It was the worst day of Riley's life, and she was too stubborn to let anyone help her improve it. Everyone from her new family had come over for a visit to try and cheer her up, but she didn't want anything to do with any of them. She screamed and locked herself in the laundry room. The only thing that would cheer her up was if her parents would come and take her home. She had had a fun time living with the pink Ranger and playing Samurai games, but she wanted to go home.
She curled up in a corner, hugging her Samurai bear to her chest as she cried. Fortunately, the others had decided to leave her alone for now because she didn't want to talk. There had been a few knocks on the door as people came to check up on her, but she wouldn't say anything to them.
Riley wiped her eyes and looked at her bear, "Do you think mommy and daddy are coming home?"
The bear gave Riley a little nod as she moved the head with her own hands and then pulled the bear in for a tight hug, "They will. I'm sure."
"Hey," there was a little knock and the door opened. Riley turned her back and covered her ears with her hands. Her throat was sore from all the screaming so now she would just ignore whoever was talking.
Lauren walked in and sat down beside Riley, "This new family is kind of crazy, huh?"
Riley pretended not to hear anything. Lauren chuckled. She knew this game. Every so often she would get tired of training, especially after injuries. When her mentor would come in to ask her if she was feeling better, she knew the best answer to give was none at all and to act like she hadn't yet come around. Riley was playing a similar game.
"Can you hear me?"
"No," Riley answered with a shake of her head.
Lauren smiled, "I guess I'm talking to myself then. I'm new in this family too, Riley, and it's a little scary at first. I don't have a mommy or daddy to help me either."
"Grown-ups don't need mommy and daddy," Riley spoke to the bear.
"I was a little girl when my mommy died," Lauren said. "I was four."
"I'm four," Riley finally looked up at Lauren.
"A few years later, my daddy died. Someone took me away from my home and I lived all around the world."
Riley nodded her head with a sigh. Her parents were gone and someone had taken her away from her home. She did like Mia, but now that her parents were dead it wasn't the same.
"Are mommy and daddy coming back?"
"No. Mine never did. And they never will," Lauren brought her knees to her chest, "It's a sucky feeling, isn't it? But I wish, when my parents died, I had been as lucky as you."
"Lucky?"
"I didn't have Mia taking care of me. Or anyone like Mia. I went from person to person, and they didn't care about me. Not the way Mia and Kevin care about you. I'm sorry your parents are gone, Riley. It's a painful thing to move past, but you're going to be okay. You have two amazing people who are going to take care of you. This family can get overwhelming at times, but you can't ask for a better adoptive home."
"What?"
"You're in good hands," Lauren chuckled and wrapped her arms around Riley, "If I can grow up and be okay, anyone can. And if you ever need someone to talk to or somewhere to go, you can always come to me."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I guess I'll be your Aunt Lauren. It'll be new for both of us."
"I like you," Riley looked up at Lauren with a smile and nestled into the older woman's arms, "You're really pretty."
"Thanks," Lauren said. She gave the little girl a gentle squeeze and then got up, "I'm going out to join the party now. Want to come?"
Riley stood up and took Lauren's hand, "Can I still miss my mommy and daddy?"
"I still do," Lauren said. "Every day. It's okay."
"Do I have to call Mia and meanie Kevin mommy and daddy?"
"Not if you don't want to."
"Will they make me?"
"No," Lauren knelt so she was eye level with Riley, "You're going to be happy here. Mia and Kevin are going to take very good care of you."
"For how long? Until mommy and daddy come back?"
Lauren sighed, but she remembered asking her father the same questions after her mother had passed. She understood her mother would be gone for a very long time, but as a child she was always convinced that one day her mother would come home. It took her a while to fully understand the permanence of death.
"Mommy and daddy aren't coming back," there was no sense lying to Riley. She would figure it out, and Lauren hated it when people had lied to her. It made it harder to cope when the truth finally did come out. Her parents would never come home. "Mia and Kevin aren't leaving you. They'll look out for you for as long as you need it."
"Forever?"
"Yeah. Forever."
Lauren felt Riley skip slightly and gently squeezed her hand as she brought her around to the living room, where the rest of the family had gathered. They were currently watching Terran as he played around, making everyone laugh by making a silly face every time he touched Mako's noise and she startled him with a sound.
Riley ran off to play with Terran and Mako, now her great-grandmother while Lauren walked over to Kevin and Mia.
"I talked to her."
"You did?" they asked her, looking a little startled. Lauren had been acquainted with Terran and she had even spent a day caring for him, but she had been on her own for so long no one would have blamed her for being shy around Riley or any other kids. They were complicated creatures to handle.
"We're in the same boat," Lauren nodded her head, "I lost my parents when I was little too. It felt good for both of us, I think. Being able to talk about it."
"What about Jayden? You have the same parents…"
"He's always had Ji," Lauren said with a sigh as she looked across the room where Ji and Jayden were having a conversation. They weren't used to being apart, and thought it had only been a couple of days, they had so much to catch up on. "I'm like Riley. My parents died and I got switched someone new. I was a little older than she was when it happened, but I was still scared."
"I guess it helped," Mia smiled as she turned and watched Riley play with her grandmother, thinking it was sweet they were already starting to get along. Mako had been a huge part of Mia's life. She had played a bigger role in it that Noa, Mia's mother, had. She would be a big part of Riley's life as well, so it was important they could get along. It was important Riley liked and trusted her.
"Thanks, Lauren," Kevin gave the fire Samurai a quick hug.
"Just, from one orphaned kid for another, don't sugar-coat her life for her, and don't be too tough on her either. It sucks her family is gone, but she's got to be able to move on. And she'll come around when she's ready. My mentors always used to tell me I had to suck it up. Crying wouldn't get me any closer to the Sealing Symbol and it would only help the Nighlok."
"Can you take her, then?" Mia asked and looked over her shoulder to Kevin for a moment. "I know it's a little premature, and it's not even something I want to consider, but if something happens to Kevin and I…"
"Like… I adopt her?"
"Yeah," Mia nodded. She looked around the room, "Emily and Mike would be great parents. Serena and James already are. Jayden and Antonio, if they want kids, are going to be amazing dads but, if Riley were to lose another set of parents, I think you would be the best thing for her."
"You don't have to answer us right away," Kevin assured Lauren. "We technically haven't even adopted her yet, but would you at least consider it?"
"Am I ready for that?"
"We don't plan on getting hit by a car tomorrow," Mia smirked. "Think about it."
"I'll look out for her," Lauren nodded and she felt a little smile tugging at her lips. She knew it was a big responsibility and she didn't want to give Mia and Kevin a solid answer just yet. She had to consider what it would do to her life, and if she was ready for a kid to suddenly fall into her lap. Though it was likely nothing would happen to Mia and Kevin, if Lauren had learned anything from her life, it was that there was always some kind of danger lurking around the corner. She had spent her whole life avoiding it.
But while the idea of something happening to Mia and Kevin was heartbreaking and unthinkable, Lauren was a little excited and very touched. Riley wasn't their daughter yet, and though they were forming a family it would still be a while before she was truly their daughter. Still, given the way they had taken her in, and the way they were looking out for her already out of nothing but the kindness of their own hearts, she could tell Riley was very important to them, and they were trusting their little girl with her.
"I'll get back to you on adopting her," Lauren said, "but I'll definitely look out for her, no matter what."
Mia gave Lauren a big smile and a hug, thanking her for her help with Riley, and then she walked off. She walked towards the little girl and knelt down beside her.
"Why don't you go show Sobo your pink Ranger mask?"
"Her what?"
Riley's eyes lit up as she raced out of the room to get all her pink Samurai toys. Mia looked to her grandmother with a smile.
"Riley's a huge pink Ranger fan. She knows about me, but no one else."
"Ah," Mako nodded and then reached out and wrapped her arm gently around Mia's shoulders, "So I hear you had a hard time after learning you couldn't have kids."
"Sobo…"
"You know, I'm not proud of what you did to that amazing young man," Mako pointed to Kevin who looked to be in mid-conversation with Mike about something important, as they were tucked away in a corner and avoiding conversations with the others.
"I made a mistake, I know. But I came back. I made amends with the people I really hurt. Kevin and I are giving our relationship another shot, and I think we'll be okay."
"You're adopting a kid together. You better be."
"I guess there is no bigger commitment," Mia nodded and smiled. Then she turned to her grandmother and the smile fell from her face, "I'm sorry I disappointed you."
"It was bad news. Horrible news," Mako said. "It has always been your dream to have that perfect life. I can understand why it hurt so much. But if you ever do anything stupid like flying away to live with that brother of yours, I will be on the next flight and I will drag you home kicking and screaming and you will make things right. No granddaughter of mine is ever going to abandon her responsibilities and her commitments. Am I understood?"
"Loud and clear," Mia nodded.
Mako gave Mia a loving squeeze and then she let go as Riley raced back in the room with her Samurai bear, mask, and toy Spin Sword. She dropped them at Mako's feet and started telling her all she knew about the pink Ranger while Mako listened and acted like this was all new to her.
"A fan? The pink Ranger's weapon is a fan? Is it dangerous?"
"Very!" Riley said excitedly.
Mia watched with a smile. Noa approached her daughter.
"I guess I'm a grandmother now."
"Sobo's taken," Mia smirked. "She's still around and she's got dibs on the name. It'll confuse Riley too much if we've both got different names for her."
"Grandma Noa is fine by me," Noa said and then she felt a chill. "Grandma… wow. I knew the day would come but I never thought it would be this soon. Now I know how Ellie and Jack feel."
"To be fair, Serena is older."
"Not by much," Noa shook her head, "Any wine in this house?"
"Mom…"
"I'm not going to get drunk. It's just easier to transition from mom to grandma Noa if there's a little alcohol involved. It takes off the edge. Christina, Patrick, you didn't happen to bring over any… perfect!"
Mia groaned as her mother and Kevin's parents went to the kitchen to grab a glass of wine. Serena came over to Mia, chuckling slightly.
"I'd be careful. Emily and I were both born because of alcohol. You may be getting a daughter and a sister in-law all in one year."
"The transition to grandparenthood," Mia sighed.
"Wine's better than running off," Serena shrugged and then gave Mia a gentle nudge in the ribs, "James and I were going to take Terran to see Santa tomorrow. You and Kevin should come with Riley. It might cheer her up a little."
"Yeah, it might. She can tell some fat stranger all about how she lives in a new house now."
Serena chuckled, "We'll head out just before lunch. We can pick you up."
Mia smiled and agreed and went back to what had turned into a party with the Samurai and her family. Riley was having fun, and the more she played with Terran and Sobo, the more it looked like she fit right into the family.
But as the night wore on, the party started to die down. First, Serena and James needed to leave to put Terran to bed, and considering Mike and Emily didn't have their own car or house, they had to leave as well. Jayden and Antonio were getting up early the next morning to run a few errands and so they didn't want to stay out late. Finally, Ji, Kate, and Lauren had to take off. Riley had long since been put to bed, so it was just Mia, Kevin, and their parents seeing them off.
"Either way, thanks for considering Riley," Kevin said as he hugged Lauren goodbye, "the earlier we can figure this out, the easier it will be for her especially."
"I'll let you know as soon as I do," Lauren's smile went from ear to ear. It was a scary and big decision to make, but one that still made her very happy and she was very honoured. As she walked to the car with Kate and Ji, she couldn't wipe the smile from her face.
"I swear I had the keys in my pocket," Ji muttered as he pat himself down in search of his missing car keys. Kate simply rolled her eyes.
"You can borrow mine," she tossed them over to her boyfriend and climbed into the passenger side.
"But where are mine?" Ji asked and he started to look around in the dark. Kate and Lauren both groaned.
"You can find it later, we're both tired. You probably just left them inside," Kate said, "It's no big deal."
"I'll just…"
"Riley's asleep. Don't ring the bell, you'll wake her."
"Let's just go," Lauren said. Ji sighed. He had likely just set his keys down somewhere in Mia and Kevin's house and forgot where. Knowing the keys would be safe for a night; he got in and started the car with Kate's set. They were halfway down the road when Lauren's Samuraizer went off.
"Mike, it's not a party trick. We may not be Rangers anymore but Symbol Power is still… what? Riley what?"
"She's not in bed," Mia's voice was frantic on the other end as Lauren could tell she was speaking on the phone and tearing the room apart to look for the little girl. "Not again, not again…"
"Mia, calm down…"
"Calm down! She's not even my daughter yet and I've lost her twice! I've checked there!"
"What?"
"Sorry. I'll call the others, but I need to ask you a huge favour as possible future godmother of my future pain in the butt daughter!"
"What's going on?" Kate asked. She and Ji could hear Mia's frantic voice from the front of the car.
"Anything," Lauren answered Mia and held up a finger to tell Ji and Kate to wait a moment for their answer.
"Help me find my kid."
"Keep looking around the house," Lauren said, "She might still be right under your nose. She knows she'll be okay, she has no reason to run off."
"One guy kidnapped her to try and sell her back!" Mia cried. "What if someone took her?"
"Calm down. No one's taking her from her bed. We were all at the house. Speaking of which, where did she used to live? I think I know where she might be.
"Maremma Boulevard," Mia answered. "1593 Maremma Boulevard."
"If she's not at home, I'll find her. Just don't freak out," Lauren said before hanging up and she explained everything to Ji and Kate who turned the car around. Lauren looked out the window for the house and bit her nails. She could remembering wanting and trying to run back home after she had been taken from the Shiba House. If Riley would leave, Lauren was certain she would go home.
