It was just a few bites of toast but Sarah did keep something down. And it was just the front porch, but Sarah was outside of the house. Despite her initial protests, she did have to admit to feeling a little better now.

She was on the bench on the porch. Serena was sitting next to her. There was no pressure to talk, so it was mostly silent. Sarah liked that, but it was started to feel a little awkward.

"Are your parents still alive?" she asked Serena. The white Ranger nodded.

"They are."

"Oh."

"I'm on my own now," Serena said. "I mean, I still love and need them, but a lot of the fears you have right now wouldn't be a concern for me."

"Like Kathryn?" Sarah asked. Serena turned to her with a curious frown. "My birth mom."

"The prostitute?"

"Yeah."

"In prison?"

"Yeah."

"What's scary about her?" Serena asked.

"She'll get custody over Shane. If she finds out and fights…"

"She doesn't have rights," Serena reminded Sarah. "That's how Jenny adopted you in the first place."

"I know… but now that Jenny's gone… what if she tries again?"

"I mean, she can fight for custody, but I don't see what that would do," Serena said. "She's in prison. It's not like they'll make you stay with her if she were to win. And you'll be eighteen soon."

"I guess."

"Besides, you're with Shane. He's who you and Jenny chose, together, and he's where you'll stay. Anyone who tries anything different will have to go through him, then me."

"You're right," Sarah said, and Serena nodded her head.

"I am, but it's okay to wonder about this stuff. I'd rather you talk about it, with anyone, than just let it sit. Thoughts are scarier when you trap them in your head."

"Like the thought that this is my fault?"

"What do you mean?"

"This all started because of my holo-clones. Because I didn't just think…"

"Okay, first of all, you never intended for this to happen."

"Neither did dad."

"Yeah, but you fixed your problem," Serena said. "I mean, sure, there are steps you could have taken to prevent it, but we all make mistakes. Your father chose to work for Oedius and your mother insisted she wanted to say goodbye. Those were choices they made for themselves."

"But if I had just…"

"If I had just gone to see the doctor, Emily never would have taken my place as the yellow Samurai Ranger," Serena said. "Monkey – that's what she named our folding Ape Zord – would have had to make do with me, even though she clearly loved Emily more. And the team that needed someone like Emily, they would have had to deal with me. If I had just seen the doctor, they could have had a stronger Samurai but… who knows if we really would have been better off. Who knows why we're flawed and why we make mistakes. We just do, and sometimes it bites us in the ass, but this world does have a funny way of righting itself in the end."

"How does my parents dying come out right?" Sarah asked. "How can this be the best thing to happen?"

"I don't know," Serena shrugged. "But I didn't say this was the best thing. I just said that the world rights itself. You've been dealt a shitty hand, between your dad, your girlfriend and your mother but maybe there's something good waiting for you around the corner."

"Without mom?"

"You're talking about her like she's gone," Serena said. Sarah gave her a funny look.

"She's dead."

"My brother in-law was dead once," Serena said. "Gia's father was dead, but he's still with her. She swears he's helped her out of some tough moments. Same with Ms. Chesterfield."

"Who?"

"The vice-principal at Harwood. The one who hired me specifically to help Gia. They grew close. Gia named her daughter after her."

"Really?"

"She died too, but Gia swears she's still helped her. People die but I don't think they're ever really… gone."

"Like, afterlife?"

"If you believe that," Serena nodded. "My family was pretty religious and I know I still am, so I definitely do but… even if you don't…"

"Don't talk about conservation of energy…"

"Not even going there," Serena shook her head. "You've known your mother for… what, eight years now? Almost half your life?"

"Nine years. More than half."

"So she's had a lot of time to influence you," Serena said. "Leave you with some memories? Instill some of her wisdom?"

"I guess…"

"So you're telling me, while you were up in that bathroom, puking your guts out, refusing to get some fresh air, you never once heard her voice in your head telling you to maybe listen to the pretty blonde sitting next to you?"

"I… I knew she wouldn't want me to stay in the bathroom all day," Sarah admitted.

"Every decision you make is going to be influenced in some way by her," Serena said. "Every moment in your life that means something, no matter how significant, you'll think of her. You'll carry your mother and all the memories you made with you for the rest of your life. She might not be here physically, but… before you were worried that getting up, getting on with your life would make it feel like she never existed, that's not true. She'll be everywhere."

"You think so?"

"My mother isn't even dead and I hear her voice nagging me in the back of my head," Serena chuckled. "Hell, I've got Ji's voice in the back of my head, he isn't even my dad! The people you love will always be with you."

Sarah nodded her head. It did make sense, in a way, and while it was hard sometimes to think of her mother or her father, she did still feel them.

As she smiled at the thought, Kelly was making her way back from school. Sarah was surprised to see her coming home alone, but she was very happy to see her girlfriend again. As Kelly rolled onto the driveway, Sarah got up and stepped off the porch. Serena noticed this and couldn't help but smile to herself.

"You're home," Sarah said to Kelly, who looked to her girlfriend happily, but surprised.

"You're up?"

"The bathroom was starting to smell a little… pukey," Sarah said. "Serena suggested some fresh air."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better… a bit," Sarah said. "Definitely better now that you're home. How was your first day?"

"It… It was pretty good, actually," Kelly smiled. She couldn't remember what she had been worried about, not after seeing Sarah was doing better. "I was only a few minutes late to all my classes, and the guys were a huge help. Even everyone at school was pretty cool. I think once they get used to the wheelchair, they'll know to step out of the way and I might be able to make it to classes on time."

"So it wasn't bad without me?" Sarah asked. "I felt a little bad after you left."

"I would have preferred to have you there," Kelly told her. "But I know why you stayed home."

"I'll try to make it tomorrow," Sarah promised.