It had been six years since Jack had seen them. In that time, they were Masters; experts at all forms of martial arts. They had won the battle of good and evil. They still collected the magical Shen Gong Wu.

Jack was kicked out at 18. His parents cut him off almost entirely. He lived in a tiny apartment with a lousy roommate. He had a job. Three, to be exact. He had just enough money to get by. He still had one Shen Gong Wu.

Ah, the Monkey Staff. The only thing left from his Shen Gong Wu days. Somehow, the Xiaolin Warriors had never figured out that he still had it. Or maybe they just left him alone. Either way, Jack was happy to have something from the good old days.

It had been six years since the last time his poor mind worried about his dear Kimiko. He loved her so much. But, what does a 15 year-old boy do to show his love? Kidnap her? Swamp her with subliminal messages? Openly admire her? What? Say it? Tell her that he loved her? What a dangerous proposition. He knew that she never really liked him. But what if she got to know him? That was the problem. No one really knew him, even to this day. An enigma in his own mind and to those around him. Six years hadn't changed anything. He was apparently still in love with Kimiko and he apparently still had no idea of how to go about courting her. He wondered if she even found him attractive. Or noticed his newer physique? Work put stress on him. Hence, all that baby fat and teenaged flab melted away into fairly well-carved muscles. He was impressed, but was she? She was the one who found him in a sea of people. Maybe there was hope. Maybe there wasn't. Not all of his physical changes were for the better. Either way, he was just happy to be at her side.

At the ice cream parlor, the four dragons sat at a booth and Jack pulled a chair up to the end of the table.

"Mmmm, Banana Sundae, my fave!" he smiled as he sat at the table.

"Good thing it's still your favorite," she smiled, "We weren't sure of what you would like."

Jack stopped shoving the food into his mouth and paused to swallow.

"What do you want from me?" His face was hot and he could feel his heart sink into the pit of his gut.

"Nothing," she laughed, "We missed your sorry ass, that's all."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Rai said as he waved his spoon, "By the way, we know you have the Monkey Staff."

Jack's face turned red.

"Yeah," he said nervously, "Sorry about not returning that…"

"Like you'd return anything," she chuckled, "Nah, don't worry about it. We weren't exactly worried about what you would do with it."

"Gee, thanks," he whined.

Across the room, a young boy saw something flick out from beneath Jack's jacket.

"You weren't exactly on our list of 'Most Wanted Heylin,'" Rai teased.

"You calling me a loser?"

"I didn't use that word, no. I'm just saying that you weren't exactly 'in the know' enough to figure out how to use the Monkey Staff for evil," Rai explained.

"We felt it was better off in your, incapable hands than in Wuya, Chase, or Hannibal's, no offense," Clay said.

"None taken. In fact, I'm…"

Jack jumped from his chair with a shriek of pain. He lashed around violently to find a little boy looking at him with big, frightened eyes.

"Oh my God, Jack," Kimiko said slowly, as if reading the boy's mind, "You have a tail…"

He shrieked, "No kidding! And this brat just pulled it!"

The boy was on the verge of tears when his mother appeared behind him and dragged him away by the shoulders.

"Mommy," he heard the boy murmur, "That man had a monkey's tail…"

"Monkey's tail, huh?" she stood with her arms folded across her chest.

"Looks like someone got too attached to the Monkey Staff," Rai taunted.

"Ooo, do you not see the irony?" Omi was nearly hysterical, "Jack always acted like a monkey, and now he really is a monkey!"

"Ha, ha, very funny," Jack sneered, "I'm out of here."

Jack moved to leave, but Kimiko stopped him.

"Let us give you a ride home," her smile was so infectious, "I mean we have Dojo…"

"Yeah, and he could really use some exercise," Rai laughed.

"I do not!"

A chunky Dojo slithered out from underneath Clay's hat.

"Hi, Dojo," Jack waved sheepishly.

"I am not out of shape!"

"Then I guess you won't mind taking a little side trip to drop Jack off at his house," so beautiful…

"That's way out of the way…" Dojo winced at the thought of giving that much extra effort.

"Not really," Jack saved the poor dragon, "I live in an apartment on Main Street. I'll show you how to get there… if… you want to take me?"

"Oh sure!" Kimiko answered for the dragon, "We'll take you!"