Figures, the one day I don't watch the morning news.

"Is she insane?"

"This is ridiculous!"

"What if he wins?!"

"Did you hear the list of terms and conditions?"

"They're saying Lady Irondragon's gonna keep him in line!"

"He accepted! He accepted! FSM, did you hear he accepted?!"

"Hey, Lloyd! Does your dad actually know anything about golf?"

I blinked out of my daze, realizing that last comment had actually been addressed to me. By one of my friends. Jay. We were in the hall in front of our lockers and had a few minutes before it was time to head for class.

"Nope," I replied. "Honestly, I wouldn't worry. The mayor will win."

"Her overconfidence could be her downfall, however," warned Zane, looking worried. "Anything can happen! And she promised he can rule Ninjago if he wins!"

I shrugged. "Guys, seriously. He thinks highest score wins. He's gonna be doing everything he can NOT to get the ball in the hole."

There was a second of silence.

"Seriously?" asked Nya. "Is he stupid?"

"Selective hearing," I replied, not taking any offense. The thought had occurred to even me in the past. "And selective comprehension. Its more crazy than dumb. His brain latches on to whatever sounds the most evil and fun."

"Still..." frowned Cole. "It's kind of our job to make sure he doesn't win."

I laughed at their concern. "Then spy and sabotage him?" I suggested. It was the simplest solution in the world.

They all stared at me.

"I just remembered who raised you," mumbled Kai, looking fake horrified, eyes wide and mouth open in a gasp.

"Don't go hero on me now, guys," I groaned. "Seriously. You don't think my dad's gonna 'cheat' to rack up more points? And even if he does figure out that he needs a lower score to win, which I doubt, he has zero experience. Isn't the mayor like a champion golfer with twenty years under her belt? I think she's clever."

"Clever?! Signing a deal with Garmadon that he can rule Ninjago if he wins?!" exploded Jay.

I laughed at his over-dramatics. "Signing a deal that he can't attack Ninjago City between now and the tournament, and that if he loses, which he will, no attacks for six months. She's very smart. He'd never actually last longer than that, and this way she can get some reconstruction and reinforcement done in the meantime. Put up some more safety measures." I grinned at Kai and Nya. "Give the new ninjas time to get used to their mechs and learn some spinjitzu?"

They all were blinking at me now. Cole was the first one for that surprise to become a smirk.

"And you say she's the clever one, green bean. You figured that all out from just the gossip walking to school?"

I blushed. "Not a big deal," I mumbled, embarrassed at his praise.

"But if Lady Irondragon agreed to keep an eye on Garmadon for this week, and then those six months, does that mean your mom is sticking around?" asked Zane innocently.

Oh. Crud. I didn't tell the rest of them yet.

My face must have paled a little too rapidly, as Kai grabbed hold of my shoulders as if to support me and Nya hushed the others.

"I'm ok!" I protested, perhaps a little too weakly to be convincing, but I was able to shrug off Kai's support and stand fairly firmly on my own two legs. I looked over at a confused Zane, Cole, and Jay. "She, um, shekindofmovedbackinlastnight..."

"Don't!" jumped in Nya warningly when Jay opened his not very sensitive mouth. "He's staying with us in the meantime!"

"Not fair," complained Zane, and that was surprising since usually he's a little oblivious to more emotionally delicate matters. "I want Lloyd to stay with me!"

Wait, what?

"Nuh-uh! He promised my place was next! My parents are already planning dinner for him!" jumped in Jay.

"Hey, don't forget about me," complained Cole. "Selfish, dudes."

I am even more confused than earlier. But in a happy way this time.

They were apparently serious, and played rock-paper-clamp for who gets to take me home. Jay won, with Zane second place.

Well. I don't have to worry about going home for at least another three nights now. I grinned at that. Jay was already on his cell loudly bragging to his parents that Lloyd was staying over tonight. From the chatter I couldn't quite make out, they seemed just as excited about the prospect.

Definitely better than going home.

~~ ! Go Ninja Go ! ~~

"You don't know him, Misako!"

"I want to know him! I'm trying!"

"That's not what I meant!" Ray shouted, getting frustrated. Maya took his hand and shook her head. He instantly looked ashamed at his outburst.

Across from them, Koko looked close to tears again.

Maya took over. "Koko, we just mean that Lloyd is complicated. He wants you in his life, we know he does, but he won't admit it to himself unless something forces him to."

Koko blinked back hot tears, clearly on the defensive. "That's what I'm trying -"

"Exactly! We're saying you made the right choice!" interrupted Ray, annoyed at being misunderstood. "You just have to stick it out!"

Koko froze. "I... did?"

Maya smiled. "Yes! Lloyd won't avoid you forever. He'll come home, sooner rather than later, especially if you can make it clear to him that you're not going anywhere. This is just what Lloyd does."

Koko looked over at Wu, who nodded. He'd always been there, after all, observing quietly from the outskirts.

"Lloyd always runs when he's scared, Misako. He's not a coward. He just needs space and time to think things over. Usually it's best to confront him when he gets like this, but, in the case of you and Garmadon... I think he really does need space."

"It's sort of a fight or flight response," Maya tried to explain. "Maybe because he was bullied so terribly? If he stuck around, he would've fought you. The fact that he chose to run means he didn't want to hurt you."

"If he really didn't want you there, wanted you to leave and not come back, he would've attacked you. Verbally or physically would've tried to force you out. Demanded that Garmadon get rid of you, screamed that he'd never forgive you. He didn't do any of that. He ran, which means he's scared and he needs to think."

"He... I don't want Lloyd to be scared of me," said Koko softly. "I don't want him to be scared of me sticking around, of me changing things. Or afraid that I might leave again. But how can I fix this if he won't talk to me?"

"Write a letter," said Ray simply. "Date it, seal it, include your cell phone number. If he doesn't reply in a few days, write another letter. He'll read them when he's ready."

Maya took her old friend's hands in hers. "He will forgive you, eventually. When and how he expresses that forgiveness is up to him. But we know your boy. Lloyd has a heart of gold. But that heart has been trampled and spit on by so many, Koko, you have no idea. Do a search on your son's name. Ask Garmadon about, about the hospital. He'll know what you mean. You won't like what you hear. It will break your heart. But maybe you'll understand Lloyd better."

Koko's eyes grew large and she looked at her brother-in-law. "Hospital?" she asked, voice shaking. Wu couldn't answer, only bowing his head, hiding his face behind the brim of his hat.

Maya swallowed. "He needed us, and we weren't there. And he needed you, even if he didn't know it, and you..."

"I wasn't there," whispered Koko. "How can he ever forgive me? He shouldn't."

"He forgave us," said Ray firmly. "He'll forgive you. He doesn't have to, he may not want to, but he will." He tried a smile. "It's Lloyd. He's the boy that can love Garmadon."

~~ ! Go Ninja Go ! ~~

Author's Notes: I know, this chapter is on the shorter side. In my defense, I more than make up for it next chapter with Lloyd's sleepover at Jay's! Yes, I will have all FOUR of Jay's parents present and accounted for, and my, are they a fun group to work with! I actually think it may be my personal favorite chapter! For now, hope everyone got a laugh over the gossip about the golf tournament and the Ninja fighting over who gets to take Lloyd home! Also some progression on Koko's role in this story – I'll actually be getting into more of that in later chapters. And yes, you will get to see her first letter, as well as get some more Garmadon hijinks!

As always, thanks to Sunny Lighter for all the amazing ideas, conversations, and beta reviews of my rough drafts! I'm sure you're all following her The Grass is Always Greener, and if you're not, absolutely go check it out right now! It's totally the epic crossover fic we've all been waiting for, and it only just keeps getting better and better! And I do mean epic – it's gonna be over 40 chapters long, and she's already started on the sequel!

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers from last chapter: Dyphen, Sunny Lighter, Carrie2sky, Watcher321, EMPFangirl02, Beaner97, and Little-Bluwhale! Your encouraging words definitely make it easier to keep on writing! As a side-note, I always send thank you PMs to my reviewers, and that's also how I answer questions and reply to comments. If you haven't been getting them, try logging in on a computer instead of a mobile device and make sure you have "Accept Private Messages (PM)" enabled in your account settings.