Okay, you know the drill! I don't own any of these characters. They are all trademarks of Touchstone Pictures, except Roxanne, who is my own creation. So don't sue me! I just like to write! Besides, I've always had low self-esteem. These stories just make me feel better about myself! (Haha, I couldn't resist a Roy O'Bannon line!)
SHANGHAI DREAMS

Heartbreak

London, England – 1886

"Well Chon, it's back to the good ol' US of A." said Roy O'Bannon as he picked up a brown hat from the other side of a mahogany desk. Roy was tall and thin, and had a mop of shaggy, golden blonde hair. He had blue eyes that always danced with a glint of mischief in them and a roguish smile that had charmed countless numbers of women, but non could compare, in his mind, to Lin, his friend Chon Wang's sister. "I guess if this motion picture thing doesn't work out, you'll be heading back to Carson City." He sighed. "I was hoping you'd stay with Lin and I."

Chon pulled the drapes of their room closed. "I'm really not sure," He said in his Chinese accent. Chon was somewhat shorter than Roy was. He was a typical Chinese man with a stocky but muscular build. He had narrow brown eyes, tan skin, and black hair which he kept tied back in a lose ponytail.

Roy looked up in surprise. "Chon, how can you not know what your going to do? You're the one who's always had such a strong sense of purpose!"

"I just don't know if I want to go back. I have changed in the past few weeks." Chon said.

Roy smiled and put his hand on Chon's sholder. "Well, just remember, if you need me, I'll be here… unless someone finds me and decides they want to hang me or something."

A knock came from the door. A woman's voice with a Chinese accent said "Roy, Wang, we have to go!"

Roy opened the door of their hotel room to see Lin standing there waiting. She had long black hair and the same narrow brown eyes as her brother. She smiled at Roy.

As the three left the room, a man who worked at the hotel approached them. "Excuse me," He said with an English accent, "is one of you Chon Lin?"

Lin stepped forward. "I am." She said.

The man pulled a letter from his jacket. "This just arrived for you."

Lin looked apprehensively at the letter, which was marked with the symbol of China's Emperor. Carefully, she opened the envelope.

"See? If I hadn't forgotten my hat, Lin wouldn't have gotten her letter!" Roy said pointedly to Chon.

Chon rolled his eyes.

"Who's it from?" Roy asked.

Lin hesitated. "It's from the Emperor."

"The Emperor!" Roy and Chon exclaimed in disbelief.

"What does he want?" Asked Chon.

Lin read the letter aloud. "Chon Lin, as the only child of your father's who is allowed to enter the Forbidden City, you have been called upon to become the new Keeper of the Imperial Seal. Your first job is to see that the seal safely reaches China."

Chon stared at Lin. "Do you know what this means?"

"Yes." She said as a single tear rolled down her cheek. " I must return to the Forbidden City, where neither of you may follow."

"Wait a minute! Time out!" Roy said in shock. "You mean you have to go?"

Lin nodded, then she embraced Roy. "I'll miss you. I am afraid we will never see each other again. I'm sorry." She kissed Roy, then she went to Chon to say good-bye.

Roy could scarcely believe what was happening. Here he had finally found love and now, it was all falling apart!

"I must leave now." Lin said. "The company that will escort the Seal back to China leaves this afternoon. I must go with them. Good-bye, Roy. Good-bye, Wang. I shall miss you both."

And with that, she was gone, leaving Roy and Chon standing dumbstruck in the hall.

Author's Note

Chon is the surname of Wang and Lin. A surname is a last name (for those who didn't already know that). The reason Roy calls Wang "Chon" is because in America, our last names are, well, LAST! (AND no one bothered to explain to Roy that it's the complete opposite in China, where the surname comes first!)