Cole crossed his arms and stared at the grave in front of him. He couldn't remember the last time he came here to visit Anna's grave. There were geraniums planted on the grave, put there by Bea every year. Anna had loved geraniums, especially salmon-colored ones, just like the ones on her grave now.

Cole took a deep breath and sat down. He thought about that morning. He had met Wu at Mystaké's old tea shop in Ninjago City. The two talked for a long time, mostly about Cole's powers. Wu admitted he didn't have a tea to cure Cole, but he didn't think that was the problem.

"Like when you first discovered your True Potential, you must again discover the obstacles within your heart and conquer them. Only then will your powers return in full," Wu had said.

It made sense. The only problem was Cole had no idea what the obstacles in his heart were. Last time, he had to fix his relationship with his dad, but they were talking and listening to each other now, so that couldn't be it. He suspected it had to do with Morgen, but there was no way he was going to visit her, or even visit Hermes and Kelly.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see who it was.

"I thought you were at work," Cole said as Lou walked up next to him.

"I got off early. You weren't at the house, you weren't with Nikki or your friends, there's only so many places you would go," Lou explained.

"So you guessed the graveyard?"

"... Wu said you might come here."

"That makes more sense."

"So why are you here?" Lou asked.

"Just thinking." Cole sat down on the grass. He pulled a couple blades out and twirled them in his fingers. Lou sat down next to his son.

"... Dad, I can't do security for Eric. I just can't. It's not for me," Cole said after a while.

"That's fine. We can find another job," Lou said.

"No. I already have a job. One I love and I'm not going to quit. Not yet."

"You can't be a ninja. What if something happens?"

"If Morgen escapes or plays her hand and reveals she got to the jury to get a mistrial declared, it won't matter where I am or what my job is."

"What if it's not Morgen next time? What if there's another Great Devourer? What if the Overlord comes back? What if it's someone who's more powerful than your team?"

"Anna once told me not to live in fear of the unknown. If she let her fears get to her, she never would've been a fighter pilot."

Lou was silent.

"I can't live in fear. Anna wouldn't let me do that if she was still here. There's always going to be a what-if," Cole continued.

"I know," Lou whispered.

"Even if my powers never really come back, I have to be a ninja. She would tell you to stop being stubborn and let me live my own life."

"This is starting to feel like arguments we had years and years ago. Did you eavesdrop on those when you were little?"

"I told you, I went to limbo and saw her there. We talked a lot about you and Morgen."

"Hmph."

"She also mentioned a bet and said she won."

"You're sure you didn't eavesdrop?"

"I didn't. Tell me about this bet she says she won."

"Figures she would think she won… when you were maybe nine or ten years old, we made a bet. About you. I said you would grow up to be a dancer or singer or something else in the entertainment business. She said you would grow up and go into the military. If she won, I had to get into a helicopter with her. If I won, she had to go to a baseball game with me."

"You hate baseball," Cole said.

"Yes, but not as much as she did. But neither of us won so it doesn't matter."

"I mean, we aren't as strict, but what we do is kind of similar to-"

"I said neither of us won! We both lost!"

"I can take you up on my elemental dragon to pay off your debt, you know if it ever comes back."

"No."

Cole gave up and turned to face the grave. He pulled a knee up to his chest and hugged it.

"I miss her too," Lou said after a moment.

"I… I was there, at the airfield, the day she… I saw the man who did it. I'll never forget his face," Cole admitted.

"You never told me this."

"No. I don't know why I never told you. I guess I thought you would be mad at me. The guy was super creepy. I went to the vending machine and he followed me there and he was just way too close. I went behind the counter where he couldn't follow me. I saw his name on the roster: Morgan Knight. I didn't know… I just thought he was creepy. Anna sent me to the library and escorted me to the bus stop. She said she was going to tell me what was going on when she got home…"

"I should have told you about her a long time ago. I was scared you would try to find her," Lou admitted.

"Well, she did give birth to me."

"I know."

"... I wish I had called her 'mom' just once. I don't know why I didn't. I wish I had."

"She didn't mind," Lou said, placing a hand on Cole's shoulder.

"How do you know?"

"When we first got married, she told me she wasn't going to force you to see her as your mom. She wanted you to accept her on your terms. She knew you were curious about Morgen, and I take responsibility for that. I should have told you the truth about your birth mother. Still, Anna didn't want to outright replace Morgen in your heart. Even though you never called her your mom, you still treated her like she was, and that was good enough for her."

Cole nodded. That was typical Anna. Always putting him before herself, right to the very end. As he watched the grave, he felt something in his soul snap. A good snap, followed by a rush of energy. Judging by how much his dad jumped, Cole guessed he had glowed for a moment. He put his hand on the ground and felt around for a chunk of Earth that wasn't near a coffin, which he found in the corner of the cemetery. He smiled as he made a pillar appear in that corner. He felt like his powers were still restricted somewhat, but he wasn't too concerned.

"Okay, on that note, I think it's time we go home." Lou stood up.

"Fine. Oh, one more thing, Dad. The other day, I met up with my friends, and Hermes was there. He said he wanted to get to know me better, but I was hesitant. I don't know if I should," Cole said as he stood.

"Oh, I really wish you wouldn't."

"I know how you feel about him, and he was kind of crazy."

"He is crazy. You would be better off without him, but it's up to you. He is your grandfather, technically speaking."

"Right." Cole didn't know what he was going to do.