Author's Note: Unfortunately, I was unable to recover my lost files, so I had to start all over again. Friggin' sucks I tell you! Anyway, I'll deal with it. So, in the meantime enjoy this little intro segment to another multi-part short story. It was sorta requested by another random Guest, but I added my own little spin on it. I hope everyone enjoys it though.

Ninjalogy

By: Mad Betrayal

Chapter 13 ~ A Meeting Between Future In-Laws…Plus One?

"Okay, I think I got everything… Hat, coat, scarf—going to the desert here, can't be too careful—and…" Lou stopped, brow puckered as he looked about his bedroom in confusion. "Hmm…now where are my—Ah-ha!"

Catching a metallic glint on his dresser, the Italian musician quickly hobbled over and retrieved his keys. "Alright, now I'm read…" The word drifted from Lou's lips as his hazel-green eyes fell on one of the two picture frames sitting atop his dresser. Within the silver frame was a fairly old photo—well, five years to be more precise. It was taken when Cole had first returned after being away for about four years. And he had returned with what Lou had first thought was a "quartet".

The former Royal Blacksmith picked up the frame and smiled. Cole's friends, his Ninja brothers were in the picture. His son was nuzzling him like the giant Siberian tiger that he was while one arm was around his back while the other was around Jay's shoulders. In short, it was a line of sorts: Zane on the right edge, then Lou, Cole, Jay, and finally Kai—all with their arms around each other in a friendly embrace.

But little did I know…

Lou's gaze rested on the blue-eyed man in the picture—Jay, a content smile on his face as he obviously eyed his and his son's affectionate display with endearment. Yes, back then this Mr. Jay Walker had been introduced as a "friend", then two years later he was reintroduced as his son's boyfriend, and now only a few short months ago…he was re-reintroduced as his son's…fiancé.

It was a real shocker for the elder Belmonte. He never once suspected that his son would be into men, but then again, life was chuck-full with unexpected surprises. It had unexpectedly snuck up on the two friends themselves, especially Jay since he had been in a serious two-year long relationship with a woman previously. And bizarrely still, the two of them had been at each other's throats over this same woman during a love-triangle, which consequently led to that woman breaking up with Jay and pursuing a relationship with Cole, which then led to Cole breaking up with her to pursue a relationship with Jay.

Okay, when surmised that way it sounded like a poorly written soap opera with fickleness all across the board. But apparently it had been much more complex than that, more deep, more profound, more heartbreaking, and more life-changing. Lou scrutinized the photograph thoroughly, taking in the almost bewitching attractiveness of his soon-to-be son-in-law's face. He remembered his very first impression of Jay all those years ago. The blue-clad brunet personified an electric soul: Energetic, lively, spunky, intelligent, and just an overall joy to be around.

Lou released a low chuckle. "And the only one out of the four who could actually carry a tune and wasn't tone-deaf."

But yes, he came across as a good-spirited young man. However…during that second introduction, when Lou had opened his door again to see his son and Jay standing together alone…and holding hands of all things, he saw something quite different. Something more. Behind blue eyes, he saw a wounded soul on the verge of recovery, and at his shoulder was his son: firm, stout, dependable…and wearing his ever-present and serious frown that had been supposedly inherited. To put it simply they weren't some blushing couple cooing over each other like teenagers. No… Instead, Lou had seen two full-fledged adults standing at his door, two people who had gone through some serious shit and were still standing tall at the aftermath—stronger, wiser, and most importantly together.

The visit had turned out to be a very momentous occasion. After everything was said and done, Lou had really shocked himself with the words that had came tumbling forth from his mouth: "Well after all that, there's no wonder the two of you ended up together." He had shocked his son and Jay into speechlessness as well after that, but he had meant it. True love goes hand-in-hand with true friendship. And you won't know who your true friends are or who you're meant to be with until you face some taxing trials and tribulations together and still remain together after the dust had settled. And because of such trying times, you become indubitably stronger as friends or as a couple or as both, in Cole and Jay's instance. That's when you instinctively know that that person is with you for the long run.

But Lou couldn't lie. He had been raised in the Catholic Church, and as such had raised Cole similarly. So even after learning about everything, there was that certain tension and wariness he had felt from his son and Jay. Despite how far mankind has come in both ideals and intelligence, the aspect of homosexuality was still a rather sensitive subject for some. It was embraced as well as rejected by the world. But other people's opinions mattered very little to Lou, especially about the topic of love. For if there was one thing that the former Royal Blacksmith had taught Cole during the course of his early life, it was to embrace diversity, be unique and to not set limits for himself. Try new things, there are so many different people in the world, so get to know them. Don't be a part of some generic stereotypical herd, etc. etc. Pretty much everything along those lines was passed on to Cole.

And besides, it wasn't as if he or his family was incredibly religious to begin with. Bottom line is that in the face of love, sexual orientation was inconsequential. Love comes in many shapes and forms. Period. And to renege and say otherwise would have been a form of hypocrisy of his teachings to his son. In truth, he had been very proud, happy, and honored that the two of them had come to him face-to-face and talked, and basically shared everything that had been happening in their lives. And that alone had played a major part in what had guaranteed Lou Belmonte's Seal of Approval (metaphorically speaking of course) towards Cole and Jay's relationship.

In the end, all he ever wanted was for his son to be happy, and that included every aspect of life. However…though it was shameful to admit, Lou had not always thought this way. Just because Cole was his son and he came before him didn't mean he couldn't learn anything new. Quite on the contrary, he had been very short-sighted and narrow-minded in the past. He had wanted Cole to follow in his footsteps and become a great and talented musician no matter what. He had wanted Cole to live, think, and breath music and nothing else. He had basically…wanted an heir to his legacy. And by wanting such a selfish thing, he had nearly lost his son.

He didn't want Cole to walk his own path back then… He wanted Cole to walk the path that he had set for him instead…

And to think, if we hadn't rebuilt our relationship during that year's Blade Cup Competition…we wouldn't be as close as we are now…

"Heh…never too late to teach an old dog new tricks…" Lou gently replaced the picture frame back on his dresser with a heavy sigh. "…But if only I knew then what I know now…" he lamented. "Then maybe…" Primed hazel-green eyes shifted to the second picture frame on his dresser, one he had once bitterly put in storage a long time ago, but then had re-dug it out from the attic when he had turned forty a year ago.

The picture frame contained a photograph of his and his ex-wife, Francesca's, wedding. They had gotten married in their early twenties; both had blossoming new careers with hope and happiness in their hearts. But only after six years of living together as a wedded couple—when Cole was only five years old—their love had withered and died, leading to a very painful divorce and an even more painful separation.

Lou peered sadly at the picture and used a finger to lightly brush it against his ex-wife's face. "…Fran…" It was so strange. In the picture they both looked so happy and ready to embark on a brand new adventure together. Though it was true that they weren't exactly a match made in heaven, they did love each other very much. Then what happened? Lou closed his eyes as a painful memory resurfaced.

"Why in the hell would you choose to go on tour on the week of our anniversary?!"

"It can't be helped, Fran! The Royal Blacksmiths are famous! We can't disappoint our fans!"

"Your fans?! What about your wife?! Shouldn't you be more concerned about disappointing her?! The woman who loves and supports you?!"

"Love and support?! Is that what this is!? Sorry I couldn't tell! Just sounds like a bunch of bitching and moaning to me!"

"Listen to me, Lou, and you better listen good! We have a son now—a beautiful bambino! I am trying to make it work, but you are making it very difficult for me! I've made sacrifices for you, so why can't you do the same for me!?"

"Sacrifice?! Are you trying to tell me to give up my music for you?! Ha! Never! This is who I am, Francesca!"

"Idiota! I'm not asking you to give it up! I'm asking you to be more considerate like you were in the beginning! I want you to succeed—yes honey, I do! But not at the expense of your family—your loved ones! You missed Cole's 1st birthday!"

"I already apologized for that, so stop bringing it up! Fran, I promise to be there for you and Cole, but this is my dream! I need to know how far I can go! Can I ask you to show a little patience? Things are really looking up for us, so…please?"

"Oh Lou, I just wanted us to spend this week together as a family. You're gone so much, and I don't want to do this by myself. I want Cole to have both parents."

"And he will. I promise, okay? Everything's going to be just fine… Now I have to go. I'll be back next week and we'll spend that entire week together!"

"Lou, wait! I—"

"Love ya, Franny! Bye!"

Lou reopened his eyes slowly. That had been their very first major argument…and unfortunately it hadn't been the last. Lou had stupidly chosen not budge in his ways. Like a true "Idiota!" he thought he could pacify Francesca by doing the bare minimum, and Fran—perhaps naively thinking that her husband could change and know who to put first in his life—stuck around for another four years. That is until…she finally decided enough was enough.

"Did I ever even apologize to you, Fran? For everything I put you through?" Lou couldn't remember truthfully…maybe not. He was way to self-righteous and stubborn back then anyway. "I thought for sure you were going to try to take Cole with you, but you didn't… You didn't even want alimony…" Lou stared hard into the frozen jade eyes of his ex-wife. "I was so angry at you for leaving us—for giving up on the vows you made to me. But…I suppose I drove you to it… You tried and…I guess I didn't…"

"No one wants to be in a loveless marriage, Lou… Perhaps what you couldn't give to me, you can give to our son… I entrust his future to you… Mio Dio! I don't want to…but I feel I need to… I need to sever all ties… Goodbye, Lou…"

GOD must've been watching the entire ordeal closely because it wasn't long after the divorce proceedings had been finalized…did Lou's career as a Royal Blacksmith come to an abrupt end. The elder Belmonte warded off a grimace as a sharp jolt of pain shot up from his right foot. He quickly grabbed his cane—not sure why he tried moving around without it before—and braced his weight on it for better leverage. He had gotten careless and broken his foot. Unfortunate, yes, but it was just a simple fracture! It was supposed to heal within a month, tops! And it did…the fracture did… But when Lou was still experiencing almost mind-numbing pain every single time he put his right foot down, he immediately went back to the doctor to see what was wrong. And that's when he had found out that he had a painful condition called Morton's Neuroma.

It was treatable, thankfully. And Lou had done everything he could to alleviate the pain—he even got specially made shoes crafted to perfectly fit the contours of his feet. However, he was still held back from performing at the best of his ability because of this handicap. What joy could be found in dancing when every single flawlessly timed step caused you agony? None! That's what! And since he was terrified of having surgery done despite knowing that the procedure would cure him completely, his only available option left were to have monthly steroid injections into his foot.

But even through his misery, there had been one silver-lining. Lou grinned sardonically. Granted it was for the wrong reasons, but he did start paying extra attention to his son. And come to think of it, he never once told Cole the truth about his foot. Of course Cole knew the story of how he had broken it, but as far as his condition went, he kept that bit of info under lock and key. Cole had asked many times before why his father still used a cane even after the fracture had healed, but Lou had always avoided giving a straight answer and simply changed the subject. But given how smart his boy was, no doubt he had figured long ago that something was wrong.

"I'll tell him… I don't know why I've kept it hidden for so long…" Lou adjusted the black fedora on his head; the same one Fran had given him as a present on his twenty-fifth birthday no less. Consequently, that was the year she had left him. A rueful glint entered hazel-green eyes as the former Royal Blacksmith gazed at his wedding photograph one last time before he would take his leave.

"Well Franny…more or less I think you got what you wanted. It took a while for me to understand the importance of putting the feelings of your loved ones first and adhering to them." A sharp bark of laughter erupted from Lou's throat and he shook his head. "Kinda sad though that it took not only losing you, but also my dancing career, and very nearly our son to realize such a simple concept…" Lou pursed his lips seriously and swallowed the lump in his throat, determined to remain strong and not get emotional. "I'm sorry for a lot of things, Fran, and I know there's no taking anything back…much too late for that… But thank you… And wherever you are…I hope you found someone to give and to show you the everlasting love you deserved…"

Lou then pressed two of his fingers to his lips and then moved them over to the frozen ones of his ex-wife's. He dipped his head in a respectful nod, turned around, and left his bedroom. He sniffed and cleared his throat as he made his way down the stairs. "Okay now… Sea of Sand, Sea of Sand… That's a four hour drive from here, but I'm looking forward to it… Need to get out of this house for awhile…" He suddenly smiled broadly. "The family's going to get bigger! Norwegian In-laws! Hehe! Should be fun! Ed and Edna seemed like good folk the last time I met them, though it was brief! Not this time though! I'm gonna be staying a whole week with them!"

Lou stopped in front of his door and took a deep breath. "…There's a lot to discuss…and fun times to be had!" And with a jubilant smile on his face, the elder Belmonte swung open his door to welcome the sunlight…

"*GASP!*"

Lou froze…and stared. There was a woman at his door…but not just any woman…

The woman placed a hand to her breast in an effort to catch her breath from the sudden shock at having the door suddenly flung open. Hazel-green eyes took in the woman's familiar figure from top to bottom and back again: From the pretty pedicure feet wrapped in white open-toed sandals, to the matching white pants suit that hugged a curvaceous figure in all the right places. Wait…that's Lou caught sight of the knitted baby blue shawl over the woman's shoulders—a birthday present he had given to her when she had turned twenty-three. Long, wavy auburn hair fell in a tightly wound braid over her left shoulder, and for the life of him, Lou couldn't see nary a touch of grey in sight.

The red-head grasped her handbag in both hands nervously, showing off the silver bangles around her wrists as she looked at the man in front of her. A quick yet very unsure upturn of the lips caught Lou's attention abruptly and he was able to spy the hasty appearance of a dimple in the woman's left cheek before it disappeared.

Deep jade met with hazel green in a mixture of fear and hesitancy. "I…I know what you're going to say, Lou. How dare I show my face after all these years—after giving up and abandoning you and Cole…?"

She still has the same accent…

Her full, plump lips thinned in determination. "…But know that I have not come to intrude upon your life or his… I came because…" She blinked and tried again. "…I came b-because…" Crystalline tears quickly pooled in fearful jade eyes, and losing her nerve, the woman quickly turned away to flee.

But Lou didn't let her. Reaching out quickly, he grabbed her hand to stop her. "Fran!"

The Italian woman turned briskly back around to face her ex-husband, her jade eyes wide and glistening with tears. Lou swallowed. "He's getting married—Cole…to a very nice young man named Jay… I'm…on my way to meet with Jay's parents… Would you like to come with me…?"

If anything, Francesca's eyes widened further and her jaw dropped. "…M-Married…? And to another…" A little shrug and a grin touched her lips, "…Oh, love is love I suppose… But I…" She looked at Lou warily. "…Are you sure…? I-I don't want to impose…"

Lou's heart thumped loudly in his chest. He smiled warmly. "…The Walkers are very nice. I'm sure they wouldn't mind another guest in their home for a visit. And on the way…we could…talk…"

"Talk…" Fran repeated, as if the idea had never occurred to her. Her next smile wasn't nearly as unsure as the last, and she held firm to the strong hand in her grip. "Si…I'd like that."

Author's Note: Okay, obviously I did a little tweaking to Lou's bio or to what we know from the show anyway. I only did it to give him a bit more "omphf!" to his characterization and make him a bit more interesting. So after some research within the extremely vague world of Ninjago's characters, I came up with this little scenario. Truthfully, I wanted to save something like this for after Unexpected was completed, but then I figured WTH! It's not like it would hurt anything or even spoil much, so Voila! Plus, I think everyone would appreciate the change of pace with new/familiar characters at the forefront instead of the Ninja all the time. So expect this little short story to be within Ninjalogy just like Look But Don't Touch is. Thanks a bunch everyone and thanks again to that random Guest who suggested Lou, Ed, and Edna in a story!

FUN FACT! Lou's picture of him and the Ninja is actually a legit screenshot/pic from the show. VelevtPersona showed it to me and it was ultra cute, so I decided to reference it. I think it was taken maybe after the events of the episode Royal Blacksmiths, but I'm not sure. You should be able to find it via Google Image Search: Ninjago Group picture.