Okay, first of all, I AM SO SORRY ABOUT BEING LATE! There were a combination of things that prevented me from posting: I wanted to reply to all the reviews, the road trip I was on for the past few days really put me behind because I didn't have my computer, AND there were a few things I wanted to add to this chapter, so I didn't want to rush to post it without it being FINISHED finished, especially with it being the last chapter and all.

But, here it is! The final chapter of Broken Circle! I really hope you guys enjoy it! :D

Special thanks to: MightyShipper, evelinaonline, WindNinja333, FirstFandomFangirl, KyraPlays, RandomDragon2.0, Fxreflies, LeUltimateNerd, Peanut2196, PraireSkies, Abcsilly, SweetHeart114, Breeze015, Plumcicle, TheYellowNinja, Guest, ABCSKW123-IX, Star, Israa, Katla1 for reviewing! :D You guys are truly amazing for taking the time to let me know how I'm doing :D

Replies to guest reviews:

MightyShipper: Yay, I'm so glad I could give you a birthday present! :D Happy birthday, and I hope you enjoy this last chapter as well! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D

Plumcicle: Yay, I'm glad you like the idea of a one shot series about Morro! That is such a cute head canon! :3 Thanks for sharing and reviewing! :D

TheYellowNinja: Haha, I thought Cole would be too excited to be scared XD Morro has certainly been through a lot, but at least he is finally getting to be a part of the ninja and Wu's family again :3 Yep, we finally got Gem's real name! I'm glad you like it :D And, Jay FINALLY comes clean! The sequel is DEFINITELY top priority (though it will still be a while before I can post :/) And the one shots will just be fun ideas that pop into my head, so I'm glad you're okay with a random update schedule :D I definitely love your reviews! "Godly?!" You're making me blush XD Thank you SO MUCH for your AWESOME reviews! :D

Guest: Aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked how I dealt with Morro becoming human again :D It was super fun for me to write :D Hm... I don't think I want to reveal what the sequel is about *quite* yet ;D But keep your eye out for it! I had a ton of fun on my trip! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D

Star: Yay! I'm super excited about writing it :D The sequel will have a double name like Lost Soul or Broken Circle, but I haven't officially decided on it yet ;D Thank you so much for reviewing :D

Israa: Hey, no problem at all! Believe me, I know how school gets, so please don't apologize! I've been great since I've been on summer vacation, thanks for asking! :D Thank you so much for your kind words! :D

"There's something I need to tell you guys…" Jay smiled sheepishly. "It's about Lydia…"

Nya and Zane shared knowing smiles while the others looked confused.

"What about her?" Kai asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jay huffed. "I'm getting to that, Kai. A little patience, please?"

Kai rolled his eyes but gestured for Jay to continue.

"Anyway, Lydia is… well, um… Lydia is… uh…"

"Will you spit it out, Motor Mouth?" Cole snapped and crossed his arms.

Jay glared at Cole but obediently took a deep breath and began again. "Well, it turns out that I was adopted when I was a baby and I recognized Lydia as the Master of Lightning from some old pictures and so, of course, she's my mother and I wasn't sure how to tell you guys since I didn't want to tell her at first, but I did and I thought that I should tell you guys, so here it is."

Four pairs of eyes blinked back at him.

"Um. What?!" Kai exclaimed, echoing all of their thoughts.

"Lydia is your mom?" Cole demanded. "And, you knew the whole time?!"

Morro smacked himself in the forehead. "It was so obvious! I knew she reminded me of someone."

"You're adopted?" Lloyd asked, apparently still processing the first part of Jay's ramblings. "How did you find out?"

Jay shared a nervous glance with Nya. They had discussed the possibility of trying to tell the others about Nadakhan and the alternate timeline but decided that, after such an intense and trying adventure in the Departed Realm and the new challenge of trying to integrate Morro into the team, such a startling and unbelievable story could wait for another day, if they ever told them at all.

"My parents- my adoptive parents- just thought it was time I knew," Jay lied with a sheepish shrug. "I just… didn't want to tell anybody at the time. It was kind of a life-changing revelation, heh…"

"That's fair," Cole agreed, nodding to show Jay that, despite his initial shock, he supported his best friend.

"Wait, did you two already know?" Kai asked, finally noticing Zane's and Nya's lack of surprise.

"I figured it out on my own," Zane explained apologetically. "Facial recognition software comes in handy in that regard."

Kai frowned. "That's not fair."

"Jay accidentally told me," Nya offered.

"Because she was jealous," Jay added teasingly.

Kai started, suddenly going pale. He placed his head in his hands. "I thought Jay's mom was hot… Ew…"

Cole patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Same here, bro."

"Do you…," Everyone looked up when Lloyd trailed off. "Do you know who your dad is? It's okay if you don't want to say if you do know."

Zane also looked at Jay curiously, seeing as he didn't know the answer to this question either.

Jay scratched the back of his neck. "Um… Cliff Gordon…?"

"Cliff Gordon is your dad?!" Lloyd all but screamed, which caused Morro, who had been standing next him, to jump about three feet in the air and the others to look at him in alarm.

"Sorry," Lloyd apologized, blushing. "I, uh, had a fanboy moment there."

"Um, who's Cliff Gordon?" Morro asked, clutching his newly beating heart as if to make sure it hadn't stopped (again).

"Cliff Gordon is a famous actor," Jay explained, "who stars in a lot of movies that Lloyd and I love."

Morro leaned down to Zane and whispered, "What's a movie?"

"Have you ever met him?" Cole asked as Zane quietly summarized what a movie was for Morro.

Jay once again glanced nervously at Nya. "...no."

Cole raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to?"

"I… I don't know," Jay admitted, studying the tabletop intently. "I mean… he's the one that gave me up. I don't know if he'd even want to see me."

Kai stood up suddenly, grabbing both of Jay's shoulders in a vice grip. "You have to go, Jay."

Jay shook his head. "But-"

"If he gave you up because he didn't want you, then he should have face exactly what he left behind, see the person that you became without him and regret what he did," Kai stated steadfastly. "If he didn't want to give you up… then he wants more than anything to meet you now. And, maybe you guys can still have something."

Kai shook his brother. "But, don't pass up the chance, Jay. You have a chance to meet your father, and I promise you, you will regret it if you don't take it."

Jay looked up into Kai's face, seeing how much his brother longed for the chance to see his own father again, to tell him how much they missed him, to demand to know how he could have abandoned them.

"Okay." Jay took a deep, shaky breath. "I'll go."

Cliff Gordon had not aged well.

Not that forty one was old by any means, but in the world of acting, he might as well have been a hundred and seventy five. It wasn't just time that had gotten to him, though. Too many parties, too many failed stunts, too many sleepless nights and long flights, and certainly too much alcohol and other pills he couldn't remember taking.

Though the makeup artists could hide his sickly appearance, no amount of makeup could hide how he felt like his own body was rejecting him, how every movement was much harder than it should have been for a man his age, how every time he went to the doctor, he was terrified the doctor would look at his clipboard and say, "Unfortunately…"

(He detested doctors ever since they had found him and told him, "Your son is alive and healthy, but there were complications…")

At the moment, he was even hobbling around on a cane. His agent had advised against attempting the stunt, but he was Cliff Gordon and Cliff Gordon abhorred the thought of using a stunt double. Needless to say, it hadn't ended well.

He sighed in relief as his mansion came into view. He'd just left some convention or press conference or autograph signing- was it concerning he couldn't remember which one? Probably yes, but it might have also been that he just didn't care anymore. At one point, he had embraced Fritz Donnegan like he was a long lost twin or the other half of his own self, as all good actors did. Now, he just wanted to draw the blinds, turn over in bed, and tell Fritz Donnegan to go find someone else to possess. Cliff Gordon's not here right now, feel free to leave a message.

One of his bodyguards opened the car door for him and the other helped him out of the car. He was supposed he should have been embarrassed being helped like an invalid at forty one years old, and he certainly would have refused the help had they been in public, but as was quickly becoming the theme of his life, he couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

They walked up the sidewalk toward the front door-

When suddenly his bodyguards threw themselves in front of him.

"State your business," One of them demanded in his trademark baritone. "How did you find this place?"

Cliff, mildly annoyed that his peaceful night was ending before it even started, peered around one of his bodyguards to see who was trespassing-

His heart stopped.

No, no, surely it was a trick of the light. Were hallucinations a side effect of his new prescription?

The teenager was shifting his weight anxiously, but then he met Cliff Gordon's eyes.

Those were Lydia's eyes.

For all his nervousness, the young man's voice did not waver when he said, "I know."

That was all he said. The bodyguards seemed ready to wrestle the kid to the ground and taze him for giving such a vague reply- but Cliff placed his hand on one of their shoulders. "It's alright. In fact, why don't you two take the rest of the night off?"

The bodyguards shared incredulous looks. "Sir, I don't think-"

"Go," Cliff commanded not unkindly, already moving past them. "I'll be quite alright here."

The bodyguards hesitated, but they could not defy their boss's direct order. Nodding respectfully, they took their leave.

Cliff didn't speak as he let the two of them in the house, simply because he didn't know what to say. As they entered the mansion, though, he felt suddenly and completely ashamed of the opulence. The statue of himself, the sixty inch TV with surround sound, the art, the furniture, every inch of the house was a mark of wealth, of extravagance, a gross excess that a much younger Cliff Gordon was convinced would fill the void his wife and son had left inside him.

And, he had left Jay in a junkyard.

"Sit," he said, gesturing to the couch (the couch alone had been at least five thousand dollars. Something about imported leather.) His voice was thin, the weakest of barriers holding back sixteen years of bottled up emotions. "Can I, uh, get you something to drink?"

Jay, sitting on the edge of the couch as if afraid to damage it, seemed about to respond… until his eyes dropped to the cane. "No, thanks. I'm good."

Cliff sighed. He sank onto the couch beside Jay- not close enough to touch but not far enough to get rid of the possibility altogether.

"I'm, uh…," he chuckled bitterly, running his hand over his face. "I'm not quite sure where to start… Jay." He tested out the word, and Jay stiffened at the sound of it. Cliff wished more than anything that he could say his son's name without surprising him, that he had been there to say it, that he had said the name in chastisement, in praise, with disappointment, with love like a father should…

He closed his eyes, still attempting to keep everything, everything at bay so he could hold a simple conversation with his son. "I suppose a good place to start is how you found out. Ed and Edna finally told you?"

Jay laughed nervously. "No, they didn't. I, uh, don't really think that's a good place to start. I think we should start with…" Jay reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper that had been folded once in half. "So, um…, you know I'm a ninja… right?"

Cliff smiled. "Yes. I've followed your adventures in the papers. Everything you and your friends have done for Ninjago is just…," he faltered, his voice becoming husky. Jay was smiling at him, though, so he finished quietly, "incredible."

Jay cleared his throat, tightening his grip on the paper in his hands. "So, then, you know that some… pretty impossible things happen around us, right? Things that… are unnatural and that we can't really explain? Well, um," He held the paper out to Cliff. "Just keep that in mind when you read."

Raising an eyebrow, Cliff accepted the piece of paper. Something was written on the front of it-

Cliff Gordon stopped breathing.

To the cocky idiot I fell in love with

He knew that nickname, that handwriting, could hear her voice saying that exact phrase as clear as day…

He looked back at Jay, tears already blurring his vision. Jay smiled awkwardly, shrugging helplessly. "I met her," he whispered by way of explanation.

Cliff reverently opened the letter. The message wasn't terribly long.

Cliff,

If you haven't noticed, I'm a little bit dead. But, our son is here. (Don't ask me to explain- you never really got all my ninja babble anyway.) He's so beautiful, Cliff. I was a little afraid that being here so long without him, I wouldn't feel anything when he finally got here. That I would have gone numb or something to being a mother, like there was a time limit on loving someone else.

But, it's not like that at all, Cliff. I've only known him for a few days, and I love him more than I've ever loved anything- or, I don't know. It's impossible to describe the feeling, but if you're reading this now, then you know what I'm talking about.

At first I was angry at you when he told me that you left him up for adoption, but I understand now, Cliff, I promise I do. I remember how we were living… And to raise him without a mother… You had to do what was best for him. If you love someone as much as I know you loved Jay (yes, I love the name. Thanks for not naming him Cliff Junior), then you have to let them go.

And, you left him with people who love him as much as we do! Tell me you can't see it in his face! Er, don't tell me because you can't, but- you know what I mean.

We let him go, and he came back to us, Cliff. One day, you'll come back to me too.

Love,

Lydia

Tears were streaming down Cliff's face, so much so that he had to set the letter to aside to safeguard against smearing its blue ink with his tears.

He turned to Jay, who seemed to be tearing up himself at watching his father so distraught, and suddenly all the awkwardness of strangers was gone. Lydia had done what Lydia always did somehow, and now it was just a father and his son sitting on the couch, trying to build- or maybe repair- some bridge between them.

"Jay," Cliff addressed, wiping at his face so he might be able to see his son better. "Jay, I… you'll never know how much I wanted to keep you. I was poor; I was dirt poor. Every day was one day closer to eviction, and I couldn't stand how you cried at night because you were so hungry, without even a mother to feed you. It killed me, Jay, and I knew- I knew I couldn't let you suffer because I could not provide for you."

Jay wiped his own face with his sleeve, but Cliff continued, needing to tell someone after so many years of hiding it, of burying the pain with alcohol and money and women that he always pretended were Lydia.

"I knew Ed and Edna were good people," Cliff insisted. "I boarded with them a few years before. I knew how badly they wanted a baby. I knew they would love you. I wouldn't have given you to them unless I knew, Jay."

Jay nodded. "They do," he choked out. "I think I take them for granted, but they do."

"After that, I was ready to die," Cliff admitted, placing his head in his hands. "I went to audition after audition, but nobody wanted me and I knew that I couldn't go on like that much longer."

He laughed cruelly at himself. "And, then I got the call. They wanted me to play Fritz Donnegan. A movie star." He looked up at Jay. "And, then I knew what a terrible mistake I had made."

He grabbed his son's shoulders. "You know I would trade everything to have you and Lydia in my life, right? This?" He gestured at the house as a whole. "This doesn't mean anything to me. I would give it all away if it meant I could do it all over again."

Jay nodded. "I know, Dad."

Cliff's heart leapt at the word, and he impulsively pulled Jay into a hug. Jay immediately and eagerly reciprocated, as if he had been wanting to do that since before the meeting ever started.

"I'm so proud of you, Jay," He said quietly. "I gave you away, but I never stopped loving you."

Eight weeks later, Cliff Gordon died.

Fanboys everywhere mourned. One in five people on the streets of Ninjago City wore all black, and the movie theaters held all day marathons of every Fritz Donnegan movie ever created to honor him. Even Lloyd was depressed and hid his grief by forcing Morro to go to the marathon with him as a "learning experience." (Morro thought the actual plot of the movies was more than a little stupid but seemed fascinated with the movie theater and the concept of a movie itself.)

Jay thanked the others for pushing him to meet his father before he missed out on the opportunity, as he now saw he would have if he had waited. They offered to go to the funeral with him, which touched Jay, but he insisted he wanted to go alone.

Fritz Donnegan's funeral was a gaudy affair, crowds of people in costumes throwing flowers and holding banners and quoting the movies and comic books.

Cliff Gordon's funeral was extremely private. Jay was the only one there, save the lawyer who handed Jay Cliff's will.

It was a single sheet of paper with one sentence written on it.

I, Clifford Gordon, being of sound mind and body, will my estate, wealth, and assets to Jay Walker, my biological son.

Jay traced his finger over the signature at the bottom. A year ago, he would have killed for an autograph from Fritz Donnegan. Now, it was only a reminder of how much time they had missed out on.

Standing, Jay laid his hand fondly on the simple, wooden coffin.

"Goodbye, Dad," he whispered. "Take good care of her."

"And, voila!" Lydia announced, unfolding her piece of paper she had just hacked at with scissors. "Snowflake!"

The gaggle of girls "oohed" and "aahed." Judging from the coats they were wearing, they had lived someplace cold. Because the Lost Souls had reappropriated Gem's old castle ("so Morro knows where to find me") in the jungle climate, pretty much as far from cold as one could get, Lydia had taken pity on them and helped them decorate one of the many upstairs sitting rooms as a winter wonderland.

"Hey, Lydia?" Corrine called from the open doorway. "There's a messenger downstairs asking for you."

"Thanks," she said before turning back to the little girls. "Alright, now I want to see some beautiful snowflakes when I get back. And, be careful not to cut yourself with the… scissors…" Lydia trailed off as she realized it would be physically impossible for them to cut themselves with ordinary scissors. "Erm, um, you know what I mean."

The girls giggled but agreed to be careful, and Lydia headed out of the room and down the hall toward the staircase.

"Lydia!"

She stopped and turned to see Mikey, one of the little boys from the original Lost Soul camp that had idolized Morro, run up to her. He pointed accusingly at Steven who was holding Gem's hand.

"Gem is always on Steven's team!" He complained, pouting. "Make her be on my team for once!"

Lydia grinned, trying not to laugh. After almost single handedly defeating their enemies, Gem had earned herself a reputation and following that rivalled that of Morro's; if anything, it certainly eclipsed her previous reputation as the freaky hypnotist who owned the most souls in the Departed Realm.

Gem, generally very antisocial, had been wary of the attention at first, but with a gentle reminder that Morro would not want her to suffer from loneliness in his absence, had hesitantly opened herself up to friendship… and found that she liked it very much.

Not that any friend would come close to filling Morro's spot in her heart, but it was something.

"Why don't you guys find something you can all do together?" Lydia suggested, gesturing to the room she had just exited. "There's some girls in there decorating the room like winter."

Steven and Mikey both grimaced since this activity seemed more than a little girly, but Gem gasped excitedly and pulled on Steven's hand. "Come on!"

The boys, reluctant to displease their unofficial leader, allowed themselves to be led into the sitting room. Gem waved at Lydia over her shoulder, and Lydia waved back.

Lydia hurried down the stairs, eager to find out what kind of message would be waiting for her- when Garmadon intercepted her.

"Have you seen Dr. Julien?" Garmadon huffed, slightly out of breath as he adjusted the chessboard and box of chess pieces under his arm.

"He's not tinkering in the garage?" She asked, eyebrows shooting up with surprise.

"Do you really think I would have come to you before looking in the garage?" Garmadon countered, slightly offended that she even had to ask.

Lydia rubbed her chin. "He might be bird watching in the garden."

"The garden!" Garmadon exclaimed, as if it was the most outrageous suggestion he had ever heard. "You know, as a former evil warlord and master strategist, you think I would be able to beat an old man at chess."

Lydia resisted the urge to point out that Garmadon was also an old man. "Sorry, Garmadon, but I think if anyone's going to beat him, it will be Zane."

Garmadon rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." He patted her shoulder as he passed her, heading toward the garden in search of his opponent.

Finally, Lydia reached the door beside the drawbridge. She paused with her hand on the knob, listening to make sure no one else was in dire need of her assistance.

When she heard nothing, she pulled the door open to present a rather irritated looking, rather small, rather weaselly man.

"Lydia, I presume?" He asked in a nasally voice.

"Yep! Who's asking?" She replied cheerfully.

"The Bone Keeper," he said, handing her two pieces of paper. "Who else?"

One was a map of the Departed Realm with a red x marked on it. The other was a note with two words.

Your husband.

Lydia smiled.

And, that brings Broken Circle to a close.

I really hope you guys liked it! Looking back, I really cannot believe all the love and support this story has gotten. When I hesitantly posted the first chapter of Lost Soul so long ago, I NEVER imagined that that story would come as far as it has now! And, I owe it all to you guys! All of your reviews and incredibly nice words just mean more to me than I could ever possibly describe, and I'll never be able to thank you guys enough for sticking with me (especially through the incredibly difficult semester I had!)

Because of all the aforementioned crazy stuff that prevented me from posting this chapter, I also have not started the sequel yet, but as soon as I post this, I will be opening a blank document and beginning :D Once again, I'm not sure when I will begin posting it, but I hope it will not be too long from now, seeing as it is summer and I'm super pumped about it :D

I also have quite a few ideas for the oneshot series about the ninja getting to know Morro better bouncing around in my head, so I hope to post a few of those every now and then (but once again, the update schedule will NOT be regular) :D Hopefully those will tide you guys over XD

I haven't forgotten about the Five Times series either! The sequel is top priority at the moment, but I will come back to those, I promise! :D

SO, (if you're somehow still reading this) I'd love to hear:

A) What your favorite chapter of Broken Circle was?

And B) Whether you liked Lost Soul or Broken Circle more?

It's not going to hurt my feelings whatever your answers are XD It's just for fun, and please don't feel pressured to respond if you don't want to XD

Once again, thank you guys so much for all the love Broken Circle has received. You guys are truly amazing :D

See you soon! ;D