145

It was the first time he had felt full all week, and Theo's eyes drooped as he sat on his grandfather's couch. Amber had already fallen asleep, her arms wrapped around his middle with her head on his shoulder. His empty plate was still on his lap, but he didn't feel like moving to clean it up. For one, it had been awhile since he had felt so comfortable, not to mention that he didn't want to move and disturb his sister.

"You finished?"

He looked up to see his grandfather coming in with a tray of steaming tea. It was a familiar sight, one that Theo had seen many times over the years.

"Yeah….thanks, Papa Lou."

The performer's face crinkled happily at the old pet name as he set the tray down. His eyes glanced up at the sleeping Xinta.

"It's been quite the week," he finally murmured. Theo's arm tightened slightly around his sister as he glanced down at her.

"She seems pretty worn out," Theo agreed, and Lou took a seat near him.

"So do you," he pointed out as he held out the tea. Theo accepted it, but didn't drink it right away. Instead, he stared down at his reflection in the murky liquid.

"Was that Dad on the phone earlier?" he finally asked. Lou nodded.

"They're keeping your mother and the other fire victims there overnight, to make sure there aren't any complications. They'll most likely be home in the morning."

Theo closed his eyes, inhaling the comforting steam wafting off his tea.

"I should have escaped sooner," he finally pointed out. "It would have saved everyone all this trouble."

"It took a lot of courage to stay where you were," Lou argued, leaning forward. "If you had escaped, Matilda would have…."

"She did a lot of damage anyways," Theo argued. "I would have rather just let her target me, rather than everyone. All those people that were in the building, my friends, not to mention my Mom…"

"This became a family war the second she took you, Theodynn," Lou murmured comfortingly as he gave Theo's knee a squeeze. "No matter when you had escaped, the rest of us would have gotten involved in Matilda's backlash."

Theo was quiet at that, and after a moment he took a long drink of his tea. He swallowed carefully and glanced back up at his grandfather.

"She could still count this as escape," he realized. "I want to feel like I'm really free now, but I can't shake this feeling that someone's going to come pounding on that door and drag me away again."

"Rest easy, my boy," Lou said as his mustache quirked up. "Lloyd called right as we got home; he figured you'd have such worries. He assured me he and the other ninja are handling it…something about how NCST is currently unfit to house you. Apparently, the ninja are working something out with the police commissioner, but the bottom line is that you and your parents aren't going to be locked anywhere until the trial."

"The trial," Theo said numbly. He debated for a moment transporting back to the Oni realm. It would be so easy to just leave and avoid the unfair consequences altogether. But he shuddered to think what doing so would do for any future visits he or his family tried to do. A future of sneaking through Ninjago just to visit his friends and family made him feel sick, and when he thought about how Amber's dreams would be ruined forever, he sighed heavily.

"We'll get through this, Theodynn," his grandfather murmured as he sipped his own cup of tea. "We're a resilient family…I've learned that much by now."

Theo nodded. He finished his tea, feeling even more exhausted than he had before. His grandfather's house was warm, the only light coming from dim lamps placed in the corners of the room. He was nearly ready for sleep, but images kept flashing through his mind, making him wary of what he would dream about. The burning building…his parents in an ambulance. And, frustratingly, a lanky young man with his arm around a blushing redhead.

"Grandpa Lou?" he asked before he could think better of it. Lou looked up and Theo cleared his throat. He was suddenly glad that Amber was fast asleep. "I know Grandma Bev was the love of your life, and all that…but did you ever, you know…like someone before her?"

His Grandpa looked surprised at the question, and it seemed that the performer was trying to figure out where this change in conversation was coming from. After a moment his eyes glittered as he smiled.

"Cindy Mahone," he said, leaning forward to put his empty cup on the coffee table. Theo raised his eyebrows.

"Who was she?"

Lou chuckled.

"A girl in a youth program I was a part of when I was young. I must have only been, oh…eleven or twelve years old. She always played the leads in the performances the program put on…I remember trying to write poetry about her golden locks and such things."

Theo smiled a little.

"Poetry? Really?"

Lou laughed again and shook his head.

"It was awful stuff, but I doted on that girl."

"Did she know?"

"I don't know. Never gave her any of the poetry. But I knew she wasn't interested in me."

Theo tilted his head in confusion.

"Why?"

"Because of Brad Tresser. He was also always the male lead in those performances. They were crazy for each other, that much was clear."

Theo glanced down at the empty cup in his lap.

"So what did you do?"

Lou smiled at the memory.

"Wrote more poetry. You might even say that it was the inspiration for a few of my first few original songs. Though it would be quite a few years before they were truly any good." The performer fixed his grandson with a long look. "Any particular reason why you're bringing this up?"

Theo just sighed.

"It's stupid," he finally admitted. "Especially with everything else that's happened over the last week. I mean, an old crush should be the last thing I'm worried about."

"The Smith girl?"

Theo blinked and looked over in surprise. Lou just smiled.

"I'm not as disconnected as you all may think," he pointed out, and Theo rubbed his neck.

"I didn't think you were disconnected. I was never super subtle about my feelings…which is why she knew to let me know she didn't feel the same. And I've been trying to be alright with it, and I thought I kinda was. But yesterday in the chaos and the fire and everything else, there was this guy…"

He scowled at the memory and just shook his head.

"It was like 'Oh, by the way, here's my boyfriend. Right now seemed like a great time to bring him by and introduce him to everybody…'"

"Ahhh," Lou murmured in understanding, and Theo leaned back again, sulking.

"I dunno….it kinda felt like fate's cruel joke. Amber was in the hospital and my parents got sent to jail and I got locked up by a psychopath who lit the entire building on fire in an attempt to kill me or something, and…oh yeah! Let's just throw Ashely's new boyfriend that she actually cares about into the mix."

"Don't feel bad about feeling bad," Lou advised, shaking his head. "If there's anything I've learned about love over the years, it's that it's still a mystery. That's why it can still sell songs, create plays, inspire poetry and lives. It's because no one's solved love's riddle, as much as we all try. But don't ever apologize for feelings of the heart, Theodynn. Feelings exist to be felt, not rationalized."

Theo smiled a little, thinking about what his grandfather had said.

"I guess. I just wish I could be done feeling them now…move on, like she has."

"You will," Lou assured, smiling at him. "Give yourself time."

The Oni pondered that. His grandfather's eyes drifted from his face to his bandaged wrists.

"Do your wrists hurt?"

Theo looked down and then shook his head.

"Umm, not too bad. They'll heal."

Lou nodded, but his expression had clouded.

"Not right, I tell you. Some way or another, that woman will have to pay for what she's put this family through."

Theo couldn't help but hope for as much, but he wasn't sure how Matilda would be punished unless they could prove she had started the fire. Amber had been convinced that she had, but technically it could have just been some electrical error that she took advantage of. They would need real evidence to put that powerful woman away.

"Why would she start the fire?" he finally asked. Lou sighed.

"Desperate people do desperate things," he mused, shaking his head. "The things your cousins put together, and that young Openheimer at the debate. They put a real damper on her chances for councilwoman. Her desperation to make them all pay made her sloppy, no doubt."

"I guess."

Amber sighed in her sleep, shifting her head further up Theo's arm. He turned, and Lou clucked softly.

"You should both be in bed," he finally commented, and Theo nodded.

"Probably."

Lou got up, as if to move Amber, but Theo shook his head.

"I got her, Grandpa. Your leg isn't as good as it used to be," he reminded, and Lou sighed.

"If you're sure…"

Theo managed to extract himself from Amber's embrace, and then he stood and turned. His grandfather watched as he scooped Amber up like he used to when she was far younger and carried her to the spare bedroom. Theo's wrists were angry at being used so soon, but he ignored the pain as he lowered Amber to the bed. The moving had woken her, however, and she squinted up at him.

"Tay?"

"Go back to sleep, Ams…" he chided softly with a little smile, but she shook her head.

"I was supposed to be on the couch. You're supposed to be on the bed," she reminded. He chuckled.

"I'm fine on the couch, Amber. Go back to sleep…"

She grabbed his arm quickly. He blinked in surprise, but Amber's eyes were filled with sudden desperation.

"Don't leave."

He hesitated, and then sank down onto the bed.

"You ok, Amber?" he tried, and she shook her head.

"The nightmares were bad this week," she admitted softly. "Half the time it was Evynn…but then she would turn into Matilda. Always laughing…"

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at her brother.

"And I couldn't call you, to make sure you were alright," she pointed out as her voice broke. Theo's expression twisted with concern as he wrapped his arms around his sister's smaller frame.

"I'm alright, Ams," he murmured, but she just shuddered.

"I didn't know that. I mean, Ashley and Julien were technically keeping an eye out, but we didn't ever know. Especially after she moved you."

"I wouldn't have let her do anything," Theo said. "I wouldn't have let her go too far."

Amber looked at his wrists pointedly, and her brother sighed.

"You should get some sleep, Amber."

"I got some sleep," she said. Her small arms had found their way around him again, and he had a feeling that she wasn't going to let him go anywhere. He finally shook his head and pushed her a little.

"Tay…."

"Move over, at least. Make some room."

She blinked and then obliged. In a few minutes they were lying side-by-side in their father's childhood bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Do you think Mom will be alright?" Amber finally asked, and Theo nodded.

"Grandpa said Dad called. They should be back tomorrow morning."

They fell silent again, and when Amber spoke again her voice was barely audible.

"Do you think I should have just stayed in the Oni realm?"

The older Oni turned in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean everything that's gone wrong is because I insisted on going to school here. Maybe I should have just left it…stayed in the Oni realm. That's where we belong after all, right?"

It made him angry, and he pushed himself up on one arm so he could give his sister a stern look.

"You're following your dream, Ams…and I don't think you should ever be sorry for that. If other people want to make a big deal out of nothing, than that's their character flaw. Their problem."

"I guess."

Theo laid back down, but he reached over and found Amber's hand with his own.

"We'll figure this out," he promised, and she snuggled closer to him.

"I want Mom and Dad to come home," she admitted in a small voice, and he leaned his head against hers.

"They'll be back in the morning," he reminded softly.

"Theo?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're ok."

He smiled.

"I'm glad you're ok too, Ams."


The hallways of the hospital were still brightly lit so that hospital staff could get from place to place with ease. Cole found himself wandering; Keyda had finally fallen asleep, but he found that he couldn't. Nurses or Doctors nodded at him or gave him strange looks as he paced, but he didn't respond. His mind was swirling with everything that had just happened. He pressed a hand to his head, wincing as it throbbed. He had never wished more for the good old days, where villains really were defeated with large battles of elemental power and sent to jail. Keyda was still seeing Matilda in that kind of light, he realized. Except he had a feeling that his wife would have preferred Matilda die before she went to jail…but the NCST President was different than other criminals. Cole couldn't explain exactly why, but this wasn't the kind of situation where they just proved themselves more powerful and forced their enemy to back down. This was more a war of words…though Matilda had kicked it up a notch with that fire.

The ninja's fists clenched when the scenes played back in his mind. Not knowing where Theo was. Keyda running into those flames. And him…not being able to do anything. Being helpless was one of the feelings he hated the most, especially when it came to his family. It stirred unwanted memories…

He turned another corner, shuddering. He knew he should get some sleep, but he was afraid of what nightmares were waiting for him if he did so.

"There will be no interviews! This is a hospital—get out, or I will call law enforcement!"

Cole glanced up and paused as he saw a doctor angrily telling off a reporter. The perky woman begged him a moment later, but the medical professional was adamant.

"You will have plenty of time to talk to President O'Keefe when she is discharged tomorrow morning. Now you need to leave."

Matilda. Cole hesitated as he watched the reporter huff and finally leave. He glanced at the door of the room that the doctor seemed to be guarding for a moment, but then he walked past. It made sense, he realized. This whole ward of the hospital was filled with victims from the NCST fire. Though, he wondered bitterly, if Matilda could really be considered a victim if she had created it. There was no proof of such things, just a gut feeling. But he couldn't shake it.

By the time he had walked all the way around to the NCST President's door again, the doctor was gone. Cole took a deep breath as he reached the door, taking one last glance around before trying the doorknob. Unlocked…but then again, he realized that hospital doors probably didn't lock. It would make it hard for doctors to come in and out.

"It's about time, Alejandro…"

Cole could hear keys typing as he entered the room. He wasn't sure what he was doing; this seemed like a bad idea. But something needed to be done, and after talking with Keyda he wasn't really sure how everything was going to play out. The door swung closed behind him, and he hesitated in the doorway. Matilda's hair was clipped up out of her face, and she was dressed comfortably and stylishly. Rather than sitting in bed, she was seated in one of the armchairs with her laptop on her lap. In fact, she looked all the world like someone who had come to visit someone in the hospital, rather than a patient herself.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, not even bothering to look up at who had come into her room.

"I'm not Alejandro."

The typing stopped dead. Matilda's eyes flew up, and Cole decided that perhaps the visit was worth it, just for the look on her face. She recovered quickly, her surprise souring as she glanced towards her help button.

"What do you want?" she sneered, reaching for it. "I'd warn you against doing anything that will just make your case worse."

Cole just scoffed softly, watching her.

"Funny. I was going to tell you the same thing."

Matilda blinked and then narrowed her eyes.

"I was a victim of your son's violent behavior," she said coldly. "And now you've come into my hospital room to threaten me. How do you think that's going to go over?"

Cole leaned up against the door, his eyes flicking up at the camera in the corner of the room.

"You and I both know that my son didn't start that fire," he murmured. "And you have to know that your work was sloppy. They're going to figure out how that fire was really started…and it certainly wasn't started on the basement floor of the building."

"The Oni escaped and started…"

"Just stop, Matilda!" he snapped, glaring at her. "Don't waste your breath lying to me; for once in your life, listen. You started that fire, and people are going to figure it out. As we speak, the greatest minds of Ninjago are working to prove it. Do you really think that your work was clean enough that they won't find anything to point to you?"

"You have no case…" she started icily, and he scoffed.

"You've already been exposed as a liar by your own son. If there is direct evidence that you started the fire, you're going away. Is that really what you wanted when you started all of this?"

Matilda drew herself up, eyeing him haughtily.

"I just want to keep Ninjago safe, and right now your family is the biggest threat to the town's safety."

"Says the woman who lit her building on fire to have the last say."

She shook her head in disgust.

"You're insane. You and your freakish family are who will be locked up at the end of this. Unless you're willing to admit defeat."

Cole blinked.

"Defeat?"

"Surely you've all been through a lot."

Matilda's voice was silky now as she tutted.

"Just go home. Take your family and go back to your realm and don't come back."

"Not an option."

She smiled blithely.

"Then you'll only have yourself to blame, when things don't go your way."

"You won't win, Matilda."

Cole's voice had a sudden tone of authority that made her raise her eyebrow. His gaze was almost sad now.

"I don't know everything…but I have faced plenty of villains over the years. The ones that fall the hardest are the ones who refuse to realize when they've been beaten. Don't make the same mistake, Matilda. You aren't infallible. You've made mistakes, and you're going to be caught. But if you back off now…drop the charges and the trial…then we'll back off too. There is still a way to end this peacefully."

She just laughed, shaking her head as if she found him naïve. Cole's expression hardened.

"But I suppose you don't want it to end peacefully. All you've ever wanted was a war. Well, this you can be sure of; I'm not giving you your war, Matilda. Ancients know you've pushed us to the brink. But even if you don't get locked up for the rest of your life for what you've done, know that you won't get what you want. We aren't going anywhere, and we aren't taking your bait."

She just sneered at him.

"'Ancients'? What on earth is an Ancient?" she mocked, and he just rolled his eyes.

"Think about it, Matilda. Because if you insist on taking this to the end, it's not me and my family who are going to have to admit defeat. Take it from someone who knows how these situations pan out; cut your losses now. Drop the charges."

"I've never been one to be bullied," she replied, her tone both calm and threatening. Her thumb pressed the button on the emergency alert, and Cole just shook his head. The ninja didn't say anything else as he calmly opened the door and left, heading back down the hallway to his room. He hadn't gotten through to her…he knew. But he had tried to give her the option of backing down. If she didn't take it, then she was going to have to deal with the consequences.

And above everything else, Cole knew that there would be consequences.

146

Lou's musical doorbell rang, and Amber stirred in her bed. After a moment, she opened her eyes to see that sunlight was streaming into the room. Turning, she could see that her brother was still fast asleep. The Xinta eased from the bed carefully, not wanting to wake him up. After clearing the bedroom and closing the door softly, she padded towards her grandfather's living room to see who had rung the doorbell. When she caught sight of her mother, she started running.

"Amber!" Keyda said in surprise as the Xinta barreled into her. Amber hugged her mother tightly around the middle.

"You're ok!"

Keyda blinked and then hugged her back.

"I'm ok," she agreed softly. Amber pulled back to smile up at her, but the smile faded as she picked up on her mother's anxiety.

"What's wrong?" she immediately pressed, and then looked around. "Where's Dad?"

Keyda was quiet and Amber's eyes grew larger than normal.

"Is Dad ok?"

"Your father's fine," Keyda assured, running a hand through Amber's tangled locks. "He went to talk to the other ninja…to figure out a plan of action."

"A plan of action for what?" Amber demanded. "We're finally back together…what is there left to do?"

Keyda sighed heavily, shrugging.

"It's…your father."

It's all she would say in way of explanation, and as she walked away Amber dropped it. She hugged herself, wondering if things were still more complicated than her grandfather had let on the night before. Were the ninja really handling it? Or was Matilda going to send more cronies after Theo?

"Where's your brother?"

She glanced up at her mother and then pointed towards the spare bedroom.

"Still sleeping."

Keyda nodded to herself and headed to the room. Amber paused, but with nothing better to do, she followed. The door creaked open and she saw her mother sag in relief.

"He's ok."

"His wrists were hurt by the vengestone cuffs," Amber murmured, knowing her mother would notice the bandages sooner or later. She felt a spur of anger coming off Keyda.

"Get your stuff together."

"What?"

Keyda turned and sighed.

"We're going back home today. Go and get your stuff and be ready to go."

Amber frowned as Keyda gently shook Theo awake.

"Mom, let him sleep…"

"Mmmm whatsit?"

Theo rolled over and blinked up at his mother.

"Mom?"

"Theo…I'm so glad you're ok."

Her voice caught at the end, and he sat up and rubbed his face.

"I'm glad you're ok too," he offered, giving her a smile. "Dad said you went back into that building for me…"

Keyda expression darkened, and Amber leaned up against the doorframe as she listened to their conversation.

"I'd let you sleep longer, Theodynn…but we have to head home."

Amber was glad to feel that he was just as shocked as she was.

"Home? You mean, back to the first realm?"

Keyda nodded, her expression hardening.

"We tried jumping through these ridiculous hoops, and all that happened was that you almost died in that fire…"

"I didn't almost die, Mom. It wasn't hard to escape, when I realized I needed to."

"We're done with Ninjago," Keyda murmured, her tone final. Amber felt a spike of panic.

"Done? What do you mean?"

Keyda pushed herself to her feet.

"Get your stuff. We're leaving as soon as your father gets back."

"We can't leave!" Theo blurted, and Keyda turned to frown at him. He stood as well, his own expression becoming determined. "If we leave, it just proves Matilda right. She said she was holding on to me so we couldn't skip out on bail. If we leave the second I get out of there…"

"We aren't following that woman's rules!" Keyda snapped. "They've done enough damage, and we need to get back to the fortress. We've been gone long enough."

"But…" Amber started, but her mother raised her voice and cut her off.

"That's final."

Theo and Amber were silent as they watched their mother storm out of the room. Then, they both turned to meet each other's eyes.

"Where's Dad?" Theo asked and Amber shook her head.

"He didn't come back with Mom…"

Theo's brow furrowed.

"Where is he?"

"With the other ninja, apparently. Mom seemed anxious when she got home. Do you…do you think that we're in danger and that's why she's so adamant that we have to leave?"

"I dunno."

"So what do we do? I mean, I want to leave too. But we can't…right?"

"If we leave, Matilda wins," Theo agreed. "I didn't sit in that cell for a week just to give up now."

"So how do we tell Mom that?"

Theo rubbed his neck.

"Maybe…we just wait till Dad gets back."


"You're sure?"

"A full diagnostic revealed that it was definitely arson. It was sloppy, really."

"Which floor? It wasn't the basement, right?"

Cole was staring at his nindroid friend in desperation and Zane frowned.

"Third floor, from what we and the fire department could tell. Perhaps Matilda's story is that Theo started the fire on the floor it would do the most damage."

"Were you able to recover any other evidence? Camera feeds, or anything?"

"The system was fried for the most part; we do not have footage of Matilda physically starting the fire, if that is what you meant," Zane said. "But the basement cameras were not damaged because the fire didn't really make it down there. It was all concrete, so it didn't have much to burn. Plenty of smoke damage, but the cameras themselves survived the heat. We were able to get proof that Theodynn was indeed in his cell during the entire time the fire was raging."

Cole sagged in relief, and Zane gave him a smile.

"The cameras had night-vision capability; there was no light in his cell itself, but they had to watch him somehow. Lucky for us; otherwise our only proof would be a few hours of dark footage."

"So…there's no way that Theo could be blamed for this fire?" Cole concluded. Zane patted his friend on the back comfortingly. It was odd sometimes; it had been decades that the two had known each other, but the nindroid hadn't changed at all, while Cole's greying hairline showed him to be far older than when they had first met.

"I cannot think of a situation where a jury could prove him guilty," Zane assured. Cole sighed heavily and dry-washed his face.

"Thank goodness." He murmured.

"But…the bad news is we can't necessarily pin it all on Matilda either," Jay added from where he was sitting. The ninja were all gathered in the temple around the dining table. Zane had cooked a hearty breakfast, and without their children, it almost felt like old times.

"Knowing her type, she'll probably find some other scapegoat when she realizes she can't pin it on Theo," Nya pointed out, stabbing a piece of bacon viciously. Cole sighed heavily and turned to Lloyd.

"Any luck getting our trial moved up?"

The green ninja shrugged.

"The chief seemed willing to take it to the courts. He said he'd get back to us."

Cole leaned back in his chair, processing, and Lloyd continued.

"Hey, I mean you have plenty of time now though, right? Theo's free, and the chief agreed that there wasn't any point in trying to lock him up again. Though, he did actually make us pay bail on him. Claimed it was necessary, but I just wonder if…"

"We don't have tons of time," Cole said, and his friend fell silent. The ninja in black winced apologetically. "We've been gone from the fortress a week now. We called and managed to get a hold of Jaqah when my father first bailed us out, but even knowing where we are, it's hard to keep the whole realm running without us."

His friends seemed to be processing that, and he poked at the hashbrowns on his plate.

"Keyda is ready to take the family and transport home," he admitted quietly, and the others at the table gave a start.

"Cole…if you leave…" Zane started, but Jay cut him off.

"That'll be giving Matilda exactly what she wants!"

"You've gotta talk her down," Kai agreed, and Cole's expression became stormy.

"She's got a point," he couldn't help admit as he finally looked up to meet his friends' eyes. "But I know that we can't leave. I tried to explain why, but we aren't exactly seeing eye to eye at the moment."

He glanced back down at his breakfast, not wanting to see his friends' expressions after all. He rushed on.

"I get what she's feeling. In the past, we were able to stand up to villains like Matilda without all this red tape. I get that we're in a political war, but to Keyda it feels like we've just been risking everyone's lives for no reason at all."

"This was never supposed to get that intense," P.I.X.A.L pointed out softly. Everyone glanced over at her as she continued. "I am not even sure if Matilda expected this to escalate to this point. But it seems she is refusing to admit defeat…she was willing to take sloppy risks to get what she wanted."

"Maybe she knows that," Lloyd pointed out, wiping at a milk mustache. "Or if she doesn't, we should point it out."

"I already tried," Cole sighed. "At the hospital. I tried to talk some sense into her, but she wouldn't listen. I think in her mind, it's either going to be us or her going down and she's not going down without a fight."

"I can't see her getting a councilwoman position," Nya pointed out pensively. "Like, at this point, she definitely can't get that back. And now she doesn't even have the NCST. What is it she wants? You guys behind bars? That's really going to make her situation better?"

"She just wants to be right," Cole said with a scowl. "She feels slighted and wants to prove that she was right. That's why she lit the fire…so she could tell people she was right about Theo."

Silence fell as the ninja became lost in their own thoughts. Kai finally spoke up.

"We'll talk to the chief again about your court case, Cole. See if we can get it taken care of. Because honestly, the law you broke wasn't even a serious one…it's actually ridiculous that it's already taken as long as it has to clear up."

"In the meantime, see if you can convince Keyda to hold out for a little longer," Zane added. Cole sighed.

"I'll see what I can do. Worse comes to worse, she'll take the kids home and I'll stay behind."

That seemed to take everyone back, but they didn't voice their thoughts as the ninja in black turned his attention back to the last bits of breakfast.


"So…the lady sabotaged herself just to make a point?"

Ashley groaned and dry-washed her face.

"Will…" she complained, and her boyfriend put his hands up in defense.

"Hey! I'm just trying to understand. You've been M.I.A all week, and you're not telling me the whole story."

The redhead sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, Will. Really. I meant to call more, but everything went crazy and then I got roped into everything…."

"Got roped into everything?" he asked, leaning back on the couch as he raised an eyebrow. "Ash, I know you well enough to know you don't get roped into stuff. You're the girl holding the lasso."

She rolled her eyes but finally leaned into him. He put an arm around her comfortably.

"Your Dad gonna be mad I came over for breakfast?" he finally asked, and she scoffed.

"He's out with his old ninja team…trying to figure stuff out so this nightmare can finally end."

She rubbed her face again, and her boyfriend gave her a smile as he shook his head.

"Gosh, I never see you this stressed. This Matilda character musta really hit a nerve."

Ashley just snorted, and Will rubbed her neck.

"She just makes me so angry," she admitted, and it was his turn to chuckle.

"Obviously. I wouldn't think you'd punch her in the face if she made you happy."

"You're so stupid," she chided, but she was smiling as she snuggled closer.

A firm knock sounded at the door, interrupting their comfortable morning. Ashley frowned as she pushed herself to her feet and headed over. Her eyebrows raised as she opened the door and saw the Officer at the door.

"Are you Ashely Smith?" the officer asked, a hand on her hip as she scanned the teen in front of her. Ash blinked and then nodded.

"Yes…"

"Who is it, Ash?"

Will appeared behind her, and as she glanced back at him she saw his expression change. He was immediately wary, glancing at the officer almost distrustfully. The policewoman for her part didn't even glance at him.

"I need to ask you a few questions," she explained bluntly and Ashley just stared for a moment before finally moving.

"Sure. Come on in."


"It's a lot of make-up work…but I expect you to keep your promise, M."

The teen sighed as he stared at the pile of work on his desk. His father cleared his throat.

"You promised to stay until graduation, M. At the very least, you are going to successfully complete this year."

"Alright."

He glanced up at his father. Marty looked like he was expecting his son to put up more of a fight, but M. just shrugged. The Headmaster hesitated and finally nodded.

"Good."

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Can I call Amber? Well…Amber's Grandfather's house, I guess."

Marty's expression immediately hardened and M. rushed on.

"After I get some of this work done, obviously. But I haven't had a chance to talk to her, and the fire on the news…"

He trailed off at his father's steely gaze. Finally the teen couldn't maintain eye contact and he glanced back to the massive pile of papers on his desk.

"I just wanna make sure she and her family are alright," he finally murmured. When his father didn't answer he numbly pulled one of the work packets towards himself to get started.

"Maybe before dinner."

He glanced up as his father finally answered, but he only caught the back of the headmaster as he left the room.

147

Colby sighed heavily as he came into his house, kicking off his shoes into the cluttered pile by the door before making his way towards the stairs to his bedroom. He wouldn't mind mopping, if Officer Curtis would let him use a mop. But the old officer always made him do it on his hands and knees with a rag, claiming it built more character.

His mother intercepted him on the way to the stairs, and he allowed her to pull him into a hug.

"How was your day, my little delinquent?"

He sighed heavily.

"It was fine, Mom…"

"Dinner's on the stove. May was doing another one of her experiments, but it actually turned out alright…"

"Maybe later," he mumbled, but by now his sisters had heard that he was home and had appeared in the front of the house.

"Colbes!"

He looked over to give Mia a withering look, but she just smiled as she came over to ruffle his hair.

"Did you hear? You aren't the only one with a criminal record now…"

"What do ya mean?" he asked.

"Mia…" Nya said in a warning tone as she left the room to go check on Jay in the other room.

"What? I would think he'd want to know…"

"You got a criminal record?" Colby asked irritably. He had a headache, and he didn't really feel like entertaining his older sister right now.

"Not us, Colbes."

May had entered the room now, wearing the sleek apron she always put on when she cooked.

"An Officer showed up at Ashely's house. She's not getting locked up or anything…she doesn't even have to do community service. But she did get written up for assault."

"Assault?!"

Alright, he had to admit that he was interested now.

"Why on earth did she get written up for assault?"

"She punched Matilda O'Keefe in the face," Mia said smugly. Colby's eyebrows shot up.

"She did? When?!"

"When she came out of the building; you got there too late. It was pretty much chaos, but everyone was yelling at Matilda, demanding that she tell them where Theo was, and she was being all cryptic and evil and Ashley finally just punched her in the face."

"It was glorious. But yeah, not really good in the criminal record sort of way."

Colby frowned.

"Speaking of criminal records," May started, waggling her eyebrows at her brother. "Is that girl friend of yours…"

"She's not my girlfriend," he reminded in a surly tone, and she rolled his eyes.

"That's why I paused between girl and friend, Colbes. But anyways, she still doing community service with you?"

He shook his head.

"Nah, I haven't seen Dani since they first brought her in. I think the officers just talked with her parents…I'm not sure they even put it on her record."

"Huh…I guess egg throwing is not quite as serious as graffiti," Mia scoffed in surprise. Colby just shrugged.

"You hear from Theo and Amber?" he asked, almost forgetting that he wanted to get away from his sisters.

"Not from them directly. All we know is their Mom wants to take them back to their realm and Cole's trying to talk her out of it."

"Really?"

May shrugged.

"I overheard Mom and Dad talking about it while I was making dinner. They're hoping that he can talk Keyda into not freaking out…"

"I don't blame her for freaking out," Colby pointed out. "I mean, Matilda did try and kill Theo. Maybe they should head back to their realm."

"Shows what you know about politics…that would ruin everything," May snapped, and Colby's expression darkened.

"Whatever," he muttered, pushing past his sisters. They made eye contact.

"Colbes, wait."

He paused, shoving his hands into his jeans as he turned, still scowling.

"What?"

His sisters both looked unsure, which was a rare expression for either of their identical faces. May spoke first.

"We…didn't really get a chance to tell you…" she started.

"…What you did the day of the debate…you know. Turning yourself in…." Mia continued.

They both fell silent, and Colby's frown deepened.

"What about it?"

His twin sisters looked at each other again with that look. It was a look that always irritated him; it was like a silent conversation that he would never have the ability to be part of.

"It was impressive," May finally admitted. He blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"Like, don't get us wrong…it was really dumb. But your whole thing about not quitting, and actually sticking to your guns and turning yourself in…" Mia explained.

They both seemed so uncomfortable; Colby realized they were trying to compliment him. He snorted; no wonder they were uncomfortable—they sure didn't have a lot of practice in that area.

"Well…someone needed to do something," he pointed out, but he had straightened a little. May rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well…next time don't graffiti on a building in broad daylight."

They fell silent, and Colby bounced on his heels a little. He wasn't sure if they were done or not, and he certainly didn't want to cut them off if this was going to be a rare time where they didn't make him feel like a waste of space.

"Did you mean it, Colbes?" Mia cut in uncomfortably. He rubbed his nose.

"Mean what?"

"That…you know…." She glanced at her twin for support. "That you hate being around us?"

Oh. He had forgotten that he had said that, actually. For a moment he was embarrassed, but then a stubborn part of him burned with annoyance. He held his head high.

"Well…you don't exactly make me want to hang around you."

"You shouldn't take things so seriously. We're only teasing when…"

"I don't care!" he snapped. They blinked in surprise, but he decided that he really didn't care. "You've always made me feel so stupid and useless. There's a difference between teasing and making someone's life miserable…"

"No need to be so dramatic," Mia snapped, and he just scoffed.

"Whatever."

He shut down again, turning away from them and heading up the stairs to his bedroom. He was tired enough that he wanted to just go right to sleep, but now he was suddenly in the mood to slap some paint on a canvas.


"The chief said it should be in the next few days, Keyds. And once the trial is over…"

"And what if they determine that we should be locked up, Cole?" she hissed back. "What then? We just let them? How far are you willing to take this?"

Amber and Theo peered around the corner of the doorframe, frowning. Their father had finally come home around lunch, and their mother had been furious to say in the least that he had taken so long. What was worse, they had been arguing ever since. Theo couldn't remember the last time he had seen his parents fight. Like, really fight…not just a disagreement or a tense conversation.

"We can't give in right now…."

"This isn't giving in!" she snapped. "This isn't quitting. This is about protecting the family! This is about our children! I'm not making them stay in this place a day longer, not when people are willing to accuse them falsely and lock them up…"

"No one is going to lock them up," Cole assured. He tried to grab Keyda's arms comfortingly, but she lurched out of his grasp.

"You don't know that."

"Zane said…"

"Zane is not perfect! He doesn't know everything! I already know that the courts shouldn't lock them up…but that doesn't mean that they won't! I can't trust Ninjagoans to have any kind of sense…"

"Keyds…"

"And you've gone and turned the kids against me," she continued, her eyes flashing as tears sprung up. "Convinced them that we can't leave…"

"If the kids are saying we can't leave, then it's because they know why that would make this situation worse, Keyda. I didn't talk to them."

The Oni was shaking, and Theo almost wanted to go get involved. But it was clear that his mother already felt like they were ganging up against her. He wasn't sure that he should get involved.

"You said I could take them," she finally reminded, swiping at her tears angrily. "Remember? You said I could take them and you would stay behind…"

Theo clenched his jaw so hard it hurt. What? Their family couldn't just…just split up. Besides, how would his father get back to the first realm without them? The Oni heard his younger sister gasp and assumed she was feeling the same as him.

"I did. But if the kids don't want to leave…"

"They shouldn't have a choice!" she snapped. "Ancients, Cole…they're still kids! They don't know what's best for them!"

"Keyda…"

"If you tell them to go back, then maybe they'll listen to you! Since it's clear they aren't listening to me!"

Cole fell silent, rubbing his face in the way he did when he was tired. Theo watched as his mother glared, looking more hurt than anything.

"I need you on my side, Cole," she pointed out. He sighed.

"I am on your side…" he murmured wearily, but she cut in.

"No, you're not. You want to stay behind, and you aren't supporting me that the kids need to go home, where they'll be safe."

He didn't answer and she walked away, back over the bags she had packed herself. There wasn't much to pack—they hadn't really brought much with them when they had come a week ago; they weren't planning on staying so long. Keyda shoved one last item into a bag as her voice raised a little.

"I never thought our family would be less safe in Ninjago than the first realm…but I guess it's because you never had qualms about fighting Oni. But when it comes to your own people…"

"It's a different kind of fight, Keyda," Cole said exasperatedly. "That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

"It doesn't feel like a different kind of fight!"

"Should we do something?"

Amber's voice was small and Theo looked down at his sister. She was watching the conversation with a concerned expression. Theo put an arm around her and pulled her close as he glanced back at his parents.

"I think we just gotta let them work it out," he murmured in reply. Keyda's voice was raising louder now.

"That woman targeted Amber…and then she took Theo. She chained him up, Cole! She hurt him…"

Suddenly, Keyda's angry demeanor began to break down as she did. Theo's own eyes filled with tears as he watched his mother cry. The Oni had been bending over to pick up the bags on the ground, but as her stony resolve faded, she sank to the ground. Cole's own defensive stance softened as he saw it.

"They hurt him," she repeated, and her husband sighed and knelt down next to his wife.

"I know. And we won't let her get away with it," he promised as he pulled her into a hug. She didn't fight him that time, and Theo relaxed as he watched. He hated seeing his parents so upset, especially on his account. But he also was glad that they didn't seem to be fighting anymore. He felt Amber lean her head on his side and tugged on her horn as they continued to watch their parents embrace.

"We will come out on top of this," Cole murmured. "But we have to give it a few more days."

Keyda sagged into him, and it was a few minutes before she answered.

"Fine," she finally agreed softly. "But Cole…if anything else happens to our children, I swear I'll burn this realm to the ground."

The Master of Earth chuckled, even though Theo could tell his mother wasn't even necessarily joking.

"Then we'll make sure that nothing else happens."

24