Across the following couple of days, the Shiba House was just as busy as it had been, but at least things weren't as fraught. Lauren's idea of bringing their families to Panorama City for Christmas and New Year had turned out to be just what the doctor ordered to end a lot of the fights that had flared up. Now, instead of fighting, they were more interested in calling their families to make their final arrangements for the trip. That was, when the couples weren't taking the time to 'make-up' for fighting. The house had gone from a bad-tempered war zone to something of a sickening love-fest.

For most of the Rangers, there really wasn't much to arrange. Mia, Kevin and Mike's families all lived in the city, albeit in different areas. For them, it would be a simple matter of packing a bag for the week, and taking a bus or the subway. It would only take them a few minutes for them to make their way to the city to the hotel. Jayden and Lauren...they were the extent of the Shiba Family. Ji...he was still in the hospital, as were Brenda and the baby, but they were all in the city. They were hopeful that Brenda and the baby would be released from the hospital in a day or two and be able to attend, though Ji was still in his coma. His injuries still made things pretty touch and go, even though everyone was hopeful.

The main issues were with Emily and Serena's family, and Antonio's dad. While the farm was only a few hours outside of the city, they needed to arrange for someone to take care of their livestock while they were away. It was no small task, all things considered. While they would be able to drive there in a few hours, it was mainly finding someone that their dad was happy to entrust his precious animals to, even if it was only for a week.

Antonio was finding his dad to be the main obstacle. He was only now able to invite him to the city without worrying about his safety. However, in the last couple of weeks, he hadn't contacted his dad as often as he'd have liked. By the time he did, he found out that he had gone on a fishing trip to Alaska. It was something he had talked about wanting to do for years; indeed he had hoped it was something he and Antonio could do together.

He had missed his dad like crazy, and he desperately wanted him to come to Panorama City. However, a part of him really didn't want to ask his dad to choose between a trip he had been planning for years and a party where his dad would have to be among a group of people he didn't know from Adam. It wasn't as though asking him to drop everything and fly half-way across the country was a small thing to ask.

He got off the phone with his dad, before looking to Jayden, who was also hanging up the phone. He could tell by his expression that he had been on the phone to the hospital. It wasn't like he had many people he needed to call these days. Antonio put an arm around him.

"Any news?" He asked him. Jayden just shrugged.

"They say Brenda and the baby are doing well." He informed Antonio. "I said that they could stay here while she gets back up to speed, so they're happy for her to come home tomorrow."

"What about Ji?" Antonio asked as he held him closely. Jayden shook his head.

"All they said is he's stable." Jayden answered. "I'm going in to visit later."

"What about Lauren?" Antonio continued. Although she was staying in the Shiba House, Antonio had noticed that Jayden was a little troubled by the fact she was still more than a little distant. He honestly tried to include her with the others as much as possible, but he was finding it slow going. She had thrown herself into making arrangements with the hotel for their celebration. In particular, it bothered him a little that she was that so far, she had only visited Ji in the hospital twice. Brenda and the baby, he could only remember her seeing once, and that was when HE took her into the room. Jayden just looked at him.

"I have a feeling she really doesn't like hospitals much." He commented. "Given the state she came out of the Netherworld in, I can't say that I blame her."

"I think we both know it's a little more than that." Antonio said as he opened a tank, looking inside it. "You can't expect her to just flip a switch and be cool with everything."

"Antonio, she's family..."

"She's your family by blood." Antonio reminded him, closing the lid of the tank, before getting up and heading to their room. Jayden followed him, watching as he checked inside a little crate. A few of them were set up around the room, all of which had small devices attached to them, monitoring different readings. "It's a little bit more complicated for her."

"I know, but...it's Ji..."

"Jayden, she was taken away from here when she was eight years old." Antonio reminded him as he looked to his boyfriend thoughtfully. "She basically hasn't had a family in fifteen years."

"But..."

"You remember you didn't exactly fall in love with the idea of Brenda overnight." Antonio recalled with a little chuckle. "And I do seem to remember kind of a hissy fit when the baby was on the cards."

"I did NOT throw a hissy fit!" Jayden protested. Antonio just gave him an unconvinced glance, before checking inside another crate. Jayden rolled his eyes. "Alright, I suppose I took a while to get used to it."

"And you've always had Ji." Antonio stated. "Can you blame her if it's taking a while to get used to having a family dumped on her lap overnight?"

"Why do you always have to be the smart one?" Jayden asked him. Antonio just shrugged.

"I guess you got the looks." He answered. Jayden just looked to one of the crates.

"So, how are the patients?" He asked, looking to one marked with the kanji for "lion".

"They're doing as well as can be expected." Antonio informed him. "The Bull, Tiger, Shark, Swordfish and Beetle still haven't come out of their Power Disks. It's worrying, but they were put into those disks for a reason. So far it's what's keeping them from trauma."

"Kind of like Ji's coma." Jayden surmised. Antonio nodded in response. Ji's coma was chemically induced; they needed to keep him under to give his body time to recover from his injuries. He was in good health, which stood in his favour, but his age was still a concern. They were doing everything they could to increase his chances.

"The Lightzord's basically completely mechanical." Antonio informed him. "It's complicated, Stephen was a lot better at this stuff than I am, but I'm figuring it out. I should hopefully be able to repurpose a few things into suitable replacements for some of the more advanced components."

"What about the others?" Jayden asked him.

"They're all fighting really hard." Antonio concluded. "They took a pretty heavy hit for us, but they seem to be really determined to get back to their masters."

"The others will be relieved to hear that." Jayden concluded. "Those zords have been with their families for generations. They're like family to them. I know I miss the Lion like crazy."

"Well, from what I've seen, the feeling's mutual." Antonio concluded. "He seems to perk up whenever you're nearby."

"Well, that's kind of why I'm hoping..."

Just then, they heard the front door closing. As he got to the door, Jayden realised that Lauren's coat was missing from the coat hook.

"Damn it!" Jayden grumbled as he got outside, just in time to see Lauren get into a cab. Antonio was quickly by his side. "I swear, I need to put a bell on my sister!"

"Jayden..."

"Antonio, track her Samuraizer." He instructed him.

"Jayden, that's...that's kind of an invasion of privacy." Antonio told him. "It's not like we're in much danger anymore. I can't really justify..."

"She's my sister." Jayden stated firmly. "Now, she might be having a rough time adjusting, but she's not going to get used to the family thing if she keeps running off any time she feels like it. She's going to visit Ji and Brenda if I have to tie her up and drag her there."

"Do you really think that's a very smart way of dealing with things?" Antonio asked him sarcastically. "I really hope you're joking, because in case you forgot, I sincerely doubt Lauren would like the suggestion that you'd bind her. From what Emily told me, she freaked out when she tried to get her to wear a bracelet."

"Antonio, track her Samuraizer." Jayden reiterated. Antonio loved him, and he wanted to help, but he wasn't prepared to overstep the boundaries Lauren had set up. He considered her a friend, perhaps even family one day. Even though he didn't know how she saw him, he wasn't prepared to ruin his chances of gaining her trust.

"I'm sorry Jayden, but I'm not going to do that." Antonio told him. He could see that Jayden wasn't happy with him as he glared at him and stormed into the house without another word. Antonio just took a seat on a bench and held his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry Jayden." He repeated.

In another part of the city, Spike was sitting in his house, with his uncle. Vicky, Melanie, Mal, Jimmy and Cody were with him. All of his stuff was packed up in cases, ready to go. It wasn't long until school broke up for Christmas, but his parents had informed him that they were coming for him a little sooner than expected. It was a time of mixed feelings for him. He had missed his mom and dad dreadfully over the time he was in Panorama City, but now that it was finally coming time for him to go, he was finding himself reluctant to leave.

He had made friends here. He had even fallen for an amazing girl in his time here. He had spent his time ensuring that he spent every moment he could with his friends. Vicky was in his arms as he waited for his parents to come.

"Hey, it looks like I got here in time after all." Serena announced as she arrived. Having taken over as Spike's sensei some time back, she had a connection to him, and she had promised to stop by today. She hugged him tightly. "Sorry I'm late."

"At least you got here." Spike answered, releasing her. "I'm just sorry I'm going to have to get a new sensei. You were awesome!"

"Well, you were a great student too." Serena complimented him, ruffling up his hair.

Just then, the door opened. Spike and Kimberly came into the house, causing all of them to look up at them. Kimberly came across first, hugging Spike.

"It looks like you're all packed." She stated. Spike just shrugged.

"Thanks for taking care of Spike for us Bulk." Skull greeted his friend with a hug. He looked to him. "You know you're welcome to visit any time."

"Maybe I'll stop by for Christmas." Bulk suggested. Skull just smiled.

"I think we can manage that." He told him.

"We'd really love that." Kimberly added.

"So...I'll just help you load up." Serena chipped in. "I think Spike would like a little time with his friends."

Serena, Kimberly, Spike and Bulk all picked up some of his stuff, taking it outside to the waiting mini-van, leaving Spike in the Living Room with his friends. He went across to Mal and Melanie.

"I'm really sorry I won't get to see your play." Spike began, hugging each of them in turn. "I really wish I could have seen it. I know you're going to be great."

"Hey, I'll record it." Mal promised as he held his girlfriend closely.

"We'll e-mail you all the time." Melanie told him. "I'm really going to miss you!"

"I guess we'll miss you too." Cody added, fist-bumping Spike. "It's just a shame you didn't get to stay long enough to be much of a threat in sparring."

"I'm going to take that as a challenge." Spike chuckled. "I'm going to keep practicing...and when I visit, I am SO kicking your butt!"

"Yeah, cause that'll happen." Cody replied, rolling his eyes. Jimmy just shook Spike's hand, before looking to Vicky.

"Um...maybe we should see if we can help load up the van." He suggested. They all left, leaving Vicky alone with Spike. Vicky just looked at him.

"Vicky, I..."

Vicky just threw herself into a hug, squeezing him tightly. It was hard enough to see him go, without drawing it out. She just held him, enjoying the feel of his arms around her.

"I'll write all the time." He promised her. She just nodded in response, before taking him by the hand and heading outside with him. Skull was just loading the last case into the mini-van, when they arrived.

"Alright, that's everything." Kimberly announced, looking to Serena. "Um...I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot, but I'm really grateful for everything you did."

"Including sending him to the hospital?" Serena asked. Kimberly just laughed.

"OK, well, maybe not everything." She admitted. "Maybe you could come by some time."

"I think I can manage that." Serena told her. Spike got into the mini-van with his parents, looking dejectedly out the window as his dad started up the engine.

His friends all waved as they pulled away, and Spike finally allowed himself to shed some tears. He had been reluctant to come to the city in the first place, but now he knew that he would miss it.

He didn't even notice as his mom and dad just looked at each other. Skull stopped the mini-van. Spike just looked up.

"Um...why have we stopped?" Spike asked his parents. Kimberly pulled out a handset, and pressed a button on it. Spike just looked outside, to where a gate opened. He looked back to his parents.

"Why wouldn't we stop when we get home?" Kimberly asked him. Spike just looked to her and started to feel his heart race.

"You...you...you bought the house next door?" He asked them. Skull just turned to look at his son.

"Well, your uncle and I got talking about how much you love it here." Skull explained as he smiled at him. "So, when I was finishing up with business, and looking at ideas of where to retire, I figured, why not move next door to my best friend?"

"But...the house wasn't even on the market!" Spike shrieked.

"You'd be amazed how convincing you can be when you offer double the market value." Kimberly assured him as they turned up the driveway. Spike didn't even wait for the mini-van to stop, and got out the side door, running down the drive way, to where his friends were already running up to greet him, having figured out his parents' surprise.

Vicky was quickly in his arms, kissing him passionately with tears running down his face. Jimmy just turned away from them as he saw this.

"Um...I'm glad he's staying and everything, but do I really have to see this?" He whined.

"Hey, just give them a moment." Melanie teased him. "We're really glad you're staying."

"Well, how about to celebrate we order in pizza?" Skull asked them. "You're all welcome!"

With some cheers of joy, they all filed inside. Vicky held Spike tightly, overjoyed that he was staying. It might be a couple of weeks shy, but she felt like she had been given her Christmas present early.