A/N Well I'm freakin pissed- google docs decided to be an ass and somehow delete this whole story, so I've had to start the whole document over again with a new chapter. Which is fairly difficult because sometimes I have to look back on the story and see where I'm coming from. Ugh, this sucks. But at least I've got my muse back. I hope it stays. This chapter will focus on a lot of Jackie and Macey friendship bonding, since it's mostly been Jade and Macey.

I also feel like my writing has improved since I began this story.

I thought I'd do disclaimer again since I haven't in awhile…

Disclaimer: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures. All characters you recognize belong to the creators of the show. I only own my character, Macey Chabert. (Which is a derivation, maybe, of the actress Lacey Chabert.)

"Did you see it in my eyes?

Was I that naive?

Did I simply compromise the things that I believe?

But now that I'm aware of it

I'm gonna turn it around"-

Joan Jett, "Turn It Around."

Chapter Nineteen - Jade Monkey (episode 10, completed)

The stingy, salty aroma of ocean water assaulted my nostrils as the boat pulled away from the docks.

"Ugh." I plugged my nose between two fingers. "Why do we have to be in the ocean, in the first place?"

"No reason. I just thought you'd like…" Jackie paused to sniff the air. "The sweet smell of rotted fish."

I felt my stomach lurch. "Very funny." Okay, so I almost opted out on this one. I wasn't scared of water, but sea water was a whole different story. What? I'd seen Jaws way too many times. But I had to do a report on what my stay with Jackie Chan had been like, if I wanted to get a head start on my new book. I'd already been rejected by a couple of publishing companies, but Uncle said he'd try to help me get in. (Yeah, right.)

Besides, Jackie was after a new talisman, and I wasn't gonna be the one to let him down.

Suddenly, the boat lurched to a stop, scraping against something rough and rigid.

"What the-" I turned around, facing the edge of the boat. (I forget what it's called, but it's definitely got a name.)

Jackie's eyes widened. "Macey, whatever you do, don't look down."

I couldn't help it. I looked down. And shrieked. We were pressed up against a sandy island, in the middle of the ocean.

Jackie pulled me back. "I told you not to look down!"

"I can't help it!" I wrenched free of his grasp, facing away from him and crossing my arms over my chest stubbornly. "Do you have any idea where we are?"

"No clue," Jackie replied, appearing just as puzzled as I was.

"Great." I groaned, my forehead making contact with my palm. "This is perfect."

"Guys!" Jade tugged at my shoulder. "Look!" She pointed, and I narrowed my eyes in the said direction. A giraffe stood on a sandy ground, munching on leaves by a grove of trees.

Jackie's eyes widened in shock. "We sailed all the way to Africa?!" (Cue 'Africa' by Toto.)

"Nooo, we sailed to Antarctica," I scowled, kicking at the side of the boat.

Jackie crossed his arms over his chest. "Macey, now is not the time to be sarcastic."

"Right." I tried to keep any snide comments to myself. "We need to find a way to get out of here. Fast." I was already nauseas from sea sickness, and my anxiety wasn't doing me any favors. "This is your fault! If you had gotten the directions-"

"M-my fault?!" Jackie pointed at his chest incredulously. "If you had let us know we were-"

"I didn't have a map!" I stuck my nose in the air.

"You know what your problem is-"

"Oh, thanks, Oprah-"

"Macey! Jackie!" Jade came between us. "You guys are fighting like an old married couple."

"We're not fighting!" Jackie and I yelled in unison, but our glares stated otherwise.

Jade sighed. "Coulda fooled me," she muttered, grunting. "Look, we're searching for the Monkey Talisman, right?"

"That's news to me." I glared at Jackie, who chuckled sheepishly, stepping away from me. "Okay, Mr. Smart Guy. What's the power of this talisman?" I was hot and sticky. I could already feel perspiration running down my neck and dribbling down my shirt. I regretted wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. Thankfully, I had a short-sleeved T-shirt underneath the hoodie.

"Shapeshifting." Jackie's glare died down to a sulky-like expression.

"So, like, werewolves?" I wasn't superstitious, but since I arrived in Chinatown, things had gotten really weird.

"No. More like-" Jackie turned around, his broad back to me. "Ja-Jade? Jade!"

Jade was nowhere to be seen.

"Jade!" I called, cupping my hands around my mouth. "Jade, where are you?"

"Great!" Jackie threw his hands in the air. "Now Jade is missing. And it's my fault…"

Uh-oh, I thought.

I put my hands on both his shoulders. "Jackie, it isn't your fault. She's a curious kid. She probably just got distracted and went to explore." I only hoped the Dark Hand wouldn't get distracted by her.

Jackie looked at his shoes. "I know, but I still let her get away. If she gets hurt, it's my fault."

"Listen, you probably believed in Santa Claus for eight years," I told him slowly, stepping back. "You can believe in yourself for, like, 8 seconds."

He looked at me. "You're right, I guess," he said quietly, smiling smally. "Thanks."

"Just think," I said as he hopped off the boat, landing gracefully like a cat on both feet, "if you were Jade, where would you be?"

Jackie leaned against the side of the boat. "If I were Jade, where would I be…." he repeated in a low voice, appearing thoughtful.

I jumped off the boat, attempting to mimic Jackie's action, but fell face-first into the sand.

Jackie chuckled. "You may want to work on your coordination skills, Macey."

I swatted at him playfully, but the annoyance was genuine.

"Jade!" Jackie tried again, looking around frantically.

"Clearly, yelling for her repeatedly isn't working." The heat was making me grumpy. "Let's go into the jungle." I didn't necessarily want to know what else was lurking in the dense brush that lay ahead of us; but in any case, whatever I was scared of, would more than likely get Jade, too. The thought caused my skin to bristle.

A dense shrubbery surrounded us, thick leaves brushing against my clothing. The path was dark and laced with palm trees, among other trees I wasn't sure were called.

We had a long day ahead of us.

*JCA*

Jade Chan was terrified. But she knew she had to keep pushing through. Breathing heavily, she bounded through the thick African jungle, nearly tripping over a stray limb.

"Ow!" She cried out in a mixture of pain and surprise.

Something crackled under Jade's feet. Frowning, she bent down, reaching into the leaves and pulling out a small, grey object. The object was shaped like a circle and had the engraving of a monkey on the front.

Jade gasped, "The Monkey Talisman!" She glanced over both shoulders. No sign of the enemy. Breathing out, Jade pocketed the object, and picked up her pace into a jog.

She felt herself transform. But into….what?

She let out a startled squeal when she felt a none-too-gentle hand grip her by the shoulder.

"Gotcha," a deep voice drawled, lifting her from the ground.

Jade began to hyperventilate, and, upon looking down, she saw she had no longer human feet, but the paws of an animal.

*JCA*

"Jade!"

"Jade!"

"Jade?"

"Jaaaade!"

Our useless calls soared through the forest.

"It's no use." Jackie sat down on a nearby rock. "We'll never find her."

Sweat dribbled down my forehead. "Don't say that." My confidence was dwindling as well, but I hid it, for Jackie's sake. "We just have to keep looking, that's all. She could be looking for the talisman, too." Jade loved to "help" us on missions, even if the help wasn't necessarily wanted or needed. She just wanted to feel included. I felt bad for all the times Jackie and I had to yell at her.

"I'm sure we can-" I realized I was talking to air. Jackie had fallen asleep (you read that right, asleep) on the rock, slumping slightly.

"Wake up!" I slapped his chest with my palm, and immediately regretted it- his chest was as firm as a freakin' rock.

While I nursed my throbbing hand, Jackie stirred. "While I passed out," he muttered, rubbing his neck and sitting up, "Uncle told me in a vision that Jade had the talisman."

My heart swelled. "That's good news, right?"

"But then, he said bad guys have her." Jackie stood, almost tripping, but then regained his footing. "We have to save her!"

"Jackie, wait." I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I want to find Jade as much as you do. But shouldn't we consider-"

We were interrupted by the sound of scuffling. Jackie and I glanced up to see a tan monkey darting through the thicket, shrieking noisily. All other animals in the jungle had gone silent. Anyone who's watched horror movies knows that the woods going silent is never a good thing.

"Jade!" My voice shook with apprehension. "Jade! We're over here!" Maybe if we stayed in one spot she'd come back easier. I tried to remember what my Girl Scout leader had told us in the third grade. If you're lost, find a tree and hug it, right?

"Macey," I heard Jackie's gasp. "Look!" He pointed, and I squinted, following his finger. The Dark Hand, all in a group, were running clumsily into the same direction the monkey had ran. Jackie yanked me into a nearby pile of bushes, then crouched down next to me.

"Jade!" I started to climb out of the bushes, but Jackie gripped my shirt sleeve.

"Are you crazy?" Jackie hissed, leaning toward me. "They'll get you!"

"And if they follow Jade, they'll get her!" I struggled to escape from Jackie's grasp, but he pulled me back again.

"What do you want me to do? Say 'stop, or my female friend here will scream'?" Jackie glared at me. "In case you haven't noticed, The Dark Hand is very interested in talisman!"

So far, we hadn't come across any talisman. But it all began to sink into place. "Jackie, Jade is the monkey!"

"Jade? A monkey?" He stared at me blankly. "Macey, she may be a handful, but a monkey?"

I gritted my teeth. "No, I mean, she shapeshifted- ugh!" I gripped my forehead between two fingers. Unable to stand the heat, I ripped off my sweatshirt and tied it around my waist. It was still scorching, but at least I wasn't dying of heat exhaustion anymore. "She got the talisman and somehow shapeshifted into a monkey."

Jackie paused, considering this, then nodded. "And if she isn't? Then what do we do?"

I hadn't thought that far. "Uh….then we keep looking, I guess."

Jackie grinned. "I have a better idea."

*JCA*

Jackie and I had somehow managed to put together a trap- one that would save Jade, but defeat the Dark Hand. We sunk a net into a hole in the ground in the middle of the jungle, the hole covered with leaves. Jackie and I waited in the trees, and when the time would come, we'd pull the string.

It was so hot that I was unable to take it anymore. "Do you think they're com-"

"Shh!" Jackie nudged me so hard that I almost fell out of the tree.

"Are they gonna-"

"Be quiet," Jackie hissed, pointing to the ground. My breath hitched in my throat. Both the monkey and the Dark Hand crashed through the trees, sending leaves sailing.

"Now!" Jackie whispered, and I nodded, pulling the string. The monkey squealed in surprise, but somehow dodged the hole. The Dark Hand, on the other hand (pun totally intended), weren't so lucky.

"A-ha!" Jackie and I leaped down from the tree. Luckily I didn't fall face-first this time. "Let's see who the real guy is behind all this." I knelt down beside the monkey. "Jade, do you have the talisman?" I felt stupid talking to a monkey, but I had no other choice.

The monkey in question hooted in acknowledgment and outstretched her arm. In her paw was the Monkey Talisman.

I gave the monkey a high-five, then took the talisman from her. "Let's see what-"

I felt arms around my waist. "Macey!" Jade's familiar voice sent relief through me.

"Jade!" Jackie joined us in a group hug. "Thank goodness you're okay."

"I looked all over for you," Jade said as I handed the talisman over to Jackie.

"We did, too." I gave her a noogie, and she laughed, pushing her hair back into place. "What was it like being a monkey?"

Jade shrugged. "It was okay, I guess."

Jackie looked at me sympathetically. "Macey, I'm sorry I yelled at you-"

"Yeah, I know…." I sighed, "me, too."

"Let's go home." He smiled, and I nodded as he put his arm around me. The trip seemed to have brought us closer together, as friends and as partners.

But no way was I going on a safari any time soon.