I woke up feeling tired and lethargic. Nights of Flashback were like mandatory emotional rollercoasters— too many sudden changes in memories at once. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes, wondering why everything was so dark. It took me a moment to gather my bearings, but when I did, I realized it was still very much nighttime. The room around me was extremely hard to make out, especially without my glasses on, but the faint outlines of a few objects were visible. Next to me, an undefined shape shifted slightly. I glanced down at it and smiled a little, having forgotten that Garmadon was with me. As my eyes adjusted to using the moonlight streaming in from the window, I looked at his face.

I was startled by his expression— he grimaced as if he were in pain, and shifted slightly, clenching his blankets tighter to his chest. I hesitated, unsure of what to do. It looked like his flashbacks weren't going any better than mine. Gingerly, I reached out my hand and touched his shoulder, whispering softly to try and wake him up.

"You awake?" It was a dumb question— obviously he wasn't, and if the answer was 'yes' it would be because I woke him up— but I didn't really know what else I was supposed to say.

Garmadon moaned quietly, apparently distressed by something in his dream, and I clasped his shoulder again, a little firmer. This time, he jolted upright, startling me backwards until I almost fell out of the bed.

"Who's there?!" he cried, then paused and took in his surroundings. "O-oh— Sanjay— I'm so sorry—" he reached out and helped me back from the edge of the bed, laughing nervously. "My reflexes are a bit, ahem, extreme, I'm afraid…"

"No, no, you're fine," I said, although inside I was still shaking a bit from the sudden scare. "I wasn't sure how to wake you up. That is, ah…" I paused, suddenly nervous if I'd awoken him for no reason. It was highly possible that his resting face simply looked distraught.

"Well, you did the trick," he said, rubbing his eyes. "So what's wrong?"

Now I was even more nervous. "Ah, I'm terribly sorry, I probably shouldn't have— er, you just looked like you weren't doing so well, is all." I coughed, wondering if some of the anxiety I'd felt in my dreams had leaked back into reality to haunt me.

"O-oh." He looked slightly startled by my statement, but not offended. "Yes, well… I wasn't exactly reliving my fondest moments." He coughed as well. "So, thank you."

"My pleasure," I said, and pleased I was at the fact that I hadn't woken up my partner for naught. After a pause, Garmadon asked,

"So why were you awake? I hope I wasn't sleep-talking."

"No, nothing like that," I assured him. "I woke up on my own. I think these old bones can only take so many flashbacks in one night."

"I feel that," Garmadon sighed, nodding. He rolled his shoulders back and I heard a crack! as he stretched out his muscles. "I'm jealous of the boy. He won't ever have to deal with more than a night or two of these every year."

"Hm? Oh, you mean Morro," I responded. I shifted and adjusted the covers on myself, lying back in a more comfortable position. "Well, that's true, but he's had his share of hard times as well."

There were a couple moments of silence, and I wondered for a moment if Garmadon had gone back to sleep.

"So… ah… what were your flashbacks about?" he asked, turning his head in the darkness to face me. "If you don't mind sharing, that is."

I hesitated. "Oh… just some mistakes I made in my youth," I sighed. "I don't really think about them except during this time of year." I paused again. In the stillness of the night, there seemed plenty of time for all the pauses either of us wanted. "I… had a fight with someone when I was very young, and never apologized for my actions."

"Wow," Garmadon said, seeming surprised. "You don't seem like the kind to quarrel." Then, looking at me again, he added, "Wait, didn't you live in the forest most of your life? Who did you fight with, the birds?"

I snickered, wishing it was so. "A girl."

"Aaaaaah," he said, using his wise-old-sensei voice. We enjoyed another moment of silence, staring up at the ceiling. Then, smiling a little— at least, he looked like he was smiling, but it was still a little hard to tell— he asked, "Think she's in the neighborhood?"

"Huh?" I asked, startled.

"You know. Dead. Do you think she's dead yet?"

I blinked, having never actually considered the possibility before. "I don't know. It has been a long time, though… and I wouldn't know where to start."

"Ah," he replied. "Well… no rush, I suppose." There was a slight hint in his voice that suggested he wasn't quite done with the topic, but I decided to let it be for the moment.

"How about you?" I asked. "What were you dreaming about?"

His tone saddened. "My days as Lord Garmadon… when I knew I'd have to fight Lloyd, in particular."

"Oh." I felt a weight drop in my heart. I couldn't even begin to imagine being in his shoes. I tried to picture being forced to fight Zane and felt sick to my stomach.

"Yea…" he sighed. "I hurt so badly in those days… I just hope Lloyd didn't hurt as much as I did…"

"I'm sure he was proud to have you as his father," I said firmly, remembering some of the conversations I'd had with the boy. "And I know he was thrilled the day the evil in you was purged and he was able to be with you again."

"Ah, I remember that day," he said, with a sigh of happiness. "That was one of the greatest days in my life."

For several minutes, we let the silence speak for us.

"Well, it's not quite time to get up yet…" I said with hesitation.

"Hm… what time is it?" he asked.

I glanced at the clock. "4:30."

"Ah, that's plenty late," he responded with a laugh. "At least, I don't quite feel up to going back to sleep. Of course, if you want—"

"No," I said, getting out of bed despite my cold, achy joints begging me not to, "I'll join you. You feel like teaching an old geezer how to make pancakes?" I asked with a smile.

Garmadon smiled back. "Only if you don't mind an old geezer doing the teaching."

—

(A/N: HI YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! I didn't have the mental energy to respond to each of your reviews individually, but seriously, know that every single one made me grin like an idiot and fed my muse and cleared my anxiety and- *deep breath* you're all just super amazing okay? I love you all, hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know I sure missed writing the old geezers. Returning to the main storyline feels like a breath of fresh air for me X3)