Legal: I do not own Power Rangers or the associated Names, places, events etc. Anything not owned by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

Rating: T-May be some mild adult themes.

Serena strode purposefully towards Spike and Bulk's place for their lesson, carrying a heavy training bag with her. She powered her way through the streets, occasionally bumping another pedestrian without really taking much notice. She didn't even hear their protests and expletives as she continued on her way, all she could hear in her mind were bits and pieces of conversations she had heard from Mentor Ji and Mia.

She was close to Mia, she really liked her. With the exception of Emily, she had bonded the most with Mia, and so it was only natural that Mia confided in her what had happened in Corinth between her and Kevin. There was a part of her that was genuinely happy for Mia, there really was. Unfortunately, it also coincided with what had proven to be one of the more awkward conversations she'd had to have.

She loved Stephen, she knew she did, and they were happy together, but when Mentor Ji had called her out on their behaviour, it had been somewhat of a mixed feeling. She knew that he had to concern himself with the welfare, physical and otherwise of the whole household, so she could understand what he had said about the way they were carrying on in the team's absence. It would have been insensitive to flaunt the comparative freedom they had in front of the others.

Once she had heard about Mia and Kevin though, a part of her had succumbed to jealousy. Despite their "floor show" as Ji had put it, they were still figuring out where they were with each other. Even despite Stephen's decision, it was still early days in the relationship, and if he had bothered to ask before he started throwing around judgements, she could have assured him that they hadn't actually taken things to that level yet. Now that she knew that Mia had, it almost felt like she had been cheated. It hurt that she was obeying rules that as far as she knew, even the others hadn't.

She heard a voice from behind her, but wasn't paying attention, instead just seething over the whole thing. She wondered how Mentor Ji would respond if he knew that one of his beloved Samurai had taken his precious rules out back and shot it like a rabid dog. She would never betray a friends' trust like that, but she was just so angry, she felt like it would give her at least some measure of satisfaction to wipe the smirk off his face.

As she got to the gate, she took a deep breath and composed herself before pressing the buzzer.

"Come on up." Spike announced through the speaker. As the gate opened, she felt a little slap on the shoulder.

"Serena, what the hell?" Emily protested as she arrived, looking annoyed. "My legs aren't as long as yours remember?"

"Sorry Em, I was thinking...about my lesson plan." Serena told her. "Now, remember. We only teach them hand-to-hand and sword techniques. We don't..."

"We don't tell them anything about the Ranger stuff." Emily grumbled, rolling her eyes. "You don't need to remind me. I'm not about to let the Ape Zord start dancing around the place."

"Sorry, I guess I still just think of you as my baby sister sometimes." Serena replied, pulling her in and ruffling her hair as they made their way up the path. Emily squealed and wormed her way out of her grip, looking annoyed.

"Serena, stop that!" She whined. "I'm not a kid!"

Serena felt a chill hearing her saying that. She was well aware of the fact that Emily was not a child. She had come to terms with the fact, indeed, she was proud of the way that her sister had grown. She was so proud and accepting that when she had the chance, she had turned down the opportunity to take up the Yellow Morpher because of how much she had seen Emily grow in her time at the Shiba House. She had even accepted Mike as a slightly irritating, sometimes downright annoying, but otherwise positive addition to Emily's life. Since Mia's admission though, she was getting a lot of unsettling mental images.

Emily was now 18, she was an adult. She was in a long-term relationship with Mike, and while she had no reason to think they had gone any further, she was sure that sooner or later, the relationship would move beyond kisses and cuddles. She was getting used to seeing Emily in his arms, or even seeing them kiss, but there was still a part of her that was a little hesitant about it all, especially when the thoughts came around to them taking things to that level.

As they got to the end of the path, Spike was sitting on the steps, some training equipment out in the yard chewing on his fingernails. Serena approached him.

"I thought you'd have warmed up..."

"Uncle Bulk's calling my parents." He told them. It had only been a day since he had been beaten savagely by the football team in retaliation for his ill-conceived fight against Brad. Even though he had won, they had not allowed things to end there, and he had ended up paying a heavy price. Now, he was just waiting to hear what his parents had to say as they heard how it had only taken him a week back in mainstream schooling to end up falling back into being a punching bag.

"Jeez, Serena wasn't kidding." Emily gasped. Serena just looked at Emily, before back to Spike.

"This diplomat is my little sister Emily." She told him. "She's the one I told you about, she went through a lot at the hand of spiteful little shits too."

"Pleased to meet you." He replied, shaking Emily's hand. "Wait...didn't we meet already?"

"The pastry shop." Emily responded. "You and your uncle nearly bumped into me and Jayden."

"That doesn't really narrow it down." He chuckled. "My uncle has kind of a sweet tooth."

Just then, Bulk came out, looking a little apprehensive.

"Sorry for the delay Serena, we just need to deal with some things." Bulk told her. "Spike, your parents want to talk to you."

"Uh...alright." He answered, before going inside. Bulk waved the two Earth Samurai in.

"We'll be ready to train soon." He told them. "We just...I thought they had a right to know."

"I understand." Serena sighed. "If Spike's stepmom didn't like me before, she's going to just love me now."

With that, they went inside and closed the door.

Ji was in the dojo, working hard on his technique by himself. He had already trained with the others, but since he was still relatively new to the Ranger game, even with his baptism by fire taking on all their responsibilities single-handed for a week, he was still pushing himself hard to ensure that when the time came, he would be a help and not a hindrance.

He was in incredible shape for his age, able to do things physically that most half his age would find impossible, but he still worried about his contribution to the team. Although he was able to push through his injuries, his mental discipline being able to compartmentalise pain into a part of his mind that he could ignore, he was still realistic about his shortcomings. He was not a young man. He was around the same age as the other Rangers' parents, all of whom had long since retired from active service, and yet here he was, only just beginning his time as a Ranger.

He was always scared for his Rangers, Jayden especially, knowing the terrible danger they faced every time they went out into the field. None of them were under any false impressions what they were up against, not one of their parents had left their final battle against the Nighlock the same person they went in. In one way or another, the war took its toll, and for at least one of them, it had been the last time they ever left home. For his best friend, Jayden's father, it was the last time his son would see him alive.

He was grateful initially for the fact that he could finally do something more than just examine maps and scrolls for the team, and do something practical to help them come home safely, but he was also worried about the potential risk he posed. He was scared he would slow them down, or that he would become a liability, just something else for them to worry about. The last thing he'd ever want is to be more harm than good, and so he was doing all he could to ensure he was up to speed.

As he swung around, he heard a shriek, and pulled his blow in time to stop his bo staff colliding with the skull of a woman that had walked into the dojo. She fell to the ground, her briefcase falling open and papers flying everywhere. Ji took a moment to recognise her, and immediately dropped his bo staff, reaching to her to help her up.

"Brenda." He began. "What...?"

"I rang the bell, but no one answered." She told him. All the Rangers were out at the time. Jayden and Antonio were away making up for the time Antonio hadn't been trading, while Mia, Kevin and Mike...well...in truth he couldn't remember what they had said they were doing. He just welcomed the time to have the house to himself.

"I came to see Antonio." She told him, straightening out her semi-circular glasses as he helped her up. Brenda Hamilton worked with the health department, and was responsible for checking up on the standards of a lot of the local street-vendors and fast food outlets. However, the last time they had seen each other was not exactly business. They had dated briefly, all too briefly all things considered. Ji had ended up under a powerful spell cast by a Nighlock, and had unfortunately said and done some things that had effectively ended the relationship. Without the ability to explain his actions under the Nighlock's spell without revealing who the Samurai were, he couldn't find any way to justify the way he had behaved. Their last words on the phone had been far from friendly.

She straightened out her navy-blue pants suit as Ji offered her a duster. She just refused it.

"There have been a few reports of food poisoning in the area Antonio normally operates." She told him. "I need to verify the cleanliness of his equipment and his movements."

"He should be back shortly." Ji told her, putting his bo staff away in the rack. "Would you like some tea while you wait?"

"Just, ask him to call me." She told him, handing him a card. He just sighed.

"He will not be long." He assured her. "Brenda..."

"Ms. Hamilton." She responded.

"Please, I behaved terribly, I know I did." He told her. "Just...surely we can be civil."

"Just have him call me." She told him.

"I have some peanut butter cookies." He called out. She stopped in her tracks and turned towards him.

"Do you really think...?"

"I do not expect you to excuse my actions." He assured her. "He should be back within the hour. Surely you can tolerate a cup of tea and some cookies within that time."

She just smiled a little.

"Did you bake them?" She asked. He nodded in response.

"Do you still like green leaf?" He asked her. She nodded.

"Alright, but I can't stay long." She told him. Ji just took her inside.

Back at Bulk and Spike's place, Bulk was keeping Serena and Emily company while Spike was on the phone to his parents.

"So...not a fun conversation then?" Serena asked. Bulk shook his head.

"They pulled him from school for a reason." Bulk told them. "I really want to do what's right for him, and I think this is it. He really wants this, but they worry about him."

"Everyone gets bullied." Emily said with a shrug. "I mean, I know better than most how they make a person feel, but surely they can't think having him running away is the answer."

"It took him a week to get his ass handed to him by the football team." Bulk reminded her. "Would you blame them for thinking he isn't safe there?"

Emily couldn't argue that point. All things considered, she'd have understood if her parents had taken her out of school. They weren't poor, their farm was able to maintain a very comfortable lifestyle, but it was nowhere near enough to pay for private tutors. Given her mother's Samurai mentality, they would never have given Emily the option of running away anyway, knowing that she would only have spent her life running from trouble, but she would have understood the decision Spike's parents made.

"No dad, I'm fine, believe me." Spike told him. "Sure some of the older kids are jerks, but it's nothing I didn't expect or can't handle."

He waited for an answer, and then responded.

"Look, I'm sore but..."

Bulk's eyes shot wide when he heard this and he turned to Spike, his arms waving frantically.

"Sore, yeah, sure I'm sore after the fight." He replied. Just then, Spike saw his uncle's expression and realised too late what he had done. The voices on the other end became so loud that they could almost be heard in the room. Despite their earlier conversation about his responsibility to tell them, Bulk had been somewhat economical with the details when he told them that Spike was having a rough time. Spike winced as the screaming continued for what seemed like ages.

"We're not training today are we?" Emily whispered to Serena. The older Earth Samurai just shook her head.

"It doesn't look like it." She replied. After a bit longer, Spike just sighed.

"Alright." He replied, before holding up the phone. "Mom wants to talk to you."

Bulk noticeably gulped as he heard this. It was bad enough that Spike had been hurt, it was worse that it had happened on his watch. It was now compounded further by the fact that he had 'lied' to them. He hadn't really lied, he had told them that he had been getting a tough time from some of the older kids, but he had just left out some of the details, such as the fact that Spike had actually been in a fight, never mind being involved in a gang-style revenge beating.

He made his way over and took the phone from Spike, gesturing to Spike to sit down. He sat with Serena, who put an arm around him.

"Look, I didn't lie." Bulk said as the screaming started again. "I just..."

"I've really done it now." Spike muttered to Serena. "I've gotten Uncle Bulk in trouble."

"You weren't to know." Serena assured him. "You didn't know he hadn't told them everything.

"No, I didn't say he had been in a fight." Bulk continued. "I knew you'd just worry and...I said I'm sorry..."

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Spike protested, a couple of tears beginning to form. "Dad's been friends with Uncle Bulk since...well...before they were my age! They're like brothers!"

"Well, I did warn you that fighting rarely leads to anything good." Serena reminded him. "I know it seems all great facing down your enemy like that, but seriously, how do you expect a guy to feel once he gets handed a beating?"

"How did you feel?" Emily asked him.

"Like I wanted all of them to suffer." Spike sighed. "I know, but I took the bruises..."

"Battles always have innocent casualties." Emily told him. "Look at the Power Rangers. Did you know that hospital admissions are up about 38 per cent since they started their battles?"

Serena just cocked an eyebrow, but Emily just shrugged. It was hard to avoid the news about them given their position. Although they fought to protect people, and although everyone was sure things would be much worse without their intervention, the fact was that there were still civilian casualties. Not even they could stop everyone from getting hurt.

"I guess." Spike muttered.

"That isn't necessary; I can take care of him." Bulk stated. "No, wait; I can...Kim...Kim!"

Just then, Bulk pulled his head back as the phone was slammed down and the tone rang through. He slowly hung up the phone and looked to Spike.

"I'm sorry Uncle Bulk..."

"It's alright; I should have told you what I planned to say." He replied sadly as he sat down. He looked to Serena as he pointed Spike in the direction of a bottle of whisky. "You...uh..."

"Somehow I doubted we'd be training today." Serena assured him. Emily just sat forward.

"So they were pretty mad huh?" She asked him.

"Yeah, that's the polite way to put it." Bulk told her. Spike came back with a glass and handed it to his uncle. Bulk's hand was shaking as he took it.

"So, what did they say?" Spike asked him.

"Sit down." He told him. Spike just did as he was asked. "Your parents...well...they're not at all happy."

"But it wasn't your fault, I did this!" Spike protested. Bulk shook his head.

"It isn't that simple. I'm meant to be taking care of you." He told him. "And, they kind of think I haven't done too good a job."

"But..."

"It's not your fault, you're a kid, I don't have that excuse." Bulk told him.

"They want me to quit school don't they?" Spike asked him.

"Spike..."

"They want me to go out there?" He shrieked. "But I love it here! I don't know anyone in...!"

"Spike!" Bulk shot out, silencing him. "They haven't made any decisions, but they aren't happy, so..."

He took a long gulp of whisky before looking to him.

"They want to see for themselves." Bulk told him. "Your dad's at a vital juncture with his business, so he can't come home yet, but Kim said she'll be on the first plane out here."

Spike got up and ran from the room, heading up to his bedroom. As Emily was about to go, Bulk held up a hand and shook his head.

"He always beats himself up." Bulk assured her. "I'll see him in a little while."

"We should..." Serena replied, flicking a thumb in the direction of the door. "Come on squirt, let's leave them to it."