Zane locked up his house that had several different types of locks and walked down the stares of his porch and out to his car where he took off down the road. He drove through town and  pulled into the parking lot of the Masters Museum of Natural Historical Discovery and into a secured parking garage after showing his ID and parked at a numbered spot after hanging a perking permit from his mirror and closed all his windows and locked all the doors before heading inside the building where he went through several layers of security.

When Zane went through a metal detector it went off and the guy in charge of the computer gave him a look while the security guards approached. "Seriously guys? I have metal prosthetic limbs! Check my damn file would ya?" Zane argued and the computer guy started typing. "He's right guys. His entire left leg, whole right arm, left hand, and right foot are all prosthetic. I just checked the scan and that's what the machine picked up." The guy said and stood up to approach Zane. "Sorry Dr. Julian. I hope you enjoyed your three month leave by the way. We'd be glad to have you back here at the MMHD."

Zane simply nodded before grabbing his satchel and walking off down the hall. He made his way to a large forensics lab and to a decently sized office with a glass wall where the door was and he sat at the glass desk to log onto the computer.

"Dr. Julian?" Came a voice that was accompanied by a knock at the open door. "Yes?" Zane said, not looking up from his computer. "Now that your back from your leave, Dr. Mathers wants to know if you'll be taking on internships again." Said the intruder and Zane looked up to the woman. "Tell him that I'll think about it. My job is to examine ancient remains Dr. Jim, not whatever he wants." Zane told her and she nodded. "I'll tell him, but what does you being an anthropologist have to do with all this?" She asked and Zane chuckled. "He wants me to work with the feds on forensic cases, but I joined this institution to add to our understanding of history. Not catch murderes." He explained and she nodded in understanding. "But sir... Isn't catching criminals more honorable then exploring history?" She asked.

"You might think, but the last time I worked forensics my house got shot up and I was put in the damn hospital. That's why I was on fucking leave. Some people may be willing to risk their lives for that shit, but I find I much prefer sticking to my true passion." Zane answered her. "Now, please let me get back to work." He added and she nodded before leaving.

Zane then went about his day, jumping right into his work by examining a mummy that came in and having everything finished up by the end of the work day when he turned in his reports and left his office, but was stopped by an older man. "Dr. Julain, I need a minute of your time sir." The man said and Zane stopped to look at him. "Seriously? Fire me if you want, but I won't work on cases again Sir." Zane said before walking ahead.

"We need your skill level Dr. Julian. You're the best at what you do!" The man pleaded. "You have doctorates in regular and forensic anthropology, odontology, pathology, biology, and toxicology. Your skills are far to great to just let you spend your life studying old dusty remains. You were once one of thr best sergans in the country, no, the world. Besides, I talked to the guys up top and they plan to pair you with Kai Smith." The man said and Zane paused. "This is a federal institution Sir. Why would I be paired with Detective Smith? He's a simple police detective. It's not like he's part of the Royal Investigation Unit." Zane said in confusion.

"They're planning to offer him a spot in the RIU. If he excepts then you two will work together. I do believe you and him graduated NU at the same time. Did you not?" The man said and Zane nodded. "Yeah, he impressed me back in school. Quite well." Said the blond male and the man nodded. "Alright, well.... Will you agree if we can pair you with him? Your expertise could lead him down the right path during investigations." The man said and Zane nodded. "I'll think about it."

Zane then went out to his car and drove off and into town. He drove through the down town area and right into the bad side of town where he drove his small little car down an alley and into a hidden pocket with a mini parking lot that was hidden by the tall buildings surrounding it and the small building it belongs to. He parked far off to the side and went to the door where he unlocked the door and walked in to get ready to take care of the criminals that came to him for help.

~°~

When the night was up, Zane locked up the building and went to his car to drive back to his home where he walked right back up the stairs and to his front door. He unlocked the several deadbolts then had his retna scanned and a strand of hair scanned for his DNA then used a key card and finally unlocked one last key lock before his door finally opened and he walked inside the house.

He relocked the door and used several chain locks before putting his keys on a hook then went into his kitchen to grab a glass of water and prep a TV dinner that he went into the living room with and jumped when he saw Wu sitting on his couch.

"How did you get in here?" Zane asked the man. "Oh, I have my ways. You know that Zane." Wu responded and Zane sat in his rocking chair with his dinner. "What do you want?" He asked Wu.

"I need your skills Zane. I'm building a team to find my sister-in-law and the missing sister of Kai Smith. We need your skill set and connections Zane. What do you say?" Wu answered him with a proposition as he relaxed on the couch, linking his hands across his chest in a relaxed manor.

"Heh, it seems everyone wants my expertise these days." Zane said before sipping from his water. "Zane, I know your loyalty to Kai. He helped you out when no one trusted the Julian family anymore. Now it's time to truly return the favor by saving his family." Wu said and Zane gave him a look of confusion.

"Kai's little sister, Nya, came to stay with him while attending NU. Someone kidnapped her and even Kai can't track the culprit down alone. That's why I'm building a team. My intuition tells me it's the same person responsible for Misako's disappearance. I've already got Coleman Hence on the team and Kai is a garentee. Now I need you." Wu went on and Zane seemed to think.

"Fine, I'll bite. Helping Kai is something I'm up for anyways. Just let me know what my orders are and when." Zane said and Wu grinned. "Thank you Zane. I'll send word when it's time."

~•°•~

Jay grinned as he woke up in the apartment he'd gotten for himself. It was cheep and not exactly in the best side of town, but not in the worst side eaither. It was close to school and his new favorite cafe was on his way to school anyway so he didn't care much.

He then got off the small bed and walked into the kitchen where he grabbed a glass of water and stood at the counter sipping from it as he checked his phone for his class schedule.

"Looks like I'm free today. I guess I'll go job hunting." He muttured to himself in his native language. A latin like language that was heavy on the leters S and Z.

Jay then left his apartment, locking it up when he closed the door and went down the starts and to the gate surrounding his complex. He then walked down the street until he reached the Jungle Diner.

The Jungle Diner had this jungle theme and was surprisingly heavy on the snake imagery. Several bars wrapped around a cylindrical glass tube with live snakes inside even. Others had birds or bugs as well. Jay's favorite booth was in a corner and up against a section of the wall that was turned into a snake terrarium with a large vibrant blue snake inside that Jay just loved to watch while he ate.

He looked to see if his favorite booth was free and frowned when he saw someone sitting there, but perked up when he saw it was Cole and walked over.

"Hey, can I join you?" He asked as he tapped the table and Cole looked up from the menu. "Depends, can we slip into the backseat of my car?" Cole asked with a suggestive smirk and Jay gave him a warning look. "Alright, alright. You can sit." Cole lamented and Jay sat across from him. "So, how's school?" Cole asked and Jay shrugged. "It's school, so ya know. The usual. Nya was kinda my only friend in the school so it's extra boring now." He admitted and Cole hummed.

"Do you have school today?" Cole asked and Jay shook his head as he pulled out his phone to respond to a text. "Who ya textin'?" Cole asked as he looked up from the menu. "My elder brother. He wants to know how I'm doing." Jay answered.

"I thought your family was killed?" Cole asked in confusion. "They were. He's my half brother. My mom had him while in highschool. She was... Um... You see... Her boyfriend at the time kind of... Forced... Himself on her and created my brother. His dad was quiet obviously arrested and teenager or not. Sex crimes are punishable by death in my country so... Yeah. He took on the family name when mom married my dad and had me. He still goes by the family name where I dropped it for safety. I don't want the guys that killed my folks coming after me. Ya know?" Jay explained and Cole let out an 'ah' sound while nodding his head in understanding.

"So you're the smart brother?" Cole joked and Jay chuckled. "He's always been a risk taker and a bit... Off his rocker... To be honest. I swear he has mental issues." Jay said and Cole quirked a brow while holding the menu out to him. "Thanks." Jay said while taking the menu to look it over. "What's wrong with him?" Cole asked and Jay shrugged.

"He plays around with dangerous creatures and pulled some... questionable... pranks on me growing up. One time when I was six we played a game of hide and seek and I hid in the gardening shed. He found me there, but instead of coming in and tagging me or something he dragged a log in front of the door to trap me inside." Jay said and Cole's eyes widened. "He did what?" Cole asked in surprise. "Yeah, I was stuck in there for hours. I'm just lucky the gardener heard me crying because I was in the abandoned shed. Not the one we actually used. Otherwise I probably would have starved or something." Jay further explained and Cole was completely shocked.

"Does he hate you?" Cole asked and Jay shook his head. "No, we have a good relationship. After the incident with the shed, mom took him to see a psychologist. According to what Dr. Venom said, he has some rare mental disorder that's hereditary. It's from mom's side of the family believe it or not. Her grandmother had it. He has a hard time dicerning right from wrong and an inability to feel or understand guilt. He can't feel empathy either. He also has a lack of sense of self preservation and an inability to emotionally connect to others on a social level." Jay explained.

"There's a lot of other issues that are caused by the disorder like ADD and OCD and BDD, but the symptoms vary. So long as he keeps taking his pills and seeing a psychologist regularly he's completely fine." Jay furthered and Cole seemed to understand. "Still, he seems dangerous." Cole said in concern. "Oh, I know, but he's still my big brother. He's rather protective at least. His issues may cause situations like the one when I was six, but he's never let someone else hurt me." Jay stressed while making eye contact with Cole.

"Remember what I told you about how I lost my parents?" Jay asked just before a waiter came over and took their orders then the menu before walking away. "Yes, what about it?" Cole responded in confusion. "I would be dead if it wasn't for him. He was actually helping me with my little project when the ninja showed up while I shut down and just stared at what was going on in disbelief, he grabbed my hand and we ran down the hall together. He was always the explorative type and had found secret passageways hidden in our home and took me to one of the hidden entrances. He lead me through and we made our way out through a secret entrance in the back of the backyard and he helped me climb the wall that seperated our yard from the forest." Jay explained with a small smile while he remembered what his brother did for him that day.

"Wow, okay, so he's still a good brother?" Cole asked and Jay nodded. "Like I said, he's fine when he's on his meds and stuff. I can't even begin to start on all the times he's gotten himself hurt defending me." Jay said and Cole smiled. "That's good at least." Cole said and Jay chuckled lightly.

When their food arrived Cole took a bite of his chocolate cake while Jay prayed over his blueberry pie. Jay had taken his silver serpent necklace off and held it between his hands, letting the pendant of a snake with blue eyes hang over the pie, and put his for head against the tips of his fingers and started muttering a small chant in his native tung.

Once Jay was done he put his necklace back on and took a bite out of his food. "So, do you have any plans today?" Cole asked him and he seemed to think. "Not really. I don't have any classes today I was just gonna do some food shopping and study at home. Why do you ask?" He responded.

"Well, I wanted to know if you'll let me take you out again." Cole said while shooting Jay a wink and the foreigner blushed. "I guess, but I kind of want to get my grocery shopping done first if that's fine with you?" Jay responded while blushing and Cole grinned. "Sure, do you have a vehicle yet?" He asked and Jay shook his head. "No, I'm here on a student visa so I figured it'd be a waist of money in the end. I do have a bike with a basket on the handle bars and a back basket though." Jay said in response and Cole chuckled.

"How about this, I'll help you shop and after wards we can go to the bowling alley?" Cole suggested and Jay seemed to think. "Sure, I don't mind much. It'll be faster that way." He agreed and Cole smiled. "Great!"

Jay laughed a bit and took another bite of his pie. "I hope your foster parents treated you and your brother well by the way." Cole suddenly said and Jay smiled at him sadly. "We actually got split up. I was raised by Ed and Edna, but he was sent to live with his dad's parents. They aren't the best people and refused to by his meds so I would use my allowance to get his prescriptions for him and give them to him whenever we could meet up." He explained and Cole reached across to grab his hand. "I'm so sorry, but at least you could stay in contact. Right?" Cole said and Jay nodded. "Yeah, needless to say, he was very happy to turn eighteen." He said with a chuckle and Cole nodded in agreement. "I certainly don't blame him."

Jay held Cole's hand in return as he just smiled at him. "How about you? I've told you some stuff about my childhood. I believe I deserve for the favor to be returned." Jay said and Cole chuckled a bit. "You are most definitely correct." He replied with a smile.

"For one, I am not an only child but I was raised as one." Cole said and Jay tilted his head to the side in confusion, causing Cole to chuckle. "My mom... Let's just say my dad was not her first husband nor her last. What she does is she tricks a man into marrying her, gives him a kid or two, drains him of all his money, divorces him, then takes off with the kid or kids and sticks him with child support, but my dad managed to win the custody case for me, so he had her on child support until I became an adult." Cole explained and Jay's eyes widened.

"Seriously?" Jay asked and Cole nodded. "Yeah. My mom is a total money hungry bitch. I am just one of 35 kids my mom has brought into this world. I believe she's 48 these days. We don't talk much. As in only when she wants money, but I never give her any so she gave up a while ago." I am in contact with my siblings though. She somehow lines all of our birthdays up to be on the thirteenth of November so we all celebrate our birthday together. Well, save for Colton. He was born January nineteenth of the same year as me, so we're what you call 'irish twins' if you will." Cole explained as he started rubbing his thumb over Jay's hand that he was still holding.

Jay smiled a bit at the motion Cole was making with his thumb. "That's one big family." He said with a small laugh and Cole chuckled. "Yeah, I guess." Cole responded. "What about your dad?" Jay asked in curiosity.

"My dad isn't exactly a good man really. He may have won the custody battle for me, but he only tried so he wouldn't owe child support. He's a total drunk. Almost never sober and he's actually meaner sober then when he's drunk. He can't even keep a job because he's always drunk." Cole explained and Jay gasped, holding his hand a little tighter. "How did he even win the custody battle?" He asked in shock.

"Eh, he managed to stay sober just long enough to impress the judge and convinced a friend that owned his own bar to hire him long enough to say he had a stable job and used the fact that my mom already had several other kids as an argument for her not having the right environment for me and all that. Doesn't help that he was sleeping with the judge." Cole explained and Jay shook his head.

"Wait... Did he ever.. Ya know..." Jay asked worriedly and Cole started poking at his cake. "Yeah, he beat me. Mostly whenever I messed up some how. Like getting a bad report card or something. Other then that if I managed to stay out of sight I stayed out of mind." Cole answered and Jay squeezed his hand a little more while looking at him with sympathy.

"It's alright, it's not like he can hurt me now. Alright?" Cole told Jay and the blue eyed male nodded. "Okay, I just... No one deserves that kind of childhood. Ya know?" Jay said and Cole smiled at him. "Thanks Jay."

~°~

Once the two finished their food they went and did the shopping. Cole sat in the car while Jay did the shopping per Jay's request then went back to Jay's apartment where Cole helped Jay put everything away.

"Nice apartment. It's cute." Cole said as he glanced around Jay's one bedroom abode. "Thanks I guess." Jay said with a shrug. "It's cheep and practical so I don't really care about looks. I'm only here while I'm going to school anyway." He added and Cole nodded. "I see. I guess that explains it though. You seemed more like the type to prefer more. Especially since everything is so minimalist." He said and Jay shrugged.

The apartment had one tiny bathroom and one small bedroom with no closet. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were basically one medium sized square with the kitchen basically being a small series of counters in the corner with a small round table with four chairs around it as the dining room table and the living room area was a small couch, a coffee table, and a small old school TV sitting on a fold up table.

"Like I said, it's only for the school year so there's no point in decorating it. That's just more to get rid of when I go back home." Jay said nonchalantly.

"Well, are you ready for bowling?" Cole asked and Jay nodded. "Yeah, let's go." He responded and Cole grinned.

~°~

When they arrived at the alley Cole lead Jay inside where the boys rented a line and Jay rented some shoes. Cole had his own shoes and ball in a bowling bag. They found their lane and got ready. Jay noted Cole's black bowling shoes with orange laces and loved looking at the man's bowling ball. The ball was black with an orange and dark blue green sparkles forming galaxy like shapes. It was beautiful in Jay's opinion.

"I like your ball." Jay said and Cole chuckled. "Thanks." He said then seemed to think. "I actually have an extra out in the car. If the weight suits you, you can use it." He said and Jay smiled. "Sure." He said and Cole nodded before going outside to grab the other ball.

The ball Cole came back in with was a simple black  with silver and gold specks that reminded Jay of stars. Jay tried the weight and smiled. "It's perfect." He said and Cole grinned. "Alright, just use that for the night." He noted and Jay nodded. "Shall we?" Jay said as a competitive look took over his features. "We shall." Cole responded with a grin.

As their game went on, competitive and quick witted banter was thrown back and forth as they kept countering each other's quips and tossed around friendly teasing. Their banter traveled to the border of flirting where it fell off the end. As they flirted and teased they enjoyed their night and when Jay won the game at the end of the night Cole rewarded him by giving him a deep kiss.

Jay was caught off guard by the kiss, but gave in when he realized what was going on and wrapped his arms around Cole's neck as the bigger male wrapped his arms around Jay's waist.

When the kiss ended Jay gave Cole a friendly push. "What even was that?" Jay asked with a laugh. "Your reward of course." Cole replied and Jay just rolled his eyes. "Alright, now take me home." Jay said and Cole smirked. "Gladly." He said suggestively. "Not what I mean." Jay responded sternly and Cole pouted.

~°~

When dropping Jay off, Cole walked him up to his apartment door. "Have a goodnight and good luck at school tomorrow." Cole said and Jay smiled. "Thanks and goodnight to you as well. Get home safe." He said and Cole nodded.

"I'll see you around." Cole said and went to turn to leave, but not before Jay could plant a kiss on him. Cole wrapped his arms around Jay's waist and Jay wrapped his arms around Cole's neck as the kiss deeped.

Jay pulled back before the kiss could go to far. "Goodnight." Jay breathed out before running inside his apartment and closing the door, locking it.

Cole stood there in a daze and smiled when he realized what happened. "God he's going to be the death of me." Cole muttered before turning and leaving for the night.

After Jay settled on the couch with a TV dinner he heard his home phone go off and got up to answer it after muting the TV. "Jay Walker, who is this?" He answered the phone.

"This is Professor Wu from Ninjago University." Came the voice on the other line. "Oh! You're the algebra advanced algebra professor, right?" Jay said excitedly.

"Yes, I need a favor from you." Wu said and Jay smiled. "Sure thing. What is it?" He responded. "I'm actually gathering a group of unique talents to help me find Misako Garmadon and the missing student Nya Smith. I was woundering if you'd join. I was going through your files and believe we could use your tech expertise." Wu explained.

"I would love to help out! Nya was actually my friend so yeah, I'll do whatever I can." Jay gave as answer.

"Good. I'll call again at a later date when I have the group together." Wu said and Jay grinned ear to ear. "I'll be waiting for your call."