I know, I know... when I first posted this idea in my 'Ninjago Pilots' book, I said that I was going to start properly with this story either after Halloween or after completing NvS, neither of which has happened yet (although both are fairly close).

Also, this busy week isn't over yet so I'm technically still on a break, just here to post this now. Will try to catch up on my alerts on the weekend!

Anyway, there is a really good reason why I am posting this chapter today: This story has an OC (and it will be a Lloyd x OC pairing), the character (Katherine) belongs to my friend Amy4Walker (who gave me permission to use her), and today (Friday, the 26th October) is AMY's BIRTHDAY - 🎉 Happy Birthday my friend 🎉 !!!

The story takes place six years after Rebooted, some events from seasons 4+ have happened, but not all. Chapters will be written either in Jay or Nya's POV (but not alternating as in NvS). Each chapter begins with a little flashback, these range from about a week before the fateful field trip to Borg Industries into the time between Rebooted and the 'present'. They are not in chronological order, so some things might only make sense later.

Next chapter won't be published until I've finished at least one other book though 😉.

Btw, I still haven't managed to come up with a decent book title, and suggestions would be very much appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago or its characters. The child OCs are mine (the Ninja's kids are the same as in my NextGen storyline), and Katherine belongs to Amy4Walker .

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Chapter 1 (Jay)

Six years ago, after Zane's funeral

I angrily slam the door shut with my foot and throw myself on my bed, burying my face in my pillow. Me and my remaining teammates have just returned from Zane's funeral in Ninjago City and are now back at Sensei Wu's Academy.

Our students have already been sent home, and now us teachers are going to take a break as well. "This is about family." Zane has said, and he is right. I want - I need - to spend some time with my parents. And, to be honest, I also just need to get away from it all for a few days.

After what has happened, we are all in desperate need for some time off. I am particularly worried about Nya. And not only because I care about her the most (although I do!). But also because she hasn't been feeling too well for the last few days. She looks very pale and has lost a good bit of weight. According to Kai, she has hardly eaten anything because she's been nauseous all the time.

I wish I could hold her, comfort her, make her laugh like I used to do. I just really want to make her feel better. But I guess I should give her some space. Cole and I have put a lot of pressure onto her with our fighting, surely that hasn't helped either.

I am still going to see her though before I leave for the junkyard. Just now, when we arrived back at the school, she asked me if we could talk. But before that could happen, she had to rush to the bathroom again, and I don't think she'd want me see her throw up. Not that this has never happened before, but it just wouldn't be right at the moment, to make her display any sign of weakness in front of me.

Eventually, my position gets rather uncomfortable, as I am still in my full gear. I sit up and take off my armour, then I hastily throw a few items into my duffel bag. I take a quick look around to check I haven't forgotten anything important, before I leave my room. I should be back in a couple of days anyway.

I walk up the stairs to the second floor where the female teachers' rooms are. Currently, only one of them is occupied.

I gently knock on the door. "Nya?" I ask. No answer. When I carefully check, I find the door locked. Okay, so it's not actually occupied right now. Maybe Nya is already waiting for me downstairs.

As I walk down the stairs again, I take a look outside through the large window overlooking the school grounds. I frown when I see Nya standing on the front porch, talking to Cole. They are smiling happily at each other, before they suddenly hug.

Again.

I almost drop my bag when I realise what it was that she wanted to talk to me about. As if the day hasn't been awful enough already.

Holding each other, the happy couple doesn't even hear me walking up to them.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" I ask sarcastically in a rather loud voice, making them break apart.

"Jay." Nya smiles as she approaches me, holding out her hand in the same way as she did when I first found out about her Perfect Match at my parents' junkyard.

And just like that time, I don't take it. "I guess you have made her choice." I hiss.

"What?" She asks, her beautiful brown eyes wide open in shock. "I-I swear, it's not what it looked like."

"You should never swear, it's a sign of weak verbal skills." I say coldly. "But at least it matches your level of social skills, because the decent thing to do would have been to tell me first, instead of making me find out about you this way." I have been brought up never to raise my voice (or my hand, of course) against a woman, and it takes all my willpower not to yell the last part.

"And that's exactly what she did." My former best friend exclaims. "Listen, we..."

"I'm done listening." I have no problem shouting at him. "I thought we were brothers – even when we were rivals. But brothers don't stab each other in the back." I actually feel more like getting stepped on when I'm already down on the ground, but it doesn't matter.

"Jay, please let me explain..." Nya cries. But I am not interested.

And that's what I tell her as I take my bag and hop into my Thunder Raider, leaving the school and my (ex-)friends behind.

And I am not coming back.

——-

Present day

"Jay?" A knock on the open classroom door brings me back from my memories. "Are you busy?"

I look up, recognising my favourite colleague standing in the doorway. "Hi Kath." I flash her a little smile. "No, not at all."

I am actually grateful for the distraction. Most of the teachers have already gone home for the day, and it's a bit too quiet here for my liking.

"I-I need your help." She says hesitantly, nervously fiddling with the green flower pendant she wears around her neck. "Can-can you please watch one of my kids, like for maybe half an hour or so? Her mum's just called, she's running late, and... I have to leave now to go to my... appointment. It's Wednesday, you know. And everyone else is gone already and..."

When Katherine gets nervous – which happens fairly often – she has a habit of rambling, just like me.

"Sure, it's fine." I reassure her. It's not like I'd have anything better to do anyway. Just a huge empty mansion to go home to. Which is why I usually stay longer in the evenings, to do some repairs and work on my inventions, even though it's not part of my job.

I am a school teacher, by the way. Hilarious, I know - the most childish and impatient person in all of Ninjago is now teaching primary school kids, but I really like my job. And I believe that I am rather good at it, too.

When I left the team, I first did a good bit of traveling around Ninjago, trying to leave my past behind and to figure out what to do with my life - other than being a Ninja that is. And I realised that I had actually enjoyed being a teacher at Sensei Wu's Academy, we had just not been properly prepared for the task. And it's fair to say that our former Darkley's students didn't make our jobs any easier either.

So this time, I decided to do it right. I took proper classes and did some internships before I became a STEM teacher at the Ninjago 'Elementary Masters' school about sixteen months ago. Katherine Dashner is the kindergarten teacher here, she is also my closest (well, more like my only) friend. And she is the only one here who knows who I was.

There is absolutely nothing romantic going on between my brunette colleage and me. Kath is more like a little sister to me. Sure, that's what Cole also used to say about Nya, but unlike my backstabbing, girlfriend stealing ex best friend, I am a man of my word.

I am not interested in a new relationship at all. Nya was my first, my everything. I remember every moment we spent together. Every kiss. Every shared pudding cup. Those nights of passion, when she snuck into my room.

I feel a light blush creeping onto my cheeks. I really should not be thinking about that. And it would be best if I could stop thinking about my ex-girlfriend at all.

Because I also remember the time when she suddenly became distant and started insisting on boundaries. Her disgusted face when I offered her my pudding on the day before we went to Borg Industries. Then, of course, the Perfect Match disaster. And as much as I want to, I just cannot forget the day when she chose my best friend over me.

But I guess we all have our past to deal with.

When I first met Katherine, she was stuck in an abusive relationship. I was able to help her get away from her violent boyfriend and I let her stay at my place for a few months afterwards, before she eventually felt strong enough again to live on her own. She is doing fairly well now, but she is still too afraid to start dating anyone new. And every Wednesday afternoon, she attends a group meeting for victims of domestic abuse.

And that is how this story has actually started.

"Thanks, you're the best." She smiles.

"I know." I wink at her.

Kath turns to the small person hiding behind her.

"Abby, you don't need to be shy." She says softly. "This is my friend, Mr Gordon. He's going to mind you until your mum collects you, okay?"

Mr Gordon.

About three years ago, I found out that I was adopted. Apparently, my mum and dad found me on their doorstep when I was just a newborn, and they were the best parents one could ever wish for.

As it turned out, my biological father is Cliff Gordon, actor, super star and ironically one of my childhood idols. Sadly, I never got to meet him, but when he passed away, he left his estate and all his worldly possessions to his only child – me.

This has not changed anything about my relationship with my (adoptive) parents, if anything it has brought us even closer together, although I don't get to see them as much as I would like to. It was my ma's idea for me to use my birth father's last name. Although I quit being a Ninja six years ago, Jay Walker is still quite famous all over Ninjago. But hardly anybody knows Jason Gordon.

"This is Abigail. She is in my kindergarten class." Kath introduces her pupil.

I adjust my blue rimmed glasses to look at the girl. Not that I would need them, but it makes it less likely for me to get recognised by my eyes. I have never met anyone else with the same shade of deep blue.

Until today that is.

Abigail, a cute little girl of about five years, curiously looks back at me with her sapphire orbs. She has long brown hair in two pigtails; and with her almond shaped eyes and freckles, she looks oddly familiar but I can't quite place it.

"Hi Abby." I smile at the small child. "Please, come in."

"Good afte'noon Mr Gordon." She replies politely as she skips into my classroom/ office/ workshop.

"Please apologise the mess." I say, gesturing at the blueprints scattered all over my desk.

"That's okay." She replies, glancing around with interest. "I like inventing."

"Do you also like building things?" I ask. "I could use some help with a couple of repairs."

"My mummy says I like bweaking things." She blushes. "Mummy's good at fixing stuff."

"Then, let's find out how good you are." From a drawer, I take out a cordless drill and show it to her. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's a dwill." She answers correctly.

"I can see you're a smart litt- uhm big girl." Abby beams at me. "C'mon. Let's check how many of the older kids have broken their chairs again..."

"Thanks, Jay." My friend blows me a kiss as she leaves the room. "I will text Abby's mum and let her know where she is."

As we replace and tighten screws on some chairs and desks, I notice that Abby is surprisingly skilled for a five-year old. I still fondly remember how my dad taught me how to use tools when I was about her age.

I tell this story to her when we are back in my classroom, sitting at my (now cleaned up) desk and fixing some smaller items with a glue gun.

"My mummy is teaching me too." She informs me. "I don' know my daddy, he left us befo' I was born."

I feel anger rising inside me. This world is full of jerks who don't treat women the way they deserve. When we were together, I would have done anything for Nya. Not that it has made any difference in the end...

"What does your mum do?" I want to know, trying to change the topic.

"She saves Ninjago." Abby boasts.

"Amazing." I pretend to be impressed. Not so long ago, I used to save Ninjago but I can't tell her that. "Is she a policewoman?"

"She's a superhero." She replies. "An' my aunts and uncles too. We all live together."

She's a funny little girl. "Wow, you must have an interesting family." I remark.

Abigail nods. "I do. Do you have a family?" She enquires.

"No." I reply. "Sadly not."

I start wondering if, had things gone differently, Nya and I would have our own little family by now... but there's no use thinking too much about that because unfortunately, we don't, and she possibly has some children with Cole instead.

"Miss Kathie is nice." Abby mentions. "Is she your girlfwiend?"

"No." I shake my head. "But she is my best friend."

"She's my fwiend too." The girl agrees. "An' Olivia is my best fwiend."

"Careful, it's hot." I notice that the melted glue is about to drip down onto Abby's small hand.

"Don' wowwy." She shrugs. "Hot things don' hurt me, mummy says I'm like my uncle."

I'm not exactly convinced by that, so I quickly take the gun from her to get rid of the excess glue, but Abby seems to be a stubborn little person, so I give it back to her afterwards and let her continue her work, just keeping an even closer eye on her fingers.

Shortly afterwards, I hear another knock on the door. "Come in." I call, and a beautiful red-haired woman enters.

"I am so sorry I'm late." She apologises. "I hope you didn't have to stay here to wait for me."

"It's no problem." I say to her. "I needed to do some repairs anyway and could really use such a great helper."

"That' me." Abby claims.

"Yes, you're always such a great girl, your mummy is very proud of you." The woman affectionately ruffles the girl's hair. "Thank you so much Mr..."

"Gordon. Jason Gordon." I hold out my hand. "You're Abby's mother?"

They don't look alike at all.

"No, silly Mr Gordon." Abby giggles. "This is my aunty."

"Skylor Chen." She shakes my hand. "My sister-in-law has been caught up in an important missi- uhm, meeting. I came here as soon as she called me, but got stuck in traffic."

"No problem, traffic here in the city is just mental." I sometimes still miss the Destiny's Bounty and all the other cool vehicles we've had. But most of all, I miss my dragon – and, of course, I miss my friends. But I guess it would be too late just to show up. And I wouldn't even know where they now live.

"Thanks again, Mr Gordon." Skylor flashes me a little smile. "Abby, please say goodbye and thank you to Mr Gordon."

"Bye bye." Abby pipes up. "An' thank you, Mr Gordon."

"No problem at all." I answer. "I actually have to thank you for your help, Abby."

"You're welcome, Mr Gordon." She says. "An' by the way, you're also my fwiend now."