Return-Path: owner-jq@edc.ml.org
Disclaimer: Lex-chan owns Bryce, Travis, Tai-Lee and Claudette, HB owns
Jessie and Hadji. No money.
Rating: A 2K F
Summery:
Tragic Endings
By Jessie Bannon
"Mr. Crenshaw?"
"Yes?"
"Phone call, line 3."
"Thank you."
The 24 year old man ran a hand through his raven hair, picked up
the black phone on his desk and pressed the colored light witch indicated
the presence of another human being wanting some thing or another done,
to confirm a business meeting, or to make *more* business meetings. The
fact was, he needed a vacation... he *wanted* a vacation. He just didn't
have the time... or the excuse.
"Bryce Crenshaw."
"Bryce?"
The voice on the other line quivered, trying not to break.
"Jess?"
"Bryce, It's about Shelle. She's...she's..."
Jessica Bannon couldn't finish the sentence. She babbled the rest
of the information between tears and gasps for breath.
"Slow down, Jess! I can bearly understand you! Now what's the
matter?"
"Shelle's dead. She commented suside last week. I didn't know
till now because she had no form of identification on her and they said
you couldn't recognize her face it was so distorted."
He dropped the phone on the wood desk and stared at nothing for a
moment as the shock seeped in. Then leapt up and sprinted as fast he
could down the hall to his twin brother's office.
"Travis?"
"Huh...?"
The copper haired boy looked up from the desk witch sat himself
and the paperwork at his slightly pale brother who stood before him in a
casual suite.
"It's about Shelle..."
"What about her? Is she finely coming to visit us? She said she
would last Christmas. Last time I saw her was when..."
Travis faded remembering the sudden death of their former team
leader. She witnessed it and he was the one with her when the police
questioned her accout.
"She's dead, Travis."
He stopped his writing and the pen slipped out of his hand. He
looked at his older brother and started stating the questions forming in
his mind.
"When? How'd it happen? Who told you? Who did it? Why?"
"Last week, she committed suside. Jessie's on the phone she's
knows more than I do."
He said it slomly as his brother shot out of the office down the
hall and in to his.
"Jess! Why'd she do it?"
"I don't know Trav. No one dose."
"Look, where are you?"
"In Corpus Christi, Texas."
"We'll be there by tomorrow. Call Hadj, Tai, and Claud. We'll go
to Virginia together for the funeral."
"Okay."
Travis hung up the phone, shadowed by his brother's form, framed
in the doorway.
"I can't believe it." The younger twin said, sinking back into
the black leather chair, "Gone…just like that" he snapped his fingers and
rested his cheek on his fist, elbow on the armrest.
"Come on." Bryce said. "We'd better start packing."
~!~
Bryce and Travis stepped out of the terminal and looked around for the
familial red head. They found her sitting alone in a hard plastic chair
that was bolted to the ground along with a whole line of identical ones.
It was sunny out side, no clouds in sight. But the fair weather was
ignored. The second Jessica saw the two she started to cry again. She
wrapped her pale arms around the Bryce's neck and hugged him, burying her
head into his shoulder.
"Mishelle was stronger than that." She said in between sobs, her head
still buried in the now tear stained jacket, "She should have known
better. Why'd she do it? Why'd she do it?"
"I don't know Jess, I really don't." Bryce stroked her long red hair and
held her tight.
Travis stared solemnly at them, but wasn't paying attention. He knew that
he was the only one who could get even remotely close to the girl. The
shock still hadn't warn off since Bryce ran in and told him that Shelle
was dead.
~!~
Hours latter…
Hadji and Tai-Lee walked into the semi-crowded airport, as the
brilliant sun was sinking below the horizon. Gorgeous purples and oranges
highlighted the silver white clouds and once again the natural beauty and
wonder was ignored. His arm was around her shoulder. Her long ebony hair
hanging down, hiding her tear stained face from view. Hadji looked years
older than 25, his turban wrapped loosely around the sultan's head., and
his prized jewel abandoned and forgotten. Jessica rose slowly from the
hard seat and walked toward her childhood friend.
"I came as soon as I heard." He said letting go of Tai-Lee as
Jessie approached.
"To bad we had to see each other because of a tragedy." She said hugging
him. They stood like that for a few moments, and then Jessica let go to
embrace the younger girl. Tai-Lee was still silent as she returned the
gesture. "Have a seat." Jessica offered, "We still have to wait for
Claudette." Jessica resumed her position next to Bryce and Hadji
continued to comfort Tai-Lee.
~!~
A few hours later…
The midnight blue of the sky could be seen above the bright lights of the
landing strips. Only a few stars could be seen, the rest hiding by the
bright lights and the moon's rays, and once again it was ignored. A half
asleep French girl walked slowly into the lights of the flousent bulbs
above her. A black beret sat on top of her massy blond hair and a slight
frown was on her lips.
"Traviz?" she called in her French accent.
"Frenchie?" he snapped out of his trance that had held him since that
morning. She took one look at his solemn face and her chin started to
quiver.
"It'z true, izn't eet." A tear rolled down her cheek. He nodded and her
hand flew to her mouth as more tears cascaded down her face. Travis put
his arm around her and lead her to his chair so she could sit down and
take it all in. Bryce nudged Jessica head softly with his shoulder to
wake her up. She squinted in the bright lighting and looked at the young
sobbing girl.
"I guess we should get her luggage and book some tickets for tomorrow."
"I… I can't believe eet." Claudette whispered as Travis helped her up and
took her carry on. "I *von't* believe eet! Zhe can't be dead! Zhe just
can't. Virst my Jonny-cher and now Mizelle…" Travis picked up her
suitcase and followed the others to the van Jessica rented. Claudette,
Hadji and Tai-Lee claimed into the back to get some much-needed sleep.
Jessica sat in the drivers seat and the Twins behind her in the caption's
chairs. Fifteen minutes later she pulled up in front of a impressive
apartment complex. They all climbed out and pick up their luggage as
Jessica parked the van in the parking garage across the street. She met
them in the lobby we she returned.
"Hey, Ms. Bannon, visitors?" the doorman asked.
"These are the colleagues I was telling you about." The doorman made a
quick head count.
"Weren't there eight?" She nodded sadly.
"Jonny died last year and Mishelle died… she died last week. That's why
we're here, we're going to Virginia the day after tomorrow for her
funeral."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Goodnight, Ms. Bannon."
"'Night, Steve." Jessica walked across the long familiar lobby to the
elevator, and pushed the top button. The rest of the remaining team
members followed and approached the redhead as the sleek steel door slid
slowly open. They walked inside and the doors slid shut.
"Floor 21." Jessica commanded. The box climbed quickly to the desired
floor and halted. A few seconds later the doors once again slid open and
they walked out, and followed Jessica down the halls to 21-J. She
produced a key and inserted it into the keyhole, turned it and the door
opened. She flicked on the light to reveal a penthouse. In the middle of
the polished hard wood floor was a couch and a loveseat that surround an
Oriental rug, and on top was a coffee table that matched the floor with a
single rose in a crystal vase. Around a column behind it and to the left
was a black staircase that led to the second floor. The kitchen had black
and white tile floor that lead to a table in front of a large picture
window.
"My roommate is on vacation right now so we can use her room. Someone can
sleep on the couch and the loveseat." Jessica informed.
"We'll take the couches." Bryce offered for him and his brother, and for
once Travis didn't argue. Claudette abandoned her things and groggily
made her was up the stairs. She stumbled threw the first doorway her
blurry eyes saw and fell asleep the moment she collapsed on the bed.
Jessica walked into her room and saw Claudette asleep on the bed. She
grabbed a couple of blankets for Hadji and gave them to him. She then
made her own bed on the floor beside Claudette and laid one light quilt
over the sleeping form. Jessica pushed all her thoughts away as she fell
asleep on the carpeted floor.
~!~
Jessica Bannon slipped on a white chiffon robe and grabbed her laptop as
she walked down stairs. The two brothers we're sprawled out in random
positions, Travis almost falling off the couch. Jessica smiled to herself
and remembered when Mishelle would yell at Jonny to wake up so they could
eat and of course that was when the bickering started and didn't stop
till one of them went to bed. Now she missed the bickering, the tiffs,
the insults, but she, and the rest of them, would never hear it again.
Jessica poured herself a cup of coffee, added the cream and sugar and sat
at the table. The sun was coming out from behind buildings and other
landmarks that jetted out into the Corpus Christi skyline. She typed an
e-mail to the lab and sipped her coffee.
"I though you were the head honcho." Came a familiar voice.
"I am." She looked up through the steam, "That's why I typed it. Now
they know that I'm not going to be there. If you haven't noticed already,
Skeptic, being the head of an electronics firm is different than being
the head of a lab."
His raven black hair was messy and kind of stuck up in the back. His
slacks were wrinkled and he looked like a kid that fell asleep watching
TV. He sat down next to her and sipped the coal black coffee.
"Kinda makes you wish we got together more often." She nodded and looked
down at her mug and watched the steaming liquid turn in spirals inside
it.
"Look, I should start packing. See ya, Bryce."
"Jess?"
"Yes?"
"It'll be alright. We'll get through this. Hell, we've gotten through
almost everything else!"
"Yea, I just wish we all could have gone through this together." She
swept some of her fiery auburn bangs behind her ear and walked up stairs.
~!~
"Hey, Claud! Feeling rested?" Jessica asked when she saw Claudette
sitting on the edge of her bed.
"Az much az could be expected." The younger girl replied. "I come home
vrom collage and Mother tellz me zat I have to pack vor zee US! And zen
zhe tells me zhat Zelle's dead." Jessica pulled on a pair of jeans and a
white shirt and started throwing clothes in a suitcase. "Zee next thing
you know, poof!, zhere's novon left."
"Claudette," Jessica looked up, "Don't think like that! We're gonna make
it together. Shelle was a loner and she had this tough image of her self
that she thought she had to keep up. She didn't even tell Trav what was
going on." Tai-Lee walked pass the doorway, and peeked in.
"What about Travis?"
"You mean Zhelle." Claudette corrected sadly. "Zhe didn't tell Traviz
vhat vas going on."
"She didn't?"
Jessica shook her head, "He didn't know a thing." She then decided to
change the depressing subject to something more in the present. "Hey,
Tai, how is going with you and Hadji?" she teased.
~!~
Hadji wrapped his turban around his head and reached instinctively for
the jewel. When his fingers touched nothing he remembered that when Nelea
told him the news it was around three in the morning. He quickly threw
some clothes in a suitcase, wrapped his turban, and rushed out of the
palace to the airport since he knew it would take a little while to find
a pilot. Rushing out of the palace was a risk, too. But he took it none
the less. He met Tai-Lee when they were switching planes in Los Angeles.
He silently made his way to the kitchen and found Bryce reading the
morning paper.
"You just missed Jess." He said without looking up.
"Good morning, Bryce." Hadji's ears prepared for a crash of some sort,
but when there was none he reminded himself that they wen't here. He sat
down and looked at the view the sun already lighting the city with its
yellow beams.
oww!
Travis walked stiffly in a few seconds later.
"So," Bryce smiled, "Finally decided to join the land of the living?"
Travis shot him a look. "Okay, bad joke."
Travis poured a cup of coffee and slowly sat down. He grabbed for the
sugar and started pouring it on the spoon, when it was almost overflowing
he dumped it in and started to stir.
"Travis, that's salt." His older brother informed him. "Are you okay?
We're all dealing with Mishelle's death together. So if you want to-"
" Just leave me alone." Travis interrupted as he left the room.
~!~
Travis mindlessly stormed up stairs. He just needed a place to sit and
think. Think why Mishelle didn't tell him or anyone what she was going
threw. He would have understood! Maybe if he called more often or visited
her. He was the head of the company! If he wanted a vacation he could
have it! Maybe that was the reason she's dead. Because she though no one
knew how she was feeling? Or she thought that no one cared. What if he
could have prevented her death with just a phone call or a quick break on
his part. First Jonny and now Mishelle. The team was disintegrating
before their eyes, and it might have been all Travis' fault that there
were six instead of seven.
~!~
"Come on! The tickets say two o' clock!" Jessica yelled up the stairs at
the guys.
"Geez, Jess!" Bryce said leading Hadji and Travis. "We've still got an
hour."
"Men!" She said under her breath.
~!~
They made it to the airport with time to spare, well enough to get
properly settled. They had most of row L. They we're still used to the
whole row to them selves. Jonny a one window and Mishelle as close to
the middle as possible. He kept saying things to no one in paticlar.
Things like "Those mountains look oftly close" among others along that
line to made Mishelle's life miserable.
A young couple settled in to the two seats on the left side of the plane.
This time Travis sat in the middle with Claudette in Mishelle's "seat".
Jessie near the window, Bryce had the aisle seat, Hadji next to
Claudette, and after Travis was Tai-Lee. Travis knew right then that
this was probably going to be the worst plane trip he'd ever taken. While
the flight attendant was telling the cabin about what to do if the plane
suddenly became a fireball plummeting to earth, he, like most of the
passengers didn't pay attention. The in-flight movie was a bore, and the
flight attendants kept asking him if he wanted a pillow…or some
peanuts…or anything else. It was all he could do not to snap at them. All
he wanted… all he needed was some rest. Although he was the last one up,
the fall interrupted a relentless night's dream. He closed his eyes and a
sigh escaped his slightly parted lips.
"Coffee?" an annoyingly perky brunette flight attendant asked. Travis
slowly opened his eyes.
"No." he glared, "Dose it look like I want some coffee?" The brunette
looked a little shocked and continued down the aisle. Travis closed his
blue eyes once more and let his head drop back into his seat. *It's going
to be a long one. * He thought.
~!~
"Travis? Travis, wake up!" Tai-Lee said softly while gently shaking him,
"We are going to land soon." The twin groggily awoke and ran a sweaty
palm through his copper locks of hair.
"Huh?"
"We are about to land. Get on your seatbelt." She repeated. He fumbled
for the buckle and soon got it in. Travis looked to his left, expecting a
slight nod from a scared girl beside him. Claudette gave him a quick
smile and continued looking ahead. He slowly did the same, knowing that
"Old habits die hard".
~!~
Laura and Parker Jenks greeted the friends with open arms and bloodshot
eyes. At the sight of the jetlagged group Laura's tears could be held
back no longer. Parker put his arm around his wife's shoulder as she
brokenly mumbled about her deceased children quietly as he led her to the
visitors. As she approached, her youth seamed to diminish before their
eyes. Wrinkles appeared at the corner of her eyes and mouth, there was no
life in her eyes. Jessica opened her arms to the woman and greeted her
with a tight embrace. When they let go Laura walked swiftly to the other
member of the former team. As Jessica turned away from her friends, a
familiar auburn haired woman came in to view.
"Mom?" Jessie asked unsteadily.
"Jessie." She spoke in slightly accented English. The mother and daughter
run into each other's open arms. Jessica inhaled deeply, her mother's
familiar sent entranced and hypnotized the twenty-four year old woman.
Relishing in her perfume and the feeling of being safe in her mother's
arms, she was oblivious to her father approaching with four year old
James Dean Bannon on his shoulders.
"Jethie!" the boy cried when he saw his older sister.
"James!" He climbed down from his perch and greeted her with such force
she would have probably fallen to the floor if she hadn't picked him up.
"Hi Jethie!" He ought a glimpse of his uncle talking quietly with Parker
Jenks. "Hiya, Uncle Hadji!"
"Hello James."
"Didja bring me somethin?" he asked still clinging to his older sister.
"James." Estella warned in a placid voice. Jessie set down her brother
and hugged her father tightly.
"I missed you." He said when they pulled apart.
"Me too, along with James."
"I'm *not* a squirt! I'm a big boy!" the four year old declared to
Travis. . James Dean Bannon was special to her in more ways than one.
When James was born Estella and Race still hadn't thought of a name.
Estella wanted this and Race wanted that. Finally Jessie came forward and
asked if she could name the baby boy. A day latter her parents answered
yes, but only if they liked it.
"James Dean" she stated confidently.
That was four years ago.
Now little James was telling Travis Crenshaw the he was *not* a squirt
but a big boy.
"Bonjour, James!" Claudette said cheerfully.
"Hi!" he responded.
*James must be loving this.* Jessie thought as her little brother ran
from person to person seeking attention.
"Hello, Dr. Bannon." She turned on her heel and faced the old doctor. A
smile crept on her lips. He took a step forward with the help of his worn
hickory cane.
"Dr. Quest!" she cried. "Where have you been? And please don't call me
Dr. Bannon. It's unnerving coming from you."
"Dr. Quest!" Hadji swiftly walked up to the two.
"Hadji!" the doctor laughed, "How are you?"
"Stunned, as is…" he glanced over to James being chased around by Bryce,
"…was…everyone else."
"Maybe James has his effect." Jessie offered.
"Of courze he doze! He iz adorable!" Claudette joined. "Hello Dr.
Quvest!"
"Hello Claudette."
"Jethie?" James tugged on her jeans; "I'm tired. Can we go now?"
"Sure. Bryce, Travis, Tai! Come on!" Laura and Parker followed with
Benton and the Bannon's. The crew of old friends, laughing and smiling
for once. James restakeing his claim of the skies on Bryce's shoulders.
Travis watched along side them, hands dug deep inside his pockets, but
his mind was some where else.
~!~
"Why didn't she tell me something was wrong?" he thought, "I would had
listened! I could only get off work for so long, I told her to call me if
she ever needed to talk. Why did she call me? She killed herself and I
don't even know why!"
"Heads up!" Bryce warned as he tossed his distant brother a large duffel
bag. He caught it right before it hit him. "Are you okay?" he asked
"Fine. Let's go." Travis answered, and caught up with the others.
TBC...
~!~
Part 2 will be the funral and might not be out for a while. But I'll
post everything after #2! Comments? Dimitri? Send him/them to
avollon@juno.com
Jessie Bannon
Number ONE Jessie Groupie
Number ONE Bryce Groupie
"Love isn't what you get out of a relationship. Love is what you put into
it."
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