Nervously, Emily walked into Lauren's room. It used to be Jayden and Antonio's, but they were both gone. It was time to start getting used to the big secret. Lauren was here, she had the power to seal Xandred and the Nighlok away for good. The Samurai did need her.

"Go," Mia and Kevin encouraged her as they stayed one step behind her. Emily bit her lip and looked to Lauren sadly. The red Ranger, when she had seen she had visitors, had tried to wipe away her tears and erase all traces of her sadness. Everyone saw through it, though. Emily, especially, felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and bowed her head. Lauren looked confused so Emily explained, "What I said to Jayden… I think that's why he ran off. I don't… I didn't… I was… He's not useless. He never was. Without him we wouldn't be here."

Lauren got up from the bed and looked to the three Samurai before her, "I should be apologizing to you. My secret…"

"Will save the world," Kevin shrugged his shoulders. "It hurts we weren't trusted with it but… it could be worse. You were just doing what you were asked to do, and your dad did what he thought was right. If we pull this off, what'll it matter whether we knew or not."

"Defeating Master Xandred comes first," Mia nodded. "We lost sight of that for a moment. Being Samurai Rangers has been our lives for two years. Sometimes it gets hard separating duty from personal."

"You guys shouldn't be apologizing to me," Lauren insisted.

"We are," Emily said and she gave Lauren a half smile. "We've always followed Jayden so it's going to be hard to make the switch, but we're going to try our best."

"As long as you try too," Kevin said. "You may be our leader, but we've been in this war for two years. One thing about Jayden that was great was that he listened to us. We were a family and we care for each other and for our opinions. He had the final say but we had our voices."

"I'll do my best not to step on any toes," Lauren promised. "You guys have the experience. I will trust you."

"And we'll trust you in return," Emily smiled and then she looked out the window, "but trust doesn't come easy. Antonio's looking for Jayden, and so is James. So that gives us time to get to know each other."

"What about in the morning?" Lauren suggested, "I think we've all had a long day."

"We train at eight," Mia said. "Maybe you can show us a few of your moves then. If you're the true head, and stronger than Jayden, then it'll be interesting to see exactly what you can do."

"And I'll try to talk to Mike," Emily said, "But I make no promises. He's stubborn."

"Goodnight," Lauren waved goodbye to them and turned around to Serena, who had been sitting on the bed listening to everything. The white Ranger gave her a huge smile.

"Less than twenty-four hours. It took James months to win over my sister. I think that's a new record."

"You think I've won them over? I feel… worse."

Serena shifted over so she was closer to Lauren, "Why? Lauren, they're making an effort. They're opening the door for you to join them. It's a big deal, and it's a good thing. It's exactly what you've needed…"

"What do I know about leading a team?" Lauren shook her head. "What do I know about them? They gave themselves to Jayden. What if… What if I'm not as good as him? What if I let them down? What if I can't fit in?"

"You're going to be fine," Serena said. She took Lauren's hands and smiled. Lauren blushed and pulled away. She looked up to Serena nervously.

"Sorry. You're engaged and… it's weird. About earlier. I…"

"It was just a kiss. I'm flattered," Serena assured her. "Don't worry about it. We don't need to talk about it. Well…"

"What?"

"I am curious about something."

Lauren shook her head, "Serena, no. I don't want to come in here and ruin what you have with…"

"Not like that," Serena chuckled. "You told me you've spent most of your life training and traveling. You've gone from mentor to mentor. You've had no stability in your life, right?"

Lauren shook her head, "Very little."

"And you've been so busy. The Sealing Power, it's a big deal. It would take a lifetime to master. You claim to have it."

"You don't believe me?"

"I do. I believe you. It's just… How did you know? Is there a story there?"

"A little, but… you don't want to hear it."

"Have you ever opened yourself up to someone?"

"Only you. You're my first… friend?"

"Why are you hesitating?" Serena chuckled, "We're friends. I like you. I sat next to you in a plane travelling half way around the world. We've bonded. There's nothing you can do about that."

Tears welled up in Lauren's eyes as she tried to turn away. Serena's heart melted. She knew Jayden's story. She knew how he had grown up focused on nothing but the Samurai life. The arrival of the Samurai had opened him up to new experience, and they had been his first exposure to what a real family was like. Still, even closed off, Jayden always had Ji by his side, and for a while, he had a friend in Antonio. In fact, their friendship was so strong that fifteen years after being ripped apart, Antonio came back and their friendship didn't restart. It continued to grow.

Lauren had been alone. From the time her father sent her away until Serena came to pick her up she had not had a single person in her life to call family. Even her brother was a stranger to her. Serena couldn't imagine the loneliness. She had never been forced to face the bitter cold of loneliness.

"I'm your friend," Serena assured her as she held her close. "I promise, it's only going to get better from here."