Author's Note: Sorry this took a little bit. I was feeling under the weather this past weekend and didn't feel like doing anything. Which I'm sure everybody knows what that's like. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing, people. I really appreciate the civility.

Unexpected

By: Mad Betrayal

"Friendship…is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.—Muhammad Ali

Chapter 5 ~ Dinner Revelations

What in the hell happened up there?! Jay thought fearfully. His mind was consumed in a whirlwind of uncertainty, and his heart continued to beat its anxious rhythm long after he had fled his room and sat down at the kitchen table for dinner.

Jay absently twirled the spaghetti noodles around his fork, taking mild appreciation that his mother decided to fix the meal normally instead of using salamander tails as a substitute for the noodles. His eyes stayed fixated on his plate, refusing to glance up for a second in fear of maybe catching Cole's eye. And worst still, Jay could feel that his face was still thoroughly flushed from his previous encounter with his best friend.

I just don't get it?! Why did he…? Jay's mind replayed the momentously strange occurrence from just a few moments ago. He had felt warm in friend's embrace, calmed by the strong—yet surprisingly—gentle hands on his back. And his eyes… Why did he look at me like that…?

In the past, Jay had almost always jokingly called Cole the "Green-Eyed Monster" or to rib the earth-user further, would say that he always looked "green with envy". But up in his room, Jay had been unable to look away, and was indubitably inspired to delve deeper into Cole's rich, vibrant green eyes. So green and so peerless, that they resembled forest emeralds or brilliant spring grass. And Cole had given him such an intense look, one that Jay couldn't even begin to describe.

But he did notice, that Cole's eyes had darkened a tint—became smoldered into fine cuts of polished jade. Jay couldn't suppress the second shudder that wracked his body today at the remembrance of Cole's whispered words in his ear:

'I'm here for you, Jason…'

And why…? Why did he use…that name…? I didn't give him permission to…

"Jason? Are you cold? I can turn on the heater if you're feeling a little chilly?"

Jay's head snapped up in surprise at his mother's voice, and eyed her fretful expression from across the table. "Uh, no! I'm fine, Mom!" He yelped, and cringed in on himself at his abrasive tone, his flush deepening to rouge.

But as always, Edna was undisturbed by her son's embarrassment and focused on her maternal duty. "Oh… Or maybe you're too warm? You do look a bit flushed…" The experienced mother suddenly placed a hand over her heart. "Goodness, do you have a fever? Oh Jason, I told you just running around in those pajamas would get you sick one day."

Exasperation was quickly setting in, and Jay's left temple began to thump in the most agonizing of ways. He massaged the point of ache tenderly. "They're not called "pajamas", Mom," Jay hissed through gritted teeth. "These are called ninja suits, and no, I am not sick."

Edna smiled. "Okay, if you say so, Jay-lly Bean."

Jay groaned and looked down at his plate. Just…kill me now…

"So Cole," Edna turned to the other sitting beside her son, "do you like my spaghetti?"

"Oh, umm… I actually haven't tasted it yet," Cole said, but immediately twirled his fork in the saucy noodles and took a bite. He chewed on his mouthful thoughtfully at first before his lips stretched-out into a grin. "Mmm-hmm…" He swallowed. "This is really good, Mrs. Walker. Thanks."

Edna preened and pushed up her glasses. "You're quite welcome, sweetie." She tilted her head curiously, scrutinizing the black-haired young man. "You know…you are somewhat on the handsome side, Cole. I bet you have a lot of girls tripping over themselves to get to you, hmm?"

Cole scratched the back of his head bashfully, his cheeks heating up. "Uhh…I don't know…"

"Although…" Edna diverted her sparkling hazel gaze to her son again. "I'm afraid that you're nowhere near as beautiful as my Jason."

"MOM!" Jay's head had snapped up again with lightning speed. Mortification was radiating from his entire being as he stared at his mother in utter disbelief.

"But it's true, Jason," Edna persisted gleefully then turned to Cole as if seeking concurrence. "Now tell the truth, sweetie. Have you ever seen such a deep and perfect pair of blue eyes?" She asked the black ninja, and Cole visibly struggled for an answer, his face reddening further.

A miserable groan of dismay rumbled from Jay's throat as he covered his face with both hands. Don't you say a word, Cole! Don't. Say. Anything!

"Oh, Jason's eyes always reminded me of his Uncle Edward's," Edna carried on, oblivious to her son's emotional anguish. "You wouldn't believe how many heads he made turn when we used to visit the city as a family. And not just girls either," Edna wagged her finger playfully, "because quite a few boys mistook Jason for one while he was in high school."

Jay's hands gripped his face tight. Never mind, Cole. Please say something!

"Oh yes, I remember! You were sixteen, Jason, and you let your hair grow out passed your shoulders, because you wanted to try a new look. But as soon as boys took an interest in you romantically, and wanted to court you, you begged your Pa to cut it. Do you remember that, Jason?"

How could Jay forget? He had been home-schooled most of his life, but Ed and Edna had conceded to let him attend high school in Dialchrome City despite the long commute back and forth. Jay had been positively overjoyed to finally be amongst his peers—regardless of being fourteen as a freshman—and relished in the new wonders of his high school life. His junior year, however, was the most memorable…but not in a good way.

Jay was feeling bold that particular year and decided to let his hair down and relax—literally and figuratively. It was only a few weeks into the new school year when he started getting more than his fair share of looks from the "other half" of the student body. Getting publicly approached by other boys was embarrassing enough, but then more chocolates and love letters found their way into his locker, and sometimes even jewelry. And what made the occurrences so bizarre was that Jay dressed no differently than he had the previous years. Which meant that the boys who had attempted to court him, had to have known that he was a boy too. The dawning realization had flustered Jay to no end, and being too embarrassed to tell his parents the truth, he misconstrued the reason for wanting to have his hair cut short to save face.

He fibbed again to his parents when he reported back the following day and said that the other boys had stopped pestering him…when in actuality, they hadn't. Well, not entirely anyway. Jay still received the occasional love letter, candies, or gift in his locker…just not at such high volume. He had to really put his foot down and declare his heterosexuality by finally starting to date a girl he had liked, but had been too nervous to approach. And perhaps that was all the push he needed in the end, but if Jay was to be completely honest with himself…he never would've gotten through that harrowing time without his good friend, Elliot Hawthorne.

But that was a story for another day.

Jay was beginning to sweat. The prick to his senses informed him that Cole's penetrating gaze was boring holes through the side of his skull. Damn it… Can this day get any worse?

"But more than that, I believe that some girls were intimidated by Jason's beauty and feared that he outshined them in that category, though the few girls Jason did date, never seemed to be his type." Edna giggled and tucked a stray salt and pepper lock behind her ear. "That is until Nya showed up."

Apparently it could.

Jay's mind screeched to a staggering halt as he registered his mother's words. Had it really only been mere hours before his life took such an irrevocable turn in the romance department? Throwing every other emotion aside, melancholy took center stage and pressed down heavily on his heart. But before despair could completely consume him, he mentally shook himself and shielded his heart with thick fortified walls.

Jay took a deep breath and lowered his hands. He kept his expression neutral as he peered at his mother across from him. Edna grinned happily at Jay, and the blue ninja felt his resolve waver, for he knew how happy both his parents were that he and Nya had been seeing each other, his mother especially.

"I'm actually surprised Nya isn't here with you, Jason," Edna said, but then her eyes widened and she gushed with barely controlled excitement. "Oh! Did she stay behind to start planning the wedding?!" Her shining orbs flickered to the instantly shell-shocked friend. "Cole, have you seen the ring? It's simply breathtaking! Jason emailed me a picture of it over six months ago! He had it professionally customized and engraved! Why, he even had her birthstones implanted in it! Oh, I just know Nya will make a wonderful daughter-in-law! How come you waited so long to give it to her? And—"

Each one of Edna's exuberant sentences attempted to slash Jay through the heart, but the Master of Lightning repelled each attack with steadfast acceptance. He didn't break before and wasn't about to break now. Jay hadn't planned on telling his mother about his break-up with Nya yet. But as he looked at her now—pouring all of her energy into what she assumed was transpiring—he knew he had to tell her the truth and make her face reality…just as he had. And maybe…that would serve as the catalyst to help Edna come to terms with her own troubles and confide in him.

Jay balled his fists on the table and opened his mouth. "Mom, Nya and I aren't together anymore."

Jay's voice had carried over Edna's cheerful chatter and the mother faltered in her speech until she stopped, blinked, and looked to her son's somber expression. "What…?"

Jay soldiered on and looked her square in the eye. "She broke-up with me earlier today." Another question formed on Edna's lips, but Jay intercepted it before it could be spoken, already knowing what she was about to ask. "Because Mom, I wasn't enough…and someone else was."

Edna recoiled as if slapped. "Wasn't enough?! You?!" She cried. "What did she say exactly? Did the two of you sit down and discuss the problems you were having? What all was she expecting from you when you've given her so much? Who did she leave you for?" Hazel eyes glistened. "And did you fight for her, Jason?"

"She never mentioned any lasting problems to me," Jay said with as much strength as he could muster. "And yes, I did fight for her, but…"

Jay frowned as he recalled him and Cole's senseless bickering and rivalry, the way their close bond stretched, strained, and nearly broke at the seams…and all because of one girl. To think that he had been on the verge of losing a close friend—a brother—with whom he had trained with, bled with, struggled with, laughed with, played with, shared with for years! He, Cole, Kai, Zane, and now even Lloyd were more than just a team of Elemental Ninja. They were a brotherhood. And he would never be the one to place that precious friendship in jeopardy ever again.

Jay's strength of heart turned solidly into unwavering determination. "But, I wasn't willing to let a girl—despite my love for her—come in between me and my best friend. Nothing should be worth that. And it really didn't matter what him or me did, because in the end, it was going to be Nya's decision anyway. And…as long as he gives Nya the happiness she wants then…" Jay smiled with a loving warmth that touched his eyes, "…that's okay with me."

A comforting weight settled on top of Jay's hand, and he turned to his friend beside him—sapphires meeting emeralds for the first time since they had sat down for dinner. Cole was still flabbergasted by what he had learned, of course, but Jay's words of unfathomable loyalty and friendship got him to respond. And Jay easily deciphered the meaning behind those green pools—I'm here for you, Jason.

Jay smiled. Yeah, I know you are, Cole…but I still didn't give you permission to call me that…

Edna's shocked gaze drifted from her son, downward to Jay and Cole's touching hands, before slowly ascending again to the one Nya left Jay for. Her lips pursed angrily—her excellent mind easily connecting the dots—despite the heartwarming scene before her. "You don't get any cake."

Cole's head whipped around, and he stared at Edna in slack-jawed consternation. "You have cake?" He asked in a small whisper, and his look turned pleading. "I want cake… Please…?"

Jay rolled his eyes. "Mom, come on. Cole's a great guy, its fine. I'm fine."

More sad than angry, Edna nodded. She swallowed her tears as best she could. "It just seems like such a waste, Jason. Two years…gone. I'm so sorry."

Jay's lips twitched into a half-smile. "Yeah, me too, Mom…" Jay didn't question why Cole's hand still rested atop his, only plunged forward. "But Mom…now that you know my failing…what was yours?"

His mother's face blanched and the way her eyes shifted alarmed Jay that she was about to make some kind of excuse or flee, so he tried again. "Mom, the situation between you and Dad is serious. If there's anyone you can confide in, wouldn't it be me? And who knows, I may be able to help."

"Oh Jason…" Edna's expression turned stricken with pain and remorse. "I just don't want you to hate me too…"

"Dad doesn't hate you, Mom," Jay said gently but firmly. "And I could never hate you no matter what. You're my mother, and I will always love you."

An elongated silence filled the kitchen, and Edna fiddled with the napkin in her hand nervously. Jay kept quiet and tried to wait as patiently as he could, but the longer the silence stretched, the more apprehensive he became. Suddenly, he was more than grateful to feel Cole's hand on top of his.

Finally, Edna hesitantly met her son's gaze and as clearly and calmly as she could, she began to explain. "When your Uncle Edward was on his deathbed…he wanted to tell your Pa something, but I didn't let him. Your Pa loved his brother, and I didn't want him to think less of Edward during his passing. So, I told Edward that I would tell him, and that he didn't have to worry." She closed her eyes. "I was ready…to bear the guilt alone…even though it was both our faults…"

Jay's heart pounded. Cold fear and anxiety pricking up his spine like needles. "Both your faults…? Mom…what did…" his voice shook, "…what did…"

At his mother's falling tears, Jay's eyes widened in realization. "No…you couldn't have…"

"We didn't mean for it to happen, Jason," Edna choked out. "It was only one time, and then never again. Because I loved your Pa, Jason, as Edward loved his wife…your Aunt Edina."

"If you loved him then why?!" Jay shouted vehemently, his chest heaving from his outburst. "What did Dad do you to that drove you to cheat on him with his very own brother?! And not only that! How could you do that to your sister?!"

"Jason…"

"No wait…" Jay's breath came out in harsh pants. He thought back to his childhood. "When was this? Because I can't remember a time when you and Dad were at odds with each other."

If anything, Edna appeared to shrink in her chair, looking very small and feeble. Her eyes looked everywhere but at Jay. "It was…before you were born, Jason. It was…during the fifth year of me and your Pa's marriage. We weren't living here in the Sea of Sand, but on the sub-continent of Europia overseas, in Wellbridge. We lived next door to Edward and Edina, and…it was that winter—four days before Christmas—that your Pa had to fly to Ninjago on a business trip, in an effort to get us settled there. I knew he had to, but I didn't want him to go. We'd always spend the holidays together and then our anniversary."

Edna removed her glasses and dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. She sniffed. "I was so distraught when he left. I didn't leave the house…all I did was sit by the phone and waited for him to call. It was then that Edward came by—alone and dismayed… As it turned out, Edina had left town too. We spent the days together, trying to lift each other's spirits. But when Christmas came…we were just two very lonely souls in need of warmth and solace and…it happened. It was wrong, and we both knew it. And after that, he left and we rarely spoke to each other again." Hazel finally rose to meet sapphire. "Your Pa came back on the day of our anniversary and…I was so happy. That was supposed to be the night of your conception, Jason, but after I told your Pa the truth this morning…he got suspicious and…very angry… He—He thinks that…"

At once, the walls around Jay's heart crumbled to dust. Tears gathered in his eyes as he shook his head rapidly. "No…no…"

In Jay's mind, it didn't seem like a possibility. How could the man he had lived with, known, and loved his entire life…not be his father? And although his Uncle Edward taught him quite a number of things during the time he spent with him, Jay could count on his fingers the times his uncle and aunt came to visit him and his parents when they were still alive.

Feeling dejected and incredibly miserable, Jay rose abruptly from his chair—his hand slipping out from under Cole's. He moved to speed pass his mother when she rose too and grabbed his arm tight, her eyes wide and pleading.

"Jason please, you are Ed's son not Edward's!" Edna cried desperately. "I'm going to prove it tomorrow by going to get a blood test! So please, don't leave me, please!"

Jay looked back at his mother, his vision blurred with tears as he watched her bury her face in the sleeve of his suit. He needed to distance himself, he couldn't stay here.

He turned away, his bangs casting a shadow over his face. "Please let go, Mom. I'm not leaving; I just…need to be alone for awhile…"

Edna peered up at her son—her gaze clearly beseeching—and gradually loosened her grip on his arm. At the first feel of liberation, Jay slipped from her grasp and took one—two shaky steps back before turning and fleeing to the living room and up the spiraling metal staircase.

Author's Note: Please leave your thoughts. Thanks.