WARNING: This chapter contains mention of potential infertility and certain articles relating to adult activities. Although there is nothing explicit, be advised that some readers may be triggered by these topics!

I realise that Ninjago is intended to be a 'kids show', but After Party has always prided itself on addressing the more mature issues that would arise from characters being 'of age' and in active relationships.

That said, enjoy!

Having given baby Phoenix a bath to wash off the remainder of the strange silver fluid, and then dressed him in the clothes that Magpie had bought, Pixal and Zane enthusiastically stepped into their role as his temporary parents. Shortly after they brought him downstairs, his temporary horns – having outlived their usefulness – finally came off.

For the first few hours after hatching, Phoenix behaved like a typical baby; eating and sleeping and just generally enchanting anyone who looked at him. While the others took turns holding him, Cole excused himself and phoned Jasper to update her on the situation. She was so excited that she came over as soon as she could to witness this for herself, and when Pixal offered to let her feed him, she couldn't resist.

Jasper sat with the others, holding him and fussing over him until it was gone 10pm. In Wu's absence, Lloyd said she could join their 'stake out' of watching the baby reach his first year of milestones if she wanted – just in time to see his first little smile when she agreed to stay. Jasper was still stunned that her dear friend was able to keep this from her, but she was so enamoured by his tiny form that she struggled to hand him back to Pixal as he yawned and put his hands on his eyes.

"He's just precious," Jasper smiled, gently placing the tired Phoenix in Pixal's arms. "I can't get over it, who knew he was hiding this kind of thing? I had no idea about his elemental status."

"It was quite a surprise," Pixal stated, cuddling him and softly stroking his feathers. "I have never seen such a power; it was both a morbid and fascinating incident to witness."

"It must have been horrific," Jasper declared. "but you've really taken to him like this, not that I blame you."

"I cannot adequately explain my feelings, but as soon as I sensed his heartbeat through the shell, I felt such an intense connection to him," Pixal elaborated. "then he hatched, and he looked so much like Zane that the connection deepened."

"Now that you mention it," Jasper began, turning to look at Zane. "when I first introduced Cole to Phoenix, Cole went into something of a trance, staring at him as if they had met before; he said that Phoenix reminded him of a close friend..."

"It has been said by my teammates that Phoenix looked like he could be my older brother," Zane remarked. "now he looks like he's my son."

"Legit, he really does!" Jasper nodded. "It's a shame you two can't have kids, you'd make gorgeous babies!"

"It's not something we had really considered until Pixal became so maternal around the egg, but we could in fact build a family," Zane paused. "in the literal sense, I mean."

"So, is it something you'd want to do?" Jasper cautiously asked.

"Perhaps," Pixal mused, beaming at Phoenix as he slept in her arms. "I would be honoured to have children with Zane, especially if they take after him; he is an angel, and the world needs more of him..."

"Always you place me on such a high pedestal, darling," He chuckled. "you simply must join me up here."

Zane grinned adoringly at Pixal, and she tilted her head and batted her eyes at him. Even with Jasper sitting between them, the world around them dissolved away. Jasper, meanwhile, sat like a deer in the headlights as the loving vibes surrounded her like a thick perfumery mist.

"Aw man," Nya stated, interrupting the droid's amorous haze as she entered the room with Kiku. "is he asleep already? I wanted to hold him again..."

"Looks like Pixal's not the only one getting broody." Jasper teased.

"He's just so soft and cuddly," Nya explained with pink cheeks. "even Kiku enjoyed holding him and she's not into babies."

"Guilty!" Kiku sheepishly responded. "Although, in my case it's less to do with how cute he is and more to do with the friendship we had pre-regen."

As if hearing someone describe him as 'cute', Phoenix shuffled around and opened his eyes, peering indirectly at the two additional people in the room. Now that he was awake, Nya glanced at Pixal hopefully, as the droid smiled and offered for her to hold him.

Excitedly, Nya sat on the floor and deftly accepted baby Phoenix. He stared at her with interest, giving a cheeky little smile as she grinned widely and happily cuddled him.

"Hey gorgeous!" Nya cooed. "Who's the cutest bubba in the whole world? You are! Yes, you are!"

"Oh, he knows he's handsome, you can tell by the way he's smiling; you already know how cute you are, dontcha?" Kiku swooned as she wagged her finger at him.

"You're such a sweet little boy..." Nya purred, rocking him softly. "Aww, look at that face, he's so happy!"

"He's so small, I feel like I should change his nickname to Ember," Kiku giggled. "not a Fireball anymore, are ya?"

Phoenix gazed at them with his big blue eyes as he shyly flicked his wings. Kiku and Nya promptly devolved into a heap of maternal squealing.

He seemed startled by the sudden noise, so Pixal intervened and held out her hands to take him back. Nya gave him one more cuddle before reluctantly handing him over, but not before he reached out with his left hand and chirped at her.

"You like Auntie Nya's cuddles, don't you?" Pixal beamed.

He looked up at Pixal's glittering green eyes as she smiled, and he made the hawk sound that Magpie had told them about.

"The bird noises are just too adorable!" Kiku declared. "Are you gonna take him to see dad?"

"First thing in the morning," Pixal nodded. "father emailed us back while we were bathing little Phoenix, and we offered to video call with him, but he insisted on meeting the baby in person."

"But he'll be closer to toddler age by then, dad's gonna miss out on seeing him as a baby-baby." Kiku noted.

"We did send Cyrus a photo of Phoenix once he was dry and dressed, and we have been routinely taking photos to document his growth," Zane added. "not the same as witnessing it I know, but at least he will be able to retroactively see how Phoenix has changed."

"Hey little buddy!" Cole announced as he walked in and approached Phoenix – still in Pixal's arms.

Cole sat down in front of the droid and her surrogate baby. He gave Phoenix a gentle boop on the nose, to which Phoenix sneezed out a small purple flame. A cacophony of enthralled mewing followed at the sheer cuteness of the teeny tiny sneeze, and Cole chuckled.

"Sorry Pix, I couldn't resist!" He apologised.

"No harm done." She smiled forgivingly.

Phoenix reached out and managed to grip Cole's index finger before he moved too far away. Phoenix's icy blue eyes stared into him with curiosity, and Cole was a little stunned as he looked at the tiny fist gripping onto him.

"His hands… they're so small." Cole noted.

"Well yeah, he's a baby," Nya laughed. "they do have small hands."

"I get the feeling that you're perhaps having an existential episode," Pixal baited. "just this morning he was your friend from the café, but right now he doesn't remember your name – it must be confusing."

"Kind of…" Cole stammered.

"Do you want to hold him?" Zane asked.

"No, I'm okay, I don't even know how to." Cole nervously replied as Phoenix finally let go of his finger.

Pixal grinned sympathetically and sat beside him.

"It's easy, trust me," She calmly said. "if a droid can safely hold a human baby, you can too."

Cole was still unsure, until Phoenix reached out for him and tried to sit up on his own. His tiny hands were flailing, and his mouth was open, as he made little chirpy noises that indicated he wanted to be nearer to Cole.

"It seems he really wants to be held by you," Pixal surmised. "perhaps he does remember you subconsciously."

"I wouldn't be surprised; more than once he told me he considers you his best friend." Jasper added.

"Wow, that's really nice..." Cole hesitated. "I guess it couldn't hurt to try... Only if it's safe though, I don't want to hurt him."

"You'll be fine." Pixal insisted.

Jasper watched with some amusement as Cole appeared to freeze up, while Pixal slightly adjusted his arms to a better position, then carefully placed Phoenix in them. As Phoenix shuffled a little bit, then settled into the warmth of Cole's gentle yet somewhat anxious grasp, the earth ninja slowly started to relax.

"Getting comfy there, buddy?" He joked, finally feeling relaxed enough to pet the soft silver hair on his head.

Phoenix blinked and yawned, then heartily nuzzled into him. Cole looked down at Phoenix with wide eyes, as if seeing him in a completely new light. He'd never really been very interested in babies, partly because he was a guy, but also because he had no idea how to interact with them. But this little one, this bundle of softness and feathers, this strange but familiar face, was melting his heart in ways he couldn't entirely understand.

Jasper observed Cole's sentimental expression with a certain amount of sadness, as he grinned and looked at Phoenix's contented smile.

"I know that smile," Cole chuckled. "never seen you make it at me before though."

He gently poked Phoenix's tummy and the little one responded with an exuberant giggle.

There was an astonished silence, as Cole looked over at Pixal, silently asking if this was normal.

"His first laugh!" Pixal excitedly gasped. "Oh what an adorable sound!"

"My gods that was so cute!" Nya squealed.

"Who knew you were so good with kids?" Kiku teased, nudging Cole's shoulder.

Phoenix smiled wider and flailed his limbs about as another raucous giggle rang out from him. Nya pulled out her smartphone and took a quick snap of Cole looking a little dazed as Phoenix continued giggling.

"You look like a natural, Cole." Nya praised.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," Jasper said as she stood up. "I'm gonna see where Magpie's got to."

"Last time I saw, she and Lloyd were in the kitchen cleaning up the eggshell," Kiku stated. "apparently the shell is real fire opal, and she sells it to a jeweller in the city."

"Thanks." Jasper gave a half-hearted grin and left the room.

She hoped she hadn't made a scene by leaving the room so abruptly. Strolling toward the kitchen, she could feel her grin slipping away. When she got there, however, Magpie and Lloyd were no longer present. To be honest, Jasper was glad to not have to put up a front anymore, and she sighed heavily as she leaned on the edge of the sink.

"Babe... You okay?"

Jasper turned to see Cole, closing the door behind him and leaning on it to prevent interruption.

"Of course!" She lied. "I just realized I hadn't even said hi to Magz when I got here."

"Well, you were a bit preoccupied," Cole chuckled. "Phoenix tends to get everyone's attention even without the pole."

"Yes... He's always been something of an attention seeker," Jasper half smiled, crossing her arms. "how did you manage to follow me so quickly?"

"Are you kidding? There were three women just waiting to take him off my hands!" He laughed.

"He loves being fussed over, especially by women..."

Cole wasn't diverted by her joking tone. He knew something was bothering her, and he wasn't about to let her deal with it by herself.

"I know I'm pretty dozy sometimes, but I notice everything with you," He began. "and even though you're excited about seeing Phoenix this way, I can see your sadness too – wanna talk about it?"

"Don't be silly, I'm just tired," She dismissed. "I mean, when was the last time I had an all-nighter?"

"Jasper..." Cole said her name with softness as he approached her. "Please tell me what's going on."

She tried to hide it, she tried to keep her half smile intact, but as his chocolate brown eyes peered into her shaky green ones, she cracked. Her expression collapsed into such intense heartache that he could practically see the tears streaming down her face before she opened her mouth to speak.

"Cole," She asked, trying to stay composed. "do you want to have kids one day?"

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it... Why?"

"Well, have you ever wondered why I don't insist on protection when we...?"

Cole hesitated, his face suddenly heating up.

"Not really, but I mean, you don't go through the monthly thing either," He blushed. "I figured you were on the injection or had one of those implant thingies."

"It's a little more serious than that..." She baited, her face also turning red as he talked about preventative measures.

"What is it babe?" He tentatively stroked her shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything."

Jasper bit her lip, feeling as though she were about to confess to a crime.

"I can't bear children."

"Aw come on, that's a bit harsh, isn't it?" He assured, completely misunderstanding what she'd just said. "You're great with kids! I've seen you at work, you really vibe with them!"

"No, Sugar," She shook her head. "you don't get it."

Cole tilted his head.

"I mean I literally cannot carry or give birth to a child..."

"Oh…"

"I've never wanted kids of my own – even as a kid I knew that – and I knew finding someone who also felt that way would be difficult, but then fate decided to take my choice away…" She squeaked as the tears finally began to fall. "When I was 14, they found a malignant lump in my... and it was too big to remove, so they had to take out the whole thing."

He was momentarily stunned by this revelation. Sure, they'd never formally discussed what their relationship looked like long-term, but he had no idea she'd gone through so much, so young.

"I'm sorry Cole, the last thing I want is to lose you, but if having kids is a deal breaker, we aren't going to work out!" She collapsed into his arms and dissolved into an emotional mess.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her so close that she was now weeping all over his shirt. Cole softly stroked her red hair as she shook wildly, and he tried to comfort her as she sobbed. Having kids wasn't exactly something he'd ever thought about with any seriousness, and sure it was fun holding Phoenix and watching him hit all his 'firsts', but there was so much more to having kids than just the baby stage – even he knew that. Jasper clearly had thought about it though; and long before she had the option removed, she'd decided it wasn't for her.

"Jasper, it's okay, I'm not going anywhere." He whispered to her calmly.

She glanced up at him, her eyes full of tears and occasional sobs still escaping her lips.

"Cole?"

"You know, I've said to Pixal before now that her relationship doesn't have to follow the life script that society pushes on couples," He admitted, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the gentleness she'd come to expect from him. "maybe I should take my own advice."

"You're not… gonna leave me?" She tentatively asked in a heart-breaking squeak.

"Leave you? Why would I leave you?" He responded in confusion, before gripping her shoulders tightly. "Babe, have you been abandoned over this before?"

Jasper nodded, as a new wave of tears threatened to fall.

"I used to be up front with potential dates, so I didn't waste anyone's time, but the last guy I was interested in ghosted me after I told him," She whimpered. "so, I decided to keep it to myself until I got serious with someone."

Cole glanced at her with an empathetic look as she sniffled sadly.

"And that someone was me?"

Jasper nodded, somewhat sheepishly.

"Jasper, babe, I'm not leaving you just because you had to have surgery for your own health's sake," He insisted. "you're the best thing that ever happened to me, so I'll say it again; I'm not going anywhere."

Cole promptly knelt down at her feet and kissed her hand. She smiled warmly and ruffled his hair with the hand he just kissed. He nuzzled into her palm and beamed up at her.

"I've kept this with me for months because I was waiting for the right moment; I feel like that moment is now..."

He reached into his shirt pocket and retrieved a round, flat object. It was glittering gold, and at first, Jasper thought it was a large coin... Until Cole blushed again and smiled at her with complete devotion, then held out to her a medallion. Emblazoned with a yin-yang of two dragons, she immediately recognised the object.

"Jasper... Will you be my Yang?" He asked, nervously biting his lip.

Her face burned bright red, and she looked totally stunned as Cole knelt before her and offered her the traditional 'Yin-Yang Promise'. It wasn't a proposal of marriage, but a means of signifying that their relationship was so important to him that he wanted to be with her forever – that they were two halves of one whole.

"Cole!" She choked out as she once again started crying, only this time, they were tears of joy. "Yes! Yes, of course I will!"

He stood up, disconnected the two halves, and gave her the half with the black dragon. She sniffled and happily accepted the piece, tucking it into her bra and leaning over to hug him. Cole effortlessly swept Jasper up in his arms and proceeded to kiss her soft red lips, pressing his mouth firmly to hers and sending chills all through her body. Even as they sealed the Yin-Yang Promise with their affectionate embrace, she continued to cry; so overcome with emotion that she couldn't stop.

"Be with me forever, babe." Cole asserted as he broke the kiss.

"I will, Sugar," Jasper purred. "forever and for always..."

It was 4am, and the sweet smell of baking wafted through the temple. Aware that Phoenix would be turning 12 months in a few hours, Zane had retreated to the kitchen to make a special cake.

Phoenix had since discovered the ability to crawl and was rapidly trying to escape from the living room, only to be blocked every chance he got. He almost made it to the staircase, until Jay hurriedly scooped him up.

"No, you don't!" Jay laughed. "How are you so fast?"

Phoenix giggled and flapped his wings. Jay lifted him in the air and gently spun around, and the giggling got even louder.

"Want Uncle Jay to help you fly, little dude?"

Phoenix waved his arms and made a string of happy chirpy noises. Jay held him horizontally and carefully strutted around the room making 'whoosh' sounds.

"He's not an airplane, you know." Kai shook his head and chuckled.

"Of course not, he's a dragon, look at those wings!" Jay smiled as Phoenix held his arms out like dragon claws. "Oh no! He's come to take over the temple!"

"So, when will he start to fly?" Lloyd asked Magpie while Jay danced around the room.

"Round about the time his memories come back," She replied. "once that happens, he'll recall all kinds of skills – how to strengthen his wings, how to do basic healing, how to summon Inferno..."

"I didn't know elemental masters could do that from such a young age." Kai stated.

"It could be unique to Phoenix, because he's been living for so long, but I've never met another elemental at that age so who knows?" Magpie shrugged.

"Even as a baby he's a show-off…" Kai joked.

"You doubt his awesomeness, huh Sonny? Let's get him, Inferno!" Jay said as he dashed over to Kai, pointing Phoenix at him like a weapon.

"Ra-ra-ra-ra!" Phoenix babbled.

"Oh no, the dragon has come for me!" Kai played along, impishly falling to the floor.

"I had no idea a group of guys could take to a baby this much." Magpie laughed.

"They're not too far from children themselves sometimes." Nya joked as she, Kiku and Pixal returned from changing into some fresh clothes.

"I hope he hasn't been too much trouble." Pixal baited.

On hearing Pixal's voice, Phoenix ceased playing and began impatiently shuffling in Jay's grasp – reaching out for her and whimpering.

"He kept making a beeline for the stairs," Jay mentioned. "but apart from that, he's been good as gold; right dude?"

Phoenix was less interested in agreeing with Jay, and more interested in being held by Pixal. As soon as she had him in her arms, his wings fluffed up and he contentedly snuggled into her. She beamed at him with a type of adoration previously reserved only for Zane and left a soft kiss on his forehead.

"My precious ho-oh," She sighed happily. "shall we go see what daddy's doing?"

"Smells like he's making some magic happen," Kiku grinned. "he should be called the Master of Sweets if you ask me."

"I'm curious to see what all the fuss is about to be honest," Magpie admitted as she stood up. "my brother told me about these cakes that taste like heaven."

"Heaven is an understatement; he's making a black forest cake for Phoenix's birthday," Nya corrected. "the only thing better is his strawberry Christmas cake!"

"Now I have to see it for myself!" Magpie insisted.

The four of them left the room to go and see the mystical process by which Zane made his delicacies, leaving Lloyd, Kai and Jay in the living room.

"So, where are you going for your first date with Magpie?" Kai smirked knowingly at Lloyd.

"How do you know about that?" Lloyd stammered.

"How quickly you forget that my girlfriend hears everything, and make no mistake, nothing escapes her..." Kai paraphrased Kiku's favourite line.

"Nothing?" Jay baited nervously.

"Nothing..." Kai insisted. "But she only tells me the juicy bits."

"Did she tell you anything else about me and Magpie?" Lloyd precariously asked.

"No, that was it," Kai responded, as Lloyd inwardly sighed from relief. "so, where are you taking her?"

"Well, there's a place she wants to show me, but she wants to go before sunrise, and I don't know where I should take her after that." Lloyd confessed.

"I can give you some cool date ideas," Jay offered. "no good asking Kai, he never took Kiku on a date, just went straight for dessert."

"Just because that's how we got together doesn't mean we haven't had proper dates since then!" Kai argued.

"Yeah, yeah," Jay dismissed. "I guess it depends on what kind of stuff Magpie likes doing; would she prefer a chill date or something more fun?"

"I think she's more into nature and things like that, I mean, she obviously loves animals because of her job." Lloyd theorised.

"You could take her to the New Ninjago city gardens," Jay suggested. "the flower park is a great spot for couples, and there's bound to be some deer or other wildlife there."

"Yeah, take her on a leisurely dragon ride and find a quiet corner by the peach trees, maybe make a lunch date out of it; there's a great place to buy bento boxes not far from the main entrance." Kai added.

"Or there's the animal cafés, she'll know about French Fancy from Phoenix, but I'm sure there are others." Jay nodded.

"There are," Cole confirmed, strolling in from his brief visit upstairs. "depends what kind of animals she likes."

"Hey Cole," Jay grinned cheekily. "how's your Yang feeling?"

"She's good thanks; still asleep," Cole blushed. "I guess she's not built for all-nighters."

"You're telling me you don't keep her up all night when you normally go and see her?" Kai teased.

"That's different, mind your own business..." Cole flustered as he changed the subject. "so, what are we talking about anyway?"

"We're helping Lloyd figure out where to take Magpie for a date." Jay clarified.

"With a name like 'Magpie' I'd bet anything she likes birds the most." Kai noted.

"There's a new bird cafe Jasper was telling me about last week, it's called 'EnRaptored'," Cole declared. "it's like a normal bird cafe but instead of parrots or cockatiels, this one has birds of prey – falcons, hawks, eagles."

"Sounds right up her alley to me," Jay nodded. "after all, her nails could rival a falcon's talons for sharpness."

"Better hope they don't have any crows there or it could get messy!" Kai snorted.

"She's not an actual magpie you guys..." Lloyd chuckled and shook his head.