"He was my father, too, if anything, he was my father first!" Anabel argued, tears clouding her vision again. She wiped them away angrily. "I had every right to know."

"How do you make that one out?" Trent asked. "Because you're his daughter? You haven't cared about Dad or anything he has done up until now! Dad told me you wouldn't talk to him unless he had a non-stereotypical reason for walking out on you and your mother."

"And he did!"

"Thinking you deserve to know something just because you're related to the issue, makes you sound entitled, Anabel," said Trent.

"I don't care!" Anabel yelled. By now her tears had gone, and instead anger blazed in her eyes. "I don't care how entitled I sound. I'm entitled to know why my own father left me when I was only five years old, no matter how hard it is to digest. You had no right to keep it from me!"

Trent sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Why couldn't Anabel, of all people, understand why he hadn't said anything? She knew what it was like to be in a tight position, her relationship with their science teacher should've been enough for her realise his own predicament. A secret, especially one that his father hid, could ruin a person, just like the one she was hiding.

"Dad has tried to make amends with you for months," said Trent, shaking his head. "You didn't want anything to do with him. Why do you care now?"

"Because this is the reason he left me!" Anabel raged. "This was his non-stereotypical reason for leaving me. He didn't leave me for another family, another life. He left me so he wouldn't hurt me. He could've told me that! We could've had a chance at a normal father-daughter relationship, but he chose to keep me out, you chose to keep me out."

Anabel breathed deeply, her body shaking with restrained fury and tears.

"He wanted to protect you," said Trent, desperately. He hoped now that Anabel had run out of steam, that she would be more susceptible to his pleas. Maybe now she'd listen to reason and be more on his side when the time came to facing the others.

The door opened and Circe walked inside, followed closely by Doctor Oliver.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked, looking between Anabel and Trent. He noted the desperation in Trent's face, and the anger in Anabel's.

Circe shrugged. "They've been yelling at each other for the last half hour," she said.

Doctor Oliver nodded and stepped between the two teenagers. He turned to Anabel, cupping her face gently in his hands. "Hey, hey, it's okay," he whispered, soothingly. "Look at me."

Anabel felt her anger crumble as she met his soft gaze. Her tears returned, spilling down over her cheeks. She pulled away, covering her face with her own hands and sobbing, her body trembling as her anger give way to desperation and fear.

Crossing the room, Circe took Anabel into her arms, allowing her to cry quietly into her shoulder. She met Doctor Oliver's gaze and nodded, gently running her fingers through Anabel's hair, and rocking her soothingly.

Turning his back on the pair, Doctor Oliver turned to Trent. "I need you to come back to the base with me," he said. "You have some explaining to do," he said.

Trent sighed but nodded all the same.

~X~

Trent sat silently in the passenger seat of Doctor Oliver's jeep as they headed back to his home, behind them, following in her own car with Circe riding as passenger was Anabel. Their fight was still abundant in his head, and he couldn't shake the image her sobbing from his mind, even as they were pulling into Doctor Oliver's drive, parking beside the familiar red mustang, Trent was still thinking about Anabel.

"Hey," Trent tried, as Anabel passed him, heading towards the house. She dodged out of his grasp, hugged her torso, and disappeared through the front door with Circe. He sighed and turned to Doctor Oliver. "She hates me," he said.

"She doesn't hate you, Trent," said Doctor Oliver. "She's upset, and rightly so."

"Dad wanted to protect her," Trent protested. "He wanted her to be safe from all this."

"I understand that," said Doctor Oliver, calmly. "But Anabel doesn't. All she knows is that her father left her, without explanation, and then showed up again thirteen years later with a new child, and now she knows the truth about why he left, you can only imagine what she's going through."

Trent sighed. He had considered the idea that Anabel was curious why Anton Mercer had left her to protect her, but chose to keep him around, instead. It wasn't that he didn't think Trent wasn't worth protecting, but Anabel had a mother still, whereas he had no one.

"Come on. The others are waiting," said Doctor Oliver, clapping him on the shoulder. "I'm not going to say this will be easy, but it may be easier than what you already had to deal with Anabel."

Again, Trent sighed, his shoulders sagging. He was hoping to have got through to Anabel before coming here, as he wanted her on his side when he faced the others, but it seemed he was doing this alone. Following Doctor Oliver into the house and down to the base, he found the others crowding around Anabel and Circe.

Ethan and Kira looked concerned, while Conner looked angry.

"…this time he forgets to tell us Mesogog's his dad," Conner seethed. "Glad he's changed."

"I made a promise!" Trent snapped, unable to help himself. He glared at Conner, and the Red Ranger glared right back.

"What about your promise to us?" Conner demanded.

"I never let my feelings get in the way of Ranger duties," Trent argued.

"That may be true, Trent, but you put us in a difficult position," said Doctor Oliver. "Conner may be right. I don't know how we could ever trust you again."

Trent sighed and glanced around. He met Anabel's gaze and held it for a few seconds before she looked away, sliding down in her seat near the computers and burying her head into her knees.

"Tell me what I can do to make this right," said Trent. "I make no mistakes for the harm I've caused but things haven't been easy for me. I lost my parents when I young, and Anton Mercer was generous enough to take me in. I didn't know he had a family already. He used to keep a picture of a little girl on his desk, but he never told me who she was, always that she was part of a life that was too painful to think about. I didn't realise it was you until I moved here." He was looking at Anabel.

Anabel swallowed and tilted her head away.

"I also never meant to find the White Dino Gem," Trent added, looking around at the others. "It found me. I tried to fight it, but the power was too strong. Anton Mercer is the only family I have; I know I couldn't break my promise to him. So I decided to fight with you guys until he was free of that mutant freak forever. But first I had to free myself, by destroying the evil clone of the White Ranger."

The lab was silent, and Trent sighed. While he was relieved no one was jumping to argue with him, he also felt hurt that no one was jumping to his defence, too.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Mesogog," said Trent. He found Anabel's gaze once again, and while he was speaking to the whole lab, he wanted her to know that he meant this more for her than the others. "Dad thought he could handle this on his own, and I believed him. I know now that I was wrong."

Leaning forward in his chair, Doctor Oliver rested his forearms on his thighs and looked up at Trent. "Anton Mercer was my friend," he said. "The love he had for his family was next level. So, I understand your loyalty, the question is, do they?" He nodded at the other Rangers.

"Being the Ranger is the best thing that has ever happened to me," said Trent. "I don't want to lose that, trust me."

Conner scoffed. "Yeah, I've heard that one before," he said.

"So let me prove it!"

Conner glared at Trent.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Circe and Anabel jumped as the computer beeped from behind them, they whirled around in their seats, eyes widening as the six screens disappeared to show a monster attacking from a rooftop downtown.

"Here's your chance," said Doctor Oliver.

"What?!" Conner gasped. "You're not seriously going to trust him?"

"Look at that thing, we don't have a choice!" said Kira, standing and making her way over to Doctor Oliver and Trent.

Ethan shook his head. "We always have a choice," he said, "and I vote that Trent comes with us."

Conner stared, surprised at his friends, and desperately turned to Anabel and Circe. "What about you two?" he asked.

"Hey, I'm not a Ranger," said Circe, holding her hands up in defence. "I'm staying out of this. But, if it means keeping Anabel safe, the more of you there are the better."

Anabel rolled her eyes.

"What about you?" Conner asked Anabel.

Anabel met Trent's gaze from across the lab. She licked her lips and sighed. "I trust you as a Ranger," she admitted. "But -" she broke off, shaking her head.

"I get it," said Trent, smiling slightly. "Thank you. I won't let you down."

"I hope not," Conner growled.

Doctor Oliver nodded and turned to Anabel as she crossed the lab to stand beside him. He squeezed her hand and then looked around at the others. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready!"

"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

"White Ranger, Dino Power!"

~X~

Upon seeing the Rangers arrive, the monster laughed and disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Conner asked.

Kira turned to Anabel. "Do you -?" she broke off as Anabel caught her arm, forcing her down onto the floor as a giant hand swiped through the area, knocking the others aside.

Straightening up, her hand still caught around Kira's wrist, Anabel rushed over to the others. She released Kira and knelt beside Doctor Oliver, taking his arm instead as he regained his footing.

"Look out!" Conner yelled, ducking backwards as the monster stood over them, his foot hovering in the air above their heads. The monster stepped forward, narrowly avoiding squashing the team as they all jumped out of the way.

The monster then disappeared.

"Where'd he -"

"There!" said Anabel, pointing towards the end of the dock as the monster reappeared.

"Miss me?"

"No," said Anabel.

The monster laughed and stalked forward. He was a weird centipede-like monster, with a long sharp arm covered in hundreds of tiny spikes. He fired at them again, hitting four out of six.

Anabel groaned as she hit the ground beside Kira, leaving Doctor Oliver and Trent standing. The pair didn't hesitate as they darted forward, sword and sabre drawn, poised for attack.

The monster blasted the pair, knocking them off the dock and into the water.

"Tommy!" Anabel called.

"Trent!" Kira yelled.

The monster chuckled. "Two washed up Power Rangers," he mocked.

"Triassic time?" Ethan asked, turning to Conner.

Conner nodded and summoned his shield. "You know it," he agreed. When the others had poured enough energy into his shield he stepped forward, morphin' instantly to his third power level. "Time for a little intergalactic action!"

The two disappeared, but not for long, before Conner landed, demorphed to his original state, back in the dock. He breathed heavily, struggling to stand. "That's a long way down," he winced.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," the monster laughed, landing nearby.

Turning at the sound of fast paced footfalls, the monster blasted the incoming four Rangers, knocking them backwards.

"No! Leave them alone!" Conner yelled, struggling to his knees.

"Fine, I'll deal with you first," said the monster, turning back around. He raised his arm and thrust it out at Conner, watching as the tip sparked in the late afternoon sunlight. Inches away from its target, Trent appeared, grabbed the spear, and held fast.

"Not so fast," said Trent.

"Step aside. It's the Red Ranger I want," the monster hissed.

"The Rangers are a team," said Trent. "If you're going to destroy someone, you better start with me."

The monster snarled and pulled his arm free of Trent's grasp.

"Trent saved Conner," Anabel breathed, watching with wide eyes.

"Now where's all the tough talk?" Trent asked.

"I'm through talking," the monster announced.

"Good," said Trent, removing his Drago sword from his belt. "Because so am I." He darted forward, disappearing into a blur, and attacking the monster from all sides. He sidestepped an open attack and looked around at the others. "Together!"

The team nodded and regrouped, each calling on their weapons and combining them.

"Z-Rex Blaster, super mode!"

The monster gasped and stepped back in alarm. This was not how things were supposed to go.

"Fire!"

The energy ball collided with the monster, knocking him backwards. But he didn't explode, instead he remained motionless on the floor, his eye flickering between dead and alive.

"Energy transmitted…" he croaked before the light went out completely.

"What's he doing?" Trent asked, curiously?

Anabel turned, her senses telling her something was wrong. "Uh, guys?" she said, pointing out into the open water. The surf was surging, then the ground started to shake.

"What is that?" Kira asked, watching as a giant wave towered above the city.

"I don't know," said Conner, shaking his head. "But it doesn't look good."

The wave drained away, leaving behind a replica of the Megazord.

"How do we fight that?" Conner asked.

"Only one way to find out," said Doctor Oliver. "Brachio!"

The large, long-necked dinosaur lumbered into view. It's back opened and the four main Zords raced out, heading through the city towards the limits. As they each reached the water's edge, the compy zord leapt onto the T-Rex, perching itself on its head as it entered the water.

"I'll take the Triassic Rover," said Doctor Oliver, turning to Conner. "You man the Megazord."

Conner nodded and turned to the others. "Let's do it!" he said.

"Right behind you!" the trio echoed.

Once the Megazord had formed, they charged the replica with the Mezodon not far behind.

"Call it, guys!" Conner yelled, as the Thundersaurus struggled to remain standing, due to the beating it was taking.

"Dino Drill, engage!"

Leaping into the air, the Thundersaurus raised the Tyranno tail above its head and then extended it towards the replicant Zord. It spun wildly, charging up with excess energy as they sliced through the replica. As the Thundersaurus landed behind, the Mezodon raised its axes and attacked, too.

The replica sword tilted dangerously sideways and then collapsed, exploding as it hit the ground.

"Whoo! Yeah!" the team cheered.

"Wait, something's wrong," said Anabel, her sensing prickling.

"What do you -?" Ethan broke off as the explosion cloud rolled backwards and then disappeared, revealing the monster from earlier standing in the replicant's place.

"Thanks for the energy boost," the monster taunted.

"Is this a joke?" Conner asked.

"Not funny," Doctor Oliver replied.

"It is to me," the monster laughed, blasting them.

The two Megazord's stumbled backward.

"Trent, we need you!" Anabel called, struggling to remain standing as the monster attacked from all sides.

With a screech and a roar, the Drago and Stego Zords ambled into view. The Drago latched its hind legs around the belly of the Stego, lifting it into the air and transforming.

"Leave my friends alone," said Trent, jumping into the cockpit and facing the monster.

"Fine, I'll start with you!" the monster said, turning to the newly constructed megazord. He raised its arm and fired openly.

Pushing off from the ground, Trent avoided the attack and extended the tail of the Stego down his back. "Tail attack!" he called, falling forward into a roll, and slashing the spikes down the Monster's torso.

The monster howled as he sparked dangerously.

"Dino Stegozord Stinger," called Trent, landing nearby, and firing up his main artillery. "Fire!" he swung his fist at the rear, slamming it into the stinger and sending it soaring at the monster.

The others cheered as the stinger ripped through the monster, causing him to explode, for the last time.

~X~

Despite the smile on her face, Anabel rolled her eyes as Tommy pulled her onto his lap, one arm around her back and resting on her hip while the other looped around her legs, holding her in place.

"You feeling better than this morning?" Tommy asked, kissing the side of her head.

"I suppose," said Anabel. "Trent definitely proved himself out there."

"I sense a but."

Anabel shrugged, resting her head on his shoulder as she played with his tie, running her fingers over and through it gently. "I'm still a little upset," she admitted.

"That's understandable," said Tommy. "You're hurt. But, can you at least consider Trent's position in all this?"

"I have," said Anabel. "Which is why I sided with him when he asked to prove himself. I know he's a good person, and he was only doing what my dad told him to do. The more I think about it, the more I realise, I probably would've done the same. Like you said, it's a matter of loyalty."

Tommy smiled and gently lifted her chin. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Anabel sighed into it, her fingers trailing up his jaw to the back of his neck.

"Get a room already!" Circe said, arriving with the others.

The couple separated as the others filed inside. Circe took up residency in her seat at the computer, while Conner shuffled off to his own corner.

"You rocked out there," said Kira, leading Trent, and Ethan into the base.

Transferring his attention from Anabel to Trent, Tommy nodded in agreement with Kira. "Thank you for your help out there, Trent," he said. "It's always a lot easier when the whole team works together."

"Thanks, Doctor O," said Trent, smiling. "Like I said, I'm in this for good. That is if you'll have me?" he looked around at the others.

Kira shrugged. "I vote yes," she said.

"Me too," Ethan agreed.

Trent turned to Anabel. "I know I have a lot to do to regain your trust, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes," he said.

"I know," said Anabel, nodding. "And I really hope you manage to do it because I've always wanted a brother."

Trent beamed.

"Conner?" Tommy asked, turning his attention to the Red Ranger.

Conner sighed in hesitation. "There's just one thing bugging me," he said, looking between Trent and Anabel, "and it concerns you both, I guess. Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, there is a very real chance that you'll have to face Mesogog one day."

Anabel lowered her gaze.

"If Mesogog wins then our father is lost forever," said Trent. "Mesogog has to be defeated, no matter what."

Sliding from Tommy's lap, Anabel wedged herself between Trent and Ethan. She took Trent's hand gently in her own and nodded as she looked to Conner. "He's right," she agreed. "This may be our only chance of getting dad back."

Conner considered the pair of them closely, and then nodded. "Then you have my vote," he said.

I honestly had no idea how this chapter was going to go, but it turned out well. Three chapters left! I can't believe we've reached the end already.

Let me know your thoughts!

Please review!

~Twix