A/N- This one goes a little further than what canon depicts, but nothing terribly graphic...

Jay leaned against the mast. Heavy clouds hid the moon but the glazed look in his eyes indicated he wouldn't have seen it anyway. Flashes of the last several weeks raced through his mind.

'Except it's not in the past anymore. It's like it never happened.' His previous experiences with time travel didn't help the confusion swirling in this mind. 'Can you really change the past, or was it always going to play out that way? Or unwrinkle the change? This time though, time was reset.' It was all too complicated.

He closed his eyes and drank in the quiet of the night. It was peaceful. He could almost pretend everything was back to normal again. Until a creak came from behind him. Instantly alert he whirled around.

"Who's there?" His sharp voice cut through the quiet.

"It's just me." Nya's head popped up from the ladder.

Jay sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

She smiled gently. "I know." Taking his hand she led him to the edge of the boat. They stood quietly for a minute enjoying the solitude- a rare commodity on the close quarters ship.

"I couldn't sleep, again." Jay admitted softly.

"Nightmares too?"

"That would mean I fell asleep to begin with." Jay grimaced. "No more like keeping-me-awake-by-coming-to-my-mind mares. But that seems rude to horses." A ghost of a smile appeared on Nya's lips, but it quickly disappeared as Jay continued, "You've been having nightmares?

"I, well, yeah. Some-infrequently."

"Nya, I'm sorry..."

She shrugged. "They happen, and not just because of Nadakhan," Nya looked up into his eyes, "but you're not sleeping at all?"

Jay sighed deeply and turned back to the railing. "This ship has become my home, but now all the creaking and rocking motions put me right back in that never saw the hold but it was just a hole in the ship. Seriously inconvenient, like why would he have a giant hole in his ship exposed to the elements? It's a water hazard."

"Uh...?"

"Sorry, it's just, knowing him I wouldn't be surprised though if he had it custom made with the intent to be a prison." Shaking his head Jay went back to his original train of thought. "It's silly. I know I'm in my room and I know technically that didn't happen but the memories are still there. Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy since the guys don't remember it at all."

Nya wove her fingers into Jay's. "If you're crazy then I am too. I still remember everything from my end."

"I'm sorry. What you had to go through was all because of my stupidity."

"Jay look at me." Jay dragged his eyes to meet hers. "When Clouse released Nadakhan he was going to come for us anyway. We are the ninja after all. While you might have sped the process along he was going to try and get rid of us- well you guys- eventually."

Jay traced his thumb over Nya's fingers before running down his own wrist, which no longer bore chain chafe marks or rope burns. "Maybe, but that doesn't stop the guilt, or the memories. Other masters have given up their lives for Ninjago. I feel like a coward for still struggling with a timeline that doesn't even exist anymore. It's literally all in my head now. Not that I want them, but I don't even have the physical scars to justify what I'm feeling. That makes me feel even worse about it. It's like I have no basis... " Nya squeezing his hand hard, cutting him off.

"Stop it. Please, Jay. What you went through was horrible. Even if none of the others know it, I do. You have every right to not know how to think or feel. What you told me... Jay I'm so proud of you for how far you've come already. The last two weeks must have been so hard and confusing but you still get up to meet each day, each challenge. And I'm here for you."

"Thanks Nya." Jay gave her a half smile. "I don't want this to affect me." He sighed. "I almost zapped Kai into oblivion earlier when he said he wished it would stop raining. I still expect that demon genie to poof out of nowhere." Jay fell silent again, losing himself in his thoughts.

"Jay...?"

"It wasn't just the scrap 'n tap, you know. He wanted to break me. Make me use my last wish." Jay's voice was distant, thin.

"Jay you don't have to-"

"No. I need to." He interrupted her. "His favorite was the whip. Whenever I close my eyes I still see him there, standing over me with it. If I didn't clean the way he wanted it, or talked back or, I don't know, just was in the same room as him, my back took his anger." Jay laughed mirthlessly. "As a verbal processor you can imagine how frequent those interactions were. On top of that he barely gave me enough food to function. Clancy started sneaking me some once the eyes of the crew were opened to how crazy Nadakhan had become. That helped a little.

"Scrap n' tap was horrible. I was chained to that stupid vengestone ball, my back shredded, malnourished and he still expected me to fight his healthy, ornery crew. Dogshank broke a couple ribs close to the end. That was probably the closest I was to giving up, when I woke up after that fight. It had been two weeks at that point and I hadn't seen anything from you guys. I started wondering if you all just decided to leave me. After Cole revealed on the island what I'd done, I wouldn't blame you for it.

"Then you did come. Only for you all to get captured, you forced into marriage with that psycho and then brainwashed. But the worst..." Jay took a deep breath. "The worst is when you were in my arms, tiger widow venom splattered over your dress. I lost you Nya. I lost you and I'm so afraid it'll happen again." Jay wasn't sure when he started crying, but there was no denying the wetness dripping down his face.

Nya cupped his chin in her hands, carefully brushing his tears away. "Jay you're also the one that saved me. That saved all of us. You're so much greater than you give yourself credit for. And right now, I'm still here. I don't plan on going anywhere, but we don't know what the future holds. That's why we have to seize the moments now.

"If you want to go ahead and blame yourself you'll have to add blame to me too. I let my pride get in the way of letting you help me. If you think about it that triggered the cascade of events since we weren't able to hide from the helicopter and get to Styx in time."

"No..."

"Yes it is and you know it." Jay frowned but didn't respond. "I wanted to prove I could take care of myself, that I didn't need any one, and I admit in particular a man, to hold my own. I knew when I became a ninja that people weren't going to take me seriously at first, but it goes back farther than that..." Nya paused and stepped back slightly, head downcast. "I let that stupid machine dictate how I should feel and that had such horrible consequences on the whole team. I'm sorry I let things get so bad between us, between you and Cole. I didn't want to just be seen as "the girl," but I'm learning now that it doesn't matter what the media thinks of me. You, my brother, Zane, Lloyd, Cole, Master Wu, Misako... you're the ones whose opinions count."

"Not Darreth's?" Jay couldn't help but tease.

"Oh shut up I'm trying to be serious." But her mouth quirked upward as she turned back towards him. "What I'm saying is that while I don't want to repeat the experience, it showed me how much I love you Jay. And how much you love me. I'm not sorry for that."

"I love you too."

Jay leaned down slowly, giving her time to back away if she wanted. Instead she moved to meet him. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds but Jay could have sworn it was an eternity. They broke away grinning shyly at each other.

Nya reclaimed Jay's hand in her own and returned to resting against his chest. "In our line of work we really don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I want to face that tomorrow with you. One day at a time, enjoying each that we're given."

"That goes both ways." Jay wrapped his arms around Nya's shoulders. They were both quiet again for a while until another thought crossed Jay's mind. "Do you think we should tell them?" Jay asked.

"Tell who what?" Though the solemnity of Nya's voice indicated she knew what he was referring to.

"The rest of the ninja and Master Wu. Telling them about Nadakhan, Djinjago. All of that?"

Nya pondered his question. "I think it's up to you. You were most deeply affected by everything that happened."

"Well you know, besides you being forced into marriage and dying." Jay deadpanned.

"Maybe, but still I didn't have to go through it all to the degree that you did." Nya smirked. "Though I'm sure Kai is wondering where my sudden displays of affection for you came from." Jay's blush was visible even in the low light. "But if you don't want to rehash it we don't have to. We can just tell them we had a chance to talk through things, which is true. And Sensei has warned us that changes with the time stream are better left unsaid."

"True." Jay suddenly laughed. Nya looked up at him questioningly. "I just realized I've been so caught up in trying to readjust to being back that I haven't retold the guys I'm adopted. Aaaand my parents don't remember I know either. That's going to be a fun conversation." He made a face.

"If you want me there, I'll be right by your side. For both those conversations."

"There's no if about it."