A/N Happy (belated) holidays and New Year's to those who celebrate! *^~^*

Song selection: "Nothing Ever Goes As Planned"~ Styx

Chapter Forty-Seven: The Eighth Door (s2 ep11 p1)

A wind so powerful that it rocked the boat back and forth swept through the ocean; waves crashing against the rocks. A seaweed-colored, three-headed dragon hovered over the boat, anger flashing in her eyes.

Jackie, Tohru, Uncle, and Jade (who was clutching a polaroid camera) stood in the boat, gripping the sides of it for support.

Muttering to himself under his breath, Uncle prepared the Chi spell.

At the sight of Uncle, Bai Tza gasped and reeled back in horror. "The Chi Wizard!" The Chi spell launched into the air and crashed into Bai Tza. "NOOO!" The said dragon was sent careening backwards, blending in with the dark, angry waves of the ocean.

Jade leaned over the side of the boat, anxiously lifting the camera so she could catch the exciting event on film. "Oo! Fish fry!" she remarked dryly, grinning to herself as Bai Tza was tossed about in the swirling vortex of the Chi spell. Jade squinted into the camera and zoomed in.

Suddenly, Jade was lifted into the air alongside Bai Tza, somehow still holding her camera. "Whoa!"

Another forceful wave rocked the boat, sending Jackie, Tohru, and Uncle sliding across the floor, all collapsing against the side.

Jackie got to his feet and scrambled, pushing against the wind, to Jade's side of the boat. "Jade!" he yelled over the roar of the storm.

Jade was lifted higher and higher with the beam of the spell. "Jackieee!" she shouted, kicking in feeble attempts to break free. "Whoa!"

Before anyone could make a move, both Bai Tza and Jade were sucked into the portal, which subsequently closed, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

Uncle collapsed to the boat floor in a mixture of shock and grief.

Panicked, Jackie turned to Uncle. "Uncle!" he urged frantically between labored breaths. "We have to get Jade!" He gestured to the sky. "You have to re-open the portal!"

Uncle managed to slowly shake his head as he weakly tossed his Chi equipment aside. "The Chi spell has sealed the portal," he announced with a glum sigh, regret flashing in his eyes, "like it has sealed all the others...forever." He began to cry silently.

Jackie ran to the dock and attempted to start the boat. "Hurry, Uncle!" he yelled. "We must fly to Rome!"

Uncle lifted his head. "Jade is not in Rome, Jackie," he stated remorsefully. "She is trapped in the Demon Netherworld."

Tohru punched the floor. "Oh, why couldn't it have been me?" he moaned, more to himself than to Jackie and Uncle, squeezing his eyes shut.

Jackie grunted in frustration. "There must be something we can do, Uncle!" He gripped the boat's steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned red. "A counterspell! A stronger spell! SOME WAY TO-" He was interrupted by Uncle cuffing him on the back of his head. "OW!" He rubbed his head, glaring at Uncle.

Uncle frowned at Jackie. "I cannot think with all your noise!" He closed his eyes, clearly in deep thought. "The Eighth Door!" he cried finally, after a beat of silence.

Jackie blinked at him. "Uncle?"

"We have permanently sealed seven portals belonging to the Demon Sorcerers," Uncle mused aloud, rubbing his chin with his index finger, "but not the one belonging to Shendu! It is Jade's only hope of escape from the Demon Netherworld…"

A flicker of renewed hope flashed among the three men standing on the boat.

MACEY'S POV

I couldn't sleep. I tried sleeping with the covers on. Tried sleeping with the covers off. Tried sleeping with the TV on. Tried sleeping with the TV off. My mind just would not leave me alone.

Letting out a growl of frustration, I kicked the coverlet off me, jamming my foot on the side of the bed. I grimaced, gripping my throbbing foot and waiting for the gunshot wound-like sensation to subside. Once I finally regained my composure, I opened my door and limped into the hallway, flicking on the light. I was momentarily blinded by the ceiling light as I stepped into the kitchen, my eyes still adjusting from the darkness of my room.

I put tea on the kettle and waited for it to brew, my cell phone in hand. I stared at the message on the white screen, my thumb hovering over the keyboard, but somehow unable to make my fingers move.

I had mixed emotions about my parents' sudden visitation announcement. Sure, I was excited for them to come, but what if things got out of hand? They had a habit of being overbearing and even a bit pretentious sometimes. I didn't want to sound like some angsty, emo teen or anything, but part of me was already dreading their arrival. What if it turned out they didn't like the environment and demanded I come home?

You're 21 years old. They can't force you to come home if you don't want to. I sighed and poured my tea into a coffee mug. Legally, that is.

I wrapped my hands around the mug and allowed the heat to thaw my fingers.

My phone vibrated against the counter. I jumped and looked at the screen, expecting it to be a surprise call from my parents, but the caller ID said JACKIE.

I breathed a sigh of relief and picked up. "Hello?"

"It's Jade." Jackie sounded frantic. "She's gone missing."

"Uh-" I was slightly taken aback. It wasn't out of character for Jade to wander off on her own sometimes. Why was he so freaked out? "Is she okay?"

"That's the thing." His tone turned to frustration. "I don't know. She was dragged into Bai Tza's portal!"

After a beat, I said, "Are you yanking my chain?"

"No! Why would I be joking?" He'd clearly lost his cool; already spiraling into panic.

I pulled a chair from the table and sat down. "Okay, okay. Take a few deep breaths." We took several slow breaths in unison. When it seemed like he was calm enough, I said, "Okay. Start from the beginning, and tell me what happened."

Jackie explained that he, Jade, Tohru and Uncle had been aboard a boat and attempting to permanently seal the gate to the demon world with one of Uncle's Chi spells. As the Chi spell began to unfold, Jade stepped in the crossfire and lifted from the boat; flying with the beam of the spell and was sucked into the portal.

Something akin to dread tugged at my gut. I swallowed, then asked, "But...we can get her out, right? We can save her, like we've done before? It's not like this can't be solved." I laughed nervously.

"Macey." He sounded sad and serious.

"What?"

"Uncle said that the Chi spell he used," Jackie said quietly, "closed the portal forever."

A prolonged pause. Then, I chuckled. "Okay, is this some late April Fool's joke I'm not in on yet? I mean, come on…"

"Why would I joke about this?" Jackie was growing more agitated.

"Okay, okay." I ran my fingers through my hair. "I'm sorry; I'm sorry. Does Uncle have any ideas?"

Jackie said that Uncle claimed all portals were closed except for Shendu's- which was Jade's only hope of returning to our world. "Macey, I definitely need you for this one," Jackie practically pleaded when he finished explaining.

"Consider it done." I grabbed my black hoodie from the back of the chair and pulled it on.

"You okay?" His tone shifted from irritated to worried.

"Yeah." I cleared my throat, my hand resting on the kitchen doorknob. "I'm fine. Let's go find Jade."