Ed and Edna have to be the hardest characters to write besides Zane. I swear. Especially making up weird named things for Ed to work on. Also, the dishes in this fic are entirely my own creations.

This is my first multi chapter story for Ninjago, so I hope I got everyone in character and that you all like it. It has also been pre-written before upload (another first for me), so expect uploads to be quick.

Takes place after season 10.

I do not own Ninjago. Not even the quotes that I have taken from the episodes "Misfortune Rising" and "Once Bitten, Twice Shy".

Chapter 1

It was a fairly quiet day when the news arrived. Jay had been training in the Monastery courtyard with the other ninja; his sparring partner this time had been Zane. And Zane knew all of his weak points… which he gladly found whenever the Lightning Ninja got distracted.

It just so happened that that day was full of distractions. From the nightmare he had had the night before continuously playing on his mind, to the nightmare that was Cole beating him senseless at the new video game that they had all just received in the mail the other day. Everything just wanted to gain Jay's attention. And they were using every opportunity to do so.

But the biggest distraction came not from anything around the Monastery of Spinjitsu, but from something a little closer to home.

" Oh, I do hope that Jay is home this time." A voice came from the other side of the Monastery gates, easily making Jay miss his target as he recognised his mother's voice almost instantly. " It was a shame we couldn't get this to him before the fiasco in the city."

Needless to say, practice was cut short when a knock on the gates echoed through the courtyard. Jay picked himself up from the last attack that Zane threw at him and started towards the gates. Kai beat him to it, though, and opened the doors to reveal Ed and Edna Walker, looking somewhat relieved at finding the ninja there.

" Mr and Mrs Walker! What a surprise to see you up here." Kai called with a smile.

" Oh, hello, dear." Edna smiled. " Have you seen Jay? We need to – Oh there he is."

Jay stepped out from behind Kai as his mother spoke, highly aware of the other ninja turning their focus on him and his parents.

" Hi Mum, Dad." The blue ninja said with a small wave.

" There's my boy!" Ed exclaimed happily as he clasped a hand on Jay's shoulder. " Glad to see you safe from that giant rock monster thingamabob. I knew you'd be able to give it the old Walker one two."

" Now, Ed. I'm sure he knew what he was doing. He is a grown ninja, dear." His wife said, coming up beside her husband to give Jay a hug.

" And don't I know it."

But there was something sad in their eyes, even as they spoke. And Jay could see it clearly. Even worse was that he had seen it before. It was a sadness that told him that he was about to find out the deepest most hidden secret that his parents owned… one that neither of them had been able to tell him until he had charged into the trailer that one fateful day after he had made his stupid first wish in front of Nadakhan.

He had to swallow just to get the sand out of his throat before he spoke next. " What, uh… what brings you here?"

" Well, I'm making this new Gogopo doohickey flyer thing that I was hoping could be useful in your fights against all the baddies in Ninjago, but I realised that I was missing a skizzlepop-looplab furnace nozzle to finish the job. So I was wondering if you maybe had-" Ed started before being cut off by Edna.

" I don't think that's what he was talking about, honey-bunch." Edna placed a hand on her husband's arm. " Don't you remember that letter we got last year?"

" Uh… Letter?" Jay asked, shooting a quick glance over to Nya who immediately started to force the other boys into the monastery. And why would they wait an entire year before they… oh, right. Realm of Oni and Dragons. Sons of Garmadon. Krux and Acronix.

Quietly, Edna rummaged through her purse and pulled out an envelope that looked suspiciously like the one the Postman had given him that same day. Hesitantly, Jay took the letter. He knew what the letter would say. It was from Cliff Gordon's Executor saying that he owned the estate as well as a lot of money. Well "lots and lots and lots of money." according to the words that he remembered were written on the paper. But still he opened the letter and read what it said, trying to play down that he knew all about it already.

" I don't… I don't understand." He sighed, looking from the letter to his father, trying to play his confusion well despite knowing the truth.

Ed and Edna looked at each other, almost as if convincing themselves that they had to continue with what they were doing and not get cold feet about it.

Finally, Edna spoke. " Well, Jay, there has been something we've been meaning to tell you."

" Ah. But, uh, gee-willickers. There was just no easy way to say it, heh. You see, son, you're, uh… you're adopted." Ed added, taking his wife's lead.

For all Jay had prepared himself for this day, he never once thought that the news would still hurt. The ice arrow that had entered his chest when he had first heard those very words came flying right back to him. Though it seemed to have melted slightly the second time around. The pain didn't feel as bad as it originally had.

Either way, Ed and Edna only seemed to notice the shock on their adopted son's face and continued trying to explain what had happened.

Edna then rummaged through her bag again, this time producing a familiar looking yellow piece of paper and a star-shaped key tied to a red ribbon. " Oh, you were left at our doorstep when you were just a baby, along with this address and key. Oh, you were just so gosh darn cute."

" And we gladly raised you as our own ever since." Ed added with a small smile that almost instantly faded away as a dark thought crossed his mind. " Yeah. We're sorry son. I-I-I hope this doesn't change anything."

That brought Jay out of his stupor.

" No." He said, shaking his head. " No, you're still my parents. You raised me after all. And for that I am eternally grateful."

" You know, Edna, this great invention of ours may not have been our creation, but it just goes to show that it doesn't matter who your family is… family is everywhere." Jay's father couldn't help but beam proudly at his son's words.

Edna could do nothing except fling her arms around Jay's neck, almost squeezing the life out of him, as tears started running down her face. Somehow, though, she still had hold of the address and key. But at that moment, as Ed joined in on the embrace, Jay couldn't care about the villa or the money that his birth father had left him. He was just happy to live in the moment.

Until he heard the sound of the temple doors closing softly. Instantly he knew that, at least, one of his brothers had been spying on him. Probably all of them if Jay had to be honest. He'd have to deal with them later. But not now.

Right now, his parents were guests of the monastery and they had no doubt had a long journey there from the Sea of Sands. Gently, Jay pulled away from the hug and went to grab the key his mother had been about to give him. She gladly relinquished the items almost as if she were relinquishing a heavy burden that had been hanging over her shoulders.

" You two must be tired from coming all the way up here." The blue ninja said once the key was in his hands. " Why don't you stay for lunch? I can cook for you."

" That would be lovely, dear. Thank you." Edna smiled.

" Yes, thank you, son." Ed added, already getting excited by the prospect of once more eating one of Jay's meals.

With that, Jay led his parents towards the monastery kitchen, giving them a short tour as they headed to their destination. As they walked, a smile spread across Jay's face. A warm smile that made him realise that he would never again even think about wishing away the love he received from his 'junkyard family'. It was, after all, that same junkyard family who had turned him into the man he currently was.

Ed and Edna may not have been his birth parents, but it was the love they had for him and the things they taught him all through his life that he would never forget. And he was stupid to have even thought that he was ashamed of those priceless moments. He saw that now.

So he was going to start with the 'thank you's in one of the only ways he knew how… by giving back to them. That meant cooking one of his greatest culinary creations that he knew they both loved. It was just a bonus that it was a meal that his mother had helped teach him. A meal the other ninja had yet to taste – more often than not – due to the lack of needed ingredients. And that was mainly thanks to Cole always using them for his own odd concoctions.

Speaking of odd concoctions, Cole was already in the kitchen when the Walkers finally arrived at their destination. The black ninja was rummaging through the cabinets looking for ingredients to put in his own lunch plans… including the krakenberries that Jay had obviously failed at hiding in the fridge. Thankfully, however, he had yet to actually start on those plans.

" Hey, Cole." Jay called out, effectively stopping his friend's search of the spice cupboard. " It's okay. I've got lunch this time."

" But…"

Cole didn't get to finish his rebuttal thanks to the pleading look the ninja of lightning was giving him. It was a common look, with the big blue eyes and the slight upward turn of the lips, that the blue ninja seemed to reserve for whenever he wanted to play a certain video game or wanted the last piece of pizza or candy. Not to mention, he seemed to use it on his best friend quite a lot… which, in turn, usually got him what he wanted. And just one look at his friend's parents, smiling just behind him, told Cole that Jay had won yet again.

" Fine." He sighed, relinquishing the kitchen. " How much of a tour did you give or did you make a bee-line for the kitchen to stop me?"

" Oh, we got a small tour on our way here, dearie." Edna explained in the warmest way ever.

" Would you like me to give you the full tour while Jay's busy cooking?"

" What a lovely idea!" The older woman practically squealed in delight before suddenly remembering that her husband and son were also present in the room. " Oh, I hope you boys don't mind."

" Not at all, Mum. I'll have lunch ready for you in a jiffy." Jay replied, relief washing over his features at the suggestion. " And thanks, Cole. I'll make sure you get an extra big slice."

Instantly, Cole perked up. " Of what? Cake?"

Jay couldn't help but laugh. " Not cake, my friend. My krakenberry pie."

" You hear that, Edna. We're going to be having some of that amazing krakenberry pie I've been starting to crave." Ed spoke up, a gleam in his eye at the thought of the pie.

" That we are dear." Edna replied with a smile of her own. " And I can't wait to have some myself. But we have a tour that dear Cole is going to take us on, remember?"

" Of course. Ya know, I've always wanted to know how my little inventor spends his days when he's not saving the day."

" 'Little inventor'?" Cole asked, intrigued by the possibility of humiliating his friend.

" Oh I can still remember Jay's Tele-Marshal Whippet Engine. It only lasted for fifteen minutes until I needed to use the telephone that Jay had turned into its head but…"

Jay watched as Cole led his parents back down the hallway that they had come, trying to hide the tint of red that he was sure was creeping across his cheeks at just the mention of one of his first inventions. But even as he watched Cole lead the way, he noticed something hidden deep underneath the amused and slightly questioning look on his friend's face. It was almost like a longing for something that he could no longer have.

With a shake of his head, the blue ninja turned his mind to focus on making lunch. He could question Cole about it later… if he remembered… or if the time was right. But right now, he had a tuga fish and lemon dill curry to make and a krakenberry pie to go with it for dessert.