Abby placed the plates for her guests on their table.
"Here's your food guys, enjoy it," she gave them a warm smile and stood up straight. She turned around and suddenly she came to a full stop. Her expression fell, she stood just as frozen as the people she was staring at. She blinked repeatedly.
Over at their table, James was the first to spot Abby's strange behaviour and looked to see why. Emily and Serena were also somewhat frozen in place. Emily's eyes were locked with Abby and she was unmoving, while Serena was weakly trying to pull her sister aside.
"Emily, let's just go."
James nudged Mike and pointed over his shoulder. Mike turned around and saw what James was looking at but like the older man he had no clue what was going on. He had heard countless stories about Abby but he had never met her in person before. He had no idea who she was.
"Em," he called, stealing Emily's attention away from Abby. By now the whole room was staring at the scene. Already they had been drawn to Emily but now they were curious about the strange reaction to the waitress.
"C'mon, Emy," Serena finally managed to pull Emily back to the table and the girls slid past their boyfriends and into the booths.
Abby ran to the back and then quickly came out again. She walked over to their table and pulled up a chair while another waitress walked out from the kitchen and started looking over Abby's tables.
"Serena, Emily… I… I…"
"You got a job?" Serena asked. Abby nodded her head.
"I had to," she said, "my daughter wasn't going to pay for herself."
"Congratulations," Serena smiled genuinely for a moment and then looked back at Emily, "Monster, say hi."
"Hi," Emily barely looked to Abby.
"Hey, Em," Abby replied back. Things had been a little rocky the last time Abby saw Emily. Emily had confronted her for the years of bullying but had never given her true forgiveness. It had shown Abby just how badly she had messed up Emily's life and really gave her the push she needed to change her own life, and it made this reunion very awkward.
Serena pointed around the table, "Abby, this is my boyfriend James, Emily's boyfriend Mike, and my son, Terran. Guys, this is Abby."
Mike spit out his burger as his less-than-subtle-announcement that he finally figured out what was going on. James just continued to sit back in his confusion and watch everything happen.
Abby nodded to the men quickly and then lifted herself slightly from her seat to have a look at Terran, "He's so cute, Serena!"
Serena smiled, "Thanks. I noticed you're not sporting the baby bump anymore?"
"My daughter's at home with the sitter," Abby nodded, "I had a girl a few months back."
"What's her name?"
Abby blushed. Telling other people who she named her daughter after was easy. Telling the people she named her daughter after them was somewhat embarrassing, "Uh… well, she's got two names."
"I'd just like to know one of them," Serena chuckled. Abby looked down at her hands as she played with her fingers.
"Well, uh… I called her Emily Serena…" at this point, Abby was so red she could have taken Jayden's place as the red Ranger. She quickly looked back up at Serena and Emily, "You two have done so much for me, I just had to thank you somehow."
"I thought Emily was a stupid name," Emily muttered and Serena kicked her under the table, "Ow!"
Abby looked over to Emily, feeling a little bad about the past. She had made fun of Emily's name quite a bit, but she never hated it. It had just been something she said to hurt Emily. Something she regretted deeply.
As a new mother in a very small home, she barely had any time to sit down and watch the news, but she had heard stories about Emily's kidnapping and she had been worried about her. She had only found out about the kidnapping once Emily was safe, like most people, which had been a relief, but even now, the worry and guilt was starting to wash over Abby.
"How are you?" she asked.
"How do I look?" Emily muttered back.
"Better than me," Abby shrugged, "Your family's taking care of you."
Emily looked to Abby a little curiously. Of course her family was taking care of her. They always took care of her. Why would she think otherwise?
Mike pushed his plate away, trying to change the subject. He figured Abby heard about the kidnapping which was why she hadn't asked about the scratches and bruises on Emily, but Emily had no idea people knew about her. Emily had no idea about the stories and rumours.
He looked at his watch, "Shit, mom's going to kick my ass. I told her I would be back by now," he pulled out some money from his wallet, enough to cover for his and Emily's part of the meal as well as a small, very small, tip for Abby. He grabbed Emily's arm and pulled her out of the booth, "C'mon, Em, we've got to go."
Emily was more than happy to leave.
"Uh," Serena frowned and looked to Abby apologetically, "I have no idea what's gotten into him."
"It's fine," Abby shrugged her shoulders, "I've come to terms with the fact that Emily and I will probably never be friends."
"Never say never," Serena shrugged and nudged James, telling him to pay for the meal while she reached into her purse and pulled out a few extra bucks for a generous tip. She smiled at Abby who seemed to want to refuse the extra cash. "Excellent service," Serena said, "It's all for you. You're the only one in this place who didn't stare at my sister like a total asshole."
She said that last part loud enough for the rest of the diner to hear and they all turned back to their own friends or their food.
Abby took the money and smiled at Serena, "Thanks. This means a lot."
"Just don't screw up little Emily," Serena smiled back, "And we'll call it even."
Abby nodded, "If you ever want to stop by and meet her, I live at the motel across the street."
"Maybe someday," Serena said. She grabbed Terran's carrier and scooted out from the booth with James. She gave Abby a pat on the back as she walked out, "I'm proud of you, Abs. You've really changed for the better."
-Samurai-
Jayden smiled as he lay in bed, his head on Antonio's chest. Even with all the tension between them, one thing Jayden knew could never be destroyed was their friendship. Antonio had hurt him badly. The pain was stronger than anything Jayden had felt in years, possibly since his father had passed away. He was hurting more than Antonio would ever know and "I'm sorry", no matter how sincere it was, would not fix it. But the good thing about Antonio, what Jayden loved most of all, was that Antonio had a kind heart, the biggest heart Jayden had ever seen.
"Kevin's probably stopped chasing you with the tutu," he pointed out. He didn't want Antonio to get up and leave, but he wanted to start a conversation again. Sitting in silence, when there was nothing to do, was starting to get to him. Jayden had been in bed for hours already and needed some form of entertainment.
"I know," Antonio nodded his head and looked down at Jayden, "How are you feeling?"
"Better," Jayden shifted back to his side of the bed and propped himself up on his elbows, "You'd be surprised how much of a hit one person can take inside the Megazords."
"I do pilot one," Antonio chuckled, "By myself. Clawzord? Ring a bell?"
Jayden smirked, "The lion Zord's been my friend since I was a baby. He knows he can be repaired a lot easier than I can. He doesn't have a heart or lungs or all that important stuff. He took that hit for me, and the others Zords protected him. You should be looking after them."
"There is no them without you," Antonio reminded Jayden.
"You just want to keep me here," Jayden said.
"After living alone on the streets for three days? Sue me if I want to cuddle with my amazing boyfriend? You know, the one who took me back even though I know I don't deserve it?"
Jayden nodded his head and looked down at his hands, "I don't think we're ever going to find a safe place to fight if we stick with that," he said, "No apology sounds good enough, but I know you mean it. I know it's more than enough."
"I came back," Antonio said, "I know it took a little convincing, but I am here and it's not against my will."
"You running away hurt," Jayden sighed, "but that's not all. What if something happened to you, Antonio? What if you got hurt and there was no one to help? Out there, you were just as vulnerable as… as…"
"Emily?" Antonio finished his sentence for Jayden. Jayden looked up at the gold Ranger. Under normal circumstances he would have been right behind Mike, getting his turn at beating the shit out of the guy who thought he could put his hands on his little sister, but Antonio running away had practically paralyzed Jayden with fear, keeping him trapped at home. He didn't really know the details of what happened between Emily and Frankie.
"What do you mean?"
"She was rolled up and…" Antonio shook his head, "Never mind. I get what you mean. I was defenseless."
"Trust me, running away is no good," Jayden nodded. He sat up and took Antonio's hands, "Antonio, a huge part of me believed, and still believes, that I don't deserve you. You've done everything for me, and when I went through the scariest and most confusing time of my life, you were my lifeline. You were everything to me and you never asked for anything in return. Nothing. You can come to me for anything, no matter how stupid, or pathetic, or idiotic it is. I'm here to support you."
Antonio smiled and wrapped his arms around Jayden, "I'm sorry I doubted you."
Jayden accepted the hug and held his boyfriend tightly, happy to have him back, but there was still one question on his mind. One question that had been lingering since the very moment Jayden discovered Antonio's disappearance. He pulled away from the gold Ranger and looked him in the eyes.
"Was it something I did?"
Antonio quickly shook his head, "No. It was me, Jay. It was all me. You didn't do anything."
"If I did…"
"Jay, I'm being honest," Antonio smiled, "It was my problem. I should have gone to you. I don't know why I didn't."
"Because you're a big doof," Jayden smirked. He grabbed his pillow and smacked it against Antonio's face. The gold Ranger gasped and reached for the pillow, trying to steal it from Jayden's hands.
-Samurai-
"Emy!"
"Mike!"
Serena and James walked around the park, occasionally checking Serena's Samuraizer for Emily and Mike's signal. They had been led here, but the Samuraizers could never give an exact location, and the park was so big, the younger couple could have still been anywhere.
"They might just need a little time alone," James sighed as Serena checked her Samuraizer again but got the same answer as before. Mike and Emily were still at the park. They were still nearby.
James suddenly got an idea. Emily's face was all over the news. Journalists were milking her story for all it was worth. Somehow, they were trying to link her to the Samurai Rangers and regardless of whatever connection they made, the end results weren't going to be good. Either Emily was helping the Rangers take control of the city by showing the civilians they were powerful and they could do what they wanted, or the reporters were going to reach the truth and discover that Emily was one of the Samurai.
Either way, the story couldn't get out. But there was one advantage. As a man jogged by, James grabbed his arm.
"Have you seen the kid from the news?"
The jogger nodded, "By the pond."
"Thanks," James smiled and turned to Serena with a proud look, "Who's the hero now?"
Serena placed her hands on her hips, "Kid on the news?"
James looked to her curiously, "You didn't know?"
"I'm kind of busy with the little monsters," Serena said and pointed to the stroller, "Her and this stinker. Do you think I watch the news?"
"Internet?" James asked and Serena shook her head.
"No time for that, either."
"Newspaper?"
"What paper boy would bike all the way up to the Shiba House?"
"Magazine covers at the grocery store?"
"How much me-time do you think I get? What part of 'little monsters' did you not understand?"
James pointed, "That guy?"
Serena looked over her shoulder. A man was sitting on a park bench reading a newspaper. Right on the front cover was a picture of Emily. Serena didn't need to read the headlines. She didn't need to see anymore to know this was bad news. She stomped over to the man and ripped the newspaper right out of his hands. She tore it into pieces.
"Hey!"
"You shouldn't listen to rumours."
"I was reading the news," the man got to his feet and glared down at Serena. James hurried over with the stroller, getting between the two of them.
"C'mon, Serena. Remember, when you feel your anger boiling over you need to breathe. Beating people up won't solve your problems."
The man huffed at Serena, picked up what was left of his newspaper and stormed off. Serena spun around and glared at James.
"Why is my sister's face in the paper?"
"She's everywhere," James said. "I thought you knew?"
Serena shook her head, "Why is it everywhere? Isn't it bad enough that one kid was looking her up? Now the city's making her the most Googled name in town?" she rolled her eyes at her comment, but then she saw James' face and she shrieked, "She's the most Googled name in town?"
"I'm assuming," James shrugged. Serena stomped off. Now, more than ever, she was determined to find her sister and get her home. James walked behind her with the stroller, "It makes sense. At the start of the year they looked up the most popular searches in the area and Power Rangers Samurai was one of them. You know how popular they are."
"What do the Samurai have to do with Emily?" Serena asked and glanced up in the trees and peered through bushes, trying to spot her sister wherever she could be hiding.
James walked by a trash can and picked up a paper from inside. He raced in front of Serena and put the paper in her hand, showing her the front cover. She read the headline over Emily's picture.
"Samurai Rangers: City Heroes or City's Biggest Nightmare?" she glared at James. He pointed back to the paper.
"Read right under that?"
"The true story behind the kidnapping. Was she really the victim?" Serena snatched the paper from James' hands and tore it up, "Monsters!"
"Emily hasn't said a word about what happened so the press is taking advantage. This story sells better than just a regular obsessive teen love story. Either Emily's proof the Rangers are a threat, so people are shaking in their boots and want to keep up with the news to stay informed, or they'll get to the bottom of why three Samurai turned up to help her when they've never helped anyone before unless it's been monster related."
"So?"
"At best," James said, "You have the entire city figuring out who Emily is. Doesn't matter if they think she's pink or yellow. If they know, they'll know."
"And at worse?"
"The Samurai Rangers are drunk with power and are a threat that needs to be stopped."
"The Samurai need to be stopped?"
James nodded, "Yeah. But right now, maybe we should focus on Emily and Mike. They've got to be here somewhere."
Serena looked around again. The jogger told her and James that Emily was near the pond. Serena could see the water but she couldn't see her sister or Mike anywhere. Suddenly, she felt herself about to slip. James caught her just in time.
"Careful," he said. Serena looked down to see why she had almost fallen and saw the ground by the pond dipped into a ravine. She smirked and jumped down, right at the shore just at the edge of the water. She turned around and there were Mike and Emily, hiding under the earth. After all the stares in the diner, and possibly the stares here in the park, it was only natural Emily wanted to hide from everyone.
She reached her hand out, "C'mon, Emy. We can have dessert at home."
"They won't stop staring," Emily whispered.
James got down on his hands and knees and poked his head down, looking into the hole.
"Your sister's been turning a few heads while looking for you," he said, "and I don't mean in the good way. Anyone who looks in your direction will be melted by her laser eyes."
"He's right," Serena nodded, "He's not very flattering, but he's right."
"Beautiful laser eyes," James smirked for Serena's sake and then looked back to Mike and Emily, "C'mon, Em, I can show you how I made those ice-cream sandwiches."
"Two cookies and ice-cream," Emily muttered and pulled in closer to Mike to hide, "I'm not coming out."
"After I teach you how to put ice-cream between two cookies, someone's going to have to eat the sandwich before it melts."
"If you don't eat it, I will, Em," Mike said with a smirk and nudged her gently, "You have three seconds before those sandwiches are…"
"Fine," Emily groaned. She didn't want to go home, but she knew eventually she was going to be dragged back, even if it was kicking and screaming. She might as well get an ice-cream sandwich out of it while the offer was still on the table.
Emily crawled out of her hole and James pulled her up from the ravine and onto the grass. As Mike crawled out, he looked at Serena. She was giving him a stern look.
"What?" he asked and got to his feet. He saw Serena looking past him. James and Emily were already starting to walk home with Terran.
"You knew, didn't you?"
"Knew what?"
"The lies."
"James told me at lunch," Mike said, "but I saw some pictures online. I didn't say anything. She lived through it. She doesn't need to be reminded of it."
"Now it's serious," Serena shook her head, "Now it concerns all of us."
Mike sighed and nodded, "This is bad."
