"Grace," Leo said as they walked out of the high school that afternoon and she turned to face him. He could tell that something was bothering her, but he didn't know what and he was not sure if he wanted to find out. Things with her could get sketchy at times and he felt that they were heading down that road again. She was headstrong and he knew that, but this did not seem to have anything to do with that. This had to do with something else completely, something that she was hiding from him. "Are you okay?"
"No, my parents are acting weird Leo. My mom has never been your biggest fan but today Dad got involved as well and well, they've been acting weird lately, like Aiden or I are going to grow a second head or something," Gracie said as he gave her a humored glance. He had noticed that the Olivers' were not acting exactly normal, but Grace's equating it to something like that honestly struck him as funny. She was not known to overreact about things unless it was well warranted.
"Come on, we better get Jared," Leo said as she looked over at him. "What?"
"I just have a bad feeling about all of this," Gracie said as he looked over at her and then shook his head.
"You and your bad feelings," Leo said with a laugh as she got into the passenger's seat and just shook her head. This was not a time for him to make a joke of her 'feelings'.
"How many times have I been wrong?" Gracie asked as Leo just shook his head as they pulled up to the middle school and Jared jumped in the back seat of his SUV.
"Only a few times," Leo said as Jared looked between the two of them. Something was going on here and he was not exactly sure what it was, but if he knew anything about his sister, he knew that she was definitely getting irritated.
"Hey guys, do you think we could swing by the dojo?" Jared asked as Gracie and Leo looked back at him. "Come on, it's on the way home."
"No Jared, Mom said to take you home and I don't think I'm going to take chances with her today. She seemed like she was ready to kill me this morning," Gracie said as Jared just shook his head. He was going to have to get with Aiden and figure out what had happened.
"New beauties," Fillian muttered as he watched the car pull away from the curb. Inside it held the next major power ranger and the thing that they must do was prevent that person from getting powers.
"Hello," Fillian said as he landed in front of the Oliver house as Gracie exited the car and stared over at him.
"Who the hell are you?" Gracie asked as Leo and Jared both exited the car, slowly and looked over at the being standing in front of them. Jared had an inkling as to what it might be and he could tell that Leo was completely confused.
"Just your everyday average villain wishing to take over the world," Fillian said as Gracie looked back as Jared nodded and grabbed Leo. They had both been warned that this day would come, that someone would come after them. Now they had to get Leo out of here, quickly, he did not need to be in the middle of this, no one needed to be in the middle of this if they could help it. "Ms. Oliver, correct?"
"Grace?" Leo asked as Jared dragged him back to the car and pushed him into the driver's seat before running to the other side. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Saving your life, drive, to the dojo," Jared ordered as Leo looked at him, completely confused. They were going to just leave Gracie here to fend off whatever that being was? This did not seem like the right thing to do, even if it was saving his neck. "Drive!"
"What's going on with this family?" Leo asked as Jared looked over at him and crossed his arms.
"You can't be serious that you've never heard that our parents were Power Rangers," Jared said as Leo's mouth fell open. That was definitely news to him. "Where the hell are you from?"
"Texas, my family moved here two years ago," Leo said as Jared covered his face. "You're serious aren't you?"
"Yeah and we'll be in serious trouble if you don't drive!" Jared yelled as he watched his sister in the rearview mirror as she fought whatever this thing was.
"Your family really…they really are rangers?" Leo asked as Jared nodded his head yes.
"Well Gracie isn't yet, but it looks like she's on her way," Jared said, matter of factly as Leo just stared at him. "You might want to gun it, we're going to need Dad for this one."
"Good lord, what have I gotten myself into?" Leo asked as Jared laughed. "This isn't funny."
"Yeah, it is. Every other guy at the high school knows about the family history, although it's kinda considered a myth now, Dad hasn't had a reason to show his real colors again, you are the one guy that was clueless and you're dating Grace," Jared said as Leo glared at him and then pressed the pedal to the floor.
"Uh!" Gracie yelled as she was thrown into the side of the house and forced herself to stand. "Why me?"
"Because you will follow in your father's footsteps," Fillian said as Gracie slammed him into the house and her hair whipped around as she turned to face him.
"That is where you are wrong, I have no powers, I'm not a ranger," Gracie said as she glared down at him.
"But you will be, the leader in fact," Fillian ground out as he stood to face the soon to be ranger. "If I don't stop you."
"Dad!" Gracie yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping and praying against all odds that he could somehow hear her. She was not ready for this and even if she had been, she would still need some help. "Dad!"
"Tommy Oliver won't save you now," Fillian said as Gracie's eyes widened and she took in a deep breath. She knew the risks here and she knew that not fighting meant that she would disappear, without a doubt. She had to do something, but she was not sure how long she could hold out.
"Dad!" Gracie yelled again as she kicked out forcing herself and the being to the ground.
"What in the world?" Tommy asked as he looked around, sure that he heard Gracie, but did not see her anywhere. His advanced students were walking the floor, slowly warming up, except for Aiden, who was frozen against a wall. "Aiden, you okay?"
"Grace is in trouble," Aiden muttered as Tommy looked over at him and saw the seriousness in his eyes. He was the child that looked the most like him, he had even decided that he liked his hair long, although it was closer to Kim's color than his own, but he knew that Aiden would not lie to him about this, not now. "Dad, you've got to go."
"Now?" Tommy asked as Aiden nodded his head yes and Tommy looked over towards Kim and caught a glance of Leo and Jared jumping out of his car. "Oh God."
"Go, I'm sure Mom will think of something," Aiden said as Tommy ran towards his office and Aiden headed for Kimberly. He knew the shit would hit the fan when their mother found out, but he had to tell her so that she would be able to think of some cover as to why class was being cancelled for the afternoon, especially since the class had seen Tommy there.
"Um, Aiden, we have a problem," Jared said as Aiden nodded that he knew and then took in a deep breath. "Does Mom know?"
"No and guess who has to tell her," Aiden said as Jared gave him a shocked look. He couldn't believe that their dad would leave that to him. "Grace is in more trouble than she can handle."
"I could have told you that," Jared said as Lizzie vaulted off the beam and saw her two brothers standing near the entrance, as Leo just tried to blend into the background.
"What's up with you two?" Lizzie, the youngest of the Oliver's, asked as she rubbed her hands in chalk and walked over to her brothers. "Don't give me that look, I know something is up."
"Grace is in trouble," Aiden said as Lizzie just shook her head.
"I'll get Mom over here," Lizzie said as they looked at her. "Fall off the beam or the bars?"
"Beam, Mom'll freak," Jared said as Aiden hid his face in his hands.
"No one will be falling off a beam or a set of bars. Mom!" Aiden yelled as Kim turned her back on the girl that she was working with and looked over at him.
"In a minute Aiden!" Kim yelled back as she went back to spotting the girl and he just shook his head.
"This can't wait a minute Mom!" Aiden yelled as Kim placed the girl on the ground and then walked over to Aiden.
"What? Are you happy now?" Kim asked as she crossed her arms and glared up at her eldest son.
"Well, Grace is being attacked, so we might need to do something," Aiden said as Kim's mouth dropped and she walked over to one of the benches and sat down. "I think it's about time you tell us the truth."
"What truth?" Kim asked as Aiden folded his arms in return.
"The prophecy that saved Dad," Aiden murmured as Kim gulped and then walked back to the girls.
"I'll tell you that one day," Kim said as Aiden just shook his head. It seemed that the time was now and it was not going to wait for when their parents wanted to tell them the truth.
"Who the hell are you?" Tommy growled as he landed in the front yard and saw his eldest daughter on the ground, very close to blacked out. Although they had taught the both of them self defense, Aiden had stuck with it and Gracie had taken to gymnastics. Gymnastics was good, but not in a situation like this, especially the first time.
"Fillian, the new evil that wishes to take over the earth," Fillian said as he faced Tommy and Grace barely lifted herself before collapsing again. "Poor baby."
"Leave," Tommy muttered as Fillian looked at him as if he was no challenge. "Last chance."
"Daddy going to protect his little girl?" Fillian asked as Tommy jumped at him and threw him through the nearest tree and leveled his gaze on the man.
"To the death, now leave," Tommy said as Grace tried to force herself to stand again, but she couldn't manage it and only collapsed in a heap once again. "I'm her father, I'll kill if I have to."
"You'll never manage it," Fillian said as Tommy's next kick hit his head and Fillian fell to the ground and then disappeared, although Tommy knew he was not gone for good.
"Grace, get up baby," Tommy whispered as he squatted down next to her and she barely lifted her head up to him.
"I can't Dad," Grace whispered as her eyes slid out of focus and Tommy lifted her from the ground and carried her inside. He never thought he would see the day when this happened to his daughter, Aiden yes, but Grace he never thought it would happen to.
"Kim, we've got a problem," Tommy said as he lifted his old communicator to his lips and said the dreaded words.
"I know, how bad is it Tommy?" Kim asked as she sat in her office with their other children and Leo.
"Pretty bad Kim, she is going to have to have powers," Tommy said as Kim placed her hand over her face.
"Who else?" Kim asked as Aiden and Leo exchanged a glance.
"Can you take Aiden doing this too?" Tommy asked as Kim looked over at him and then let out a sob. "I take that as a no."
"It's not like we've ever had a choice before Tommy, the powers choose who the rangers are," Kim sobbed as he nodded.
"I need you to get home, leave your car," Tommy said as Kim nodded. This was not what either of them had envisioned, but they were going to have to pull out all the stops to get this child well from the way it sounded.