"Well if there's one thing that could be said about the Oliver's it's that they're resilient," Kira Ford said from the hospital waiting room.

Rocky laughed in response. He was one of the few Rangers who chose to remain on Mironoi, even as the only ship guaranteed to bring him home took off with the others. "Yeah, no kidding."

It had been about two Earth days since the Praetor had been defeated and his plans to erase all of existence had been halted.

Somehow… the details on the last part were still a bit foggy.

"My best guess," Leanbow has said, offering everyone his mystic knowledge, "Something overloaded the Zeo Crystal past what it could physically handle and instead of exploding it imploded." That wasn't really an answer that satisfied anyone, but none of its witnesses were particularly versed in grid physics.

Well, Tommy was… but he was a little preoccupied with not dying.

So speculation was the only thing they had at the second, and there were about a million more important things to worry about.

Tommy had just stabilized, and that was a big relief to Kira. The doctors had said that if Tommy didn't have the advanced healing from his morpher he'd be dead already, so for once, his Ranger powers were looking out for him.

The same could be said for Zhane, who was thankful enough to be on a planet with enough herbal knowledge to counteract the life-threatening poison. His body was just recovering from the damage at that point.

"Have you checked on the kids?" Rocky asked.

Kira smiled, "You say that like I'm their babysitter."

"I kinda thought you were their… y'know… Zordon or whatever."

She laughed nervously, "I tried to be," She admitted, "But I don't think it's something I'm good at. After all, when they needed help the most I wasn't there for them."

"You clearly weren't listening when Tommy told you about Zordon," Rocky said with a strange combination of goofy and sincereness on his face. "The greatness mentor in Ranger history was stuck in a tube the whole time." He leaned back in the uncomfortable hospital chair, "Let me tell you the truth Kira, your kids will always be alone when it matters, that's what you're preparing them for. You're their mentor, not their babysitter."

Kira sat in silent contemplation over Rocky's words for several moments.

Rocky then stood up, "I'm gonna go check up on Tommy, maybe you could go see what your kids are up to."

Kira nodded and felt weirdly offended he referred to the Rangers who just saved the multiverse as kids.

She only found Rylan at the hotel, the teen was sitting in his room staring at the rather bulky LED monitor. "Can you believe they still play reruns of Home Improvement?" He asked with a sideways smile as Kira stepped inside. "Tim Allen's never even stepped foot on Mironoi."

"Hey what's funny is funny," Kira replied. "Doesn't matter what planet."

"I wouldn't say it's that funny," Rylan muttered. "Or maybe I've just been watching too much of it." He sighed. "I haven't had any luck sleeping since we won. It doesn't feel like it's over." The Blue Ranger shivered. "Sometimes I close my eyes and I'm back there, I see the madness in the Praetor's eyes."

Kira nodded somberly, she knew exactly what he was talking about. "I had that for a while, but Ethan was worse. He was on high dose sleeping pills, that got even higher after Drakkon. You just gotta try to relax. We won after all."

"The Praetor is gone but most of his lackeys aren't," Rylan breathed. "And I've seen enough movies for that to scream a sequel."

Kira nodded somberly, "I get that. But it's a little more complicated than that." Kira watched the boy perk up slightly but she didn't wait for him to ask before continuing, "For all, you know those lackeys might be a problem for the next team of Rangers. Life is unpredictable. That's why you've gotta take each victory as it comes. The Praetor's gone and the multiverse is safe, so let's just focus on that right now."

Rylan nodded and even cracked a tiny smile afterward.

"Anyway, I've gotta go check up on everyone else," Kira said, "Just try to relax."

Kira then moved silently towards the Megaship, where she found Astrid sitting alone. Listening to music of all things.

"If you're looking for Jace he just left," Astrid said with an indifferent look on her face. Her eyes followed Kira curiously, sharply.

"No, actually," Kira said, "I came to check on you."

"Why?"

The mix of malice and confusion hit Kira like a slap to the face.

Silence fluttered around them as Kira thought of what she could say in response. Then the music filled the space between them, and Kira realized it was one of Jace's favorite songs.

"What happened?" Kira asked finally.

"Nothing happened," Astrid snapped.

"Mhmm," Kira replied, "What did Jace do?"

There was a second of sharp anxiety as Astrid just looked at her. Kira had taken a shot in the dark, followed her instincts and grabbed the first thread that felt right.

Astrid's eyes were wide and filled with emotion. "Why is he so stupid?"

Kira couldn't help but chuckle to herself. "Because he's a boy."

"So?"

"Well…" Kira said, thinking back to Conner with a tiny shiver, "Well because he's not exactly all the way there yet. It takes them a while. Probably more time then they're even worth."

"I thought he wanted to see me," Astrid finally breathed in a tiny voice, "Almost as soon as I called him over he just ran away. We hardly even talked. What does that even mean?" Her eyes pleaded to Kira.

"I can't say exactly," Kira admitted, "Jace is… complicated. Plus he's probably still processing everything that happened."

Astrid's head fell to the metal floor, "Now you sound like him."

"What do you mean?"

"This Praetor thing," Astrid said, "This Ranger thing. It's been happening our whole lives. My dad's almost killed himself so many times it's a running joke between him and Andros. It's our lives. The way I feel now is… different. It's new and it's scary. I just want to spend time with him. Maybe figure out if he does too."

"Jace probably doesn't know how he feels," Kira admitted, "He never really does."

Astrid instantly looked deflated, and Kira felt panic swell through her body.

Dr.O always made this look so easy.

She put her hand on Astrid's shoulder, "He'll figure it out eventually. He just needs time. And probably some space too."

"Space…" Astrid muttered almost whimsically.

"Speaking of Jace though," Kira said, "I better go see how he's doing."

"Tell me if he says anything about me," Astrid replied after a moment.

Kira just smiled, "For sure."

She then stepped back out of the ship and looked around. She frowned at the alien world. Where the hell would Jace even be?

After some aimless walking through the city, she was struck with a strange idea. She turned on her heels and b-lined out of the city.

She knew it was a long shot, but a guess was still a guess. So she tried not to overthink things as she approached the cave that contained the magic door.

"What are you doing here?"

Kira frowned, she wasn't expecting to see Trox. The Energem Guardian sat against the ancient wood, his eyes pulled close.

"I could ask you the same thing," Kira replied.

"I feel something," He muttered. His voice sounded hollow and she doubted him. "But it could be anything. It could even be the swords in the center of town."

"Oh the Quasar Sabers," Kira said, honestly forgetting the planet even had Ranger artifacts.

Then again it seemed that every corner of the universe had been touched by the Grid.

"If you're looking for Jace I spotted him going into one of the buildings on the south-side of Eternity City. I think it was a tavern."

Kira frowned. "Of course," She muttered and turned around. Then paused for a second. "Hey Trox, I heard about your brother. I'm really sorry."

"Don't be," He replied coldly. "He died doing as we'd been instructed to do. Be sorry for everyone who was wrongly slaughtered."

"I feel sorry for everyone who's died prematurely," She replied, "It comes with being a hero."

She then headed back to the city, where she found the massive club that she assumed Jace would be at.

The lights projected from colored spotlights danced around the club as Miroinites and Earthborns danced to the beat of strange music that appeared to be a combination of jazz and ancient hymns.

But she didn't find Jace on the dance floor, which was wet with spilled beer and sweat. Instead, she found him at one of the corner tables. He downed another shot and narrowed his eyes at Kira.

"If you aren't here to pay my tab then get away from my table," He barked.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked. "If your dad found out-"

"Don't worry about that!" He snapped, "My dad is my problem." By then his words were already horribly slurred. The sight of a seventeen-year-old being so drunk gave her disgusting flashbacks to Conner after The Battle of Reefside.

"I know that dealing with everything isn't easy, but drinking won't make you feel any better."

"I don't wanna feel better," He said, "I want to forget."

"Forget what?"

"How my sword felt going right through that bounty hunter's skull…" He breathed. "Watching my dad bleed out in front of me. How small and useless I felt. Having all of that power and still feeling powerless…"

"Jace I know what you're going through."

"No, you don't!" He exclaimed, "You fought genetic monsters made by a dude with a dinosaur fetish. I was fighting my long lost brother and a dude who wanted to destroy reality!"

Kira was suddenly flooded with anger. It brought forth all of the feelings that she'd spent years trying to swallow, all of the memories she'd buried.

She leaned forward, ignoring Jace's drunken breath. "I watched my White Ranger die. He sacrificed himself to save me. I understand that you're dealing with a lot, and I KNOW how hard it is. But if you just ignore your problems they won't get any better."

"Whatever dude," Jace barked and stood up.

"Where are you going?" She demanded.

"Don't worry about it," He muttered. Then paused for a second, his back still turned to the Yellow Ranger. "I'm gonna go see my dad."

Kat didn't know why she felt so nervous standing in front of the closed door. Or at least she was trying to pretend she didn't.

Her hand moved towards the handle, but it turned on its own.

And her breath ended in her throat as she met the face in front of her.

"Oh shit!" Rocky exclaimed as he threw it open. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

Kat opened her mouth, but she didn't know what to say to him.

"We can talk later," Rocky said, then pulled Kat into his arms, "I missed you."

With that, the Blue Ranger left, and Kat knew there was only one thing left for her to do.

She stepped into the room, where he sat silently.

Tommy Oliver…

For a moment they just looked at each other, neither of them knew what to say in that still and terrifying moment.

Kat took a breath and prepared to say the two words she'd been dreading for so long, but Tommy spoke them first.

"I'm sorry."

Kat blinked at her former high school boyfriend. "For what?"

"For taking advantage of your feelings," He spoke, "I know it was forever ago, but I still feel bad about it. I used to you to get over Kim, just like I used to Kim to cope with what Rita did to me. Up until Hayley, my life was just one big cycle. I used everybody…"

Kat didn't feel herself move towards Tommy, but she watched as his bed grew closer.

"It's more complicated than that, and you know it," She sighed, "It's all been one big mess from the start, and look at where we are. Our sons tried to kill each other and Troy is still lost."

"We'll get him back," Tommy breathed.

"I shouldn't have hidden him from you. I was just scared."

"Of him becoming a Ranger?" Tommy asked bitterly, "Because I know what that feels like."

"I guess some things are unavoidable," Kat said, "Or maybe it's just our fear that drives them towards it."

She sat down next to Tommy, at the edge of his bed, and her hand rested instinctively on his calf.

That was when he spotted the ring.

"His name's Mike," She said awkwardly.

"Corbett?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Because he was the Magna Defender,"

She laughed, "Nothing Ranger related ever gets past you. Mike's great, he's been like a father to Troy, he loves him just as much as he loves our son Bruce." Her fingers tightened around Tommy's leg. "Bruce and Troy were been fighting the night he disappeared. I can't even remember what it was over, probably a game or something. Troy got so angry he ran outside towards the woods behind our house. I figured it would be okay, he'd been back there a million times…"

"He'll be okay," Tommy reassured her, "I've seen what he's capable of."

"I don't want him to fight anymore," Kat breathed, "I want him to come home."

"He will," Tommy replied, "Everyone wants to come home eventually. I saw him, I saw the look in his eyes. He's still your son, he's still Troy."

"Thank you," She said, holding back the tears that threatened to swallow her vision.

"There's something else," Tommy said, "While you're here. It's in my bag." She then followed his gaze towards a worn looking canvas bag. She walked anxiously watched towards it, looking towards him for approval before sticking her hand inside.

Her hand almost found it immediately.

Her fingers numbly curled around it, with a surreal feeling washing over her.

Her hands pulled it out and once the fluorescent lights reflected against it everything felt far too real.

"It's a Master Morpher," Tommy explained, "It'll let you access all three of your powers."

"I don't know what to say," She said, looking down at it.

"I had it built a while ago, and I was just waiting to give it to you."

"Thank you," She said softly, "Again."

"I still love you," Tommy said, "And I'm going to do everything I can to bring your son home."

"Our son," Kat said, finally allowing the tears to burn her eyes, "Whether you were in his life or not your blood is inside of him. And that's what comforts me when nothing else does."

Kat then turned back towards Tommy and leaned over his bed, embracing him in an awkward but warm hug.

"Give Hayley my regards when you see her next. She looked good in red by the way," Kat said, "I think she might have looked better as Zeo Red then you did."

"That must of been something," He said and winked, "Because I remember how you used to look at me."

"Shut up," She said, resting her head on his chest for a brief moment. Nostalgia flooded her brain and she couldn't help but smile despite her tears. "I love you too. We need to have a big reunion sometime, all of Zordon's Rangers."

"Agreed," Tommy said, "As long as it isn't to save the world again."

"No kidding," She said with a laugh and turned around.

She felt empty and confused as she stared at the morpher and went outside.

"Hey wait!" A voice exclaimed.

No… it couldn't…

She turned and almost screamed as he approached. His face… his eyes…

But it wasn't him. It wasn't her son.

"Sorry…" the almost middle-aged man with a scar on his face said as he got closer. "You don't know who I am."

"You're right," she muttered although the similarities were almost uncanny.

"I'm J.J… Oliver," he said awkwardly. "I'm not from around here. Not like other towns or other planet but like another reality. An alternate timeline."

She stared at him and knew exactly what he was going to say by his eyes alone.

"One where you and Tommy are my parents."

Kat didn't think twice before pulling him in for a hug.

"I'm not trying to be weird," he muttered as he hugged her back. "I just wanted to see you."

"No I appreciate it actually," she said and stepped back. "You remind of a lot of Troy."

J.J laughed and pointed to the scar that went from his left eye down his nose and to his right cheek. "If I could survive everything that's happened to me I'm sure he'll find a way."

"Thank you," She said and nodded.

"I know you don't know me," J.J said, "But I love you."

"I can only speak for myself," Kat replied, "But I have a strong feeling my counterpart shares those feelings."

With that she left and headed home, feeling better in a lot of ways. Because no matter where Troy was he'd find someone to take care of him.

Jace fought the feeling to throw up as he made his way into the hospital. He could feel everyone's eyes locked onto him. He ignored them all. At the moment nothing else mattered.

He approached the door and stepped inside, not even bothering you knock.

"Hey," his dad said from the hospital bed. "The doctors here say I'll be stable enough for us to go to Earth in the morning. You should be able to get home with enough time to take your finals before summer."

"Is that really the most important thing?"

Tommy Oliver shook his head, "Of course not." He then sighed, "Jace I know you're drunk. I can smell you from the other side of this room."

A primal fear broke through the numbing haze and he was working on what to say when Tommy spoke.

"I'm not mad. Just come here."

Jace followed without thought, next to his father's bed.

And Tommy pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry." He said, "I'm sorry for hiding my life from you, I'm sorry for not telling you about Troy. I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

Suddenly Jace realized he was crying. He pulled his dad closer and sobbed into his shoulder.

"I've been where you are," Tommy said, "I remember getting shit-faced after I was first freed from Rita's spell. I didn't know what else to do."

After a few seconds of Jace sobbing, Tommy leaned back to look his son in the eyes. "It's over. The Praetor is gone and everything is going to be alright. I'm not going to abandon you like that again."

Jace spoke the words he'd felt but hadn't fully realized until that moment. "I missed you…"

"I should have told you sooner."

"It's okay," Jace said, even though he really didn't think it was. He just didn't like seeing his dad on the verge of tears. "Everything is out there now. No more secrets."

If Jace had been more observant at that moment he would have caught the hesitation his dad held before replying, "Yeah. I just can't wait till we're home. I'm sure your mom is a mess waiting for us."

The next morning everyone gathered into the Megaship. Spirits were relatively high. J.J even brought everyone smoothies.

"Can you believe they have an Erine's out here?" He asked, "One of his sons was on Terra Venture."

He handed them out to the small crew of Rangers. "Don't worry Trox I made sure yours doesn't have meat."

The blue-haired boy didn't laugh.

J.J then turned towards Jace, who was sitting with Astrid at his side, the two were both listening to music on Jace's phone.

"Here you go," He said and handed them each a smoothie. "Wasn't sure what everyone wanted but y'know. Not like you know the local fruits on the planet anyway."

Jace took his and began to suck on it mindlessly. He closed his eyes and leaned against the Pink Ranger. For once he felt like things were going to be okay.

He smiled, he was actually getting excited. Things were over and he could kick back and enjoy his summer vacation.

He thought about bringing Astrid to the fair, it was one of his favorite summer events and the idea of showing her the joys of Earth filled him with intense excitement.

The journey was smooth, with the wormhole making the trip a whole lot faster, mixed with the already impressive speed of the Megaship it only took a few hours.

The ship landed in Angel Grove, the same empty lot that Astrid had used when everything began and everybody began to slowly rise.

"Alright everyone one at a time," Zhane said with a grin.

Rocky and Kira moved first, with Rylan and Trox following behind them. Then J.J who was helping Tommy.

Jace paused his music and stood up. Astrid handed him her earbud but didn't move.

"I hate having to stretch my legs my legs after a long ride," He muttered. "Maybe we can walk over to McDonald's and get some McChickens."

Astrid then stood up slowly but when Jace turned to walk away she grabbed his hand.

He looked back at her and felt his stomach flip at the look on her face.

"What's wrong dude?" He asked her.

"My dad is heading towards Triforia to help enact a peace treaty," She said, "Something about building a galactic alliance."

"Oh shit," He said, "Do you want me to leave so you can say goodbye or something?"

Her eyes went to the floor. "I'm going with him."

"Oh," Jace said as his eyes met his feet. "Okay."

"I'm gonna come back right after. But it might be a while."

"How long?"

She just shrugged and turned around. "I'll get in touch."

"Okay…" Jace said awkwardly before staring at the back of her head as she walked away.

With nothing else to stay Jace slowly walked out of the Megaship and into the warm air.

"Hey," Rylan said as Jace descended the ramp. "You good?"

"I'm not sure," Jace admitted.

Kira then appeared behind Rylan, "It seems that Jace is leaning one of the hardest lessons of being a Ranger. Fighting monsters is the easy part."

Lucius sat alone in the cramped escape pod. The Dragon was long gone, as was anyone else who could save him.

There was no food with him, and he hadn't eaten or drank in days. He could feel himself getting weaker by the hour.

He meditated to pass the time. But he still carried the images of his master being wrongfully murdered. And he swore that eventually, he'd make Jace Oliver pay.

Even if they were brothers.

He closed his eyes and tried to fight the pain, and the blood boiling anger that made his body tremble.

His fingers scratched the metal floor and he screamed.

Suddenly the pod shook and vibrated, which was unexpected because he had run out of fuel a few hours ago.

With a rush of anxiety, he realized he was being forcibly taken by an actual ship.

Lucius tried to breathe normally, and not panic as he gripped his sword tightly in his hands and prepared.

For the impending attack.

Strangely no attack came, even after the pod was fully docked inside of the vessel.

There was silence, only the heavy beating of his heart and his labored breath.

With a heavy snap, the ship took control of the pod and forced the doors open.

Lucius knew what he had to do. The time for waiting was over and he had to storm the enemy before they could overwhelm him.

He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. Kaidio often told him that a warrior's first mistake was losing control of themselves in the heat of the battle.

He then morphed into his purple armor and lunged forward through the door.

His eyes scanned the three people in front of him and went for the one he perceived as the weakest.

He was an older man dressed in a polo shirt and khaki pants.

In hindsight that should have been his first clue that something strange was afoot.

His sword flew down in a diagonal motion, but the man easily evaded the attack.

Then the woman at his side moved in, as Lucius swung his sword upward she placed herself between them, using her staff to completely halt the attack.

The woman with the staff was dressed in particularly nothing at all, ragged cloth armor that covered her chest and groin.

"That's a pretty shitty way to greet the people who saved your ass," The other person said, a teenage girl with a scowl on her face.

Lucius looked at all of them as the confusion started to set in.

The woman with the staff used the distraction to knock Lucius's sword from his hand before bashing it into his chest with a charge of morphing energy that instantly demorphed him.

"That's a pretty nasty weapon," The man said as he raised the Sword of Darkness, examining it carefully. "And a near-perfect recreation."

Lucius took a step closer to the man, but the woman raised her staff again.

"Mom doesn't play around," The girl said, "I've seen her knock down men three times your size. Not that that's even an impressive size."

"Who are you?" The man asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Lucius growled.

"We're getting there," The man replied, "You first."

Lucius sighed, realizing he didn't have much of a choice. "Lucius of the Bellator."

"A Bellator?" The woman asked skeptically, "Are they even still in existence."

"I'm the last one," He breathed.

"A Bellator wielding the Sword of Darkness, AND an Energem," The man said as he eyed the wrist morpher the Praetor had constructed to channel the gem's power. "You certainly have an interesting story to tell. I'll have Baboo start on a meal we can eat while we discuss what brought you here."

Lucius watched almost dumbfounded as the man turned and walked away. Then he paused, "Oh that's right, you want introductions." He then turned to the woman with the staff who was still watching Lucius very carefully. "This is my wife Dulcea, and our daughter Luna."

The man then continued walking.

"I've been through many names and titles in my long existence, but you can call me Zedd."

A/N: There we go, folks, that's the end of this particular sector of the Jurassic Knights' adventure. Thank you to everyone who's made it here and I hope you come back when we dive into the next story.

Power Rangers Jurrasic Knights: The Son of Drakkon.