Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Megaforce. This story is fan-made.

Author's Note: This is not where the Megaforce series starts. If you want to read the series without getting lost, I suggest you read my stories in the order they appear:

No To Date Nights - The Party Night - Project Partners - Megaforce: Lives Behind The Masks - Prom Night - A Trip To Remember - First Meetings - Something She Loves – Protective Morans – Samurai In Harwood County – Rainy Days – Luck Had Nothing To Do With It – Ranger Support – Parents and Children – Hero Without The Spandex – Emma's Night

Just a reminder about my vacation; Thursday will be the last day I post anything. If all goes well, I should be able to get all the chapters for this story posted by that time (7 chapters in total). This will leave us with at least an ending before I go so there will be no stopping in the middle of a story for my hiatus. Again, I thank you all for your patience.

Troy had no idea how much of a girl magnet babies could be. Not that he was asking for the attention. He was a Megaforce Ranger, and the leader of the team. He owed his new friends his entire focus and all his time. They were depending on him to have a clear head on and off the battle field.

However, that didn't mean he didn't like the attention. With his parents out for the day with Rebecca for several appointments for the baby, Troy was left to babysit his little sister. Ryan didn't do much to warrant someone watching her constantly, but she did need to be fed, changed, and soothed every hour or so.

He took her out to Ernie's. His parents had let him, realizing it wasn't realistic to ask a teenage boy to stay home alone all day with a baby. As long as Troy promised to be careful with where he brought his little sister, and to be home at a reasonable hour so Ryan could get a few naps in her crib where she was most comfortable, then he could do as he pleased.

A lot of girls he recognized from school were coming over to him to see the baby. Some made it quite clear they were just near to coo over Ryan, others thought they needed to flirt with Troy in order to be allowed close enough to the baby. Eventually, Ryan did grow tired of the attention and cried out.

"Sorry, this is a busy day for her," Troy said and gave the girls around him a signal to leave the baby alone to sleep while he gently pushed the stroller back and forth and covered it up as much as he could. Ryan was soothed almost instantly.

"They're precious at that age," a woman commented from a nearby table as she turned to Troy. "I remember when my daughter was that young. There was nothing I wouldn't do for her."

"Ryan's kind of a pain in the ass," Troy said. "She kept me up all night last night. But she is something special."

"At that age, a baby doesn't need much," the woman said. "A clean diaper, a bottle, and a cuddle before bedtime. You run yourself ragged, and it's a lot of work, but as they get older, they demand a lot more of you."

"It's worth it, though, right?" Troy asked. "There's got to be something incredibly special about watching your daughter grow in front of your very eyes."

"I wouldn't know," the woman answered. "As it turns out, I never gave myself the chance. I learned how to be a mother far too late."

"What happened?"

"My dreams got in the way," the woman shrugged her shoulders. "I thought seeing the world would be the greatest thing I could do. I thought there would be nothing more magical than exploring different countries. I thought I could get all I needed with expensive trips and shopping malls. Turns out, you can't buy the things your family gives you. You can't buy a daughter's love."

"Did your daughter leave you?"

"She found a better home," the woman said. "Fortunately, she has a family that will look after her. They've been doing so her whole life. Now, the best thing I can do for her is let her go."

"Is that what you're doing?"

"It's what I've done," the woman answered. "Although, that doesn't mean I can't stop by every once in a while. I've got a lot of explaining to do, and I might as well get everything off my chest. I hope she'll give me a chance."

The bell over the door rang as it opened. Troy looked over as did the woman. Both smiled as Emma and Gia stepped in.

"There's Troy," Gia pointed to the booth Troy sat in and tugged on Emma's arm to lead her over. Emma wouldn't move. Gia turned to see what she was looking at and her jaw dropped.

"Mrs. Goodall?"

Emma held her hand out across Gia's chest to hold her back, "Don't punch this parent."

"I'll wait for the gun to come out," Gia muttered. She tugged on Emma's arm again, "You don't have to do this. Not on her terms. I can chase her away."

Emma shook her head, "Go sit with Troy. If mom wants to talk, I'll listen."

"Are you sure?"

Emma nodded and joined her mother at the table while Gia walked over to Troy and Ryan. She took a seat but couldn't take her eyes off Emma.

"Wait, that's Emma's mother?" Troy asked.

"Let's hope she's not as crazy as her husband," Gia frowned.

Over at the table, Emma took a seat across from her mother and found it hard to look at her. She had found a new family with the Morans, and had slowly gotten used to living without her biological parents, but the hurt couldn't be erased. What her parents had done, what her mother had done, had left a scar on her heart.

"You're back?" she asked. Mrs. Goodall nodded her head.

"I'm in town. I thought I'd stop by. I figured you would have a lot of questions. A lot to talk about."

"I do," Emma said. "But that doesn't mean I want to talk to you."

Mrs. Goodall reached her hand across the table and tried to touch Emma's. The pink Ranger pulled away. She crossed her arms over her chest and sunk into her chair. Mrs. Goodall looked at her daughter.

"You're happy with the Morans?"

"You're not going to try and take me away, are you?"

"No," Mrs. Goodall shook her head, "Vanessa and I talked before I took off. I realized I was no good for you, Emma."

"It's not like you had run out of chances," Emma muttered. "Vanessa offered a trip together if you stayed home with me. She told me she gave you a chance to turn it all around. You picked Paris over me."

"Sweetheart, the damage was done. Had I stayed, I would have only hurt you more," Mrs. Goodall sighed. "I would have been leading you on. What I did was tough, and I'm sorry it hurt you so much, but it was for the best."

"What do you know? You sent me one lousy postcard. You have no idea how I'm doing…"

"I've known Vanessa and Joe for a long time. I've seen them with Gia. I've seen them with you. You couldn't dream up a better family for yourself, Emma. I trust they've been taking care of you."

"There doing the job you never did," Emma whispered, "They're making up for seventeen years of horrible parenting. They're doing a damn good job of it, too."

"I'm glad," Mrs. Goodall smiled. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to see you've found a good home."

"You mean now that you don't have to leave money behind for groceries for me while you go on vacation."

"Emma, I love you," Mrs. Goodall said and looked right at her daughter, though Emma was looking anywhere but right at her. "I know you probably don't believe me. I don't see how you could, but it's true. I didn't know how special and amazing you were to me until I lost you. And by then… Emma, by then, it was far too late to take you back. By the time I realized how much I screwed up as a mother, you needed so much more than someone who would try to make up for lost time. You needed Mrs. Moran, and Mr. Moran. I couldn't be who you needed me to be. I'm so sorry, Emma, but I do love you. I love you more than anything."

"Not more than a trip to Paris, or Hawaii, or the Caribbean…"

"Those were mistakes, Emma."

"It's okay, mom. I just… I don't need you," Emma got up. "You made up your mind. Maybe I needed someone better than you, but at the end of the day, instead of sticking around, you took off. You took off and you left me behind to fend for myself. You didn't even bother telling dad I was staying here."

"Your father and I…"

"Yeah, things are screwy," Emma nodded. "I'm not an idiot, mom. I figured it out. He's got girls on the side and you travel the world with your boyfriend."

"I'm sorry, Emma."

"You didn't make any time for me, especially when it counted," Emma said. "I don't have time for you."

Emma walked over to the booth where Troy and Gia were sitting. She whispered something to Gia before leaving the Brainfreeze. Troy started to pack up Ryan's things while Gia walked over to Mrs. Goodall's table.

"Gia, I…"

"Just… leave her alone," Gia said. "Leave her alone, but stay in town for a while."

"Can you tell her I'm sorry?"

"It won't do anything," Gia shook her head. "But if you really mean everything you've just said, you'll stay in town. That way, if she ever reaches out to you…"

"I'll be in Oklahoma in a week…"

"Right," Gia said. "Stupid me for thinking you'd want to stick around."

With that, Gia turned her back and walked out with Troy and Ryan.