A/N Agh, I'm terrible at updating. I just need more ideas, I was still kinda stumped for awhile, but I've managed to come up with something. How am I doing with character development?

"Though his mind is not for rent, don't put him down as arrogant"- Rush, "Tom Sawyer."

Chapter Eighteen - The Rock (episode 9 completed)

*JCA*

That'll be the last one. I shelved what I hoped would be the last book, and sat down on the chair, reaching over for my bottle of water.

Jackie had been gone for a couple days now, off somewhere in the black hills of South Dakota. I'd opted to stay out on that mission, willingly working to earn my paycheck. If I wanted to get into a good college, I at least had to work hard. Whatever money I earned at Rare Finds would pay for my college scholarship, and I could pay off the rent from the room I occupied.

I heard a creak-like noise, and assumed it was Jade home from school.

"Afternoon, Jade." I kept my gaze down, leafing aimlessly through one of the books and trying (unsuccessfully) to make out the Chinese inscriptions.

"It's not Jade," a familiar soft voice denied. I looked up, shutting the book abruptly. Jackie was standing in front of the desk, looking exhausted. His hair was unkempt, and he appeared as if he hadn't gotten a proper amount of sleep in days.

"Another train wreck, Jackie?" I gave him a grim smile, sliding off the desk and approaching him.

"You could say that." He sighed, leaning against the nearby chair for support.

"What happened?" I inquired.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news." At this my breath hitched in my throat. "While searching for the talisman, I was injected with poison."

"Poison?" He nodded. "How?"

"The Snake Talisman," Jackie answered tiredly. "Valmont injected the venom in my arm using the Talisman's opening." He peeled back his sleeve, and I gasped. There was a gaping wound that looked more like veins snaking (no pun intended) up his arm and into his shoulder.

"That looks awful." I paled, suddenly nauseous. "Jackie, you're not gonna die..are you?" My heart skipped a beat at the thought of losing a new friend. Although I'd only known him for a few weeks, Jackie had become a good companion, a comfort, you could say.

"Something worse." His face fell, and he fixated his eyes with mine. "I will turn to stone slowly."

"To stone?" I paled, swaying a bit. "I thought that wasn't possible! Is there any way to stop it?"

"Unless Uncle can invent a new antidote within twenty-four hours, I doubt it," Jackie replied glumly, slumping down in the velvet chair.

"There has to be! Jackie, I don't want a statue for a friend, and Jade doesn't want a statue for an uncle!" I pleaded, tears welling in my eyes.

"I am sorry, Macey." Jackie sounded defeated, his usually strong shoulders sagging. "Sometimes, things happen for a reason."

I began to pace. "I don't think so," I scoffed scornfully. "I don't think World War 2 happened for a reason-"

"Macey, don't try anything stupid when I'm gone." Jackie's voice emitted firm but comforting.

"Who's gonna stop me?" I glared at him, coming to his side.

"Jackie! Macey!" I heard Jade come in through the foyer. "What's going on?"

"Jackie is turning to stone, that's what!" I cried, whipping around to face the girl.

"To...stone?" Jade's voice dwindled to a whisper, and I nodded. "How?"

I sighed. "He was injected with poison by the Dark Hand," I murmured, glancing over at Jackie.

"But...I don't want a statue for an uncle!" Jade protested, her voice wavering.

"That's what I told him," I agreed.

As much as Jackie protested, there had to be some way to save him from his agonizing fate.

I just had to figure out how.

*JCA*

Jackie's condition was only growing more noticeable. His left arm had slowly developed a stone-like look, the surface hard and unable to break.

"This sucks," I declared, pacing around the room.

"Have no fear!" Uncle's brash tone erupted from the doorway. "I have a new antidote."

I perked up like a puppy who'd just been given his favorite slipper. "What is it?" Although I'd given up hope that Jackie would make it, I still had a little twinge left.

"Jackie, he-" I looked over at Jackie and gasped. His face had completely grown into a green, Hulk-like lizard.

"What?" Jackie stared at me. "What is it?"

"Nothing!" Jade and I sputtered in unison.

"Don't look in the mirror," Uncle urged, eyes widened.

Jackie turned around, facing the said mirror, and let out a shriek of surprise.

"We told you not to look in the mirror!" I slapped him upside the head, and he groaned, rubbing the spot where I'd nailed him.

"I'm a lizard!" Jackie cried, grasping his head. "I will become a stone lizard!"

My heart sunk. There really was no hope left. Breathing in, I turned to the bookshelf, hoping to find at least some way to save him at the last minute, like in the movies.

"I have a new antidote," Uncle announced, spraying something musty that felt a lot like bug spray in the air. "This may sting."

The force of the spray was so strong that it sent Jackie spiraling into the wall, leaving a hole in the wallpaper.

"Great," I sighed, and I knew what people meant when they said their heart sunk. Mine fell to the very pit of my chest.

What if it really was too late?

*JCA*

Jade crept out slowly from behind the wall, clutching a bag against her chest. Several of the talismans were inside the bag. Jade had schemed up a plan: to save Jackie by surrendering to the Dark Hand.

Tohru and Finn awaited a bit impatiently outside the shop, each looking slightly irritated.

Jade held out the bag, and Tohru pulled it away from her, peering into the opening. He gasped, "One is missing!"

Jade paled. "No way," she whispered. "I cleaned out the vault!" She gasped. "I forgot the horse one at Uncle's!" She pivoted slightly, peering nervously over her shoulder. "Um, if you give me the antidote, I really for sure promise to get you the other one." She crossed her fingers over her chest. "Scout's honor?"

Finn and Tohru glanced at each other, their faces clearly showing they did not believe the child's lie.

"Tch," Finn scorned. "Like she's a scout."

Something fell out of Tohru's hand, soaring to the ground with a clatter.

"No!" Jade cried, her eyes filling with tears. "Why?"

Tohru sneezed. "Because Chan makes me sick," he declared bitterly, rubbing his reddened nose.

"Jackie…" Jade whimpered, all hope gone.

"Don't worry, Jade." Jackie stepped out from behind the shop, placing a hand on his niece's shoulder. "Uncle will come through."

Jade felt a lump form in her throat. Turning to the villains, she exclaimed, "We don't need your stinking antidote!"

Finn and Tohru exchanged puzzled glances. "Oh yeah? What are you gonna do without it?"

A smile tugged at Jade's lips.

She had a much better idea in mind.

*JCA*

"So, the talisman obviously turns people into stone." I flipped through the pages of the book. "But I don't understand this."

"Don't understand what?" Jade peered over my shoulder, squinting at the inscriptions.

"Jade, I'm not good with Chinese," I admitted, slumping in defeat. "But I know you still remember some from Hong Kong. Can you translate this for me?" I pointed my index finger at the letters.

"Absolutely, Macey." Jade grinned at me, happy to have been given a job, and leaned forward, trailing her finger along the words as she translated verbally: "The noble horse expels all alien forces within'."

"All alien forces," I frowned, fixating on the image of the Horse Talisman. "But what does the Horse Talisman have anything to do with-" My eyes widened with sudden realization. "Jade, it doesn't mean aliens within the talisman, it means aliens within the sick person holding the talisman!" I swelled with renewed hope, realizing we could save Jackie with the Horse Talisman. "You know what this means?"

"We can finally save Jackie," Jade smiled.

"High five." We slapped palms, and I jumped off the desk. "Let's go save your uncle."

*JCA*

We stepped out of the shop, Jade grasping the Horse Talisman in one hand.

"Remember, it will only work if held by a sick person," I said in a low voice, holding out my hand. "Give it here. I have an idea."

"What is it?" Jade stared at me, still clutching the needed talisman.

I sighed, "You'll see."

Shrugging, Jade handed over the talisman, and I rubbed my nose, intentionally scraping the sides.

I felt the familiar tingle of a sneeze exit my nose, and the purple talisman came to life, twinkling in the air.

Jade gawked. "Wow, good thinking."

I grinned, pocketing the talisman. "All we gotta do is find Jackie."

"Macey? Jade?" We looked up to see Jackie ambling toward us. He was almost all stone now, and that made walking very difficult. "What are you doing?" He sounded more exhausted than ever.

"Jackie, we found a cure for your...dilemma!" I held up the talisman in his face.

He stepped back. "You didn't do anything-"

I put my hand on his shoulder. "I promise we didn't do anything stupid, Jackie. Just a little...research."

Jackie stared at the Horse Talisman. "What's it do?"

I grinned. "Think it only works on sick people?" I tossed the talisman up in the air, then caught it. "I activated it. It'll cure your stone...sickness."

Jackie smiled. "You really...care that much for me?"

I hooked my finger in my jeans loop. "You really have to ask that?"

"Chan!" A deep voice barked, and my moment of excitement was shattered.

"Great." Finn, Chow, Ratso, and Tohru were approaching us, the villains immediately catching on that we had the talisman, the way a dog senses food.

Jackie was now trembling, falling to his knees.

"Jackie!" I exclaimed, kneeling down beside him and putting my hands on his shoulders.

"The Dark...Hand...will never have all twelve!" Jackie barely finished his sentence before combusting into a stone statue.

"Jackie!" Jade yelled, collapsing next to me.

I stared at the now-stone Jackie. "He was a good man," I said sadly, tears welling in my eyes. The shop wouldn't be the same without him, and I wouldn't go on anymore adventures….

I wiped my eyes, my palm clammy with sweat and tears.

Ratso cackled. "A dollar says his hand will snap right off!"

"Deal," Chow agreed, a smirk forming on his lips.

Anger coursed through my veins. "You imbeciles!" I yelled, raising a fist.

"My cold is gone!" Tohru exclaimed in awe, rubbing his nose. "Like that!"

"The noble horse expels all alien forces within," I murmured, looking down at the talisman on the ground.

What are you waiting for? A little voice sounded in my head. If the talisman worked on the Dark Hand, it could surely work on Jackie.

Gritting my teeth with renewed determination, I scrambled to my feet, scooping the Talisman off the ground. "Jade- remember, the Horse Talisman is the healing Talisman! We can save Jackie!" I took a deep breath, gently lifting the Talisman to Jackie's shoulder and activating it once more.

"Come on...work, piece of junk…" I groaned with the effort.

It took a couple of seconds. Just as I thought it we'd lost him for good, all of the stone crumbled to the ground, revealing a human Jackie, still wearing his blue shirt and khaki shorts.

"Jackie!" I squealed, dropping the talisman and throwing my arms around him in a hug.

He beamed with relief, pulling me against his chest. "It's good to see you, too." He chuckled. "I should turn to stone more often if I am to get this sort of greeting!"

I laughed as Jade grabbed Jackie, hugging his knees.

"We were gonna put you in front of the shop," I chuckled, wiping at my eyes.

"I am just fine." Jackie smiled at me.

"Thank God," I breathed a sigh of relief, putting my arms around him again. The feel of his heart against mine was oddly comforting.

"Group hug!" Jade announced, piling in between us, and Jackie and I laughed.

I squeezed his hand, enjoying the renewed physical touch, and didn't let go.