Kelly dragged herself home that evening, her mood visibly diminished from when she had left the Thompson house. Ahead of her, Hayley and Calvin were walking together on another one of their spontaneous dates. Kelly was happy that they were happy together and hoped that one day she and Sarah could be just as disgustingly cute, but for right now, their affection felt like they were rubbing it in her face.

But that wasn't what bothered Kelly the most. She kicked a pebble as they walked to the house. She left Hayley and Calvin to kiss goodbye as she made her way inside, then up to her room. She fell into her futon face first and let out a frustrated groan.

"Kelly?" there was a knock on the door and then Kelly felt a weight hop up onto her bed as Kody lay next to her, Kelly turned to the dog, scratched his ear, then looked up at Mrs. Foster. "Are you okay?"

The acting-pink Ranger shrugged her shoulders. Mrs. Foster sat down on the edge of the futon.

"How was Sarah tonight?"

"Alright."

"That must be hard," Mrs. Foster said. "You know, you don't have to stay. I know it sounds mean but you can… pause."

"I want to help. I want to be there," Kelly shook her head. "It's not that, it's just…"

"Your mom?" Mrs. Foster asked and by the way Kelly's face sunk, she knew she had hit the mark. They hadn't had much time to discuss Kelly's mom, mostly because the Fosters had been working and Kelly would spend all her time out with her friends or helping with Sarah.

Unfortunately, there was a lot to talk about – from the kidnapping, to the threat she made to Sarah's life, the damage she caused, to her suicide. Mrs. Foster didn't know where to start and so, admittedly, hadn't forced herself to make time to speak to Kelly until now.

She had been made aware of what happened. The night Kelly didn't come home from dinner with Sarah's family, Mrs. Foster had a bad feeling. She had waited up a long time, knowing teenagers in love could lose track of time. She had planned how she would discipline Kelly right up until she had fallen asleep. When she woke up the next morning, Kelly still hadn't come home.

Hayley had assured her that Kelly was fine, and Mrs. Foster was inclined to believe her daughter, because Hayley never lied, however a feeling in her gut told her Hayley was wrong. Mrs. Foster didn't learn just how wrong until the end of the day, when Kelly and Hayley both returned home. Kelly apologized for worrying her guardians and explained that she had believed her mother was trying to make amends. Kelly explained how in the morning, only after eating cookies laced with some kind of drug, did Kelly realize her mother was actually trying to "set her straight" as Kelly said.

And she had decided she would do the same with Sarah, only her methods were much softer on her daughter than on the girl she believed was responsible for this mess.

Mrs. Foster insisted they get the police involved, though Kelly insisted her mother was likely long gone from the cottage. Still, Mrs. Foster needed to do something and made the call. The next day, they learned Kelly's mother was dead from what appeared to be a suicide. It was another couple of days before the autopsy confirmed she had shot herself in the head.

Though Kelly's mother was gone, the pain she caused would be ever lasting. Kelly had now, in the span of just a few months, lost her home and both her parents tragically. Her girlfriend, because of her mother's action, had suffered serious brain damage that seemed to be causing unpredictable anger, violence and left Sarah with a stutter that didn't seem to be going away any time soon.

And Kelly was at the center of it all. Mrs. Foster didn't know how to help, but she knew she wanted to. She hugged Kelly tight, promised everything would work out in the end, then made her way downstairs. She passed by Hayley, who was headed up to her room. Mrs. Foster walked to the living room, turned off the TV and looked to her husband.

"Did the social worker say when we could adopt Kelly?"

"Adopt?" Mr. Foster asked. "We're barely her guardians as is. You want to adopt?"

"I want something more stable for her," Mrs. Foster nodded. "There's got to be something we can do to make her life a little easier and…"

"We can't adopt her," Mr. Foster answered. "Not yet, at least."

"So then what? She can't stay in this limbo."

"I can finish the basement for the girls," Mr. Foster suggested. "I can build a room for Kelly so she doesn't have to share anymore and the girls can have a rec space, where they can have their friends over and just hang out."

"Her mother killed herself, and you think a bedroom and rec space is going to help?"

"There is no quick fix here, Ann," Mr. Foster shook his head. "I know you want to do something but… Kelly's going to have to work through this on her own."

"But as far as I'm concerned, she's never had real parents. I just want to show her that even if it's all going to hell for her now, she's got us. We don't plan on letting her go anywhere, right?"

"No," Mr. Foster shook his head. He had welcomed Kelly with open arms as soon as Hayley explained she had been kicked out of her home for being a lesbian and he hadn't looked back. All he needed to know was that she was a good kid and she needed help and he would do everything he could. The arrangement was supposed to be temporary, with Kelly finding a new place to stay, but no one in her family wanted her. Mr. Foster had called everyone he could find, but they were all the same mind as Kelly's parents. If she was a lesbian, they didn't want her.

Not unless they could convert her. Mr. Foster had heard of some of the conversion therapy treatments and he knew he couldn't send Kelly to that. Not only were they torturous and cruel, but they were completely unnecessary.

So, true to their name, they agreed to foster Kelly until a more permanent solution could be found. Unfortunately, as time went on, it seemed the only permanent option Kelly had was to stay with them. Mr. Foster was ready for it, but the process was a long one. It was likely that by the time the paperwork was done and they were real foster parents that Kelly would have aged out.

"We give her a room," he said. "We let her know she has a space here and she's part of this family. The rest will come with time."

"Is that enough?"

Mr. Foster shook his head sadly, "But it's all we can do."

-Ninja-Steel-

Mick paced around the Thompson house. He was expecting Jenny to come home any minute now and was just passing the time until she did. Sarah was up in her room sleeping and Mick didn't want to do anything to wake her.

He ventured into the garage and looked around. It was well set up, with tools all properly stored and a clean work bench. Sarah's hoverboard lay on the table and clearly it hadn't been touched in a while, given the battery light was completely dead.

This was where Sarah worked. This was where the pink Ranger would come home and unwind after a long day. Unfortunately, that was no longer the case. While all the tools were put away on shelves and in drawers, Mick could see all the potential hazards around still. If Sarah had another seizure, or if there was an accident, or if Sarah forgot a safety requirement the consequences could be fatal.

"Mick?" Jenny called as she came home and Mick stepped into the kitchen. He looked to Jenny with a smile. She seemed more relaxed – more like herself – which was what he had hoped for. When she looked around and saw the house was clean, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Was it okay?"

"No problemo," Mick nodded. "We talked and the Rangers came over for a pizza party."

"Any fits?"

"A couple," Mick answered. "To be expected, right?"

"But they were okay?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Mick assured her. "There was a little incident with a screwdriver, but fortunately I shift quickly. No harm, no foul, right?"

"A screwdriver? Mick, you can't let her have tools! If she gets angry she can't control herself and…"

"No harm, no foul," Mick shook his head. "Besides, it was worth it."

"Getting stabbed is worth what?" Jenny asked.

"She remembered Kelly used to fidget when she wrote, so she's been working on making Kelly a fidget cube. She was touched when she found it."

"I… She can't be using tools, Mick."

"I understand," Mick nodded, "But Jenny, for a second there, when she had the tools in her hand, it was Sarah. A hundred percent Sarah. She's still around."

"I know, it's just…"

"I'd like to take her to the Ranger base tomorrow," Mick said. "Get her out of the house for a little bit. Some fresh air should help, seeing her friends should too and if it's okay with you, maybe I can get her to look at our recovery machine?"

"What don't you understand about tools, Mick?"

"Sarah doesn't want to hurt anyone," Mick promised Jenny. "She's frustrated pent up in here and it'll give you another chance to unwind."

"I've already been gone long enough, clearly."

"Jenny, please let me help," Mick said. "I'll take full responsibility for her. I'll keep an eye on her. I'll return her and all the Rangers in one piece. I promise."

"I'll think about it," Jenny said. "Goodnight, Mick."

"Goodnight," Mick said as he left. Jenny sighed loudly then made her way upstairs. She knew Sarah would be fine for the night, but she couldn't keep herself from checking on her daughter at least once before she got ready for bed. As she opened the door, she noticed Sarah was sitting up in her bed, working in her notebook.

"You're still up?"

"I can't-can't s-s-sleep."

"Did you have a good time with Mick?"

Sarah nodded her head, "H-H-How was the sp-sp-spa?"

"You know?"

Sarah nodded again. Jenny sat down at the end of the bed. "Sarah, I'm so sorry. Mick convinced me, he said it was a good idea and… I promise I was thinking of you the whole time and worried and…"

"It's o-o-ok-okay," Sarah said. "You deser-deser-deserve it."

"I felt selfish taking a day off," Jenny said. "Here I am, taking a spa day because I'm exhausted and you're stuck at home still living like… this."

"I had a – had a- had a p-pizza p-pa-par-pizza party. It w-was f-f-fun."

"You're not just saying that?"

"S-S-Sorry I yelled at-t-t you this m-morning. I didn't – I didn't mean – I didn't mean it."

"That's not why I left," Jenny shook her head.

"I know-know," Sarah said. "I-I-I just wa-want-wanted t-to…"

"Take your time," Jenny said as she noticed Sarah's stuttering worsened. It did that if Sarah was feeling frustrated or annoyed and sometimes could help Jenny predict if her daughter would freak out. She saw Sarah's fists clench as she tried to get her words out, but it wasn't easy. Jenny couldn't imagine how it would feel if she had something to say, but couldn't say it.

Eventually, Sarah's stutter won and Sarah responded by launching her notebook across the room. She barely missed Jenny as she threw the book and let out a cry. Jenny pulled her daughter in her arms and held her tight.

"Hey, just take your time," she said. "I'll wait for you."

"Wh-wh-what if I-I-I- What if- What if I d-don't-don't get-t bet-t-t-er?"

"We manage," Jenny promised her. "We figure this out."

"I-I want to-to-to work," Sarah said. "On-on-on my hoverb-b-board."

"Soon. Once we know your seizures are under control," Jenny promised. "I don't want you to get hurt. You understand that, right?"

"I want m-m-my P-P-Power Star. I-I want to – want to help my f-f-friends."

"We're going to figure that all out," Jenny said. "Right now, we're transitioning. You, me, we're still just learning what we can do, okay? But we'll figure it all out."

Sarah nodded her head and Jenny stroked her hair gently, "Did you like having your friends over today?" she felt Sarah nod against her chest. "Mick said, if you were up for it, he'd take you out tomorrow. Do you think that's a good idea?"

"W-With the o-o-others?"

"You can ask your friends to pick you up when they go to train and you can stay with them during the day," Jenny said. "But you have to call if you don't feel well or if something happens. Promise me?"

"Promise."

"And you'll take your medication in the morning? No fuss?"

"N-No promises," Sarah said with a little chuckle. "Some-Sometimes I'm c-cranky in the mor-morning."

"Do your best, okay?" Jenny kissed Sarah's forehead. "I love you, kid."

"I l-love you too."