Jack had spent most of the night alternating between crying himself to sleep, and waking up screaming from night terrors.
Even after a bomb went off in the third floor, signaling Chase's arrival could he muster enough strength to get up from the living room carpet where he had collapsed after reading his father's letter.
He was sticking with his last resort plan. If only because he was sure nothing else would kill Chase.
The light of dawn filtering through the curtains woke him up after a small fit of restless sleep.
"You left some clever tricks for me," said Chase's deep voice.
Jack's eyes snapped open. He was still lying on the living room carpet, and looking up at Chase as he sat in one of the couches. He wore a traditional Chinese black suit and looked down at Jack with a bored expression.
Jack tried to stand up, but found his legs and arms bound.
"Don't hurt her!" cried Jack.
Chase lifted an eyebrow at him. "I won't. In fact, while you slept I brought her back to the complex where she was."
"What?"
"If you would be quiet for once," said Chase, reaching for a cup of tea on the coffee table. "I could explain myself."
Jack grunted, but said nothing more.
"I have come to bring you a gift that I thought you might appreciate," said Chase. "If you are smart."
Jack looked at the corners of the room on the ceiling, noticing that all his lasers had been crushed or torn apart. His gaze went to the bombs underneath the chairs, but those had been removed too. His mind raced down the list of traps he had prepared, when Chase grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up to look straight at him.
"Hey. I'm talking to you. Don't try anything. I disabled all of your little toys," said Chase.
"Then why did you tie me up?" asked Jack.
"Because you have proved a formidable opponent during our last encounters."
Jack's heart fluttered at that, and he hated himself all the more. His stupid heart was the source of all his problems. He wanted it to stop loving Chase, to stop loving his mom, to stop missing his dad. As soon as he could, he was implanting his consciousness into a cyborg. He made a mental note to do so as soon as he could. If and only if he survived this encounter with Chase, of course.
"Wow, that's a lot of praise coming from you," said Jack.
"Indeed. You should be grateful," said Chase with a smirk that made Jack's heart jump wildly. "But that is not the gift I came to give you."
"Is it the gift of a fast and painless death?"
"No."
"Can I exchange the gift for a fast and painless death?"
"No."
"Please?"
"Shut up or I'll gag you," said Chase, letting go of him and letting him fall back down on the carpet.
Jack cried out when his head hit the carpet, and he saw double for a few moments. As soon as he could focus on Chase though, he saw that he was glaring down at him.
"You're trying to win time," said the warlord.
Busted.
"Naah~," said Jack, wiggling away from him.
Chase sighed, and that made him stop. Jack had never heard him sigh like that. Tired and disappointed at the same time.
"What are you trying now?" asked Chase.
Jack looked away. 'To die and drag you down with me to hell,' he thought.
"Nothing. The ropes are just too tight," said Jack, making a pained face.
"I know you are trying something. The day you can best my warrior perception has not come yet, Spicer. Despite the capacity I have seen from you. But I will let it pass for now," said Chase, sitting back down. "What I have come to give you is the gift of my forgiveness."
"What?"
"I intend to forgive and forget all of our recent fights, if you would do the same in return," said Chase, entwining his fingers in his lap.
"J-Just…like, making peace? You have got to be kidding me," said Jack. All he had to do was click his heels together a little more. Then give the order, and they would both blow up. He could even take down the whole building, now that his mother wasn't in there anymore. And yet, he wasn't sure he could trust Chase to have really taken his mother back to the rehab complex.
"I am not. I'm sure you know I am not one to kid with you," said Chase. "As I see it, we will both destroy each other in little time. I could kill you right now, of course. But that seems like a waste of your…potential."
"So you want me to work for the Heylin side?" asked Jack, suddenly unsure of where he stood. He could not go back to fighting with either the Heylin or the Xiaolin, but if Chase truly wanted to take him under his wing…There were a million things to learn from him. The sheer knowledge he must have amassed throughout the years was enough to tempt Jack.
"I didn't say that. I did not come here to recruit you, nor to make any promises beyond that of us leaving this conflict behind. It would do me no good to keep fighting you, and you need more time than I could wait for an impending battle with you."
"Uhmmm, uhmmm…I…Are you serious?" asked Jack. Chase narrowed his eyes at him. "Of course, of course you're serious. It's not like you've made a joke in the last thousand years. But…I mean…Why?"
Chase stood up. "Why? Perhaps one day, I'll tell you why," he said. "But not today. Today, I would like for you to accept my gift. And to live."
Jack felt his blood run cold. "L-live?" he mumbled.
Chase gave him a knowing look. "Do you accept, Spicer?"
Jack took a deep breath. "I…yes. Yes, I accept."
Chase turned around, and without another word, left the penthouse.