Jake kicked the side of the ship as he fumed. He couldn't believe the stunt Vekar had pulled and was furious at how it all worked out. Rebecca walked up behind him.

"I'm sure they're safe," she said, assuming Jake was just letting off some steam because despite Gia's order to retreat, she hadn't yet returned to the ship and there was no news on how his father or Noah's parents were doing.

"I trust her," Jake growled. "It's that no good whiny, manipulative, arrogant son of a bitch I'm having a problem with."

Jake kicked the side of the ship again, "I never should have gone to see them. This was probably his plan all along. Or worse, I probably just gave him the idea when I fucking went to see my dad!"

"Jake..."

"He has to stay out of this," Jake turned around to face Rebecca. "You know how dangerous it is just to be on the sidelines. I mean, look at you!"

"I can't."

"Exactly!" Jake cried. He turned back around and leaned against the side. "Dad's always been there for me. He's always supported me. He was a little nervous when he knew Gia's baggage, but he let me make my own decisions. He believed in me. I can't afford to lose that. I can't live the rest of my life worrying Vekar's going to come after him."

"Well, if it helps, it's not like your dad would have even seen you or Noah. You're invisible, remember?"

"That doesn't stop Vekar going after him," Jake said. "Just... leave me alone."

Rebecca nodded her head and left Jake with his thoughts while she walked over to the other side of the ship. She touched Noah's shoulder, just to confirm it was him. When she felt the collar of his polo, she knew she had the right person and sat down, leaning against him lightly.

"It's going to be okay."

"I hated lying to them," Noah shook his head. "I hated sneaking around, pretending I wasn't doing something I was and just... not being honest with them. But I'd take that over this."

"You're scared Vekar's going to keep going after them?"

"How am I going to sleep at night knowing everyone I love is now on Vekar's or Vrak's radar?" Noah asked. He put his arm around Rebecca. "I'm still horrified by what Vrak did to you, and you're still alive. I can still protect you. I can't bring my parents on board the ship. I can't look after them every day. I don't even want them knowing the truth. Not until the danger's passed."

"You're pretty smart. You'll figure something out. Not to mention, Vekar's not going to know what hit him if he tries this again," Rebecca put her hand in his and smiled, "You're getting a lot stronger."

"Not like the others..."

"Strength is about more than how tough you look," Rebecca told him. "It's about how far you're willing to go before you give up, if you ever even do. You're brains and brawn now. You're got the muscle to beat the Armada, and you've got the brains to do it the most efficient way. You're an amazing hero."

"I can't even keep the people I love out of harm's way."

"No one here can," Rebecca chuckled. "I know about you guys. Gia's parents found out. Claire knows, Jake's mom knows. You kept your secret the longest. You went this long without your parents figuring out who you really were. And they're still around. Troy didn't tell his parents and look what happened to them."

"Rebecca..."

"Ignorance isn't what makes the difference between whether or not we're safe. Besides, Troy said when Vekar launched those missiles, he had the others set for your homes anyways. He's likely always known where to go."

"Then why attack today? Why not do so earlier?"

"Bad guys don't always have plans that make sense. I mean, Vekar's got a pretty good set of commanders on his ship. He can use them to wipe the floor with all your asses, yet he sends out little aliens that aren't as strong to get the job done. And it's not just Vekar. Malkor did it too. And every other Ranger team. I mean, if the big bad just fought the Rangers the first time they ever morphed, they'd have probably taken over the planet already."

"Rebecca, seriously..."

"Look, I don't know why Vekar decided to attack now. Maybe he's got a plan up his sleeve; maybe he's just tired of losing and decided to hit us where it hurts. All that matters is your parents are safe."

"We don't know."

"Gia's got them. She wouldn't have called a retreat unless she did. And we trust her, right?"

"She's pretty pissed with us."

"You think she'll let that get in the way of being a Ranger," Rebecca shook her head. "Nope. Not Gia. She's a professional. The only life she endangers is her own."

Noah chuckled. Rebecca put her arm around him.

"This will work out. Your parents, no matter what happens, will be fine. Take it from me, it kind of sucks being in danger all the time, but at least when there is trouble, I'm better prepared to take action. Whether that's kicking butt myself, or hiding behind one of you guys. You know, whatever works."

Noah chuckled again and kissed the side of Rebecca's head. She nestled in closer.

"Don't worry about this too much. You're a good Ranger. Even after what happened I still... I know I can count on you."

"You do? But I thought..."

"It was one mistake and I know how hard it's been for you. You're there when it matters. You're still my hero."

Rebecca pulled him in for a kiss and Noah couldn't help but smile.

-Megaforce-

Mrs. Carver held her head in her hands. It had been almost an hour since she had found out her son was the blue Ranger but she was still struggling to believe it. She loved him dearly, but was not blind to who her son was. He wasn't a jock. He wasn't a fighter. Her little boy was still just a little boy. The only subject in school he ever struggled in was gym class. He didn't have the same strength or endurance as the other boys his age. Hell, even some girls could play around him in most sports. Noah was more content in his lab he built in their garage or reading books that he was doing anything athletic. While she had noticed before his death that his muscles had built up somewhat, she just took that as Noah taking a little better care of his appearance. He had a few more friends, some of which were girls, and assumed they were having a positive influence on them. It never once occurred to her that her son, her little Einstein, could ever be a Power Ranger.

But Gia, the yellow Ranger, had no reason to lie about that. She had come clean about herself, her teammates, and some of the struggles they face, and even admitted that her father hadn't died suddenly from an illness, but that he had been murdered by one of the aliens the Rangers were still holding off.

Mrs. Carver didn't know how to feel. She was terrified her son was in such a dangerous position, but proud. After all, he was one of the beloved and heroic Power Rangers, and despite her disbelief that it was possible, he had saved thousands if not millions of lives and successfully defeated many of the threats the city had seen.

"I'm really sorry," Gia whispered. "Our mentor, Gosei, really insisted it was best we kept our identities from everyone. My parents were the first to find out, but not because I told them."

"Noah... really..."

"He's great," Gia nodded. She looked to both of Noah's parents. "He's really grown into his role. He's saved our lives so many times, he can figure out what the aliens are doing, and his training is really working for him. He's not the scrawny little kid he was when we were first recruited. Um... no offence."

"We know who our son was," Mr. Carver nodded. He too was in disbelief about the news and very unsure how to take it. Gia could see their apprehension and smiled.

"Noah's not my first choice for a hero, but he was chosen for a reason. You guys know my story. You know how hard it is for me to reach out to people. Noah's someone I never really doubted. He's still the smallest guy on our team, but he's a real hero. He's stood up for me a couple of times already. I mean, Cliff's always been at least twice his size, and Noah's never backed down. You can count on him. You know he's always trying his best and pushing himself to do better."

"Really?"

"You would be so proud of him," Gia nodded. "And he's sorry, we're all sorry we pretended to be dead. I can't even begin to imagine what that must have been like for you, but we didn't do it to hurt you. We were trying to..."

"Protect us?" Mr. Carver asked. Gia nodded her head.

"He's been looking forward to seeing you again. He doesn't talk about you much, but we all know he's missed you. If you want to, I can take you up to the Sky Ship. You can't see him. That's a long story, but he's there. You can talk to him. You can even hold him, though awkwardly."

"What do you mean?"

"My friends are kind of... invisible. Don't push it. It's a sore point with me right now."

"You'll really take us to your Space Ship?"

"Sky Ship," Gia nodded. "Yeah. Noah can chew my head off later for telling you guys everything, but I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

"We'd like that," the Carvers answered. Gia smiled and then assured them she would take them up soon. After she had a talk with Mr. Holling. He had left the living room to process the news of Jake being a Ranger by himself. Gia found him sitting on the stairs. He looked up at her.

"What?"

"Jake didn't mean to hurt you. He misses you, probably as much as you miss him."

"He's not dead."

"If it makes you feel any better, he was almost dead so many times since."

Mr. Holling glared at Gia. She sighed.

"Yeah, it probably doesn't. Look, Mr. Holling..."

"How is any of this okay? My son's a Power Ranger? He fakes his death... Does he have any idea what I went through because of that?"

"Heartache?"

"Gia..."

"Mr. Holling, Jake's..."

"I just need a minute," Mr. Holling said. "I still can't believe all this. My boy, my son's a Power Ranger. Black and Green. So all those times I saw him on TV, every time I heard he was hurt... that was him?"

Mr. Holling then looked up at Gia, "Does that mean... Jake's accident, when those football players beat him up and he was all but dead... did you Rangers have something to do with his miraculous recovery?"

"Tensou put some chips in his brain to restore brain function and mobility," Gia nodded her head. "It... kind of brought him back to life. But it's still a miracle. Mr. Holling, please don't be mad with him. Jake never asked for this. None of us did."

"But all this time..."

"He hated the lies. He hated that this was a secret. We all did. But Jake's an amazing Ranger, and knowing he had you to come home to after this was over really pushed him to keep fighting. He's been trying to protect you. He really loves you, Mr. Holling."

Mr. Holling sighed as he looked down. Gia could see tears in his eyes. She sat next to him.

"You've raised an incredible man. And I'm not just saying that because I love him. Jake's really amazing. There's something special about him that I've never seen in anyone else. I know you're scared for him. I know you don't want to lose him, but he was chosen to be a Ranger for a reason. He's got what it takes and more to see this through, and now that you know, he'd really love to have your support. You mean a lot to him."

"Is he really..."

"He's great. When you see him, you're going to be really proud."

"Can I see him? Can I talk to him?"

"Well, I was just telling Mr. and Mrs. Carver, seeing him might be a bit of a problem..."

"Gia, please. I have to..."

"He's invisible. Don't ask me why, I'm... curious myself, but you can talk to him. He's still Jake. Just... see through."

"I don't care. He's my son. Please, I want to see him."

"I'll take you," Gia smiled. She walked him back to the living room and then teleported him and the Carvers on the ship. She only saw Rebecca, but heard the footsteps of the others approaching. Suddenly, the Carvers and Mr. Holling were pushed back as Jake and Noah called out for their parents and took them in a hug. Gia was happy to see the families reunited but only for a moment. When she was sure she wasn't needed, she stormed off to her room. She almost made it, but bumped into someone. She crossed her arms.

"Get out of my way."

"Gia, please," it was Emma. "Can we just talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"You'd have done the same," Emma said. "We were just worried about you..."

"I don't care about that," Gia shook her head. "I care about everything else. You assuming I'm the one losing my mind, just like always."

"Gia..."

"Tying me down, keeping me against my will..."

"We didn't want you running off. You know what happens."

"Tensou was down there poking and studying me like I'm a nutcase..."

"We just..."

"But you know what really hurts?"

Emma sighed, "Milk?"

"That's supposed to be my safety."

"And it is. We weren't going to hurt you. You know we never will."

"I also thought you'd never ignore milk," Gia growled. "Look, maybe it's just all one big joke to you..."

"It's not a joke! I take it seriously. I promise."

"You ignored it. You ignored me. I begged you to stop. I begged for this to stop."

"We can't stop being invisible. We didn't even know."

"You could have let me up! I was scared, I was scared of all of you, but you just... you did whatever you wanted anyways."

"You gave us no choice!"

"That's what your brother would have said!" Gia shouted. She couldn't see it, but Emma's face fell. Gia brushed her aside to lock herself back in their bedroom. Emma didn't have it in her to follow or to try and talk to Gia anymore. Instead, she dropped to her knees. Troy and Orion were quickly by her side.

"She's just angry," Troy assured her. Emma shook her head.

"She's... she's never said that before."

"What do you mean?"

"Since we found out," Emma said. "Gia's never... she's... she's..."

"She's angry," Troy reminded her. Orion nodded.

"People say things they don't mean all the time on Andrasia when they're angry. Here too, I guess."

"But... but..."

"Let's just... not push it," Troy suggested. He helped Emma to her feet. "We'll go to the kitchen and wait for her to calm down."