Ch.8: You Are Still You

A while later, everyone was back at the dojo and sitting down to dinner. The guys were frightened at first when Cole volunteered to cook dinner so that Zane can have a break with his father. They rest easy then when Pam offered to help out so as to prevent food poisoning. The dinner menu consists of: barbecue chicken; tossed salad; curly fries; and soda.

"Mmm…" Dr. Julien said as he savored his first bite of the chicken. "This is quite the spread you've set up."

"Only the best thing to welcome you back into Ninjago, Dr. Julien," Kai replied with a smile.

"And you don't have to worry," Jay added. "Something tells me you don't have to worry about those Skulkin coming after ya again. Right, Pam?" No answer. "Pam?" The others turned to her to see her picking at her salad sadly.

"Is something troubling you, Pamela?" asked Sensei, making her snap out of her thoughts. She then looked up at him in reply before looking down sadly.

"Sorry," she said to them. "I was just wondering…how freaked out you are at me."

"About what?" asked Nya.

"The way I flipped out at Lawrence back at the island," she answered. "I didn't mean to frighten you all like I did. He was threatening Lloyd, and it made me snap." The others just smiled at her understandingly.

"Pam, as we recalled," Zane stated, "you 'flipped out' because your disowned father was trying to hurt Lloyd and Garmadon."

"Yeah," Jay added, "and you used your anger to get our old weapons back." He then held up his new nunchucks to emphasize his point.

"And you were able to defeat Lawrence too," concurred Cole.

"But best of all," Kai finished, "Garmadon probably now thinks of you as his own daughter figure for protecting Lloyd."

"Always remember, Pam," Sensei said to her. "No matter what happens to you, you are still you." Pam smiled in reply.

"Thanks, guys." A thought then occurred to her as Lloyd started to drink his soda. "Uh, quick question, Sensei. If your brother now likes to think of himself as my new father figure, do you think he'll be honored to give me away at mine and Pythor's wedding?" In response to her question, the Green Ninja spatted his soda all over Julien across the table from him out of surprise.

"AUGH! NOT DE FUR!"

"Pam, that's sick!" Lloyd yelled, turning sharply to the Wind Ninja. Pam then gave him a smirk, a sign that she's joking.

"Gotcha…"

"Yup," Nya chuckled, "she's still the same Pam alright." Everyone laughed with her; even Lloyd who's relieved that Pam wasn't being serious about actually marrying Pythor.

Or is she…