"Wake-Up Call"
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Xiaolin Showdown' in any way.
Warning: This chapter contains some offensive dialogue. "So, try not to get offended!"
Open on the hospital. Jack stares Marty down as Ashley and Jack's mom stand beside them.
"You sold me temporary muscles!" Jack accuses. Marty turns to the mom in confusion.
"Uh, he's been under heavy medication. Pay no attention to his outbursts," the mom nervously says. Jack glares at her. Ashley steps in front of Marty and puts her hand out.
"Hi, I'm Ashley."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ashley. I'm Martin." They shake hands as Ashley starts to giggle a bit. Jack groans.
"Oh, please," Jack says exasperated. "Hey, everyone … look at me. I'm so tall and handsome and built. I'm charming and way too conceited to leave a tip after an expensive meal at one of the premiere restaurants in the Tri-City area –"
His mom discreetly elbows him right in the face which causes his nose to bleed. The mom puts on a fake smile for Marty as Jack's eyes start to well up.
"Ah, man, what the – come on!" Jack closes his eyes and shakes his head in disgust. "Enough with the child abuse – I'm still a minor!"
"And you'll never see what it's like to live past being one if you keep running your mouth!" his mom quietly screams.Jack lays his head back on the pillow and pinches his nose together tightly to try and stop the blood.
"Uh … maybe I should go," Marty says.
"Stay!" Jack's mom and Ashley yell at the same time. The mom glares at Ashley as the teenager looks away in embarrassment. The mom turns back to Marty.
"I mean … we were going to dinner tonight, weren't we?" she asks with sweetness in her voice. Marty smiles and walks over to her. Jack raises his head.
"That's right, my sugar bear," Marty responds while handing her the bouquet of flowers.
"Aww," the mom says while quickly sniffing them.
"What! Those flowers weren't for me?" Jack asks bewildered. Marty scoffs.
"What are you, my girlfriend?" Marty replies. Ashley stifles her laughter once again. Jack frowns and turns to her.
"Stuff it."
"Well, we're gonna get goin'. I'll stop by later to see how you're doing," the mom says. Jack rolls his eyes. "And thanks for the call, Ashley."
"No problem," she responds while Jack mimics her. The mom walks out of the room. Ashley follows but stops and turns around to face Jack.
"I'm gettin' something at the vending machines. You want anything?" she asks Jack.
"Actually –"
"I bet you do." She resumes walking and exits the room. It's just Marty and Jack in the room now. Marty grins at Jack.
"Your mom's a lot of fun. I'm not too fond of the extra baggage she has, though."
"Hey, my mom may be a bit chunky, but she's still beautiful!" Jack exclaims. Marty scoffs and slightly shakes his head.
"Whatever, man." He starts to walk out the door but peeks his head back in. "Hey, try not to wait up for your mom tonight. 'Cause the party bus makes absolutely no stops," he says with attitude. Marty begins to duck out before Jack calls him back in.
"You forgot your parting gift, Cheryl!" Jack blows one of the tissues off his hand revealing the "gift". Marty sneers and finally leaves. Jack frowns.
"Schmuck."
Ashley is seen in the halls deciding what she wants at the vending machine while Jack's mom and Marty walk past her. She casually waves good-bye to the two, and they do the same. Marty and the mom reach the end of the hallway and then turn down another.
Back in the room, Jack turns to his left sling and begins talking to it.
"Jack-bot #2844, come in … Do you read me? … I repeat –"
"You're talking into your hospital wristband," Ashley says while walking into the room with snacks. Jack looks ahead at her acting like he wasn't doing anything. Ashley scoffs and holds up a candy bar. "I got you a Snickers." (Lot of product placement in this story, huh?) He glances at the candy and then back up at Ashley.
"Thanks, I guess."
She sets it down on the little table next to her and then sits down. Jack rests his head on the pillow and looks out the window. Ashley looks out the window for a few seconds and then turns to Jack.
"So, what are you doing here … in Las Vegas of all places?" she asks. Jack sighs.
"I don't know … it's stupid," he replies while continuing to stare out the window. Ashley shrugs.
"You can tell me."
Jack looks down, thinks for a moment, and then turns to face her.
"I thought by coming down here I could find a way to somehow -- I don't know -- impress this … girl."
"Ohhh. So, all this is about a girl, huh?" … What's her name?"
"It doesn't matter. The plan fell through, and it's pointless for me to stay." Ashley shrugs.
"Well, maybe I can help. I am a girl, after all." Jack smiles a bit and then raises his head off the pillow.
"So, how long have you been in Vegas?"
"I'm just passing through. I moved to America a few months ago and got this waitress job up in Palm Springs. But the pay wasn't –" Ashley was interrupted by Jack's loud snoring. The tiniest bit of drool begins to run down his cheek. She shakes her head in disbelief but ultimately figures Jack was exhausted by everything he's been through … or he has a very short attention span … or narcolepsy. Take your pick.
Ashley gets up and lifts Jack's covers up to his shoulders. He snorts and turns over, taking the covers with him. Ashley scoffs and then smiles. She turns around and walks out of the room, gently closing the door behind her. Fade to black.
Open on Jack's house. Jack is home now, back to wearing his regular clothes. He walks up to the front door and sighs happily. Before he reaches for the doorknob, he notices the welcome mat beneath his feet. It reads: "Welcome, pardner!" Jack scratches his head in confusion and then shrugs it off. He turns the doorknob and walks inside. As soon as he gets in, he smells a strong aroma coming from the kitchen. He sniffs for a few seconds and then licks his lips.
"Mom?" He sniffs once more as he begins making his way towards the kitchen. "Are you grilling steaks?" Jack receives no answer. "Mom?" He reaches the kitchen and sees eight steaks on a platter along with twelve corn on the cobs in a bowl lying on the counter. Jack's eyes get real big.
"Wow … you really outdid yourself this time, mom!" he yells as his stomach starts to growl. "I'm starving, too." Suddenly, Jack hears the pantry door open behind him. He turns around and sees Wuya in her solid form step out. He gasps as she walks right past him to the counter.
"Wuya?"
The old witch has her hair fixed up real nice, and she's wearing a red apron over her short pink dress. She proceeds to pour drinks into numerous glasses. Jack walks up and checks her out.
"What are you wearing? … And how do you know how to cook?"
Wuya doesn't respond as she finishes pouring drinks. She then picks up one of the steaks with one hand and drops it to the floor. Jack reacts by stepping back and putting his arms up in the air.
"What are you doing? We have plates, you know!" Wuya goes back to preparing the food as a yellow dog suddenly runs into the kitchen. Jack jumps to the other side of the kitchen as the dog chews into the steak, making a mess. Jack shakes his head confused by everything going on.
The front door creaks open and then slams shut moments later. The dog stops eating and runs to the door in a hurry. Wuya smiles and then calmly follows the little dog.
"Hey, boy! How you doing?" the voice says to the dog at the front door. Jack hears this and his eyes widen again.
"I know that voice …" Jack slowly walks out of the kitchen and immediately spots who's at the front door. Jack's jaw drops in shock.
The man petting the dog was Clay! He looked about ten years older and was wearing a suit, tie, black dress pants, and his usual cowboy boots. He hugs Wuya and then gives her a kiss on the cheek.
"How was your day, honey?" Wuya asks in a sweet voice.
"Well, I got good news! I finally sold the McLaughlin house!" Clay yells. Wuya squeals and gives him another hug. Clay then glances at his watch.
"What time is everybody coming over?"
"My dad'll be here in about ten minutes. The neighbors called and said they'll be over about the same time," Wuya replies.
"Great. I'll go get changed," he says while making his way to the stairs. Wuya nods and returns to the kitchen, passing Jack. The dog follows close behind. Jack stands there stunned at what he just saw. A few minutes lapse as Jack continues to stand in the same place, motionless.
The doorbell rings as Wuya runs out of the kitchen and takes off her apron.
"Company's here!" she yells. The dog rapidly runs past her to the door. It begins clawing at the door impatiently. Clay hurries down the stairs, now wearing his regular cowboy gear.
"Married?" Jack screams, a little late. Clay joins Wuya at the front door as she opens it. On the other side, Raimundo and Kimiko walk in while holding hands, both looking older as well. Raimundo dresses differently now, wearing a white shirt with a baby blue sweater tied over his shoulders. He's also wearing khaki pants and has his hair spiked up. Kimiko is wearing a denim jacket and a plaid skirt. Her hair is blonde and up in a ponytail. Jack's jaw drops even further.
"There's our favorite neighbors!" Clay yells as he gives them a bear hug.
"I made a Jello," Kimiko says while handing it to Wuya.
"Great! Say, I have a new recipe I found that I keep forgetting to give to you …" Wuya brings Kimiko into the kitchen as Clay and Raimundo talk by the front.
"I missed you at the golf course the other day. Work keeping you busy?" Raimundo asks.
"Yeah, there was this house that I had the toughest time selling, but some interested people came in today and took the asking price," Clay replies. Raimundo congratulates him. "Definitely next week, though, we'll go."
"Hey, did I tell you I got a new 5-iron? It's really been improving my game, taking two strokes off of every …" Raimundo and Clay continue to talk while walking past the still-mesmerized Jack.
"Where am I?" Jack finally says. The doorbell rings again as Wuya runs to the door. Feeling woozy, Jack slowly sits down on the first step of the stairs. Wuya opens the door revealing Master Fung wearing a Tie Dye shirt and jeans. Jack rubs his eyes.
"Dad!" Wuya yells as she puts her arms around him.
"Hey there, honey."
"Dad?" Jack shrieks. The little dog walks up to Master Fung and he begins to pet the little guy.
"Hey, I missed you, too, Omi!"
"Omi?" The yellow dog turns in Jack's direction as the evil boy genius focuses on his face. It was Omi!
"Finally … Something that makes sense!" Jack rejoices. The dog barks happily as Master Fung finishes petting him. Everyone else comes out of the kitchen.
"Tom! It's good to see you!" Clay says as he proceeds to shake Master Fung's hand.
"Tom?" Jack laughs to himself. "Tom Fung." He continues to laugh real hard.
"Good to see you, too, Clay. How've you been treating my only daughter here?"
"She's older than you, Tom!" Jack yells but nobody hears him.
"He's been doing a great job, dad," Wuya answers. "I'm so glad I married a big, strong man to take care and support me. He's the best." She gives Clay a kiss as Jack growls. The evil boy genius stands up in anger.
"I'm going to kick your –"
"Come inside. Dinner's on the table!" Wuya says. Everybody anxiously makes their way back into the kitchen, ready to start eating. The dog, however, heads into the basement. Jack runs after him.
"Hey, stay out of my lair!" Upon entering the basement, Jack notices none of his stuff is there. He angrily stares at everything around him. Numerous posters about dog food, girl dogs, and just dogs in general are displayed on every wall. Bags of dog food lay in every corner, and there are two king-size beds for the dog to sleep in. Grooming supplies rest on the dog's own dresser. A flat-screen TV hangs up on one of the walls with a large couch placed in front of it. Omi jumps onto one of his beds and lays his head down.
"What … What is this? Where's my stuff?" Jack asks while walking around. "My robots … where are my Jack-bots? I don't – I don't believe this." Omi sticks his head up as Jack stands across from him.
"My lair was turned into the dog's room?" Omi barks and happily wags his tail. "It wasn't enough that Clay married Wuya, Raimundo married Kimiko, and Fung was Wuya's dad? The dog had to have his own room – my room?" Omi barks again. "Ooh, I just want to wring your little –" Omi jumps off the bed and runs in between Jack's legs. Losing his balance, Jack falls to his right heading straight for the bed post. In slow motion, he closes in on the post until finally slamming his head into it. Cut to black.
Jack wakes up in a cold sweat. He looks around and notices he's back in the hospital. It was all just a dream. He sits up and gives out a long sigh.
"That's it!" he shouts. Ashley races into the room with a cup of coffee in her hand.
"Hey, what's all the yelling about?" she asks. Jack narrows his eyes.
"Start the car. We're goin' to see Cheryl."
Cut to black.