Candy!!! 🍭🍬🍭🍬🍭

Prompt: Next Generation

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"Alright," Skylor announced, entering the drawing room with a digital camera clasped in her hands. "Come on. Everyone get ready for the photo."

She frowned as she was met with her kids fighting. Her ten year-old  daughter growled as she tried to tug her ribbon from her younger brother's grasp, her chocolate brown tresses in a disarray. "Give it back, ash-brain!"

"No!" Damien denied, pulling harder. "I need it to tie my soldier action figures together so that Batman can come save them." With surprising strength for an eight year-old, Damien succeeded in tearing out the ribbon from his sister's hands.

"Irene! Damien!" Skylor screamed, storming over and snatching the ribbon from the redhead boy. "No fighting! It's picture time."

"Tell Irene that she's a big meanie!" Damien yelled, stomping his foot on the maroon carpet. Their mother gave an exasperated sigh and turned towards her husband who was making sure there weren't any blemishes on his face in the mirror. "Kai, help me out, please."

"Listen to your mother, kids," the brunet replied, not even making an effort to turn away from his "perfect" reflection. Skylor groaned and threw the camera on the couch.

"Right," she stated with determination as she pulled up her sleeves.

She procured a string and tied up Damien's soldiers; grabbed Irene and styled her hair into a perfect ponytail; straightened up her kids' clothes and sat them down on the couch; turned on the camera and set it on the mahogany table all in under one minute (funny how a mother could do that).

Kai finally turned around to see his family all ready and waiting for him with angelic smiles. "Alright!" He cheered as he walked over and kissed the top of Irene's head. "We'll wait till the others arrive then it'll be time for the Ninja family to snap some pics!"

Damien narrowed his eyes at his father as if he was studying his features, then he said, "Your nose looks really ugly, Dad." His father panicked and dashed back to the mirror, observing his nose.

He sighed in relief as he saw that there was nothing wrong with it. "False alarm," he breathed out, giving himself a dashing smile in the mirror. "I'm still handsome."

"And I'm still waiting," Skylor snapped, grabbing him by his shoulder and dragging him back to the couch. "Now sit your egotistic butt down!"

The siblings snickered as Kai grumbled and seated himself beside his son. "Why can't you just let me admire my perfect young self?"

His wife rolled her blue eyes at him. "You're thirty plus and the father of two," she pointed out, hands on her hips. "Face it, hot-shot, you're old."

Kai's face turned red as Irene and Damien burst out laughing. However, they both stopped upon receiving a stern look from their mother. Skylor took in a deep, calming breath before checking the clock. "The others should be here by now."

Just as those words left her mouth, they heard a noisy procession of cars outside. Car doors slammed, keys jingled, kids chattered and before long, the bell rang. Skylor quickly fixed her hair in the mirror and bounded down the hall to the main door.

She pulled it open, a welcoming smile on her face. Up front stood Cole and Seliel with their son, Justin, while the rest of the gang was gathered behind them, beaming as soon as they saw Skylor. Cole, however, was busy with explaining something to his kid.

"When the food is served, don't go crazy with the cupcakes, okay?"

"Yes, Dad," mumbled Justin lazily, leaning against his mother. "Tell that to yourself, Cole," Seliel commented, smirking.

Jay rolled his eyes and pushed past the Brookstones. "Is the cake family done or do we have to stand here all evening?"

Skylor smiled as she stepped aside, letting everyone inside, greeting as each person passed by. She perked up excitedly as Lloyd entered with a year old baby girl in his arms. Her blonde curls and her emerald eyes made her look like a life-like doll.

The redhead took the baby from Lloyd, already talking to her in baby-ish voices. "Aww, look at our little Arianna!" Skylor exclaimed, taking the baby to the drawing room while Arianna's parents and sisters followed behind.

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Kai didn't think that growing up and having kids would change the way how his friends acted. Sure, they were all very strict parents (except for Jay) but they still had those personalities which made them who they were.

Jay was still the jokester, Zane was still calm and calculating, Cole was still a cinnamon roll and Lloyd was still bossy but the baby of the family. It was hard to think of the blonde as the father of three.

Their kids weren't any different either. For example, a few minutes into tea and Justin had managed to stuff seven cupcakes into his mouth, getting frosting all around his lips and even in his hair.

Seliel groaned, grabbing her son by his frosting covered hand and leading him towards the bathroom to clean up. "You're no different from your father."

Pixal smiled amusedly as Cole quickly dropped his fourth cupcake which he was sneakily picking off from the plate.

"When's picture time, Uncle Kai?" Cliff asked, straightening his auburn hair. "I styled my hair just like yours for it." Kai observed his nephew's spiky hairstyle and gave him a thumbs-up. "Looks good. Who did it?"

"Mom did!" Cliff announced, gesturing at Nya who was gossiping with her daughter, Lydia, and Irene.

Skylor clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright people! It's time for the ultimate family photo." All the kids cheered loudly except for Penelope. Instead of making noise, the female android beamed excitedly, the cheeks of her synthetic skin glowing.

As everyone began standing up to get into position, Lloyd noticed the absence of his youngest daughter. It wasn't unusual for her to disappear, though. Ever since Arianna had learned to crawl, she had made it her habit to wriggle out from her parents' grasp and crawl under tables or behind sofa chairs.

"Marilyn," he whispered to his wife, "Have you seen Ari?" The brunette shook her head, looking around as well. "I thought she was with you." Lloyd glanced under the coffee table but found nothing. "She was but you know she doesn't stay put."

"Hey, Lloyd," Jay called out, licking his thumb and running it over Fritz's eyebrows to which he tried to pull away. "What's the hold up, buddy?"

"I can't find my kid," Lloyd replied, his voice muffled as he pushed his head under the sofas to search while Marilyn checked behind the curtains. Jay glanced at Kai who mentally face-palmed as the two shifted around his drawing room in search of their daughter.

"I can't believe you lost your kid in my house, Lloyd," Kai muttered. Lloyd ignored him, turning to his two older  daughters. "Madison! Bethany! Find your sister."

"Why us?" Madison spoke up, flipping her brown tresses over her shoulder. "You were the one who birthed her." Lloyd glared at his oldest child. "Are you talking back to me?"

"Yes. That's how a conversation works, Dad."

"Burn," Fritz whispered to Cliff who snickered in return.

Before Lloyd could retort back, Zane called out from the other end of the room. "Is this the little bundle of mischief you were looking for?" the nindroid stated, smiling as he lifted Arianna upwards.

"Ari!" Lloyd yelled, rushing forward to claim his daughter who giggled happily. He took her from Zane and playfully slapped her cheek. "No more disappearing at the last minute!"

"Now that Arianna Garmadon is accounted for," Kai drawled sarcastically, "we can continue with our photo shoot."

Skylor herded all the kids in front of the loveseat, seating them on the carpet. "Okay, two couples on the seat while three will stand behind."

"You and Kai should be sitting since this is your house," Cole stated to the redhead. "And me and Jay too since this is my brother's house," Nya chimed in to which everyone agreed without protest lest they wanted to have their butts kicked in front of their kids. 

As the families got into position, Skylor quickly set the timer on the camera before squeezing herself between Kai and Nya. "Okay, kids," she called. "Say cheese."

The children all smiled as wide as they could and cheered in unison, "CHEESE!"

"Hold the mustard, please!"

"Fritz Walker!"

"Sorry, Mom."

Arianna shrieked playfully at the energetic noise. "Theese!" she exclaimed on her own, making her mother giggle.

"Hold your horses," Kai suddenly spoke, looking among the juniors sitting at his feet. "Where's Damien?" Nya rubbed her forehead in frustration and looked for her nephew around the room. "Will everyone please stop losing their children?"

"I can't believe you lost your kid in your own house, Kai," Lloyd threw the brunet's words back at him with a smirk. Kai shot him a glare before getting up to find his son.

All of a sudden, a heart stopping boom made them all yell and cover their heads. The kids screamed, Arianna cried and the camera flashed at that exact moment. Recovering, they all looked at each other, muttering and wondering what had happened.

A cackle erupted from the doorway where they all caught sight of Damien laughing uncontrollably, leaning against the wooden door frame. He had in his grasp the remains of a popped balloon and a needle.

"Damien Aiden Smith!" Skylor shrieked, struggling to get out from between all the people. Damien sensed trouble and made a run for it, his mother gaining up on him. "You come here this instant!"

"Well, there goes our family photo," Seliel muttered, picking up the camera and turning it on to look at the results. However, as soon as the picture appeared, she snickered at what she saw.

"What is it?" Jay asked, trying to slow his increased heart rate. Seliel walked over to the group and presented to them the camera screen.

Some of them had their faces covered, others' eyes were wide with shock and some were jumping about a foot in the air. Jay looked like he was about to have a heart attack while Cole's face had a sort of a motion blur effect on it as he was nearly falling over Kai and Skylor. But in the middle of all the mess there was Justin, grinning happily at the camera and ignoring the chaos around him, a pastry in hand.

"Like I always say," Justin spoke up, raising a sticky finger. "Life is like a camera; focus on what's important, capture the good times, develop from the negative and if things don't work out, take another shot!"

Kai raised an eyebrow before taking the camera from Seliel and yelling down the hall where Skylor was twisting Damien's ear.

"Yo, Sky! Since things didn't work out, we're taking another shot!"

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