33 Ways (Jack Could've Hooked Up With Chase)

By: CrystallicSky

Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters, nor do I make any profit or attempt to with the writing of this or any of my other pieces.

Warnings: Language, homosexuality, implications of sexual situations, etc.

...

Twenty One -

Chase came to, feeling lightheaded and leagues more disoriented than anything that bode well. The first thing he heard was a frantic voice calling his name.

"Chase!" There were hands on his shoulders, bringing him up into a sitting position. "Holy crap, are you okay?"

Chase opened his eyes and was promptly greeted with the most stunning creature he had ever seen.

It was a boy—a young man kneeling at his side with vivid concern in his red (yes, red!) eyes. His hair was a shockingly bright red-orange color, in plain contrast to his skin which was pale as snow.

For a moment, Chase wondered if this youth might truly be dead,or on the verge of it to be so pale and wear so much black, but he appeared too energetic for someone about to die and he carried no scent of illness, injury, or impending mortality with him.

How this exotic-looking man knew his name was a mystery (for surely, Chase would've remembered such a unique appearance) right up until the sound of laughter called his attention to a group of people standing not far away.

Three males and a female. The female was apparently Japanese and wore her hair in pigtails. The tallest of the males was broad-shouldered, blonde, and wore a cowboy hat. The shortest was very small, indeed, with a round, bald head and a yellow complexion. The third was darker skinned with brown hair and green eyes.

The one thing they all had in common were the robes of the Xiaolin.

Monks, obviously, thought Chase, but none he had ever seen before.

The female monk stepped forward, grinning as she spoke. "It's no use, Spicer," she said. "He doesn't even know you anymore."

Spicer? Chase glanced to the youth at his side, watching fear flicker across his face only to quickly be covered up by a scowling bravado. This…Spicer, whoever he was, clearly was not on good terms with the Xiaolin, making it most likely that he, too, was Heylin.

"What did you do to him?" he demanded.

Chase was rather curious, himself.

"Oh, come on," the green-eyed male answered, holding something up. "You remember what thisdoes, don't you?"

"I know what the fucking Wushan Geyser does, Pedrosa!" Spicer snapped at him. A fiery temper to fit his red hair, it seemed. "That doesn't explain why he wouldn't know me!"

And Chase quite concurred with that point: the Wushan Geyser was a memory-erasing Shen Gong Wu, but only short term memory. These people seemed to know him, and yet he had no recollection of ever meeting them. Obviously, his memory had been wiped beyond the short term, which would be impossible unless…

"The Eagle Scope," Chase said under his breath.

Spicer turned, obviously having heard him. It was uncertain how much experience the youth had with Shen Gong Wu, but it was apparently enough to know what the Eagle Scope was and the focusing and amplifying effect it had when used with other Wu.

Full comprehension dawned on Spicer's face immediately and he glared at the monks. "You bastards used the Eagle Scope?"

The small monk spoke next. "It had to be done," he proclaimed with haughtiness that did not fit his size. It was he who carried the Eagle Scope. "Chase Young is too valuable an ally to us."

Ally? Chase was no ally to the Xiaolin! Not since—

Oh. So that was their game.

These…monks were clearly too intimidated by him to carry on any longer. They must have gotten it into their heads that they could erase his memories far back enough that he would revert to his Xiaolin self and aid their battle against his kind.

It was a cowardly move in and of itself, but that they believed they had the strength to wipe so many years… Pitiful, really.

Chase Young, as he knew himself now, was very much Heylin and he did not at all appreciate this spineless assault.

"Hey, Chase!" one of the monks said, Pedrosa, Chase thought he'd heard him called. "Why don't you come over here with us? We're heading back to the temple."

With little thought on the matter, Chase smiled as warmly as he knew how and got to his feet.

Of course, he could feel the shock and dismay radiating from Spicer as he did so. He must have been an ally of Chase's and while he did not remembermaking any commitment to the young man, he ultimately had no intention of dishonoring it.

Chase took a step towards the monks, but was immediately stalled by a hand on his arm.

"Chase…?"

Oh, did Spicer sound heartbroken at his apparent defection. The look in his eyes was deeply pained and it was quickly obvious to Chase that this boy was in love with him. That combined with all the touching he had been doing, when the warlord had always made a point to discourage those that would put their hands on him…

Spicer was more than an ally, it seemed. His familiarity around Chase and his fascinating looks…it was more than possible that he was an apprentice, or perhaps a consort. Maybe even both.

That would make what Chase was about to do much harder on him, but he could make it up to him later.

For now…

Spicer gasped as his hand was shrugged off and Chase strode towards the monks.

Chase returned the smile all four of them gave him.

"You are Xiaolin monks?" Chase asked.

"You bet!" said Pedrosa smugly.

"You are proud of yourself," Chase deduced. "You think yourself clever for trying to trick me this way."

It took the monks a matter of seconds to process that statement and realize they had failed.

Chase needed far less time than that to deliver a kick that knocked Pedrosa back and the Wushan Geyser out of his hands. He caught it midair and tossed it in the direction of Spicer. As soon as he was certain Spicer had it, he turned on the smallest monk and wrenched the Eagle Scope away from him.

This monk put up a bit of a fight for it and Chase could tell that if he hadn't been caught off-guard, the battle might have lasted more than a minute or two.

Even so, Chase was quickly in possession of the Shen Gong Wu and he sneered as the Xiaolin grouped together in a defensive battle stance.

"You are pathetic," he told them. "Leave now, before you embarrass yourselves further."

Thankfully, among the many things this generation of monks was (cowardly, foolish, lacking in morals), they still possessed a healthy fear of the mighty Chase Young.

They turned and ran, climbing aboard the temple's dragon and fleeing for their lives.

Before they were even fully out of sight, Chase was tackled and a pair of arms were squeezing him tightly around the middle.

"Oh, thank god," a noticeably relieved Spicer breathed. "You're still you!"

Chase made no effort to push him away. "Yes, I am. Unfortunately," he confessed, "I did not get out of their little scheme completely unscathed. What is the current year, Spicer?"

To Spicer's credit, he answered promptly in terms of the Western calendar.

Mentally converting to the Chinese calendar, Chase determined the year and cross-referenced it with the last solid memory he had. He snorted. "Those monks truly are pathetic," he said. "Between them, they could only erase about twenty years."

"…so you really don't remember me, then."

Chase could see the disappointment on Spicer's face and he laid a hand on his shoulder. "No, I don't, but you can remind me."

It seemed that Spicer was very unused to teleportation, for he gasped and clung to Chase when the landscape melted away and became the interior of the dragonlord's palace.

Pleased to see that nothing about it had changed in the twenty or so years he had forgotten, Chase returned his attention to Spicer.

"Tell me everything of importance that has been taken from me."

"Um…okay," said the youth. "I'm Jack."

Chase frowned. "I thought your name was Spicer."

"It is, kinda. It's my surname." Jack sounded mildly disheartened as he assured, "You call me Spicer all the time, though, so…you don't have to worry about it."

"If Jack is your name, that is what I shall call you, Jack." Jack brightened almost immediately and Chase was pleased with his decision to use the name. 'Spicer' rolled off the tongue easier, but 'Jack' made that lovely young man smile in a downright corruptible way.

Jack continued to speak. "Uh, anyway, those guys that did this to you are the Xiaolin monks. Kimiko Tohomiko is the girl, Raimundo Pedrosa was the one you took the Wushan Geyser from, the cowboy is Clay Bailey, and the little one is Omi."

"No last name?" Chase wondered, to which Jack shook his head.

"He was raised by the temple, I think," he said. "Far as I've been able to gather, he was an orphan taken in by the monks."

"So, he has trained his whole life. That certainly explains a lot: he seems to be a strong fighter."

"Yeah," Jack flatly agreed, "he's great."

Sensing jealousy in Spicer's tone, Chase changed the subject. "And what of the Heylin?" he asked. "There is you and I, obviously, but are there any others?"

"A whole bunch," said Jack. "Most of 'em come and go, so they're not that important, but uh…I guess there's Wuya…"

"Wuya?" Chase frowned deeply. "How did she escape her puzzle box?"

"For the record, I had no idea she was in there," Jack said hastily. "My dad sent it to me as a gift and…yeah."

Chase stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. "It could be worse," he assured in the closest a Heylin overlord could get to comforting. "You could've released Hannibal Bean."

Jack snorted, which made Chase admittedly wary. What he said next confirmed his suspicions. "Yeah, that honor went to Omi."

"Bean is free, too?" Chase demanded.

"Yeah. Uh…sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

And Jack did look genuinely apologetic. In the face of such puppy eyes, far too cute for someone Heylin, Chase found he held no anger towards the youth whatsoever. From his mention of Wuya, it sounded rather like he had been dragged into this and that made it decidedly not his fault.

"It's alright," he said, laying a hand on Spicer's back. "It is simply…vexing that the two decades I can't currently remember were the two decades wherein the status quo changed drastically."

Chase couldn't help but feel tension in Jack's shoulders and he took notice that it had not been there a moment ago. Experimentally, he stroked his hand along Jack's spine, only for the youth to shiver and take a step away.

Which was most certainly odd. As a consort, or even an apprentice, Spicer should not have been unfamiliar with his touch. His master's hand should not make him feel uncomfortable unless he was supremely unused to it.

The only explanation Chase could think of was that Jack was a very new consort, which was what prompted his next question.

"How long have you been in my service, Jack?"

Jack whirled to face him with a surprised expression. "I…wh…what?"

Chase frowned at the reaction. "How long have you been my consort?" he rephrased. "You are very attractive, and yet you do not seem accustomed to being touched. Have I not taken you to bed yet?"

Jack stared. "Yuh…you're asking how long we've been having…sex?" He practically squeaked the last word.

"Yes," said Chase, "that is precisely my question."

He watched as Jack took a step backwards and raised a hand to his head. "Uh…well, let's see. Um. Today's Friday, so we started having sex…never. We've never done that."

Chase was startled silent.

Jack, however, continued. "To…be honest, I don't even think you like me very much. We…we've never even really been on friendly terms."

"Ridiculous," said Chase. "Impossible. I have only 'known' you for a short time, and yet I can plainly see that you are a confident, intelligent, loyal, and certainly comely young man. How could I possibly have known you for any longer and not acted?"

"Six years," Jack said suddenly.

"What?"

"Six years," he repeated. "We…met six years ago. I was only thirteen, then."

Chase looked at him. "Have you been in love with me the same amount of time?"

Again, Jack appeared shocked by the question, but Chase interrupted before he could say anything else.

"I can see it in your eyes, Jack. You do love me, though I can't imagine why if I've given you the impression that I don't even like you."

Spicer sighed. "I dunno," he said eventually. "Maybe? It might've been a crush back then, but it just…never went away."

"This does not make sense." Chase folded his arms over his chest, pondering the issue. "I am not blind. Surely, I must've known of your infatuation with me. You say that in six years, I never once gave you the impression that I enjoyed your company?"

Jack shook his head. "Actually, there's a charm on your door that has it set to crush me whenever I try to use it. It took me a few years to get it, but if that doesn't say 'Keep Out'…"

Chase began pacing slowly, trying to make sense of the dilemma. Spicer, at the edge of his awareness, was not helping him do so. He was only standing there, but his striking appearance and the way he subordinately and silently waited for a command from Chase was distracting.

He must have been brain damaged at some point in the last twenty years. It was the only thing he could think of to explain why he had seen Jack Spicer, attractive, in love with him, and fully comprehending of his authority as a Heylin lord and done absolutely nothing about it.

Certainly, Spicer had been fairly young at their first meeting, but in six years Chase should have acted somehow. Unless Jack had been a completely different person—…

Chase ceased his pacing. "Jack. What were you like when we first met?"

Jack's gaze went straight to his boots and Chase was fairly certain he'd discovered the problem. "I was…pretty much a fanboy," he admitted. "I guess I was kind of annoying. No…I was really annoying. Wuya only hung out with me because she didn't have a body. She ditched me for you the second she got one."

"You had no allies?" Chase asked.

"Not really," said Jack. "I had my robots," he paused, remembering that Chase did not remember before explaining, "that's my…gimmick, I guess: I make robots and machines. But it's not like they stuck around 'cause they liked me. I made them to stick around. As for other allies…"

Chase saw the shamefaced grimace and imagined that whatever Jack was thinking about now was something he did not like remembering. "What?" he prompted.

"I sucked at villain etiquette," Jack confessed. "I mean, yeah, I'd partner up with anybody, but I'd throw them under the bus at the first convenience."

"You had no sense of loyalty," Chase realized.

"Well, in my defense, Wuya was my role model for that kind of thing and she was always skipping out on me." Jack shrugged. "I know it's not an excuse, but I didn't get it back then."

"And you get it now?"

"I like to think I do."

"Then, you have changed quite a bit," said Chase.

"Probably not that much," Jack replied. "I'm still probably pretty annoying and I'm sure as hell not Mr. Popular all of a sudden, but y'know…I do get that not everybody is going to stab me in the back and I don't have to betray them first."

"I can see as much. You proved your loyalty to me today when you stood by my side against those pathetic excuses for monks." Chase came forward and once more put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "I think I understand now why I hadn't made you my consort."

Jack looked up at him. "Why?"

"If you have known me for as long as you say you have, then you know that I have a strict code of honor." Jack nodded and Chase continued. "I am less than endeared to those that operate without one. If you were as you described yourself, I can see myself being turned off by your apparent lack of principle."

"Oh…"

"With no skill in combat," an assumption from the way Jack carried himself and his incredibly lean runner's build, but an assumption Chase was not corrected for, "an absence of loyalty, and only a…gimmick, as you called it, to redeem you, I can see how I might pass you off as a mere nuisance. If you remained that way long enough, I can also see how I might decide you incapable of change."

"But…I did change," Jack said quietly. "Kinda, anyway…"

"And I can see that," Chase agreed, "because I have the benefit of being free of that particular prejudice. I see you, now, Jack, and as I've already said, I like what I see."

Jack looked briefly happy at that, but his face quickly fell. "You won't think that when you get your memories back," he muttered.

"I doubt that quite a bit." Chase reached down and took the Wushan Geyser from Jack's hand. He now held both. "These Shen Gong Wu together erase a certain person's memory. They do not change who a person is at their core or replace the void they leave with new memories. When I combine these with the Reversing Mirror, it will cause me to remember instead of forget. I will remember this conversation we're having now. I will remember that I looked at you and did not see who you were, but who you are. Most importantly, I will remember that you had the perfect opportunity to lie your way into my bed but chose the honorable route and spoke the truth."

"You…you're sure?" asked Jack. "'cause the way we're talking right now…I like it a lot better than…before."

"I'm completely certain," Chase said with a grin, "but if I am to get my memories back, I will need your help. To my knowledge, I do not currently possess the Reversing Mirror."

"I do," Jack said. "I won it in a Showdown just last week. It's in my Shen Gong Wu vault at home."

"How perfectly convenient." Chase shifted the Wushan Geyser to the crook of the arm with which he also held the Eagle Scope. This freed his other arm to pull Jack close to him.

"Of course, as of right now, I have no idea where you live in order to teleport us there," he explained when Jack gave him a startled look. "If you concentrate on the location, my magic will be able to pick up on it and take us both there."

"Oh, right…yeah." Even as Jack focused on the precise coordinates of his home, he asked, "You're sure you won't just…forget about this afterwards?"

Feeling a slight tug from within as his mystical energies locked onto the location, Chase held Jack more tightly. "Absolutely positive, Jack," he promised, "but do allow me to prove it to you."

A whirl of magic transported them both away, leaving the palace once more empty save for the feline minions that guarded it.

Twenty Two -

"So, Jack. What did you say you did again?"

Jack tried very hard not to make a face at the question. "I…build robots," he said, not for the first time that night and with the way things were going, probably not the last.

The brunette with the blonde girl who'd asked the question smiled at him. "Ohh," she giggled, "you make toys! That's cute."

The blonde playfully elbowed him. "I have a little sister who's been dying for one of those little hamster things," she said conspiratorially. "You think you can make me one?"

Jack frowned and shook his head. "You're simplifying it too much. I don't do toys, I make robots."

The brunette tilted her head. "What, you mean, like…Terminator?"

Jack really wanted to sigh. If these girls were smarter, he'd have made an effort to explain better, but he already knew he wouldn't get anywhere. "Something like that, yeah."

"Becky," she gasped, smiling, "you didn't tell me he was super-smart!"

"I didn't know," the blonde one, Becky apparently, said. "You usually don't see guys who are cute and smart."

Another man might've grinned at that, taken the praise and then gone the quickest route of seducing these girls into his bed.

Jack wanted to do nothing of the sort. Consequently, he gave a fake sounding laugh, hoping the girls would get the hint that he wasn't interested and go somewhere else. There were, after all, many, many, many other people to bother at this particular gala.

Unfortunately for Jack, they were too dumb to get the hint.

"So, you're American, right?" asked the brunette.

"Melissa," gasped Becky, "don't be so blunt!"

"No, it's fine," said Jack. "My parents were both American, but I was born here."

"So, you've lived in China your whole life?" Melissa wondered.

Jack knew he shouldn't encourage them, but as of now, he didn't see any way to exit the conversation. "I've lived a little bit just about everywhere, but yeah, mostly in China."

"You must be really good with languages," Becky complimented him. "Your English is so good! You don't even have an accent."

Resisting the urge to point out that he would've had to learn English alongside Chinese, as neither of his parents initially spoke the latter, Jack simply said, "Thanks."

"Hey, we're here for another week," said Melissa. "Would you teach me to speak some China?"

Oh, god. "Maybe some other time," Jack replied noncommittally. Why, oh, why had he sworn to dad on the welfare of his monthly allowance that he wouldn't be rude to anyone here?

…oh. Right. He needed money to build things. Dammit.

One of these days, Jack made a new oath to himself, he would patent and sell some of his creations so he wouldn't have to rely on his parents' money anymore.

Jack glanced across the room, finally noticing a familiar face. The man wasn't anyone he enjoyed talking to, but even a boring rundown of the current state of the stock market would be preferable to this.

He took a step backwards, opening his mouth to make up some excuse about needing to talk to the other man.

He was interrupted by the blonde girl.

"So, Jack," good god, did he hate the way she said his name, "do you wear colored contacts?"

By the time Jack glanced back over to where his escape had been, the man was gone. Crap.

"Uh, no," he said. "I don't."

"No way!" Melissa pointed at his eyes and Jack reeled back a little. "They're red."

As if Jack could not possibly have been aware of it. "Yeah, I know," he reluctantly explained. "I'm an albino. That's why I'm so pale."

"Ooh, I've never met an albino before!" giggled Becky.

Melissa smiled at him. "They're all evil on TV," she tried to joke. "Are you evil, too?"

Another very wooden laugh on Jack's part. If he agreed, it would seem too much like he was flirting back, so laughing was the best he could do.

The girls laughed with him and it seemed that Becky was ready to go in for the kill.

"I have to ask," she said coyly. "Are you seeing anybody?"

Oh, thank god: an out.

"Yeah," Jack said quickly. "I am, actually."

Becky pouted, looking distinctly disappointed. "I don't suppose you have a brother?"

"Afraid not," he replied apologetically and again, he opened his mouth to make an excuse to leave.

Melissa, however, was not content to leave it at that.

"Awww," she said, "that's so sweet. Is your girlfriend pretty?"

Jack only need a glance at the knowing look on Melissa's face and he knew that she was trying to call his bluff.

She underestimated how good of a liar he could be.

"I think so," he said. "That's why we're seeing each other, obviously."

"Is she Chinese?" Melissa persisted.

Being experienced in bluffing his way out of situations like these, Jack knew the trick to faking an event or an excuse (or as in this case, a person) was to latch onto something (or someone) real.

That in mind, he answered, "Yeah, we met a few years back through some mutual acquaintances. We kept in touch and things went from there."

"So, how long have you been dating?" Becky wondered. It was clear that she had caught on to her friend's plan and hoped to expose him, as well.

Jack wasn't about to give either of them the satisfaction—not to mention open himself up to even more insistent flirting.

"Not long," he said. "We've known each other for awhile, but we didn't really click that way at the beginning. For awhile there, I think she actually might've hated me, but y'know, I took some time away from her, did some growing, and well…"

Neither of the girls was ready to give up.

"What does she like to do?" Melissa asked him.

"Does she have any pets?" Becky followed up.

"She's good at martial arts," Jack said. He knew these girls would not find the answer to be too obvious and 'fake' as they seemed the type to believe in stereotypes. They did not question it, and he continued. "As for pets, she's got a few cats. They're all pretty nasty. Half the time, I can't leave her place without getting covered in scratches."

"Well, what does she look like?"

"Dark hair," Jack told them, "pretty long."

"And her eyes?"

"I don't know."

"How can you not know?" Melissa demanded, certain she had him now.

"She wears colored contacts," Jack said, proud of how quickly he was able to think up the excuse. "The contacts are gold, though. I don't think I've ever seen her without them."

Melissa looked like should could've cursed.

"You haven't seen her take out her contacts," Becky pointed out. "Does that mean you haven't slept together?"

And she was the one who had chastised her friend for being too blunt!

Jack could've said it was none of her business, but he had a feeling it would leave more of an impression if he were to be…emotionally honest.

"We're waiting," he said matter-of-factly. "I wasn't really ready for a commitment before and why should she have sex with me if I can't commit, right? But things have been different lately and I'm starting to think we'll be ready for that step soon."

Clearly disheartened, Becky asked in a hushed tone, "Do you love her?"

"I…think I do," Jack answered slowly, faking only the sincerity of the moment and not the sentiment in general. "She's gorgeous and smart…and she's so cool. I've liked her for a really long time and somewhere along the way, it turned into a lot more. I could probably spend the rest of my life with her."

The blonde gave a soft 'awww,' and Jack was sure he had gotten away with the lie.

Until Melissa smirked at him. "What's her name?"

Damn.

"Her name?" he couldn't help but blurt out. "It's…uh…"

"Aha!" exclaimed Melissa. "I knew it: you're just playing hard to get!"

Jack blanched, even as Becky perked up.

"Oh, you don't have a girlfriend!" she realized. "You're just shy. That's so cute!"

God dammit! It wasn't enough that Jack had been caught in a lie trying to escape these two's flirting—no, they had to read into it completely the wrong way and think he was actually interested in them!

"No," he said weakly, "I'm really not shy. I just—"

"Oh, come on, Jack," said Becky. "You don't have to lie." She spared a grin to her friend. "I know two attractive ladies like us can be kind of intimidating together, but really, we don't bite."

"Not unless you want us to," winked Melissa.

"That's…um…" Jack tried desperately to think of something to say. "I…"

"Jackie, you should show us around the city," the brunette crooned at him. "It's our first time in China and we want you to show us everything."

"I really don't think I should…"

"Why not? It's not like you have a girlfriend," Becky pointed out.

Jack wondered if his father would consider it 'rude' to just run away as fast as he could.

"Because…I—"

"Because he has a boyfriend," interrupted someone from just behind Jack.

The goth went still at the familiarity of the voice and the urge to bolt multiplied tenfold when he turned and saw none other than Chase Young standing at his side.

Of course, just when he'd been wondering how the situation could possibly get any worse, Chase shows up.

Chase, the all-powerful, evil warlord who could easily turn him into a nasty, little smear on the floor.

Chase, the man he'd been basing his lie to these girls off of.

Chase, who had likely just heard everything he'd said.

Fuck.

"Who are you?" Melissa asked, eyeing the tall, handsome man who'd just appeared. Becky, it seemed, was too speechless to ask.

"My name is Chase," Jack heard his idol say through the blind terror keeping him frozen in place. An arm came around him and Jack jumped when a warm hand gripped his shoulder. "I'm Jack's boyfriend."

…what?

Becky shook her head, confused. "But…he said he had a girlfriend…"

It seemed that Chase realized Jack would not be speaking anytime soon, for he answered for him without hesitation.

"Between us," he said, charm dripping from his tone, "Jack isn't exactly out yet. He's always been a bit nervous about admitting to being with another man, but I'm sure you lovely ladies won't look down on him for it."

"Oh. Uh, no, of course not," smiled Melissa. "We're…sorry, we didn't know he was taken."

"And he's really cute," chimed in Becky, "so you can't blame us for trying."

Unbelievably (to Jack), Chase laughed. "Yes, he is," he agreed, "but if you'll excuse us, I need to borrow him for a moment."

Of course, the girls agreed and allowed Jack to be dragged away through scores of nicely dressed people, away from the party and into the rest of the house.

Somewhere on the way, Jack recovered his ability to speak.

"Are you gonna kill me, now?"

Chase turned to him. "Kill you? Why on earth would I kill you?"

"You heard the stuff I said, right?"

Chase nodded.

"Then, you know that I lied."

"About my gender," said Chase. "I don't care about that and I certainly wouldn't kill you for it. You were just trying to save yourself from those twits."

Jack shook his head. "No, no, I mean…all the other stuff I lied about! You're not mad about that?"

"Of course not. You weren't lying."

"What?" Jack gaped at him. "Yes, I was! I said—"

"You said that I didn't always like you," Chase pointed out. "You said that you took time away to mature and that I grew to like you better because of it. You said that I would have nothing to do with you unless you were ready for a commitment and that 'we would be ready for that step, soon.'"

"But…that never happened…"

"Oh, it happened," said Chase. "I simply hadn't gotten around to telling you about it until now." He smirked at the shock-stricken expression Jack gave him. "It was too uncanny the way you were able to determine my plans for our relationship entirely on accident. I decided I ought to step in to save you for that unintentional brilliance alone."

Jack could only stare at him for a long, long moment, even as he was finally led out into a secluded hall. "…does this mean your cats won't attack me the next time I come over?"

Chase laughed. "It means a lot more than that, Spicer," he purred. "It means that if you play your cards right from here, I may finally let you…ah, how did those girls put it? Let you see me with my 'contacts' out?"

Jack flushed deeply, looking around quickly to find that they were the only ones in the hallway and no one had heard.

Perhaps a bit more boldly than he felt, Jack looked up at Chase. "Uh…this is my house. And…I do have a bedroom in it…"

Chase grinned at him. "By all means, Spicer," he said, "I would love for you to show it to me."

Jack brightened and eagerly led Chase to a nearby set of stairs.

Back at the gala, a morose Becky and Melissa were drinking champagne.

"This sucks," muttered Melissa. "He was adorable."

"Well, you know what they say," sighed Becky. "All the cute ones are either taken or gay—or both."

Twenty Three -

Jack slowly trudged up the stairs, feeling exhaustion in every last bone of his body.

It had been…a long day, to say the least.

It started for Jack at roughly 3:00 AM, when he'd jerked up out of what should have been a sound sleep thanks to a nightmare about being late for a very important final. Regardless of the fact that he hadn't taken a final (or even attended a class) in years, it had apparently rattled his psyche enough that his body refused to go back to sleep.

Wide awake and hating it, Jack had tossed and turned for a few aggravating hours before heading down to his lab and busying himself in random repairs. The monotony of the task had him nearly nodding off right there on his work table…

…right up until his Shen Gong Wu alarm went off, of course.

After that, it had been an unpleasant (and cold) flight up to the Arctic Circle for a painful fight with the Xiaolin monks and a Showdown that he inevitably lost before blessedly being able to go back home and sleep.

Or so he thought. Of course, Wuya had been there waiting for him, having been kicked out by Chase and looking for someone to shack up with. It had taken hours for Jack to convince her that no, he was not playing hard to get and he really had no interest in teaming up with her again.

By the time she finally left, Jack was starving and could not very well go to bed on an empty stomach. He had to stay awake even longer in order to cook himself dinner and then eat it, and somewhere in the midst of that, one of his bots managed to fry its hard drive. That led to yet more repairs, and by the time Jack was finished, it was well after midnight.

Yawning, Jack made it through his bedroom door and began shrugging out of his clothes, replacing them with baggy, well-worn pajamas before flopping onto his bed. Not even bothering to pull the covers over himself, he closed his eyes and eagerly began drifting off to sleep.

Until a loud beep from across the room startled him into sitting bolt upright.

Finding the source to be the laptop on his desk, he groaned. "What now?"

Jack made his way over to the computer and plopped into the chair before it, shaking the mouse to get rid of the screen saver and see what program had made the noise.

Surprisingly enough, it was his instant messenger.

Jack frowned. "What the hell…?"

And the reaction was appropriate because Jack did not really have friends he chatted with online and the most he used that particular program for was checking in with his mother while she was away.

Yet there, on the screen was a message from a username Jack most certainly didn't recognize.

HuoJin: You aren't asleep yet, are you, Jack?

Jack shook his head. He really should ignore this: he was tired.

TechLord: I was trying to be. Who is this?

The 'and how do you know my name' went untyped, but Jack only had to wait a few seconds for his answer.

HuoJin: My name is Jùnjié. You don't remember me?

Jack briefly wracked his brain for information. The name was…familiar, but he was exhausted and found himself unable to place a face with it.

TechLord: Sorry, no. Not ringing any bells.

HuoJin: That's a shame. I definitely remember you.

Jack snorted.

TechLord: Yeah, I'll bet it's hard to forget the freaky-looking albino kid. Seriously, what, did we go to school together?

The stranger's response was…unexpected.

HuoJin: I would hardly call you 'freaky.' I like the way you look, Jack, and no, we were never classmates.

Startled, Jack quickly typed his reply.

TechLord: Then, how did you get my screen name and what do you want?

HuoJin: I have my ways, and there's no need for you to worry. I don't want anything from you but to talk.

TechLord: Talk. What about? I don't even know you.

HuoJin: Yes, you do, Jack. You gave me this contact yourself. I distinctly recall you telling me I could use it to reach you whenever.

Jack paused. That most definitely didn't sound like him. The most socializing he did was at the parties he was sometimes forced to attend for the sake of his parents' business, and he had no recollection of ever meeting somebody interesting there, but…

After a moment of thought, he replied.

TechLord: I'm sorry if I'm being a little paranoid. I just don't remember that and to be honest, I've had a rough day.

HuoJin: No offense taken. Would you like to talk about it?

Jack shrugged to himself. Why the hell not?

TechLord: Not that much to talk about, really. Low on sleep, high on jerks—the perfect recipe for a crappy day.

HuoJin: Not many friends, eh?

TechLord: Wow, somebody's blunt.

Jack found himself slightly less offended at what Jùnjié said next.

HuoJin: I mean nothing by it. I can't boast of many friends, either.

Jack couldn't resist.

TechLord: You're not some lonely old pedobear friend of my dad's, are you?

HuoJin: Funny, but no. I may be an old soul, but I can assure you that my body is young.

TechLord: Which brings up the fact that you seem to know me and I don't really know anything about you.

However, Jùnjié insisted.

HuoJin: You know me, Jack. I'm sure it'll come back to you the next time we meet.

TechLord: We're going to meet, now?

HuoJin: That's why I messaged you. It's been awhile since we've been face-to-face and I have to admit, I would greatly like to see you.

Jack frowned, uncertain.

TechLord: I don't know… You keep saying we've already met, but I don't remember it and meeting people through the internet can be risky.

HuoJin: A public place, then. A meeting in broad daylight surrounded by scores of other people. If you see me and truly don't recognize me, you'll be able to leave and there'll be nothing I can do about it.

"Mmm…" Another thing Jack should just say no to.

TechLord: I'll think about it. When and where might this be?

HuoJin: There should be a park not far from your house. I was thinking we could meet there Wednesday afternoon.

Jack knew the place. It was always pretty populated that time of day, so if this guy really did turn out to be a creep, it shouldn't be much of an issue. It was currently a Sunday (technically Monday, being after midnight), so that gave him a few days to decide, too.

TechLord: That sounds fine. It may or may not be a date.

The reply came quick.

HuoJin: A date? I quite like the sound of that.

TechLord: No need to be sarcastic.

HuoJin: I assure you, I wasn't. I said earlier that I like the way you look, and I meant it. I would consider it an honor to go on a date with you.

Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

TechLord: If you're trying to hit on me, it's not working.

HuoJin: Yes, I'm afraid my usual charm is somewhat lost in translation this way. That's why it's imperative that we meet so that I may seduce you properly.

Jack chuckled to himself.

TechLord: Well, I'll think about it and get back to you, but for the record, I kind of already like someone.

HuoJin: He's a lucky man.

This gave Jack pause.

TechLord: And what would you know about that?

HuoJin: Come now, Jack, you haven't exactly been subtle about it these past six years. Your heart belongs to Chase Young and everyone knows it.

A very sobering chill swept through Jack at seeing those words on the screen.

What?

Jack's reply was typed on autopilot.

TechLord: Seriously, how do you know that? Who are you?

HuoJin: I told you, Jack. I am Jùnjié—or at least, that was my birth name.

There was a pause of a few seconds while Jack forced his tired brain to think: where did he know that name?

Before he could come up with anything, another message popped up on the screen with an accompanying beep.

HuoJin: You are tired and it is late. Do get some rest, Spicer. I'll see you on Wednesday.

And as quickly as that, the little green box beside the username, 'HuoJin' went gray, indicating that he had gone offline.

Of course, Jack wasn't able to pay it much attention for that parting statement and the way it was phrased had quite soundly jumpstarted his memory.

He did know a Jùnjié. He had for years.

Before Jack's idol and long-time crush had accepted Hannibal Bean's offer, before he had taken that first sip of Lao Máng Lóng, and before he had even changed his name to Chase Young…

He had been a Xiaolin monk that went by the name of Jùnjié.

Flashes of the conversation he had just had whizzed through Jack's mind. The things he'd said to Chase, the things Chase had said to him, and oh, god he knew—…

…and Chase wanted to go on a date with him…

It was this thought that proved too much for Jack and he slumped into his computer chair in a dead faint.

At the very least, however, he was finally unconscious after his long and trying day.

Twenty Four -

Jack shuddered, resisting the very powerful urge to take a step backwards. Of course, he thought, running away would be a great idea, too, no matter how unlikely it was that he would get away with it.

Very unlikely, cornered as he was by Hannibal Roy Bean.

"Now, Jack," he shivered at the slow, purposeful drawl, "I'm sure you're wonderin' just what it is you're here for."

That was an understatement. Dragged from his home and brought before quite possibly the most evil being in the universe?

Jack had questions and he had a feeling that none of their answers would bode well.

"Uh…yeah," he said out loud, "y-you could say that…"

Hannibal grinned at him with crooked yellow teeth. "What's wrong, boy? You ain't scared…are you?"

"Me?" Jack gave a quivering laugh. "No, no way, I'm n—" He broke off with a short screech when Hannibal abruptly went from bean-sized to man-sized with the aid of the Moby Morpher. Weakly, he amended, "O-okay, maybe a little…"

"Well, there's no need for that." A viney root curled around Jack's shoulders. "Y'see, all I want is to talk."

Jack tensed. "Talk," he echoed warily. "About what?"

"Why, you, of course!" Hannibal's root squeezed warmly, in what felt like a parody of camaraderie. "Did you think I wouldn't have noticed? You've improved greatly in the ways of evil, my boy."

Jack's eyebrows shot up towards his goggles. "I have?"

The anthropomorphic legume laughed. "You have, Jack," he assured, "you have. Your skill in robotics alone has grown by leaps and bounds."

Jack responded with a nervous chuckle of his own. "Well, y'know…I try…"

"And you do so well at it," Bean smiled at him. It was not a nice smile. "You've won yourself a dozen Showdowns in the past month alone and you've managed to keep the Wu you won. Very impressive, Jack."

"Um…thanks. I was bound to catch on to this stuff eventually, right?"

"Of course, you were," said Hannibal. "You've always had so much potential, Jack. Now that you've finally tapped into it…hasn't it occurred to you that you could do with someone to help you use it…?"

Jack froze. "Wh…what?"

Bean was directly before him now, with a root on each of his shoulders and grinning broadly. "I'll cut right to the chase, Spicer: I want you to join me."

Jack stared at him. "Join you? Like…like an—"

"Apprentice," Bean finished for him. "You are good, Jack, but I could teach you to be so much better. Could you even imagine the kind of power you could have?"

Jack could imagine it. Hannibal Bean was just shy of omnipotent. He was a strong fighter, a skilled sorcerer, a master of evil… Jack could learn much from him and the end result was all but guaranteed. Bean's last student had been Chase Young, and if Jack could reach even half of that level of awesomeness—…

No. Wait.

Chase hated Bean. He had hated (or maybe even feared) him enough to betray him and trap him in the Ying-Yang World. That alone was enough of a reminder for Jack that Hannibal Bean was one seriously bad dude and it did not do to tangle with him.

He always wanted something in return for his services and the price was usually far beyond what one was willing and able to give.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "What's the catch?" he demanded.

Bean laughed. "Very clever of you, my boy," he praised. "Of course, before I can truly take you on, you'll have to do somethin' for me."

"Like what?"

"No need to be hostile, Jack," Hannibal said, raising his roots in a gesture of harmlessness. "It's a very simple task I want you to do. Just a little somethin' to prove your worth…a show of good faith, if you will."

Jack frowned. "What is it?"

"I want you to dispose of Chase Young."

Jack went very still. "…dispose…?"

"You see, Jack," Bean continued, "Young has been a thorn in my side for far too long. An ungrateful brat, too, if you ask me. I gave him everything, you know. He was my favorite—if my only—student and he took advantage of my generosity. But out with the old, in with the new, eh?"

Slowly, Jack shook his head. "I…can't kill Chase. There's no way."

"Sure you can," Bean smiled. "Of course, I'll give you the power to do it. He's too strong for you right now and until I teach you, you don't have the skill to beat him. I'll enhance you beyond his level—temporarily, you understand, in case you're starting to get funny ideas. Once Chase is out of the way, I'd be more than happy to take you under my wing."

"No," Jack said. "I can't kill Chase. I…I won't."

Hannibal retained his upbeat demeanor despite the refusal. "Why not? It would be well within your ability and it would be such poetic justice, don't you think? Chase Young, brought down by the very admirer he had so many times scorned…" He grinned. "It would be right perfect."

"No, that's just it. I can't hurt Chase," Jack protested. "I…I really…"

"Love him?"

Jack inhaled sharply.

"There's nothing wrong with lovin' someone, Jack," Bean said comfortingly. "I know you can't help how you feel."

"R…really?"

"Of course. You're sweet on him…" Hannibal's tone turned suddenly cold. "But he ain't sweet on you."

Jack flinched, but Bean was not finished.

"Come on, Spicer," he said, "I've seen what you can do with that brain of yours. You're smarter than this. You ought to know by now that no matter how in love you are, that stubborn dragon doesn't love you back. I'm offering you a chance for revenge: show him how wrong he was to treat you the way he has!"

"No," Jack said again, "no, I…I don't want to. I want—"

"I know what you want, Spicer."

Jack jumped, for that had most definitely been said in Chase's voice. Looking up, he found himself face-to-face with his idol.

His brain helpfully reminded him that Bean held the Moby Morpher and Jack realized quickly that this was only Hannibal imitating Chase's form.

Knowing this made it no less startling when 'Chase' reached out and cupped his face with two large, warm hands. Jack shivered at the contact.

"You want me, Spicer," 'Chase' purred to him. "You want this body so badly, you're already half-hard for it."

A dark flush colored Jack's cheeks when he realized it was true. He tried to remind himself again that this was not Chase, but was only able to force down a little of the instinctive arousal he was feeling at such an intimate proximity.

"You're not him," he said aloud. Even so, he couldn't keep the quiver out of his voice.

"Of course I'm not," 'Chase' readily agreed. One of his hands slipped down and around, making Jack meep embarrassingly when his rear was squeezed. "But I'd be more than happy to play pretend with you. I can do to you things you'd only dreamed of, Spicer…"

Jack whimpered.

'Chase' leaned in closer and Jack swallowed audibly at the heat in the golden stare pinning him down. A gloved hand grabbed Jack's and pulled it up to thread through long and silky hair.

"Let me love you, Jack," the 'warlord' entreated. "I will give you everything…and all you have to do is get rid of the Chase Young that won't."

It was those words that snapped Jack out of his stupor and he immediately shoved the false Chase off of him.

"No," he repeated firmly. "I won't kill Chase for you, Bean! Find someone else to do your dirty work, 'cause it's not gonna be me!"

'Chase' scowled at him. His form melted away and once more became that of Hannibal Bean, but larger than before. By the time he finally stopped growing, he was at least twice as tall as Jack.

"I really think you ought to reconsider, Jack," he said, menace in his tone.

Looking up at him, Jack blanched. Throat tight with fear, he had nothing to say and his body tensed in preparation to flee with the blinding speed of a true coward.

He was not given the chance.

A hellish snarl tore through the air and in the blink of an eye, the oversized Bean was on the ground. On top of him, murder in his eyes was Chase Young himself, the real one, dragon-formed.

Teeth-bared and tail lashing behind him with obvious fury, Chase growled.

"How dare you? How dare you, Bean?"

"How dare I?" A whip of one root and Chase was flung off of Hannibal across the room, leaving gouges in the floor with his claws as he regained his footing. "How dare you,Young? Spicer and I were in the middle of a private conversation. Isn't that right, Jack?"

Jack, of course, had no opportunity to react to those particular honeyed words, for Chase was already launching himself at Bean again.

"You will not have him!" he all but roared. "Spicer is mine!"

Jack's jaw nearly dropped, but now was obviously not the time for any sort of verbal freaking out, not with Chase's claws tearing into Bean and Bean's root coiling around Chase' neck.

Struck by the feeling that he needed to be doing something (and for once, it wasn't running), Jack slowly reached into his coat, careful not to draw the attention of the hellbeasts currently brawling in front of him. His fingers almost immediately brushed the cool metal of the laser pistol he had gotten in the habit of carrying with him at all times.

Jack knew he was a sharp enough shooter to defend himself from a distance, but he wasn't so sure about his offense. That aside, he didn't even know if the weapon in question would do any good against Hannibal freaking Bean,and Chase would probably be able to hold his own against him anyway.

But what Chase had said…and that he was fighting Bean at all right now…

Jack held out the pistol and took aim. Maybe he wouldn't be able to do damage, but if he could throw Hannibal off even a little, it could give Chase a big advantage.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Bean had noticed him lining up his shot. A vine grew long enough to lash out and whip around his ankle. It tugged sharply, and with a startled, "Whoa!" Jack found himself on the floor.

Chase roared, tearing viciously into Bean once more. "Don't touch him!"

The vine retracted as Bean quickly grew busy with Chase again and Jack pushed himself up into a sitting position, hissing at the stab of pain it caused to his ankle.

Well, fine, Jack thought to himself, he wants it that way? I can aim just as good sitting.

He then proceeded to prove it by pulling the trigger of his pistol, firing off a laser beam that cleanly severed one of Hannibal's roots.

Bean screamed, more from anger than pain as his appendage fell to the floor and he quickly turned on Jack, looking downright furious. Jack's grip on his gun tightened as he prepared to defend himself.

As it turned out, he didn't have to, and Chase quickly took a purposeful stance before him.

This seemed to give Bean pause.

Already aching from the brief scuffle with his former student, he knew that pursuing further combat would be a waste of time. Chase was, in every way, his equal and in a one-on-one fight, there could not yet be a victor. Not to mention, of course, that Jack seemed quite keen to provide his idol with aid in whatever way he could and while that little toy gun wasn't much of a threat, it could certainly prove distracting.

If Bean continued the fight, there was the very real chance he might lose.

Slowly, he backed off and returned to a semi-normal size.

"Alright, Young," he said, sneering. "You want him so bad? Take him. I'll let you go this time, but make no mistake: I will have him eventually."

"Over my dead body, Bean," the dragon-Chase snapped.

Hannibal grinned. "That's entirely the idea. Now, go on, get! Both of you!"

Jack watched from the floor as Chase smoothly shifted back into his human form, still glaring fiercely at Bean. He never took his eyes off of his once master as he came to kneel by Jack's side.

"Can you stand, Spicer?" he asked calmly.

Jack blinked. "Uh…I doubt it. I think he twisted my ankle…"

Chase snorted. "He will pay for that at a later date," he solemnly promised.

Jack gave a soft 'meep' as Chase scooped him up in his arms. Without once turning his back on Bean, he called upon his magic and teleported away from the Heylin legume's stronghold right into the middle of his own.

There was a silence between them as Chase began carrying Jack deeper within the volcanic palace. Surprisingly enough, it was a weary-sounding Chase who broke it.

"So, the castle has been successfully stormed and the princess rescued by the dragon."

Jack frowned. "The princess is in another castle," he muttered. "I'm very much a prince, thank you."

Chase scoffed. "If you have any thoughts of calling me 'Mario,' you'll be walking on that ankle."

"Wasn't planning on it," said Jack. He glanced briefly at the hallway he was being carried through. "Um…where are you taking me?"

"Does it matter?" demanded Chase. "I won you. You are mine. I may do with you as I wish."

Jack's heart skipped a beat. "You…really meant that?" he asked hopefully. "You do want me?"

Chase sighed. "Spicer, Bean was wrong in what he told you on every count but one."

"Which one?"

"I don't love you."

Jack's face fell. "…oh."

"But," Chase continued, "given time, it is a possibility."

Jack perked again.

"I, too, have seen your potential, Jack. You could be great with the proper training; with focus.I can give you that."

"So, what's your catch?"

Chase smirked. "I won't ask you to do murder for me," he said. "I would only ask your complete loyalty to me. Although," he amended, "after seeing your confrontation with Bean just now, I'm inclined to believe I already have it."

Jack blushed.

"I must say, Jack…I am impressed. You held your own against him."

"Not like I fought him or anything," Jack murmured sheepishly.

"I didn't expect you to," Chase retorted. "You didn't need to fight him physically, Spicer. You fought Hannibal Bean in a battle of wills and you won.Not many can boast of that."

"He wanted me to kill you!" Jack argued. "I wasn't gonna let him talk me into that!"

Chase grinned. "And that, Jack," he said, "is precisely why you belong to me."

Jack found he had nothing to say to that and simply laid his head against Chase's breastplate.

"I'll take that as your consent," the warlord firmly decided. "Now, if it's alright with you, I think it would be best if your ankle was looked at."

Jack smiled. "Sounds good to me."

...

A/N: Still for Silvarbelle's birthday which was so long ago, it's embarrassing that I'm posting this now! XD

Twenty One - You see amnesia used a lot in fanfiction, and you even see it used in Chack plenty of times, but I've never actually seen amnesia applied to Chase. When I have, it's usually the type of amnesia that suddenly changes his entire personality instead of just wiping his memories and makes him weak and dependent, or worse, gullible. I wanted to try my hand at a more in-character amnesiac Chase, so hopefully, I did alright. :D

Twenty Two -Again, another thing you don't see too much is Jack getting flirted with. He's not uber-sexy like Chase, but the boy is cute! Give him a little credit, yeah? XD

Twenty Three -The obligatory IMing ficlet, of course. ;P

Twenty Four -I really, really like this one. I don't know why, maybe it's just the idea of Jack being able to successfully (more or less) tell off Hannibal Bean just because of how much he loves Chase, or if it's how Chase gets to defend Jack against a pissed off Bean, but I do like it. I hope you guys like it, too! :)

Ideally, there should only be one more part, but size limitations might make me split what's left into two. We'll see when I try to post them, but for now, this has been Part 4! :D