***(Jay's POV; song for this chapter: "Moon River" sung by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's)***

"So, I guess we're stuck together," I smile cautiously as the others ride away.

Nya sighs pitifully. "Yeah, I guess so." She's been in a foul mood ever since she found out about Neuro. I hope I didn't do anything to upset her.

"Do you need pain meds or something?" I ask, guiding her inside. "You look a little pale."

She pulls away from my touch. "I mean, I just recovered from hypothermia, so that's probably normal. Thanks anyway."

"If you say so. What would you rather me do?"

She looks up, and for the first time, I notice the light in her eyes has diminished to sorrow and loneliness. "You could maybe make me some hot chocolate? I think I'm ready to call it a night."

"Of course, Nya." I rewrap the emergency blanket around her shoulders. "I assume you don't need me right now?"

She laughs, but it's laced with sadness. "Yup. I guess you know me pretty well. I'm going to go get changed."

"Sure." I watch as she slowly makes her way into the monastery. How do I help her? How can I cheer her up?

I jog to the kitchen and throw open the cabinets until I find cocoa mix. I know she's not big on sweet things, so I'll keep the marshmallows on the side. Maybe she'd like the whipped cream off, too?

I hum to myself as I work, imitating the way my mom used to act in the kitchen. She never cooked mac n' cheese without cracking as many cheesy jokes as she could think of. Instead of making circular pancakes, she created faces in the shapes of all kinds of animals. She laughed whenever she spilled milk on herself, and she blew flour kisses to me from across the room.

Pretty soon, I'm singing my heart out to Holly Golightly's hair-drying classic from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Some occasions just call for a song.

"Moon river, wider than a mile,

I'm crossing you in style someday.

Oh, dream-maker, you heartbreaker,

Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way.

Two drifters, off to see the world,

There's such a lot of world to see.

We're after the rainbow's end, waitin' 'round the bend,

My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me.

Moon river, wider than a mile,

I'm crossing you in style someday.

Oh, dream-maker, you heartbreaker,

Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way.

Two drifters, off to see the world,

There's such a lot of world to see.

We're after that same rainbow's end, waitin' 'round the bend,

My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me."

As the last soft notes escape me, I hear clapping from behind me and freeze. Oops.

I whip around. "Sorry, Nya, I didn't mean – "

She gives me her first real smile of the night. "You're a wonderful singer, Jay."

My heart leaps a little. Nya...accepts me. In fact, she likes me for who I am! She said I was good at singing, rather than rolling her eyes at the weirdo who...needs to pull the hot cocoa off the stove.

I quickly grab an oven mitt and place the pot on top of it. "Um, you're, uh, hot chocolate is almost ready."

"Thank you," she says sullenly. Obviously, her case of the blues has returned.

She seats herself behind the counter, and I lean against it. I notice she's changed into a pair of pajamas, and her hair has been pulled back.

"So, uh, anything you'd like to talk to me about?" I'm going to try climbing out on a limb here. Hopefully, she won't shake me off.

"Not really."

Um, okay, so she's not talking. That usually means something bad. It either means she's mad at me, or she's on the verge of crying. She doesn't cry very much, so it's probably the former.

I plop myself on the counter itself. "Well, I want to talk to you," I say in my bravest tone.

She looks up at me, surprise in her eyes. "Why?"

"Because when you're happy, I'm happy, and when you're upset...so am I." I hope I'm not the only one to have a heart-to-heart this evening.

She releases a bitter, watery chuckle. "Stop, please." I can tell if she adds to that, the tear-gates will be overrun.

"Okay." I slide off the counter and pour her cocoa into a mug. "Do you want anything with it?"

"Extra whipped cream, please."

She must really be having a bad night. Girls pig out on sweet stuff when they're sad, right?

After finishing her beverage, I come to stand beside her and set it down. My hands immediately move to her back, massaging small circles. She melts slightly at the touch, and I smile. For someone so intense, she does enjoy a good backrub.

I lean over her shoulder, pressing my face against hers. "You said you're tired?" I question.

She nods, then stops. "I don't know that I can fall asleep yet. I'm too tired to rest, if you catch my drift."

"Of course." Think, Jay, think! "Feel like watching a show?"

She shrugs. "Maybe. Like what?"

"Um, something lighthearted. Would a rom-com be okay?"

Sighing, she says, "What do I have to lose?"

She gets up, and I notice her drink is barely touched. Well, except for the whipped cream, which is entirely gone. "Are you hungry? You like popcorn, right?"

"It's not a big deal. I think I'll just go pick out a movie." She wraps her arms around herself and exits.

Why are girls so hard to read?

I place her mug in the sink and grab a few snacks. Popcorn for Nya, of course, but I also grab some Ninja Chips out of the cabinet. And some fruit snacks. And a chocolate bar. Everything in moderation, you know.

I head for the movie room, where Nya is curled into one corner of the couch. She looks barely awake. I steal a throw and drape it over her.

"Do you hear that?" she questions.

I listen for anything out of the usual, but come up blank. "Not really."

"It's storming somewhere. I can hear thunder."

"I hope the others are all right." I climb on the sofa beside her and take a corner of the blanket. She rolls her eyes and tosses more onto me.

"I don't bite, Jay."

Well, only in attitude, anyway. But I can't judge her. She's had a less-than-stellar day. "What movie did you pick?"

"The Parent Trap. That shouldn't be too bad."

I hear thunder rumble loudly. "It sounds as though we might not be escaping that storm."

"Um, yeah. Do you mind...err, scooting a little closer to me? This throw's really not big enough, and – "

BAM!

Thunder deep enough to shake the monastery claps, and Nya jumps toward me.

"I'm a little on edge," she laughs, pushing herself into the far recesses of the couch.

"Hey, it's been a long day. You don't have to apologize for needing company." I reposition myself nearer to her.

"Thanks." She turns her head so I can't see her expression.

Unfortunately, I get a front-row seat to her tangled hair. "Um, Nya? Your hair..."

"I know, I know! It's a rat's nest, but I'm too exhausted to care. I'll take care of it in the morning."

I pause. "I could try to detangle it. Um, if you want."

She hunches her shoulders. "It's fine, I can – "

But my fingers are already massaging her scalp, working their way through her locks. She exhales, and the tension in her shoulders fades as she leans slightly against my shoulder.

"Okay," she agrees. "I guess I'll start the show."

The screen comes to life, and Nya and I sit in silence as I finger-comb her hair. It looks like a mop right now, but underneath I know there's a long, dark, beautiful masterpiece.

At some point, she gives up distancing herself and fully rests against my chest. I hope that means she's feeling better and will be able to fall asleep soon. It's midnight already.

That's when the whole room erupts in a momentary flash of light, then the world goes dark.

***(Nya's POV)***

I gasp, startled out of my dream-state. The soft voices on television are suddenly muted, and all the lights are gone. I try to feel around me. "Jay? Jay?" I call. Where is he? He wouldn't really leave me alone, right?

"I'm right here, Nya," he reassures me.

I realize I'm entirely reclined against him. It's a good thing it's too dark to see my blush.

"What happened?" I question.

"All the power's off, so I imagine lightning hit an electrical line. I'm sorry it scared you."

I laugh it off. "Scared? I wasn't frightened. I was just, um, startled."

"Okay," he replies, though I know he sees right through my bluff. "Do you think I should shock the generator downstairs and get the power working?"

"No," I say a little too quickly. "Uh, I mean...we have emergency power, right?"

"Nope. We were actually going to have a repairman come check that out in a few days. I guess we should've called earlier. Are you sure you don't want me to go try my hand at it?"

"Oh...uh, all right. I'll come with you." There's something off about this storm, and Jay doesn't have his usual support group of five fellow ninja and a kick-butt sensei. Someone needs to have his back.

And maybe I want someone to have my back, too, but whatever.

Jay slips from beside me, and I immediately miss his warmth. This couch is not small enough for one person.

I feel Jay's hand wrap itself around mine. "It's pretty hard to see. Is it okay if we walk together?"

"Oh, yup, for sure." I ignore the feelings coursing through my veins at his touch, as they only remind me that Jay doesn't like me back. I never thought I'd react this way over a boy. Stupid me. I should have overcome this inadequacy by now.

"I'm pretty sure the stairs are this way. Do you happen to have a flashlight?" Jay queries.

"Not one I can find when it's this dark."

"Okay, well...I'm going to think positively about this and hope we don't fall down the stairs." He descends the first step, and I follow cautiously.

"What good does positive thinking do you if you get an entirely negative outcome?" I scoff.

"Well, sometimes, all you need to accomplish a task is a little – "

Suddenly, Jay trips and lurches forward, causing me to fall toward him. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me close so he takes the brunt of the impact. We topple our way down, down, down...

And then nothing.

"Jay!" I cry, scrambling off of him.

He groans. "Okay, so maybe both of us need to think positively for it to work."

"Are you hurt?" I ask.

"Um, I'm pretty sure my arm did a thing," he answers, moaning.

"Don't move," I instruct. That's when I hear it – glass shattering. Lightning illuminates the outside world, including a figure crawling out the downstairs window.

"Hey!" I yell, shooting water toward the person. However, he's already escaped through the now-broken fixture.

I hear Jay trying to rise, but rush over to him. "You need to stay put," I order.

"Let me shock the generator," he growls, sitting up. "Then, you'll at least know if anyone else is in here." He struggles into a standing position and stumbles forward.

"Are you nuts?" I screech. "You can't see! You're going to fall and do even more damage to yourself!" I march up to him and wrap my arms around his waist, trying to restrain him.

"But – there was already one person who'd broken in! We can't just stand around, waiting for them to find us!"

"We'll have much better chances if the two of us are together. I don't need you out of commission."

He sighs in defeat, and I help him sit down against the wall.

"Fine," he huffs. "But you get behind me."

"I am in much better shape to protect us," I sass. "I appreciate that you care, but I can handle this."

We rest in silence for a while, hearing nothing. The storm subsides to low rumbles, indicating that it's traveled away from us.

Eventually, Jay yawns. "We should take shifts. One of us can keep watch while the other rests."

"Good idea. You should sleep first."

"No, you go first. Any gentleman would tell you that."

"You go first, or neither of us will be getting any rest."

He chuckles under his breath. "You are something else."

That's it! I can't be Jay's girlfriend anymore, not when he breaks my heart every time he does...anything. It's fake!

I close my eyes, mustering my strength. "Um...remember asking me why I was upset?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, um...you know how we're fake dating?"

"It's a little hard to forget."

I let out a humorless laugh, then cuddle against him. He wraps his arm around my shoulder. I swallow against my pride, against the pain of not having Jay.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore," I whisper. Dang it, I've turned into a hormonal teenager.

"You mean...you're breaking up with me?" I hear the sadness in his tone.

"You don't have to pretend to be upset, Jay. You already told me that you hated fake-dating me."

"I'm not pretending," he breathes.

But isn't that all we're doing?

"You're so sweet," I murmur, forcing back tears.

This is hard.

"I'm sorry," he panics. "Did I do something wrong? Was I not believable enough?"

"No, you've been...um...too believable. We've been doing this for...what, two days?" I laugh at the absurdity.

I've officially gone nuts and totally fallen for a guy other than my months-long crush Lloyd Garmadon.

"Yup," he swallows. "It seems like a lot longer, doesn't it?"

I wince at his tortured tone. Does it really hurt to be with me that bad?

"I know you don't want to do this, so I'm trying to make it easier," I mumble. "It's just – this was supposed to be about Kai and Lloyd, but for me, it became...all about you."

"I'm sorry. I know I tend to make things about myself, Nya, but I could change that for you." He strokes my hair with his good hand, and I want to cry. I wish my mom were here to counsel me on painful breakups. I'm not about to tell Kai how I feel.

"Jay, it's not that you made it about yourself. It's that...I made it about you."

I feel him soften. "Nya, I will do anything in my power to make it better. Please, don't leave me. I, um, I..." I hear him mutter a few words under his breath, and it stops me cold.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, um. Well..." He clears his throat. "I, uh, might...kind of...love you?"

Holy heck!

"Wait." I flip around to face him, excitement whirling through me. "You...well, as you put it, you, 'uh, might...kind of...love me'?!"

"I hope that's okay," he says in an almost imperceptible tone.

I throw my arms around him and rest my head against his shoulder. I feel tears gather. No, I'm not a crying girl, but...Jay's worth it.

"Are you kidding me?" I cry. "I think I maybe kind of might be falling in love with you, too! I know this is fast, and I never really even knew you until two days ago, but...um...I've always tried to face my problems head-on, and I can tell you're different than anyone...anyone I've had feelings for before. I don't know whether this is hormones or what, but..." I bury my head in his chest and guffaw.

***A/N: CRINGEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Nya would not tell him she loved him that fast. *Sighs* But later books try to fix it. Whatevs. Not changing it now.***

"You love me?!" he exclaims.

"I think I might possibly be getting there? I've never felt for anyone else what I feel for you."

He starts laughing, too. If the others come back and find us like this – both of us howling like lunatics, Jay with a mangled arm and me having just survived a cold near-death – they will probably send us to an insane asylum.

The wild thing is, as long as Jay's there, I'm not really concerned.

***This story doesn't ask me for permission to take a twist, it just does! Jay and Nya were not supposed to admit their feelings for at least four more chapters! But this was just too perfect, so...yeah. And along with every twist comes a boatload of new ideas. I hope this is coherent for y'all :D ***