Disclaimer: The usual. Don't own anything you recognize.

KINGS AND VAGABONDS

By Etcetera Kit

Chapter Twenty: the Last Moon

"She's what?"

Syd bolted up from where she had been sitting in the lounge and whirled around to face Conner. The Red Ranger had just handed her a data pad that made her want to throw the offending item out the window and hunt down her sister in order to demand answers.

"Bad news?" Conner asked mildly. He was reading his own data pad – and it was either inner office or something SPD related. It hadn't escaped the notice of the rest of the B-Squad that Conner hadn't been functioning on all levels since their weekend at the cabin. Her and Z had decided it either had something to do with Kira Ford, one of the teachers he had been seeing or his daughters, but no evidence to point them one way or the other had come up.

"Paris is dead!" she spat, throwing the data pad on the couch and stalking out of the room towards the officer apartments. Her sister had sent her a memo, saying she was leaving SPD – and not just leaving SPD, leaving SPD tonight! This was the woman who had claimed she was staying to be with her little sister, because she didn't have enough money and all kinds of other excuses and now, without warning, she was just leaving? It didn't make sense – not coming from someone like Paris.

She didn't bother announcing herself – she just walked into Paris' apartment. Her older sister was putting her clothes into her backpack, like she was just taking another one of her bus trips to get some 'answers.' Paris looked up with a neutral expression.

"You're leaving?" she cried. Syd knew that she was screeching, but she didn't care. This was an insane move on Paris' part and she wasn't about to let her throw her life away.

"Yeah." There was no anger or sarcasm in her words. It had just been a simple admission that the statement was correct.

"Where are you going? Do you even have a job?"

"Mariner Bay and no." Paris continued to put her folded clothing into the backpack, getting up and putting a shirt from her closet in the bag.

"Do I want to know why you're going to Mariner Bay?"

Her sister stopped and looked her at her – her blue-gray eyes looked pained and carefully guarded. "I'll tell you," she said slowly. "Just not now."

"What?"

"Syd! I will tell you – I just need some answers first. Hopefully, I'll be back in a day or two and I'll know what I need to know."

"You won't have a job," she said flatly.

Paris winced, as if the words had struck her. "I know."

"You know? And you're leaving anyways?"

"I don't expect you to understand right now, but you will." She paused. "I promise that you will know."

"This isn't another one of your ways to try to protect me, is it?" Now that she had gotten her initial outbursts out of the way, she felt an intense anger burn. Paris had tried to protect her for so long. From what, Syd had never found out, but she had – scaring off potential boyfriends, asking about her social life all the time, even wanting to know what went on in her ranger training… well, enough was enough.

Paris remained silent.

It was enough for her. "You can stop trying to protect me! I'm eighteen years old! I don't need you to shelter me from the world!" She paused and shook her head. "You didn't scare off Sky like you did the rest of my boyfriends."

"That's because Sky is the first boyfriend you've ever had who has his head screwed on straight!" Paris spat.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're an airhead! I don't know how you managed to become a ranger!"

"I am not an airhead!" she yelled.

"You are." Paris stopped suddenly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You know what? This is ridiculous and getting us nowhere. I'm going to Mariner Bay and I'll give you a call in a day or two. Maybe then you'll have calmed down."

Syd narrowed her eyes and watched as Paris picked up her backpack and her purse, striding out of the room in her normal, fluid fashion that made most people jump out of her way. Who did Paris think she was? Some kind of god? All she had ever done since they joined SPD was monitoring her life and sheltering her. Well – it hadn't worked. She had ended up with Sky despite all of Paris' efforts.

Kicking at the edge of the bed, she left the apartment and headed for the lounge. She had been meeting the others there before Conner handed her the data pad. Conner had called some kind of informal meeting for the B-Squad.

It was seconds – it was days before she entered the lounge. Bridge and Conner were playing chess. Z was curled up on one of the couches with a magazine. Sky stood up the moment she entered, so she didn't see what he had been doing.

"Are you all right?" he asked and touched her arm.

All the anger faded away at his simple touch and she was left feeling betrayed and alone, now that Paris was leaving SPD. This was ridiculous! First she was mad and now all she wanted to do was cry. A tear rolled down her cheek and she furiously brushed it away.

"What happened?" Sky asked.

A moment later, she was standing there sobbing and hiccupping, relating the story of what had happened between her and Paris. Sky just stood there with his hands on her waist, holding her close to him, listening to the story with a bemused expression on his face. "And now she's leaving and I don't want her to!" she ended, almost wailing. Sky was shaking his head as he pulled her into a tight hug, planting a kiss on her forehead. "I'm being ridiculous," she muttered into his chest.

"No you're not," he replied. "She's probably still in the building, if you want to catch her." She pulled away from him and glanced up at him.

"She was just bawling her eyes out and her mascara's not even running," Z muttered in an undertone to Bridge and Conner, the essence of it being 'it's just not fair.'

"Sky can go talk to her!" Bridge volunteered.

"That's a great idea," Syd mused. Sky suddenly started to look like he wanted to run far away and hide in a corner.

'How do I get talked into these things?' Sky fumed to himself as he walked down the corridor towards the entrance lobby. He had a good idea that that is where he would catch Paris in the act of leaving. She still had to sign some papers and turn in her uniform and blaster – the academy was too well organized for her to leave without that happening.

Since it was late evening, the lobby was almost devoid of life. Visitors weren't allowed in between the hours of nine and five the next morning. One person remained on the night shift to answer the phones. It wasn't hard to pick Paris out of the three people standing in the lobby – the other two were Dr. Manx and the woman on the night shift. Paris was nodding to Kat and the night shift receptionist about something, before handing Kat her uniform and blaster. It didn't escape his notice that she kept her communicator.

"Good luck," he heard Kat say softly to Paris.

The middle of the Drew siblings headed for the front door. "Paris!" he called, jogging the rest of the way to her. She turned with her hand on the door.

"Sky," she replied, a smile gracing her features. "What are you doing here?"

"Syd is pretty upset about you leaving."

"I know." She paused and opened the front pocket of her backpack, pulling an envelope out of it and handing it to him. "Give this to Syd. It will explain everything. She knows the code – we used to use it when we were kids."

He nodded, taking the envelope. He wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say to her in light of the situation. It should have been Syd here and not him – the Pink Ranger knew what needed to be said, not him. But between Syd and Bridge egging him on, he had caved to what Syd wanted. He wanted to curse them for knowing him too well.

"Take care of Syd," Paris said softly in an oddly strangled voice. She closed the gap between them, pressing a kiss on his cheek and stepping back as quickly as she stepped closer. Sky fought the urge to touch his cheek. This was Paris Drew – she didn't indulge in displays of affection for anyone, including Syd.

"I will," he whispered.

"I know." Her blue-gray eyes were clouded with emotion. She turned toward the glass doors that graced the entrance of SPD.

"Paris!"

They both turned to see Syd running down the stairs and straight at them. A look of intense concentration passed over Paris' features as she caught Syd. Sky realized she probably did that so that she wouldn't use her power reflexively – causing Syd to pass through her. "I'm sorry," Syd began to babble. "You can't leave! Austin's gone and now you're leaving! We'll all be split up all over the place!"

Paris took her younger sister's face between her hands. "It will be all right, Syd," she said softly.

"How? How do you know?"

"I just know. Trust me, just this once." Paris pulled her in for a tight hug. "I'll be back in a day or two."

"Promise?"

"I've never gone back on a promise yet."

With that, she pulled open the door and walked across the cement area in front of the academy and disappeared around the corner into the night. Syd let out a shaky breath. "I can't believe she's actually doing it," she whispered.

Sky placed a hand on her shoulder and handed her the letter. "This is for you. It's supposed to explain everything."

Syd nodded. "I guess we should get back to the meeting."

"Yeah."

They turned and headed back for the lounge.

Z shook her head, surveying the chaos that had entered her bedroom. Conner had called the meeting off since people kept disappearing. After that, things had started to happen really quickly. Syd had glanced at the letter Paris wrote her and, after decoding the first paragraph, insisted that everyone – herself, Z, Bridge and Sky – remain in the room until she was done and could read it aloud. She just wanted to know what the big deal was – it was just a letter.

Syd was hunched over her desk with a pink pen, decoding the last page of the letter. Sky was reading a book, but not getting far since he would stare at Syd every few seconds. Bridge was sitting on her bed, looking worried, but not saying anything for once in his life. Z felt like putting on a CD and turning it up as loud as it would go, but decided that that would be counterproductive in the long run.

"Got it!" Syd cried suddenly. For the past ten minutes, she had been decoding the letter and sniffling, blowing her nose and wiping away stray tears. The announcement also caused a mass exodus to Syd's bed. Four people didn't exactly fit on one of the academy beds, but they found room somehow. Z found herself pressed up against Bridge, using him for balance.

"Read it!" Bridge urged her.

Syd took a deep breath – Z wanted to roll her eyes at the theatrics. "Dear Syd," she read aloud. "I've found out who all our real parents are. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but there were a couple things I had to work out."

The four of them exchanged dumbstruck looks. Z felt her heart begin to beat wildly within her chest. All her life she had wondered who her real parents were – why they would give her up for adoption? It had driven her and here it was.

"I'm going to start youngest to oldest, because that seems fair," Syd continued to read, her hands shaking as she grasped the paper. "Bridge—"

The Green Ranger looked strangely calm and determined.

"Your parents are Mike and Maya Corbett. Mike was and still is an officer with the GSA – he was second-in-command on the space colony, Terra Venture. He's originally from Angel Grove, California on Earth. Maya is a native of Mirinoi – where Terra Venture landed. They still live on Mirinoi and are taking the next shuttle to Earth. They should be here early Saturday morning. You're an only child – with a lot of cousins you didn't know you had. You were also born on Mirinoi – in the City Dome of Terra Venture."

Bridge forced a laugh at that. His blue eyes looked terrified at the same time as they looked overjoyed. Z threaded her fingers through his. So Paris had been right in her assessment that Bridge was at least partially Mirinite. He hadn't even been born on Earth. "I don't believe it," he whispered. Z gently pressed a kiss to his earlobe.

"Z—"

"Oh my God," she muttered.

Syd gave her a pointed stare, glancing back to the letter. "Your parents are Cole and Alyssa Evans. Cole was born in Turtle Cove as was Alyssa. His parents were explorers and he spent most of his childhood in the jungles of Africa. Alyssa grew up in Turtle Cove. Your father is a vet, while your mother is a kindergarten teacher. They live in Turtle Cove still. Like Bridge, you're an only child and you were born in Turtle Cove. Cole and Alyssa should be here early Friday morning."

Z exchanged a glance with Bridge – that was tomorrow morning! She tried to digest all the information she had just been given. It was almost too much – to go from knowing nothing at all to knowing all the basic information she had been denied since she was three.

But Syd was continuing with the letter. "Syd, our parents are Carter and Dana Grayson. They live in Mariner Bay – Carter is a firefighter and Dana is a pediatrician. They both worked for Lightspeed at one point in time. We were all born in Mariner Bay. I'm going to Mariner Bay tonight and I'll be back in Newtech by Saturday at the latest. Austin should be on his way back from the Nebula Academy soon."

The Pink Ranger looked up from the letter. "The boats…" she murmured, but went back to the letter when Sky nudged her.

"Sky," Syd continued reading. "Your situation is more complicated. Your adopted father, Eric Myers, is actually your godfather. Your real parents are Wes and Jen Collins – they're the billionaires that own Bio-Lab and the Silver Guardians. They live in Silver Hills and that is where you were born. According to Maya, the original plan must have been to collect us in ones and twos, quietly, but your parents sent you away with Eric in order to hide you. You were also conceived in 2002, but because your mother is a Time Force officer, from the future, time jumps caused you to be born in 2000. I haven't contacted anyone from your family – you and Eric can decide how to go about it."

Sky looked confused. "My… godfather?" He sounded unsure of himself – and it was almost frightening coming from the Blue Ranger. He was never unsure of anything that had to do with himself. Maybe things with Syd threw him for a loop, but still…

It was the same thing that all of them felt. They hadn't been lied to, per se. Each of them went through something different in their childhoods. Bridge had the parents who sent him to SPD and then lost their adopted child in the process. Z had grown up on the streets, driven by an insubstantial memory of something better. Syd, Paris and Austin coped with the rich parents that wanted them in the spotlight of whatever they did. All of them had their pasts obscured by their presents. But Sky… he had the normal father who let him chose what he wanted. She could see the gears turning in his mind. He was the one that had the true choice of whether or not to join SPD – and he joined anyways, falling straight into what was wanted.

"There is more to all of this," Syd continued, shifting a fraction of an inch closer to Sky. "But your parents will tell you in due time. I'm not even sure of all that has happened. From what I can tell, Cruger and SPD played a huge role in all our adoptions – and none of us were given up willingly. Most of us were required to join SPD at age fifteen as a term of our adoptions.

"You guys can call me on my cell phone if you want to talk (and if it hasn't been shut down because I haven't paid this month's bill.) However, I can't tell you much more than what is in this letter. Good luck, guys. Paris."

Syd looked up from the paper and looked around the group. All of them were silent, turning over the information that had just been given to them. Her parents and Bridge's parents were on their way here right now. Paris was going to see her and Syd's parents right at that moment. Sky still had to talk to his adopted father.

"Wow," Z said softly.

"How did she do it?" Bridge added. "She's had no luck for years and she suddenly finds everything she needs within twenty-four hours?"

"I don't know," Syd replied.

Sky remained silent. Z gazed at him, almost feeling sorry for him that things were not as cut and dry as they were with the others. He suddenly stood up. "I'm going to turn in," he said hoarsely. "See if I can leave tomorrow morning." Syd squeezed his hand. He left the girls' room without another word.

"I should go with him," Bridge said as the door slid shut behind him.

"He's just upset," Syd responded.

"That's why. He may not admit it, but he needs someone when he's upset."

Syd nodded. Bridge gently kissed Z's cheek before he, too, left the room. Z stood up and went to her own bed. "This is incredible," she muttered. "I don't know how I'm supposed to sleep tonight, knowing that my parents will be here in the morning."

Syd just smiled sadly. "How are any of us supposed to sleep?"

Mariner Bay was relatively small, considering that it was home to the Lightspeed Aqua-Base and had once been the site of a demon cavern – and demons had tried to take the city over and destroy it so that their home would be theirs once more. There was one main street through the town and a small park with a fountain in the middle seemed to be the focus point. And, of course, there was the bay and all the boats there – both leisure and fishing.

Paris paused by the fountain – the streetlights casting a golden glow over the water and sidewalk in the vicinity. The house she wanted was close to here – only a few blocks. She had a glimpse of the bay, as well as the residential areas. Shards of memories came back to her – watching the boats, going on a picnic near the water, running with Austin through the park… The school they had gone to was near here – she could recall walking by the fountain to get there.

Now was not the time to retrieve memories from her first five years. She took a deep breath and headed down the residential streets, glancing at her directions every so often. The houses here were well-appointed, middle-middle class. It looked like a sleepy neighborhood that didn't see much action – perfect for raising children… She let that thought trail off.

The lights were on in the house, even though it was nearing eleven at night, as she went up the walk. The lawn was neatly kept with minimal flowers as the only landscaping – no fuss. There was a weather-beaten wooden swing on the front porch – the porch was the width of the front of the house. She had a sudden flash of sitting on that swing when it was new.

It was now or never. She rang the doorbell.

There was some shuffling inside. A man peered out the side windows near the door. She could hear him throwing the locks back – he opened the door.

Her heart froze.

She was staring at Austin – except that the man was older and he had darker, sandy blonde hair, whereas Austin's hair was the pure, golden blonde that hers and Syd's was. This man had to be her father – Carter Grayson. She blinked and realized that he was staring at her with the same intensity that she was staring at him.

"I'm Paris," she said in a choked voice.

He stepped forwards, one hand brushing her hair behind her ear. Tears glistened in his blue-gray eyes. "I know," he whispered. She wasn't sure who leaned in first, but in a moment, they were in each other's arms. Her father… she had never known the embrace of a true father and she didn't want to let go. She was vaguely aware of him calling for her mother, Dana, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was home.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing! The support from the last chapter just about blew me away. Thank you so much! From now on, I will try to post things in a more timely fashion, so hang in there. Cheers!