A/N First off, I would like to apologize for going so long without updating. I've been feeling down lately, and I have had writer's block and no inspiration to write whatsoever. I've also been quite busy with school, with new projects every week. I thought I'd elaborate more on Macey's appearance and/or personality: as for appearance, she has shoulder-length blonde hair (think of Reese Witherspoon's hairstyle), and usually wears black T-shirt and jeans. That's pretty much all for description, not to mention that she's Caucasian and American, originating from New York, New York. I will introduce her parents in a few.

Chapter Sixteen - Tough Break (episode 8, completed)

"I'm looking out for the two of us, I hope we'll be there when they're through with us"- Foreigner, "Long, Long Way from Home."

*JCA*

"Run down the side of an exploding, no problem!" Uncle was laughing hysterically, standing next to Jackie's hospital bed. "But step on a child's toy, break your leg. Sounds like Chinese proverb!" He howled with laughter again.

"This really isn't funny, Uncle." I sighed, sending him an irritated glance. Okay, so the situation was kind of funny- since working with Jackie, I'd never seen him break a single bone in his body, even falling off an exploding building. But it wouldn't help to rub it in his face.

"Yes, thank you, Macey," Jackie sighed tiredly. He was sitting up in bed, his leg propped up and gauged- kind of like how Captain Black was a week before. What was it with the men in this town? Was everyone accident-prone?

"Uh, Jackie." Jade looked up at her uncle. "Miss Hartman wants to contact you."

"Your teacher?" I asked, immediately sensing trouble.

"Oh, it's nothing bad!" Jade waved her hands in the air in protest. "She just wants you to come to this parent-teacher-conference thing."

"Jade, we will have to wait until Jackie is healed." I put my hand on her shoulder, knowing Jackie already has enough to deal with.

Jade averted her gaze. "I'm so sorry, Jackie," she whispered, guilt overcoming her. "It's all my fault you're hurt."

"Now, now," I said, leaning against the railing of the hospital bed. "It isn't all your fault."

"But this will teach you to take better care of your things," Jackie added gently, smiling smally.

"I guess you're right." Jade gave a solemn nod.

After Jade and Uncle left, (Jade had already missed the first thirty minutes of school) I sat down on the chair across the room from Jackie.

God knows I needed the rest until Jade decided she wanted to start mischief again.

*JCA*

It was weird seeing Jackie in a wheelchair, but it was something he had to use until he healed completely. At least we'd get a break. Uncle even said I'd receive a paycheck this week.

While Jade was becoming more cautious with her cleanliness, I was still tripping over those stupid toys. I'd tripped over one in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, causing it to utter a loud, unexpected noise, in a guttural, emotionless voice:

"Gnome cop!"

On the inside, I wanted to throw the offending toy in the trash, but I knew it mattered too much to Jade to throw it away. I sighed, putting it on the nearby desk.

Now, Jackie was sitting in his wheelchair, leafing aimlessly through the pages of a book. Although the boredom had begun to sink in, it gave Uncle more of an excuse to put Jackie to work with research and household preparations.

"Gnome cop!" I looked up from the book I was shelving to see that Jade's toy had appeared in the room.

I frowned. "Great, it walks, too." Now I really wanted to throw it away. Could I get away with it while Jade was still at school?

"Gnome cop," the toy repeated robotically. It was a scruffy, fur-covered robot that resembled something out of Star Wars.

I hooked my thumb on my jeans pocket and tilted my head at the Gnome. "You're a strange little thing, aren't you?" I said to no one in particular.

The toy turned and jumped on one of the shelves, knocking over the books I'd just finished shelving.

"Hey!" I swiped at the toy, but it dodged out of my reach, leaping up to the tallest shelf. "If you're intelligent enough to knock that over, you can clean it up, too." Now I was really going bonkers; talking to a doll. Besides, I don't think Uncle would take the doll as an acceptable excuse for not cleaning up myself.

"That's it!" I turned around, ready to face the doll, but it had disappeared.

I groaned audibly and peered over the shelf. "Hey-!" I yelped as I felt a non-too-gentle "thwack" on the back of my neck. I turned around. The toy was scurrying away, waving its offending paw in the air.

"Hey! Get back here or I'll-"

"Macey?" I turned around. Jackie had wheeled himself into the room, the expression on his face a mixture of amusement and puzzlement on his face. "Are you threatening a doll?"

My cheeks felt hot, and I knew I was reddening. "Hey, it pissed me off, okay?!" My neck was still stinging from the hit.

Jackie stifled a laugh. "Jade does need to work on picking her things up…"

I felt a hand tap my shoulder and jerked around. "Hey-"

Jackie pointed his index finger ahead of me. "Right there."

The said toy had crawled out of a pile of books and inched its way out of the woodwork. "Gnome cop!" It looked over at me with its beety eyes.

"Something is not right about that toy," Jackie commented, leaning his arm on his wheelchair's arm rest.

"Ya think?" I wrinkled my nose. "Let's just take the batteries out so we don't have to deal with this little creep anymore."

"No, I mean-" Jackie shook his head, seeming a bit puzzled. "It doesn't seem like...a toy. It seems like it's…"

"Possessed?" He nodded. "Great. What's the talisman this time?"

"The Rat Talisman," Jackie answered slowly. "Jade must have-"

"How does Jade have anything to do with the Rat Talisman?" I tilted my head at him.

"When a motionless object absorbs the Talisman, it comes to life," Jackie said thoughtfully, wheeling himself to the nearby desk. "So that means-"

"Jade must have dropped the talisman into the toy," I proclaimed, leaning over Jackie's shoulder at the book he was studying. "So now we have Chucky 2.0 over here." Anyone knows me knows I hate dolls. The glass eyes just stare at you blankly, and their mannerisms in general creep me out.

"Jackie! Macey!" Jade bounded into the study, her eyes wild. "You've gotta help me stop Gnome cop!"

Jackie and I glanced at each other. "No kidding," I confirmed, my hands resting on my hips. "Did you, at any chance, happen to see a Rat Talisman? And if so, what did it look like?"

Jade dropped her backpack. "Yeah, I did have it-"

"And how did you come to possess it?" Jackie addressed his niece firmly but quietly.

"When you came home from your train wreck!" I snickered at this description. "I thought it would be cool to see Gnome cop alive. But you're missing my point! Gnome cop escaped!"

My eyes widened. "Escaped? As in, escaped the building?"

"Yes!" Jade tugged at Jackie's sleeve anxiously. "I don't know what to do!"

I immediately felt sympathy for the child. "What do you want us to do, Jade?"

"We have to stop it," Jackie said softly, turning to face Jade, "before it becomes out of hand."

"Becomes?" I scoffed, blowing air through my nose.

"But how?" Jackie looked at me hopefully.

Jade's face brightened. "I have an idea," she proclaimed. "Jackie, remember that second Gnome cop I wanted…?"

*JCA*

Jade was a smart kid, especially for her age. We were waiting in line at the mall's toy store, where kids swarmed in hopes of getting the next Gnome cop toy. Jade speculated that if we used another possessed Gnome cop against another, we could stop the original Gnome cop.

"You know, this makes sense, in absurd illogical way," I remarked, as Jade pulled one of the toys off the shelf.

"I told you it's gonna work." Jade shot me a knowing grin.

"I hope so." I frowned, kicking at one of the many boxes on the floor. "That little sucker hit me."

"You're angry with a child's toy." Jackie chuckled, covering his mouth when I glared at him.

"Again, it freakin' hit me! Hey, you ready, Jade?"

"Yup!" Jade nodded, sidling the plastic box under her arm.

We hurried over to the cash register, where a bored-looking middle-aged woman with spectacles sat behind the counter.

We paid up, and I wheeled Jackie out into the hallway of the mall.

"What now?" I squinted at the normal Gnome cop in the box.

"There!" Jade pointed, and Jackie and I looked up. The possessed Gnome was scurrying past, its evil eyes widened.

"Ah-ha," I murmured, starting to walk toward the toy.

"Wait!" Jade struggled with the box before pulling out the normal toy. "Here!" She thrusted the toll at my chest, and I caught it.

"Got it," I assured her, and she nodded.

"If it's anywhere near the talisman, it'll come alive," Jade said, gesturing to the normal toy.

"Do you want me to come along?" Jackie offered, his eyes shining with concern.

Aww. "Thanks, but no thanks." I tucked the toy under my arm. "This one's on me. This little jerk is just asking to be caught."

Jackie full-out laughed this time. "I cannot believe you're holding a grudge against...a toy!"

I frowned at him."You're gonna thank me after. Meet you at the food court?"

Jackie nodded, and Jade gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.

I grinned mischievously before running in the direction in which the evil toy was once seen.

*JCA*

I crept around the corner James Bond-style, secretly wishing I was carrying a weapon of some sort. (Why did I have to be so unprepared?) Then again, it was just a toy. It's not like it could kill me or anything. But then there's Chucky…

I waited for passerbys to make their way around me before slinking across the carpeted hall again.

"Gnome cop!" I jerked around. Evil Gnome cop was peeking around the corner, glaring listlessly at me.

"Hm." I chuckled half-heartedly. "There you are. I knew you'd turn up again, you little creep."

It ducked its head, as if offended by my insult.

"You can run but you can't…" It slipped through my feet, knocking me over in the process. "-hide. Hey!"

"Gnome cop!" The Gnome cop looked around panickedly, then over at me.

Thinking fast, I set the toy on the floor. "I have a friend who'd like to meet you." Coaxing enemies so one could corner them often worked. "Don't worry, it's not gonna hurt you," I added (which was so totally a lie) as the Evil Gnome cop tentatively crept toward the normal toy.

Evil Gnome poked the seemingly normal toy curiously, like a child would test its new favorite item before deciding its worth.

It crept forward, attempting to pick up the toy. The new toy growled, its eyes blinking and coming alive, pouncing on the new enemy. The two wrestled on the floor.

Taking the chance, I swept both toys in my arms. Evil Gnome cop let out a shriek of surprise, but I reached into its opening, pulling out the batteries. "Evil Gnome is no more!" I declared, stuffing the batteries in my jeans pocket. "Now, for the talisman…" I kept my voice low, just in case there were anymore enemies nearby. Satisfied with my surroundings, I dug around in Evil Gnome cop's fur, pulling out a grey, rough object.

It was shaped like a circle, and in the center was carved a rat.

I smiled to myself, gripping the talisman with my sweaty palm before turning to walk down the hall.

"Macey! Did you get it?" Jade and Jackie were heading in my direction, Jade breathing heavily as she jogged.

"Yup!" I nodded. "Right here." I held up the talisman for proof.

She breathed a sigh of relief, wiping a visible sweat bead off of her forehead.

"And Evil Gnome is no more." I smiled, handing her the now normal toy. "It's no longer Chucky-who-wants-to-kill-me."

Grinning, Jade clutched the toy to her chest. "You can keep the other one!"

"No thanks." I winked at her. "I think I've had my fair share of Gnome cops for one day." I noticed Jackie's hair was dripping wet. "Heyyy, you take a swim?"

Now it was Jackie's turn to be smart. "No kidding," he grumbled, attempting to squeeze the water out of his hair. "I sort of fell into the pool."

"The pool- ohhh." I realized he was referring to the mall's fountain. "Well, color me surprised." Even in a wheelchair, Jackie Chan could still manage to get himself into sticky situations. "How and why?"

He grimaced. "Let's just say the Dark Hand was involved," he admitted feebly, finally letting go of his hair.

"Again, nothing surprises me anymore," I noted. "Hey, I'm beat. Let's go home?" Jade and Jackie nodded. "Good job today, Jade," I praised, touching the said girl's shoulder.

"I didn't do anything." She looked up at me, confused. "You were the one who found the talisman and single-handedly destroyed Evil Gnome cop!"

I laughed. "You looked after your uncle, and that says a lot. Now, let's go home, before we find another Chucky."