Hey there, my fellow writers and readers. :) Well, here's a new Jackie Chan Adventures AU oneshot that I cooked up one day. It came to me after seeing parts 1 and 2 of the Season 4 episode The Good Guys on YouTube. Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: Genius John Rogers owns Jackie Chan Adventures. The lyrics to the songs Picture by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, and We Are the Champions by Queen, belong with their respective owners. I own the fanfics that I cook up.
Chow: Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
It was nighttime in San Francisco, California. Chow, now an ex-Enforcer of the Dark Hand who also had powers of flight, was in a room in a hotel that had been abandoned years ago.
He had a lot of things on his mind. Thoughts buzzed around in his mind like bees. He knew it would be a long time before he got some sleep.
Then, that morning, Chow sat on the bed listening to the song Picture, a duet between Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow. He thoughtfully smiled at how appropriate the lyrics were. He didn't know how he knew. He just did.
Maybe I'm clairvoyant... sort of, he thought.
Livin' my life in a slow hell
Different girl every night at the hotel
I ain't seen the sun shine in 3 damn days
Been fuelin' up on cocaine and whiskey
Wish I had a good girl to miss me
Lord I wonder if I'll ever change my ways
I put your picture away
Sat down and cried today
I can't look at you
While I'm lying next to her
He then let the tears flow as he remembered…
"Jackie, you cannot go while criminals live in my shop!" said Uncle.
"Excuse me – ex-criminals," said Chow, his tone of voice showing annoyance at the name ‛criminal'. He knew the saying ‛Treat a person like a criminal, and soon they'll end up like one'.
"Don't sweat it, Unc," Jade spoke up as Chow turned to her.
Chow then smirked to himself as he remembered turning to Jade upon hearing the sound of her voice. It was like music to his ears…
I should've asked her out on a date. Nothing romantic, of course – just as friends. Then, after taking it slow one day and night at a time...
He then shook his head, unable to finish the thought – or rather, not wanting to.
I put your picture away
Sat down and cried today
I can't look at you
While I'm lying next to her
Later on at the same time, Jade Chan's heart skipped a beat as she listened to the song. For some reason, she couldn't get the slim, temperamental Chinese ex-Enforcer out of her head.
Then she chided herself for thinking such things. After all, she was only twelve years old.
So what's the big deal? she asked herself. Why am I acting in a way that's not me at all?
She tried to calm her thoughts by listening to the song. However, it didn't exactly seem to work. They just kept bugging her. What gives?
I caught you last night at the hotel
Everyone knows but they won't tell
But their half hearted smiles tell me something just ain't right
I've been waitin' on you for a long time
fuelin' up on heartaches and cheap wine
I haven't heard from you in 3 damn nights
I put your picture away
I wonder where you been
I can't look at you while I'm lying next to him
I put your picture away
I wonder where you been
I can't look at you while I'm lying next to him
Then Sunday came. Jade took a walk down the sidewalk, hoping to clear her head.
I saw you yesterday with an old friend
Against her will, those memories of Chow came back, and immediately her heart twisted into knots.
It was painful, as she knew all too well.
It was the same old same "how've you been"
She missed him…a lot! She remembered the black hair, those beautiful dark brown eyes (when he wasn't wearing those orange sunglasses (or eyeglasses; she still wasn't sure yet), and the black clothing.
He reminded her of James Dean, who, she remembered, had become the title of the movie Rebel Without a Cause.
Since you've been gone my world's been dark and gray
You reminded me of brighter days
I hoped you were comin' home to stay
I was headed to church
I was off to drink you away
I thought about you for a long time
Can't seem to get you off my mind
I can't understand why we're living life this way
I found your picture today
I swear I'll change my ways
I just called to say I want you
To come back home
I just called to say I love you,
come back home
As the last notes of the song faded into nothingness, Chow got up, left the hotel room and walked into the night, the song still playing in his mind.
He hoped that he would find Jade and tell her he was very sorry for all the bad things that had happened when he, along with Finn and Ratso, had done their best to be one of those on the side of good – namely, the protagonists, to be exact.
I shouldn't have betrayed her the way I did, he thought while half growling and half snarling, like a wolf he had seen once when it was on the warpath.
Can I really change? Will I?
Chow frowned thoughtfully, his black jacket rustling in the night winds.
For a moment his thoughts turned to summoning his powers and simply feeling the joy of being able to fly without having gravity pull him back to Earth and weigh him down. It did sound good at first.
Then Chow looked up at the sky and felt himself rise. Then – wonder of wonders – he was flying in the sky.
I could get used to this, he thought, and smiled.
His smile grew wider as a different song began playing in his head – one that reminded him of... well, himself. It was called We Are the Champions, and it was by the band Queen.
I've paid my dues
Time after time
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I've come through
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
‛Cause we are the champions of the world
I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it
I thank you all
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race
And I ain't gonna lose
We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting ‛till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
‛Cause we are the champions of the world
Well, I hope you like this as much as I liked writing it. The song We Are the Champions by Queen is a really neat song to listen to (as well as be inspired by), and Freddie Mercury (September 5, 1946 – November 24, 1991) would be quite proud, too.
Anyway, nice feedback is very much appreciated, of course... :)
