The fortress
Bree shoved Cole away. She moved back several steps and then started to struggle to get out of the pool. She had on a long skirt over her pants and shoes for warmth and that combined with the woolen sweaters she liked to wear were now waterlogged and weighing her down. As every time she tried to pull herself up the steps the heavy wet clothing wanted to hold her down. This is how people that know how to swim drown she thought.
"Shit, Im sorry, Bree hold on a sec" Cole said offering to help her out of the pool.
She turned to him, glared and then slogged herself out of the hot water. Looking down in disgust because the water was tinged red with blood.
"This place looks like a fucking crime scene. Clean it the hell up yourself" Bree spat at Cole. She gave up trying to wrestle her wet skirt and dropped it on the floor with a flop. Then stood under the running water of the shower, really a small directed waterfall to get all the blood off. She anxiously smashed soap into her face and hair to get the rest out before walking out of the room soaking wet.
Cole looked around and decided she wasn't wrong. He threw pants and a clean shirt on and followed after Bree. He found her quickly moving things around and packing.
"We can't exactly leave yet sweetheart" Cole said.
Bree's head shot up and her eyes blazed at him. She must have used magic on herself because she was clean, dry and wearing different clothing.
"I am going to go sleep in one of the actual bedrooms with Alana, I really don't care what you do" Bree snapped at him.
"Look, Im sorry. I should have just let you heal me this afternoon and not tried to get the grit out with a spoon ok?" Cole said apologetically.
This made Bree pause and look at at him again this time with disgust and surprise. Her face looked like she wanted to ask him what the hell was he thinking.
"I am angry you called me a bitch just because you are angry. I am angry because you have no idea why Slate actually left me. And I am angry because yes you should have acted like an adult and let me fix a simple cut hours ago instead of gouging yourself with a kitchen spoon. And then dunked me in a literal not figurative bloody pool. So one little sorry is not going to make me feel any better." Bree stated with venom in her voice.
"How am I not acting like an adult?" Cole asked before signing and rubbing his hands across his face. "I shouldn't have called you that, ever, I was just not thinking. I am really sorry".
Cole moved in between her and the door and caught her arm. Pulling it so he could try and catch her hands but failing because Bree jerked away from him.
"Don't, just go away" she snapped.
"I asked you to do the same thing and you totally ignored me" Cole answered her flatly.
"And I am sorry for that. I should have waited till you got dressed and came back in here. And then used a spell to knock your stupid ass out and healed it while you were asleep" Bree said vindictively. With a sign she continued "And I am sorry I came near you with you not being dressed, I shouldn't have made you uncomfortable like that or made you feel like I was taking advantage of you".
"Uncomfortable yes because I was afraid I was going to embarrass my self in front of you, But how in the hell do you think that you..." Cole said gesturing to Bree's smaller frame, ''are going to take advantage of me".
Bree looked at him, obviously thinking something over in her head. "Just because some of my powers don't work on you doesn't mean others can't. I could use a spell to hurt you, shape shift and kill you. That's actually why Slate left me. When he figured out my full powered capabilities it disgusted him. It doesn't matter how big and strong you are. I am a literal monster compared to you."
Bree picked up the last blanket she had folded and then went to pick Alana up. Cole stopped her and spun her around quickly.
"You are probably the kindest person I have ever met. You have helped me and my friends, healed us when it hurt yourself and still offered more. How are you a monster?" Cole asked. He went to brush his hand across her face and she caught it and held it away.
"Cole.." Bree said softly. "I can shape shift into anything I want, anyone. And not because of my little bit of Djin blood. And not because its a usual elemental power for me. Whatever else I inherited from my fathers family there is something that has a vicious streak a mile wide... I've seen what Oni look like in books now, I've read about them. There are books about them down in the library. They are monsters that destroy and can shape shift and realm jump at will. Sound familiar to you?" she asked.
"Lloyd is one of my best friends, I consider him a brother. And Sensi Wu, are they monsters?" Cole asked her.
Wu leans to the good side of the family tree entirely. Lloyd leans the same way, for the most part. And he is still a child. He is what ten years old chronologically? How do you know what he really is going to be like as an adult?" She asked.
"How does anyone's family in the past matter compared to who they are now?" Cole asked her.
He tried to put his arms around her and draw her close again. Only for her to stiff armed hold him away from her.
"It matters to some people obviously" Bree answered. Her voice tipping between anger and sadness.
She quickly picked up the blankets she had let slide when Cole tried to touch her and she plucked Alana from her cradle in the main room. Swirling to move past Cole she walked into the the small room she had mentioned before. Cole was surprised it was furnished, It had a small bed and then another tiny cradle for her daughter. The windows closed with some colored glass. After putting Alana down again Bree lit the wood already stacked in the fireplace. Bree must have gotten this place done when Cole was busy else were. It had the almost undetectable glow of Bree's elemental magic to it. Cole could feel not just where Bree had repaired and cleaned this room. But where she had added strong spells to insure her daughters safety.
Quietly Cole said "None of that matters to me, I really.."
Before he could finish Alana started to stir. Both from being moved and from the adults talking. Bree and Cole froze in only the way a parent can understand. Holding still for seconds. Then Bree shoved Cole back out the door. Meaning to finish their conversation without waking the little one.
With the door shut Bree relaxed slightly.
"You apologized, I apologized, can we just drop this for the night?" Bree asked. Still in the hushed voice of a parent afraid to wake a sleeping child. She rubbed her eyes tiredly.
"Sweetheart, I have feelings for you. I don't care what your powers are like or can do. I like you for you" Cole said softly.
"No, no, no, that is just, I can't..." Bree sputtered. Now looking fully awake and startled.
"Oh god. You don't like me at all do you?" Cole asked aghast. His face paling before blushing from embarrassment. He wasn't exactly use to girls not liking him. And Bree had plenty of reasons to not like him.
"What? No. This is what I meant by not taking advantage of you. Just because we are both lonely and I really like you doesn't mean that we should..." Bree sputtered gesturing back and forth between the two of them. With a huff she added "I am the only women around, its not like you would feel the same way about me if we were back with your friends and my family and you could go out and date anyone you wanted.
Cole didn't answer her. He just stared down at her. After Bree had said she felt something for him as well Cole just blanked on the rest of what she was saying momentarily.
"Cole." Bree said. When that got no response she said his name more loudly.
"I don't want to date anyone else Bree" Cole answered her finally finding his voice.
"Its not like being trapped here alone with me gives you any options. And just because I've seen things in my visions doesn't mean it comes true or works out. I have certainly been deceived before" Bree answered. Referencing how the fates of the cloud kingdom had pushed her and Slate together.
"And just what do you mean by seen things, you've seen me...wait you've seen us dating or married or something? " Cole asked, surprised that Bree had never mentioned something huge like that before.
Cole crossed his arms, in annoyance and with a twinge of anger that Bree could see something like that and not trust him enough to tell him. He would make a bet she had told Harumi all about it though.
It was Bree's turn to blush now. And her eyes went a little wider at the thought of how exactly she was going to explain it.
"Not exactly" Bree answered.
"Come on and tell me, don't I have the right to know if you have seen something that involves me?" Cole asked her, this time uncrossing his arms and holding them upturned in frustration.
Bree walked a few steps further away and stooped to throw more wood on the fire in the main room. It brought heat and light into the otherwise dark upper chamber. She considered all the possible ways she could evade telling him what she knew and had seen. And decided that he was going to eventually find out one way or another. Sitting down in front of the fire and tucking her legs under her she looked straight ahead instead of looking up at Cole still standing closer to the door of Alana's new room.
"I have seen in those visions Harumi's children. Her oldest daughter playing with Alana. Many other children running through the big kitchen downstairs. Whose children I don't know. Then several more smaller children running though. I had thought all of them were Harumi's and she just had like five more boys. But in one of my later visions one of the boys stops and calls me mommy. And he looked identical to another little boy so I can only guess that some of them are mine and some Harumi's" Bree explained.
"That is not exactly explaining why you didn't want to tell me, or how I am involved" Cole said brusquely.
With a huff Bree looked up at him in annoyance, then her face blushed pink again.
"That day you ninja picked us all up with the Bounty. And you ended up using your elemental powers and I saw who you were. I saw a vision of us being intimate" Bree said in embarrassment.
"So you've seen us married and having more kids and you didn't think I should know that" Cole snapped at her. "What the hell Bree?".
"No Cole, I've seen us.." Bree trailed off gesturing. "And I know I have children with black hair in the future. I have seen nothing that's says you and I even date let alone get married and I have seen nothing that says you would be the father".
"Why the hell would you assume we wouldn't be married and I the father" Cole said.
Bree stood up and faced Cole, anger radiating off of her like heat from the fire.
"Because I have seen nothing of any future together past that!" Bree yelled in frustration. "We could be intimate and after we break the barrier down we never speak or see each other again. Or worse my future children are also yours and you up and leave and I have to raise even more children alone. And I am not interested in getting my heart broken again!"
Both faced off with each other. Cole didn't think he had ever been more insulted in his life. He was so angry that Bree could think that he would do something as horrible as sleep with her and then ditch her and their plausible children that he could barely think straight. Bright glowing orange crept up his arms. Then started trailing up his neck and onto his chest. Highlighting the extensive scars that he had all over his upper body. Bree looked at him in anger but with a touch of horror as well. She had no idea how many times he had been injured. Backing away Bree made to pop out and pop back in away from Cole but with more speed than even the master of lightening possessed Cole grabbed her by both arms and hauled her into his face. Her feet no longer touching the floor because Cole held her so close.
"How dare you" Cole ground out in anger. Each word punctuated by a small shake of his arms. "I have never, I will never be the kind of man that would do that".
"Really? I have known you for all of a few months. And its not like You don't have a family history of being a bunch of dicks. Your mother excluded, she was wonderful. Now you are going to put me down and we are both going to go be pissed off at each other elsewhere." Bree said. Some how with the expectation that Cole would actually listen to her.
"No, you are going to learn real fast that am not that kind of man. I would never ever hurt a women like that or my own children" Cole growled at her. Now shifting to a bear hug and holding Bree's arms down by her sides.
"And what the hell are you going to do rock boy? Glow at me some more?" Bree laughed a little vindictively.
Cole squeezed her a little tighter until she squeaked, then releasing the pressure so he didn't hurt her.
Bree knew her elemental magic did nothing to Cole, save make pretty lights. And she couldn't teleport like a Djin if he held her fast and he didn't also want to move. So Bree tried the only other thing. She rapidly shape shifted into several other people. Cole looked shocked, but didn't let go. So Bree decided to go as far as she could go, shifting into several different monsters. Even a dark kappa. When that got no response as far as Cole dropping her, she shape shifted once more into What she thought an Oni looked like. That one at least rattled Cole a little before he started laughing.
"What's so dam funny Cole" She hissed at him.
Cole kept laughing while he shifted her weight in his arms again. Still having to look down at her slightly.
"Princess, it doesn't matter what shape you try and look like. You still sound like you, smell like you and feel just as soft as you always do. Its hardly frightening" Cole said smirking at her.
Cole smirking got on her last nerve. She leaned foreword to where his neck met his shoulder and using her sharp Oni teeth bit down just hard enough that Cole stumbled and fell back words onto the cold stone floor. And at the same time Cole reached up with one arm and snagged her long curled hair and pulled back hard enough that it startled her and she immediately shape shifted back. Cole didn't pull back but left his hand tangled in her hair.
Bree reached up to untangle her hair from Coles grasp and was failing miserably. Her curls that escaped the braid instead wrapped around his glowing arms of their own accord. Much to Bree's dismay as it yanked on her head all by itself.
"How'd you do that" Cole asked curiously.
"I'm not" came Bree's frustrated reply.
Cole was still holding Bree and saw the opportunity and took it. He leaned forward and kissed her. Softly as he could manage. And then a little more deeply when she didn't protest. Cole put one hand under her head to protect it from the cold stone floor and the other at the small of her back. Bree kissed him back then, at first hesitantly. Cole felt her body relax into his. With a growl he rolled them both slightly so he was on top of her and kissed down the side and her face and neck. Stopping where her neck came to meet her shoulder and nipping her lightly. Bree jumped in his arms.
"How do you like it?" Cole said so softly as he nuzzled the side of her neck.
His voice seemed to startle some sense into Bree at least. And she brought her hand up to his his face to stop him.
"Cole we have to stop, we can't do this right here and now" Bree said in a whisper.
"Do what?" Cole answered grinning and leaning in to kiss her again.
"Cole, you know what I mean" Bree said.
Cole kissed her again, not holding back this time. Using his arm under the small of her back to pull her tightly to him. Feeling her breath catch and her legs tighten beneath him.
Bree pushed up lightly on his shoulders to get him to look at her again.
"We need to stop before we end up doing that right here..." Bree said trailing off slightly embarrassed.
"I wasn't thinking that I swear" Cole answered her.
Bree raised an eyebrow at him and didn't say a word. But instead gently pushed her hips up towards him.
"Ok now I am" Cole said smirking lightly again.
"I just can't Cole" Bree told him. Her voice sounding on the verge of breaking. She tapped on his shoulders lightly again.
Cole pulled himself up and then offered to help her to her feet. She gently waved him off and quickly left the room. Cole rolled onto his back and looked up at the wood and metal beams of the ceiling. The floor now much cooler to the touch. Rapping his head on the stone lightly he wasn't frustrated or angry she told him no. But at the fact they are still stuck here and she doesn't trust him. Not even with her visions or her feelings. And he just didn't know what to do to fix it.
At the temple.
"Come you piece of crap computer" Harumi snarled while poking at buttons.
Pixal and Zane were at the other screen discussing results and an anomaly they detected in the scans they were getting off the bounty. Morro's idea of finding out where the three had gotten to was working great. They found plenty of places where Cole, Bree and little Alana were not. Except Ninjago in all reality was an enormous place. And they had a lot of scanning to do.
Skyler walked into the room carrying Pixal and Zane's new little surprise bundle of joy. Usually they each took turns caring for him. Right now both were having trouble with the computer results as was Harumi. So Skyler had very happily taken the baby for a walk. Caring for the baby caused their first fight as well. Which was a point of hilarity to the other ninja and elemental masters. They picked a fight over whose turn it was to get up in the middle of the night to feed little Cyrus. Apparently both nindroids wanted the chance to get up with their baby and do the night time feedings. Pixal reasoning she should get to because she couldn't breast feed and thus deserved the extra time. Zane arguing that they were nindroids and neither could breastfeed so they both should get to wake up with the baby.
That argument was one for the record books. But in the end Pixal and Zane worked it out that they would both get up with him, one would get to change him and the other give him a bottle.
Pixal squealed in delight as did little Cyrus at seeing his mother. She took him from Sklyer and put him to her shoulder, humming to him as she continued to point things out to Zane.
Pixals father, Cyrus Borg had come by the very day they got their little surprise. In doing a well check up Mr Borg found that little Cyrus was both human and nindroid. Powered by nanite technology that would cause him to grow and learn exactly like any other child. Mr Borg was as delighted in his new grandson as were the child's parents.
Sensi Wu had followed Skyler in the room. The rest of the ninja and some very happy to help elemental masters had gone out on several of the air ships scanning in a grid pattern. It allowed them to stay high up off the ground away from any Kappa but still able to scan for the missing. Harumi had been able to work out a spell from the book that could search for elemental magic in addition to using the computer scanners on board each ship. It was working but it was not a particularly fast method.
Morro stood behind Harumi at the board placing dots where they had ruled things out. Wu came up beside him and searched as he did. Signing when they noticed how much they still had left to do. As much as Wu was personally thrilled to not only have Morro alive and home and on the side of good. It grated on the old master that his other pupal, daughter and granddaughter were not here. Precious little Cyrus only served to point out all he had missed so far and was continuing to miss.
"This scanning data is not computing" Zane called out. Causing the others to look up from their projects and over at what Zane spoke of.
"We are very clearly getting results from most places. Negative. But still results. But some of them are coming up as no data exists instead. I logically thought it was a scanning error but in cross referencing the location spell that also failed in the same way" Zane stated.
"Could it be a singularity? Is the scanner on one ship off and it is also inhibiting the spell?" Harumi asked. Much to Harumi's surprise sometimes electricity would short circuit what she was working on. In reading further in the spell book she noted that Bree hypothesized that the electrical current could heat up and speed up the spell or potion. Or cause it to over heat and fail.
"I do not think so. We are getting reliable results from all the ships, and getting the anomaly equally" Zane answered.
"Hmmm" Wu sensed there was something to this pattern of trial and error. "Is negative always negative. Or does not found mean merely that that it can't be found for a reason?" Wu asked.
Harumi got the point of what he was saying. She changed out the pin color, making the not found red and the no data found blue. It shouldn't have come as a shock that all the blue was concentrated in one very small section of the map.
"Would Bree's shield cause a spell to not pick up elemental power, or for a computer to fail to scan?" Morro asked thoughtfully.
"Maybe, but this..." Harumi answered pointing to the area of blue dots, "This covers a larger area than I have ever seen her cast a shield. And there is no way in hell she could even hold one up for hours, much less days or weeks. This is something blocking the scanners and spells both. And it is powerful to be able to do that. Very powerful."
"Zane, could you call the ninja back here? There is someplace I believe we should search in person" Wu said.