U N O F F I C I A L
H O M E P A G E
"Everything Changes" by Winnie Lim Jonny stood in front of Jessie's bedroom door with a tray holding a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies, a pitcher of milk, and two glasses. He knocked on the door, saying, "Jessie? It's me." There was silence, and he wondered if she was asleep. She had been very quiet since she'd returned from Colombia. When Race and Jonny had gone to pick her up at the airport, she'd barely spoken during the drive home. Normally she was still flushed with excitement over whatever dig she had accompanied her mother to, and the things she'd seen in South America, and it was hard getting a word in edgewise. When they'd reached home, she went straight to her room, murmuring something about unpacking. No one had seen her for two hours. She wouldn't open the door to her father when he went to get her for dinner, telling him that she wasn't hungry. And it wasn't the right time of month for her to be so moody. So there had to be something else bothering her, Jonny surmised. He decided that he was going to get her to talk about it. He heard the lock click, and the door opened. Jessie stood in the doorway, looking at him quizzically. "Hi. I bring gifts," Jonny said, holding the tray up. Jessie smiled - a small movement of her lips, but a smile nonetheless - and stood aside. "Come on in." Jonny set the tray down on her desk and turned to face her. "Jess, are you okay?" She nodded. "Yeah. It's just that..." She turned her head to look at her closet, and Jonny followed her gaze. On the closet door hung an ivory-white dress made of some shimmery fabric, covered in a plastic clothing bag. "Uh... nice dress?" Jonny ventured. "It's not just any dress," Jessie said. "It's a bridesmaid's dress." "A bridesmaid's dress?" Jonny repeated. Jessie nodded, and sighed. "Jonny... my mother's getting married." "Married?!" Jonny yelped. "To who?! I mean --" Jessie smiled sadly. "That was pretty much my reaction when she told me." She went over to her desk and picked up a photograph. Handing it to Jonny, she said, "He's the one." Jonny looked at the photo. It was of Jessie, Estella, and a tall, dark-haired man with a mustache. "Gee," was all he could say. "His name's Miguel Reyes. He's a professor of anthropology at a university in Colombia. They met at a conference where Mom was displaying the Malenque artifacts." Jessie sounded like she was reciting a police report. "They got engaged a week before I arrived in Bogota." "Have you ever met this guy?" Jonny asked. Jessie nodded. "Once or twice. Mom told me he was a consultant. Guess I should have been more curious." She sighed. "He seems nice enough; he took me out for a driving lesson while Mom was busy." "Gee, Jess, I..." What could he say? Jessie looked too miserable to accept any congratulations. "I'm sorry" wouldn't have been right either. "Does Race know?" he said at last. "I don't know," Jessie said. "Think it'll be better coming from me than from Mom?" "Probably," Jonny said. Race took the news better than either of them expected. Jonny clued his father in beforehand, and the family was prepared to provide any support that the burly bodyguard might need. But when the wedding invitation arrived, Race's face clouded over. Jonny looked desperately to his father. On cue, Benton snapped his fingers. "Oh, Race, I forgot to tell you. I'm expected to deliver a paper at a conference in Geneva that week," he said. It wasn't completely a lie; there was always a conference going on in Geneva at any given time, and Jonny knew that any conference committee would jump at the chance to have the famed Dr Benton Quest as a guest speaker. Race had looked relieved at the out, and Jessie had looked grateful. "Still, that doesn't mean that we can't send a representative of the family," Benton went on. He looked directly at his son. Jessie was also looking plaintively at Jonny. Jonny swallowed, and nodded. "Sure. I'd be glad to go on behalf of the Quest family." Inwardly, he sighed. Sitting through a three-hour wedding service was not his idea of fun. But the grateful smile on Jessie's face was more than enough incentive. Two weeks later, Jonny and Jessie flew to Colombia for the wedding. Estella and Miguel were at the airport to meet them when they arrived. Jessie hugged her mother and shook Miguel's hand. "Miguel, this is my friend, Jonny Quest," she said. "Pleased to meet you, Senor Reyes," Jonny said as he shook hands with the tall man. "Miguel, please," Reyes said, smiling. His handshake was firm and decisive. "I have heard many good things about your father, Jonny." "Thank you, sir," Jonny replied. "He's sorry that he couldn't attend the wedding, but you know those Geneva summits." "Yes. We do," Estella said. From the airport, it was an hour's drive to the Velasquez family hacienda, where the wedding and reception were to be held in a week's time. Estella showed Jonny to his room, which was across the hall from Jessie's, and left them with a reminder that lunch was in half an hour. Jonny unpacked quickly and changed out of his travel clothes into a clean t-shirt and jeans. He left his room and went to knock on Jessie's door. "Come in," he heard her call. He opened the door. Jessie had changed into a green shirt and chinos, and was sitting at her desk, typing on her laptop. She looked around briefly. "Close the door, willya?" He did so and walked up to the desk, looking around. Jessie's room was almost exactly like her room at the Quest compound, only the walls were painted a sunny yellow. The bulletin board beside the desk was covered in photographs. His eye fell on a photo of Jessie, Hadji and himself; he recognized the background as Bangalore. Other photos were of the three, Benton Quest and Race Bannon in the various exotic locations they had visited. Holding pride of place over her desk was a framed photo of her and himself, sitting on the front porch of the Maine mansion with Bandit between them. Jessie was saying, "I've just got the results of my background check on Miguel - " "You're checking up on your mom's fiance?" Jonny repeated incredulously. Jessie tossed her hair back. "Of course I am. I'm not about to let my mother marry just anybody." "Makes sense, I guess..." Jonny admitted, pulling up a chair and sitting beside her. "So what have you got?" "Nothing," Jessie sighed. "The man's a saint. Graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University with a B.S. in anthropology. Completed his doctorate at Bogota National U with a dissertation on traditional family roles among the ancient Mayans. No arrests, not even an outstanding parking ticket. A couple of speeding tickets, but he paid them in full and on time. No suspicious missing periods of his life. He even volunteers to read to senior citizens." "Geez, Jess! You better hope your mom doesn't find out how thorough you were!" Jonny exclaimed. "Where did you get all this stuff?" "Here and there," she said nonchalantly. She shut down her computer and stood up. "Well, that was a bust." A thought occurred to Jonny. "So, uh, how much could you find out about, say, _me_?" "Don't worry, Jonny," Jessie assured him. "Until you get a credit card, not much." "That's comforting," Jonny mumbled. Jessie grinned. "Besides, I've already got enough on you to make you my slave for life." "Oh yeah? Like what?" Jessie just looked smug, and swept past him to the door, saying only, "Oh, look. It's time to go down to lunch." "The Questworld upgrade, right?" Jonny asked as he followed her out the door. Estella and Miguel were already seated when the teenagers entered the dining-room. Also sitting at the table were a man and a woman, both of whom looked vaguely familiar to Jonny, but he couldn't place them. Jessie and Jonny took their seat across from Estella and Miguel. Indicating the two strangers, Jessie said, "Jonny, these are my uncle Roberto and aunt Carolina, Mom's brother and sister." Now he knew where he had seen them before - in a photo on Jessie's wall back home. Roberto had dark auburn hair, a shade darker than Jessie's and Estella's, and warm brown eyes. Carolina's jet-black hair was pulled back into a loose braid, and the color of her eyes matched the green of Estella's. "Hello, Jonny," Carolina said. "Jessie has told us so much about you." "Really?" Jonny said, surprised. "Oh yes." Carolina's eyes twinkled. "She talks about you all the time." "Tia Carolina!" Jessie exclaimed, her cheeks flushing. "I do not!" She was saved from further embarrassment by the opening of the door. The adults rose to their feet, and Jessie motioned to Jonny to do the same as she stood up. A butler wheeled a stately-looking elderly gentleman to the head of the table. The elderly man looked around at the assemblage and smiled. "Please, sit," he said in Spanish. They obeyed. Jonny had a feeling that their obedience was not so much because of rigid discipline, but of respect. The old man looked at Jessie. "It is so good to have you here with us, Jessica," he said. "Would you introduce your friend?" "This is Jonny Quest, Grandfather," Jessie said in Spanish, and continued in English, "Jonny, this is my grandfather." "I am pleased to meet you, Senor Velasquez," Jonny said in Spanish. Senor Velasquez nodded approvingly. "Welcome to our home," he said. As lunch proceeded, so did the conversation - in Spanish. Jonny was glad that he'd asked Jessie to coach him in his Spanish before he arrived; his grasp of the language was quite extensive, but the rapid-fire conversation left him struggling to keep up. Over the meal, Jonny found out that Roberto was an ophthalmologist and Carolina was a civil engineer. They were lively, gregarious people; Carolina, especially, had a ready sense of humor and never missed a chance to tease Jonny and Jessie. Jessie seemed to have trouble speaking with her mother, however; and as for Miguel, she hardly said two words to him all through lunch. She didn't linger over dessert, either. As soon as she'd finished her fruit compote, she asked to be excused so she could "show Jonny around the compound." Her mood didn't improve when they were outside. "I wish there was some way I could change Mom's mind," she said as they walked past the tents being set up in the courtyard for the wedding reception. Then she shook her head. "No, I don't," she said. "I *think.*" She gave a small, almost imperceptible sigh. "I'm sorry. It's silly of me, I know. I want my mom to be happy, but..." Jonny squeezed her hand sympathetically. "Hey, you don't need to apologize to me," he said. "Or anybody. I'd feel the same way if Dad ever..." His voice trailed off. Jessie returned the squeeze, and then released his hand. "Come on, I said I was going to show you around." "These are the stables," Jessie said as they neared a large collection of neat wooden buildings. "My grandparents bred some of the fastest horses in South America right here." She paused at the entrance, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light inside. A chestnut-brown horse with a white star on its forehead stood in the first stall, and whickered when it saw Jessie. Jessie pulled out a roll of mints from her pocket, and fed the horse one. "This is Milagra, my favorite." The feeling was obviously mutual, as Milagra nuzzled Jessie's sleeve. A small, wizened man came into the stable and called out, "Senorita Jessica! Welcome home!" "Hello, Senor Gonzales," Jessie said, walking to the little man and pressing his hand warmly. To Jonny, she said, "This is Senor Paulo Gonzales, the stablemaster. Senor Gonzales, this is my friend Jonny." "Buenos noches, Senor Gonzales," Jonny said politely, shaking the stablemaster's hand. Gonzales' hearty handshake belied his small size, and he looked at Jonny critically. Jonny suddenly felt like he was in the principal's office. Then Gonzales grinned widely, and clapped Jonny on the shoulder. "Good to meet you, Jonny," he said. Jonny nearly toppled from the force of the friendly slap, but recovered quickly and grinned back. "You've passed the test, Jonny," Jessie told him, smiling. "Shall I saddle up Milagra for you, Jessie?" Gonzales asked. "And for Jonny, I think Diego might be suitable, eh?" "Thank you, Senor Gonzales," Jessie said. "That would be lovely." Jonny knew that Jessie was a good rider, but she and Milagra moved almost as if they were one. The mare obeyed Jessie's signals so smoothly that it looked like she and Jessie were communicating by thought alone. Jessie saw Jonny watching her, and shrugged. "I helped raise Milagra from the day she was born. We get along." "I'll say," Jonny replied. "Why don't you bring her back to the Quest compound?" Jessie shrugged. "We spend so little time at the compound when I'm visiting Dad, and I'd hardly ever see her. It wouldn't be fair to take her away from her home and all her friends," she added, more softly. Then she pulled on Milagra's reins, wheeling the mare around. "Come on, I'll race you to the beach!" she shouted over her shoulder. Jonny was caught off guard. "What beach? Hey! Wait up!" he yelled, urging Diego around as Jessie and Milagra disappeared in a cloud of dust. Jessie was sitting on a rock when Jonny finally reached the beach. Milagra was tethered to a nearby tree and was munching sedately on a tuft of grass. "What took you so long?" she called, laughing, as Jonny halted Diego. Jonny slid off Diego's back and secured the reins with Milagra's. "Hey, you've lived half your life on this ranch. This is my first day here." "The great explorer Jonny Quest got lost?" she teased. "The great explorer Jonny Quest got abandoned," he corrected her. "That wasn't very nice." "Sorry," she said, having the grace to look contrite. "Did you have trouble finding the beach?" "Nah," he said. "Between Milagra's dust trails and the seagulls, finding this place was a snap." Jessie scooted over, making room on the rock for him. He climbed up and settled down beside her. "This is a gorgeous place," he commented. "I know," Jessie replied. "I come here to... to be alone." She smiled bitterly. " I've been coming here a lot lately." They fell silent. Jonny didn't know what to say. Jessie broke the silence. "I just can't believe that I never suspected," she said, almost to herself. "All this time I was hoping that Mom and Dad would get back together -- especially after what happened in Malenque, you know?" She sighed heavily. "And all the time she was seeing Miguel." "He does seem like a pretty nice guy, you know," Jonny pointed out. "Maybe it won't be so bad." "Maybe," Jessie said. "But it won't be Mom and Dad, either." She sighed again. "But it's Mom's life. She lets me live my own life the way I want to... maybe I should let her live hers." "Attagirl," Jonny said. "Parents, huh?" "What would they do without us?" Jessie agreed, smiling. Her eyes softened. "I'm glad you're here. I don't think I could've handled this on my own." Jonny shrugged. "'S what friends are for, right?" Jessie made an effort to speak to Miguel at dinner. Estella seemed pleasantly surprised, and the mood around the table was considerably lighter. Grandfather Velasquez even cracked a few jokes. They were Spanish puns, but Jonny was able to figure them out -- half of them, anyway. By the end of the evening, Jessie and Jonny had made plans to go to the market in Miguel's hometown the next morning. Estella looked so relieved at her daughter's acceptance of her fiance that Jonny had to hide a smile. Little did the woman know that Jessie had been maintaining a death grip on Jonny's hand under the table throughout the meal. Jonny, for his part, figured that it would be a year before he could sign his name right again. It was an hour's drive to San Cristos, the little village where Miguel had grown up. Miguel parked his Land Rover some distance away from the marketplace. "By the time we find a parking place near the market, all the stalls will have closed," he explained with a smile. The marketplace was bustling with people, animals and the occasional automobile. Stalls selling everything from live chickens to silver and turquoise jewelry were arranged in neat rows. Miguel gave them a tour, pointing out interesting landmarks in the square where the market was set up. They had stopped to look at some jewelry when Jonny heard a voice call out "Miguel!" Miguel seemed to start, and then returned his attention to the brooch he was examining. "Miguel!" The voice was louder this time. Jonny and Jessie looked up. A man was shouldering his way through the market crowd towards them. "I think someone wants to talk to you, Miguel," Jessie said as the man stopped behind them. The man was scrawny, with a straggly five o'clock shadow on his leathery face. He put a hand on Miguel's shoulder, and the anthropologist turned around, an annoyed look on his face. The man said something in Spanish, and Miguel replied tersely. Jonny tried to follow what they said; he could make out the words "money" and "cargo", and he figured out that the man's name was Eduard, but the rest of their conversation was in a dialect unfamiliar to him. He glanced at Jessie. She had a frown on her face as she watched the two men talk. Eduard was getting more and more agitated. Miguel said "Excuse me a moment," to the two children and led the other man off some distance so Jonny and Jessie couldn't hear what they were saying over the noise of the market. "What's that all about?" Jonny muttered to Jessie. She was visibly concentrating on trying to make out what Miguel and Eduard were saying. "Something about a late delivery of some sort. Eduard's saying that the shipment will be arriving within the week, and Miguel says --" She frowned. "I can't make it out." "That's weird," Jonny said. "You're telling me," Jessie said, as the two men finished their conversation and Eduard walked off. His posture indicated that he was not satisfied with the outcome of the heated discussion. Miguel returned to the stall. "A former employee," he said dismissively. "I caught him stealing an artifact from the last dig that I supervised. He insists that he has not been paid for the time he spent with us." "Sure," Jessie nodded, catching Jonny's eye as she did so. "Uh-huh," Jonny added. "You know, I think Dad might like this tie pin." Miguel seemed relieved at the change in subject. Jessie's eyes held Jonny's for a long moment. He didn't need to be a mind-reader to know what she was thinking. _He's lying._ "I don't want to believe it," Jessie spun around after slamming the door to her room. She sat down heavily on her bed. "Why would he lie to us?" She shook her head, pressing her fingers to her temples. "It doesn't make sense. What's he trying to hide?" "What did you hear them say?" Jonny asked. "We can start from there." Jessie got to her feet and started pacing around the room. "The first thing Eduard said was that the payment was late. Miguel said no delivery, no payment. Then Eduard said that the merchandise was not ready for delivery, and that they needed the money up front this time. Miguel told him that he wouldn't be paid until he saw the cargo. Eduard said that the delivery would be made in two days."That's all that I could make out." She flung herself on her bed again. "This is making me nuts!" she exclaimed, pounding the bedspread. "I was trying so hard to like him. Why did he have to go and lie?" She looked up at Jonny. "This is *so* not fair." Jonny was pondering her translation of the conversation. "Merchandise, payment, and cargo. And a late delivery. How do we find out more about it?" "Well, we can't very well go and ask him," Jessie said, and affected a breathless, airheaded voice. "'Excuse us, Miguel, would you mind clearing something up for us? We know you lied about your conversation with Eduard in the marketplace and we'd like to know why.'" She buried her face in the bedspread. "And my mom is *marrying* him in 5 days!" "Would she know anything about this?" Jonny said thoughtfully. Jessie looked up. "That's an idea," she said. "I could ask her if Miguel's expecting a delivery of some sort, and if she says yes, then we'll know he told her about it and it's all on the up and up." She jumped off the bed. They found Estella in the garden, directing the placing of the ornamental shrubs. "Hi, Mom," Jessie called. "Hello, dear," Estella replied distractedly. "No, no, that goes on the other side of the bouganvillas," she said to a landscaper. "Have you got a minute?" Jessie tried to get her attention. "I want to ask you something." "Of course, Jessie," Estella said. "What is it?" "Do you know if Miguel's expecting a shipment or delivery or something like that soon?" Jessie asked. Estella's brow furrowed, and she shook her head. "No ... not that I know of," she said. Jessie's face fell. "Okay. I just wanted to know." As she and Jonny walked away from the bustling scene, her eyes flashed fire. "Well, that's that. Miguel is officially a ratfink." Jonny tried to calm her. "Let's not jump to conclusions." "Jonny, he lied to us. He as good as lied to Mom. He's not all that he seems." "So what do you plan to do about it?" Jonny asked. Jessie's shoulders slumped. "I don't know." Then she straightened. "No. I'm going to get to the bottom of this, and he's not going to marry my mom until I find out what's going on." Jonny didn't know if he should applaud or duck for cover. Jessie fidgeted all through dinner, watching Miguel closely. Jonny did most of the talking about the day's excursion, and had to nudge her when she got too obvious. "Jessica, you are very quiet tonight," her grandfather observed. "Sorry, Grandfather. I'm just a little tired," Jessie said. "Jessie got a bit too much sun today," Jonny backed her up. "Are you feeling all right, dear?" Estella said. "I'll be fine, Mom," Jessie said. "I feel responsible," Miguel said. "I did not know you were feeling unwell, Jessie." Jessie shot him a look. "That's okay, you had ... other things on your mind." After dinner, Jonny and Jessie managed to corner Miguel in the living-room. Jessie didn't waste any time. "Miguel, I know you lied about who that man was," she said in a low voice. Miguel looked startled. "What do you mean?" he asked. "You were talking about a shipment, a delivery of some kind. Why did you lie to us?" Jessie demanded. "I--" Miguel stopped, and smiled. "All right, you caught me. I ordered a special gift for your mother, and the man in the marketplace was simply informing me that it would be later than expected." "A gift for my mother," Jessie repeated. "Can you tell me what it is?" "It's a bracelet," Miguel said, seeming pleased at the change of subject. "It is very delicate silver filigree that takes a long time to make." "Can we go with you when you pick it up?" Jonny chimed in. Miguel shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I have many errands to run that day, and you would not be interested." "Oh, that's okay," Jessie said. "You've told us all we need to know." "Okay, you've got me convinced," Jonny said, once they were safely in Jessie's room. "What do we do now?" "We know that the delivery will be made in a couple of days," Jessie said, pacing the floor. "So we keep an eye on Miguel, and when he goes out to pick it -- whatever it is -- up, we follow him." "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Jess," Jonny said doubtfully. "Have you got any better ideas?" Jessie asked. Jonny thought for a moment. "No," he admitted. Jessie sat down at her desk. "I really hope it's just something innocent," she said, her face troubled. "I really, really want to like him, you know. For my mom's sake. It would break her heart if..." Her voice trailed off. "Someday we'll look back on all this and laugh," Jonny said, trying to cheer her up. "I hope so, Jonny," Jessie said. "I hope so." Over the next two days, the children found one excuse or another to hang around Miguel. Estella was delighted that Jessie was making the effort to get to know her future stepfather; Miguel himself seemed to enjoy having Jonny and Jessie around. At last the evening came when Miguel would be collecting the mysterious shipment. Again Jessie fidgeted all through dinner, and again Jonny had to nudge her before she became too obvious. *This is becoming a habit,* he thought. As luck would have it, the topic of conversation turned to Jessie and Jonny. "It's not often that I meet such intelligent young people," Miguel commented. Jonny noticed a fleeting look of guilt pass over Jessie's face; it was quickly replaced by steely determination. She excused herself shortly after dessert was served, throwing a significant look to Jonny. After some small talk with her family, he excused himself as well. He found Jessie waiting for him outside his room. "If Miguel's going to pick up any shipments tonight, we'll be on his tail," she said, handing Jonny a black cap. "Put that on or your hair's going to stick out like a beacon." "Speak for yourself," Jonny said, pulling on the cap. He was wearing his customary black turtleneck, so he had no need to change the rest of his outfit. It was then that he noticed that Jessie was dressed in black as well. Warily he asked, "Just what are you planning to do?" Instead of answering, Jessie pulled a black cap over her own hair. "Come on," she said, leading him downstairs and out the door, towards the front of the house. Jonny really couldn't think of any way to refuse. He followed his friend out to Miguel's 4-wheel-drive Honda Passport and watched as she nimbly picked the lock on the back door. She opened the door and scrambled in. Taking a last look around, Jonny followed her into the back of the truck and closed the door. She was looking out the window that faced the house. "Hurry! I think he's coming!" she hissed. They crept under the canvas and waited. Presently, they heard the door open and felt the car shift as a weight settled in the front seat. Then the door slammed, and the car started. The ride was long, and often bumpy. Jonny gritted his teeth as the car went over some viciously rocky terrain. He couldn't see Jess beside him, but he could feel her leg pressed up against his. At last the car stopped, and the engine was shut off. The two teenagers heard Miguel get out of the car, and the door slammed. Jonny and Jessie waited till Miguel's footsteps had receded Then they threw off the tarp, and carefully opened the door -- -- to come face to face with Miguel. "What are you two doing here?" he asked, his voice low. Jessie jumped out of the car. "We were following you," she said boldly. "We know you're up to something, Miguel." "It is too dangerous for you to be here," Miguel said. "And I have no time to take you back to the hacienda." He looked around. "Get back into the car. You'll be safe there." "Safe? What's this all about, Miguel?" Jessie demanded. "Just get into the car," Miguel repeated. "And whatever happens -- *whatever* -- do NOT come out until I return." For a moment, the lean South American man almost reminded Jonny of Race. Then again, when did they ever listen to Race? The teens got back into the car and watched as Miguel strode off into the darkness. They then exchanged a look and a nod, and quietly opened the door. Dropping silently to the ground, they took off in the direction Miguel had gone. As they stealthily followed Miguel, Jonny glanced around at their surroundings. They were on a fairly flat piece of land, with little vegetation. Miguel walked on for some time until he reached a group of small, dilapidated- looking wooden buildings. Jonny and Jessie exchanged a look, and slunk around behind one of the buildings. Abruptly, Miguel turned, and caught them as they tried to duck into the shadows. "Jessie! Jonny! You should not be here," Miguel said. "What are _you_ doing here, Miguel?" Jessie demanded. "It would take too long to explain. You must go back to the car, now," Miguel said, looking around anxiously. The sound of a diesel engine broke the silence of the night, and a pair of headlights pierced the darkness. "Too late," Miguel groaned. "Quick, hide." He pushed them towards the nearest building. Jonny and Jessie entered the building. The wooden floorboards creaked noisily underfoot. They took up a post in a corner close to the front entrance, and hunkered down. Jonny found a crack in the wall that he could look out of, and put his eye to it. Jessie found a similar crack; and together, they watched as the headlights drew nearer to Miguel. A pickup truck drew up to Miguel, and two men got out. Jessie recognized one of them as Eduard, the man from the marketplace. The three men talked in low voices, and then Miguel followed the two men to the back of the pickup. Then Eduard picked up a large, squarish package from the truck's flatbed and showed it to Miguel. Miguel gestured, and the other man took out a knife. Jonny and Jessie watched as Miguel took the knife and cut into the package. He inspected its contents, and nodded. He put his hand in his jacket -- -- and all hell broke loose. The little town was suddenly filled with light. Men in dark gray uniforms came charging out of the buildings, waving guns and yelling in Spanish. Jonny and Jessie exchanged a look, and then, as one, got to their feet and joined the fray. Unfortunately, Eduard had recovered quickly from the initial shock. He grabbed Miguel and snatched the knife from him. The next thing Jonny knew, everything had suddenly fallen silent except for the cocking of pistols. "Release him," a voice said, in Spanish. "You put down your guns first and let us get out of here," replied Eduard. He had pinned Miguel's arms behind the man's back, and held the knife to the hostage's carotid. Eduard's companion was nowhere to be seen. Jonny looked at Jessie, and she nodded towards Eduard. -We gotta take him down,- she signed to him. -We could circle around the buildings, get behind him,- Jonny replied. -But that'd take too long,- Jessie replied. -What we need is -- a distraction.- Before Jonny could stop her, she had leaped forward, her red hair flying. "Let go of him!" she screamed in English. Everyone turned to look at her, including Eduard and his companion. That's when Miguel turned suddenly in his captor's grip, driving his elbows into Eduard's solar plexus. The thin man dropped the knife and stumbled backwards, knocking into his partner. Miguel wrenched free and hit the dirt. Eduard and his companion were suddenly faced with a veritable forest of gun muzzles. Sullenly, they raised their hands. "We are going to be in so much trouble," Jonny said. "So what else is new?" Jessie retorted, elbowing him. Miguel came out of the constable's office and walked up to them. "Ready to go?" he asked. Jonny and Jessie nodded. "Yeah," Jessie said. They drove in silence for an hour. Finally Miguel cleared his throat. "I won't tell your mother what happened," he said. Jessie looked at him in surprise. "But I thought -- " "I, too, was young once," Miguel said, smiling. "Anyway, you'll be in enough trouble for sneaking out." "Miguel," Jonny began. As the older man looked at him, the boy went on, "What was going on out there? How'd you get involved in that sting operation?" Miguel settled back in his seat. "About a year ago, I was assisting in the excavation of a Mayan ruin. It turned out that some of the workers were using the ruin as an exchange point for raw hashish." "Hashish?" Jessie repeated. Miguel nodded. "I found out what was going on, but the workers didn't know that I knew. I reported it to the police, and they suggested that I pretend to show interest in joining the pipeline. With my scientific credentials, I had an advantage that the drugrunners would have need of." He braked for a stoplight. "So I approached the workers involved, telling them that I was interested in joining them." "And they fell for it," Jonny said. "That they did," Miguel said, starting the car moving again. "Does Mom know?" Jessie asked. Miguel replied evasively, "She knows that I am assisting the police." Jessie looked at him suspiciously. "But..." "But she doesn't know I'm taking such an active role," Miguel conceded. "I'll tell you what. I won't tell your mother of your little escapade, and you don't tell her of my little escapade. Do we have a deal?" Jonny exchanged a look with Jessie, and she nodded. Then they both looked at Miguel. "Deal." ~~~~~~~~~~ Jessie sat crosslegged on a wicker chair, the folds of her ivory dress gathered around her. The now-limp bouquet lay in her lap, and she was looking out the window. "It's okay, Jonny, you can come in," she said, turning around. Jonny came into the room slowly. "I was kinda worried about you," he said. She favored him with a small smile, the first real one he'd seen on her face all day. "I'm sorry." She unfolded her legs, placing the soles of her feet flat on the floor. "Are you okay?" he asked. She shrugged. "I guess." Jonny went over to her and sat down on the window seat in front of her. He reached out and touched her cheek. "You sure?" Jessie looked down at the flowers in her lap. "I ... don't know. I guess I wanted - when the priest said that thing about 'if anyone objects', I wanted Dad to come charging up the aisle and sweep Mom off her feet." She chuckled bitterly. "But he didn't. "Heck, _I_ wanted to object. But Mom looked so happy..." Her voice trailed off. Jonny nodded. From the garden, music came floating up to the window. The string quartet was playing "Fascination." Jessie looked up and out of the window. "Looks like the party's in full swing. We'd better get back before anyone notices we're gone." She slid off the chair and smoothed down her dress. Jonny got up as well and started to follow her to the door. Then he stopped, and put a hand on her arm. "Jess ... would you like to dance?" She blinked and looked at him in surprise. Then a smile spread slowly over her face. "Sure, Jonny, I'd love to," she said. He took her hand and led her to the middle of the room. She put her other hand on his shoulder and he slipped his other hand around her waist, the way they'd been taught in the one single dance class their fathers had insisted they take. "On three," Jonny said, grinning slightly. He looked as nervous as she felt. She returned his smile, and together they counted "ONE - two-three" and began. It was easier than they'd thought it would be. They slipped into the rhythm almost unconsciously, their feet moving in perfect sync. As they continued to dance they drew closer, until her chin was resting on his shoulder and his arm was wrapped tight around her waist. All too soon the song was over, but the spell remained for a few moments. Then, reluctantly, they drew apart. "Thanks for the dance," Jonny said, his throat suddenly dry. "Anytime," Jessie smiled, a quiver in her voice. They looked at each other for a long moment. Jessie blinked, ending the moment. "I think we better go," she said. "Uh-huh," Jonny said. As one, they turned and headed for the door. "So... was it the noodle incident?" Jonny said. "...ow! Those calla lilies hurt!" THE END Author's notes: There were actually 2 versions of this story, an action one and an angst one. I decided to spare you all the angst version seeing as I've been putting out a lot of emotional soap opera stuff lately and I wanted to try something new. The setting being Colombia, the drug subplot was a given.:) Continuity-wise, this took place in the "Rebuttal"-"Cookie Therapy" continuity, though obviously not the "Where Do You Start" continuity. I actually wrote the last section first (beginning with "Jessie sat in the wicker chair..."). This story grew out of a few ideas that were bouncing around my mind: It started with a sketch I'd done of Jessie in a dress. A really nifty dress, not the green miniskirt thing she was wearing in Season 1. I then added some flowers and lace and stuff (stop gagging, Notlion1) and it made me think of a wedding. Jessie's too young to get married (they live in Florida, not Kentucky, after all ), but what if she was a bridesmaid? So of course the question became: for who? The logical answer: Estella. Sorry, Race. Trivia time: At the same time I was plotting this story, I was considering the idea of Estella dating Benton. I thought briefly about getting them married, but thought that would be too mean to Jonny and Jessie and Race. Thanks for reading, Winnie
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