Cliff Gordon's villa swam into view, partially hiding between the huge trees that surrounded it. Other members of the Bounty were mildly interested, perhaps even excited as they caught sight, but Jay was unaffected.

He had been anxious all day, and he stayed anxious now. He'd seen the mansion before... so, this was nothing new.

"We're gonna have to land a little way away, otherwise we're gonna have to crush a lot of trees." Nya spoke. Jay nodded, agreeing.

She carefully landed the flying ship, and as they made contact with the ground, Jay felt a dropping in his chest.

He didn't know why he was so nervous about this? He was simply revisiting a place he'd been before.

Cole noticed his mind wandering, and gave him a gentle nudge.

"You good?"

Jay snapped himself out of it, wiping his eye and blinking a few times.

"Yeah, I uhm... I'm fine."

Lloyd looked more excited than anybody else, knowing full well that he was about to set foot inside the house of his Sci-Fi hero. He was trying to hide it - afraid that he would somehow upset Jay or another one of his friends - but wasn't doing a very good job.

Being perfectly honest, Jay didn't really mind. There had been nothing but negativity befalling the group recently, and any scrap of happiness was very invited. If Lloyd was excited about going into Cliff Gordon's house, who was he to ruin that?

The walk up the path to the villa was mildly pleasant. A cool breeze blessed the air, filtering past trees and filling the space with the scent of pine.

Jay's nerves relented. This was all so familiar, yet not at the same time.

Who knew he'd one day be walking back up here again, with a group of seven instead of one.

He took the lead, quickening his pace, and the others followed suit. He just wanted to get this over with. Get inside, get settled down, get used to it, and get rid of this uncontrollable anxious feeling.

The door loomed above him, and the key in his pocket suddenly felt very heavy.

Jay's hand shook as he pulled it out, and it took a few attempts to press it into the keyhole successfully.

Cole noticed it, even though it was small. He wished he could say something to help, anything to help. This situation was so foreign to him, and horribly familiar to the boy in front.

There was nothing he could say to help, despite how painful that fact was.

After the fourth attempt, Jay got the key in, and turned it, holding his breath as the door swung open. An indiscernible clean smell swallowed the group, as the warmth of the building juxtaposed the cold outside.

"... come on. We're letting the heat out." Jay whispered, only just audible.

He held open the door and let the rest of them walk inside first, and closed the door as quickly as he could.

"... WOAHHHHH!"

A loud cheer filled the entrance with sound, Lloyd unable to contain his glee at the sight before him.

Memorabilia, merchandise, figurines, posters, very clear authentic costumes worn by Fitz Donegan himself. Any fanboy's dream.

"Is that, is thAT HIS COSTUME FROM SEASON ONE? And that one! That's his classic gun prop isn't it! H-Holy sh*t..."

Lloyd turned to Jay, a look of ecstatic glee on his face.

Jay sighed and smiled at him.

"Go ahead. Look around as much as you want, just make sure not to damage anything."

"... oh my... thank you so much! Jay, this is the best day of my entire life!"

Lloyd quickly scampered off, clutching his hands together and squealing every time something familiar popped up. Jay watched him disappear down a corridor, and wished that he could feel the same innocent happiness.

Maybe in another world, he would have joined the Green Ninja on his venture through the house, laughing and grinning together as they talked about their favourite TV show.

But he couldn't.

Any positivity that he could muster would be fake.

Zane followed Lloyd on his little adventure to make sure he kept out of trouble, sharing a humorous shrug with Cole before leaving.

The rest of the group made their way to the huge living room, which was more like a massive lobby that linked up to other hallways and rooms. Four different luxury leather sofas faced each other in a square in one corner, the lights came on automatically as they walked in, and the fireplace started all by itself.

It was impressive, there was no denying it.

Even Kai couldn't hide his thoughts. When nobody was looking, he stared around in awe at the design and architecture, though still forced a neutral expression when anybody else came near.

Nya sided over to Jay, gazing up at the ceiling alongside him.

"... it's somehow more impressive as I remember."

"Yeah. I can't remember it being so... grand. Posh. I can't believe this is... mine."

Nya laid a hand on his shoulder.

"So. What's the plan now?"

"I don't know. Stay here, find out where everybody will sleep. Make sure Lloyd doesn't get too hyper over the Donegan merch."

"Hah, he still is the little kid of the group, isn't he."

"Yep. It's nice to see him happy for once."

Nya looked at him, clearly trying to make eye contact, but Jay was too nervous to return it.

"... what about you?"

"Hmm?"

"It would be nice to see you happy for once."

He felt a thumping in his chest. Had he really been that low recently?

Looking back... yeah. He had been.

"... I'm... sorry. I guess I've been bringing down the mood lately... huh..."

"Jay, hon, nobody blames you for how you've been feeling. We're all here for you."

Nya didn't bat an eyelid as the familiar pet name slipped out of her mouth. After weeks and weeks of hearing nothing of the sort, Jay's focus clicked directly to it, however... she seemed to not even notice.

As if it was entirely natural.

"Look on the bright side. You really do have a secret hideout now, eh?" she winked, giving him a playful nudge.

Jay's cheeks flushed bright red.

"I u-uhm... yeah, I guess I do..."

She laughed, and settled down, looking back at the room in front of them.

"... I'll leave you to it. You have a lot to explore, don't you."

"... y-yeah... I uh... I wanna check out the rest of the rooms. I didn't get a chance to last time."

She walked away and joined Kai instead, striking up a conversation with him.

Jay gazed after her for a short while, trying his hardest to keep his breathing slow and steady. His heart raced inside his chest, making him feel warm and... positive. Positive for the first time in a long while.

He pushed his hair out of his eyes, and snapped himself out of the odd daze he had entered.

Cole watched him as he made his way towards other parts of the villa, slipping out of sight as he turned a corner.

He had watched the entire interaction between the broken couple, and hadn't been impressed in the slightest. Twinges of annoyance made their way into his head state, and... he simply couldn't just stand aside and pretend it never happened.

"... Nya, could I speak to you in private?" He asked, trying very hard to sound neutral, however, the clear anger in his voice carried over to the siblings.

"... uhm... sure?" Nya replied.

"... what? What's she done?" Kai asked. Cole shot him a look.

"I asked to speak to her in private for a reason."

Kai didn't question him any further, and Nya followed Cole out of the room silently.

He waited until he was sure that Kai was out of earshot to speak.

"... what the f*ck do you think you're doing?"

Nya's eyes widened.

"... wh... what do you-"

"With Jay. You were flirting with him."

"... I... Cole, I wasn't flirting with hi-"

"Yes you were, and you know you were."

Nya pursed her lips, not knowing how to reply.

"... you broke up with him, Nya. You broke up with him because you didn't know if you'd date a trans guy, and he respected that, even though it f*cking hurt him. The least you can do is respect him as well, and not lead him on!"

She looked away, taking a deep breath.

"Cole... I don't know what you think you saw, but I promise you, I didn't mean to do anything like that."

Cole continued talking, not paying any mind to her statement.

"Either you're with him, or you aren't. You need to make a decision before you hurt him even more. If you hadn't noticed, he's still in love with you, and if you keep acting like this, you're gonna end up breaking his heart all over again! For the third f*cking time Nya!"

She looked at him, and saw in his eyes that he was dead serious. It was contact that she couldn't hold for very long, too intimidated as she realised what she had indeed been doing.

"... just because he has a big fancy mansion and loads of money, it doesn't make it ok to get all up in his business again. He's still, just, Jay. The same Jay we've always known."

Nya felt her first touch of irritation at that, crossing her arms.

"... what the hell are you suggesting? That I'm some selfish gold digger?"

Cole seemed as if he was going to agree, but, took a step back.

He closed his eyes, leaning against a wall and massaging his temples with his thumb and forefinger.

"... look, Nya... I'm sorry. That was... that was out of order. I was out of order. I just... I can't stand to see anything else happen to him."

Nya nodded, subconsciously biting her parched lips.

"... no, no I... somebody needed to say something."

He squeezed his fists together, and appeared to wipe away tears, but it could have just been sweat.

"... f*ck... I'm sorry. I really, really am. I... I don't know what came over me."

She gave him a half smile, tilting her head.

"It's alright. Tension has been high recently, I don't blame you."

He took another breath, and another.

"... do you wanna talk about anything, Cole? We could take a walk. It looks like the Villa has a garden, I think I saw it from the Bounty before we landed." Nya spoke, softening her voice.

"... I might just take you up on that."

———

Jay hadn't yet found anything interesting, despite searching around most of the rooms by now. He had obviously passed over the dressing room and other such spaces that he had previously visited.

On the second floor, he had already checked his late father's bedroom, which was surprisingly devoid of stuff. It was also incredibly awkward to spend time in, as you would imagine the room of a dead man.

There was one last door that Jay hadn't entered, and being honest... he expected it to be nothing but a storage cupboard. The search for any new information had come away frustratingly fruitless, and his morale was low.

But then... he spotted an acrylic block attached to the wood, a long rectangle with... what looked like a name on it. It seemed to be glued to the door.

He hurried forward, and his stomach turned as he finally made out what it said.

'Sophie'

Conflicting emotions filled him to the brim. On one hand, knowing that Cliff had actually kept a room for him was certainly surprising. Intriguing even. He wanted nothing more than to go inside, see what had been left, see if it really was a bedroom, or the remnants of one, discarded and turned into a generic storage space.

On the other hand... just the sight of his birthname made him feel sick.

Despite his unwavering curiosity, Jay pulled himself away, instead turning back towards the living room/hall that he had left the others in.

Lloyd had returned from his Donegan trip, looking extremely content, and yapping away to a mildly interested Zane. Kai was sat on one of the sofas, half asleep and definitely ready for some rest. Sensei stood in the corner, just observing.

"... oh, Jay! Did you find anything?" Zane asked as he noticed his friend's presence.

"... not yet. Where are Cole and Nya?"

"I think they went off for a walk to clear their heads. Do you want me to call them back?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

Zane called Cole's phone, and the two returned within about five minutes, looking refreshed.

"The gardens are really exquisite, we should all go out together at some point." Nya sighed, stretching her shoulders, "What did you call us back for?"

Jay cleared his throat, and Kai snapped back to reality, paying attention.

"... it's getting late. We should probably decide where we're all gonna sleep." He said. Sensei left his space in the corner, and spoke at last.

"I'll stay on the Bounty. Somebody should make sure that it stays safe, though I doubt we'll be getting any visitors up here."

"... if you're sure, Sensei."

He nodded his head, and swiftly left the Villa.

"... well. In here, there are four sofas we can stay on, and the fire will keep anybody in here pretty warm." Lloyd suggested.

"Lloyd, no matter where you are in this place, you're gonna be warm. The floors are heated." Kai monotoned.

Lloyd's mouth fell agape.

"They ARE?! My god, how fancy is this place?!"

Jay playfully rolled his eyes, and picked up where Lloyd left off.

"There's also a single guest bedroom, but it also has a seat that can turn into a bed in there, so two people could take that. I also... I found a room that I think... I think was supposed to be mine. I'm gonna try and stay in there."

"... so... would it be ok for me and Kai to take the bedroom?" Nya asked.

Jay shrugged.

"If Kai wants to do that, you're very welcome."

The group looked to Kai, who couldn't care less.

"I don't care where I sleep, as long as I can sleep. I'm bloody exhausted."

"Then that leaves me, Cole and Lloyd on the sofas down here. That setup works perfectly." Zane smiled.

"And, worst come to worst, Jay could always come down and take the fourth one." Cole added.

"... c'mon, you three need some bedsheets. I found a drying room full of clean duvets earlier."

Lloyd, Cole and Zane followed Jay to the room, and started picking out some blankets.

"Kai's been awfully quiet this whole time, hasn't he." Lloyd joked.

"Yeah, I think he's a bit intimidated." Cole replied.

"Of what?" Zane asked.

"Jay's sudden millionaire status?" Lloyd replied, before snorting with laughter and accidentally dropping his blankets on the floor.

"Hey, I don't think I'm quite at that level."

"On that topic, Jay, how much money have you actually inherited?"

Jay didn't answer for a few moments.

"... I... I don't know."

"Aha, so you MIGHT be a millionaire!"

"... maybe."

Jay bid goodnight to the three, checked that the front door was properly locked, then made his way back up to the room he'd come across earlier.

The name-tag taunted him, daring him to go inside, teasing him about his past with its mere existence.

Jay shook the feeling away - and with a shaking hand, he grabbed the doorknob - pushing the wood open to reveal...

... a bedroom.

Walls painted dark navy, while the ceiling was electric blue. A single bed was laid out in the left corner next to the entrance, adorned with plain bedsheets - matching the colour of the walls - that had been neatly applied.

A silent clock hung on one wall, a mirror on another. A wooden closet stood at the back, next to a clean desk with a matching desk chair.

The carpet was soft below his feet, clearly vacuumed and washed, kept in impeccable condition.

The last clear asset to the room was a large chest, on top of which were a set of towels, and a box full of fancy, specifically masculine hygiene products, and next to those, a pile of neatly wrapped presents. It appeared that there were eighteen of them, one for each year of his age, and then one more. He hadn't turned eighteen yet.

Jay was lost for words, only able to stand and stare, still taking in the sight in front of him.

This room had... definitely been kept clean. Tidied, well presented. This couldn't have been chance, or accident.

Cliff was keeping a room for him... just in case, he ever came home.

There was no other explanation.

An envelope reached Jay's concentration, laid on the desk and held shut with another intricate wax seal.

He stepped over to it, still shaking, perhaps harder than before.

It was for him. No professional talk, or sophisticated addressing.

'To, Jay' was written on the front, in looping cursive handwriting. Not a font he had seen before, and with a single glance, Jay knew that it was from Cliff.

He picked it up, slipping his fingers under the wax seal, and he pulled out the message within, sitting down on the bed to read it.

With a heavy heart, and a racing breath... Jay let himself sink into the words.

'Dear Jay,

I know I do not have much time left. My health has been dwindling for years, it was only a matter of time until I fell ill. I am writing this message to you in fear that it will be the last chance I get.

First of all, I must apologise. I know that it was wrong of me to be so absent in your life, to let you stay with Ed and Edna with no knowledge of my existence. I did not believe myself to be a worthy father to you, after I had failed so miserably at the start of your life. Your adoptive parents deserved you a hundred times more than I, and I could not bring myself to ruin their new family, or your new life.

I have watched you for all these years, through the media, keeping track of your growth. I've watched you mature, learning to harness your power, building yourself as a person. You have faced so many struggles, struggles that I often wanted to step in and help with, but I was far too ashamed. What would you think of me? The absent father who was never there for you?

Perhaps it was best for us to never meet face to face. For reasons I still don't understand, your own mother could not stand me after you were born, and took you away before I could ever bring you home. She chose a good place for you with the Walkers, before she disappeared. Nobody knows where she went, all I can hope is that she was happy. She was the love of my life, after all.

Jay, my dear dear boy. Life has not been kind to you.

I am so, so unbelievably sorry. I wish that I and your mother could have been a part of your world, I wish for it more than anything else. I would give anything, all my money, all my fame, to be able to go back in time and change what I've done, alas, there is no point wavering on the past.

I will never forget holding you in my arms, just after your birth. You were so small, so tiny, yet you had the brightest smile. I knew at that moment, that I would love you forever.

I could not be prouder, to call you my son.

Yours faithfully,

Your father,

Cliff Gordon'