AN: Welcome to another Bonus Scene from Summoning Gone Wrong (if you haven't read that first, please do). EMPFangirl02 came up with this scene all by herself, so I take no credit for it whatsoever, but I loved it so much, I had to post it. Beta'd by Sunny Lighter.
When Garmadon had stopped attacking, some small part of Koko hoped that maybe he had changed. Mostly for Lloyd. Her son deserved to live a decent life without his father's evil shadow looming over him all the time.
Then her ex-husband came back and it was like the day she left all over again. She didn't know what she was thinking. If Garmadon wouldn't change then, with their infant son to think about, why did she think he would change now?
And then, on TV, Garmadon stopped, saying Lloyd, her son, was the Green Ninja. And then he took the mask off and it actually was Lloyd—she was going to have to talk to him later—and then Garmadon went back. Peacefully. Without trying to conquer Ninjago.
Then, a few days later, Lloyd started telling her that maybe his dad wasn't so bad after all. Lloyd started visiting the volcano regularly, and he always seemed happy when he came back. But Koko was worried. Her ex-husband was a warlord and he had been conquering as long as she'd known him. She wasn't sure he'd give up that way of life so easily, and she didn't want to see her son disappointed.
So, she donned her old armor, and marched over to the volcano to have a talk with her ex-husband.
Garmadon was just sitting in his office, contemplating his next big plan to conquer Ninjago, or if he should take up Lloyd's offer for a family dinner, when he heard shouts coming from outside. He grumbled at the interruption and slammed the door open.
"If you guys are slacking off again, I'll—" Garmadon's next words got caught in his throat. There was his wife, standing in her full armor, not even breathing hard, even with all the shark generals lying at her feet. Their eyes met and she marched over, her face twisted into a frown, and all Garmadon could think about was how beautiful she looked.
"Garm, we need to talk."
The warlord realized he was gaping and closed his mouth. "Oh yeah, of course. Come in."
He let Koko go in first and followed behind her, admiring how young she still looked. "I would have let you in, you know," he told her in a joking tone, gesturing to all his fallen generals.
She tilted her head back and smirked. Gosh, she was gorgeous. "Where's the fun in that?"
Garmadon grinned back. He missed that fire.
The two of them sat down. "Coffee?" he asked, wanting something to do other than just fiddle with his four hands.
She shook her head. "No thank you." Then her gaze turned serious. "So, I heard you transported to another realm?"
"Oh yeah, it was crazy," Garmadon answered, wondering where this was going. Was she worried about him? He hoped so. "This crazy fan girl of mine teleported me over there and wanted me to do all this stuff for her, but I was like—"
"Lloyd told me," Koko interrupted. The warlord swallowed. Something in her eyes made him hesitate. Like it was a bad idea to push her any further. "He also told me that you've changed, and you aren't going to be attacking the city anymore," she tilted her head, asking him a silent question.
Only Garmadon wasn't sure what the right answer was. Did she want the truth? "What made him think that?" he asked. There. That was safe, right?
Or not. Koko's eyes narrowed. "I don't know. Maybe all those afternoons you two have been spending together, acting like his father, instead of a maniacal evil villain bent on destroying the city."
"I don't want to destroy the city," Garmadon protested. "I just want to conquer it! You know, like the good old days." He flashed a wide grin, hoping to bring back memories of better times, when Koko fought by his side…
She sighed. "Garm, you are destroying the city, destroying our lives, by trying to conquer it."
He blinked. "Whoa, what? Destroying your lives? Where'd that come from?"
Now Koko gave him the look. "Lloyd didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
She sighed again. "Lloyd… for the longest time, would come home with bruises and broken bones, just because of who his father was. Maybe they just wanted someone to blame, but the way they treated him… If it wasn't for Wu and his healing teas, I don't know what I would've done. FMS knows I couldn't afford the hospital bills. People wouldn't hire me, just because I was married to you."
She looked down at the ground, lost in her painful memories. "I tried to tell Lloyd to not be ashamed of who is father was, that people would see the real him instead of you… but he still kept coming home beaten and bruised. And there was nothing I could do."
Garmadon didn't know what to say. So he fell on his default and began rambling. "Gosh, Koks, I had no idea. I'll track those guys down and make them wish they'd never been born! I'll-"
"You don't get it, Garm!" Koko snapped, all her fire back in a blaze of glory. "You can't solve your problems that way and not deal with the consequences, and if you retaliate it'll just make things worse! If you really want to help, stop attacking the city."
"But I'm a warlord! That's what I do!"
She sighed. "I know. But Lloyd doesn't. He believes in you, Garm. And if you conquer Ninjago now… you'll break his heart." She locked gazes with Garmadon and he swallowed hard. He'd seen that face many times before she'd gone into battle. "And I won't let you do that."
"Koks, I—" he paused. He didn't want to upset her. Or Luh-Lloyd for that matter. He was a good kid, and knowing that he believed in him, that he could be better… "I don't know," he said quietly. "I don't know if I can change. You know me, Koks. You know… what I did."
Koko nodded slowly. "Yes. But I also know you're a good man. The man I fell in love with." She smiled, and a flicker of hope rose in Garmadon's chest.
"I know it won't be easy," she continued, placing one of her strong hands on his. He stared down at her hand, then up at her, not believing what was happening. "But we'll be right there with you."
Garmadon paused. Thought about it. Then grinned. "Alright. I'll give being good a shot."
"Thank you," Koko said and meant it. She looked so happy, Garmadon wanted to kiss her right then and there. He leaned forward, but she gently leaned away and pushed him aside. He pouted.
"Baby steps, Garm," she told him, chuckling at the look on her husband's face. "I'd like to take things slow, for now."
The warlord sighed, but at least she didn't say never. Then, a thought came to him and he quirked an eyebrow. "For now?"
Koko smirked. "Yes, for now. If you're good, and when I'm ready, maybe we can be something more."
Garmadon grinned wolfishly. He had ideas of things they could do together, and he began scheming of ways to show her just how good he could be.
"But before that," she went on, "we need to set a couple of ground rules."
A few minutes later, Garmadon was pouting again.
"I can't fire people?"
Inwardly, Koko sighed. Looks like it was going to be a long road ahead for both of them.
AN: There you have it. EMPFangirl02 thought it would be nice to have a Garmadon/Koko one shot and I agreed with her, 100%! Thanks for the reviews, follows and favorites! There will be one, possibly two more Bonus Scenes left. Remember to check your PM folder on this site for replies.