Author's note: in an effort to finish of this fanfiction of mine and renew my love of JQ:TRA, I've been revising previous chapters to help inspire me to finally put in prose the new chapters. As a result of these major revisions, you will find some major changes regarding some of the previous chapters; more specifically, I have deleted the insertion of some poems and songs which I considered to be "fillers." There are two reasons for this: a) they did not add to the chapter in question; b) it just got to be so hard to make the story flow with some of the songs and poems I've chosen. This made the story longer to write because I would end up deviating from my outline.

The One and Only Jessie Bannon – A Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures Fanfiction

by Akane Rei

The Prologue: But The Tigers Come At Night

"Tiger! Tiger! burning bright . . ."

He moved quickly, quietly, into the woods. He slowed his breathing and tried to stem his eagerness.

He had found her. At long last, he had found her.

He hurried his strides, his mind intent on his goal, his destiny.

They thought they could hide her from him. All these years, he had lived with the despair that only his kind of tragedy, his kind of betrayal, could bear. But now, now he knew better. They were not going to take her away again. Never again.

"In the forests of the night . . ."

A lone figure slipped into the camp. He listened to the sounds of the night, crouching, waiting. The darkness cloaked his presence as he padded stealthily by the tents, his footsteps barely making a sound on the dewy grass. He felt a slight breeze disturb the night air, gently flapping his cloak around his legs. He paused slight before slowly lifting a tent flap and looking inside.

He gasped in an almost startled recognition. He knew, just knew that she would be here, within reach; but nothing compared to the reality of having her close. He entered the small tent and crouched before her. He watched the slow rise and fall of her chest, as his own breath strove to follow her deep, even breathing. She was close enough to touch. As if of its own accord, his gloved hand made a motion to caress her cheek only to stop a hairsbreadth away from its destination.

"Soon," he whispered. He closed his eyes and muttered a prayer of thanks at the Fates that had led him to her, to her captors, her supposed caretakers.

They had made it so easy for him. Anyone could have gotten her. Although that made his task much easier, he was enraged by their blatant disregard for her safety. Didn't they know that the world was a dangerous place? Didn't they realize that she must be protected at all costs? She was too precious . . . too precious.

But he was here now. And he would protect her.

"What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"

He reached in his parka and pulled out a small box. Opening it, he retrieved a minute disc-shaped chip and held it in his fingertips.

"It won't hurt much," he said softly, regretfully at her sleeping form. "I promise you, this is for the best."

He saw her toss and turn in her slumber, her face twisted into a frown. He yearned to stroke her brows and smooth the lines away, but he held himself in check. Now was not the time. There would be plenty of opportunities for him to offer his comfort later.

He heard her sigh.

"Soon," he whispered again. "Soon."

"In what distant deep or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes . . ."

He felt the expected slow rumble beneath his feet.

"It is time," he said to himself.

He took the chip in his hand and gently placed it on her forehead. He watched as it flattened and attached itself there. Five translucent strands emerged from the chip and crept along her forehead. He waited patiently, allowing the device to do its work.

The ground shook again with more vigor this time, jostling her into a slow wakefulness. He watched as she slowly opened her eyes. Recognition dawned in their depths. She opened her mouth to scream at the same moment she swung her arm to deliver a quick blow to his eye, but he was much faster. He quickly restrained her struggling form.

"Don't make me hurt you," he rasped. "Please." And still he waited. He waited for the device to deliver her to blessed sleep. He waited for the rumblings of the earth to get stronger. He was a patient man.

She struggled furiously from his grip and attempted to bite his fingers.

He tightened his hold and looked at her eyes. He was sure the flames of anger in there matched the ones outside.

"Listen to me," he said urgently, pleadingly, "this is for the best."

Still she struggled to get away from him, the hate evident in her eyes.

"Whatever they told you about me," he said, "it's not true. I would never --"

The ground shook once more and an explosion of light brightened the night sky.

"On what wings dare he aspire . . ."

"It is time," he said again. He looked at the chip on her forehead and saw the green glow that signaled its activation. In no time at all, a spark of electricity traveled through the strands connected to the chip and a spasm seized her entire body and she began to convulse violently.

He held her tighter once again and tried to soothe her.

"It won't last much longer," he murmured gently. "I promise."

Finally, her body went still and she hung limply in his arms, a dead weight.

He took his hand off her mouth and stared at her face. "So peaceful," he breathed. It reminded him of death.

That thought jolted him out of his inertia and he sprang to his feet.

The ground shook again.

He exited the tent and looked at his surroundings. The once tranquil night now blazed as the flames consumed the surrounding greenery. He could feel the heat emanating from the fires as he headed towards the path he was sure would be left untouched by flames. However, as he looked towards that direction, he saw THEM.

"Hey, you!" he heard one of them say.

He stared at them, confused at their presence. They were supposed to be in the other tents, inhaling the poisonous gas he released.

"Stop!" he heard.

Securing his grip on her, he ran towards the opposite direction, intent on escape.

"What the hand dare seize the fire . . ."

Protecting her with the cover of his body, he ran through the woods, feeling the back lash of the heat. The flames nipped at his feet. He could feel his sweat pouring at the side of his face.

He had to escape. He would not fail this time.

He dodged a burning branch and continued to run from the greedy blaze. He could feel his breath coming in gasps, his legs burning as flames touched his clothes. With more determination, he ran towards the sound of the waves, away from the heat.

And when he found himself in the edge of a cliff, he knew there was nowhere else to go.

He looked at his beloved one and stared again at her face. He tried to wipe the soot from her cheek as he cradled her close to his chest. He turned back to look at the individuals intent on catching him as they themselves escape the fires.

He watched the sky as it turned into an angry shade of red.

He looked again at his pursuers as they now approach him slowly.

He stepped back and heard the sound of crumbling rocks beneath his feet. He checked his balance before facing his enemies.

"And what shoulder, and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?"

He watched as they stopped in their tracks.

"Let her go," one of them said, his voice steady, reasonable.

"I'll make him let her go," muttered a younger voice as he made a move to approach him.

He stepped back again while the others restrained the young man. He looked down and saw where the cliff ended near the soles of his feet. Glancing at her unconscious form in his arms, he felt a pang in the region of his heart.

"We had so little time," he said, shaking his head regretfully. "So little time."

"Please," he heard another one of them, a woman this time, interrupting his thoughts. "Let her go."

He slid back even further. He could hear the sound of the waves as they crashed into the rocks below.

He felt the breeze and saw it gently play with her hair.

"You took her from me!" he shouted at the group. "Do you know what it felt like for me to lose her? And all because of you! You abandoned us!"

"Listen to me," shouted the man back. "What happened was a tragedy and --"

"It could have been averted had they --"

"I know," he replied evenly. "But listen to me--"

He took another step back. "You took her from me and now I'm taking her back," he said. She's my daughter!"

"And when thy heart began to beat
What dread hand forged thy dread feet?"

"Oh, God," said the woman from the group.

He looked at her as she wobbled at her feet.

"Please," she said, her voice cracking. "Put her down."

He looked back at the young woman nestled in his arms. "No one will ever separate us," he said. "I promise."

He took another slow step back and more displaced rocks fell on the edge of the cliff. "I promise," he said.

"Rage!" he heard his name called. He looked up and saw the government man tremble. "Look at her, Rage! She is not your daughter! She is not Carla!"

"Liar!" he screamed. "Your evil shall not permeate me or my daughter!"

He took the final step back and felt the ground collapse under his feet. He held on to his daughter with all his might and watched the stars become even smaller than they already were.

"Jessie!" he vaguely heard.

He closed his eyes and met his destiny.

Revised July, 2006
Author's note: poem incorporated into the story is by William Blake