It was the strangest thing, but Emily knocked on her own door. She knew Mike was inside the room playing a video game, trying to get a moment of peace and quiet. His video game time was very important to him, and he hated to be interrupted. Emily didn't know what could draw him in for hours on end. She had played with him and she had had a good time doing so. Occasionally it was great to pass the time, but she couldn't make a hobby out of it.

But when she opened the door she saw something else. Mike was relaxing on the bed with a book in his hands – not a comic book. Emily almost had the baby then and there. Mike looked over to her and chuckled.

"Mia let me borrow it," he waved Emily over, "She had this really good idea."

Emily approached the bed and then reached out and poked Mike with a single finger, just to make sure he was real. He laughed and pulled her on the bed and then wrapped her in his arms.

"Mia made me admit I was a little scared."

"You're not going to push a football out of… you know," Emily looked down at her stomach, "Why can't babies shrink and expand?"

Mike chuckled and shook his head, "I'm scared of what happens after that, and even before that. You're going to be so fat."

"You're not helping," Emily crossed her arms over her chest. Mike kissed the top of her head.

"Do you remember how fat Serena got? She didn't even reach full term. Mia suggested I read this because we have no idea what's going to happen with the Nighlok and the end of the world, so the best thing I can do is be ready for what I know is going to happen. We're going to have this baby."

Emily let out a heavy sigh, "If it helps, I've made a decision."

"About?"

"You guys are right, I'm safer here. The baby's safer here. I mean, you can't stop me from fighting if you guys really, really need me, but I'm happy to help from here, inside the house."

Mike sat up. There was really no other decision to be made. The entire house had voted against Emily and had ripped her Samuraizer away from her and presented her with Serena's white one, which offered extra protection to keep the baby safe, but wouldn't be great for fighting real, every day battles. Mike knew she had been upset. She had given him the cold shoulder for days after that, and had been in a miserable mood since. He had tried all he could to cheer her up, but it seemed as long as she was pregnant and benched, she wouldn't be happy. This change of mind and change of attitude caught him by surprise.

"Are you sure?"

Emily nodded and smiled, "You guys know what you're doing. I still feel bad I can't help anymore, but I'll just be more trouble if I'm out there with you. Whether I like it or not, you'll all be protecting me… a lot more than you usually do. You could get hurt. That's exactly what I don't want to happen. Just promise me something."

"I'll be safe," Mike smiled and gave her a kiss. When they pulled apart, he let out a heavy sigh, "Em, you have no idea how relieved I feel right now."

Emily grinned and leaned in for another kiss. She interrupted it, though and looked Mike in the eyes, "By the way, I kind of threw you under the bus to Ji."

"What? Why?"

"He's mad at me for being pregnant, but you made me pregnant! It's not fair!"

"So you throw me under the bus?" Mike asked. He lifted the book back up, "Alright, two can play this game. Did you know the contractions are the body's way of pushing the baby through the birth canal? Head first. Given how stubborn we both are, junior's going to have a huge, hard head."

Emily pressed her hands to her ears, trying to block him out, "I'm sorry!"

"All you'll have is ten centimeters to push out a baby. You now, that's only like, this big. Terran's head was bigger than that, wasn't it?"

"Scars!" Emily buried her face in her pillow and tried not to think back to when she had delivered her nephew. She had had nightmares for months afterwards, and had seriously considered adoption. Mike reached around and tickled her sides before pulling her into his arms and holding her.

"When the baby does come out, it'll be a screaming, bloody, maybe even shitty mess."

"LALALALA!" Emily shouted as she tried to tune Mike out.

"You'll be crying, sweating, you really won't be pretty at all. I mean, remember Serena? James was lucky he didn't see how hideous she looked."

"I hate you," Emily looked up at Mike and tried to squirm out of his grasp. "I really, really hate you."

"And, you know, this whole process could take hours! I can't imagine…" Mike was interrupted when one of his dirty socks was stuffed in his mouth. His eyes widened in horror and he quickly spit it out and tossed it away, "Ugh! That's disgusting!"

"Serves you right," Emily crawled away from Mike and sat at the end of the bed. "New rule: no scaring me with baby facts."

Mike laughed, but he was cut off again, this time by the Gap Sensor. He looked to Emily sadly, but she smiled back at him.

"I'm fine. Go."

Mike nodded and gave her a kiss before racing out to join the others, hearing the Gap Sensor had been triggered by an army of Moogers down by the harbour. As he and the Samurai left, Emily went to the common room to turn on the TV and to get everything set up for their return. Even simple Moogers could cause severe injuries. It was best to be prepared for everything.

As she pulled out the first aid-kit and made sure there were enough ice-packs and frozen peas ready for use when the Ranger returned, Emily noticed she had help in the common room. James was cleaning up the mess from the game Jayden and Antonio had been playing before the alarm.

"What are you…?"

"You're not the only stay-at-home Samurai," James chuckled. "It's a lot of work cleaning and setting up and preparing snacks. I thought I'd help."

"Thanks," Emily smiled and returned to work in the kitchen to get started on the snacks. A little something light for everyone that would help after a battle. They would need an energy boost. As she worked, setting out six plates for each of the Rangers, she heard Storm barking angrily. "Storm!" she called to her dog, commanding she quiet down, but the barking didn't cease. Instead, it got louder and laced with growls. Emily poked her head out of the kitchen. At that very moment, the doorbell rang. Emily walked down the hall, lifted Storm in her arms so the little dog couldn't attack and opened the door. A scream escaped her lips when she saw who had made it to the doorstep. Hearing her cry, James, Ji, and Kate all rushed out from their respective parts of the house, just as Emily turned to run away from Dayu. Ji and Kate stood before Dayu in the hallway while James took Emily and Terran in his arms. He could fight, and had done so before, but he was a last resort fighter. If Ji and Kate couldn't hold Dayu off, it was up to him.

Screw it, if Ji and Kate couldn't hold Dayu off, James wouldn't stand a chance. Realizing this, he pulled Emily along to another room of the house, hoping they could hide until the Rangers got home.

In the hallway, Ji and Kate glared at Dayu. With the shields up, it was impossible for her to be standing where she was. Noticing the curious looks on their faces at her presence in their home, Dayu flicked her thumb over her shoulder.

"A creation from Serrator and Octoroo. You should be proud of yourselves, those two actually managed to work together long enough to create something just for you."

Ji glanced over Dayu's shoulder and saw a Nighlok standing around the Gate. It seemed to be eating something. When Ji got a closer look, he saw the Nighlok was eating symbols, weakening the shields and allowing Dayu talk up to the house unharmed. Dayu grinned brightly, "We should have done this a long time ago."

"What are you doing here?" Ji asked her. Dayu invited herself in and closed the door.

"In the last battle, Serrator noticed you Rangers seemed to be one down. At first glance, we assumed he had gotten his way with Serena, but then we noticed… boy, the little ones grow quickly, don't they?"

Ji worriedly clenched his fists. She was referring to the yellow Ranger, who was noticeably taller. Emily, by a rather big margin, was shortest of the team. Serena was taller than Mia, and almost as tall as Mike.

"Serrator thought he would send me to come check up on the Rangers. Make sure everything was okay," Dayu pulled out her sword and grinned.

Ji shook his head, "Everything is fine."

"I was told to see for myself. Out of my way, old man," Dayu said as she rushed forward. Ji grabbed his Samuraizer and called his sword. Metal clashed with metal as he brought it up just in time. Dayu grinned wickedly. She did love a good challenge. She swung at Ji again. He parried her blows until Kate joined the fight, smacking Dayu in the back of the head with the only weapon she could grab: a training sword. Dayu felt a headache coming on, but was otherwise unharmed. She turned around to face Kate and smiled, "You're new."

Sensing an attack from behind, Dayu turned around, caught Ji's sword with her hand (injuring herself slightly) and then slashed him three times across the chest, tearing through the fabric of his kimono and through his skin. Ji let out a cry of pain as he dropped to the ground, clutching his chest with both hands to try and slow the bleeding.

"Ji!" Kate cried when she saw him wounded and failed to stop Dayu's next attack. She was knocked into the wall and her head forcibly slammed back, breaking through the dry wall. Kate slumped to the ground.

Dayu wiped the dust off her hands and had a look around the house. The yellow Ranger was here somewhere. She had been the one to answer the door.

"Easy way," she called out, knowing the yellow Ranger could hear her, "or hard way."

-Samurai-

"Don't look back, got it?" James told Emily as he quickly packed her a backpack of Terran's things. "All you need to do is run and keep running. The safest place you can go is Mia's house."

"Mia's?"

"I know where it is and you'll have Mia's mother and grandmother keeping an eye on you."

"What are you going to do? James, if something happens to you, Serena's…"

"Nothing's going to happen to me," James helped her get the backpack on and then helped get Terran in the carrier. The little boy put up a bit of a fuss, hating how he would be strapped to his aunt but there was no other choice. Pushing him in a stroller would slow Emily down in the forest, and if she carried him in her arms she wouldn't run as fast. Already his weight and the weight of the bag would slow her down. She needed to swing her arms to get all the momentum possible. When the bag was on and the baby was securely strapped in, James gave Emily a little nod, "I'll be right behind you. Don't look back."

"That's what people say when they're lying."

"Do you think I want to fight Dayu alone? Now go. I'll follow, I promise."

"You better," Emily grumbled, "Or as soon as I get Terran to Mia's house, I'll be coming back here for you."

"You won't have to," James promised. He opened the window and helped Emily out. Then he lifted Storm and told her to stay near Emily, though he knew Storm already knew that much.

Emily slipped out of the house and started to run. She still needed to get by the Nighlok, but he was so busy eating symbols he didn't notice her. It seemed he wasn't designed to fight; he was simply designed to eat.

When Emily was in the forest, James bit his lip and turned to the room. He had to let the Samurai know he and Emily were okay, and he had to do it quickly. He could hear Dayu's footsteps approaching the room.

Then he noticed the book on Serena's night table. It was the book she was currently reading. He grabbed it and tore off the cover, knowing she would notice. Then he took a pen from her desk, wrote Dayu's name on the first page, and then tucked the book under her pillow, where Dayu wouldn't see it once she came in. He then dropped the book cover on the floor and crawled out the window. He ran as fast as he could in the direction of Mia's house.