Title: Into That Good Night

Summary: Jake Long was the star of his family and the star of his Grandmother's life. But when she dies, she asks him to go to Los Angeles and run the family business in her will. Not wanting to disrespect her will, he goes leaving everything behind. What happens ten years later when he returns to New York?

Authors Note: So here it is! This will probably be my last venture into American Dragon Jake Long after the 'Anything and Everything' series is completed. For those of you that have been following me since the very beginning, this is the plot that got away. I tried it a few years back and it failed. I've done a lot of thinking lately and not only did I decide to leave ADJL within the next year once I finished the last of the 'Anything and Everything' stories, I decided to follow up on the one that got away. I will end my time writing American Dragon Jake Long stories with this, so enjoy. And Review, please.

Jake Long was well, depressed. He had been absolutely enthralled with his Grandmother for all of his life and now she was gone. Last week she had gone to bed and died peacefully in her sleep, now the family was left with a power vacuum in her wake. There was a question at the funeral between all the members of the family, who was going to succeed her as head of the family company? Whoever it was, they were going to have to change their lives. "Jake, straighten up, I don't want your Aunt thinking things."

That had been the oddest thing that he had ever heard from his mother, she was acting like a snob. From her mother's side, she was indeed supposed to be a snob, technically, she was an heiress. After his Grandmother and Grandfather had split up, she had gone to San Francisco and founded a Television Broadcasting Company, and it had grown to be the third largest in the country behind the major ones. "Mom? It's just a will reading."

Susan Long smiled, albeit tightly, at her son. "Things get a little competitive in my family. There is a reason that you aren't around them all that much."

"It's not like Aunt Sara can do anything about it anyway," Jake persisted as they waited in their Grandmother's Lawyers Office. "But I do need to ask you why Haley and Dad weren't invited to this? They're family too."

Again Susan smiled and laid a hand on her sons shoulder. "It kills me to tell you this honey, but Grandma didn't like your father much and Haley didn't like your Grandmother. So, they didn't want to come to this, sorry about it."

"What? That Haley's jealous because Grandma liked me better? It's kind of petty when you think about it," He said looking back to the entrance of the office where his Aunt Sara and her children where now entering. Susan and Jake didn't look at them, and that same was true for Sara and her Sons and Daughters. He leaned over to his mother. "I think that it just got colder."

Susan hid her snicker behind her hand. "I think that plant just died too."

Fidgeting in his suit, he looked over to the clock that hung above the door and wondered what was taking the lawyer so long? If his Grandmother was going to give him something than he didn't want to die before he got it. Jake huffed, folded his arms around his chest and leaned back into the chair in a display of annoyance. "Are we supposed to sit here all day and wait for him?"

Susan didn't get a chance to answer as the door behind them opened and in walked a well suited man. His hair was slicked back and he looked generally greasy as all Lawyers Jake saw normally did. "I'm sorry I'm late, I had a little teleconference with the Corporate Board of Directors with your Mother and Grandmother's company. They showed their input of who they thought Ms. Li would want to succeed, I just wanted to let you know that they thought that Mrs. Long here should take up her Mother's duties, but that's not written."

Sara and her children remained silent, but inwardly they were fuming from the Board's decision. However Susan was just smiling, she liked to see her Sister get things taken away from her that she thought where hers. Folding her hands in her lap, her smile widened. "Might I ask who it is?"

"I was just about to get to that ma'am," He smiled as he picked up tan dossier and opened it before flipping through several pages. They were going to get to the smaller things later, but now they were going to take care of who would take up as head of the family company. National and International General Broadcasting or as it was known now, NIGB, the third most powerful Television Broadcasting Company in the world. "Alright, it is so bequeathed that on this day, the Last Will and Testament of Feng Li, be read in the event of her death. She requests that her daughters as well as their Grandchildren attend this reading and this has happened so we will continue."

Susan looked over to Jake and smiled at him before looking back to the lawyer. "In the matter of National and International General Broadcasting Company, I, Feng Li, being of sound mind and of sound body leave controlling ownership, as well as the title of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer to my Grandson-…"

All of the people in the room of the male gender blanched, that knocked Susan and Sara out of the running as well as all of the other Granddaughters out of contention, so it left Jake and three others. And as close as he was to his Grandmother, and for the admiration that she had for Jake being the American Dragon, he had a feeling he knew who it would be. "…Jacob Luke Long, as well as my properties in Los Angeles, Beverley Hills and San Francisco California and all of my personal property, including, my fleet of Limousines, my private Jet Airplane and my Yacht. To the matter of my estate, I do feel that my daughters as well as some of my Grandchildren deserve to be taken care of so, twenty percent of my fortune will divided between my daughters Sara Li-Marshall and Susan Li-Long, the bulk however, will be bequeathed to my most favorite Grandson, Jacob Long, that sum being 682 Million Dollars."

With that, Jake Long, the American Dragon, fell out of his seat.

"Six Hundred Million Dollars," Jake breathed as he sat in the living room of his family's home holding an icepack to his head. "I can't believe that she left me Six Hundred Million Dollars. Mom? Was Grandma insane, I don't know what to do with that-…"

Susan flattened out her skirt and sighed. "No she wasn't crazy, she just expects you to do that job. Jake I don't have to tell you that your Grandmother was incredibly devoted to her work ethic, she just didn't hand you that mountain of cash for you to blow it."

"I know, oh what am I going to do? I just got out of High School for godsake," He said staring at the coffee table, "Now I get to be a freaking CEO."

"Well Son, look at it this way, you don't have to take care of me or the rest of the family, your Grandmother left us Ninety Million." Susan smiled, enjoying the look of frustration on her Son's face. She knew her son and that face meant that he was focusing on something. Hopefully it was to respect his Grandmother's wishes.

Rose frowned, Jake was oddly quiet for the date tonight and she was the one who was usually reserved. Leaning over on the bench in Central Park, she grasped his chin and forced him to look at her. "Jake? Are you in a crappy mood because your Grandma died? Because if it is we can just do this another night if you'd like."

"No," He sighed. "It's what my Grandmother left me, and what's going to happen."

Readjusting herself, she crossed her legs and put a puzzled expression on her face. It was fake of course, she had some news of her own that she wanted to share with him and she wanted to know if this news would benefit the gift that they were about to receive. "My Grandmother left me most of her money and her company."

"Your Grandmother has a company," Rose snorted with a look of skepticism, he'd never had mentioned this before. "What do they do? Sell popcorn shrimp?"

Jake smirked weakly and leaned forward to bury his head in his face, that sarcasm would come back to bite his Girlfriend in the ass one day. "No, you ever watch channels 5, 31, 32, 44, 69 and 143?"

"Uh yeah?" Rose nodded not sure what Jake was really getting onto.

"Well, do you know that my Grandmother owned those channels and the network that broadcasts on them?" Jake asked letting the quiet air fill in the rest of the question.

That meant one thing, either Jake was on something, or her boyfriend and father of her soon to be child was a very rich man. "Jake? Is there something I should know?"

"Yes," He nodded looking at the pavement of the walk way. "My Grandmother left me her Company NIGB, to run it and own it, not to mention most of her fortune."

Rose was shaking now. Her nervous system had just gone through a massive shock at his retort. Reaching forward, she wrapped herself around his torso and buried and face in his chest. "And how much money was that exactly?"

"…682 Million Dollars, her cars, her mansions and her plane as well." Jake said stoically.

Jumping up, she raised her hands above her head and proceeded to jump up and down with elated joy. Oh she was so happy, so her baby would have a great life, more of a life than he or she could have in the Huntsclan. "Oh My God, you made my day. So when do you start?"

"On Monday, but-…" He stopped when she started jumping again, and he let an involuntary laugh come across his lips with amusement.

Stopping, she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "What else could you possibly have to say that could make this day any better than it already is?"

"…It's in California." He said, stopping when her face fell.

Rose started shaking again. She knew what it was for this time. She could not possibly go to California, she was the Huntsgirl and heir to the Huntsman himself, and she couldn't go AWOL. And she was pregnant with his baby. He had succeeded in officially making this the most bittersweet night of her life. "California, the west coast?"

Jake nodded, clasping his hand together.

"Jake, if you have to go, I need you to know something-…" Rose stopped when he put his hand up to stop her. He didn't want to have to go through losing Rose again like he had in Middle School, and the strangest thing was his Grandmother was forcing him to lose Rose because she knew he'd respect her wishes.

"I don't want to hear it Rose," He stood up, wanting to get this over with quickly. "I'm sorry that I'm leaving you but I have to do this. I owe it to my Grandmother."

"I understand that Jake, what I'm trying to tell you is-…" She was interrupted again.

He had leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek, and then turned on his heel and left her sitting there. Rose was stunned, she would have gotten up and chased after him if he hadn't caught off guard like that. It wasn't like Jake to just get up and leave without letting her freaking talk, and before she knew it, she was alone. Alone with the fetus of a man who wouldn't even let her tell him that she had it, the night had gone from bittersweet to perhaps the worst in her life.

She wrapped her arms around her stomach and the life she was now growing inside of her and walked away in the other direction. All the way she was bawling.

"Mr. Long?" His driver asked as they arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The entire morning had been a dream, he had said goodbye to his Sister, Mother and Father and taken a Limousine to the airport. It was one of the typical foggy days on Long Island and it perfectly matched Jake's mood, but when he saw the Gulf Stream Jet Plane, his jaw dropped. So everything that was here was his. He owned this, not to mention the massive fortune under his name. "Thank you, I can get the bags."

"No sir," The driver smiled. "That's what I'm paid to do, you get in the plane."

Jake nodded, but he stood there for a moment, leaning on the edge of the leather lined seat of his Grandmother's Limousine. He had given up Rose, his life as the American Dragon and his family. And it was going to be replaced with an existence of excess, cars, mansions, parties and money. It was every teenager's fantasy, but it had been a long time since Jake had been a carefree teen. And even this life wouldn't be carefree. He'd have to run a company which he knew nothing about, he'd have to trust people that would want to take him down, and Jake couldn't think of anything he'd want spend his life doing. At last his lip curled into a smile, and he got up.

And got on the Plane, never to look back.