Author's note: This is the second to last chapter of this story and this will be the final story before I go back into my "Season Two" for Way the Samurai. Now that the episodes are coming back (hopefully without a long gap) I can piece all the parts of the story together without seperating them into sections for you guys to find. And hopefully it'll be easier for me now that you guys aren't 3-10 chapters behind and we can all enjoy the Samurai Journey together.
Enjoy the chapter!
Mike now faced the awkward challenge of talking to the mother of his girlfriend about a personal family matter he really didn't have any say in. Emily was his girlfriend, not Serena, but Serena meant so much to Emily he was making this his business.
He turned to his girlfriend's mother once Kevin, Mia and Emily were gone, "This hasn't been easy for them."
"If he had taken advantage of her that would be one thing," she growled, collecting her things as she started to leave, "She gave herself to a Nighlok! One that tried to kill her sister!"
"Don't you think we've figured that out? But Serena and Dekker were in love! Dekker did everything for her…"
"Except care for his unborn child…"
"Look, Dekker's a monster now," Jayden interjected. "He's not going to be around and you don't want him around…"
"I've heard enough," the former yellow Ranger pushed herself out of her seat and stormed out of the room. The boys all eyed each other nervously before Mentor Ji got up and followed her.
-Samurai-
"Serena…"
"Don't tell me they'll come around!" Serena screamed to Mia as the pink Ranger tried to comfort her. "They're not! I screwed up!"
"Calm down…"
"No!"
"Serena…"
"No!"
"This isn't good for you or the baby."
"I don't care. I don't want the baby. Not if it means this…"
"Serena, you're not thinking straight," Mia gently grabbed the older Samurai's arm and sat her down on the bed. She sat with Serena and held her hand comfortingly, "Take a few deep breaths. Your parents were always going to be angry at first. They're upset. This is huge for them."
"Never this upset," Serena muttered as she laid her head on Mia's shoulder. She glanced over at Emily and noticed her little sister seemed even more upset than she was. Kevin was holding her tight, as if trying to protect her from all the tension and anger. Serena sighed, "Emy, you don't have to choose. If you want to be with mom and dad…"
Emily shook her head, "They'll make me choose against you. I want to be with you. I want to help you, remember?"
"Emy, this is too big. You don't deserve to be put through this…"
"I don't care."
"She's sticking with you, Serena," Kevin smiled. "There's no stopping her."
"Mom and dad will come around," Emily said to her sister. "They love you. They can't just…"
"Some families don't understand that."
"We're not those families."
"Emy…"
"Mom said she would help you. She said you could tell her anything and that she would help you, no matter what."
"She didn't think I would be…"
"No matter what," Emily repeated and Serena sighed. Her little sister wasn't getting it. She held out her hand, inviting Emily over. She pulled the youngest Samurai into her arms and whispered words she didn't believe.
"You're right."
-Samurai-
"I don't know about you guys, but I could sure use a good Nighlok attack right about now," Mike muttered as he stared at the clock. Serena and Emily had run off long ago, followed closely by Jack, who had gone in the other direction, and then, only a short time ago, the former yellow Ranger had disappeared with Mentor Ji.
"Where's Master Xandred when you need him?" Antonio sighed loudly. His eyes widened when Jack walked back into the room.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," Jack whispered, taking a seat in the circle with the boys. They were all startled and on the defensive, terrified he was going to take out his anger at Serena on them.
"Your wife knows who the father is, we may as well…"
"Is the son of a bitch going to take care of my daughter?" Jack asked Jayden and the red Ranger shook his head. Jack scoffed, "Then what makes you think I care enough about the bastard to learn his name? I don't want to know anything about him. He's dead to me."
"But…"
"I don't care," Jack stated firmly and Jayden didn't press on further. It was his choice; the red Ranger just hoped he wouldn't regret it. Jack shifted in his seat; his eyes fell onto all the boys, "I was your age once. Living with three beautiful women would have been a dream for me, so I know what you're all thinking."
"They've been treated with nothing but respect," Mike insisted, hoping Jack would understand he was telling him he would never do anything of the kind to Emily. They weren't ready to take the step that put them at risk for having kids, and even if they were, if Mike found out Emily was pregnant with his child, he would support her, no matter what.
Jack nodded his head, "If you boys are telling the truth, you're definitely special men. At your age, I wasn't. No one I knew thought much of the women they ran into. They only wanted one thing: sex. That's why I insisted my girls wait."
"You can't protect them forever," Antonio said. "They are going to make mistakes. Everyone does."
"Don't I know it," Jack nodded. He looked at the boys, "Have you ever heard of a one night stand?"
"That's not what happened to Serena…"
"I'm not talking about my daughter, boy," Jack glared at Mike. "I used to be the king of one night stands. I was never one to make commitments. I walked into bars, got drunk and slept with women. Every night I promised women I was in love with them. Love at first sight. I never meant what I said and I didn't care if the women believed me. By the time the sun was up, I would be gone. The only responsible thing I did was use protection; every time. Like I said, I was never one to make commitments, and there was no bigger commitment than a child."
"You used to… sleep around?" Antonio asked nervously. Jack seemed a little more settled, but Antonio was still scared the man-beast would turn on him.
Jack nodded his head, "Almost every night when I was your age. I would work day in and day out for my father and the money I made would go to buying girls drinks to get them drunk."
"That's… horrible."
"I'm not proud of it," Jack said, "but like I said, I always used protection, except once. I hadn't planned on drinking that night but there was this one woman sitting in the bar and… well I've never seen anyone more beautiful. To this very day, aside from my two girls, no one has taken my breath away quite like this woman."
"Uh," Mike rubbed the back of his neck, "Your wife might still…"
"She knows the story," Jack said. "Anyways, I bought the woman a drink and promised her the world. She bought it. Every line. I had her right where I wanted her. I got her to take me home and we had sex."
"Should you really be telling us this?" Jayden asked.
"Shut up and listen," Jack growled. "In the morning, I did what I always did. I got up and walked away. I never gave the woman a second thought. I had my way with her. I was done. I didn't see her again until six months later. We met again at the tack shop in town. I couldn't help but notice she was pregnant."
"Whoa…" Mike and Antonio breathed. Jayden seemed really uncomfortable.
"Do Emily and Serena…?"
"Do you boys have problems with your tongues?" Jack asked them. "I thought I told you to shut up."
"Shutting up," they all nodded their heads and Jack was free to speak.
"When I heard the baby was mine, for sure, I couldn't believe it. I did not want a child. I didn't want to be there for the remaining three months of the pregnancy. I didn't want to be there for the birth. I didn't want to know the sex of the child. I didn't want to see it take its first steps. I did not want kids. But my mother was with me that day. I didn't want to do any of those things for my child or its mother, but for three months I was forced to support the woman I knocked-up. All the money I earned working went to my child. Car seats, cribs, clothes, diapers, everything a child needs. My mother even made me start saving up for college. I was not happy.
"Finally, after three long months, nine for the poor woman, the day had come," Jack continued, "I was visiting her to give her another bag of clothes and toys for the baby when her water broke. Her parents were out of the house and she had no one but me to help her. I took her to the hospital and before I knew it I was watching my very first child come into this world. I still didn't want to care for the child as I watched the doctors clean and hand the baby over to its mother. I hated commitment, I didn't want children. Then I heard the words that changed my life forever: 'Do you want to hold her?' I said yes, without realising I had said it and suddenly a child was in my arms. I was disgusted, terrified, and clueless until this little baby girl opened her eyes and looked up at me. I fell in love. For the very first time, I fell in love. Just like with all the other girls I had met in my life, I promised her the world. I promised her everything good. The only difference was that I meant every word I said. I did not lie to this child."
"That's beautiful," Antonio whispered.
"Her mother and I had no idea what to name her," Jack said, "I never wanted to be in her life so the thought never crossed my mind, and her mother had been so busy getting ready for her arrival that it slipped her mind. My daughter slept peacefully in my arms while her mother and I argued over what we were going to do with her. She didn't like that I had changed my mind. She couldn't trust that I would be committed. I insisted I would. I promised I would help her with everything, starting with the name. She gave me one chance; one chance to do everything perfectly. I couldn't screw up. I wouldn't let myself screw up, and I certainly wasn't going to screw up naming my daughter. I looked back at her. Still, so peaceful, so calm. I felt relaxed. I felt at peace. Finally I suggested a name. The perfect name: Serena."
Jaws hit the floor and Jack knew the boys now understood why he was telling this story, but he still wasn't done.
"It doesn't always work out like that, though" he said. "My wife was lucky. She and I worked together to care for Serena. Day in and day out, we were a team. Neither of us was going to leave our daughter, no matter how challenging things were. A relationship eventually grew, we fell in love, and shortly before Serena's second birthday we were married. Both of us knew we were one of the lucky few who got their happy ending, but I know just how easily things could have been different. I could have chosen to walk away and leave my family to suffer. Serena could have been without a father."
"You did the right thing," Jayden smiled.
"Not every boy does," Jack sighed, "That is why this is hard for us. We never wanted Serena or Emily to go through what we could have gone through, and I don't want them to have to go through what I put so many women through. I can't do anything for the women, but I can protect my daughters."
"Something tells me you've never had a problem protecting them," Antonio whispered.
Mike wasn't joking around. He looked at Jack, "Serena's going to need you. You may not be the boyfriend of the knocked up mother, but if you walk away you're just going to be the man you almost were."
"I know," Jack pushed himself off his stool, "Where is Serena?"
Mike, Antonio and Jayden smiled as they led Jack to his daughter.
When the door opened and Serena saw her father she was terrified. Jack walked in slowly and approached his daughter. He knelt down in front of her and took her hand. Serena began to sob and threw herself into his arms.
