Disclaimer:  Of all the characters, I only own the kitten.  And she 
refuses to pay me any money for including her.  The rest are owned
by HB.

Jonny Quest:  The Real Adventures

The More Things Change

        Hadji opened his eyes and sighed.  Although he had just finished 
meditating, he did not feel his usual calm.  He felt nervous and 
worried.

        Really, there was nothing wrong.  Everything was close to
perfect.  He had a family, well two families, that loved him.  He truly 
enjoyed his work and his studies.  Still, he felt out of sorts.

        Hadji had spent most of that day alone.  Working on Quest
World and reading had taken up much of his time.  Usually, Jonny 
would have begged him to monitor a QuestWorld game, or Jessie would 
have begun a long conversation about computer programming.  But, neither 
of his friends were present.

        He had not seen much of them lately.  Hadji burst into a smile.  
Even if they did not totally acknowledge it, he knew that Jessie and 
Jonny's relationship was changing.  They were definitely developing . . 
. feelings for each other.  He wondered how long it would take them to 
admit it.

        Honestly, Hadji was enormously happy for both of them.  He
thought they we're, well- they could become, the perfect couple. 
Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to figure out exactly what was
bothering him.

        For as long as he had known them, he had been their best
friend- their confidant.  He knew they both told him things they 
would probably never tell each other.

        As they grew closer, that might no longer be the case.  What
if they did not really need him anymore?  He loved them both so
much, and he hated to think that they might stop relying on him.
Hadji could not imagine his life without his two best friends.

        At that moment, he heard a whimpering at his door.  He
opened it, and Bandit bolted inside.  The dog took a quick and
worried look at Hadji.  Then, a black and white fuzzy kitten
scampered into the room.  She hissed at Bandit, and he immediately
ran under the bed.

        Jonny rushed into Hadji's room and began yelling, "Will
you please leave Bandit alone! Not you, Hadj, the cat."

        Jessie crept into the room.  "Jonny," she scolded, "you
shouldn't just barge in on Hadji.  What if he had been busy?"

        Hadji's brown eyes gleamed as he smiled at his friends.
"Oh, I was not doing anything important," he explained.

        "Jessie, will you get that crazy kitten away from my
dog?" Jonny cried.

        Jessie frowned at Jonny and said, "She's not crazy.
She's just still adjusting to the house.  Besides, Bandit doesn't
have to be such a whimp."

        "Whimp?  Oh, Bandit is not a whimp," Jonny said
threateningly.

        Hadji picked up the little kitten who instantly began
purring.  He sat down on his bed as Jessie and Jonny continued 
to argue.

        "She's just a sweet little kitten,"  Jessie pointed out.

        "Sweet?" Jonny questioned.  "I still have scabs from
that night I brought her home."

        Bandit carefully peeked out from his hiding place.  He
noticed that the kitten seemed calm, so he jumped up on the
bed.  The kitten shot him a warning glance but remained tranquil.
Soon, the dog and cat fell asleep kind of close to each other.

        "Well, she just defending herself.  Besides . . ."  Jessie
trailed off when she realized the two pets were quietly sleeping.

        "Geez, Hadj, I guess you have a calming affect on
everyone," Jessie said.

        "What would we do without you?"  Jonny added.

        Hadji beamed and replied, "My friends, I do not think
you have to worry about that."

The End