The PJ Masks, Greg, Connor, Amaya, Catboy, Gekko, Owlette, PJ Robot, Luna Girl, Night Ninja, Romeo, etc are all © to their respective owners, presumably Romuald and Disney Junior. The only parts of this work that I claim ownership of are any characters aside from those just mentioned as belonging to Disney (e.g. Finn and the parents are all mine). I also own the story itself. Again, none of the characters owned by Romuald or Disney Junior are mine.

TRIGGER WARNING: GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENCE AND MENTION OF DEATH/SUICIDE. READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED!

Special thanks to Dapple-ishh on DeviantArt for working hard to produce the image used as the cover art for this story.

WARNING: STOP! YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST READ THE EVENTS IN MY PREVIOUS SERIES, INTERESTING TIMES, BEFORE YOU READ THIS STORY! Also, I'd recommend giving the interceding series, The Big Brother Chronicles, a read as well, as Finn's character is developed slightly in that series.

Keep in mind: This story skips ahead by a significant amount of time.

It's worth noting that I typically like to denote short breaks in the story with a series of 3 asterisks. This site doesn't seem to like that, so I'm having to resort to using horizontal lines. After the first horizontal line in this chapter, all the rest denote short breaks in the story.

ALSO: the characters are mostly teens in this story; as many teens do IRL, they will occasionally use coarse language in this story. This will be my only warning; expect some cursing occasionally.

Enjoy and please leave reviews! I enjoy hearing from you all! :)

Early on a Tuesday morning, Connor, Amaya, Greg, and Finn walked down the sidewalk together. Amaya and Connor walked next to each other in front, and Greg and Finn walked behind them, holding hands. They all had on backpacks; Finn's was comically small compared to the older kids, but it looked good on him. They reached a particularly wide driveway and Finn said, "This is it! See it Greg?"

His twelve-year-old big brother, Greg, nodded. "Yep, I see it buddy." The group stopped. "Alright, tell Connor and Amaya bye."

"Okay!" Finn ran up to Amaya and she crouched down to hug the little blonde boy. "Bye, Amaya!"

"Bye, Finn. Have a good day, sweet boy." Amaya stood up when Finn finished hugging her; there was a funny smile on her face.

Next, Finn ran over to Connor. The older boy crouched down and they stared into each other's eyes for a moment. As was their tradition, Connor gently touched Finn's cheek. Finn's powder blue eyes had dark blue circles around the irises and little flecks of ice blue that dotted around inside Finn's irises. To say his eyes were unique was a distinct understatement.

After a few seconds, Finn touched Connor's cheek. A few seconds later, Finn was satisfied that they had completed the ritual. He smiled and gave Connor a big hug. "Bye, Connor!"

Connor hugged Finn back slowly and deliberately; he enjoyed the warmth that the little one brought to his heart. "Bye, Finny; we'll see you later."

Finn broke the hug after a few seconds. He looked back over at Greg, and then he ran over to him. They made eye contact. Greg said, "Alright." He took a breath. "Will you hold my hand? I'm scared." Greg held out his hand; he had lied, of course. He was not afraid of where they were going to go. Instead, Greg felt a sense of dread about what he was about to do. At the same time, he also felt a sense of accomplishment and he was very proud of Finn. It was a very complex mixture of emotions, and Greg was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Finn made a confused face. "Why you scared, Greggy?"

Greg shrugged. "I don't know. I need my Super Finn to make me feel better." He lied again, of course. He would never dare admit to Finn that he wanted the little one to stay little and cute forever. After all, what kind of message would that send? Little boys have to grow up, and Greg was proud that Finn was such a well-behaved, smart little boy.

Finn made a funny grin and then held his hand out. "Okay. Super Finn to the rescue!"

Finn took Greg's hand, and they walked up the concrete walkway as a car pulled in next to them. Behind them, Amaya placed her hand over her heart and made a sad face at Connor. Once Greg and Finn were out of earshot, Connor quietly said, "He's actually doing a really good job of keeping it together. Finn has no idea that Greg is on the verge of crying."

Amaya mumbled, "If Greg cries, I will too." Connor wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the two thirteen-year olds stood there.

Connor patted her shoulder and said, "It'll be okay." Amaya nodded and sniffled as they watched what Greg and Finn were doing

Greg held onto Finn's little hand as if it was a precious piece of treasure. Greg looked around the area; he wanted to remember this moment. Heck, he wished he could live in it. The trees were green and the sun was shining over the area. It was going to be another hot summer day, but an overall great day to play. The building they were walking toward had a sign on it. An apple was centered on it, and below that, it said, "Learning City Preschool and Daycare." Greg smiled happily with Finn as they walked.

Greg and Finn turned up the walkway, and they stepped up onto the porch. A parent and child got out of the car behind them, and Greg sighed. "Come on, kiddo." They stepped into the building, and Greg walked over with Finn to the appropriate doorway once they were inside.

The sounds of little children playing filled the air. Finn smiled excitedly. Greg said, "Ready to go play and learn today?"

Finn said, "Yeah! I'm gonna play in the blocks today!"

Greg smiled halfheartedly. "Alright. Well. Can I have a kiss and a hug, and then you can go play?" A woman was standing at one of several tables in the classroom. She made eye contact with Greg and nodded.

"Okay!" Finn leaned over and gave Greg a kiss on the cheek. Greg kissed the three-year-old back, and they hugged. Finn wiggled after a few seconds; he was eager to go play.

Greg said, "I love you, Finn. Behave today."

Finn quickly replied, "Wuv you, Greggy."

Greg let him down, and the little blonde boy went over to a cubby on the wall and put his stuff down. Finn had already been to school yesterday, so he knew his way around. Greg's mom had brought Finn here yesterday, though, so this was Greg's first time doing it.

The teacher said, "Hi, Finn!" The red-haired woman walked over to Greg. "Hi. Will you sign the sheet so we know he's here?" She pointed to a binder on the table next to the entrance. "You must be… Greg, right?"

Greg looked traumatized, and after a few seconds of watching Finn, he finally said, "Uh, yeah, that's me." He grabbed the pen next to the binder and signed the spot next to Finn's name.

The teacher said, "Well, I'm Miss Kate. I'm the lead teacher. Your mom told me that you would bring Finn most days."

Greg looked up at her and nodded. "Yeah." He could not think of anything to say. His little brother was in preschool and that freaked him out. It seemed like yesterday that Greg had first visited Finn in the NICU after he was born.

Kate put a hand on Greg's shoulder. "Your mom also told me that you love him a lot and you're very protective of him." She looked over toward Finn for a few seconds. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of him."

Greg pouted; the woman had found the thing that was troubling Greg. "You promise?"

Kate nodded. "I promise."

Greg felt a bit better, but not much. "Well… Thanks." He sighed, and felt a lump in his throat as he watched Finn playing in the block center with a few other boys and girls. "Have a nice day." He walked back out the door.

"You have a nice day too, Greg."

As he left the building and walked back to Connor and Amaya, Greg felt better and better. Everything will be okay.

When Greg approached Amaya and Connor, Amaya asked, "Well, how'd it go?"

"I–I'm okay." Greg's voice cracked and he laughed awkwardly. He sniffled.

Amaya walked over to Greg. "You don't look okay…" She hugged him.

Greg laughed. "I guess I'm not okay." Amaya let him go, and Greg said, "But I'm not feeling terrible or anything. I'll live."

Connor sighed and said, "I don't get why you two are so emotional about Finn going to preschool. It's not like he's going to kindergarten. He's got two whole years before he's actually in school." Pause. "Besides, this is super cool! He's gonna make friends his age and have a fun time."

Greg rubbed his eyes and they started walking. "Y-yeah, but he's growing up. He's not the little kiddo that calls you 'Nonnor' anymore."

Connor shrugged. "Yeah, that was cute, but he's still pretty cute now. Plus, we're really close to when he'll be able to read with you or draw pictures with me or make up even crazier pretend games with Amaya." Connor was picking on Greg a bit now; sometimes that helped bring the blonde boy out of his sadness. "Heck, he'll probably be able to think of rhymes easier than you do, Greg."

Greg lightly pushed Connor and laughed. "Shut up! He's already growing up too quickly."

Amaya laughed. "Man, what a way to start the day." Amaya smirked. "Romeo would tell us we're illogical." They all laughed at that remark.

Connor said, "Besides, Greg, what would Mandy say if she knew you were upset about your little brother going to preschool?" Connor somewhat enjoyed picking on Greg about the girl at school that he had a crush on; it was a sure way to get a rise out of the blonde preteen.

Greg raised a hand and made an angry face, but before Greg could respond, Amaya said, "She would probably think it was cute and sweet, because he's such a good big brother."

Greg made a prideful look. "Yeah, she'd think it was cute, Connor." He stuck out his tongue.

Connor scratched his head; they had outmaneuvered him on that one. He did not think that one through well enough. "Uh, fair enough."

Later, at night, Greg sat on his bed, concentrating hard. He had his legs crossed and his eyes were closed.

Inside his mind, Greg was far away from his bedroom. He was in a forest and it was daytime. Strangely, he was not wearing clothes; his muscular frame flexed and moved gracefully as he moved. He walked along until he found a particular tree; he knew it was the right one by the branches on it. It was like a waking dream; he was in control of himself and he remembered things.

Greg sat down against the tree and enjoyed the cool feel of the ground and the tree against his skin. He said, "Koozye?" His voice echoed quietly.

There was a poof and a shimmering green lizard appeared next to Greg. The lizard was large; it was almost as long as Greg is tall. A soothing female voice said, "Hello, Greg. How are you, today?"

The lizard, whose full name was Ogehàwashkoozye, was Greg's spirit animal, the source of his powers. They had finally met for the first time earlier this year. Connor and Amaya had met their spirit animals, too. Since then, the kids would always have a talk with their spirit animals once weekly, often more. The spirit animals had each taught the children a few ways for them to communicate. One of them was as easy as placing two fingers on their power bracelets. Despite the ease of the other methods, Greg preferred to contact Koozye the way he was doing it now.

Greg said, "I'm okay. I was just excited to talk to you today."

Koozye placed one of her scaly feet onto Greg's leg. "Oh? I saw that you had an eventful morning." Through their power bracelets, the spirit animals kept track of what the children were doing.

Greg nodded. "Yep. Aren't you proud of me? I didn't cry when I dropped Finn off at preschool today."

Koozye replied, "Indeed, I am. I told you that could contain yourself; it was a happy occasion for him, even if it made you a bit sad."

Greg nodded; Koozye was a very wise being. Even though Greg had only known her personally for a short time, he recognized that her wisdom was an asset for him. "You're right. He has to grow up." Greg did not have much else to say to Koozye; she knew how his day had went.

Koozye made an amused sound. "Indeed. Connor spoke wisely to you and Amaya when you were done. Finn will make new friends, grow, and learn there. It will be a positive thing for everyone."

Greg nodded and allowed a happy feeling to ooze through him. Something came to his mind, though. "Koozye?"

"Yes, little one?"

Greg smiled inwardly; she always called him little, even though he was bigger than she was. "Why am I always naked when we talk in my mind like this?"

Koozye paced around the tree, to Greg's other side. "That is a question that you know the answer to, Greg. It may not be apparent to you, though." She blinked at him slowly.

Greg tapped his chin and thought hard. "I mean, I don't often walk through forests naked, so… I don't know. Can you help me? I feel like there's a poetic reason."

Koozye blinked, and replied, "Your appearance here is partly a reflection of who you truly are." Pause. "Allow me to put it this way… Has it ever been said that you wear your heart on your sleeve?"

Greg nodded. "Yeah, people have said that about me before."

Koozye said, "Rightly so; you are a person who typically expresses his true emotions without hesitation. In the world outside of your mind, your mind and heart are naked; they show their current states without any need for protective layers. That is why you appear naked inside your own mind when we speak like this." Koozye walked to a nearby tree and began to climb it.

Greg raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. "Thanks for explaining it."

Koozye turned onto a large branch and stayed there. "Does that fact make you uncomfortable?"

Greg scratched his head. "No." He stood up. "I was just considering how much that makes sense. You know… When I'm Gekko, if someone hurts one of my friends, I get angry and I can become… violent." He looked off into the forest.

Koozye soothingly said, "I know. You are gentle; you do not like to hurt." Pause. "It is not a sin to commit violence to defend those you love, Greg."

Greg looked up at her and smiled. "Thank you, Koozye."

The shimmering lizard blinked. "You're welcome." Greg yawned, and Koozye added, "Perhaps it is time we part ways."

Greg scratched his head. "Good idea… Good night, Koozye."

"Good night, little one. Sleep well."

The forest faded away, and Greg opened his eyes. He was back in his room. He looked down at his body; he had clothes on again. He smiled and stretched to release the tension in his stiff muscles. "Bedtime." He moved under the covers and started getting comfortable.