Hey everyone! Thanks for all the lovely reviews on part one. Here's part two.

December 10, 2018:

"Fifteen days until Christmas!" Ray had announced one evening as he and Jay made their way back from a walk.

"We know Dad," Nya replied and looked up from the scrabble game she and Maya were playing to pass the time. Over the past couple days, she and her mom had grown closer now that Nya understood the turmoil Maya had been putting herself through.

"What do you say we go watch the church's Christmas pageant and pick out a Christmas tree? You look like you could use a couple hours out of the house."

"That would be great," Maya replied, "Nya are you feeling up to it?"

Nya nodded, "I haven't been to the Christmas pageant in so long."

"I remember when you and Kai were in it," Ray remarked, "You were the stars of the show."

"Dad, I think Jesus is supposed to be the star of the show. I was just an angel!"

"I think we still have the tape," Maya said, "We've still got an hour and a half before we have to leave, let's watch it."

December 12, 1999, Jamanickai Village Church:

Three year old Nya was frightened. She'd never been on stage before, and for some reason, she'd been chosen as leader of the angel chorus. She didn't have to say anything of course, she just had to walk on stage when she was told to and sing the first Noel with a bunch of angels all older than her. The Sunday school teachers thought it would be cute to have the leader of the angel chorus be the youngest child in Sunday school. Little Nya was the youngest, and the cutest, especially in her angel costume.

From behind the curtain, Nya could see Kai tramping around in his donkey costume. It looked hideous, but Kai was one of the more rowdier kids at the church, and the role seemed to fit him. Kai didn't sing though, and that made Nya jealous.

Finally, I was time for Nya to enter the stage. The baby doll being used for Jesus had been born, and it was time for all the little angels to sing to him.

Nya's heart beat quickly. Her palms became clammy, and her face contorted with worry in a cute way only a child's face could.

Then Nya set her eyes on the baby doll Jesus and imagined what it must've been like to sing for him the night he was born. The nervousness went away and Nya sang her little heart out for Jesus.

December 10, 2018:

"That was adorable!" Jay clapped his hands together grinning to Nya's annoyance.

"You're just enjoying it because it's my parents trying to embarrass me and not the other way around!" Nya protested.

"Not at all!" Jay held his hands up, feigning innocence, "you just made a really cute angel, and Kai made a really hideous donkey!"

"He was pretty dorky," Nya agreed, "too bad he isn't here so we can humiliate him."

"We will when we see him next," Jay assured her, "Now let's go see this year's Christmas pageant, although I doubt this year's lead angel will be half as adorable as you are."

December 11, 2018:

Nya hadn't slept since Sunday night. Her baby tended to exercise its limbs all the time. No matter how she turned, she couldn't make herself comfortable.

She wondered if her baby would be born early. After what had happened a week and a half ago, it wouldn't be all that surprising. Nya put her hand on her stomach and smiled. Her daughter was getting stronger.

Nya and Jay had talked names before, but they'd never come to a conclusion on one. Suddenly though, it hit Nya what she wanted to name their daughter. It was a name for strength.

Squinting in the minimal starlight sifting in through behind her old curtains, Nya pulled a pen and stack of sticky notes off her nightstand, so she could tell Jay in the morning.

December 12, 2018:

It wasn't the sound that woke Jay but the silence. He could usually hear Nya and her parents already hurrying around the kitchen, so something was off.

Jay got up, pausing before touching his feet to the carpet to stretch, and went downstairs.

A note from Ray and Maya was left on the counter.

Neighbor lost his father. Running him a casserole. We'll be back soon. Breakfast is in the fridge. R and M.

Jay put down the note and went to go search for Nya. He found her passed out on the sofa. The morning news was turned on, playing quietly.

Nya moaned and woke up.

"Hey," Jay smiled.

"Hey yourself."

"Did you have trouble sleeping last night?"

Nya nodded, "Our baby wedged her foot into my ribcage."

"Ouch," Jay winced, "I can't imagine."

"It's fine," Nya shrugged, "I'm just really tired."

"Want me to get breakfast heated up?" Jay asked.

"Sure," Nya replied and followed him into the kitchen. She propped her elbows against the counter top while Jay stuck their meal in the microwave, "I forgot to tell you, last night I thought of an idea for our baby's name."

"Yeah? What is that?"

Nya told him. Jay liked it for the same reasons Nya had. It was a name of strength, for a child who had to be strong.

Nya and Jay returned to the couch and plopped down with their eggs and sausage.

"This is nice," Jay sighed, "just you and me. We never get time alone like this."

"Mmmm hmmm, I miss it," Nya replied as she stabbed at a piece of sausage with her fork.

"To think, we're about to have a child too. How are we ever going to find alone time?"

"Well, I think we know four guys who would love to babysit," Nya suggested, "Although, I'm not sure what we'd come home to."

Jay laughed, "It's not just that. Even when we aren't having our date nights, we don't have anywhere in the monastery where it's just are family. I mean yes, the guys are our family, Kai's your brother for crying out loud, but there's no where in the monastery for our family, just you, me, and our child."

"We could move," Nya stated so matter of factly, it caught Jay off guard.

"What?"

"We could, you know, buy a house like most married couples do, raise our family there. It's not like the monastery is a particularly safe place for children anyway."

"So would we still be ninja?" Jay asked.

"I don't see why not if that's what we wanted to do. Or, we could finally start up that gadget business we've always talked about," Nya replied, "It'd be an earnest way to provide for our children. It's not like we've been making much since crime rates have gone down in Ninjago City."

"True, but what about the guys?"

"Didn't you just say you wanted more space for just our family? We'd still see them, we'd just also be able to focus more on family life and time as a married couple. Besides, they're all going to want to settle down eventually too. Lloyd's the only one I can picture staying at the monastery."

"Have you thought about this before?" Jay asked, "you seem like you've got this all planned out."

"Not really," Nya shrugged, "I guess I may have considered we'd have to move out at some point, but I'd never given much more thought."

"Why didn't we talk about this sooner? We really should have developed a plan."

"Maybe because we don't know what we're doing?"

"Maybe," Jay agreed, "want me to take your plate?"

Nya nodded and handed it to him. Jay threw the plates in the sink, pausing on the way back to grab their computer. Jay sat down and logged on. He pulled up a housing site, and the two of them began their search for a family starter home.

(Time skip)

Ray and Maya still hadn't returned when the doorbell rang shortly after lunch. Jay would've worried if it weren't for the text Nya had read to him from her mother.

Jay slid out from under the blanket he and Nya were snuggled beneath and went to answer the door.

"Mom?" Jay asked. He hadn't been expecting her to come today. His parents really only visited once or twice a week, and today was supposed to be Edna's quilting circle, so he hadn't thought they'd come today.

"Hi Jay! My quilting circle got cancelled, so I figured I'd pay you a surprise visit!" Edna replied as she stepped indoors and began clicking the snow off her boots on a towel Maya had set out. She'd said it was mostly for Ray who liked to leave his shoes on throughout the store and the house and get snow all over everything.

"That's great Mom! Nya and I were just looking at houses. Ray and Maya are at a friend's." Jay welcomed Edna into the living room where Nya was currently scrolling through houses on their computer. She looked up and smiled.

"Hi Edna!"

"Hi deary, Jay says you two are looking at houses?"

Nya nodded, "yup. We figured with the baby on the way, we want a place of our own."

Jay and Edna sat down on either side of Nya.

"Here's the house we're looking at," Jay clicked on a photo and another stream of photos appeared on the screen, "we have an appointment to see the house on Monday.

"It's cute. What a great starter home!" Edna replied.

"That's what we thought," Nya smiled, "and it looks pretty roomy, so it will be perfect with a baby on the way."

"Speaking of the baby, how's she doing?" Edna asked.

"She's perfect," Nya grinned and put a hand on her stomach.

"Have you decided on a name yet?"

"We have," Jay and Nya replied together.

Edna raised an eyebrow.

"But we're not telling anyone until after she's born."

"Okay, I understand," Edna frowned, slightly disappointed.

"Mom?" Jay asked.

"I just hope you don't lose her. Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to a parent," Edna began to cry.

"We're not going to lose her," Nya put a hand on Edna's shoulder, "the doctors say she's going to be perfectly healthy. That day in the hospital was just one scare. Everything is fine."

"I hope it is," Edna said, "I don't want either of you to go through what Ed and I did."

And like that, the story of Bella came out. By the end, Nya and Jay were crying along with her.

1 am, December 13, 2018:

"Can we put glow in the dark stars in the nursery?" Nya wondered dreamily as she and Jay laid awake that night. After Edna had left, the two of them decided to go out on a date. They'd eaten at a local restaurant and spent the rest of the evening picking out items for the house they still didn't own.

"I don't see why not," Jay replied, staring up at Nya's stars.

Although awake, the two of them had spent the whole night dreaming. It was like falling in love all over again, except this time harder. Their day alone for the most part had proven to them just how much they needed space for their family and their family alone.

"How are we gonna break this to the guys?" Nya asked.

"Let's wait until we've found the right place, then tell them."

"Okay," Nya yawned, "I don't think I can stay awake any longer. I'm going to sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight, love."

Nya mumbled something unintelligible and curled up against Jay. Jay wrapped his arms around her and listened to her breathing. His mind wandered back to Edna's story just hours before. He mourned for the sister he'd never seen. He never wanted to go through what his parents had, he had once before.

Jay pulled Nya closer as thoughts of an evil djinn danced around his head. He wouldn't let anything happen to his wife or his daughter, ever again.

December 14, 2018:

"And I'll play on Edna's log to make biology," Nya grinned and placed her letter tiles. Ed had dragged Ray along to a scrap metal bidding war (a/n: so, I looked this up, and it's actually a thing fyi), and Edna, Maya, Jay, and Nya were enjoying the relaxing evening together playing passive aggressive scrabble.

Maya scribbled down Nya's score, and the turn passed to Jay. He sat there for a while with an indecisive look drawn across his face.

"Hurry up, Jay. Nya's gonna go into labor before you finish this!" Maya groaned.

"Sorry, I've got to think. This is a skill game!" Jay talked smack right back.

"Funny you should say that, Mom..." Nya trailed, a look of sheer panic written on her face.

They were on the highway in a few minutes time. Maya was a speed demon, driving far faster than the speed limit in her rose colored Sudan. Edna sat in the front beside her, gripping the door handle until croissant moons formed on the palm of her hand where her fingernails rested. Nya and Jay sat in the back holding each other's hands. Nya, oddly, was the one trying to calm Jay.

"Nothing's wrong," Nya panted between contractions, "She's just decided she wants to meet the world early."

"I'm not really surprised Nya," Maya commented as she flew by a family in a purple minivan, "Especially you, but both you and Kai were born early."

"Let's just hope we get to the hospital on time," Edna commented.

They wouldn't. Maya slowed to a stop as police lights flashed ahead. They were going nowhere.

Nya tightened her grip on Jay's arm, "Hospital or not, she's coming now!" Nya clenched her teeth together.

"Hold on, I've got this!" Maya put the car in park marched out onto the icy road. She threw open Nya's door, "Jay, I need you to grab the towels out of the trunk, all of them."

Jay climbed over the back of his seat and began grabbing the towels.

"Edna, there's a first aid kit in the glove compartment. Nya, you're doing great darling."

Maya continued giving Edna orders as Nya laid across the back seats and Jay sat beside her holding her hand, looking as pale as the ice outside.

Tears streamed down Nya's face, "Next time, Jay," Nya whispered, "let's have our baby in a hospital. I wouldn't mind being drugged up before this."

"Okay love, we will."

Nya screamed.

"Jay, I need another towel," Maya reached out an empty hand. Jay shakily handed her one.

There was another scream. Only this time it wasn't Nya's.

Nya propped herself up and wiped her wet hair away from her forehead. Maya wrapped the baby in a towel and handed her to Nya.

"Hi Isabelle," Nya smiled brightly, "Welcome to the world. We love you so much."

Maya and Edna made eye contact sharing a knowing look. In Nya's arms, their atonement child laughed for the first time.

August 3, 1986:

Maya sat alone just outside the monastery writing in her journal.

"What's up chica?" an all too familiar voice asked.

Maya smiled meakly at him, "Just... reflecting."

"You know, if you wanna talk, I'm willing to listen," Ray offered.

"I know." So Maya told him everything, how she'd aborted her child and regretted it every day.

"What if you bought a locket and buried it? I know it's not closure, but it's something."

Ray and Maya bought a locket the next day. Maya wrapped it in a shoe box, and she and Ray buried it behind the monastery.

"I want to name my baby," Maya told him, "It just feels right that she should have a name."

Nya.

Maya had no idea God would give her her Nya back ten years later.

Maya buried the locket, and she and Ray walked away silently as Maya cried, out of mourning for her child, and for the forgiveness she finally felt.

Summer 1995:

"Ed! There's a baby out here!" Edna cried. She couldn't understand. She'd been straightening things up, when a shriek of laughter had led her to investigate. A baby boy hugging a giraffe, elephant creature laughed at the clouds above.

Ed came running up behind her.

"There's a baby!" Ed laughed, "A baby! God sent us a baby!"

December 14, 2018:

"Mom?" Kai lightly shook Maya's shoulder. When he and the rest of the guys arrived at the hospital, they'd found Kai's parents and Jay's parents asleep in the pews of the hospital chapel. Why they were there, Kai didn't understand, but he just wanted to know where he could go to meet his niece.

Maya woke up, slightly confused, "Kai!" She smiled. Her eyes darted to the nativity scene at the front of the room, "You know, God sent us Jesus to forgive us of our sins. You may not know this, but Jesus sent me you and Nya to remind me he'd forgiven me. I love you Kai. Don't forget that."

"I won't Mom."

December 15, 2018:

Nya and Jay returned to the monastery for the first time in two weeks.

"It's going to be hard saying goodbye to this place," Jay sighed.

Nya nodded, "But it'll be worth it. We'll have more time to spend alone with Isabelle."

On cue, Isabelle let out a happy shriek, announcing that she'd woken from her nap.

"Surprise!" Kai, Lloyd, Cole, Zane, and Wu shouted when Jay opened the door.

Packages of baby toys and diapers, and baby food (not purreed chicken thankfully) were stacked on a table.

"You guys! You didn't have to!" Nya gasped.

"But we wanted to," Lloyd explained.

"We wanted our niece to feel at home," Cole added.

"About that..." Jay sighed, "We're buying a house."

"What?" Kai exclaimed, "you can't just leave us. When are we supposed to see Isabelle?"

"I'm sure you can come visit," Nya replied, "It's time Kai. Jay and I have talked, and it's time for us to settle down and be a family."

December 24, 2019:

The sound of bells rang through the house as Isabelle toddled around shaking her favorite Christmas ornament. Nya and Jay laughed as they began placing plates and napkins around the table.

"How long until everyone gets here?" Jay asked.

"Half an hour," Nya replied. The guys and their parents were coming to spend Christmas there.

Isabelle ran into the kitchen and handed Nya the bell ornament, "For you Mama!"

"Thank you sweetie," Nya smiled.

Isabelle grinned and ran off to find another ornament to play with, her innocent laughter sounding through the house.

Alright, so I'd love to chat with all of you a bit, but I promised I'd post this on December 14, and it's cutting it close right now. Life really got busy, and I've been working really hard to meet my deadline, so I'm not going to let an author's note ruin it all. Thank you for reading this. As always, I'm thankful for how wonderful all of you are. You make this a place I love to stay around. Thank you. I hope you all enjoyed this Christmas special, even if it wasn't one hundred percent Christmas themed. Thank you for reading. God bless and merry early Christmas!

Ps. Did you guys notice how December 14 is such an important piece in the story, and the final part came out on December 14? Yeah, I did that on purpose, but apparently I should've picked a later date to give myself more time. Anywho, I just wanted to let you all know that was intentional.

#God's Not Dead!