Disclaimer: Very few of the characters within belong to me. You'll know which is which. I'm not making anything on any of them anyway, so nobody should get excited.

A/N: For the purposes of this story, Rocky went to the moon with the Red Rangers. Jason didn't.

As always, my gratitude to Rach, beta queen. And to Kev for letting me borrow him, and being all bouncy.

Angel with Two Faces

Chapter 4

Trini prowled her temporary quarters, picking things up and putting them down again, changing the light level, rearranging the two pillows on the narrow bed. She sighed, plopping down and hugging a cushion across her midsection. What a mess.

There was a tap at her door. She got up and palmed the control to open it; Billy stood there, hands clasped behind his back. She stepped back and gestured him in before resuming her seat on the bed, not looking at him.

There was a long silence.

"Well, go ahead," Trini finally said, digging her chin into the pillow she was clutching.

Billy shrugged. "I don't even know where to start."

"All right, I'll go first. I meant to tell them, I really did. I've been meaning to tell them all along, it just… I just never found the right way to do it. And the longer my silence grew, the harder it got to say." She sighed. "I even meant to say something before we came, and then right after we got here… I just don't know what words to use."

He nodded. "I can see that, certainly. But you have to say something soon, Tri. They're bound to run into Kailey. It's a big place, but it's not that big." He sat next to her and draped an arm across he shoulders, pulling her into a one-armed embrace. "It won't be as bad as you think. They all know about Miri. Kailey's not that different. It's the secrecy that'll bother them."

"I know." Trini rubbed her nose. "I'm just afraid they'll see her as Kim. And I know that's where I started with this, a way to keep a little of Kim with me, to have the child she wanted but didn't get the chance to have. But the first time she kicked inside me, everything changed, Bill. She was mine, my baby. That face – that's not Kim's face to me, it's my daughter's. And I – I don't want the others to misunderstand."

"So that's why you pulled away from everyone, except me and Cestria." It wasn't a question. He gave her a squeeze. "You need to have a little more faith in the people that care about you. Just explain it like you've explained it to me. They'll understand."

She looked at him doubtfully. "You think?"

He gave her a confident smile. "I know."

~*~

The air in the ACC conservatory was moist and warm, smelling of clean earth and growing things. Scott held the door open as Kailey slipped inside.

"We have an arboretum like this on the Station, but it's mostly hydroponic." Kailey gently cupped a fragile blossom and brought it to her nose. "Mmm. What's this one?"

"Gardenia. My mom loves these." Scott touched a white petal with a fingertip.

She tucked a strand of cocoa-colored hair behind her ear. "Thank you for showing this to me. For the whole afternoon, in fact."

"My pleasure."

"I liked meeting your friends."

He quirked a smile. "They sure liked meeting you."

Blush stained her cheeks, and Kailey quickly became interested in another flower. "I don't know what you mean. What's this one?"

He broke off a fern and feathered it across her ear and neck. "A Gerbera daisy, and yes you do."

"They were all very nice."

He snorted. "They certainly were. A little too nice, if you want my opinion."

Kailey slanted a glance up at him through her lashes. "What's wrong with being nice? Did you want them to haul off and slap me or something?"

Scott laughed at that. "Hardly." He watched her wander through the arbor for a moment. "So what's your job on this assignment?"

Kailey looked over her shoulder at him. "Nominal, really. I'm just a Yellow tech drone on this one. The only reason I'm here is because my mom finally agreed to show me the planet we come from. I've been bothering her for years about it." She sat on a mossy rock and beckoned to him.

He joined her, stroking the fern down the length of her arm. "It's a nice place, Earth. You've never been here before?"

"No. Born on Eltar, raised on the Station."

"I'd like to see that Station someday," Scott mused. "Space travel… I know it's not uncommon, but it's still an exciting idea to me. Is your dad from Earth too?"

Kailey shook her head. "Haven't got one. It's just me and Mom."

"I'm sorry, Kailey, I didn't mean to pry." Scott flushed, but she patted his arm.

"It's okay." She wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees. "See, my mom had a friend who was a Ranger too. She died saving the Station. And the last thing she said to my mom was that she wished she'd lived long enough to have a baby of her own." Kailey sighed. "I have to backtrack. You see, Uncle Bill – that's the Admiral – he and Aunt Cestria couldn't have kids together, because she was Aquitian."

Scott nodded. "Okay. Go on."

"So they used Uncle Bill's DNA and a little of this friend's DNA to make a baby for them. And Mom says that her friend Kim – that's who I'm named for – carried the baby for them as well, and really loved being pregnant and everything. So that was why she'd wanted a child of her own. Anyway, so after she died, Mom decided that she'd have the baby for her friend, and so they created me from her DNA and implanted me in Mom, and here I am."

Scott thought about that. "She must have been something special, this friend of your mom's."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because your mom loved her so much." He grinned. "I know for sure this Kim had to be cute."

She giggled, blushed, and hid her face. "What are your parents like?" Kailey asked after a while.

"Hmm." Scott thought about that. "Well, my dad is a nice guy, but he's sort of the Uber-Ranger. Started when he was just a kid, and never stopped. Well, you know the story. Anyway, he's pretty involved in all the Ranger stuff, so I never saw much of him, really, until I joined. My mom… you'd like her. She's always looking out for the other guy, you know? And she's a lot of fun." He chuckled. "For a mom. Your mom seems nice," he added. Kailey smiled. "Think she'd like me?"

"Sure she would." Kailey glanced at him, then away. "I do."

Scott placed two fingers under her chin and turned her face to his. "Do you now?"

And then neither of them said anything for a while.

~*~

On the bottommost level of the ACC, preparations were beginning.

Ba'altesch carefully attached the last transmitter to the frame he'd been constructing. "Is there enough room?" he asked worriedly.

Miri stepped into the confines of the frame. "I think so. It's only for a few days, anyway, if all goes well."

"And if it does not?" Ba'altesch inquired. "It's important you be comfortable, Dr. Cranston. Both you and the subject."

Miri smiled. "I will be. And it's not going to go wrong."

The big blue alien nodded, his eyes dark and sympathetic. "I ran all the diagnostics on the stasis shielding; everything running at optimal levels. We'll be ready to start once the sterile area is engaged and the equipment in place. I have Kailey on standby to help me set up first thing in the morning."

Miri nodded. "So we'll begin by tomorrow midday, then. I'll let Dad know."

~*~

The helicopter touched down gently on pad seven and slipped quietly through the polar ice to the docking bay below. The copter's clear polyvinyl door loosened and swung open just as Tommy strode into the bay, a grin on his face. "Hey, honey."

Kat Oliver stretched an elegant, red-clad leg from the helicopter and stepped lightly to the bay floor, graceful as the dancer she'd once been. "Hullo, love. The twins are beside themselves; your folks send their love. Am I late?"

He kissed her. "Not at all. Rocky's here, but he's about it. We had word from Cassie a while ago. She's doing a fly-by through SoCal to pick up a crew of Red Aux at NASADA. Ought to be here shortly. In the meantime…" he bent his head and kissed her again. "I missed you."

"Missed you too, though it's only been a few days," she replied laughingly. "What's this all about? And about Jason - is Billy here yet? I'll be so glad to see him in person for a change."

"Yep, he's here. And Trini, too. Who said she wants to talk to us when you get in, before the Red Aux debrief."

That stopped Kat in her tracks. "Trini? Really?" She thought about that. "Wow. That's – that's wonderful." She smiled. "It's been far too long."

He tucked her slim hand through the crook of his arm. "Well, come on then. Oh, and I think Scott's found himself a girl."

Kat halted again. "What?"

Tommy grinned mischievously. "Someone on Billy's crew. I didn't want to ask too many questions because I don't want to be branded the heavy father, but when I saw him at lunch he had the look."

His wife chuckled. "Glazed and dazed? That's my boy. Well, you have been having a busy time of it down here, haven't you?"

~*~

Rocky studied Trini's face as they arranged themselves around the conference table again. She looked nervous, and on her serene countenance that was saying something. Billy sat next to her, giving her a reassuring smile. He knew what was up, then.

Tommy came in, Kat on his arm; Rocky greeted her with affection and resumed his seat. Trini took a deep breath.

"I guess the first thing I want to say to you all is, I'm sorry. Sorry for dropping below the radar all these years. I know Bill's done a much better job of keeping up with you, and I haven't. I wish I had, because it would make what I have to tell you all much easier." She bit her lip. "It's my fault that we lost close touch. You see – something happened – I made a choice that – " Trini got to her feet and started to pace. She glanced at Billy, who nodded. Trini hugged herself. "I have a daughter that none of you have ever met."

"What?" This was Kat, leaning forward in her seat. "When – who – why would you keep that a secret?"

"Did the guy leave you in the lurch or something, Tri?" Tommy got to his feet and took her hand. "Why didn't you tell us? We wouldn't have judged you. We would have tried to help. Don't you know that?"

Rocky was watching Trini closely. "Hang on, guys. That's not it, is it, Trini?"

"No." She swallowed. "I made the choice to have this child on my own. There's no father involved."

Kat looked bewildered, her blue eyes hurt. "I still don't understand why you didn't let us know. How old is the child?"

Trini cast Billy another nervous look. "Twenty-two."

Astonished, Tommy sat down again. "You've kept this from us for twenty-two years?

Trini nodded. "Since right after Kim died, yeah."

"But why?"

The door to the conference room slid open, and a young woman in a Yellow div. Uniform came in, flanked by a smiling Scott Oliver. "You wanted me, Mom? I hope you don't mind, I brought – um –" There was a collective gasp; the girl halted uncertainly, looking around, then focusing on Trini. "M-mom?"

Rocky stared, his jaw hanging open. Tommy leapt to his feet, sending his chair flying backwards, hands palm out as if to ward the girl off. Kat gasped, her hands to her mouth.

"Kim?" The whisper came from Tommy, who looked as though he might faint.

"No, Tom." Trini had herself under control now, and went to the wide-eyed girl, putting her arms around her. "This is my daughter Kailey."

Tommy's face went alternately white, then red. He turned on Trini. "Get her out of here."

Billy got to his feet. "Calm down, Tom. Let Trini explain."

"Explain what?" Tommy's fists were tightly clenched, his entire body shaking. "That you're a pair of vultures, the two of you? You couldn't let her rest in peace, you had to make a new one? What?"

"Dad!" The young Black Ranger, Scott, was clearly shocked. "She's not – "

"Get away from her, Scott," Tommy hissed.

"Dad!" Scott had gone from shocked to horrified. "Don't – "

Tommy turned on his son, advancing until his face was within inches of the blond young man. "I said get away from her. Whatever you think you feel, it's not real. She isn't real. She's a thing, a construct, an imposter, and I will not allow – "

"Thomas!" A shout erupted from Kat, who had leapt to her feet. "Stop this!"

Kailey, for her part, had gone white to the roots. All at once Rocky felt sorry for her. She had Kim's face, but she had no part in whatever Trini had done or not done. And she didn't deserve this. He slipped behind Tommy and hooked an arm around her waist. "Come on, honey," he whispered under cover of angry voices. "Let's get out of here. You don't need to listen to this crap."

She raised a doubtful face to his, and the hurt expression in her wide brown eyes caught at his heart. "C'mon, baby. Let me get you out of here." After a moment she nodded, once, quickly, and Rocky tugged her out of the room.

~*~

"What the hell is the matter with you, Dad?" Scott yelled, pushing his father back a step.

Tommy snarled and advanced again, his body tense. "Don't you speak to me that way, and don't you – ever – lay a hand on me, unless you're willing to take it all the way."

A holopad hit him in the back of his head, and he rounded to find his wife furiously facing him. "What are you going to do now, beat up our son? Dammit, Tom, what the hell IS the matter with you?"

He stood still, breathing hard through his nose before turning to Trini and Billy. "You had no right. YOU HAD NO RIGHT!"

That was it. Trini got right in Tommy's face. "This is exactly what I was afraid of. You jerk! When Kim died, you acted like she somehow belonged to you more than to the rest of us, like somehow you cared more, were grieving more! How dare you tell me I had no right, as though somehow you were the arbiter of all things Kim! My God, Tommy, how dare you!"

Billy folded his arms across his chest, his face a stony mask of anger. His voice was cold. "You had no problem with Miri, so it's not an objection to cloning in general. And Miri carries some of Kim's DNA, so it's not that."

"No!" Tommy shouted. "The two cases are nothing alike. Miri's not a direct clone of you. She's her own person, not some blurred replacement of someone."

Crack! Trini slapped him, hard, leaving a livid red mark. "Damn you, Tom, Kailey is her own person! She's no closer to being Kim than you are!" She gritted her teeth and went on doggedly. "Kim could never be replaced, nor would any of us try. But she wanted a child of her own, and she didn't live long enough to have her. So I had her instead. And this was the only way to do it."

Kat had remained silent since her initial outburst, staring at the expression of horrified distaste on her son's face. She turned to her husband, tears tracking down her face. "Damn you indeed, Thomas Oliver. Twenty-four years we've been married, and yet given a glimpse of a face that looks like Kim's, your son's happiness and your grasp on reality go out the window." Kat notched her chin up a fraction. "You can't even wait to hear the explanation. Billy's right. You don't object to cloning in general. It's Kim, so you automatically go mad."

He stared at her. "Kat – I thought – I thought you'd agree. I thought you'd understand."

"Oh, I understand, Tom. I understand that where Kim is concerned, the reality of the last quarter-century goes a little hazy for you. I understand that you can't see what you've just done to your son, and to our marriage." She sighed. "I understand that you loved her." Her blue eyes flashed. "But we all loved her, Tom. All of us. Not just you. So it must be that you think you loved her best. So where does that leave me?"

He opened and closed his mouth.

"I'll find my own quarters tonight. I'll see you all tomorrow," Kat finished and turned to leave.

"Kat…" Trini reached out a hand, and Kat stopped with a watery smile.

"It's not you, Tri. I'm sorry you had to hide her. It's…" Kat took a hitching breath. "It's good to see that sweet face again, even if it hurts a little. I'll see you." With that she left, her head high. Scott, after a murderous glare at his father, followed her, calling her name.

Trini looked at Billy for a long moment, then at Tommy, who sat heavily in a chair. "I'd better go find my daughter. Bless Rocky for stepping in like that."

Billy nodded and watched her go.

"How?" He glanced at Tommy, who was looking at him with an imploring look. "How could you do it, Bill?"

He shook his head. "It was her last wish, Tom. How could we not?"

"But – "

"Tom." Billy touched the other man's shoulder. "Remember the time I was duplicated by Rita?" Tommy nodded. "Did you feel that we were somehow the same person?"

"No. He looked enough like you to be your twin, but you were totally different."

"And did the fact of his existence make mine mean less?"

"No, of course not."

"Right." And Billy left him there.