Author's Note: Much like Betrayal, this was originally supposed to be a one-shot story that evolved into a multi-part short story. This takes place shortly after "Wedding of the Century" in Days Off.


"Where should we sit?" Cole asked. He held Nikki's hand as they followed the others across the parking lot.

Everyone was in Jamanakai Village for its annual summer festival. After a full day of activities in town, the crowds were starting to gather for the fireworks show to end the night.

"We need to get close. Every year, we say we're going to go down to the museum lawn to watch them. We should go there," Jay said.

"We would need to get there around noon to claim spots, if not sooner," Skylor said.

"Should we just go to our normal spot?" Zane asked.

"Yeah," Nya said.

Jay pouted as they crossed the street. They ended in the parking lot of a drugstore about a mile away from the Jamanakai Museum, which is where the fireworks were shot off. Everyone went down to the street corner and started climbing a small hill.

"Are you sure we don't want to find another spot?" Nikki asked.

"We always come here. What's wrong?" Cole said.

"Does the crosswalk always beep?"

Cole listened. The crosswalk in front of them usually beeped when someone was actively crossing the street, but it was still beeping even though no one was using it.

"It's just broken. Don't worry about it. When the fireworks start, you won't be able to hear it."

"It's annoying." Nikki slowly sat down next to Cole and hugged her knees.

"Cole's right. Once the fireworks start, you won't hear it," Lloyd said.

"That doesn't help me now," Nikki muttered.

Cole put his arm around her.

"When will the fireworks start?" Jay asked.

"Nine fifteen," Kai said.

"We have to wait thirty-three minutes and eight seconds," Zane said.

"Ugh." Jay laid down on the grass

"Jay, it's not that long of a wait," Nya said.

"Yes, it is."

"You just need to think about something else," Lloyd said.

"Like what?"

"We could dog-pile you," Cole said.

"Oh, ha ha." Jay sat up.

"Well, what else would you suggest?" Kai asked.

"I don't know."

"Seriously, that beeping doesn't bother anyone else?" Nikki asked.

Everyone else shook their heads.

"Just don't think about it," Nya said.

"I can't not think about it," Nikki said. She crossed her arms and glared at Nya.

"Did anyone remember to bring a blanket?" Jay asked.

"I tried to, but you all told me we didn't need it," Skylor said.

"So we have to sit in the grass the whole time?"

"What's wrong with that?" Cole asked.

"Not everyone likes the great outdoors, dirt clod," Jay said.

"Just deal with it. It's only for like an hour," Lloyd said.

"An hour?" Nikki said. She looked at the crosswalk.

"I'm just guessing. It probably won't be that long. Jamanakai doesn't put on the best fireworks show."

"Yeah, they like to set off everything at once," Kai said.

"Then why are we here and not in Ninjago City?" Skylor asked.

"This is closer to the monastery."

"I'm sorry, I have to leave." Nikki practically ran from the group.

"Nikki!" Cole got up and followed her. He caught up to her and led her inside the drugstore. They walked to the back near the restrooms.

"I'm sorry." Nikki wiped away some tears.

"What's going on?"

"I told you. I can't stand that beeping. Please, just take me home."

"Why? What's so bad about the beeping?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Cole asked.

"I just can't!"

"Nikki, we can't keep secrets from each other. Not if we want to get married in a few months."

"I know, I just… I can't tell you. I'm sorry." Nikki started sobbing.

Cole sighed. He texted the group chat that he was taking Nikki home and led her outside. Once they were behind the drugstore away from the crowd, he summoned his elemental dragon. An hour later, Cole landed in Nikki's front yard. Nikki ran inside and Cole ran after her.

"Nikki?" Iris and Walter were watching TV in the living room, but they looked up when Nikki ran upstairs. Iris ran after her.

"What happened?" Walter asked.

"I'm not sure. She was complaining about a crosswalk that wouldn't stop beeping, then she made me take her home," Cole said.

"Ah. She's always hated ticking sounds."

"Why?"

"She should be the one to tell you."

"I said that, but she won't. Is this what our marriage is going to be like, her freaking out and not telling me why?" Cole sat down on the couch.

"We'll talk to her."

Cole sighed and leaned back.

"You didn't know Nikki growing up, so you don't know just how far she's come. She's always hated the sound of ticking. Iris inherited a grandfather clock and we had it in the front hall. When Nikki came to live with us, we had to move it to the basement because it bothered her that much," Walter said.

"Really?" Cole said.

"As much as Iris is looking forward to your wedding, I think she's more excited about the fact that we'll be able to put the clock back in the hall."

"Nikki hates ticking that much?"

"Her biological parents messed her up really bad and her other foster families couldn't or wouldn't handle her. I think we were her fourth foster home and Iris refused to let an eight-year-old get the better of her, but it still took Nikki almost a year before she would talk to us."

Cole looked at Walter. Nikki hated talking about her past and Cole never forced her to talk about it. It was times like these he wished he had known Nikki when they were kids so he could better understand her.

"Just be patient with her," Walter said.

"I feel like that's all I am with her."


Skylor sighed as she flipped through the rack. There just wasn't anything that stood out to her that day. She, Nya, and Nikki were out shopping. From Skylor's understanding, Iris was fed up with Nikki moping around the house for the past week and insisted she go out with some friends.

"I don't know. What do you think?" Skylor held a chartreuse-colored shirt against her body.

"No," Nikki said.

"I don't think even Lloyd would wear that shade of green," Nya said.

Skylor put the shirt back on the rack. When she looked up, she saw Nikki absent-mindedly looking through the rack.

"Are you okay?" Skylor asked.

"Yeah," Nikki said without looking up.

Skylor looked at Nya and shrugged.

"Is anyone else hungry?" Nya asked.

"I could go for some food. As long as I don't have to cook it," Skylor said.

"Sure," Nikki said.

None of them had anything they wanted to buy, so they walked out of the store and turned right. Nikki walked slightly behind Skylor and Nya.

"Where do we want to eat?" Nya asked.

"I'm kind of in the mood for subs," Skylor said.

Nikki shrugged.

"Okay. Where's a good sub place around here?" Nya asked.

"I think there's one around the corner," Skylor said.

"Moni's? Yeah, it's around the corner," Nikki said.

"I've never heard of it. Is it good?" Nya said.

"Yeah. It's a local place, not a chain," Skylor said. When they rounded the corner, Skylor saw a man with shoulder-length hair and a thick beard run across the street out of the corner of her eye. Nikki gasped and tried to run ahead of Skylor and Nya. The man ran past them and grabbed Nikki's arm.

"No!" Nikki tried to free herself.

"What are you doing?" Skylor demanded.

"Let go of her!" Nya blasted the man with a burst of water, but he didn't let go.

"Your friends can't save you." The man pulled Nikki closer to him.

"Let go of me!" Nikki hit the man, but he grabbed her other arm and forced her between him and Skylor and Nya.

"My, that's a lovely ring you have there. It would be a shame if something were to happen to the man who gave that to you."

"No!"

"I'd like to try and see you take Cole down," Nya said.

"That wouldn't be much of a fight," Skylor said. She didn't know how she could blast the man with fire or lightning without hitting Nikki in the process.

"Nikki, dear, think about it." The man leaned in closer.

Nikki managed to kick the man in the knee hard enough that he momentarily let go of her. The second Nikki was away from him, Skylor hit the man with some lightning, which stopped him from grabbing her again. Once Skylor was done, Nya hit him with another water blast. Then, Skylor used ice to freeze the man to the sidewalk.

"Nikki?" Skylor said.

"I'll take care of this guy. Go find her. I think she went that way." Nya pulled out her phone to call the police.

"Nikki?" Skylor ran down the street, but she didn't see Nikki anywhere. She wondered if Nikki had ducked into one of the shops on the street. Skylor tried to call Nikki's cell, but Nikki didn't answer. When Skylor reached the end of the street, she realized that Iris and Walter's bakery wasn't that far away. She hoped that Nikki was there. How was she supposed to explain to Nikki's parents that their daughter had disappeared?

There was no one behind the counter when Skylor entered the bakery. She tried to peer into the kitchen, but she didn't see anyone.

"Hello?" Skylor called.

Walter came out of the back.

"What the heck happened?! Nikki came running in here and made a beeline for the back office. She's too shaken up to talk," Walter said.

"Some man ran up to her and grabbed her and was making threats," Skylor said.

"What man?"

"I don't know."


Garmadon looked up from his newspaper when the front door opened. Cole walked in and started towards the kitchen.

"I thought you were going to go see Nikki," Garmadon said.

Cole whipped around, then relaxed some when he saw the old man sitting in the living room.

"I was, but her mom texted me and said not to come over," Cole said.

"Interesting."

"I realize she's shaken up from yesterday, but I wish someone would tell me how she's doing. Nikki isn't responding to my texts."

"I don't think she's responding to Skylor or Nya either."

Cole sighed and went into the kitchen. Garmadon looked at his watch. Wu normally had the ninja train some around three, but Wu was gone all day and wouldn't be back until after dark. He went into Wu's room and grabbed the gong.

"What are you doing?" Misako asked when she saw Garmadon coming out of Wu's room.

"I think a distraction is in order." Garmadon stood in the middle of the monastery and started banging the gong. Everyone slowly came out from wherever they were to investigate.

"What's going on?" Kai asked.

"It's time for training," Garmadon said.

"But Wu's not here."

"Yeah, it's our day off," Jay said. He was dressed in nothing but a robe.

"When Wu is away, I'm in charge. You have five minutes to get out there. Skylor, would you care to join us?"

"Yeah, I guess," Skylor said.

Garmadon nodded and turned to put the gong back. Five minutes later, everyone was dressed and outside. Garmadon was in the middle of warm-ups when the front gate opened and police officers walked in, led by Sergeant Vodnik.

"Can I help you?" Garmadon said.

"We have arrest warrants for Skylor Chen Smithers and Nya Ruby Walker," Sergeant Vodnik said.

"What?!" Everyone started talking over each other. The guys positioned themselves between the officers and the girls.

"Silence!" Garmadon yelled.

Everyone immediately quieted down.

"Surely there is some mistake," Garmadon said.

"No mistake. Ms. Smithers and Ms. Walker illegally used ninjitsu yesterday and forcefully detained a man," Sergeant Vodnik said.

"He was trying to take Nikki!" Skylor said.

"Yeah, he ran up to her and grabbed her," Nya said.

The police circled around and two officers put vengestone cuffs on Skylor and Nikki while the rest held back the other five ninja.

"No!" Skylor said.

"You can't do that!" Kai yelled.

"You are under arrest."

"Stop that!" Jay yelled. The officers blocked him from getting to Nya.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."

"You're making a huge mistake!" Lloyd yelled.

"What's going on?" Misako stepped onto the front porch.

"Honey, I'm going to need the checkbook," Garmadon said.

"You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you." The police led the girls through the gate and down the mountain.