A/n- We really don't get to see (m)any quiet family moments for Garmadon, Misako and Lloyd once the evil is purged from Garmadon post S3. Sure we see a few scenes of father/son moments (which rocks) but not all 3 of them together. However, I'm sure there were some that happened. Here's one such potential day...

"A... picnic?" From his seat at the kitchen counter Lloyd enunciated each syllable slowly.

"Yes, a picnic." Misako glanced up from the basket she was packing. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, of course not! It's just... not what I expected when you called me down here."

Though, to be fair, if there'd been some sort of emergency, the kitchen of Darkley's would have been one of the least likely places to report to. Not outside the realm of possibility, but highly unlikely nonetheless.

And this call was anything but an emergency. Lloyd watched, in somewhat of a stupor, as his parents stood civilly next to each other while packing a bundle of food for a family outing. Only a month ago Lloyd would have laughed bitterly in the face of anyone who predicted this would be happening in front of him.

How times changed.

Garmadon tossed a bottle of ketchup over his shoulder and Misako caught it without looking. Lloyd didn't bother to smother his smile- this was a very good change.

He hopped off his barstool, keeping his weight off his right leg. Though the crutches were finally gone, he still had to wear a boot for another two weeks. One more reminder of the Overlord's brutality. However that, like the battle, was beginning to fade to nothing more than a memory.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Yes actually. Can you make this into lemonade?" Garmadon pulled out a frozen container of juice concentrate.

"Sure." After finding a suitable container Lloyd stood next to Misako as she wrapped up sandwiches. Only a few minutes later Misako declared them prepared.

"So where are we going?"

Misako glanced at Garmadon who nodded back. "We'll keep to the woods around here. A lot of people still aren't too keen on the former 'Lord of Darkness' roaming around on the streets."

"I can't say I blame them." Garmadon shrugged. "I did a lot of things I now regret, and since I wasn't locked away after the battle, many people are even more upset that I'm 'still out there.'"

Though Garmadon's tone was matter of fact, Lloyd couldn't help the uneasy churning in his gut. If he were completely honest with himself, he also wasn't quite sure how to take Garmadon's drastic change. Not that he wanted things to go back to the way they were, but having been parentless for the majority of his life this was a drastic switch. However, Garmadon had been present for a little while even when he had the Great Devourer's venom running through his veins, which was more than he could say for Misako. So maybe it wasn't all that odd in the long run.

"-oyd. Lloyd!"

He blinked in surprise, Misako's hand inches from his nose.

"Are you okay? I called you five times."

"What? Oh yeah. Sorry. Just got lost in thought."

Misako studied him. "You sure?"

"Yeah." Something warm flared in his chest and he smiled. "I'm better than I've been in a long time."

"Alright."

Lloyd felt her gaze remain in him even as he transferred the lemonade to a thermos. He pretended not to notice.

"Anything else?"

Shaking his head Garmadon took the lemonade from Lloyd. "This is the last of it. As soon as you're ready we'll load up in my car."

"I'll grab my shoe and meet you there." Lloyd turned and hurried as fast as his bum leg would let him to the room serving as his temporary residence.

In an ironic twist of fate the ninja had been invited to stay at Darkley's since their appartement and the Bounty had been destroyed in the Devourer's and then the Overlord's attacks. The facility had ample space for everyone, especially since schools had been cancelled for the next couple months to allow for rebuilding from the massive destruction that had taken place in the city. Plus the building was removed enough from the city to allow the ninja a semblance of privacy. Any more the ninja could hardly walk the streets of Ninjago City without being swarmed by citizens wanting to talk or get pictures with them.

Lloyd wasn't sure how he felt about returning to Darkley's. On one hand he had six long years of bad memories associated with the place- with mixed ones from the quick trip back after the school's board had attempted to encourage the budding criminals to go straight. Yet now... Lloyd entered the garage and saw his mother and father smiling and talking together by one of the cars... maybe now it could be a place to start over.

Fate did have a somewhat twisted sense of humor when it came to the ninja.

Garmadon soon noticed Lloyd in the doorway. "Ready to head out?"

"You bet."

After piling into the car Garmadon drove down Darkley's winding driveway. Going right would lead to Ninjago City, but Garmadon turned left and after only a minute the paved road gave way to dirt. A few miles later the car pulled off on the side of the road. Lloyd looked out the window curiously.

The sun shone brightly against a lush hillside. Trees lined the edge of the clearing. Lloyd climbed out of the car and a soft breeze tousled his hair. Birds sang to each other and clouds floated lazily by. It was picture perfect in every way.

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help us carry everything?" Lloyd snapped out of his trance at Garmadon's teasing call.

"Right, sorry." He limped to the trunk and took the basket Misako held out.

She led the way up the hill, pausing after a few feet to call back to Lloyd, "The ground is uneven, so watch where you step."

Lloyd resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was a ninja for crying out loud, a healing broken leg wasn't going to throw off his balance that badly. But he supposed Misako still had to figure out how to be his mom, just as he needed to figure out how to have parents, so he just responded, "Okay, thanks for the warning."

At the crest of the hill Miskao spread out a blanket and the three sat down. Lloyd rummaged around in the basket, pulling out the carefully wrapped packages.

"How'd you find this spot?" Lloyd asked while handing Garmadon the lemonade thermos.

The older man shrugged. "I looked out the window." He had a hint of a smile on his face. At Lloyd's unimpressed look he amended, "We didn't have anywhere specific in mind, and this seemed to be a good place." Lloyd had to agree.

The three lapsed into an awkward silence. There hadn't been many moments for them to be alone as a family, considering the other ninja- and samurai- were now considered family and were always nearby, so they still had a lot to learn on the subjects of each other.

"So..." Lloyd dragged out the word, "What are you two planning now that the big bad has been taken care of- no offense Dad."

Garmadon gave an indulgent smile. "None taken, though I'm thankful it wasn't me you ultimately ended up having to fight. But," He glanced at Misako who nodded slightly, "that's actually part of the reason we wanted to come out here today."

"Oh?" The way it had been phrased felt ominous even if Garmadon and Misako didn't look all that serious.

"We know that being back at Darkley's wasn't what you expected after the last battle." That wasn't what Lloyd was expecting to hear from the get go. He nodded but didn't comment as Garmadon continued. "I know we didn't run the decision by you since at the time it was the best option for the entire group but things have changed."

"Changed? What do you mean?"

"What your father means is that the Darkley's school board asked Wu to take over as headmaster."

Lloyd couldn't help but flinch at Misako's words. Both his parents noticed and grimaced.

"We figured as much." Garmadon sighed.

"I don't get why they would ask him. I mean he's our sensei... Why would he- why would he give that up?"

"With Ninjago's greatest threat abolished the police are able to handle crime that the city might generate." Misako placed a gentle hand on Lloyd's knee. "There isn't a need for an active ninja force."

Did that mean he would be stuck at Darkley's again? Even with the new path planned for the students Lloyd had no desire to stay long term at this building again.

"So what does that mean for us?" Lloyd hated the crack that came out in his voice.

Acting like he didn't notice, Garmadon set down the sandwich in his hand. "That's what we're in the process of figuring out. Wu is considering asking the others to stay on as new teachers."

"The others? What about me?" Not sure if he should feel hurt or relieved that Wu's plan didn't seem to include him, Lloyd suddenly wasn't sure he wanted to know what might be in store for his future.

"While now you might technically be the same age as your teammates, they still have a few years of life experience on you. While my brother has said he wouldn't be opposed to you also being on staff, none of us want to put another obligation on you."

'Yet that didn't stop me from fighting the Overlord at twelve.' Lloyd resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. Tomorrow's Tea be hanged, that hadn't stopped destiny from obligating him before.

"Besides there is another option that might interest you." Garmadon nodded to Misako.

"We've been contacted by multiple people and organizations asking for a visit from the green ninja."

That didn't make much sense to Lloyd. "Me? Why would people want me to visit?"

"To say thank you. While the others helped in defeating the Overlord, it was your hand that struck the final blow. You stopped Darkness from reigning over Ninjago and now the people want to give back."

Having been ignored and overlooked the majority of his life, the concept was completely mind boggling. Lloyd traced the rim of his cup. "Do you think doing these would be wise?"

"For better or worse your identity isn't a secret. People are going to flock to you and this could be a way to do it on your terms."

Lloyd frowned into his cup. "But what about the other guys? I wouldn't have been able to fight him if they hadn't helped. They should be there too."

"I'm not trying to deny their contributions," Garmadon responded calmly, "but as the green ninja you are going to be singled out the most. That comes with being destiny's child."

"Please don't ever use that phrase again." Lloyd grimaced, and he noticed Misako nodding in agreement. "But what about you two? Dad, I don't really see you being a school teacher."

"Funny you should say that. Given my skills set I plan to open my own school for martial arts."

"Huh." That actually didn't sound bad. "That would be fun. Would you stay here for that?"

Garmadon shook his head. "No. I know there will be families who want their children to learn under Wu who want nothing to do with me. So I plan to buy a different building on the outskirts of Ninjago City."

"And what about Mom?"

"I'm still figuring it out, to be honest. But," Miskao stressed the word, "I plan to stay close. I've been away from you for far too long. Also, your father and I are still trying to work on being together again. That's best if we can spend time in person together."

Lloyd let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "I know I'd like that." He gave them a small smile.

The tension, as unwanted as it had been to begin with, slowly drained from the atmosphere. Lloyd snagged a piece of cake and changed the topic to a lighter one.

"So how did you and mom meet? Uncle Wu never really talked about that in his stories of when you were growing up."

Garmadon and Misako looked at each other and shared a smile.

"Well, before the venom overtook completely and before the official start of the Serpentine War, Wu and I engaged in several skirmishes with the Serpentine. One day I was in a particularly nasty fight with some Anacondrai. The aftershocks of the fight blew me into a nearby archeological dig..."

As Lloyd sat and listened to his parents' stories of happier times he soaked in every detail he could. If ever there was a perfect day to remember, today definitely qualified.

A/n- some fluffiness bc they definitely deserve it :)