Yay! The final chapter! It took me nearly two weeks to write, but I finally finished it!

I really like the way it turned out, and I hope you guys like it too!

But don't think this is how the series is going to end, no sir. I've got two more books and a coupl'a one-shots (or short stories, depending on how long I want to make one) already in the making! And has anyone figured out the theme I've got going with my titles? Here's a hint: the book titles are spin-offs (well, the first one isn't) of actual books written by a famous author: "A Grief Observed," "Surprised by Jay," "Chronicles of Walker." Cookies for anyone who can figure it out!

And even though the first part of the chapter may seem irrelevant, pay attention to it. It'll come in handy for another upcoming trilogy series.

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the final chapter of "A Grief Observed"!

7. A New Beginning

The day after Ed Walker's funeral found the Ninja in a day of silence. No one was talking. No one felt like talking. They ate their breakfast without saying a word, then they split up to their separate ways around the dojo. Jay locked himself in his room, and no one tried to bother him when they heard his muffled sobbing.

Zane had decided to take a walk around the city, to try to clear his head, and to figure out the puzzling feelings that had newly awoken in him. Pixal had retreated to the back recesses of his mind, knowing that he needed full time to himself, without her presence in the front of his vision.

He pulled his jacket collar up around his neck. Even though he was a Nindroid, and he didn't mind the cold, for some reason, the late November wind swirling around him made Zane shiver, something he hadn't experienced since he was rebuilt . . .

Since he was rebuilt. That was the root cause of his peculiar feelings. When he woke up in Master Chen's dungeons, he had completely forgotten about his past, even though they hadn't been erased. It was Pixal's voice in the cell next to him that had unlocked his past, but there was one thing that he hadn't remembered until much later . . . and the sudden death of Jay's father had made it much bolder.

He hadn't remembered his own father, Dr. Julien, until Sensei Garmadon's death and banishment to the Cursed Realm, and Lloyd was grieving over his father's passing. Shortly after, Zane had asked Kai if he'd had a father, and when Kai had told him that he did, his memories of Dr. Julien came back, slowly, and somewhat faintly, and they had remained blurry up to recently, when he and Jay were playing for Ed's funeral. Then they became clearer than glass.

The feelings that came with them were overwhelming. Zane had found it very hard to fall asleep after the funeral. Even though he didn't need sleep, it still left Zane very tired the next morning, and very perplexed.

He sat down on a park bench, gazing up at the gloomy gray sky hovering over the city like a forbidding blanket. When Dr. Julien died, shortly after Zane became a teacher at Wu's Academy, Zane had been partially expecting it. He had still grieved over his loss, but it hurt differently. That might have been because he hadn't gotten much time to know his father after he had been rescued from his prison tower in the middle of the ocean. Dr. Julien had gone back to his workshop in the Birchwood Forest, and Zane found it harder and harder to visit him as his schedule became packed with the rigors of being a teacher.

Now that he remembered his father, he wished he had gotten the time to know him better. He wasn't sure how else to describe his feelings. He wanted to go back and relive the memories he had, and make more before it was too late. But that was impossible, he reminded himself. No one has ever successfully time-traveled without there being some sort of-then the sentimental part of his brain interrupted. To the Dark Island with probability of time travel! All I want is to see my father again!

Zane felt a tear rolling down his cheek. He held his face in his hands. He tried to blink back his tears, but he couldn't stop himself. Warm tears spilled over his cheeks as Zane began to sob. He didn't realize how much he missed his father until now. And how little time he was able to spend with him. Life was so short . . . he thought. Don't let it pass you by . . .

Finally, Zane stopped crying, and he shakily stood to his feet, wiping his eyes on his jacket sleeve. As he turned to walk back out of the park, his phone, tucked away in his pocket, let out a soft beep and vibrated against his leg. Stifling a sniffle, Zane answered it. "Yes?"

"Zane?" Zane's eyes widened in surprise.

"Pastor Michael! Is there something wrong?"

He could tell his pastor was stifling a smile as he replied, "Just because a pastor calls doesn't mean there's something wrong, Zane. I was trying to get through to Jay, but his phone's turned off."

"Yes, he was trying to cut off all contact for a time," Zane explained. "What is it, Pastor?"

"Do you think you could convince Jay to make some contact and come to my office at the church? I'd like to speak to the three of you personally about something."

"The three of us?" Zane frowned. "You only named two people, though if I were technically speaking, you only named one. Who's the third?"

He could hear Pastor Michael facepalming on the other end. "Nya Smith is the third person. She's Kai Smith's younger sister and Jay's girlfriend, right? With such a big congregation, it's a little hard to keep track of who's who."

Zane clamped a hand over his mouth to smother a chuckle at his pastor's absent-mindedness. "Yes, that's her," he confirmed. "I'm on my way back to the dojo now, so I'll tell them. Should we come now?"

"Let me check my schedule . . ." Pastor Michael hurriedly checked his calendar. "As it happens, I don't have anything planned today, so yes, come over to the church as soon as you can."

"Affirmative. We'll see you shortly." With that, Zane hung up. As he went home at a jogging pace, he wondered aloud, "What could Pastor Michael want to talk with us about?"

Zane knocked on Jay's bedroom door. "Who is it?" Jay's voice sounded muffled.

"It's me, Jay," Zane said. "Are you ready to come out now?"

The Nindroid could hear his friend sigh deeply. "Yeah, I'm ready. As ready as I'll ever be." Seconds later, Jay opened his bedroom door, scrubbing at his blotched red eyes. His glasses were clasped in one hand, and his blue-white-and-gray plaid shirt looked wrinkled, as if he'd been lying on his stomach for several hours. Which wasn't all that unlikely.

He frowned in confusion at the worried look on Zane's face. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, wiping his glasses on his sleeve before putting them back on.

"I do not believe so," Zane said hesitantly, "but Pastor Michael called me about fifteen minutes ago, while I was out walking. He said he would like you, Nya, and me to see him at his office as soon as we could."

Now it was Jay's turn to look worried. "I hope he isn't gonna ask me to fill my dad's role as pastor," he said, fidgeting with his shirt collar.

"Jay, you haven't even gone to college, much less seminary," Zane assured him. "And if he were, wouldn't he speak to you about it privately?"

"Touche," Jay conceded. "Have you told Nya?"

"Yes, and she's waiting outside at her car for us. Shall we join her?"

"Hang on a sec." Jay darted back into his room. Zane could hear him rummaging around, as if looking for something. About a minute later, Jay reappeared in the hallway, smoothing out his shirt.

Zane raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing in there?" he asked.

"Just getting my, uh, eye medication," Jay said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Zane could tell he was lying, but he shrugged it off. "If you say so. Let's go."

In fifteen minutes, Nya's sky-blue Sienna pulled up in the Ninjago City Baptist parking lot. The three young people climbed out of the car and approached the glass doors of the building. "Pastor Michael just texted me that he unlocked the doors about five minutes ago," Zane reported, head bent down over his phone.

"You keep that up and you're gonna smack right into that support pole over there," Jay joked. He'd regained some of his old sense of humor, but he kept glancing over at Nya with a nervous expression on his face.

Zane didn't have time to ponder over Jay's peculiar behavior, because, as predicted, he slammed right into the glass doors of the church. "Okay, so my collision course was a little off," Jay said, stifling a smile as Zane glared at the church doors. Nya hid a giggle behind one hand.

Zane rolled his eyes. "It goes to show that I'm as human as the rest of you," he retorted, pushing the doors open to let them in.

"Uh, you're not human," Jay pointed out. "You're one-hundred-percent Nindroid. Upgraded Nindroid, but Nindroid no less."

Zane facepalmed. "Walked right into that one," he muttered.

"Cut it out, you two," Nya said, but she was still trying hard not to laugh. "Your witty repartee can wait until later, can't it?"

The two boys didn't respond, they just glared at each other. Nya put her hands on her hips. "I'm not going in until you two stop that," she said.

Jay and Zane held their glares for another minute. Then, Jay's glower turned more into a grin, and he started giggling hysterically. Zane also stopped glaring, and he covered his mouth in a vain effort to muffle his laughing. Nya rolled her eyes. "Boys," she muttered.

Once Jay and Zane stopped laughing, they entered the church building, Jay releasing a hiccuping giggle every so often.

Jay knocked on the door of Pastor Michael's office. "Pastor Michael?" he called nervously.

"Come in," the pastor answered.

The three entered his office. It was pleasantly untidy, with papers scattered over a desk in front of a window with a view of the empty church playground, a quartet of armchairs arranged in a corner around a circular mahogany-colored coffee table, and three tall bookshelves lined the walls. A warmly-colored rug was spread across almost the entire carpeted floor.

At his desk, Pastor Michael closed his computer and pushed his chair back as he stood. He was in his mid-thirties, young for a pastor, with neatly brushed brown hair, black-rimmed rectangular glasses, and a tall, somewhat lanky frame dressed in a green-and-white-checked collared shirt, dark blue jeans, and gray running shoes.

He smiled at the three. "I'm glad you could make it," he said. "Please, sit down." He gestured to the armchairs nestled together in the corner as he walked toward them.

Jay, Nya, and Zane joined their pastor around the coffee table. Jay got right to the point. "Why did you want to see us, Pastor Michael?"

Michael rested his hands on his knees, and took a few seconds before replying. "I wanted to see you because of the funeral last week," he said.

Jay's heart sunk just a little. "What about it?" he asked, not sure whether he wanted to know.

Michael looked slightly serious. "The last worship segment of the service, the one that you and Zane led," he said.

Jay's heart sank even further. Zane was confused, and Nya was worried. "Was it that bad?" he mumbled.

Michael shook his head fervently. "No, no, that's not it at all, Jay!" he assured him. "In fact, it was anything but bad!"

Jay looked surprised. "You're not kidding?"

"Why would I kid about something that touched our congregation so deeply?" Michael exclaimed. "Jay, you and Zane were phenomenal! You conveyed something so . . . so devoted, so sincere, in your worship, I was stunned!"

Jay was speechless. Zane was barely able to stammer, "T-t-thank you, Pastor!"

Nya squeezed her boyfriend's arm to snap him out of his stupor. Jay squeaked, "Thanks?"

Michael smiled at the two startled boys. "The Sunday after the service, the elders and I had a meeting," he began. "Since Chris moved away, we haven't been able to get a permanent worship leader, or a band. In fact, before he left, Chris told me and your father about how you came to him after services asking for any music sheets you could borrow so you could learn how to play the songs yourself," he said to Jay. "He recommended you as our next possible choice for worship leader. I was a little skeptical about it, and your father agreed to wait, even though he wanted to vote you in on the spot.

"Then, I heard you playing at Ed's funeral, the two songs he loved the most. And I knew the choice was made. The elders all agreed, and now, I would like to ask you."

Michael paused. Then he asked, "Jay, would you like to fill in the position of Ninjago City Baptist's worship leader?"

Jay almost fainted, but Nya quickly pinched him before he passed out. Jay blinked, then rubbed his glasses on his sleeve, even though he thought it was his ears that were having problems, not his eyes. That showed just how flustered he was. "You're-you're serious? You want me to be the worship leader?"

"I can't think of anyone else who'd fit the position better than you, Jay," Michael said.

"I-I-I would be honored, Pastor!" Jay finally managed to stutter. "Could I choose who'd be in the band?"

"Of course," Michael said, smiling. "Why else do you think Zane and Nya are here with you?"

Jay looked at his two friends. "Would you. . ." he began hesitantly.

Zane smiled. "Of course I would," he said.

Nya was slightly puzzled. "Why would you ask me?" she asked. "I'm not the best singer in the congregation."

"But you are a beautiful singer!" Jay exclaimed, taking Nya's hands and softly massaging them. "I wouldn't want anyone else but you."

Then, he did something Nya didn't expect. Jay got down on one knee, still clasping Nya's hands in his own. "I love you, Nya," he said. "I wouldn't want anyone else at my side but you. You're the most wonderful girl I've ever met, and I've never met anyone like you before or since."

He reached into his back pocket and took out a small black velvet box. He placed it in Nya's hands. She flipped back the lid, and gasped. Inside was a beautiful silver ring, engraved with her name, and inlaid with a deep-blue sapphire and a rose-red ruby, held together by a delicate intertwining of silver.

"Nya," Jay asked, gazing up at her with his sea-blue eyes. "Will you marry me?"

Nya's amber irises were filled with tears. She smiled at Jay, and, setting down the box, wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes!" she cried, joyful tears spilling down her cheeks. "More than anything, I want to marry you!"

Jay felt tears spring to his own eyes, but they weren't sad tears this time. They were filled with love, joy, and hope for the days ahead. He wrapped his arms around Nya, and held her tight, completely unaware of his pastor and his friend watching them with smiling faces.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, they let go. Jay slipped the ring onto Nya's finger, and smiled at her, the first real smile he'd felt on his face in days. Nya smiled back at him, and then she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Jay blushed bright pink, and he saw Zane suppress a smile behind one silver hand.

The newly-engaged couple turned to Pastor Michael. "You'll officiate the wedding, won't you?" Jay and Nya said in the same breath.

Pastor Michael couldn't stop smiling. "Of course I will," he said. This was a day he probably wasn't going to forget, and no one else in that room was going to forget it either.

The rest of the meeting went by in a haze for Jay and Nya, they were just too happy. They were planning to spend the rest of their lives with each other, and it was the best thing they could ever imagine.

The End.

A special thank-you to these supporters, who so faithfully followed, commented, and liked my first completed book! (Officially, my first completed story was I'll Be Home For Christmas, but this is my first completed longer story.)

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Thank you guys so much for your support! See you at the next book!

-TitaniumMasterOfAquaLightning

#God's Not Dead!