Dinner was a lively, and somewhat noisy affair for the team and their families. It was just as well that Lauren had booked out the whole place, because the size of the party, together with the frequent movement between seats would no doubt have caused a considerable headache for the other guests, if there had been any.
There was much to talk about, and there was no shortage of conversation to be had. The Samurai's parents all had a lot to catch up on. While they had kept in contact, just in case they were ever needed to serve the Shiba again, they very rarely saw each other. They certainly had never all been in the same place at the same time since the day they had left the Shiba House. For a while, there was too much to do, recovering from injuries, both physical and otherwise. Afterwards, there were things to do to adjust to their lives. Between reconnecting with the children they had left behind, and in some cases, more practical things to get used to such as lasting injuries, Sadie in particular having to learn to adjust to life without the ability to walk, time just passed. Soon, years had gone by and they had their own priorities to worry about, most notably preparing their own children for the day they would be called.
Then, there were the families re-connecting and catching up. After two long years, the kids had a lot they wanted to talk to their parents about. Sharing their own adventures, talking about all they had learned, how they had grown, and most importantly, their plans for the future. Between sorting out homes, college courses, jobs and their intentions for what they planned to do with their lives now their duty was at an end for the foreseeable future.
There was also the issue of the families now connecting and coming together. Unlike in their parents' day, when the whole team already had partners and had their kids, the most recent team had been called much younger. Romances had blossomed, and there were at least two weddings now to look forward to. The new families had to adjust to the idea that they would now be more than friends, but family, and expected to have a lot more involvement in each others' lives in the future.
Lauren and Jayden were talking with Antonio and his dad Alano, while some staff cleared away the rest of the dishes. Jayden had known Mr Garcia before, but there were now a couple of minor differences. The first was that now Jayden was no longer the little kid that Antonio used to sneak off to play with. He was an adult, and that meant that they had to have a different relationship. The other was that he and Antonio were no longer merely friends. It was a little easier to navigate since Alano had known for some time that Antonio was gay, but that didn't mean that having his son introduce him to a partner was any different than any other parent accepting someone new in their child's life. It meant that once again, he had to have a different relationship with Alano, as they learned what it would mean to be family.
Lauren loved seeing the scenes unfolding. It caused her untold joy to see everyone coming together, and she once again was grateful that she had arranged all of this. She felt something she never had over the years, but after a while, it all started to become a little much. She really wasn't too comfortable having too many people around at the same time. For much of her life, she had been used to being in a household of maybe half a dozen at most at any one time. She found herself growing closer to everyone, and she really wanted to be with them, but there were still times that she just needed a little breathing space.
She went out of the restaurant, finding, the events' planner directing the staff. She saw Lauren, and the Red Ranger could almost feel her impatience flaring. She had come to realise that her desperation to make everything perfect had to have been more than a little wearing.
"Lauren, can I...?"
"Did you make the arrangements I asked?" Lauren asked her. She just nodded, gesturing her into the main meeting hall.
Lauren followed her, looking around as they went in. The main meeting hall had been set up for the following morning. Tables were decked out with white table cloths, and simple set-pieces, filled with Christmas crackers and party poppers. There was a large tree, decorated and placed in the centre, with a huge pile of gifts placed carefully underneath. Lauren went over, reaching to the first package, stroking the shiny paper it was wrapped in.
"So...is there anything...?"
"Did you leave what I asked?" Lauren asked her. She just nodded.
"The large screen TV is in the side-room next door, ready for the Midnight Mass." She continued. "There's plenty of clean linen in room four down the hall, and the chefs have prepared all your meals. They're in the walk-in fridge in the events' kitchen, and just need heating."
"Then I guess, we shouldn't need anything more." Lauren answered gratefully. This was the last thing that she had arranged for her family. She had arranged that things were left for them to fend for themselves, so that the staff could go home. By policy, there would be at least two staff in the building at all times for insurance purposes, but they had been instructed to leave the team and their families to their own devices for the sake of privacy. Lauren knew that there were certain things that they just wouldn't be able to discuss, or do while others were around. As a way to allow them all to relax, she had arranged it so they would effectively have the place to themselves. On the understanding that they left the place in a reasonable state, the staff could go home for the holidays as well, and leave the Samurai in peace. "I'd really like to thank you all. I know I've been a real pain in the ass..."
"No, it's not..."
"Please, I can call a spade a spade." Lauren told them. "Please, all gather around. I know I've been a little hard to take, and I'm sorry about that. I just hope this repays you all for your hard work."
Lauren handed the events' planner an envelope. She opened it, and gasped loudly.
"Lauren..."
"Each of you has a gift hamper to collect from the gourmet store in the mall." Lauren told them. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." They all chorused in response. As they all started to file out, able to head home for the holidays, they each stopped by Lauren to say a personal thank you.
As the last of them left, she looked around for the last thing she had arranged. A crate had been delivered, and left in the room, under strict instructions it was not to be opened for any reason. She laid her hand on the side.
"According to Antonio, you guys should be able to come out for a little while." She said with a little smile. "You all served us so well, it's only right you all get to celebrate too."
"Is that what I think it is?" Baron asked, causing Lauren to jump with a start. She held a hand over her heart, which was jumping in her chest.
"God Baron, you gave me a heart attack." She commented. Baron came over, resting his cane against a chair as he rested a hand on the crate.
"Well, is it?" He asked. Lauren nodded.
"Antonio's been working hard repairing the Zords." Lauren told him. "They all made it through thanks to him."
"Antonio huh?" Baron said as he retrieved his cane. Lauren couldn't help detecting a little tone in his voice as he heard Antonio's name mentioned.
"He's done a lot for us." Lauren informed him. "If it wasn't for him, we'd never have made it through the war. The Zords would certainly never have survived."
"I guess I'm having a little trouble adjusting to the idea of a new Samurai family." Baron remarked. Lauren could see that something seemed to be bothering him.
"Baron, is something wrong?" She asked him. He just shifted a little uneasily.
"I..." He struggled to find a way to say what was on his mind, but looking to Lauren, all he could see was her father, and his sense of duty overcame him. It wasn't his place to speak about a member of her team in front of her. He just patted the crate. "I suppose I'm just looking forward to seeing the Dragon again. It's been so long since I gave him to Kevin, I don't know if he'll even remember me."
"I'm sure it'll be fine." Lauren answered, hooking her arm with his as he started to head back to the party. "Things change, but some things never do. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see his old master."
The following morning, Lauren made her way to the gym, heading past the pool as she went. Baron and Kevin were already there. Baron was sitting at the edge of the pool with a stopwatch in his hand, timing Kevin's laps. Lauren knew that Kevin had gone back to his training for the Olympics, and even though it was the holidays, he couldn't afford to rest too much. Time was already against him in some respects, he would be 26, almost 27 by the time the Rio games came around. If he was going to make it, he had a lot of work to do.
"Not bad son." Baron complimented him. "You haven't been training for two years, but your lap times haven't slipped too much."
"They've still slipped though." Kevin grumbled as he pulled himself out of the pool. He saw Lauren and nodded in her direction. "Lauren, how are you?"
"I'm good." Lauren replied. "I just wanted to get in a quick workout before the others get up."
"Alright Kevin, it's time for your cool down." Baron told him. "Hit the spa pool, and then get dressed. I'll see about breakfast."
"Alright dad." Kevin answered.
"Oh, and Kevin..." He pulled a bit closer, whispering. "At least put on a robe, she is your Shogun."
"What was that about?" Lauren asked him. Kevin just shrugged.
"He was telling me I should wear a robe in front of you." Kevin told her. "He reminded me that you're my Shogun."
"Kevin, when was the last time I even used that title?" She asked him. "Sure...the speedo I could live without, but that's more because I'm just getting really bad visuals of you and Mia."
"I'm sure by now you've all noticed, but my dad's a little set in his ways." Kevin answered as he started to dry himself off. Lauren knew that he was, remembering him from the first time in the house. He was always on Parry's case, about something that annoyed him, saying he wasn't training the right way, or living according to the code. Ava and Sadie had even heard some of his lectures, though for the most part tended to irritate him by ignoring him and ganging up on him when he seemed to get a little too much.
"Yeah, I remember." Lauren sighed. It was then that a thought occurred to her. She had noticed that Baron was a little off when the subject came around to Antonio. Throughout the remainder of that evening, she had noticed a few looks across the room, and seemed to come to the conclusion that Antonio had picked up on it. They had talked, but usually it was just a social pleasantry, asking to pass the salt or something of that nature.
"Um...Kevin, I just have to..." She stammered, before heading out of the pool area. Kevin just smiled and shook his head.
"Someone could make a career figuring out what's going on in that girl's head." He commented, before heading to the spa pool, starting it up. He lowered himself in with a satisfied breath as he felt the warm water easing his muscles.
"Oh, now this I definitely miss." He commented. "Hello old friend."
Lauren caught up with Baron in a hallway, finding him heading for the dining room. The others would be up soon, and he was sure they would be heading there for breakfast. Lauren called out to him, catching up.
"Lauren." He greeted her. "I thought you were..."
"I can work out later." She interrupted him. "Baron, if I ask you about something, can you answer me honestly?"
His smile slipped as she said this. He had a feeling that he knew what she wanted to talk about, but he didn't really want to discuss such matters in front of her. Of course, there was another issue at hand. Technically, she was the sitting Shogun. If she asked something of him, it was his duty to comply to the best of his ability.
"I...um...I..."
"Baron, do you have a problem with Antonio?" She asked him. "Speak candidly."
This had now gone further than he wanted it to. She had now given him a direct instruction. She had told him to answer her question, and to speak his mind. Despite the fact he knew it was going to lead to problems, he couldn't disobey her.
"I saw your brother and Antonio...I saw them kissing." He told her. Lauren just looked at him.
"Is that all?" She asked. He took a deep breath, preparing to explain.
"Antonio..."
"Antonio has done as much for this war, perhaps more than any of the other Samurai." She interrupted him. "We all owe him..."
"I know; I do not doubt his service or his ability." Baron started to say, trying to gather his thoughts. "It's just, Jayden..."
"Yes, my brother." Lauren reminded him. "He and Antonio are in a relationship."
Baron looked away as she said this. Lauren felt her temper flaring up.
"Is that it?" She asked him. "Do you have a problem with...?"
"No, it's nothing like that!" He blurted out, suddenly realising to his horror what she was getting at. "One of the guys on my swim team was gay. I won't deny that it took me a while to get used to it all, to get my head around it, but...he was one of my guys."
"And Jayden's my brother, and one of my guys!" Lauren told him. "So is Antonio!"
"Look, I won't deny it was a surprise." Baron continued. "But...I don't have a problem with people being gay."
"Just Antonio?" She asked. He looked decidedly uncomfortable.
"Just Jayden." He admitted. Lauren crossed her arms as she waited for an explanation. "Look, I know it's wrong, it's just my issue, but I can't help...when I look at Jayden, I see him as John's boy. I remember him in the house, seeing John with him, and imagining the man he would grow up to be. I could see Kevin serving him the way I served John. I guess...I guess when I saw the ways Jayden was so similar to John..."
"Well, I'll give you a little heads up. Jayden is NOT JOHN!" Lauren put down flatly. "My dad is dead! He died fifteen years ago, and no matter how much any of us want that to be different, it never will be."
He looked completely apologetic as he heard her say this. It was something of a selfish fantasy, but back in the day, John had been such an important part of his life. He was devastated when he died in battle. It was a selfish desire, but he had hoped when he saw Jayden again as an adult, that he would be just like him.
"I guess I always hoped that John would live on in Jayden, and in you." Baron admitted.
"He does." Lauren assured him. "But I'm not my dad, and neither is Jayden. We take stuff from our dad, but we're our own people too. Maybe you should try getting to know those people."
She stepped a bit closer, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"You should probably try getting to know Antonio too." She suggested. "After all, he's a pretty great guy in his own right, once you get to know him."
"I guess even after all these years I have a lot to learn from your family." Baron answered. "I'm sorry about this."
"Well, like I said, maybe you should just give them a chance." Lauren reiterated. "Come on, let's go and find them.
At that moment, in a side-room, Jayden and Antonio were waiting. They had sent word to Alano that they wanted to see him in private. Jayden was sitting, waiting as Antonio paced nervously.
"Would you calm down?" Jayden asked him.
"Where is he?" Antonio asked, checking his watch. "He should be here..."
"We only just sent him the message." Jayden reminded him. Just then, the door opened and Alano stepped in. "See, there he is now."
"Dad." Antonio greeted him. "Listen, there's something I wanted to talk to you..."
"I think I might know what this is about." He interrupted his son. He reached a hand to Jayden. "Congratulations. I can't imagine..."
"Wait...oh, no it's not that." Jayden answered, seeing what Alano was thinking. "I mean...we both want to at some point, but we've both agreed, we really want to get married here."
"But, they don't let..."
"We're going to campaign to get that legislation overturned." Jayden told him. "We don't see why we should have to go somewhere else to get married when our home is here. It might mean we wait a while, but this is important to us."
"Oh, well, that's great, and I'll support you all the way." Alano said as he tried to overcome his disappointment. "So...what did you have to talk to me about that was so important?"
"Dad, I know I haven't been in contact as much as you'd have liked." Antonio began. "I feel really bad about it, but until recently, I couldn't tell you why."
"Antonio..."
"It was really important. Your safety could have been in danger if I told you about this." Antonio continued. "We...we had something really important to do, and we couldn't risk any distractions. It's the reason why the others haven't been home in two years."
Antonio tried hard to think of a way to explain it, but opted instead for the best thing he could think of. Pulling out his morpher, he activated it.
"Samurai Ranger, Gold Power!" He called out. In a flash of light, he stood before his father in his Ranger uniform. He pulled off his helmet as he approached his dad.
"Dad, I'm so sorry I..."
"That was...that was even more amazing than I'd hoped!" He yelled out loud. Antonio and Jayden just looked at each other. "Son, that was just...SO much better than I'd, hoped for!"
"Dad?" Antonio asked. "You knew?"
Alano just sighed and gave them an unconvinced look.
"Do you really think I'd have missed a two foot long flying squid hanging around in your bedroom for fifteen years?" He asked. "Why do you think I paid for all those Martial Arts lessons you asked for?"
"Dad...I can't believe..."
"Hey, I was there for the last war remember?" He asked. "I kind of recognised the Octozord. It wasn't too hard to figure out who Jayden was from that. I just figured, if you had your heart set on joining him as a Ranger, I'd do what I could to help."
He approached Antonio, putting an arm around him.
"I knew you'd tell me when the time was right." He declared proudly, before giving him a slightly reprimanding look. "But I didn't expect to wait fifteen years."
"Wow, I guess we weren't as good at the whole secret thing as you thought." Antonio commented, hugging his dad. "I'm sorry, I really wanted to tell you, but anyone we knew would have been a target. I'd never have forgiven myself if something had happened to you."
"Well, nothing did." He reminded him. "And you ended up with the Red Ranger too!"
"Well, one of them anyway." Jayden reminded him. Alano just looked at Jayden with a little smirk.
"Look, I know you shouldn't abuse the powers and everything." He said a little excitedly. "But do you suppose you'd mind...?"
Jayden just pulled out his Samuraizer and smiled. He flipped it open.
"Go Go Samurai!"
