Author's note: Hello, all! Well, this chapter certainly took longer to finish than I'd expected. Stupid finals… I had a strong desire to use mistletoe at some point in this story, but I had to do a fair amount of adjustment to make sure this flowed decently with everything else I've published thus far. Towards the end of my most recent chapter of Of Milk and Cookies ("Awkward") I visited the possibility of some lingering weirdness as a result of Jay's doppelganger kissing Nya. I really hope I did that idea justice in "Mistletoe". Be forewarned. It's a little different from the other chapters, as it focuses more on Nya and Jay's relationship. Please enjoy!

Replies to Reviews:

RebelutionaryWrites: Aw… thanks! I have to admit, I absolutely love writing baby Lloyd and big sister Nya, so it's super awesome to hear that you think I've captured them well! Thank you so much for reviewing!

A Huge Fangirl: Thank you so much for your kind words! I know this took a little while to get published, but now that my college classes are over for awhile, I should have more time to write. Have a lovely holiday season!

RandomDragon2.0: So lovely to hear that you are loving this! This time of year is so crazy, everyone needs a little bit of cheery fluff! I hope you enjoy "Mistletoe"!

JBomb217: Oh my goodness! You're so sweet. Decorating is definitely something I'm looking forward to getting to do someday when I have a classroom of my own (I'm going to be a teacher). I'm sure your room looks amazing. Although he's made of technology himself, I sort of imagine Zane as being really up to date on environmental issues. I've always pictured Lloyd as having green eyes, but the latest seasons have depicted his eyes as changing color when he temporarily looses his power, so maybe they get to be less of a pure green and more of a hazel when that happens? Not quite sure. Thanks a bunch for taking to time to leave so much Feedback!

Spider-Man Super-Fan: it makes me so happy to hear that you have been enjoying my work so far! That's a wonderful compliment to receive as a writer. Lloyd sure eats a lot of candy, so that's a lot to live up to. This one's got a bit less Lloyd – So I hope you like it!

Lloydskywalkers: Check your pms, as per usual :).

/\/\/\/\/\

Cole stuffed a frond of mistletoe into the garland that lined the upper edges of the kitchen cupboards, just as he had been doing for the past few hours. If the looks Zane had been shooting him every once in awhile were anything to go off of, the nindroid was starting to believe that his friend's sanity had finally cracked. This wasn't entirely true, though certain members of his family were definitely driving him crazy. Ever since the incident Lloyd had dubbed "Double Trouble", which involved evil ninja clones wreaking havoc on their lives, Nya and Jay had been acting even more awkward around each other than usual. Which was really saying something, cause man, were those two awkward. Their behavior was so inconsistent that it was a wonder they'd managed to survive human interaction for so long. Something to do with a kiss? Cole wasn't completely clear on all the details, but he was determined to fix whatever the issue was. Which was why he had dedicated time he could've been spending pestering Zane to bake more cakes – a shame, really - strategically planting mistletoe in every nook and cranny he could reach. Maybe if something forced them to get things over with and kiss each other, Nya and Jay would get their act together and things could go back to normal. Whatever that meant for people with admittedly complicated lives. The definition of normal was still up for debate, but anything was better than the cringy soap opera he was currently watching from the sidelines. Cole's backup plan involved locking them in the broom closet til they came to their senses – an idea that, while potentially effective, was likely to end with multiple parties being angry with him. Kai for placing his sister in a 'dangerous' situation, and both Jay and Nya for meddling in their affairs. So, his plan A had really better work, because he'd rather not get on Kai's bad side so close to Christmas.

"What'cha doin, Cole? I though we were done decorating for Christmas…" Asked a small voice from behind him.

"Oh. Uh. Just… Doing some extra touch ups. To make sure things look extra good. Yeah. Cause, you never can be too careful. With decorations, I mean."

"If you say so…"Lloyd said, still a bit unsure about the whole decorating thing. Did decorations really require this much upkeep? "Need any help? I'm bored." Cole shrugged. The more individuals involved with this project, the less blame could be pinned on him.

"Eh. Might as well make yourself useful, small fry. Just take these bits of greenery and add them to any spot that looks bare." He said, handing the boy a clump of mistletoe. Though he couldn't reach particularly high, Lloyd still proved to be quite an asset to the ninja of earth. The lower cupboards, counter, and even the shelves of the fridge (he'd decided to go all out) were freshly decorated with greenery. Cole wasn't completely sure what circumstances would make such low hanging mistletoe effective, but he wasn't taking any chances. Together, the two boys lugged the last of their supplies to the game room (the only room Cole had yet to touch) , where they found Zane engrossed in a rather thick looking book. Great. Now they'd have to endure more concerned looks… At least they hadn't run into Jay and Nya so far. That would ruin all their hard work.

"Those two idiots had better appreciate the lengths I go to for them…" Cole muttered as he installed some mistletoe directly above the door.

"You mean Nya an' Jay? Do they like, really like whatever this green stuff is?" Lloyd asked. He'd heard that? Darn… Before Cole could formulate a response, Zane did so for him.

"Actually, that green stuff, as you call it, is commonly referred to as mistletoe. During the holiday season, it is tradition to kiss whomever you happen to find yourself standing beneath it with you. I believe our brother may have something up his sleeve for a certain couple currently residing on this ship." The small boy looked perturbed.

"You're trying to get them to kiss?! Gross!"

"Uh… Yes?" Now that he thought about it, maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to let Lloyd help him. No doubt the kid wouldn't be so willing to support his plot now that he knew exactly what was going on.

"But why would you want to do that?" Lloyd demanded. Cole almost wished Zane would explain this for him as well. The nindroid gave him an exasperated look. He was probably debating whether or not hiring a full time therapist would be worth the cost.

"Because, Lloyd, I'm getting tired of the way they've been acting ever since those evil doppelgangers your father made attacked. Half the time, you can't get them to stop talking, but then, they just clam up stare at each other with this crazy I love you but I don't know how to say it look. They're being completely ridiculous, and I'd like my best friend to stop shorting out whenever Nya's around." Cole defended, before being struck by a compelling realization, "Say… Nya tells you pretty much everything. Do you know what's going on between them?" Lloyd bit his lip, debating whether or not to withhold the information he possessed.

"Um…" Would telling count as naughty? Once Nya had explained the concept of Santa to the future Green Ninja, Lloyd had worked hard to stay out of trouble. There were some things he really wanted for Christmas, and he wouldn't get them if Santa deemed him too much trouble. He'd already had way too many people do that to him. But, a magical (totally not stalkerish at all) toy delivering force of good seemed promising to him. There's no way a guy like that could get so famous if he wasn't legit. Even if his exact methods seemed questionable. And if Nya, who was a complete Christmas expert in the nerdiest of ways,considered him to be safe, than Lloyd would follow her lead. So, really, what was he supposed to do now? If he told Cole and Zane, his big sister might get mad, but if he didn't, would she and Jay ever go back to normal? Both could easily end badly.

"Jay's clone kissed her at the auto body shop a few weeks ago and now she feels awkward cause she thinks Jay's feelings are hurt – which, surprisingly, isn't true. For once. And Jay doesn't want to bring it up because he's worried she'll freak out, so now they keep getting all wishy washy – at the weirdest times, too– I'm honestly not sure how they made it through the trip to the junkyard the other day without losing the ability to hold an intelligible conversation - because apparently, I'm the only person around here who has any social skills." Kai said as he indelicately shoved aside the frond of mistletoe so he could enter the room without any embarrassing encounters. Cole attempted to hide the remainder of the stash behind his back. Zane shook his head in resignation. Clearly his book was going to have to wait.

"Uh… Hey, Kai. Nice of you to drop in. We totally aren't doing anything that would catch your interest…at all… so… You can just move along, now… "

"Nice try, dirt clod. I've been onto you since this morning." Drat. He knew he should have been more subtle…

"Oh. Is this the part where you make me stop what I'm doing and take it all down?" Cole had pretty much given up all intentions of remaining anonymous at this point.

"Nah," The ninja of fire punched Cole's arm lightly, "On the off chance that this might actually work, I'll let you off without a fight. But if this doesn't end well? There'll be some serious consequences for interfering with my sister. You read me?"

"Loud and clear. But I'm confident that everything will work out just fine…"

The sound of more voices coming their way (regrettably) prevented Kai from dealing out the specifics of his threat.

"So… Shouldn't we like… Hide or something?" Suggested Lloyd. Nya probably wouldn't be very happy if she knew she was being watched…

"Yeah. Probably. The couch seems like our best bet. Anybody got their phones on them? If this goes the way I plan, I want it to be recorded so my moment of brilliance can go down in history." Cole catapulted himself behind the piece of furniture, followed by Lloyd and Kai. He quickly snatched his brother's phone, claiming that he'd thank him later. Realizing that he had little choice but to go along with this chaotic plan, Zane sighed before ultimately marking his spot with a bookmark – it wouldn't do to ruin the corners – and joining them.

/\/\/\/\/\/

Nya wasn't oblivious to the subterfuge that was currently occurring aboard the Destiny's Bounty. The sheer amount of mistletoe that had sprung up out of nowhere was too obvious to miss. It literally coated entire segments of the wall in some places. And she'd just found some tied around the kitchen sink. For some unknown reason – it wasn't like it would actually be of any use there. Unless Lloyd's father shrunk them, or something. Which seemed incredibly unlikely. All things considered, what with her relationship with Jay and all, Nya was fairly certain that someone was trying to send her a message. She just wasn't completely sure who the culprit was. Though she was confident that she could rule out Zane – the ninja of ice had little reason to engage in such behavior – pretty much everyone else was fair game. Even her brother. Sighing, Nya wandered the hall. Maybe it was time to revisit the kissing situation. Jay had assured her that the whole thing was no big deal. And they had made a lot of progress towards reaching normalcy again - much of the recent visit to his parents' had been spent quite comfortably together, rescuing their new Christmas tree from its sad condition (Lloyd's reaction to their hard work had been priceless). However, something was still off between them. It wasn't that she didn't want him to kiss her,but the only other time the two had full on kissed was during their first date – a spur of the moment thing that had just sort of… happened. This was different. How exactly did one go about discussing kissing habits with their boyfriend? A thud! Followed by an,

"Ow!" alerted Nya to the fact that she had somehow managed to run right into the very person she'd been thinking about, knocking both of them to the floor in a jumbled heap.

"I'm so sorry, Jay… Guess I need to pay more attention to where I'm going…" She apologized, attempting to disentangle herself from his limbs.

"It's okay. You can run into me any time…" Jay blushed, "Did I say that out loud…? Oh, gosh. This is awkward…"

"I know you didn't mean for it to come out like that…" They sat next to each other in silence, unsure exactly where to go with their conversation. Why couldn't they go back to the way they'd been able to converse before, when the words had come more easily? Even decorating the kitchen together had been better than this. Granted, they hadn't been alone then. Somehow, Lloyd's presence had helped keep them grounded.

"… Are you alright? I mean, we did hit each other pretty hard…" He tentatively brushed a fallen strand of hair out of her face, causing her to return the blush.

"I… I'm fine. I think. You?"

"Yeah. More surprised than anything else. You sure can pack a punch... Heheh." Nya crossed her arms.

"Gee… Thanks."

"No! Your strength is a good thing." He clarified. And one of the many things he liked about her. "Especially with the amount of crazy we experience on a daily basis."

"You're not wrong," She said as Jay pulled her to her feet, "I've been enjoying how chill things have been lately. Having time to work on Lloyd's tree with you was a nice change of pace…"

"It was. Were you headed to a specific part of our illustrious abode, oh great samurai?" He asked, gesturing about him grandly. Nya raised an eyebrow at his antics, but stifled a small giggle.

"Actually, ninja of lightning, there's supposed to be a holiday special of Star-Crossed Lovers airing in not too long. I was hoping to catch it - if the others aren't so engrossed in their video games that the tv room is off limits."

"Ah. And would it be permissible for me to join you?" The request held the same overly elegant tone.

"But of course." They shared a smile, stepping towards their not so distant destination. Nya's relief that the awkwardness of the moment had dissipated lasted only temporarily. For, there, hanging in the center of the doorway, was a very large and very intentionally placed strand of mistletoe. They were going to have to play along with whoever had planned this, weren't they? Not that that was a bad thing. It would save them a lot of trouble to just go with it.

"… I know things have been… wonky lately, and I'd really like for that to stop… But I also want to do this right…" Jay said, taking a breath and turning to face his girlfriend, "So, Nya, I guess what I'm trying to say is – can I kiss you? I-it's totally okay for you to say no. I won't be offended…" He was clearly a bit nervous about seeing her response.

"I… That would be… Yes…" Nya whispered after a moment's hesitation. Staring at the person she'd come to adore so much, the person who had always had her back, she knew she couldn't resist. So, she gently placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward. As their lips met, Nya could feel the last of the tension that had existed for too long finally melt away. She was home and everything was going to be fine. Even the faint sound of gaging she swore she could hear couldn't ruin this moment.

"A-are we good?" A quiet voice asked, its owners forehead leaned against her own.

"We're more than good." Nya replied, smiling. She felt a pair of arms snake around her as Jay pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Glad to hear it. Let's maybe not wait so long next time?"

"Yeeah. Probably wise." Unfortunately, they were interrupted by the chatter of various family members who couldn't force themselves to be quiet any longer.

"See? I told you this would work!"

"Seriously, Cole? It's like you want them to know we're here…"

"All of you?" Nya eyed the group of people currently peeking around the couch from various angles, "All of you were in on this?" Just how much mistletoe had they used? And where had they even gotten it? She found herself wondering.

"Pretty much. I mean, Cole and Lloyd were already planning this. I just… didn't stop them?" Kai answered, looking more than a little sheepish. Though whether it for allowing his family to meddle, or for getting caught, his sister couldn't tell.

"Uhuh. That's really not much better, you know…And, don't think I haven't noticed the phone. You totally recorded the whole thing, didn't you? "

"We were just trying to help you guys - " defended Cole. His best friend just sort of laughed.

"We kinda figured… I don't know whether to thank you, or put snow in your bed when you're not looking."

"You wouldn't…"

"I would, actually."

"I vote we do neither and just enjoy the moment… I know of a lot more places with mistletoe around here." Nya intervened, kissing her boyfriend again. Kai and Lloyd both groaned, obviously regretting their recent life choices.

"I'd love to. But first – whatever happened to that Star-Crossed Lovers special we came in here to watch? If you still want to watch it? " Jay asked. She scrambled to find the TV remote. She wasn't missing out on this. There'd be plenty of time to take advantage of the new decorations later. She'd make sure no one had a chance to take them without her knowledge. For now, it would be enough to simply spend time together without losing it. Several of the others looked like they wanted to protest, but Zane shut them down.

"Let them have this… they deserve it after what just occurred."

"Fine, but we at least get popcorn. I nominate you to go get some." The nindroid rolled his eyes, but complied with Lloyd's request. There was no way he was letting someone burn down their kitchen when they hadn't even started on the Christmas baking yet. Certainly, there were many more adventures to come this holiday season.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

And that's a wrap! I know "Mistletoe" was a bit different from what I've written in the past, but I do hope you enjoyed it, regardless. As always, feedback and comments are greatly appreciated. Wishing you all the most magical of holiday seasons!

-GwenBrightly