AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sooooo... how do I explain this? I think I'm going to rewrite this book. Not majorly, just delete a few unnecessary chapters like S.O.S, Cheers, How Do You Spell Relief?, and Peek-A-Boo

Maybe split some chapters up a little so they're not too crowded

What do you guys think?

The train had been going for an hour now, with another still to go, and Jay was bored. He wanted to play games on his phone but was trying to preserve its battery. He had forgotten his charger in the rush of packing and running away. He sighed and leaned against the window, watching the world go by. There had been a few stops by now and the cart was mostly empty, which he was grateful for as he had two seats to stretch out.

The train was passing through the countryside and Jay was mesmerised by the scenery. It wasn't like they were going through a forest. It was just empty green hills with a house or a tree rushing past the window. Yet Jay found the emptiness appealing. It reminded him of home. The junkyard was just on the city's outskirts so they were bothered by all the noise and people.

Jay missed home.

He knew he shouldn't have run away like this, but he was desperate. Wouldn't you be in his situation?

But he couldn't stop thinking about his parents. He must have hurt them, running off like that. He wanted to call them, to tell them he was alright and would be home soon. He pulled out his phone but his finger hovered over the call button. What was he supposed to say?

He wanted so desperately to talk to someone, it didn't matter what it was about, but he knew it couldn't be his parents. In a split-second decision, he clicked on Nya's icon and waited.

In Ninjago City, Cole, and the siblings were all on the couch in the Smith family apartment watching a movie. Ray and Maya were out searching for Jay, so they had the whole place. None of them knew what to do with themselves and neither did their friends. Everyone was off doing things, trying to take their mind off the current situation with Jay and his family.

Suddenly Nya's phone started ringing. She sighed and pulled it out, thinking it would be someone she knew asking if she had heard anything. But her eyes widened when she saw Jay's caller ID on the screen. She shot up, startling the boys, and answered.

"Jay? What's happening? Where are you? What's that noise?" She grilled before stopping to take a breath. Jay smiled softly, missing her terribly.

"Cliff's not in the city, neither am I, and I'm on a train."

"Come home, please." She pleaded and Jay winced when he heard her voice crack on the other end.

"I can't do that yet, I have to do this."

"Where are you going? Why are you on a train?"

"He's in Jamanakai working on a movie there and I'm gonna turn up and surprise him." He replied with a smile, thinking about how happy Cliff would be when Jay turned up. Nya started to say something when suddenly the train went through a tunnel and the call cut out. Jay sighed and put his phone away, settling in for the rest of the ride.

Back in Ninjago City, Nya cursed when the signal was lost and she almost threw her phone at the wall in frustration.

"Where's he heading?" Kai asked.

"Jamanakai and I'm going after him."

"Not without me you're not!" Cole exclaimed and the pair ran to her room to make a plan and start packing. Kai sighed and turned on the TV thinking it best he not get involved. Ray and Maya were not going to like this...

The train reached Jamanakai sooner than Jay expected, though that could have been because he had slept through the rest of the ride. He had been startled awake by the conductor rudely nudging him with a stick, telling him he had to leave. Jay gathered up his things and stepped out onto the platform. He was in a mostly empty station, with only someone working at the ticket booth and a homeless man begging by the stairs being the only souls around.

Sighing, Jay left the station and saw the lights of Jamanakai off in the distance. You would think they'd build the station closer to the town, but that wasn't the problem right now. The problem was that Jay had little to no money left and nowhere to stay. He also hadn't eaten since leaving the restaurant. He was cold, tired, and hungry. But most of all, he was scared. He missed his home, he missed his friends, and he missed his parents.

Jay pulled out his phone and groaned when he saw how low the battery was. If he was going to do this, he would have to be quick. He dialed the number and hoped someone was awake to answer it.

Back at the junkyard, neither Ed or Edna could sleep. The police had been useless and so had the pack. Jay was still out there missing and they both refused to sleep until he was home safe and sound. Suddenly the phone started ringing and, thinking it might be some news, they both rushed to answer with Edna reaching it first.

"Hello?!"

"Mom, it's me." He said and she broke down crying in relief.

"Oh, Jay! Thank goodness! Wait, I'll put you on speaker." She said and did just that so Ed could join in the call. "Are you with Cliff yet? Are you OK? Are you in Ninjago City? Are you lost? Please say you're safe!"

"No, yes, no, no, yes."

"I'm sorry, we've all been frantic; are you OK son?" Ed asked and Jay hesitated before speaking.

"I'm fine." He muttered, but they knew he was lying. He knew they knew it too. "I'm sorry I got mad at you guys."

"No, it was our fault."

"I miss you guys."

"We miss you too sweety." Edna smiled warmly, though he couldn't say it.

"Where are you, son?" Ed implored, already grabbing his keys and coat.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you; you'll stop me from finding him."

"We can find Cliff together and talk things over; he can come and see you any time he likes!" She offered but Jay scoffed.

"I don't want him to come SEE me, I want him to be WITH me."

"Then, we'll help you! Just tell us where you are." She pleaded but when there was no response she sighed heavily. "Jay... listen to me, if he wanted you, he wouldn't have left without you; then or now."

"He thinks the world's against him; like I do sometimes," Jay confessed, and he could almost hear Ed and Edna's hearts shattering. Before anyone could say anything his phone buzzed and Jay realized that the device had finally died. He sighed, putting it back in his bag, and went to find somewhere to sleep for the night.

Back in Ninjago City, Ed and Edna were devastated. They tried to call him back, but it kept going to voicemail. Edna broke down crying. Ed tried to ease her pain, but he was fighting his tears. They sat there, curled up together, and cried themselves to sleep that night...

Jay did not have a good night. With no money he couldn't stay in a room, so he had to make do with whatever was around. He settled for a bench under a bus shelter. There wasn't much shelter, but it would do for one night. At least that's what Jay told himself, and by the next morning, he would regret it. He was cold and hungry. Something had woken him up, but his mind was too foggy to make out what.

A pleasant smell invaded his nose and he finally managed to force his eyes open and saw a hand waving a Tupperware box filled with sandwiches in front of his face. His eyes trailed up the arm and his eyes widened when he saw Cole smiling down at him. There was movement out of the corner of his eyes and he saw Nya at the other side of him. Jay had never been more happy to see them.

He quickly sat up, stretching out his stiff muscles, and started scarfing down the sandwiches.

"How'd you find me?" He asked though it was mostly muffled through the food.

"How could we MISS you?" Cole laughed and gestured to him. Jay frowned but when he looked down he almost gagged. Growing up in a junkyard made Jay mostly immune to gross sights and smells but not when it was him. He was covered in dirt and he could pick up the strong stench of body odor. Sometimes werewolf senses suck.

"I haven't found him yet, it's too hard."

"That's why we've come to help you," Cole reassured.

"Yeah, we'll find him together," Nya promised. Without warning, Jay launched towards the pair and pulled them both into a tight hug. "We're forgiven, then?" She chuckled as they returned the hug, with Jay kissing her on the cheek for good measure.

"Yeah, sorry."

"Jay, wait." Nya suddenly said and pulled out a small present. "Happy birthday." She smiled and handed him the present. Ripping the wrapping paper away, a small leather box was revealed and when he opened it he found a silver locket. He opened the locket and gasped at the picture. It was of him and Nya on their first date. They were at the amusement park in front of the Ferris wheel. Jay was holding a cone of cotton candy and they both had big smiles on their faces. Jay remembered when that picture was taken. They had just ridden on the roller coaster and right after this picture was taken Jay had vomited on Nya's shoes.

How he got a second date after that, he would never know.

"I don't deserve you." He smiled and the couple kissed deeply.

"I love you too." Nya beamed sweetly and Cole let them into his truck. "Now, let's go find the deadbeat!"

"Yeah! Someone in Jamanakai must know about a movie being made here!" Cole exclaimed, driving towards the town. Jay nodded, a lot more excited now he had help. Finding Cliff would be so much easier now. It was a small town after all, how hard could it be to find a film crew and a famous actor?...

Kai clicked his tongue in annoyance as he was once again put on hold. This had happened five times now. You would think finding your runaway sister and boyfriend would be a lot easier than this. You would also think his parents would be grateful for his efforts, but no. When they found out Nya AND Cole had run away too, they were pissed at him for not stopping them and now Kai was grounded indefinitely.

At least they didn't take his phone off him in case Nya called.

Right now they were out picking up some guests and would be home soon, so he had to make this quick.

Suddenly his phone clicked and a woman's voice greeted him.

"Hello? Er, could you tell me where in Jamanakai you're making your movie? It's for my school paper." He lied and after a moment he smirked, getting the answer he wanted. He thanked the person on the other end and hung up. "Alright little sis, I'm coming to get you." He said to himself, only to freeze when a familiar scent filled his nose. Slowly turning around, his eyes widened when he saw both his parents and the Walkers standing in the doorway. They must have been the guests his parents were talking about and judging by the looks on their faces they heard everything.

Not thinking twice, Kai leaped from the bed, ducked under the adults, and bolted for the door. Ray was quicker though and blocked the front door. Kai tried to double back to look for another way out, only to find himself surrounded.

"Tell us where Jay's going!" Ed demanded.

"I can't! I'm no snitch!" Kai shouted but suddenly Edna, with strength no one suspected she had, lifted him by the front of his shirt and slammed him into a nearby wall.

"You listen here and you listen close!" She hissed dangerously. Kai looked to his parents but it was clear they weren't going to save him. "I have been up all night wondering where the hell my child is and thinking all kinds of horrible things that could have happened to him so if you value that precious hair of yours I suggest you start talking!" She bellowed and seeing no way out of it Kai reluctantly confessed to everything.

As soon as they got the location out of him, Ed and Edna dropped him and ran down to their car, with the Smith family following close behind. They almost knocked Lou over when they all ran out into the street. He had come to see if Kai had heard from Cole. As soon as he saw them speeding away he realized where they were going. Quickly he got back in his car and floored it after them...

Turns out it wasn't as hard to find out where Cliff was after all. Jamanakai wasn't a big town and the movie being filmed here was all anybody was talking about. When the trio arrived at the location they saw that it was fenced off with a few security guards patrolling the area. This would be a problem for normal people, but for three werewolves it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Using their powers, the three of them jumped over the fence effortlessly and began their search.

Nya and Cole had to tell Jay to be careful as they avoided being caught, but Jay wasn't listening. He was too busy trying to find his father and not paying attention to anything else, including the guards. Luck was on their side though and they managed to make it to the main movie set with no trouble. Jay was in awe as he took everything from the set design, the costumes, and the props until he saw him.

Cliff was at the other end of the set surrounded by women applying makeup and helping him put on his costume. To Jay, he looked so cool and like a real space hero.

The teens watched as Cliff finished getting ready, he walked onto the set and climbed on top of one of the props. It looked like an alien version of a bull and it started jerking about as Cliff pretended to wrestle it. Suddenly the machine experienced some sort of failure and lurched up too much, throwing Cliff through the air and to the ground with a thud. Fortunately, nothing was hurt but his pride and he was already muttering quiet curses to himself. Jay either didn't realize this or didn't care and before anyone could stop him he ran out onto the set, shocking everyone, especially Cliff.

"Are you all right?!" He cried as he tried to help Cliff to his feet, only to be shoved off by the actor. He was about to ask Jay why he was there when the director suddenly stormed over to them and he did not look happy.

"Someone get these feral children off my set!" He shouted, glaring at the teens like they were filth off the bottom of his boots. Jay winced and shrank a little at his tone and Cole glared at the men. Nya opened her mouth to insult the director, only for Cliff to jump in between them and give the director a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I'll handle this." He promised and practically dragged the trio away to his dressing room. As soon as they were alone he turned to his son and glared at him. "I could've lost my job! What are you doing here?!" He demanded and Jay looked away sheepishly.

"I wanted to see you." He muttered and Cliff froze, shocked. Did Jay really come all this way on his own just to see him? Even after the way he left this time? After a moment, Cliff smiled and placed a comforting hand on Jay's shoulder. He would have hugged him but Jay was filthy and Cliff didn't want to ruin his costume.

"Yeah, he wanted to see you so bad he was willing to sleep in the dirt; just shows you how much he cares."

"Nya!" Cole scolded, but she shrugged, refusing to apologize or take back what she said. Cliff glared at the girl, officially fed up with her horrible attitude. Seriously, he knew Ray and Maya could both be brash but one would think they had taught their children better manners, and to think he almost let the Smiths take Jay. If this is the result of their parenting then Cliff was almost thankful Wu had let that human couple raise Jay.

Suddenly there was a loud banging on the dressing room door and one of the crew called Cliff back to the set. He sighed and pulled out a plastic card.

"This is the key to my hotel in town." He handed it to Jay. "Go and wait for me there, and get cleaned up." Jay made to protest, but Cliff stopped him. "We'll be celebrating later and I might have a surprise for you." He promised but before Jay could say anything, the actor was out the door and rushing back to the set.

Jay just stood there, frozen and unsure what to do. Nya was glaring at the door as if Cliff was still standing there. Cole stood off to the side, worried about what to say or do. He soon decided that there wasn't much they could do now and led the couple out of the dressing room, past the set, and back towards the car. He drove them all to the hotel where Cliff was staying and using the key they went into the bedroom.

It was a bedroom fit for royalty. It was filled with the best things anyone could think of from soft pillows, beautiful decor, and the latest technologies, and there was even a jacuzzi. Yet none of them could find it within themselves to enjoy these amenities. They simply settled in and waited for Cliff to return.

They waited for hours and soon the sky was darkening and the sun was setting, but there was still no sign of Cliff. They couldn't be filming still, could they?

"Where is he?" Jay muttered as he paced around the room. "Maybe he had an accident?"

"More like he 'accidentally' forgot he had a son, again." Nya hissed only to be nudged painfully in the side by Cole. She glared at him but he nodded to Jay. She looked at her boyfriend and her glare disappeared when she saw the heartbroken look on his face. "Jay, I'm- I'm sorry." She said but he turned away from her. Nya tried to reassure him, but she couldn't find the words. Her phone suddenly started ringing, saving her from any more trouble, and she saw it was Kai. Smiling softly, she answered the call. "Hey, bro."

"Hi, Nya, can you put Jay on?" Edna asked and Nya froze. She was about to double-check the caller ID when Kai's voice called out in the background.

"Sorry sis! They made me tell! Also, Mom and Dad are looking for you, so it's been nice knowing ya!" He cried and she rolled her eyes but took no notice of him.

"It's not a good time, Edna." She said, noticing the way Jay's posture stiffened at the sound of Edna's voice. "He's a little upset because Cliff hasn't come home from work yet."

"...Can you tell him Ed and I rang to say happy birthday?" Edna asked quietly, and Nya's heart broke.

"Yeah, of course." She promised before hanging up. Silence surrounded the three of them with Jay and Nya at the far ends of the room with Cole between them, his eyes darting back and forth between them, not sure if he should say something.

Just then there was a frantic banging against the bedroom door. Jay's eyes lit up, thinking it might be Cliff finally coming back, and ran to open it. The second the door clicked open it was pushed open and Jay was shoved against the wall by it with enough force to knock the wind out of his lungs. He wheezed and watched as Maya, Ray, and Lou came running into the room and charged at their children.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED WE WERE, YOU STUPID GIRL?!" Maya screamed as she grabbed Nya by the shoulders and started shaking the girl. "YOU RUN OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH NO NOTE OR CALL AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT HOW WE'D FEEL DID YOU?!"

"Maya, stop before you kill her!" Ray exclaimed and pulled his wife off their daughter. Nya breathed a sigh of relief, but it only lasted for a moment when Ray suddenly rounded to glare at her. "Don't think I'm not pissed as well young lady! You're gonna be grounded until you're 50!"

"Are you determined to drive me to an early grave?!" Lou shouted at Cole, who looked at the ground in shame. The three adults continued scolding the teens, including Jay, for a few more minutes when right at that instant the phone in the room suddenly started ringing and Jay answered it.

"Hey, kid! You OK in the hotel?" Cliff exclaimed on the line and Jay smiled in relief until he could make out loud voices and music in the background.

"Where are you?"

"I told you! My surprise, remember? See you soon!" Cliff promised before he suddenly hung up.

Jay stood there, phone still up to his ear, not sure what to do now. A hand gripped his shoulder gently and he turned to see it was Ray. He was giving the younger werewolf a look but Jay couldn't tell if it was sympathetic or pitiful and he couldn't tell which one he hated more at that moment. Firmly but gently, Ray led him out of the room and out to the cars with the others following close behind. At first, Jay thought they were trying to take him back to Ninjago, but they assured him that wasn't what they were doing.

Reluctantly, Jay went with them and they drove back to town. He and Nya were in her parents' car and Lou was driving behind them with Cole. It was night now and the small town was mostly dark aside from the street lights and a few lit windows. Jay tried to look out towards the set location but they were too far away so he couldn't make out whether there were still people there or not. The drive was silent until Ray pulled up next to a small forest they all got out and the kids followed the adults through the trees.

As they walked through the trees and into a clearing Jay frowned when he picked up the scent of multiple people and hushed whispers. He was about to ask what was going on when the clearing was suddenly flooded with light. Jay flinched and let his eyes adjust. When they did they widened when he saw where the light was coming from.

The trees on the outline of the small clearing were wrapped in bright garden lights, illuminating the area. A plastic table was set up with all kinds of food and a blue birthday cake in the center with his name on it. There was a small portable DJ booth on one side of the clearing and a large pile of presents on the other. Gathered around the table were all Jay's friends and their parents - minus Harumi's - smiling at him.

"Happy birthday, Jay!" They all cheered and Jay was stunned, but only for a moment. As soon as he got over the shock a big smile spread across his face and he took it all in.

"This is the best birthday ever! How did he do it?"

"How did who?"

"Cliff! How did he get you all here so quickly? He's hiding, isn't he?" He grinned and started looking around, but he couldn't find Cliff anywhere. He turned to the others, who were all looking at him either in concern, pity, or disappointment. Eventually, it was Lloyd who stepped forward and spoke.

"Jay... it wasn't Cliff who did all this." He said and winced as if he was bracing himself for Jay to explode. Jay didn't say or do anything, however. He stood there, completely lost for words, as he took in the faces of all his friends until his eyes landed on his parents. As soon as he saw their faces he suddenly couldn't breathe. He ran from the hall and out onto the streets. He hunched over and gripped his knees, gasping for air. It was a few minutes before he heard the doors open behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Ed and Edna standing there, looking at him with worry and love.

"You- You came all this way for me, even when I told you I was OK?"

"We were worried about you, it's our job as your parents." Edna smiled and she pulled the boy into a hug. "When we found out Cliff hadn't arranged anything, we couldn't bear it." She sighed, running her fingers through his curls. "It's your 18th and we wanted it to be special."

"It will be if you take me to see Cliff." He said and his parents froze. "Please, it's what I want."

"Alright, I've heard where he is." Ed exhaled and went back inside to grab his keys. As they waited Jay turned to Edna, worried about what she might be thinking, but she simply smiled at him...

The club was hopping and the music was pounding in his ears, but Cliff was loving every second of it. He was surrounded by fun people, he had his favorite drink in his hand, he had a gorgeous woman hanging off his arm, and Diana wasn't upset by it and watching them in amusement. To put the cherry on top of this delicious cake he finally had his son back in his life where he belonged. Now they could make up for all those years of bonding lost to them by grief and prejudice.

Cliff couldn't stop himself from frowning at the memory. He knew he would never forgive Wu or the others for how they all but stole his son from him. He was grieving for the loss of his wife and instead of helping him - like the friends he thought they were - they left him to spiral and when he was at his lowest they swooped in and snatched the only good thing he had left in his life.

He didn't blame the Walkers.

They did a good job at raising Jay, but that didn't do much to ease the pain in his heart. Jay's first steps, his first words, Cliff had missed it all because he had trusted a spiteful old man who was convinced that a human couldn't be a good parent for a young werewolf. Cliff knew he wasn't completely blameless; he had agreed all too easily. What did he know of werewolves or their culture? Before learning the truth he believed that werewolves were myths or monsters in old horror movies so he thought that Jay would be better off without him getting in the way.

Yet that left one question though:

If Ed and Edna, who were humans like him, could look after Jay then why couldn't he?

Cliff was snapped out of his thoughts by his date kissing his neck. To hell with it, there was no point in dwelling in the past. It was time to look to the future, more importantly, it was time to pay attention to the beautiful babe begging for his attention. They started making out, but unfortunately, it was short and sweet. Someone cleared their throat behind him and Cliff groaned. Thinking it was a fan he turned around, intending to tell them to get lost, only to squark in surprise when he saw Jay standing only a few feet away.

"Um, I-I needed to see you." He stammered as he blushed bright red, nervously glancing back and forth between them. Cliff gave Diana an apologetic smile before he grabbed Jay by the arm and led him towards the nearest exit.

"You're not old enough to drink - you'll get me thrown out! Go back to the hotel and wait." He instructed but Jay's eyes narrowed and he pulled his arm out of Cliff's grip.

"I don't want to go back there!"

"You will do what I tell you!" He shouted and got a look from the bouncer. Cliff sighed and they stepped out of the club and onto the street. "Jay, I told you I'd be home soon."

"But you said you had a surprise for me."

Cliff's anger was gone in an instant and he smiled at the excitement. "I have! I'm going to Hollywood to direct my own movie."

"...That's your surprise?"

"Yeah, it's a big opportunity! I've never directed my own project before." He grinned and when he saw the disappointed look on Jay's face he smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder in a way he thought would be comforting. "Don't worry, I'll send for you as soon as I get settled." He promised and Jay's glare returned. The teen bared his teeth before he roughly shoved Cliff's hand off him, surprising the actor.

"No, you won't! You'll get there and you'll just let me down again!" He shouted angrily. Cliff opened his mouth to argue when he suddenly looked past Jay's shoulder and his eyes narrowed at something behind him.

"What're they doing here?" He asked and when Jay turned around he saw his parents standing further down the street. Realizing they had been spotted, the couple took each other's hand and approached, standing at either side of Jay as a sign of support.

"Don't worry, we're not staying," Ed said coldly. "Just tell me that you REALLY want him and he's the most important person in the world to you."

"How dare you! Of course, he's important to me!"

"Then look after him PROPERLY or you'll have us to answer to," Edna warned but Cliff scoffed at her threat and turned to Jay, wondering if the boy was going to let them talk to him like this. Jay stood there awkwardly for a moment before he took a deep breath and looked Cliff directly in the eye.

"It's my birthday today; my 18th." He said and Cliff's mouth fell open in shock and his eyes widened. Jay sighed and shook his head sadly. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"It's been a long time! I-I'll make it up to you." He spluttered but Jay scoffed loudly. "Jay, I do love you."

"I love you too, I can't help it, but you're a hopeless Dad, you always were!"

"Well... you're not a baby anymore..."

"And that makes it alright?!" Jay snapped, his eyes now burning with tears. "I get finding out a secret like that was a shock but you can't just dump a baby, ignore them for almost 20 years, and then expect them to welcome you back with open arms!" He shouted, his eyes flickering to yellow for a split second before he took a moment to compose himself. "Look, Cliff, if you want to stay in contact with me here's my number." He said and gave him a slip of paper. "Enjoy your party and I'll go enjoy mine."

With that, Jay respectfully bid his goodbyes and went with his parents back to attend his birthday party, leaving Cliff alone in the streets...

Jay smiled warmly as he watched his friends enjoying the party. There wasn't much to do now. The candles had been blown out, the presents had been opened, and the food had been eaten, so now everyone was starting to unwind. Cole and Kai were off in the bushes entertaining themselves, thinking no one had noticed them sneaking away. Harumi and Morro were half listening to Lloyd as he went on and on about everything he knew about the Starfarer franchise. Nya was still technically grounded so she sat in a chair with Ray and Maya standing at either side of her, acting almost like prison guards. Pixal and Zane were sat at the table, smiling and talking quietly to each other. Skylor was also sitting at the table trying one of each sweet treat that was brought to the party.

Jay was so content in his thoughts that he almost failed to notice the people walking up beside him. He looked and saw Ed and Edna smiling at him. No one said anything for a moment before Jay found his voice.

"Why did you choose me?" He asked meekly, almost as if he was scared to ask. The couple gave him a confused look but he clarified. "You could have adopted any child, a human child, so why did you choose me?"

"Jay, it wasn't a matter of choice." Ed insisted but Jay frowned, not believing them.

"After we filed for adoption we learned that Cliff had signed away his paternal rights, courtesy of Wu, and then Wu came to visit us and tried to convince us to give you to the pack, saying that the Smiths would be happy to raise you with their twins but we refused, and nothing he or the others could do would change our minds." Edna flinched at the memory. "Then he showed us his eyes and fangs in an attempt to convince us that you weren't human and you wouldn't fit in with our lives."

"So why didn't you give me away?"

"Because when we found you, it was like an answer to a pray," Ed replied with a kind smile. "Jay, we had been trying for a baby for over a decade with no luck so when you came into our lives it was like someone was watching over us and it didn't matter whether you were human or not, there was no way we were going to give you up without a fight."

Jay was quiet for a moment as he stared at them before he suddenly burst into tears. His parents did nothing but smile and pulled him into a group hug, letting him sob into their loving embrace.

"I'm- I'm sorry for how I've been acting, I don't know why I've been acting like this!" He hiccuped loudly. "You've done so much for me and what do I do? Just throw it all back in your faces! It'd serve me right if you guys had left me!"

"Oh honey, there's nothing you could do that would make us abandon you; you're stuck with us forever." Edna beamed as she wiped away his tears. Jay laughed through his tears and his parents showered him with love and kisses.

They stayed huddled together for a long time until it was time to go. They were able to pack everything up easily and they all drove back towards Ninjago City. They were about halfway there when Jay felt his phone buzzing. He looked up at the pair in the front seats. Edna was fast asleep with her head leaning against the window and Ed's focus was entirely on the road ahead of them.

Jay pulled out his phone and saw it was a text from an unknown number, but Jay knew who it was from.

-Goodbye son, you have my number now if you ever need anything.

Jay sighed and put his phone away. He supposed he should be upset with that, but for some reason, he wasn't. He didn't know why and he didn't care. At least Cliff said goodbye this time.

It wasn't like Jay was still a little boy wondering why he was so different and why his birth parents didn't want him. It's not like Cliff did anything for him anyway. He wasn't there to teach Jay how to ride a bike, but he learned after many attempts and scraped knees. Jay learned how to drive, and how to shave, and had his first date without Cliff's help. He had 17 great birthdays without him even sending a single card.

Jay was going to get through college, get a great job, marry the love of his life all on his own, and have tons of kids that he would never abandon. He was already halfway there. He had great parents, a great girlfriend, amazing friends, and a bright future ahead of him.

What more could he possibly want?...

NEXT CHAPTER: Pixal follows her dreams, regardless of who she might hurt in the process...