The first of the dance-inspired story series.

Characters and associated details are property and copyright Hanna-Barbera. This work is intended for the enjoyment of other fans and not for profit.

Well, my first shot at a piece of fan fiction. Since the typical advice goes, "write what you know," I decided to introduce two of my favorite characters to my absolute favorite activity. I'm an avid dancer, so if those sequences are overly detailed and boring, I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of anything more hopelessly romantic than falling in love while dancing. Heck, _I_ did it. Enjoy, and archive at will.

THE REAL ROMANTIC ADVENTURES OF JONNY QUEST

Synopsis: Jessie and Jonny are forced into ballroom dancing lessons, leading to all kinds of discoveries.

"BOLERO"

by Eric R. Umali

"You want me to learn _what_?" Jonny Quest's eyes went wide. Benton Quest put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Calm down, Jonny. It's just a few lessons, and it's going to be fun," the father said. He had expected resistance to this idea. Jonny was nearly sixteen; and a take-charge, adventuresome young man at that. What Benton had in mind was not what Jonny would consider "cool."

"But Pop, it's _ballroom dancing_. I mean, what are the other kids in school gonna think? I don't even understand why you want me to, anyway."

"Because, as you're so fond of pointing out to me, you're becoming a sophisticated man of the world. It's time you learned the rest of the world doesn't mosh or house, it mambos."

Jonny shook his head. "I don't believe this..."

Benton sighed. "Well, at least you won't be alone. Race has decided to send Jessie to the lessons as well."

"Oh, great," the young man replied. "She's bound to love it. And I bet she can't wait to make fun of my two left feet."

Right on cue, just as Benton opened his mouth to reply, a shrill sound hit them from upstairs.

"What? You want me to learn _what_?!"

"But, Ponchita..."

They heard footsteps descending the stairs, and walked out of Benton's office to meet them. Jessie Bannon's boots clumped down the stairs as she headed for the family room. Chasing after her was her father, Race.

She didn't even bother turning around to continue the argument. "Don't 'Ponchita' me, Daddy. If you think you can get me to do some stupid dance class just because I'm a girl, you're seriously mistaken." Jonny and Benton followed them into the family room. Once they were all gathered, the young people steamed away on one side of the room, while their fathers pondered their next step.

Benton cleared his throat. "All right, you two, that's enough. For starters, the underlying reason we want you to take lessons is that we've been invited to an affair being given by the French Ambassador next month. It is a very important party, because I'm trying to convince the French government to let me study some archaeological sites. The French Ambassador can get me that permission."

"That's great, Dr. Quest, but what does that have to do with us?" Jessie asked.

"The French Ambassador dances. All his friends dance. The invitation is explicit in recommending that guests be able to dance. It is also explicit in inviting _all_ of the team that would be going to France. Including you two. On top of that, like I told Jonny-the two of you are becoming sophisticated young adults, and sophisticated adults in the circles we need to socialize with know how to dance."

Jonny was adamant. "It isn't fair, Pop. I mean, you wouldn't catch someone like... _Race_ ballroom dancing, would you?"

Benton winced. He was well aware of his son's hero worship of the family's bodyguard and operations manager, but wasn't fond of being reminded of it. But here, he knew, it would help. Race shook his head and said exactly what Benton hoped he would.

"Actually, Jonny, you would. I've taken plenty of lessons, and believe me, it's more fun than you could possibly imagine."

Both Jonny and Jessie's jaws dropped. "I don't believe it," Jonny muttered, aghast.

"Now Jonny, you know that when I was in the Agency, I was sent to plenty of embassy and consulate parties. What do you think we did there when the music started, the hokey-pokey?"

Jessie looked thoughtful. "So when Mom said you were a good dancer..."

Race nodded. "That's right, when she used to say I swept her off her feet, we were dancing... oh, I think it was the Tango, if memory serves. No, it was the Bolero. Yes, that's it. Now _that's_ a dance."

Jonny shook his head. "I still don't know."

Benton sighed again. "Fine then. No dance lessons, no trip to France. For any of us."

Jessie and Jonny looked at each other. They shrugged.

*************************

Jonny parked the jeep right in front of the studio. He looked up at the big white and black sign emblazoned "Fred Astaire Dance Studios" and kind of grunted. "I still can't believe I'm doing this." He and Jessie got out of the jeep and headed inside. They were greeted by a receptionist.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Hi. We have an appointment for a beginner lesson. My name is Jonny Quest."

"Ah, yes, here it is. Getting ready for the Ambassador's big party. We've gotten lots of business lately thanks to the French Ambassador. Come right this way. My name is Anne Marie Paul, and I'll be your instructor today. You're a little early, so you can have a seat and stretch or whatever, and we can start in a few minutes."

Anne Marie smiled brightly. She looked every inch a dancer, Jessie thought; from the neat bun in her hair to the graceful way she stood to shake Jonny's hand. All of a sudden, she became painfully aware of every movement. *If there's one thing I'm not*, she thought, *it's graceful. This is gonna be bad.*

They stepped onto the large wooden dance floor, and sat on a small bench. They both pulled off their street shoes and dipped into their backpacks for the formal shoes they had been told to bring. As they put them on, Jessie noticed a TV on nearby. She pointed it out to Jonny. It showed a huge dance floor, with an even bigger crowed gathered around it. Jonny recognized it as the kind of ballroom competition he had flipped by so often on PBS. The announcer on the show called out a man's name, and the dancer stepped out. He moved slowly to the center of the dance floor. He was tall, slim, and handsome. He wore all black; his pants were high waisted, and his shirt revealed a good deal of muscled chest. When he moved, his hips swayed sinuously.

*What a dork*, Jonny thought to himself.

*He's kinda cute, but jeez, what a dork*, Jessie agreed silently.

At that moment, the dancer's partner was introduced. A blur of tan skin flashed past the man, did a blindingly fast series of spins, then came to a dead stop. Jonny's mouth opened. She stood there, long dark hair still moving, in a green-gold... outfit... that seemed to be composed of nothing but inch-wide straps.

*Wow*, Jonny thought, *she's gorgeous.*

*Wow*, Jessie thought, *she's gorgeous.*

The dancers began an energetic number the announcer identified as a Samba. The couple spun, glided, and twisted around the dance floor. When they finished, Jonny and Jessie were as breathless as the dancers looked. Jessie turned to him.

"That was incredible. I never knew ballroom dancing could be so..."

"I know what you mean. You think we'll be doing anything like that?" Jonny asked.

"Not quite, I hope. Most of my bathing suits cover more than that outfit."

The image of Jessie and him in the couple's Latin outfits flashed quickly through both their minds, and both were surprised at how intriguing they found the idea. Before either could comment, Anne Marie appeared in front of them. "Ready to dance?" she said.

Both young people rose. Anne Marie led them to one side of the floor. "We're going to start with probably the easiest dance there is-Merengue," she said and stood in front of both of them. "For starters, all your steps will be very much the same. Stand with your feet together, nice and straight, with your weight on your right foot." They complied. "Now," she continued, "step on your left foot. Now on your right. Left. Right." They mimicked her. "Not too much of a step, but not too little, just like me."

They continued to step back and forth. "Good," Anne Marie said, "now we can try it as partners." Jessie swallowed hard. *Here it comes*, she thought. Anne Marie placed them facing each other. "I want you to bring your arms up as if you were holding a big beach ball in front of you. Good, now Jonny, raise your left hand as if you were going to throw a dart. Jessie, raise your right hand as if you were pledging allegiance. Good. This is what we call a dance frame. It should stay up, but not be so tense as to make you tired. Now, Jessie, keeping your frame in place, walk up to Jonny. Your raised hands should clasp, and your arms should make kind of a tepee. Jonny, put your right hand right on Jessie's shoulder blade, and close your fingers together. Jessie, put your left hand right around the deltoid muscle on Jonny's arm. That's right. This is your dance hold for this dance, as well as other Latin dances like Rumba and Cha Cha and that Samba you saw on the tape."

Jonny and Jessie couldn't believe that they were standing there, holding each other, but weren't exactly complaining about it, either. Anne Marie continued. "Now Jonny, stand with your weight on your right foot; Jessie, on your right. That's how you're going to start most dances. Now start stepping, left, right, left, right, keep going. Good. Now Jonny, see if you can start turning in place to your left. Very good! Now to your right? Terrific! Keep going while I turn on some music."

Jonny smiled as Anne Marie puttered with the nearby stereo. "Hey," he whispered, "this isn't too bad." Jessie smiled back. "No, it isn't." The music started up, and they both recognized it: an old party song, "Hot Hot Hot" by Buster Poindexter. "Okay, you can hang on. Now you're going to take one step with each beat." They paused, then picked up with the music. "Very good, you two, you're doing excellent! I even see we're even starting to feel some hip motion!" They both looked down. Sure enough, their hips were moving in time to the rhythm. Not quite the way they had seen on the tape, but they were definitely getting into this. They laughed.

The rest of the first hour passed quickly. Jonny learned to lead simple changes in direction, and even to get Jessie to do slow turns under his upraised arm. They took a ten minute break, then continued. "Now for the classic ballroom dance, the Waltz. Now I'll admit, it's slower than Merengue and a little more difficult, but believe me-when you start gliding down the dance floor, you'll love it. Now here we go."

She showed them the first steps, the simple three-step box, then began to explain how to get around the room. "Always move counter clockwise. Jonny, keep the walls on your right side-this is your line of dance." Soon, she put them into the slightly different dance hold.

"On the video, they weren't holding like this," Jessie commented. "What you saw there is a more advanced style dance hold. I didn't plan to show you that right now. There's enough for you to think about."

"Please, just show us?" Jessie pleaded. *She's really getting into this*, Jonny thought. *Not that I blame her, though-it really is a lot of fun.* Anne Marie relented. "Oh, all right, but when you're dancing, use the simple hold, okay?"

They parted and she began to shift them around. "Jonny, bring your elbows up and even; relax your shoulders. Bring this arm further out. Now lower down through your knees slightly, keeping your back straight. Not too much. That's it. Now Jessie, you need to walk up to Jonny and fit yourself into this frame. Good, keep the elbows even and shoulders relaxed. Now settle your shoulder blades into his hand like you were sitting in a canvas-backed chair. Both of you keep your heads towards the left and your chins up. A little more Jessie, like you were looking over your watch. Good. Now I don't want to see sunlight between you."

Jonny struggled not to turn his head as he asked, "We're really that close?" Anne Marie nodded. "It's called body contact, and you should be connected, right side to right side from the top of your rib cage to mid-thigh." Jonny was suddenly aware that his cheeks were warming. He took in a breath to cool them, but noticed a sweet scent on it. Sweet like strawberries. He pretended to stretch his neck as he tried to place it. Soon enough, he realized it was Jessie. More specifically, Jessie's mane of flame red hair. *Funny I've never noticed that before*, he thought. *I like it.*

That hour passed as quickly, and soon they were gliding and turning and loving Waltz as promised As they changed shoes, Anne Marie patted them both on the shoulder. "You two did awesome! I'm so proud of you. You make a terrific couple." They looked at each other at those words, then away. They left the studio smiling.

They were still smiling as they drove home. Jonny looked over his sunglasses at Jessie as she brushed the stray hairs blowing onto her face. "Since when did you start using one of those herbal fruity shampoos? You're usually just a simple wash n' go kinda gal."

She turned to him, smiling. "Since when did you start wearing cologne?" Jonny was taken aback by that one. He had just started that day. A little sample of Cool Water had come in the mail, and he decided to try it out. He turned back to her. "You like it?" he asked warily.

For a second, she contemplated a smart answer. It was their usual way, to take a few verbal jabs in good fun, but not this time. "Yeah. It smells really nice on you." She paused, then: " Do you like the shampoo?" She couldn't believe she just asked that. Be then, she'd never believed she would be ballroom dancing and loving it, either.

"Yeah. It really suits you. Seems like the way red hair oughta smell. Very..." he searched for the right word, then rolled it around a little. "...feminine." *Did I really just say that?!*

"Why, Jonny Quest-I don't believe you've ever used that word to describe me."

"It fits. Especially today. You know, you're really a very good dancer. You must get it from your Dad."

"Flatterer. I stink. You're the one that's good. But I do think I understand why Dad loves to do it so much." Suddenly, a paper on the dashboard flipped up and into the wind. Jonny's hand flew out to pin it down. So did Jessie's. Their hands came down together on top of it, and on each other. They looked at their hands, then at each other. Some time later, they would swear at that moment, they began to see as if with new eyes. Their hands stayed there, together, all the way back to the compound.

That night at dinner, dancing was all they could talk about. They went on and on about Anne Marie and the studio and the lessons. Their fathers were ecstatic, and more than a little surprised. When their subject turned slightly towards dancing together, they hesitated, then switched to another topic. Hadji Singh, sitting quietly, smiled to himself. *So*, Hadji thought, *they are finally going to get together. It's about time.*

The lessons continued that way, three days a week. Race was beside himself to see his daughter loving and excelling at something he loved to do and had never thought she would take to. The day she and Jonny came home from town with actual ballroom dance shoes, he smiled for hours on end.

*************************

Soon, it was the last lesson before the big party. Jonny and Jessie were in their usual corner, stretching and using small metal brushes on the suede soles of their ballroom shoes. Anne Marie, whom they had quickly grown to be very close to, came onto the floor. "Hi guys," she said. "Are we ready to go?" Before Jonny could answer, Jessie spoke up. "Anne Marie, do you think we could do another dance today, instead of more Foxtrot"

"Sure," their teacher said, "did you have a particular one in mind?"

"My father's favorite dance. Bolero."

"Great choice," Anne Marie said, smiling. "It's my favorite, too. Okay with you, Jonny?" He shrugged. "Sounds great," he answered.

The lesson stretched over both hours. The complex styling of the dance, its combination of smooth, gliding steps and Latin-style sharpness was the biggest challenge they had faced so far. But in their usual style, Jessie and Jonny took to it quickly. Towards the last fourth of the lesson, Jessie stopped for a break and began asking more questions. "So what would the character for Bolero be? I can feel the music, but I haven't got the best handle on it."

Jonny smiled. More than he, Jessie had begun to love learning the character of each dance- the feelings and emotional impressions that the dancers were meant to convey. From the sharp confidence of Tango to the easygoing Foxtrot to the energetic Swing, Jessie was becoming quite the dance floor actress. "Bolero, more than anything, is about passion," Anne Marie replied, and immediately, both young people began paying rapt attention. "It's about reaching out for the person you're madly in love with, grasping for something that's so close, and yet, so far. You're never sure if you should hold them tight or send them away. There's a lot of 'come here, come here, go away, go away' in Bolero. It's a very interesting dance."

Jessie and Jonny looked blankly at each other and as he gathered her into his arms, he couldn't place why his throat was so dry. Jessie was having trouble hearing Anne Marie's instructions. She barely registered it when Anne Marie headed over to the stereo. Both shook their heads, clearing them. They continued practicing. As they left, they promised Anne Marie they'd be back regularly, and meant it.

When they hit the highway headed back for the compound, they didn't talk much. Jonny rested his hand on the gearshift. Without a word, Jessie placed hers on top and curled her fingers in, lacing them with Jonny's.

*************************

For the thousandth time that night, Jonny tugged at his collar. *Great*, he said to himself, *my shirt is choking me, and I haven't even left the house yet.* He looked into the mirror. He had just about sworn he would never wear a monkey suit, but when he, his dad and Race had gone into town to pick his out, he insisted that they buy it for him, not just rent it. He pulled on the jacket. It was cut very smartly, a classic satin shawl collar, one button. He'd had to wait several excruciating extra days for the tailoring on it to be done, since most jackets were not built for raising one's arms into dance position. The shirt was more modern, with a high banded collar circled by a ribbon of black satin in place of the traditional bow tie. Tugging at his shirt collar once more, he slapped his forehead. He had forgotten that Jessie had bought him a present that day. Opening his drawer, he pulled out the small velvet box. Inside was a shiny silver disk with an intricate engraved pattern, resembling stylized "Q" logo that marked his father's equipment. He placed it over the top button of his shirt. At the thought of Jessie's present, the collar didn't seem so tight anymore. He reached for the thin silver chain on the black satin vest he wore. He had been tinkering that morning and had cobbled together a pocketwatch version of the multipurpose Quest wristwatches the team wore, together with a thin silver bracelet version which he had presented to Jessie as she left to get ready.

He left his room, taking his light long overcoat, and headed downstairs. Benton and Race were already waiting. Race smiled. "Well, I'll be," he said, looking Jonny over. "The kid looks all right."

Benton smiled as well. "You look very handsome, son. And very mature, I might add." Jonny nodded, almost without thinking. "Thanks, Pop." It was obvious his mind was elsewhere. "Is Jessie ready yet?"

Race patted the young man on the back. "Jonny, if there's one thing you're gonna need to learn about women, it's..."

"You weren't about to make any kind of comment, were you, Dad?"

They all whirled to see her. As Jonny came to a stop, so did time. She stood there at the top of the stairs, and Jonny's heart skipped a beat. He laughed to himself. *You know, I always thought that was just a figure of speech.* Her blaze of red hair had been pulled up and away from her face in a neat twist, but a few long strands hung near her temples, framing her face. She wore a minimum of makeup, but what she had used made her mouth look full and generous, and drew a person's gaze right into her sparkling emerald eyes. Her silver earrings glittered in the light. Her gown was a deep, dark green. The silk had been woven so it glittered when it moved, without being weighed down by sequins or beads. It had a plain bodice, with six thin straps that crisscrossed at the back. The gown hugged her slim figure to the waist, then the floor length skirt pleated. She wore a gauzy green wrap around her shoulders and clutched a silvered hand bag. Her shoes were the same green as the dress, and Jonny's silver bracelet circling her left wrist completed the vision. She twirled, and the skirt billowed around her.

Jonny's eyes felt dry, but he couldn't even bring himself to blink. Race spoke, and his words brought him back into time.

"Ponchita... Jessica, you look... beautiful."

"Thank you, Dad. You and Dr. Quest look very sharp tonight. And Jonny..."

She turned to him. She wanted to start going on and on about the way his shirt collar looked, the way his vest and the cut of his jacket made him look so handsome and grown up, about how she now couldn't decide whether she liked his hair styled neatly like this or in its more common state of slight disarray. She wanted to melt into his arms right there, start dancing, and not finish till the sun came up.

"...Jonny, you look very handsome."

Still unable to speak anything more than a whispery, "thanks," he helped her on with her overcoat. Race took her arm as they walked to the door. Jessie looked back at Jonny, and silently wished he had done it. Jonny grabbed a small black bookbag sitting by the door. They climbed into the long white limousine outside.

They arrived at the party, to find the Benton and Race's dates hand beat them there. Jessie and Jonny were excited to discover they, too had been taking lessons at the studio to brush up, and had taken those lessons with the two women there tonight, whom they met at various times during work.

Dinner, as could be expected, was excellent. But the real excitement began when the guests were lead to the cavernous ballroom. Jessie and Jonny grabbed a table and immediately began putting on their shoes, taken from the small bag they had brought. Benton and his date followed a bit after, as he spoke to the French Ambassador.

"So, you see, Henri, this expedition would be of great scientific importance."

"Enough, Benton, enough. You have your expedition. In fact, you've had it all along."

"Then why make me beg?" Benton didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"I just wanted to see how bad you wanted it. My friend, you have anything you need. Now, let us dance, yes?" Henri spied the two young people already getting prepared to dance. "Those are yours and Monsieur Bannon's children, no?"

"That's right."

"It seems they have become quite serious dancers. It is wonderful."

"It certainly is," replied Race, who had joined them at their table.

Music was provided by an exceptional twelve-piece band, which was able to mix enough modern music with ballroom standards to keep the few non-dancing young people from falling asleep. But Jessie and Jonny got up to start dancing and virtually never stopped. After half an hour, every eye in the room was on them each time the music started. Certainly, there were people with much more experience and training than them, but it was obvious that they were dancing for more than the attention, and even more that simply the joy of dancing. They were dancing for each other.

All too soon, the night was nearly over. Race led Jessie back to her table after their Waltz. He had not gotten to dance with her as much as he wanted, but there would be plenty more opportunities for that in the future. With almost a tinge of sadness, he imagined that one of those times would be for her father/daughter dance at her wedding. The thought made him misty eyed.

"Dad, are you okay?"

"I couldn't be better, Ponchita, couldn't be better."

He smiled as Jonny returned. "And where were you, Young Mister Quest?"

"I made a request from the band for the last song." He held out his hand to Jessie in the traditional way. "May I have this dance, Jessica?"

Jessie took his hand happily. "It would be my pleasure, Jonathan."

They walked to the center of the ballroom. "So what did you request?"

"Wait."

The opening strains of music came up. Soon, Jessie recognized it as a ballad by Selena called "I Could Fall In Love." Jonny had picked up a knack for identifying which dance could be done to a certain piece of music, and she usually started off a dance by checking it with him. But not this time.

Without another thought, she raised her arms, and Jonny took her into hold. Letting his weight collect, Jonny began the Bolero. Jessie's head swam as she lost herself in the music and movement. She felt herself melting into him, then releasing him only to want to cling to him more. She sighed as his hand brushed down the length of her back. Jonny danced with his eyes half shut, relying on his feelings to tell him how and what to lead. Jessie was more responsive than she had ever been, dancing better than she ever had, spurring Jonny to push himself as well. The lyrics found their way into their world and they knew the end of the song was close.

"'Cause I could take you in my arms, And never let you go... I could fall in love... with you..."

The music started to fade, and Jessie found herself in a dip, looking right up into Jonny's deep blue eyes. She found she couldn't breathe as they righted themselves. They stood there, faces an inch away.

From where they were standing entranced, Benton turned to Race. "So old friend, it's finally happened." Race nodded sadly. "Well, if it had to, I'd rather have it be Jonny that Jessie chose than anyone else in the world." Benton patted his friend on the shoulder.

Jessie and Jonny were still frozen as the distant sound of applause began to grow closer and drowned out the faded music. They had a moment of indecision, then stepped slightly apart. Looking around, they found that everyone else had long since stopped dancing to watch them, a great circle of people surrounding them. They nodded thankfully, but confusedly, and returned to their seats.

They didn't speak the whole way home, but held hands in silence.

*************************

Hours later, Jessie found him on the balcony of the lighthouse. He was still in his tux and overcoat, she still in her gown. She said nothing as she walked up and stood next to him. He saw her shiver, removed his coat and placed it on her shoulders. His arms moved around and encircled her from behind. She molded herself to him, twisting her head so she could see him. His eyes met hers.

"So what happens now?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "All I know is that I'd give anything to feel the way I felt tonight again. And I know that the way to do that is keep you in my arms and dance forever."

She nuzzled against him. "I like that idea. I don't pretend to understand what we're feeling, Jonny, but I want to keep feeling it, too."

They stood there a minute longer, silent. *Are there words to say what I want to say?* Jessie thought. From deep inside her, a voice, her mother's voice, that had always been there to guide her replied, *Yes, Jessie, there are. Say them to him. You've both waited long enough.*

Still in his arms, Jessie turned to face him. She pursed her lips to moisten them, and readied herself for the next few seconds.

"I love you, Jonny Quest," she said, and sent all her heart with it.

Jonny brought his hands to her face, and gently caressed her cheeks. She leaned into his touch. He held her face still a second as if to draw her into him.

"I love you, too, Jessie Bannon," he said, trading her his own heart.

Slowly, he pulled her face closer, ever closer. Their lips touched. Just a brush, but it sent an electric shiver through his fingers and into her.

They moved closer still, and his mouth closed on hers. They stayed that way a long time, until finally they needed breath. Reluctantly, they parted.

Jonny didn't know what to do next. Jessie smiled sweetly, and placed her left hand on his arm. He gathered her into dance hold, and began the Bolero again.

THE END.

Please comment. For the record, Anne Marie is my coach here in Boston, and she's even cooler than I wrote her. Also, Bolero is a great dance and is even more romantic than I wrote it. Geez, I guess I'm not as good a writer as I thought.