day: Never try to predict my Fics.  You'll just end up with
a
headache.

-Schmitt

******************************
We decieve ourselves when we fancy
that only weakness needs support.
Strength needs it far more.
-Madame Swetchine
******************************