Cass's P.O.V.:

I woke up and saw Alex on my screen. I still had to get used to that. It had only been a few days since he had been living in my head. Ugh that still sounds weird to say that.

"Good morning Cass." Alex smiled at me.

"Good morning Alex." I said.

"I noticed you slept in later than usual. Are you feeling tired?"

"I'm fine Alex, I think my systems are just having some trouble adjusting to your powers." I frowned.

"I detect that you are not happy to have my powers." He frowned. "I am sorry I roped you into this."

"No it's not that, it's just a lot of pressure on me to fill your shoes." I frowned. "What if I'm not good enough?"

"It is normal to be nervous Cass. I had trouble using my powers at first too, but I know you can do this. There's no one I would rather trust them with than you."

"The question is, why did you trust me?" I asked.

"I have trusted you since the moment we met." He smiled. "You helped me unlock my true potential and now I will help you unlock yours."

"I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"Not yet, but you will be." He smiled.

"Thank you Alex." I smiled. "I hope I can use my time wisely."

"Well we might not have as much time as we thought." Alex said pulling something up on my screen. "I have received word from Ryder that the VKA is planning to rob the museum tonight. We are going to be there to stop them."

"Alex, I have been only training for two days. How could I possibly assist you on a mission?"

"We do have time to train before our designated meeting time. Should we a pay my parents a visit?"

"Oh, yes of course Alex." I agreed.

I knew how much the Julian's missed Alex, and he wouldn't admit it but I knew Alex missed them too. That is why I made sure that I went to visit them every time I could. I can't imagine not being able to feel the world around me or talk to anyone but one person, and I feel like it was my fault Alex was stuck like this. It was the least I could do.

Zane's P.O.V.:

I walked into the lab and saw Pixal working on repairing Alex's exoskeleton. That was all she had been doing these past few days.

Even though we knew Alex was safe with Cass now, we still missed him around the house. We missed him being here to say good morning to us and our afternoon chess tournaments. It wasn't like we lost him forever, but it just wasn't the same without him here.

Cass had been coming over at least once a day so we could help teach her to control her new powers. She caught on quickly and was a becoming a good fighter, which was great because the Junior Ninja Team was going to need her soon. We knew Alex was ok and that he was happy, but that didn't mean we didn't miss him.

"Pixal, any luck?" I asked her, hoping for different news.

She sadly shook her head. "I've tried everything I could think of. Sealing it, welding it, nothing worked. At this rate, I fear we may never get our son back to normal."

"Don't give up." I put my hand on her shoulder.

"I wouldn't think of it." She said.

"Has your father discovered a way to fix it?" I asked.

"I called him this morning and he said he might have found something, but it sounds... far fetched."

"Far fetched?"

"He said that there was a sap from the very rare briarberry tree, the only tree left is somewhere in Hiroshi's Labyrinth. The legend states that the sap contains magical properties that can be used to make an adhesive that would be able to mend anything, even the most advanced technology."

"I thought you did not believe in such phenomena." I said.

"Not at first, but we have seen all kinds of strange stuff happen in Ninjago on our adventures as ninja. Morro's possession, temporal voyage, a resurrection of an evil dark lord, there's nothing I don't believe anymore. Plus if this is going to help Alex, then I have to find that tree."

"Then I can't let you go in alone." I insisted.

"I can do this on my own. You need to stay here and help Alex with Cass's training in case I can't find the tree. Ryder said they had a mission tonight and she needs a bit more practice."

"But Hiroshi's Labyrinth is dangerous." I frowned. "Plus you don't have your mech anymore. It would take you at least three days there and back."

"My father said he has a vehicle I can borrow and I'm sure Kira wouldn't mind if I stayed at her old treehouse." Pixal said.

"Even if you find the tree, are you sure the sap will work to repair Alex's heart?" I asked.

"No, but if it even has a chance at working, I have to try." She took my hands. "Zane, this is our son we are talking about. We made a promise to get him back to normal, and I intend to keep it."

"I'm willing to do anything to get things back to normal, but you have to remember that, now that he's safe and happy, there's not as much of a rush as there used to be."

"Are you saying you don't want to help Alex?" She frowned.

"Of course I want to help him Pixal, but I'm saying that we have more time now. We should see all the options before we jump into things." I said.

"Ok." She sighed. "I'm sorry I just keep thinking about the time it happened to me. All those years I spent stuck inside your head, the others barely even remembered I was there. The whole time I felt like I was held back from doing everything I wanted to do. Like I could have been doing something more."

"I had no idea you felt that way." I frowned.

"It is alright, I am happy with my life now, but I just want Alex to be happy too."

"I promised we were going to get things back to normal and we will, but Alex is happy with Cass." I frowned. "I cannot say that I'm too thrilled about our situation either, but at least Alex is alive and we both know he wouldn't be if it wasn't for Cass."

"I know and I'm very grateful." She sighed. "I just wish that we could do something more."

"I know, I miss him too." I frowned. "But I think Alex is happy with his situation, at least for now anyway."

"I hope you are correct."

She sighed and looked over at Alex's exoskeleton. To be honest it hurt me every time I looked at him. It wasn't like he was gone forever, but even so we missed him terribly. It was like we were living before we had created Alex.

**********flashback**********

It was two years after Pixal and I had gotten married. Everyone had families of their own, but Pixal and I were unable to that. We kept telling ourselves that we didn't need kids to be happy. We kept saying that we had each other and that was enough, but we both knew those were all lies. We wanted a family.

We had gotten to a point where we had grown bored with almost everything. We would spend our days sitting on the couch and watching TV. Occasionally we would babysit for our friends or  visit Cyrus Borgs, but we never really did anything else. We did not wish to admit it, but we had slowly started to become depressed.

I went to get the mail and we had received a letter from Kai and Skylor. It said that they had recently welcomed a new addition to their family, their son Blake Raymond Smith. I was excited for them, but I was also a little jealous that we couldn't get that.

"Pixal." I walked into the living room and showed her the letter. "Kai and Skylor had their baby boy last night."

"Oh, good for them." Pixal said, not looking away from the TV.

I sighed and set down next to her.

"I know how badly you want a child of our own Pixal and I want one too, but I just don't know how to make that possible." I frowned.

"It's not possible, Zane." She frowned. "It's just going to be you and me alone until the end of time."

"Maybe not. Technology is always advancing so maybe one day it will be advanced enough to build our own child."

"They still won't be able to feel like you and I can. It just won't work." She frowned.

"Maybe not yet, but that's why we keep looking." I smiled and took her hand. "I promise that one day we'll have a little boy or girl to call our own, and we'll have everything we've ever wanted. We just have to not give up until we find a way to do that, ok?"

"Ok." She smiled a little. "Thank you Zane."

"Of course Pixal." I hugged her and kissed her on the cheek.

*******Flashback ends*******

It had only been a few days, but living without Alex was bringing back all those feelings we had before he was built. I wanted him back to normal more than anything, but at least he was safe.

Narrator's P.O.V.:

A few minutes later, Cass had shown up ready to train. Zane and Pixal always enjoyed seeing her and talking to Alex, well sort of anyway.

"Hello Cass. Hi Alex." Zane smiled.

"Hi Mom and Dad." Alex smiled inside Cass's head.

"We both say hello." Cass smiled. "Alex seems very happy to see you."

"We're happy to see you both too." Pixal smiled. "Thank you for taking care of our little boy."

"Of course." Cass smiled.

"Is my exoskeleton repaired yet?" Alex asked excitedly.

"Oh, Alex would like to know if his body is repaired yet." Cass translated.

"Not yet, we're still looking for a way to fix it." I frowned.

Zane didn't want to tell him about the tree in case it was a lost cause, and he hoped that Pixal thought the same. He didn't want him to get his hopes up.

"Your grandfather thinks he has a lead on something, but he's not sure if it's going to work." Pixal said. "We will let you know if things change, but you'll have to stay with Cass for now."

"That's alright." Alex sighed. "Tell them I am happy here."

"He said that's ok and that he's happy where he is." Cass said.

"Alright Cass, let's get training." Zane said.

Cass and Zane went into the training yard while Pixal stayed and continued her work. Cass didn't want to admit it, but she wasn't too thrilled about being a ninja. She was happy to be helping Alex and that she saved his life, but being a ninja was harder than she thought.

Zane got out the sparring cushions and tried to teach Cass some of the basics. For the most part she was picking it up fine, but she still needed the practice. And although Alex was trying to be nice, his tips on how to improve her technique were more distracting than helpful.

As they continued training, Zane looked though the window to the lab. He noticed Pixal in there, frowning over Alex's exoskeleton. He knew that this was tearing her apart.

"Hey Cass, how about you and Alex train with the dummies for a while? I have to talk to my wife." Zane said.

"Oh, ok." Cass agreed.

Zane put his gear up and walked back into the house.

"Do you think my father is ok?" Alex asked Cass.

"I don't know." Cass answered.

Zane walked into the lab and saw Pixal just standing there, staring at Alex's exoskeleton. Zane knew how sad she was about it.

"Pixal?" Zane walked up to her.

"I'm sorry Zane, but I have to find that tree." Pixal frowned at Alex's exoskeleton. "I just can't stand to see him like that anymore."

"I know how hard things are right now, but..."

"Yes I know he's safe but it's not the same. It's just as bad as it was before we built Alex and that's a life I don't want to go back to."

Zane sighed. He knew there was no use arguing about this. If he was honest with himself, he missed the way things used to be too.

"Alright." Zane reluctantly agreed to let her go. He couldn't fight it anymore. "Just please be careful."

"I will." Pixal hugged him. "Tell Alex I love him and that I'll be back as soon as I find that tree."

"Good luck Pixal. I love you."

"I love you too Zane."

Pixal gave him one last kiss and set out on her adventure. Zane knew she could handle herself, but he was still worried. He hoped that she would be able to find the tree and make it back in one piece.

Ashley's P.O.V.:

"Come on Ryder, I'll be good, please let me go on the mission with you!"

"Not a chance. You'll just get in my way." My brother said as he continued punching the dummies on the training course. "Besides I thought you didn't want to be ninja anyway."

"I don't, but everyone else is going."

"Everyone else knows how to defend themselves. I can't afford to babysit you all night. It's really important that we find that scroll before the VKA does."

"But Trent gets to go. He hasn't learned any ninja moves yet either."

"Because he has the Samurai X mech to protect him. You don't." Ryder continued to train.

My mom came out to see what was up.

"What is going on out here?" She asked. "You're going to wake your father."

"Ryder said that I couldn't come on the mission." I frowned.

"Well sweetie, he's the leader now. The decision is up to him." Mom said. "Besides, you have a lot more training to do before you go on your first mission."

"Which is why you're not going Ashley." Ryder stated as he kicked one of the dummies down.

"Whoa son, take it easy." Mom laughed.

"Sorry, it's just there's a lot on my mind." He sighed.

"I know you're under a lot of pressure right now, but your dad and I know you can do it." She smiled.

"Is Daddy ok?" I asked my mom.

"He's gonna be just fine sunshine, he just needs to rest." She smiled.

That was the answer we had been getting since our parents got home from the hospital. He can't get around as well as he used to. I could tell my father wasn't getting any better and I really wanted to use my powers to heal him, but every time I asked him he always said no. That my powers weren't strong enough to do anything anyway. I was worried about him.

"Where is Dad?" Ryder asked as he stopped training.

"He's napping right now." Mom answered. "He wanted me to wish you luck on your mission."

"Oh, alright. When he wakes up thank him for me." Ryder said and my mother nodded.

"I'm sure Dad would let me go on the mission." I mumbled.

"Even if he did, I'm still the leader and I say no." Ryder said.

"Awe man! Not fair." I crossed my arms.

"So Ryder, how are you getting there tonight?" My mother changed the subject.

"Oh, Matt said that he was working on a new vehicle with Auntie Nya and Uncle Jay." Ryder said. "We're all going to meet him at the Walker's house."

"Ok, let me know when you're ready." Mom said.

"Can I go with you to drop him off?" I asked.

"Fine, but you stay with me ok?"

"Deal." I nodded to my mother.

"Fine but that's as far as you go." Ryder said.

"Ok." I smiled.

I'll prove to my brother that I can go on the mission, then he'll see what I can do.

Maizy's P.O.V.:

I was back at the temple getting ready to go on the mission with the rest of the VKA. I was a little nervous about it because I was leading all of my friends into a trap, but if I wanted to prove to Ryder that I was good, what other choice did I have?

Seth and Marcus came downstairs in the new uniforms we made. We were all wearing them, although I didn't see the point. I didn't like being a part of this group. I wanted out, but I couldn't. Not yet.

I was texting Ryder our plan when Lena unknowingly snuck up behind me and snatched my phone out of my hands.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Lena took it.

"Hey! Give that back!" I yelled.

"Axel catch!"

Before I could grab it, she threw it to Axel. He scrolled through my messages and found the text and I sent to Ryder about the museum robbery. He read it allowed.

"She sold us out! I knew it!" Lena yelled.

"This jeopardizes the whole mission! You gave away the where, when and what we were after." Marcus yelled.

"I-I can explain... I..."

"You're working with them?" Seth questioned.

"Wait, I think we can use this to our advantage." Zera said.

"How so?" Lena asked.

"The text said we were gonna get there right after closing time. So what if we get there earlier?" Zera suggested.

"Because when the place is closed, there's less people to see us." Axel crossed his arms.

"Ok but what if the museum had to close early for a special reason? Say some kind of emergency?" She smirked.

"I guess that could work." Axel thought.

"I bet that was her plan all along, right Maize?" She looked at me and winked.

"Uh... yeah... exactly my plan." I stuttered.

"That's genius!" Marcus exclaimed. "Ok guys, no time to lose, let's get ready."

Everyone went to get their last minute stuff. I took a breather and Zera came up to me.

"Thanks for covering for me back there." I smiled at her.

"Save it, I only did it this time because I didn't like them attacking you like that." She crossed her arms. "Now are you gonna tell me why you were consulting with the enemy?"

"To gain the advantage, just like you said." I lied.

"The truth Maize." She looked me in the eyes. Zera's always been the one person I've never been able to fool. She knew me too well.

"I promised not to tell anyone else. But it's for a good reason, you have to trust me." I said. "Please."

"Fine, but if you're leading us into a trap don't expect to cover for you next time."

I sighed as Zera walked away. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for it, but was it worth it?