A/N Well, cheetos. I haven't updated in about…*checks calendar* A MONTH! I'm so sorry. But school is out for good for me now and I will have plenty of structured time to write so I won't feel rushed. How do you like where this story is going? I need some constructive feedback!

Disclaimer: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures or any song lyrics. Sad day.

"World turns black and white

Pictures in an empty room

Your love starts fallin' down

Better change your tune, yeah

Reach for the golden ring

Reach for the sky

Baby just spread your wings"-

Van Halen, "Dreams."

Chapter Fourteen - Shanghai Moon (season 2, episode 7, completed)

After a stomach-churning, antagonizing flight (did I mention that I'm a nervous flyer?), we finally came to a smooth landing in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Previously, I was unaware that the said town had even existed. Then again, I wasn't aware of a lot of things.

After Jackie and Uncle swiftly hopped off the plane steps, I followed suit. Just as I stepped over the second step, my shoelace came undone. My other shoe got stuck in the shoelace, sending me careening down the steps and onto the cement chest-first, knocking the wind out of me. While I struggled to remember how to breathe, the plane lifted off again, sending ripples, like in an ocean, through the grass of the field nearby. On the runway, translucent heat waves danced in the air.

Jackie observed me warily as I stood, finally regaining my breath and footing. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I brushed gravel off my shirt and started picking shards of rock out of my palm. The process stung, but relief was refreshing. I winced as I finally managed to get all the shards out of my skin and cradled my now-tender palm to my chest. I'd worry about getting a band-aid later. We had bigger fish to fry.

Jade hadn't resisted Jackie ordering her to stay in her room, which concerned me even more than her wanting to get better grades. (I'm sure I thought I'd never have to say that before.) Something was definitely bothering her. Wanting to do homework and willingly staying behind on an exciting mission, both on the same day, was very un-Jade like. Not that I was complaining or anything. But it did feel strange, unnatural, almost, to not have an anxious Jade by our side as we made our way to the NASA space headquarters. This was definitely not-so-Jade behavior.

"Wait…" My eyes widened at the giant, office-building like compound ahead of us. "NASA headquarters? I didn't think we were going sight-seeing." This place just screamed tourist-y. In fact, in the time that I'd spoken, I'd already seen a group of what looked to be college students taking a tour of the outside of the building, staring with wide eyes and dazed facial expressions, pausing to snap photos every once in awhile.

"We're not sight-seeing," Jackie confirmed. "This is our next mission."

"In...space?" I blinked at him in disbelief.

"In space," he confirmed, head tilted toward the sky.

My stomach did a flip-flop at the mere suggestion of having to go above the atmosphere. "No thanks."

"No thanks?" Jackie repeated, looking somewhat befuddled.

"I... I hate heights." Plus, I'd just spent a whole afternoon on a plane. The last thing I wanted to do was go on a space shuttle- I still had jet lag, with a side of ringing ears and a pounding headache. "And after the Challenger? No. Thank. You."

"I assure you it will be perfectly safe." Jackie glanced at Uncle pensively before continuing, "I won't force you if you don't feel that is the case."

I nearly started jumping up and down like a kid in Toys 'R' US. "Thank you Jackie thank you! I could kiss you!"

"Please don't." Jackie looked miffed. "You kissing me and me going into space wouldn't go together on the same day."

"Yeah, you're probably right." I was too relieved that I wasn't being forced to go on a space shuttle that could potentially kill me that I barely noticed that he had vaguely just insulted me. "I'll help with the lift-off," I volunteered meekly, recalling how I'd always wanted to be a lift-off narrator for a space shuttle video as a kid. Eight-year-old me would have fainted already by now. Now, however, I felt sick just looking at the countdown clock itself.

I swallowed my fear and followed Jackie and Uncle into the building.

*JCA*

"What are we gonna do?" I whispered, realizing that we had no structured plan as we crept into the building. "Just go up and ask to borrow it?"

"Ask to borrow it?" Jackie echoed incredulously. "And tell them what? 'My female friend and I need to borrow a space shuttle so we can defeat the Moon Demon'?"

"You're right, that does sound ridiculous," I agreed sagely. "Actually, it would make you sound like a complete lunatic."

"Right." His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "So do you have any better ideas?"

I thought long and hard, then said with finality, "Nope. Nada. What about you?"

"Nothing here." Jackie sounded frustrated.

"Aye-ah!" Uncle bellowed, "You two are like children!"

"I'm gonna have to agree with him on this one," Captain Black piped up, then raised his hands in surrender when Jackie and I turned around to glare at him. "Nothing personal," Captain Black defended himself quickly. "Anyways, since you two have run out of ideas, I have a great one."

"Oh yeah?" My irritation emerged through exhaustion. "And what's that?"

Captain Black grinned, although his eyes were serious. "Come with me, all of you."

*JCA*

We slipped in discreetly through the NASA hallway and into a big room that displayed all sorts of equipment, with high-tech, state-of-the art computers and lift-off assistance.

Captain Black prepared Jackie for the lift-off; soon enough he was wearing a real astronaut suit.

"Good luck, Jackie," I said softly, smiling and trying to disguise my growing anxiety. What if he didn't return? What if something went wrong on the space shuttle? "I'm scared," I admitted finally, ducking my head.

Jackie's face softened. "I'll be back," he reassured me, giving my shoulder a tentative squeeze. "I'll come back perfectly safe."

"Okay…" I couldn't let my worry pull him back. "Good luck," I repeated, and he smiled and nodded, before boarding the nearby space shuttle.

As the door slid shut, I turned to Captain Black. "Doesn't this require astronaut training?"

"Macey," Captain Black rejoined sagely, "today, we are all astronauts."

"Can I do the countdown?" Eight-year-old me would have died from excitement by now, especially with the phase I went through where I was borderline-obsessed with all things astrology.

Captain Black sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't see why not…."

I jumped up and down and said "thank you thank you thank you" repeatedly like that annoying kid in the Walmart commercial.

Captain Black, Uncle, and I handled the equipment, me struggling to contain my anxiousness/excitement as I sat down in the chair before the display dashboard. (i.e, I was still terrified of something happening to Jackie in space, but visibly thrilled that I got to do the countdown.)

As the space shuttle prepared for liftoff, I adjusted my headgear, and spoke decisively into the mouthpiece:

"T minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"

*JCA*

My anxiety was still on at full force, but as it turns out, Jackie sealed the Demon Sorcerer back into the void before he could change the Earth forever. (And not in a good way.)

Jade had somehow managed to follow Jackie into space, and the two defeated the Demon Sorcerer forever using Uncle's incantations.

Jade was back to her usual self, peppy and ready-to-go.

"My science project is gonna rock!" Jade sang, and Jackie and I laughed wholeheartedly as she did a moonwalk (if you can call it that, it looked nothing like the dance move made famous by Michael Jackson) down the aisle, as we prepared to return home.