After a very restless sleep, Emily woke up and it took her a minute to realize where she was and how she had gotten there. But her memories of the bank came flooding back to her and she tried to sit up in a panic. Someone put their hands on her chest and gently pushed her back down into the couch.

"Careful, Em. Be very careful."

"Where's Riley?" Emily was now wide awake and looking around frantically for the little girl. Mike, who had been sitting beside her and waiting for her to wake up shook his head.

"She's fine. You need to calm down, Emily."

Emily nodded her head, took a deep breath and settled into the couch. She couldn't feel much pain in her leg, but remembered falling asleep with a bullet in her calf. She looked down and saw her left leg was bandaged from knee to ankle and she had a brace to keep her foot and leg in position. Mike shook his head and chuckled not because it was funny, but because he was relieved. Ji and Kate had called him, Serena, and James in a panic while trying to tend to Emily and could only manage to tell the worried husband that Emily had been shot. Fortunately, the shot was to the calf and went through the muscle and out the other side. From what Ji could tell, no major arteries were hit and, aside from the obvious injuries to the muscle, only the fibula was broken and was a concern. Ji was confident Emily would be okay, though walking would be out of the question for the next little while.

Emily didn't know this yet though, and so when she saw the cast and remembered the pain she groaned, "Aw, man…"

"I'm never letting you walk around the city by yourself ever again," Mike leaned in and gave Emily a kiss, "I thought finally now that the Nighlok were gone you would be okay, and yet you still manage to get hurt."

"Sorry," Emily whispered and suddenly a bag of peas was dropped on her stomach. Emily let out another groan before looking up. Serena stood by the side of the couch and glared down at her sister while shaking her head.

Mike held up his head, "I already told her we're never leaving her alone again."

"Good," Serena muttered and helped Emily with the peas by placing them on her leg for her. Emily let out a sigh of content as the cool peas started to numb the pain in her leg. "Scare me like that one more time, Emily, and I'll make sure you're dead. Got it?"

"So, I don't get a single good job from any of you for saving Riley? She got me into this mess. If she hadn't of run away, I would have walked by that bank robbery without getting shot."

"Good job, Em," Mike gave Emily another kiss while Serena rolled her eyes.

"I'm still not letting you venture out into the city by yourself."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that for a while," Emily pointed to her leg, "So…"

"Broken fibula," Serena told her, "You're lucky it wasn't worse, but you're right, you won't be walking again for a while. Ji says it'll hurt like a bitch if you try to put any weight on your leg."

"So piggy back rides?" Emily asked and held her hands up. "I saved Riley's life, I'm in pain, I want ice-cream."

"You should rest," Mike said. Emily shook her head.

"Do you know how many times I've come face to face with Xandred this month? Give me ice-cream and I'll be fine."

"I'll get you ice-cream," Serena groaned and started for the kitchen. Mike gently propped Emily up so he could sit down and he let her rest her head on his lap.

"So, we heard Riley's version of what happened through Lauren. Care to tell us a more reliable story?"

-Samurai-

Slowly, Riley could hear her family coming to the house and they all fussed over her or Emily, but Kevin and Mia had yet to turn up. With the scary orphanage and the thought of being taken away from Mia still at the back of her mind, Riley was starting to think Lauren was wrong, and her new adoptive parents didn't want her around.

She had fallen asleep while Lauren read to her, and woke up shortly after her new Uncles Jayden and Antonio came to check up on her. Since then, she had stayed in Lauren's room. Her toys and her pink Samurai bear had been left at the bank, and her Samurai costume was ruined from having to fight off the robbers. All Riley had with her was her pink Ranger masks.

Scared by herself, she put the mask over her face and hugged her knees to her chest. She rocked back and forth and tried to get the fight out of her head, but it wouldn't stop playing over and over again. It was now dark outside, and the only light Riley had in the room came from the bathroom. Her imagination got the best of her, and unaware the police had taken the robbers away, Riley worried they were hiding under her bed, waiting for her to touch the floor so they could snatch her. Tears started to form in her eyes and she wanted to call for someone, but she was scared that the robbers would hear her voice, jump out from under the bed and grab her.

Or maybe they were in the closet. Riley noticed Lauren had left it slightly opened. They could have been staring at her this very moment. Even with the mask on, Riley was still terrified.

Suddenly, the bedroom door opened and Riley let out a scream, thinking the robbers had found her and they were coming to get her, or the orphanage was going to take her and kill her. She hadn't forgotten about Mia and Kevin's plan to send her away with the lady so she would be killed. Riley dove under the blankets and screamed in terror.

"Riley, shh," it was Mia's voice, and the blankets were pulled away and Riley was lifted into a warm embrace. It felt safe and comfortable enough, so Riley clung to Mia.

"I don't want to die!" Riley cried into Mia's shoulder. The pink Ranger shook her head.

"You're not going to die, sweetheart."

"Yes, I am! The bad guys are going to take me. You don't want me anymore!"

Remembering she was angry with both Kevin and Mia, Riley pulled away from her adoptive mother and ran from the room, pushing past Kevin who had been watching from the doorway. She ran down the halls of the big house until she finally saw the only face she really trusted and liked.

When Riley and Lauren first met, they had had a heart to heart. Lauren had opened up to Riley and shared some stories of her past so Riley would feel a little safer with her new family. They had a lot in common, and seemed to bond naturally. Riley liked Lauren almost as much as she had once liked Mia. So she jumped into the red Ranger's arms and buried her face in Lauren's chest.

"I wanna go home!"

Lauren hugged Riley and looked to Mia and Kevin sadly. She couldn't imagine how much this upset them. Mia especially, as she had done nothing but her best while trying to care for Riley. Unfortunately, Riley's hard-head and runaway tendencies were making things a lot harder, and the recent miscommunication wasn't helping things at all.

"She heard talk about an orphanage," Lauren explained, "She thinks that's where kids go to die. She told me she heard you two saying she was too much trouble, no one would want her, and so she was being sent away."

"You're not being sent away, Riley," Mia tried to assure the little girl and very lightly put her hand on Riley's back. "You have it all backwards…"

"No, I don't!"

"Kevin and I want to keep you. That lady we were talking too, she wants to make sure we're the right parents for you. You're not too much trouble. Not for us."

"You said I was!" Riley turned and pointed angrily to Kevin. He sighed and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"You're a tough kid, Riley," he said as gently as he could, "And there are so many other kids in the orphanage just like you that if you end up there, we're scared for you. Mia and I want to keep you."

"No you don't! I hate you!"

"Riley…"

"NO! I hate you too! Go away!" Riley turned her back to Mia and hid her face again. Mia didn't know what to do and looked to Kevin with a heartbroken expression on her face. With this mindset, next time the social worker came to the house, it was sure to be a bad visit and it was guaranteed Riley was going to be taken away. Mia couldn't imagine that, and not because she couldn't bear the thought of not having a child, but because she was worried about Riley. After Xandred's attacks killed so many, orphanages, foster homes, and shelters were all full of children who had lost their parents, and hospitals were full of patients of all ages. Workers of all kinds were working around the clock ensuring those who needed care were getting it and Panorama would be back to what it once was. If Riley ended up in that mess, she was sure to get lost.

She was a lot of trouble. That had been what Kevin and Mia had been discussing. They both agreed that it took a special set of people to look after her and they couldn't believe Riley would find that in time if she got lost in the system. Unfortunately, so many kids were going to end up getting lost and never finding homes. Mia couldn't imagine letting Riley slip away and become one of those kids. Not when she was lucky enough to have a chance. Tears flooded down her cheeks.

She turned back to the little girl, "Riley, please… the last thing we want to do is lose you."

Riley relaxed when she heard something different about Mia's voice. She turned and looked over, seeing Mia was crying. At first she was angry, but then she started to push against Lauren, begging her aunt let her down. Riley had only seen Mia cry once, and it had been Kevin who had made her cry. Riley had hated it back then, and though she didn't like Mia, she hated it now. Mia had been nothing but nice.

"Are you crying?" Riley was a little hesitant to approach Mia, but there was a look of deep concern on her face. Seeing it, Kevin almost wanted to cry. Mia and Riley had a special bond. He wouldn't have agreed to take on a four year old if he hadn't known that before, but he was only realizing now just how special it was.

Mia shook her head and tried to hide her tears, "I'm just scared, Riley."

"But you have tears. You're crying."

Mia lowered herself to her knees and looked right at Riley, trying to smile, "Kevin and I aren't sending you away. We're not going to let anyone take you away, Riley. You have it all wrong."

"Are you crying because of me?"

"I'm crying for you, Riley."

"Did I hurt you?"

"You scared me. You scared all of us."

"I didn't mean too. I'm sorry," Riley looked down at her feet. "I don't want to die, though."

"I'm not going to let you die. Kevin and I want to take care of you."

"That's what we were telling that lady," Kevin added. "She came to make sure we would be good parents for you. If she doesn't think so, they're going to take you away."

"To die?"

"Not to die," Kevin shook his head and decided to lowered himself to his knees as well. He reached out and placed his hands on Riley's shoulders, "We are going to keep you, I promise. That lady's just trying to look out for you. She's trying to make sure Mia and I can take care of you the way you deserve to be care of."

"But I want to stay with Mia."

"We know," Kevin said.

"But the lady wants to take me away?"

"No, she doesn't. She wants you to stay."

"I don't want to go," tears formed in Riley's eyes as she looked back and forth between Kevin and Mia, "I don't want to go to the opha… to the opan…"

"You won't. I promise," Kevin pulled Riley in for a hug to comfort her, and he was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him, returning the gesture. "I am trying my best to take care of you, Riley. I'm so sorry."

Riley heard a sniff and remembered Mia was crying. She pushed Kevin away and threw herself into Mia's arms. Kevin rolled his eyes and got back to his feet with a sigh.

"It was good while it lasted, I guess," he told Jayden, Antonio, and Lauren who had been watching the whole thing.

Riley wrapped her little arms tightly around Mia and told her everything was going to be okay. Mia kissed the side of her head and then nodded.

"I know it will, sweetheart. You're not going to go anywhere as long as you stop running away. I can't take care of you like I want to if you keep running off. Promise you won't scare us like this anymore?"

"Promise," Riley nodded and did as Mia did. She kissed Mia's cheek, "I love you."

Mia gave riley a little squeeze, "I love you too, pink Ranger."

Riley smiled and looked over Mia's shoulder. She saw Kevin watching her and Mia, rolled her eyes, sighed, and then smiled again, "Okay, fine. I like you, meanie Kevin."

"I love you too," Kevin smirked.

"Ew, gross!" Riley hid her face in Mia's shoulder.