A/N: This is just a little fun, three-chapter story that mostly serves as a writing exercise for myself in between my other stories. Either way, I thought with some of the MK characters now being Dads, this would be a good opportunity to write a Father's Day-related story centered around three of them and their kids. Enjoy!

Chapter One – Johnny and Cassie

Los Angeles, California

Present Day

A few weeks had passed since the Fallen Elder God Shinnok was defeated, and the world seemed to have already forgotten how close the realms came to total nothingness. However, it was an event that continued to linger in the minds of Takeda Takahashi, Cassie Cage, Jacqui Briggs, and Kung Jin even as time moved on since those early morning hours at the Sky Temple. Still, life went on as the Special Forces team continued with other assignments, many of them involving typical routine missions given by their superiors in order to keep them busy for the time being.

It was the middle of June, and the four of them were finally given a week-long shore leave, something they'd been looking forward to for a while. Cassie and Jacqui decided to stay close to home while Kung Jin chose to head back to China to pay a visit to his old training grounds at the Shaolin Temple. He would return one day before they were to go back to their posts. Takeda wasn't sure what to do at first, but he eventually decided to stay in the United States to be close to his girlfriend, Jacqui.

On a warm, sunny Friday evening, a couple of days after shore leave began, the girls decided to stop at a shopping center, and Jacqui convinced Takeda to go with them. Reluctant at first, Takeda eventually gave in and went along with them.

Most of the time, the girls would shop around at girly clothing stores, and Takeda was thankful for the fact that Jacqui and Cassie didn't try to make him go into those stores with them... otherwise, it would've been very awkward for him. Either way, he still found himself carrying most of the girls' shopping bags, which seemed to increase in both number and weight every half hour or so.

I guess that's what happens when you offer to carrying their bags like a gentleman, he thought.

As they walked around in between store stops, it wasn't very hard for Takeda to miss some of the advertisements in the stores involving special sales for Father's Day. At first, he didn't think much of it, only noticing that the signs made it clear that the annual holiday would take place in two days.

I'm sure some people would forget otherwise, he thought with a little amusement.

"Oh yeah, I should stop at the card shop and get my Dad a Father's Day card," Cassie suddenly announced. Takeda managed to withhold his laughter, realizing that Cassie just proved his point over his last inner notion.

Jacqui chuckled. "Thanks for the reminder, Cass. That also makes me glad that I already got my Dad his gift a few days go."

"Same here. What did you get Uncle Jax this year?"

"Just a couple of boxes of Punch Signature cigars and a brand new lighter since he lost his good one a few days ago," Jacqui replied. "What did you get your Dad?"

Cassie chuckled. "Not that I want to spoil my Dad or anything, but... a pair of gold fisticuffs that spell out the family name. I had them custom ordered last month."

"Nice!" Jacqui then turned her attention to her boyfriend. "What did you get your Dad, Takeda?"

Takeda shrugged in response. "To be honest, my Dad and I don't celebrate Father's Day."

Cassie frowned in reply as she didn't expect that answer. "Why not?"

Once again, the young man shrugged. "Well, five years ago, not long after our reunion and when I first came to the U.S., he mentioned that I didn't have to feel obligated to acknowledge the holiday, so... I just never did. He hasn't brought it up since, so even without reading his mind, I'm certain that still stands."

"I understand," Cassie mentioned. "That's how it was with my mother and I for a while after she and my Dad divorced... She said that a little card was enough. Now that I think about it though, I was more than happy to not acknowledge Mother's Day much out of some teenage rebellion. I did get her a new gun with a brand new holster belt this year, and she was really happy about that."

"Oh I always get gifts for my parents, even when my Dad and I weren't speaking much after I joined Special Forces," Jacqui said. "Though I remember when I was a little, I tried to grow one of those Chia Pets plants for my Mom when I eight. It was the cat one because she loves cats. Anyway, the plants never grew by the time Mother's Day rolled around, and I remember crying because I thought she wouldn't like it without the plants growing. Instead, she laughed and told me she still loved it and that it was the thought that counts. I felt a lot better after that, but I never bought another Chia Pet again. But what surprised me the most is that she still has that figurine after all these years."

That made Cassie laugh. "That reminds me of one Father's Day when I came home from getting his gift. I caught him going through every... single... gift I ever got him, including ones from Christmas and his Birthdays."

That made Takeda's eyes widen in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah it surprised me, too." From there, Cassie went on to tell Takeda and Jacqui the whole story...

Venice, California

Three Years Ago...

The shopping center in Venice had been busier than Cassie was used to, but she was thankful for the fact that she knew exact what store to stop in and what she wanted to buy. After getting the item and having it gift wrapped, she headed home to the beachfront condo her father owned.

"Dad!" the young woman called out as she entered the condo. She closed the door behind her before moving her sunglasses up to let it rest on top of her head. "Are you home?"

"In the kitchen!" she heard her father, martial arts actor Johnny Cage, exclaim.

Cassie walked past the living room and headed to the kitchen, holding one shopping bag in her hand. She expected her father to be either rummaging through the fridge in search for a snack, or preparing his famous 'Shadow Pancakes' for a late lunch... which would have been a shame for Cassie as she already made reservations tonight to his favorite seafood restaurant downtown. She didn't want him to spoil his dinner.

When she entered the kitchen, Cassie saw her father sitting down at the small breakfast nook in the corner of the room. A banana peel rested without care on the table, something that Cassie knew would drive her mother crazy if she was here right now. What was hard not to notice, however, was a cardboard box resting on the chair next to Johnny, who gradually pulled out contents from within. He had a pleasant smile which seemed to grow fonder the more he gazed his blue eyes at the objects before placing them down on the table. It took a moment for Cassie to recognize the items; cards, trinkets, and hand-made goods she had given to her father as gifts over the years. Considering what today was, she wondered what was going through his mind right about now.

"Dad?" Cassie began to ask. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, not much, punkin," Johnny replied as he took something out of the box. "Just started feeling nostalgic and thought I go through this old box."

Cassie then recognized the next item that her father pulled out, and she chuckled with both amusement and embarrassment as she walked over to the table. "Oh my God! Did you actually keep that macaroni card I made you for Father's Day when I was five?"

"Yup," Johnny confirmed as his daughter sat down in the chair across from him. "Believe it or not, Princess, this box has everything you gave me for Father's Day, Christmas, and my Birthday." He smiled when he noticed another object in the box and pulled it out for Cassie to see. "Aw look, right here... this is the first Father's Day gift you've ever given me. Well, actually, your Grandma Rose helped you with this since you were only a few months old at the time."

He put the item down in front of Cassie on the table; a circular white clay, long hardened, made into an ornament by attaching a thin, royal blue ribbon to it. On the clay was a tiny hand print with Cassie's name etched below it in script.

"I remember this," the young woman mentioned. "We used to hang it up on the tree every Christmas until a few years ago. Why did you stop?""

"Because you said that you were too old to have 'kiddie' stuff on the tree," Johnny pointed out.

That made Cassie scratch her head. "Oh yeah... during my 'I'm too cool for everything' phase."

"We all go through that phase," Johnny pointed out. "Heck, you Mom thinks I still go through phases."

"I'm not surprised." Cassie then had a thought. "You think Mom has a similar box like this at her place?"

"She might," Johnny replied. "But that's something you would have to ask her."

"I figured." Quickly shaking her head, Cassie placed the shopping bag she had on the table before she gave her father a big smile. "Hey Dad, guess what?"

"Chicken butt?"

Cassie rolled her eyes at that, but she still chuckled. Even his lamest jokes could brighten her day. "Actually, I made reservations at your favorite seafood restaurant for tonight. They have an awesome Father's Day Special on steak and lobster along with endless shrimp... ooorrrr we could get those bucket specials with clams, crab legs, corn on the cob, you name it."

That made Johnny beam with delight. "I admit, I was secretly hoping you'd take me there tonight." He leaned forward to give his daughter a quick kiss on the side of her head. "Thank you, Princess. I couldn't ask for a more epic dinner plan."

"That's not all I got," Cassie said as she pulled out an object from her shopping bag before setting it down on the table. "I also got you this."

Johnny gazed his eyes at the rectangular-shaped object in shiny, royal blue wrapping paper accompanied with a black ribbon and a small card. Reaching his hand to the card, he opened the flap to read the simple words; To Dad, Love Cassie. Next to Cassie's name was a hand-drawn heart with a smiley face in the middle of it.

"Do you want me to open it now?" he asked.

"No, you're never allowed to," Cassie said sarcastically, but with good humor at the same time. "Of course I want you to open it now."

Johnny chuckled. "Just making sure," he said as he removed the ribbon and card before tearing through the wrapping paper. Underneath the paper was a black velvet box. At first, Johnny wondered if there was jewelry within, but other than that, he didn't think much about what was inside as he opened the box.

At first, Johnny didn't say anything, which made Cassie worry over whether or not his liked the gift. With a weary smile, she asked, "Well? Do you like it?"

"Like it?" Johnny questioned almost seriously. Before Cassie's smile faded, the actor beamed again. "I love it! I was just thinking, however..."

Cassie tilted her head head when he didn't finish. "What?"

"How did you afford this brand of sunglasses? Last I checked, they were over five-hundred dollars."

Cassie smirked as she learned back into her chair. "Remember how I was trying to save my money for those sneakers I saw down at the mall in Beverly Hills a few months ago?"

Johnny knew what she was talking about. A few months ago, Cassie was raving about the pair of Maison Margiela low top sneakers she saw displayed at the front window of a highly expensive store, but didn't have enough of her own money to get them on a whim. Johnny had wanted to spoil his only daughter and buy the sneakers, but at the same time, Sonya wanted Cassie to learn to work for what she wants in the hopes of instilling a sense of accomplishment once she was able to afford what she wanted with the money she earned. So he went with the latter route, knowing that it would be good for his daughter in the long-run.

Cassie, of course, wasn't happy about the arrangement at first, but she wanted those sneakers so badly that she was willing to work for them. Johnny had her do simple chores around the condo and would give Cassie her payment at the end of each week. He almost expected her to stop the routine after only a couple of weeks, but the more time passed, the more he realized how determined she was to get those sneakers.

So for her to hint that she used the money to buy him sunglasses for Father's Day instead was not only a surprise, but one of the most touching things anyone has ever done for him in a long time.

"You... you didn't?" Johnny uttered, wanting to make sure that his assumption was correct.

Cassie smiled and confirmed his suspicion with a nod. "Well, aside from the fact that I realized after all this time that I don't need those sneakers..." She pointed at the old gifts her father placed on the kitchen table. "All these gifts were either hand-crafted projects from school, or items family members helped me buy, like... eh..." Cassie unfolded a white t-shirt she found on the table, soon noting the long-worn faces belong to three men named Moe, Larry, and Curly. She tilted her head as she raised an eyebrow. "This t-shirt Mom helped me buy for you when I was ten years old."

Johnny laughed at that as he placed the sunglasses down and took the shirt in his hands to fold it back up. "Yeah, I remember that. I recall your Mom wasn't too thrilled about helping you buy that shirt. Still, I was going through a Three Stooges phase at the time... I was so happy when you got me this."

"Well, you did wear it a lot for a few years, that's for sure."

"I should wear it again someday," Johnny mentioned as he put the shirt down.

"But anyway," Cassie proceeded. "The point is that after all these years, I realized that I've never actually got anything for you with my own money, even after all the times you've done that for me. So I decided that instead of spoiling myself, I'm going to spoil you... and I promise that this won't be the last time." She then leaned forward to give Johnny a quick peck on the cheek. "Happy Father's Day, Dad."

For what seemed like a minute, Johnny didn't say anything as he stared down at his new sunglasses, and it was hard for Cassie to guess what he was thinking in that moment. She became even more confused when he placed the sunglasses back in its case before closed it, and placed it amongst the items on the table as though he was adding it to his collection of gifts his daughter gave him over the years.

Before his daughter said anything, Johnny finally spoke up, his voice filled with awe and sentimentality. "That... those words... they... that's the best gift a Father could ask for. You've really grown up and I... I can't even begin to tell you what your words meant to me... Thank you, sweetheart."

Cassie smiled. "Not to break the sentimental mood, but... you're not going to start crying, are you?"

"Oh!" Johnny called out as though trying to get his bearings. "Actually, I'm pretty sure there are some ninjas around here somewhere... hiding... cutting up some onions..."

"Riiiiight, Dad. Just know that if you start crying, I'm going to start crying, too."

"I know, punkin." Still, Johnny took a finger to wipe the corner of his eyes, but it was hard to tell whether or not he actually was wiping a tear. After that, his face perked up. "Say... since you plan to further spoil me, I know what more you can do today."

"How?"

"When we go to the seafood restaurant, we're going to put on some bibs and order the bucket meals... crab legs, oysters, you name it, with lots of butter, and smash them open with those hammers. After that, we're going to go to the grocery store, buy the biggest buttercream cake we can find, and the both of us are going to eat the whole thing. Sound like a plan?"

Cassie laughed, already looking forward to spoiling her Dad more. "Deal."