Hi all,

I've been gone for centuries and I'm not sure I'm back, but this fic was hunting my dreams begging to be written.
It's just a longer version of the episode "the last resort". When they find Echo Zane, Jay says "we've been locked in here for so long you are beginning to hear things, and obviously somehow Nya went from "we are friend and that's all we're ever going to be" to " You are the only one I've ever let into my heart"

This is not a lemon, or a lime or anything of that sort. It's rated T just to be safe- I can get intense sometimes. It will be based on cannon.
Credit needs to go to Master of Cupcakes who already did something similar- I requested it and she did such a lovely job that she inspired me to write my own version.

And I don't own Ninjago which is obvious. If I did, the whole Cole and Nya train wreck would have never happened.

"Cheers!

"I'm not rowing" she said with fake innocence as the force of the water propelled him forwards. He used his hands to stop himself from collapsing into her body but he still ended miserably closer to her than he intended. Way too close.

Since they had left the police station a few hours ago, he had been telling himself that he would not cause her to mistrust him. He was a gentleman and he knew that Nya just needed a teammate, a partner, a protector - not that she would ever admit to that- and nothing more. And yet, being so close to her, Jay couldn't help but indulge in the spark on those olive eyes, in staring at the sumptuous lips curling into that confident smile that never failed to get to him. His mind took him back to those afternoons on the Destiny's Bounty when they would work on new mecs and inventions together. She always had that same intensity, that confidence that she would succeed and he suspected that she didn't need his clumsy help at all, she just unexplainably enjoyed his company. He would always somehow get grease on his face, and she would always stare right into his eyes, run her soft fingers on his messy hair and wipe off his cheek before pecking his lips- making him loose all control over his body. He was sure he had accidentally shocked her a few times, not that she ever complained...

Before he knew it, the old wood from the boat scratched the sand and he found himself on land. He quickly got to his feet, praying that the expression on his face hadn't given away his thoughts and feeling a bit dumb for not letting her help sooner. His whole body was shaking but he convinced himself it was from the exhaustion of rowing and not from his earlier proximity to her. Darn it, Jay! You are such a bad liar you can't even fool yourself!

The lighthouse stood imposing in front of them and as he looked in the direction of the endless stairs leading to the entrance, completely out of instinct, he offered his hand to help her out of the boat and thanked his lucky stars that the flight of the seagulls captured her attention and she did not notice. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel like a damsel in distress. The last thing he wanted was for her to turn on him again.

They began the climb upstairs and, to Nya's concern, the master of lightning quickly fell behind... and he was quiet. She instinctively knew that something was wrong, because her ex- boyfriend was always hard to keep up with. And he was never quiet. Carefully, she looked at him over her shoulder and noticed the limp on his right leg, probably where the Vengestone chain had been for days. He had spared her the details of his days at the Misfortune's Keep, for now, but he couldn't hide his injuries and it wasn't at all hard to connect the pieces: Nadakhan had definitely tortured Jay to force him to make his third wish. The thought alone felt like a dagger through her chest and unconsciously her hand moved there in an attempt to stop the pain. She pushed away the memories of how she treated him back in Tiger Widow's island and the thought of how close they would have been to loosing him too. She didn't know if she would have been strong enough to stand up to Nadakhan for as long as Jay did but she always knew the Master of Lighting was stronger than he dared to believe. She had seen the fire in his eyes whenever someone he loved was in danger and that fire, that strength was one of the many reasons why she once loved...

With an audible sight, the Water Ninja slowed her pace down, allowing the blue one to catch up.

"Can I have a turn with the bag? I haven't done any training for the last few days" she said, trying to sound casual.

"Nope, I'm OK... just... admiring the view" he lied containing the urge to rub his aching ribs, hoping she couldn't hear the strain in his voice. She could.

"C'mon Jay! Please let me help!" she sounded edgier than she intended but she knew he was hurting.

"A gentleman wouldn't let a..." he started.

"...wouldn't let a lady carry the bag, I know" she interrupted him, thick annoyance on her voice. But before she could get too angry at him, he looked into her eyes for a moment and then returned his gaze to the stone steps. And what she saw on his eyes was a broken man trying to convince himself that he was strong enough.

"I guess I'll have to let you off the hook; this really is Ed and Edna's doing" she hoped mentioning his parents would get her a smile and a casual chat but his expression remained carefully neutral and he didn't speak. She sighted again and stopped walking causing Jay to stop as well.

"You are right, the view from up here is amazing!" She tried, looking at the horizon with him for a few minutes until he started walking up the stairs again without saying a word. He knew she was up to him and he didn't want her to know how weak he really was. He was supposed to be there to protect her, not the other way around.

As he walked, he could feel his heart beating in his ears. Jay was in pain. He hadn't had a proper meal for days, he was week and it felt like every inch of his body was screaming from the heat, from the effort it took to climb those darn stairs, from the even bigger effort to conceal his discomfort from Nya. And to top it all up, his mind suddenly decided to remind him in detail how he got those cuts and bruises, why his body was so sore.

She noticed his careful façade crumbling and thought of sparking her dragon to get them both to the top, but she knew that it would draw too much attention so she settled for wrapping her arm around his instead.

"We're almost there" she said encouraging and he gifted her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. He didn't want her to be worried about him.

"You know, I'm kinda waiting for you to freak out on me..." she smiled back.

Oh, I'm freaking out alright! he thought.

"Why would I freak out? I'm with you" he regretted the words as soon as they left his lips. Great work, Jay. Way to not make her feel uncomfortable! "Hehe, I mean..." he added scratching the back of his head "you're the smartest ninja after Zane, I'm sure together we'll think of something.

The master of water smiled knowingly. It was alright, if she was being honest, she was also glad that she was with him. He had this ability to make her feel safe, maybe because he always had her back... she was the one who always turned her back on him…

"I'm sorry" she almost whispered.

"What for?"

"Back on Tiger Widow's Island. I was too hard on you..." she looked at him, and back at the big wooden door a few meters ahead of them.

"I... I deserved that" he said eyes fixed on the ground.

"You didn't. And for what is worth, I was really worried, uh, we were really worried about you... you should've seen Cole and I doing Jay impressions..."

She was relieved to hear a soft laugh from him and she found herself laughing as well.

"Now you need to show me..." he added, with a real lopsided grin.

"This is no time for jokes!" she started in a high pitched voice. "We are alone in the middle of nowhere, chased by evil pirates who have taken all our friends and now we are supposed to stop them all on our own!"

"Not bad... " he chuckled.

"Cole's was much better!" she laughed. She was so relieved to see him acting like himself again, she didn't even realised they had finally reached the top of the stairs.

"We are here..." the master of lighting's tone suddenly changed as he slowly opened the big wooden door.

"What? No ladies first?" she asked.

"I thought you were over the whole gentleman thing" he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. He made sure they were alone before letting her in.

She sighted and followed him inside. He was pale as ghost, weak and injured and he would still be overprotective. Now she remembered why she had dumped him on the first place...