AN: One more chapter before Mooorrooo! This one's just a short filler to move the plot along. If I get at least one review today, I'll post the next one. ;)

Review Replies
phetiamwantip: Kinda wish I had more time to expand on this relationship and this conflict, but I've got a pretty focused end-goal here. I've already gotten sidetracked too much. *cough* Ninja zombies. *cough cough*

2240713356: Possession is my favorite season. I've probably watched it 4 or 5 times now, and I'm still not tired of it. XD

Tomura-chan: Aww, I'm glad you like it! I've got quite a few Ninjago fics lined up, some better than this one, so I hope you stick around. ;)

Over the next couple of weeks, Nya improved dramatically. Her attitude during training was better, and she seemed more relaxed. By the time the shop was nearing completion, she was already moving water with considerable skill. I could tell the girl was proud of her progress, and she bragged occasionally to the boys. I wasn't impressed by her attitude, but I let her have this one. I couldn't expect any changes in her personality to be instantaneous. It would take time, and besides, she had earned a few bragging rights.

In the last few days before Steep Wisdom was expected to open, and Morro was expected to make his move, the mood with the group took a dramatic dive. Jay kept nervously asking if we could put off opening the shop in hopes of delaying Morro's attack, but I told him it didn't work that way. When Morro was ready, he would come for us, whether the shop was open or not. Thankfully, the deepstone armor had come in, and the Ninja had taken some time to practice fighting in it. Garmadon turned out to be a valuable asset, since as a ghost, he could confront Morro on his own terms.

Despite all of our preparations, I could tell everyone was tense. I myself felt antsy as the day slowly drew closer and closer. I tried to tell myself that we had prepared as much as we could, that we were as ready as we'd ever be, that Morro would never see us coming… but it did little to ease my anxiety. My mind raced with all of the ways things could go wrong. What if Morro caught wind of our plans somehow (no pun intended)? What if he managed to possess Lloyd anyway, or escaped and went for Sensei Wu's staff?

We had already looked at the symbols, and I had explained their meanings, so we were prepared to go for the Realm Crystal once we had taken care of Morro. When I told the Ninja that I wanted him captured instead sent back to the Cursed Realm, they looked at me like I was crazy. Even after I explained that he had a shot at redemption, most of them wanted to be rid of him once and for all. I could understand where they were coming from, but I just couldn't agree with them. I was interfering with the timeline for the exact reason of helping as many people as possible. And that included Morro. Thankfully, Sensei Wu and the Garmadons—Lloyd included, surprisingly—were willing to back me up, which settled the matter quickly.

It was three days before I estimated Morro would attack. I was sitting in the main lobby of the tea shop, helping Misako sort through some last-minute paperwork, when the phone rang. We had only just hooked it up the day before, so I was surprised someone was calling already.

"Um, have we even advertised a number for the shop yet?" I asked in confusion as Misako stood to answer the phone. For a split second, I felt a flash of terror at the thought that it might be Morro already. Misako picked up the phone.

"Steep Wisdom," She said cheerfully, "How may we serve you?"

I couldn't hear the person on the other end, but a second later, Misako said quickly, "Oh, no sir, this is the right number. I'm sorry. The Ninja have been helping my brother-in-law set up his new tea shop, and we just happened to pick up your call on the phone for the shop. What seems to be the problem?"

I waited with bated breath as Misako listened to the man on the other end. She hummed and nodded along with whatever he was saying, throwing in a comment here and there. Eventually, she looked up and shook her head at me. My panic subsided, and I let out a sigh of relief; it wasn't him.

Still, I was curious as to who might be calling the Ninja as Misako said, "Yes sir, I'll let them know right away. In the morning? Of course, that will be perfect. They'll be there. Goodbye now."

The receiver clicked as she placed the phone down, and I finally blurted out, "Who was that?"

"The mayor of a nearby fishing town," She replied, walking back around the counter, "It appears there's an oversized mutant fang fish terrorizing them, destroying their boats and scaring away the fishermen. He wants the boys to come down and help relocate it tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow—?" I choked on the word, and my stomach plummeted.

"Oh, crud," I whispered, shooting to my feet as I ran my fingers through my hair, "Ooohhh, crud. Okay. This wasn't supposed to happen… I thought we'd have more time!"

Misako's eyes widened, and she asked sharply, "What do you mean? Is this about Morro?"

"Yes," I groaned, pushing my glasses up to rub my eyes, "I'm so sorry. The mutant fang fish is a time marker I didn't even think to mention. In the original timeline, Morro calls right after the boys come back from dealing with the fish. But I thought it was the same day the shop opened, because Wu sent the boys out to advertise..!" I sighed heavily, "I must have miscalculated, or… delayed something somehow."

"So Morro might be making his move tomorrow?" Misako looked alarmed, but not overly panicked as she crossed the room to me. I bit my lip, my stomach fluttering with anxious butterflies.

"I don't know," I confessed, my voice trembling slightly, "But probably. Tomorrow; tonight! He'll attack the museum at night, then call the Ninja the next day."

A moment of silence passed as Misako processed this. Quietly, she said, "I'll gather the others."

Without another word, she left the room, leaving me to fret. I knew it would take her some time to collect everyone, and I didn't want to sit there waiting for them, so I decided to go out and help. While Misako disappeared in the direction the Bounty, I hurried toward the lily pool. Nya had been spending a lot of time there, honing her powers, and sometimes one of the others could be found watching or practicing with her. Sure enough, as I emerged from the courtyard, I found Nya standing knee-deep in the water, hovering bubbles of water around her, while Kai and Lloyd sparred on the bank.

As I approached, Lloyd glanced in my direction.

"Hey, Abby," He panted, swiping at a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Almost immediately, Kai swept his feet out from under him, sending the Green Ninja crashing to the ground.

"Hey, no fair!" The blond scowled up at Kai, who was cackling madly.

"You didn't say time-out!" The brunet jeered. Lloyd pushed himself to his feet, looking ready to tackle the Fire Ninja. Before he could retaliate, however, I butted in.

"Meeting in the shop, STAT," I said, and Nya's bubbles splashed into the pool as she turned toward me, "It's urgent."

That got their attention. Exchanging grim looks, the three hurried after me as I sprinted back to the shop. Misako arrived a moment later, followed by the rest of the team. Once everyone had gathered and settled down, I explained the situation. The teens were, of course, aghast at the sudden speed-up in the deadline. Jay was most vocal in his frustrations, throwing his hands wildly in the air as he burst out, "I thought we had a few more days! Now you're telling me the guy's making his move tonight?!"

"I know, I thought we had more time too," I said, kneading my forehead wearily, "But I must have… done something to delay the shop's opening, or I miscalculated… I don't know. All I know is that there's a possibility Morro is attacking the museum tonight, which means we need to start getting ready."

"Sure, no sweat," Cole said with a shrug, glancing around at his teammates, "I mean, we've got everything we need, right? We've got the armor, We've got Garmadon, Nya's as ready as she'll ever be…"

"Statistically speaking, that is correct," Zane said, tilting his head in agreement, "I doubt a few more days could have prepared us more than we are prepared now."

"Are you sure?" Nya asked, rubbing her hands together nervously, "Sure, I can move water now, but I can't summon it like you guys can with your elements. I haven't even unlocked my true potential yet…"

"Patience, Nya," Sensei Wu said, stepping behind the girl to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You have made impressive progress so far, enough that I think you will indeed be able to help in battling Morro. The rest will come in time."

As the group began chattering with plans and preparations, I remained silent. A thought was niggling at the back of my mind; one that I hadn't shared with the Ninja yet. I wanted to talk about it, but I was afraid of being shot down. At this point, it was now or never.

Swallowing my nervousness, I said loudly, "I want to come."

Conversation continued, and I was afraid no one had heard me. Then, slowly, my words seemed to filter through everyone's ears, and one-by-one, they stopped talking to stare at me. I swallowed again and repeated more quietly, "I want to come. If we're going to stake out the museum tonight, you're going to need me. I know what to look for and what to expect if Morro shows."

"Abby…" It was Kai who spoke, and he didn't even try to hide his skepticism as he gave me a dubious look, "No offense, but you're not exactly in warrior-shape. If Morro's as tough as you say, you probably need to stay out of the fighting, you know?"

"And you do not have deepstone armor like the rest of us," Zane commented ever-so-helpfully, "So you run a greater risk of being possessed."

"I understand," I said, keeping my tone level despite the anxiety squirming in my gut, "I promise I'll stay out of the way. The second any fighting starts, I'll run," I hesitated before I added tentatively, "I just want to be there."

Silence. The teens exchanged looks, their expressions ranging from doubtful to concerned. Misako looked like she wanted to say something, but was holding herself back. Garmadon stood studying me with an unreadable expression. Finally, after a long pause, Wu made a move. He stepped in front of me, and we locked gazes. His eyes were sharp and piercing, seeming to stare straight into my mind.

"Do you swear to stay out of the line of fire?" The man demanded, his voice firm and leaving no room to argument. I nodded seriously.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"Do you swear you will be able to provide the Ninja with the necessary information to locate and capture Morro should he appear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you swear to flee to a safe place as soon as any battle begins?"

"Yes, sir."

Wu's eyes narrowed briefly before his gaze relaxed, and he nodded.

"Very well," He said, turning to address the Ninja, "Abby has my permission to accompany you. Know that you five—six," He corrected himself, inclining his head toward Nya, "Are responsible for looking out for her in the chance that anything goes wrong."

"I won't be a burden," I added quickly, "I promise."

Some of the guys (Kai and Jay, mostly) still appeared uncertain, but Wu's verdict seemed to have convinced them. Cole marched up, extended his hand, and said, "Welcome to the team, Abby."

I grinned, feeling like a little girl on Christmas.

AN: Soooo... I'm working on a Ninjago/Minecraft oneshot right now. It focuses heavily on the Dream manhunt series, if anyone knows what that is... Would anybody be interested?