A/N I totally agree with everyone in the reviews- Seymour is adorable! And poor Jade finally had a friend her own age. (sobs) Let's see what Jackie and Macey are gonna do about Seymour, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures. All characters you recognize do not belong to me. I only claim my own character, Macey. Nor do I own any song lyrics I caption prior to every chapter- all rights go to their respective owners.

"You think you're right

But you were wrong

You tried to take me

But I knew all along

You can take me for a ride

'Cause I'm not a fool out

So you better run and hide"-

P!nk, "Trouble."

Chapter Forty-Four: Tale of the Demon Tail (s2 ep9 part 2)

I found myself unable to concentrate as much as I tried; my mind kept straying from my essay and to Seymour and Jade in the next room. "Seymour is so cute," I sighed finally, turning around in the spinny chair to face Jackie, who was sitting in the red velvet chair nearby.

"Mhm," Jackie hummed his agreement, not averting his eyes from the book he was reading.

"I'm just glad Jade finally has a friend her own age." I drummed my fingers on the table top and gazed out the window, watching traffic speed by.

Jackie glanced at the half-ajar living room door. "I can't help but wonder what they're up to in there…" he muttered to one in particular.

My brows furrowed. "Jackie, they're, like, 10 years old," I pointed out delicately. "What could happen?"

"With Jade, a lot could happen," Jackie mused begrudgingly, snapping his book shut.

I laughed. "Jackie, chillax," I told him. "You're getting worked up over nothing."

Jackie arched an eyebrow. "'Chillax'?"

"Chillax...chill, relax," I elaborated. "A mixture of 'chill out' and 'relax.'"

"Never heard it," Jackie admitted.

"Really? I thought it was universal," I pondered. "Guess it's only a New Yorker thing."

"I'll be right back!" Jade announced from the living room, then came skipping into the office, a panicked look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Jackie and I asked in unison, both urgently, then gave each other weird looks.

"Macey!" Jade tugged on my sleeve. "Help. Me."

"What's going on?" Maybe Jackie's initial concern had been spot on.

Jade rubbed her wrist subconsciously. "I don't know why," she began slowly, avoiding my gaze, "but every time I'm with Seymour, my heart pounds and I get all warm and fuzzy inside." She grabbed my hands and squeezed so tightly my knuckles turned white.

Oh, dear, I thought. I was afraid this would happen. "That means you like him, Jade," I explained slowly, prying her fingers off my hands.

"Like...likey-like?" Jade inquired, and I remembered that elementary schoolers had a very limited understanding of realistic love and even more limited vocabulary.

"Yup," I confirmed. "Do you think he's cute?"

Jade blushed from ear to ear. "No!" she protested, cheeks flaming. "I mean, okay…" She looked at her feet. "Maybe just a little."

"No dating boys, period," Jackie stated firmly, standing his ground. "Do you understand me? You are too young."

"Okay, okay!" Jade scowled, clearly unhappy with the general situation. "But I was gonna ask him to the dance…"

"Absolutely not," Jackie told her, sternly.

"Why not?" I broke in, looking from Jade to Jackie. "If they're just friends, I don't see why not. What's the harm in it?"

Jackie looked like he was thinking this over, then said slowly, "I suppose so...But just, as friends."

"Yay!" Jade hugged Jackie's waist, jumping up and down with excitement. "Thank you so much! You're the best uncle ever!"

"Remember, only as friends!" Jackie called after Jade as she pranced back into the living room, leaving the door slightly cracked.

"Poor Jade," I crowed sympathetically, hands on my hips.

If the pre-teen phase was difficult, the teen phase would be even rockier.

*JCA*

Jackie and I were snapped from our individual work when we heard Jade's sudden scream from the living room.

Halting mid-task, Jackie and I ran into the living room.

Jade was standing on the carpet, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.

"Where's Sey-" I pivoted, as Jade gestured to the ceiling with a trembling hand.

A blue-colored, tailless red-eyed dragon hovered above our heads, wings flapping silently.

A husky, hissing voice emitted from the dragon's throat: "I smell a spell!" His tail flew toward him, and he swiftly caught it. "Stee-rike!" He held the tail up with one paw in triumph.

Jade gawked, fear in her eyes. "You're...you're…"

"A demon?!" Seymour interjected. "You still wanna go to the dance with me, Jade?!" The dragon grinned maliciously.

Jade scowled at the dragon. "Not!" she objected, sticking her nose up.

"Jade." I swallowed, my voice trembling as I spoke. "Step away from the dragon, please."

As usual, Jade unheeded any parental advice and walked up behind Seymour, snapping his tail off.

"Tails," Jade said simply. "You lose."

Seymour glared down at Jade. His demonic eyes flashed as he cackled maniacally, his glare darting to me.

"Seymour, if you leave one mark on that girl, you're in big trouble!" I yelled.

"Ayee-ah!" Uncle's signature phrase of agitation erupted suddenly, followed by the sound of bone snapping and a canine-like yelp.

"What did you do to my tail, sly Uncle?!" Seymour growled, howling in obvious pain.

Uncle grinned. "Ancient proverb: None of your bees-wax!"

Jade held up the Tiger Talisman. "Fight fire with fire," she murmured to herself. "Fight yin...with yang."

Uncle chanted something in an ancient language, and the dragon began to dissipate into thin air, his demonic cry fading.

Sadness was evident in Jade's eyes. "So long...Seymour," she called glumly, watching the dragon disappear completely.

Once I was sure the coast was clear, I gently took Jade's hand in mine. "You did good today, Jade," I told her softly.

Jade looked up at me with big, unwavering eyes. "You were right about the good and evil thing, T," she said sullenly to Tohru.

Tohru looked solemn. "There will be other dances, Jade," he reassured her sympathetically.

Jade scoffed. "Dance, shmance," she said dismissively. "I am so over Seymour!" Her eyes clouding with sadness betrayed her declaration. "I just miss having someone around who listens." She turned back to me and draped the Yin and Yang necklace around my neck. "Yin and Yang. Big and small. You and me."

I smiled and hugged her. "I'm proud of you, Jade."

I didn't need to look very deep to see that Jade had grown up.