Love is Strong

Jonny remembers that any bad mood he was in over the next few weeks was quickly thwarted by the thought that Jessie wanted to spend her last night at home with him. He was right about one thing though, Race wasn't very happy about not getting to spend his Ponchita's entire last night with her. Thankfully, however, he got over it when she promised to spend the entire twenty-four hours prior to the concert with him. Jonny spent most of his free time leading up to the concert trying to plan how he was going to tell Jessie that he wanted them to become more than friends. He also went back and forth as to whether or not it was too soon to give her his mother's locket. He thought it'd be a really romantic gesture, but he also didn't want to come on too strong.

On the day of the concert, Jonny remembers feeling a mixture of excitement, fear and dread. He was excited that he was gonna tell Jess how he felt, scared to death that she'd laugh at him, and dreading the fact that he would have to say goodbye to her the following day either way. The concert started at eight, so Jonny suggested that they leave at five to grab a bite to eat first. He knew as they got into his car that Jess probably expected him to take her to Joe's for one last burger, but he surprised her with reservations to an exclusive French restaurant that he knew she always wanted to try.

She was definitely surprised. The look that crossed her face when she realized where he had brought her was almost enough to make Jonny die a happy man in that moment. She was concerned that she was underdressed, but Jonny assured her not to worry about a thing. He had arranged for a private table out on the patio. Nobody else would be around, so it didn't really matter how they were dressed. He'll never forget the way she looked that night either. She was wearing tight black jeans and a light green tank top that brought out her eyes and accentuated her figure. One side of her hair was clipped back by a sliver beret, but small strands of hair stubbornly fell forward to frame her face anyway.

She was so beautiful, and he remembers how hard it was for him not to just tell her right there. Before he left the house though, he had promised himself that he'd stick to the plan and tell her at the end of the night. So he just steeled himself against her smiling face and focused on making sure she had a good time.

"May I bring you something to drink?" the tuxedo-clad waiter had asked them in a thick French accent, interrupting Jonny's train of thought.

"Could you just bring us a pitcher of water while we look at our menus please," Jonny had requested. The waiter nodded and told them he would only be a moment as he walked away with a questioning look on his face.

Jonny laughed when the man was out of hearing distance and commented, "I guess he's not used to a teenaged clientele."

"I'd say not" Jess replied. "So tell me how you managed all this. I mean this is the most exclusive restaurant in town, not to mention the fact that we have are own private little area here."

"I have my ways Jess, I have my ways."

"Oh please, don't pretend like you're a playboy with me. Explain, Hotshot."

"Ok, so I wanted tonight to be special and I knew you wanted to come here, so I thought I'd just take a chance and see if they had a cancelled reservation or something. They must have caller ID because when I called they automatically thought I was my father, and I didn't exactly rush to correct them so they were pretty accommodating."

She was laughing softly at this point. "So that waiter was expecting to serve the famous Dr. Quest and probably get a really big tip tonight, but all he got was a couple of kids instead."

"Yeah pretty much," he continued. "And I figured it's not like they could really turn us away at the door either. I mean if they're so eager for my father's business, it probably wouldn't be a good move to embarrass his son right?"

"You're pretty smooth Quest. I'm impressed," she said and couldn't seem to stop smiling.

"Save the compliments for later Ace because the night's not over yet," he said in a mysterious tone.

"Hey, isn't tonight supposed to be about your birthday?" she asked.

"Well I decided to make it about both of us," he replied. Again, she gave him a look that would make him die happy. "I just hope the waiter doesn't spit in my food or anything," he finished, and she burst out laughing as the waiter approached the table with their water.

"So what will you both be having tonight, sir?" the waiter asked politely.

Dinner was great, but they had to rush to get to the concert in time. Jess didn't get him good seats. She got him great seats. They were so close he could see the sweat on Mick Jagger's face. When the Stones had come out after the opening acts, everyone stood up and tried to get closer. By an hour into the performance Jonny and Jessie weren't even close to where they had started.

Jonny didn't really care though. He loved the Stones, but he couldn't take his eyes off Jess all night. She stood slightly in front of him, and was dancing to every song. He remembers thinking that she was definitely getting a workout, but she looked real good doing it. The problem was that Jonny noticed several other guys noticing her, as well. Every time he sees someone looking at her, his first instinct is to beat the shit out of the guy. He can't help it. He rarely does let things come to physical blows, of course, because he knows Jess hates being treated like a damsel in distress. However, there has been more than one occasion where he's let a guy have it anyway. She always forgives him...eventually.

At the concert their stares seemed to bother him even more than normal. So with every bit of confidence he could muster, Jonny took a step to close the small gap between him and Jess and wrapped his arm around her waist from behind. She froze for a moment at his touch, but then quickly responded by grabbing hold of the arm he had around her waist and throwing her other arm behind her and around his neck. Now, Jonny wasn't paying attention to the concert at all.

They had danced closely and even provocatively many times before that night (mostly just to push Race's buttons), but this was different. Jonny didn't know if it was just him, but it felt more intimate. They were in almost constant physical contact as she swayed her body from side to side, and occasionally up and down his. Every few moments, he would get even closer to lean down and whisper something in her ear, and then he would feel her laugh go through her entire body.

After about another hour of this Jonny was finding it really hard to control himself, so he was really glad to hear Mick Jagger scream, "Thank you, and goodnight." The cold air hitting his face was exactly what he needed as they walked out of the concert venue. It brought him back to some sense of reality. When he looked over at Jess, he saw that she was shivering a little so he threw his arm over her shoulders to help keep her warm as they walked back to his car. When they got in and he noticed the clock on the radio, however, Jonny's heart began to beat a little faster. It was 11:30. He only had an hour and a half.

"So where to now, Hotshot," he heard her break into his thoughts.

"It's a surprise," he smiled while starting up the car. He only hoped she couldn't tell how nervous he really felt.

He was taking her to the small stretch of beach behind the promenade in downtown Rockport. When they were little, they used to ride their bikes there everyday in the summer. They'd grab an ice cream cone and then hang out on the beach for hours. It was great because no one ever really came down that far on the beach, so it was like their own private island. They would think up different adventures to have each day. Once Questworld was introduced to them, however, the trips to their special spot were few and far between until they stopped going all together. They hadn't been there in almost five years. Jonny was hoping that bringing her back to this spot would be the beginning of a new and deeper phase to their relationship. By the time they got close to the promenade, Jessie turned in her seat with a satisfied grin on her face.

"I know where you're taking me Jonny," she declared.

He just smiled, but didn't respond. All he could think about was that he was minutes away from either the best or worst moment of his life. After he parked, Jessie jumped out of the car and made a b-line towards their spot. He smiled as he saw her running, and swears that he felt twelve again as he started to chase after her. When he caught up with her, she was sitting with her knees to her chest on the rocky area that protrudes slightly out into the ocean.

He quickly climbed up and sat down on the smooth flat rock beside her. Looking at her, he wasn't really sure what she was thinking. She was just staring out at the ocean, and would close her eyes and take a deep breath every few seconds. He just sat there for a few minutes watching her, and listening to the water crash against the rocks.

"Are you tired?" he questioned, noting her behavior.

"No," she answered. "I'm just trying to soak this place up, ya know. I can't believe I have to leave tomorrow." She took another deep breath before continuing. "I mean I know I'm not leaving forever or anything. It's just that Rockport is home, and I don't care what anybody tells me, Boston will never compare."

As she was talking Jonny moved a little closer and she turned towards him so that they were now face to face on the rock. She was a little to his left, but scooted up so that there knees where touching.

"Thank you for bringing me here," she said quietly, almost sadly.

"No problem," he replied. He knew that he should have said more, but he was too preoccupied with spotting that perfect moment to tell her that he loved her. Jonny saw that she had lowered her head to her knees, so he reached his hand out to caress the back of her head. The last thing he wanted to do that night was make her sad.

"I thought brining you here would be kind of poetic, ya know," he tried to say in a light tone.

"Yeah," she said in a muffled voice and then lifted her head with a sigh. That was when he noticed the tears running down her face. He didn't know what to do for a second. He'd seen her cry before, but it was a very rare occurrence. He hated it when she cried. He noticed that she was looking pretty much everywhere except at him as she tried to calm down. She's never liked to meet his eyes while crying. He doesn't know why for sure, but suspects it's because she doesn't want him to see her as weak.

His moment of inaction didn't last long, however. He moved the hand that was behind her head around to hold her face, and pushed it tenderly so that she was looking at him. This made her cry harder. It wasn't an all- consuming sob or anything. In fact, she wasn't making much noise at all. The tears were just pouring silently down her face with no signs of stopping. He tried to brush them all away as they came, using both of his hands, but he couldn't seem to keep up with her. Eventually, he just settled for holding her head in his hands while she let it all out.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said softly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think coming here would upset you. We can go, come on let's just go."

"No," she said quietly. "That's the last thing I want to do. I'm glad we came here. It's not this place that's upsetting me, it's just that I...," but she stopped mid sentence and began crying again, this time into his chest.

"What is it?" he gently tried to prod her while stroking her hair. "You can tell me. You can tell me anything, you know that."

"I know," she said into his shirt.

"What's the problem? Are you nervous about school? If you are, you shouldn't be. You are gonna blow all of your peers and professors away. I have no doubt about that. Harvard's not gonna know what hit it. I bet you'll even end up breaking some of the academic records my father set there."

That got her to laugh slightly. "I don't think anyone on the planet could break those records."

"You can," he said with complete sincerity and she pulled herself a little tighter against him. "If you've taught me nothing else over the last thirteen years it's that there is no limit to what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it. Any person who ever underestimates you is a damn fool in my book."

"Thanks J," she eventually responded. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"Hey," he said while pushing her back a little so he could see her face. "It's my job remember." He finally saw that smile he loved return to her face. They were quiet for a few moments after that, just listening to the waves. He knew this was the moment. He didn't even hesitate as he reached into his pocket for that velvet box, and then she caught him off guard.

"I'm going to miss you like crazy, Jonny." He couldn't respond for a moment because he was so focused on the contents in his hand. When he opened his mouth to respond, however, she placed a finger over it to silence him. Then she grabbed the hand in his pocket plus the one that was around her and held them both against her heart. He could feel it beating quickly through her shirt. She took a deep breath and then began again.

"I just want you to know that..," but she never finished the sentence. The moment that followed has replayed in Jonny's mind and has been analyzed about a thousand times since it happened. It was like time slowed down. One moment she was talking, and the next her breath had just caught in her throat and they were staring at each other in a way that best friends shouldn't.

He remembers thinking, 'Ok, it's now or never.' He brought his hand back up to caress the side of her face, and began moving his lips closer to hers. She was also moving closer, and he could feel her breath against his lips. They both hesitated for a second, but then kept going until a loud crashing noise caused them to break apart.

"Will you be careful with that thing," a furious female voice could be heard screaming.

"I'd like to see you try and carry it," an equally angry man replied. As Jessie turned more towards the noise, Jonny took a quick glance at his watch. It was 12:45.

"Shut up," the girl said, which was followed quickly by the man's, "No, you shut up."

"God, do those two ever do anything but fight?" Jessie said with a slightly nervous giggle. Jonny knew that the question was rhetorical.

When she glanced back at him he sighed and said sheepishly, "They're early."

"What's going on?" she asked with a curious stare.

Before he got the chance to answer, however, a bouncing blonde came running up to them and began talking at the speed of light.

"So is this a private party or what?" she started. "God, Mark is such an idiot. Look at him trying to carry that thing. I told him to just keep it in the car. So, of course, he decided to do the opposite. He never listens to me. I don't know why I put up with him. All he ever does is drive me crazy. You know..."

Jonny quickly interjected when she took a small breath. "Carrie, breathe why don't you." he said in an obviously annoyed voice. "You guys are early," he had said and then announced, "I'm gonna go help Mark."

As he jumped down off the rocks to help Mark with the cooler he was carrying, Jonny thought he heard Carrie ask Jess what his problem was. He didn't want to stick around to hear Jess' answer.