Mrs. Fisher had no idea what was worse: her daughter being a Power Ranger, her daughter lying to her about it, or the fact that she seemed to be the last one in the family to know. She looked to her husband, who could only offer her a shrug in return.
"That's it?" she frowned. Her husband shrugged again.
"Bella..."
"That's all you can say?"
"Mrs. Fisher, we're supposed to keep a secret identity," Chase told her, hoping to take some of the heat off Mr. Fisher when he saw the angered look in the older woman's eyes. "Anyone who knows about us found out by mistake."
"We tell each other everything, Jon," Mrs. Fisher growled, still keeping her gaze fixed on her husband.
"This wasn't my news to tell."
"You let me walk around like an idiot while our daughter was in danger!"
"I kept my eye on the news! If anything happened..."
"You would tell me?"
"I..."
"Only after our daughter's been hurt? Or killed? Or... worse?"
"What's worse than killed?" Cammy whispered to Chase, who only shrugged in response. He didn't need to get into the details of that with her, especially now.
"Kendall is a private person," Mr. Fisher reminded his wife. "We promised, when it came to her opening up, we would do whatever we needed to make her feel safe."
"Keeping life-threatening secrets from each other is not whatever! She's our daughter!"
"Don't you think I know that, Bella? But it's not like either of us can do anything about any of this! You heard Chase, she's bonded to the ener-jewel or whatever it's called! There's no going back from that! Kendall needs to be a Ranger, all we can do is hope that..."
"You don't think I understand that, Jon?" Mrs. Fisher growled. "You don't think I get that being a Power Ranger is kind of a big deal? That these heroes are chosen for a reason?"
"Bella..."
"What burns me is that our daughter was out there, in danger, and I had no damn clue about it! I just go about my day, like nothing's happening, meanwhile she could be in the fight of her life."
"I just didn't want to worry you..."
"She's our daughter!" Mrs. Fisher screamed, then shook her head and started making her way out of the private room Chase had brought them to for this talk.
"Bella..."
"Don't talk to me, Jon," she shouted before storming out, slamming the door. Cammy let go of Chase's hand and ran after her. Mr. Fisher sat down on the bed and rubbed his face in his hands. Then he looked to Chase.
"I don't know what to do at this point."
"She just needs time to calm down and think about this," Chase said, but Mr. Fisher shook his head.
"We've never kept secrets from each other. Honesty is the backbone of our relationship. Even when it was tough, we always came clean. And especially with the kids. We're equal parents. I... I should have just... when I found out, I should have told her."
"It's a tough situation, mate," Chase tried to assure the older man, but to no avail. Mr. Fisher still seemed very worried and upset. "She'd have reacted this way no matter when you told her, I'm sure."
"I'm not," Mr. Fisher sighed.
-Dino-Charge-
Meanwhile, down the hallway, just before the elevator, Cammy caught up to her mother and grabbed her arm, pulling her back as the doors opened. Mrs. Fisher sighed and looked down at the daughter, seeing the hurt in her eyes.
"Cammy..."
"I want to stay with Kendall," Cammy stated firmly, planting her feet on the ground. Mrs. Fisher nodded her head.
"When she comes back, I'm sure you can sit with her."
"No," Cammy shook her head. "I want to stay with Kendall. If you're mad at her and she's not your daughter anymore, I want to go with her."
"Not my... Cammy, what are you saying?" Mrs. Fisher knelt down and looked her daughter in the eyes. Cammy shrugged.
"You and Jon are mad at each other," Cammy stated. "It's because Kendall is a Power Ranger. And since she can't stop being a Power Ranger, and you didn't adopt her... I just want to stay with Kendall, no matter what happens to us."
"Why do you think...? Cammy, nothing is going to happen to us."
"When parents fight, they hate each other," Cammy said. "And when parents hate each other, they get divorced. But since Kendall's not your real daughter then..."
Mrs. Fisher chuckled lightly, shook her head and took Cammy's hands.
"You're right, we never adopted Kendall," she told the little girl. "But Cammy, that doesn't make her any less our daughter, or part of this family. She's not going anywhere, and neither are you."
"So then you and Jon are getting a divorce?"
"No," Mrs. Fisher answered, then breathed loudly and shrugged. "Well, look, Cammy, this is all a bit complicated right now. You're right that we're fighting, you're right that it's about Kendall being a Ranger but... You kids have nothing to do with this."
"But everyone is mad and... something has to break," Cammy looked to her mother with real confusion. Mrs. Fisher pulled her daughter in a little closer and smiled at her.
"What do you think happens when parents fight?" she asked. "What were you told about this?"
Cammy shrugged her shoulders. "When I used to ask my mom about my dad... she said they had a fight. She wanted to keep me and he didn't. Because he didn't want to keep me and she did, he left."
"So you think, if Jon and I are fighting, we either have to leave each other or leave you kids?"
"Mom said she couldn't leave me. Moms can't leave their kids. And since Kendall's not your kid..."
"She is my kid, Cam," Mrs. Fisher smiled. "Your father and I, we're going to figure this out. But no matter what happens, you and Kendall and Jeremy are all our kids. We're not giving any of you up. Do you understand?"
"Yeah," Cammy nodded and hugged her mother tight.
-Dino-Charge-
After leaving her parents, Kendall found her way to Jeremy's room and sat by his bed, waiting for him to come to. She knew it could be a while. He had been found unconscious and then brought in for surgery, but she knew he had to wake up at some point. She needed to yell at him. He was always there for her when she needed him – at least, that was the promise he made to her.
She didn't say a word while she waited for him. Not until he started to open his eyes. Kendall was just about to call for a nurse, wanting to get him checked out before she yelled, but he stopped her.
"It's getting embarrassing," he managed to get out with a raspy voice. "Saved by my baby sister again."
"I didn't save you," Kendall frowned. "Some joggers found you."
"That's less embarrassing," Jeremy chuckled, but Kendall shot him an angered look. His laughter stopped but he still smirked. "I know it's impossible, but you look exactly like mom..."
"What the hell were you still doing in Amber Beach?"
"I couldn't leave," Jeremy said.
"You mean you couldn't go home? To your wife and daughter..."
"And leave you?" Jeremy added. "I went to the airport, Kendall. I thought about what you said and... Tracey and Anna are safe where they are. You aren't."
"I told you..."
"I know what you said but... I'm your brother. Your big brother."
"So it's a pride thing?"
"If wanting to keep my family safe is a pride thing, then yes," Jeremy nodded his head. "I called Tracey. I told her she could visit her parents for a bit with Anna while I hung out a little while here. I wanted some time to figure out what to do next. She was fine with it. Hell, she encouraged me to stay here as long as I needed."
"And why would she do that?"
"Because she knows how much I fucking miss you!" Jeremy shouted, lifting his hand to smash it back into his bed, but then regretting it when pain shot up his arm and into his back. "Dammit!"
Kendall's look softened a little bit. "Me?"
"Well, you, mom, dad, Cammy," Jeremy nodded painfully and then regretted not letting Kendall call the nurse. "She knows how much I miss the family. Every since you came back, and made it clear you were staying, I've felt... guilty, I guess."
"You made a life for yourself..."
"And you're trying to make yours now," Jeremy said. "Tracey, she's on board. She can find a job out here; she knows a lot of people. She's just like that. And if I can figure something out, we're going to move home. I thought, if I stay the extra week here, I can speed that up. I can get a job, train and..."
"Train?"
"For the silver energem."
"Jeremy..."
"I can't let it go!" Jeremy frowned. "I can't, in good conscience, let you go running into trouble knowing I didn't do everything I could to help. If there's an energem out there, I want it to be the one to reject me."
"You have a daughter to think about..."
"And she's in danger too. This whole world is in danger. You and the Rangers are keeping it from falling apart. So if something happens to you, Anna's in trouble. We all are."
"So you were training? Out in the woods?"
"You work hard all the time," Jeremy nodded. "I thought, if the energem saw me working just as hard, I stood a better chance."
"Energems don't have eyes. They aren't watching and waiting. They need to be discovered."
"Don't I get points for trying?" Jeremy asked, but Kendall didn't respond. He sighed. "Fine, whatever. I was training, not that it seemed to matter. That's when this... guy showed up."
"A guy?"
"Yeah, odd looking," Jeremy nodded. "He dressed like some kind of fancy magician or something."
"Like a magician?"
"With weird blue streaks and goggles," Jeremy said. "Who wears goggles unless you're in a pool or flying a plane?"
"Heckyl."
"Heckyl?" Jeremy frowned. "Weren't you friends with a Heckyl?"
"It's... complicated," Kendall sighed. "What did he do? Did he say anything?"
"I... I don't remember," Jeremy shook his head. "He kind of just showed up, I got this really bad feeling and then, next thing I know, I'm at the bottom of some ravine, then everything went black. When I come to again, you're giving me... that look. Kendall, what's going on?"
"I'm going to kill him."
"Kendall, don't! Whatever he tried to do, I'm fine!"
"Fine?" Kendall turned and pointed to her brother. Jeremy looked down at himself, finally taking time to examine his body for injury, rather than just feel the pain. He seemed to have a broken arm and leg, multiple bandages wrapped up tightly around what he believed were deep gashes and many bruises, matching Kendall's black and purple outfit almost exactly. He hissed.
"Okay, maybe I'm not fine, but I'm alive."
"He did this to you!"
"And if it's bugging you, then maybe that's the reason," Jeremy said. "Look, Kendall, please, don't do anything about this, especially on my behalf. Otherwise it's not worth it."
"Jeremy..."
"I got in over my head twice now trying to keep you safe," Jeremy told her. "If you try to do something about it, it'll be for nothing."
Kendall looked to the door. Jeremy reached his hand out and just barely grazed her arm. She turned to him. "Don't," he begged her.
Kendall's glare softened. Jeremy tried to move over on his bed to give her some room, and then pulled her in closer.
"I'm just trying to keep everyone safe," he told his sister. "Just, be safe, okay?"
