Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

Chapter 5 – A Family Affair

Kira's prediction came true a few minutes after Tommy called Jason and Trini. Two beams of teleportation entered the house, dissipating to reveal her aunt, and a morphed Red Ranger. Connor barely had time register their arrival before he was hauled out of his seat and dragged into the back yard.

"Uncle Jason stop!" Kira cried as she and the others ran after them. Her plea, however, went unheard as Jason was in full on rage mode. The moment Tommy had spoken the words that told his brain that the guy his goddaughter was supposed to be bonded to had shown up, Jason began imagining every worst case scenario possible, stemming in large part from his experience with Kim and Tommy's bond, though his brain only allowed him to register the negative aspects of it. By the time they were ready to teleport over, he was convinced that his goddaughter was in danger, and once he'd laid eyes on Connor and seen that he was practically a grown man and not a kid like Kira, he was also convinced that the bastard had taken advantage of his ten-year-old niece. But, while Jason's vision was clouded by a red haze, he still recognized that his opponent was unarmed and the Ranger in him would never let him fight an unarmed opponent. So he called on his Power Sword, levelling it at Connor and waited. For all of Ethan's gibes that he was nothing but a dumb jock, Connor wasn't stupid and it didn't take him long to figure out that this Red Ranger was waiting for him to morph, so he did just that; if it was a fight he wanted, that's what he'd get.

"Connor no!" cried Kira, though Trini held her back. She knew Jason needed to fight this guy, she herself wanted to punch him for the simple fact that he existed and what that existence meant for her goddaughter, and once Connor had pulled out his Morpher to accept the fight, she'd no longer step in. Connor ignored his young mate as he morphed and allowed this guy to get one hit in before coming back at him with his Tyranno Staff. The fight started out even, but eventually Jason's experience would have won out, had Connor's attention not been drawn to Kira. While Trini stopped her from physically intervening, Kira still yelled at them both trying to get them to stop, then she just yelled at them and called them names, her anger rising, but it was when she began to cry in earnest and he felt what he quickly recognized to be her pain, that the battle was decided in Connor's favour. Like when Tommy had gone off on him a few hours ago, Connor snapped and his power surged around him, stopping Jason in his tracks before knocking him down and holding him there. Connor de-morphed and stood over Jason, glaring at the older man.

"This is over. I won't let anyone upset my mate." He growled before making his way over to Kira. As he did, Tommy noticed something he hadn't before when Connor had gone off on him. When his power overtook him, the new Red Ranger's eyes became feral, the colour changed from his normal brown to a yellow/green, and even the pupils changed shape until they practically slits, greatly resembling cat eyes. As Connor approached Kira and took her from Trini, pulling her into his arms, his power revelled in her proximity and lost its dangerous edge. After a few moments it receded back inside him entirely and his eyes reverted back to normal.

"I'm sorry." He murmured an apology for his part in all this.

"It hurt." She mumbled into his chest. "Every time he hit you it hurt." Hearing her words, Connor pulled away enough to look her in the eyes, a new fear entering his mind.

"You felt it? When I got hit you did too? That's bad. And that could be very bad in battle." Kira shook her head.

"I didn't get hit like you did, I didn't get knocked back, it didn't feel like a sword was slashing my shoulder or anything. But I felt your pain, and it hurt."

"Dr. O?" Connor asked, wondering if this was normal for the bond. Tommy nodded yes.

"You're one soul in two bodies." He said. "You're connected and you'll know when the other is hurt, or what they're feeling no matter what it is, because of your shared soul. But physical pain won't transfer the same way. One body being physically hurt doesn't mean the other one will be."

"I get that if I cut my hand the cut won't appear on her hand, but she's still feel the same pain I'm in?"

"Not quite." Said Kim. "If I was in pain, so much so that I was crippled by it, Tommy would know that's how much pain I was in and he'd feel a certain amount of it, but he himself wouldn't be crippled by it." Connor and Kira nodded, neither liking this news and both swore to do their best to not get hurt.

"Um…can I get up now?" Jason called from where he was still stuck to the ground. Everyone turned towards him and those who were used to the mighty Red Ranger began laughing seeing him lying prone on the ground, still fully morphed, and unable to get up against some invisible restraint. Kira looked up at Connor and saw that he'd stiffened upon once again laying eyes on the one who'd unleashed his power this time, something that didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"De-morph and surrender, then maybe he won't perceive you as a threat anymore and you'll be able to get up." Said Kim with a smirk. Jason grudgingly did as asked and he and Connor eyed each other for a minute, the latter with a low growl building in his chest, before Jason felt the bonds lift and he pulled himself up off the ground.

"Why don't we go inside and I'll get us a drink." Said Tommy.

"Thomas James-"

"You're not stopping me this time, Kim." He shot back. "Not after the day we've just had. Don't worry, just cause Jase and I have a drink doesn't mean I'm gonna offer them one. They want a drink they can steal one from their own parents' liquor cabinet."

"Thomas!"

"It was a joke!" He and Kim led the way into the house still arguing though it turned into more of a debate, not about alcohol, but about how much Connor and Ethan should be considered Tommy's students while in a Ranger, or personal, setting. Tommy was all for not tampering what they said or how they acted when the two were around so long as the boys didn't slip up at school, while Kim, from experience, didn't have as much faith in teenage boys and thought if they relaxed things too much they would slip up and it'd raise questions they didn't want asked.

"Yes, they're always like this." Kira assured Connor and Ethan, who were still kinda weirded out at seeing a teacher like this and being forced to realize that teachers didn't sleep in the school and live off making their students' lives miserable with pop quizzes.

"Kira…" Jason murmured as he caught up to them. Connor's arm tightened around her and Kira herself turned to glare at her uncle.

"I'm not talking to you." She growled before speeding up, Connor and Ethan trailing behind her. The last thing they heard before entering the house was Trini choosing Kira's side in this.

"Don't look at me." She scolded. "You should have seen this coming. I wanted to punch the guy too, but that didn't mean I came in here fully morphed for battle." The group once again congregated in the living room, Kim obviously having given in as Tommy had his drink, of which there was another for Jason. As they all took a seat, Kira claimed a chair for her and Connor, situating herself in Connor's lap.

"Uh…Kira…?" he mumbled, completely torn about the situation he found himself in. On the one hand, the part of him the bond had awoken was immensely relaxed at having his mate so close, on the other, the human part was uncomfortable at having a kid, who wasn't related to him by blood, in his lap, especially in front of her parents and aunt and uncle.

"Suck it up Connor." She said, knowing exactly what was going through his head. "I need to be close to you right now." She murmured that bit, letting him know that the bond was still going a bit haywire and the proximity helped. "Besides, I'm sure my other aunts and uncles are on their way and they may be of a similar mind as him, and I'm not taking any chances. They want to get at you they'll have to go through me to do it."

"While I cannot speak for my confidants, I personally have no intention of attacking anyone." Came Billy's voice from the doorway where he led the way into the house, closely followed by the rest of the family.

"What he said." Said Rocky.

"Though I think a chat is in order." Zack added.

"So long as it's not a 'chat' like your esteemed leader deemed necessary." Kira ground out.

"He arrived fully morphed didn't he?" Zack asked Trini who nodded.

"If I apologized to him would it make things better?" Jason asked his goddaughter who shot him a sideways glance.

"It would help." She finally said. "And actually getting to know him before judging him would help even more."

"Fine. Connor I apologize." He said, and though his words were forced, they were also sincere. Now that he'd calmed down he was more then happy to take things slowly instead of jumping to conclusions. Connor nodded in acceptance of the Original Red's apology then let the subject drop.

"So I guess introductions are in order." Said Tommy. "Connor, Ethan, these are our friends, former teammates and family. You've unofficially met Jason and Trini, the Original Red and Original Yellow Rangers. They were also the first Blue and Yellow Zeo Rangers, and Jase returned as the Gold Zeo Ranger. Then we have Zack, the Original Black and first Green Zeo, that's Billy, Original Blue who then spent years keeping us one step ahead of our enemies as our tech advisor. That's his wife, Katherine, or Kat, also a tech advisor before becoming the second Pink Turbo Ranger. Then we've got Aisha and her husband Rocky, the second Yellow and Blue Zeo Rangers, then there's Tanya and her husband Adam, the Yellow Turbo Ranger, and the second Green Zeo Ranger and first Green Turbo Ranger. Next to them is Justin, the Blue Turbo Ranger, TJ, the second Red Turbo Ranger and Blue Space Ranger, and his wife Cassie, the Pink Space Ranger, that's Andros, the Red Space Ranger and his wife Ashley the Yellow Space Ranger and they brought the twins, Anthony and Laurina,"

"Sorry," said Ashley. "We'd figured you'd be calling in Alpha, so no last minute babysitter."

"Damn it! I knew I was forgetting something!" Said Tommy.

"I'll get him." Billy said, before teleporting out as Tommy continued the introductions.

"Then there's Carlos, the second Green Turbo Ranger and the Black Space Ranger, and finally we have Zhane, the Silver Space Ranger and his wife Karone, the second Pink Galaxy Ranger. Guys, this is Connor and Ethan, two of my students and part of the newest team of Rangers, the Red and Blue Dino Rangers respectively. Did I miss anything or anyone else?" he asked Kim after that very lengthy introduction.

Kim shook her head as she looked around at the group. All of their relationships had worked out, staying strong throughout the years until one by one they ended up married. Zack and Angela had also lasted, the two joining their friends in getting married, though it was a close call when Zack decided to come clean about being a Ranger. Angela had been pissed, to say the least, that he'd kept it from her for as long as he did, and demanding he tell her everything, but eventually she calmed down and realized that she didn't want to know every little thing. She was glad she knew he was a Ranger, and told him under no uncertain terms that any time he had to go off on Ranger business she was to be told, and to be left with a way of contacting him, or someone who could assure her he was still alive. But beyond that she didn't really want to know the details, so at gatherings like this where the purpose of the family gathering wasn't some regular family get together but rather had to do with Ranger business, she willingly excluded herself, sticking to her adage that 'partial ignorance is bliss.'

Jason and Trini, Aisha and Rocky and Tanya and Adam's marriages had been absolutely no surprise and the six had all settled down in Angel Grove. Adam spent years as the head teacher at Angel Grove's largest dojo and when the owner, an elderly man who'd started it up when he'd been Adam's age, passed away, he left the dojo to Adam, having no children of his own. Adam had enlisted the services of Jason and Rocky to help out for just a little while as he got things running, but the three had found they enjoyed their arrangement and since Jason had planned on opening a dojo, and Rocky and Adam had always said they'd open one together, the three had remained business partners, with some help from Trini for the accounts. Trini herself had originally planned on running the business side of Jason's dojo, but with Rocky and Adam she wasn't as needed and so ended up becoming an accountant, finding that she enjoyed both the numbers aspect and helping people sort their finances, and in some cases lives, out. After spending some time at Stone Canyon's Humane Society, Aisha had gone to veterinary school and was now one of the vets at Angel Grove's own Animal Shelter, while her cousin's singing career had taken off and her fame made it so she no longer had to work out of New York, but could settle in Angel Grove, though she did travel a fair bit.

Billy and Kat had also gotten married not quite a year ago. They still lived in London, Kat now being one of the top dancers for the Royal Ballet, while Billy had gotten his undergrad, Masters and multiple PhDs from Oxford, Cambridge and St. Andrews and now ran the Astro Physics department at Oxford, having turned down numerous offers from Lightspeed Rescue to stay close to Kat. Justin had practically followed in Billy's footsteps, though remained on this side of the pond. After graduating high school at age twelve, as valedictorian no less, he had chosen to earn his undergrad from Harvard via correspondence, not wanting to be away from his father. Eventually he'd also gotten his Masters and PhD before going back to school one again at MIT. Now, at nineteen, he'd started a job at Lightspeed Rescue, helping Mrs. Rawlings with anything and everything Lightspeed needed; unlike Billy, he'd had no reason to turn Lightspeed down.

Andros and Ashley had, of course, been married for awhile and were the only Rangers apart from Kim and Tommy to currently have children. Ashley was quite happily as a stay at home mom, though she occasionally helped out Ernie at the Youth Centre, who'd returned after a few years of his humanitarian work, while Andros acted as an ambassador between Earth and KO-35, opening the first intergalactic negotiations for Earth, and finally getting Earthlings to see that not all beings from other planets wanted to hurt them. TJ and Cassie had eventually gotten around to getting married after years of being engaged; at only 25 neither had really seen a reason to rush things, even though they knew pretty early on that's where they were headed. The two worked together for Lightspeed as envoys to various planets, the two living in the Astro Megaship Mark II, having commandeered it from Andros for their travels. Zhane and Karone had gotten together after her time as the Pink Galaxy Ranger while she was still traveling the universe to atone for her time as Astronema. Zhane had helped her see that it hadn't been her fault, as well as all the good she'd done afterwards, and they'd been inseparable ever since.

Carlos had been the one to surprise them all by getting together with a rather hardcore Ranger fan, at least on the surface. She was a girl name Marissa who went to Angel Grove High with them, having been a year behind Carlos and the other Space Rangers. After they'd revealed their identities she'd pursued Carlos who was naturally weary of people who only liked him because he was a Ranger. On one particular day when she'd been extra loud about how great it must be to be a Power Ranger, Carlos had exploded, screaming all of the horrible things that came with being a Ranger at her, and had let down his walls, which is what she had been waiting for, for him to let her in. Turned out she'd liked him since middle school but he never gave her the time of day, then when she'd had the courage to actively pursue him, he'd built walls around him as he guarded himself from those who would only like him for his Morpher and the fame that came with it. She'd worked for months to break those walls down, quickly discovering the quickest way would be to piss him off until they had a blazing argument followed by a bit of confession time. After, Carlos had given her a chance and slowly let her in for real as he realized she was entirely sincere. They'd been together for four years now, being the last of their group to get married only six months ago.

While the knowledge of the prophecy had started out with only the Originals, they'd decided to include their more extended friends in that after an attempt on Kira just after Lightspeed Rescue began their fight against the demons. Kira had been bugging and bugging the Space Rangers to take her into space, to see other planets, which she had begun learning about in school, and they'd finally relented. Along with Tommy and Kim, they'd taken spring break of 2000 to travel to various places in the universe. Somehow news of their journey had gotten out and the Astro Megaship had been attacked. Karone, or rather Astronema had saved them. Since Zhane helped her make peace with her past, she'd learned that most of the universe still feared Astronema and it was quite useful in keeping other evil beings under control to pretend to still be her on occasion. She also still possessed her powers, having not gained them from being evil, but rather her own innate abilities. Karone had not initially been brainwashed, she'd been captured as a young girl and raised to be evil. They'd taught her to use her powers for evil, but they were her powers. Add in the Dark Fortress which still existed, the Quantrons she could still create with a snap of her fingers, and her faithful general Ecliptor, whose genuine love for the girl he'd raised since early childhood had saved him from destruction when Zordon's energy hit, and she had most evil beings in the universe believing that she was merely biding her time and would destroy any one of them that got in her way.

It was during this venture that Karone told them that Dark Spector had informed his top minions to be on the lookout for a being of ultimate power, and also when she'd realized, from Tommy and Kim's reaction, that that being was Kira. Apparently, those other top minions had informed others and so while no one knew exactly who they were looking for, or what exactly the ultimate power was, they knew there was such a being. Though with the targeted attempt on Kira, Tommy and Kim became worried that people had discovered the truth. However, Karone didn't think so, fully believing the attack had been because Kira was the child of two Power Rangers, two of the longest serving Rangers and also of Rita's powerful former Evil Green Ranger, whose existence had been widely spread throughout the universe by the evil sorceress herself. With the Space Rangers now knowing of Kira being a being of ultimate power, they'd not kept the prophecy from them, or from the other Zeo and Turbo Rangers, though only the Originals knew the entirety of it. None save for them knew the exact wording, nor what exactly the bond Kira would have would entail, for they still only knew part of the story of Tommy and Kim's bond, the two still steadfastly refusing to say anymore then they already had.

Billy teleported in with Alpha and now that the family, the Ranger part of it anyways, really was all there the evening, and reason they were all here, could begin.

"That's Alpha 5," Kira explained just before he mother started talking. "He was a companion to Zordon, long story don't ask right now, as well as a friend and tech advisor from the Originals onwards."

"I don't know how much was explained to you over the phone." Kim started, her and Tommy having split the calls. "But you all know of the prophecy, and we thought you had a right to meet the one the prophecy said Kira could be bonded to." She merely pointed to Connor, though with Kira still in his lap it was pretty obvious. Connor was met by a wide variety of looks, ranging from curiosity to uncertainty to pure loathing on principle. That last one was basically coming from Zack, and even Billy, the only other two people, who were capable of facial expression, to know the entirety of the prophecy and wonder, like Jason had, if he'd been taking advantage of their niece, and though the current seating arrangement wasn't helping in that aspect, the fact that he was still alive told them he hadn't, for neither Tommy nor Kim, let alone a fully morphed and out for blood Jason, would have let him live if he had.

"Are they really all your aunts and uncles?" Connor whispered when the calculating stares continued.

"Pretty much." She whispered back. "None of them are related to me biologically, but they are my aunts and uncles. But come on, given the situation would biology really make a difference?"

"Nope." He nearly squeaked. Finally, Aisha broke the silence.

"Ok, so he's her bond mate. How close is it to yours?" she asked Tommy and Kim.

"Really close." Tommy said. "So far the only thing you know of that we have and they don't is telepathy."

"And killing him isn't an option?" Justin asked, being the only one of the non-Originals to look at him with pure loathing. Due to the lesser age difference between him and Kira, and the fact that he himself and been a kid when they'd met, he wasn't like an uncle to her, but more like an older brother. And being an only child himself, Justin was more then happy to fill that role, meaning he too hated Connor on principle.

"Hey, can we not talk of killing my mate?" Kira demanded, starting to get pissed off again.

"No." Said Jason, ignoring Kira's outburst. "Turns out his power isn't anything to laugh at, I had my ass handed to me earlier, and trust me it's not because he's a superior fighter."

"We've thought of it, believe me, but there's also the rather large fact that her life force is tied to his. Kill him and she dies too." Grumbled Tommy.

"THAT'S IT!" Kira screeched, her Ptera Scream coming out enough to make them all cover their ears. She jumped up and grabbed Connor's hand, making him stand with her. "I'm sick of you guys and your attitude! I get you're upset and worried, but this has happened and it's never going to change, and I don't want to be around any of you until you accept that and grow up! So until then stay away from us!" Having had her say Kira stormed off, pulling Connor behind her and it wasn't long before they heard the back door slam shut.

"Nicely done guys." Kim snapped, slapping Tommy over the head while Trini did the same to Jason. "And you're not off the hook either, Justin Stewart!" The two girls weren't the only ones to be sending glares at the boys, for the two-year-old twins had awoken by the sound of Kira's scream, causing Ashley and Andros to glare at them as they tried to calm their children down.

"It was just a joke…" Muttered Jason.

"Really, Jason?" Trini snapped this time. "Cause the way you attacked the boy when you first arrived is proof to it not being just a joke."

"You wanted to attack him too!"

"A part of me, as I'm sure a part of all of us, wanted to slap him on principle. But on principle because of what he signifies to our niece and her future, not because of him or anything he's done or that we've convinced ourselves he's done. We don't even know the first thing about him, except his name and Ranger colour!"

"Can I say something?" Ethan, who'd been sitting quietly in the corner this entire time, spoke up when things grew silent for awhile.

"Of course, Ethan." Said Kim.

"I don't know what's going on here beyond what we've been told in the last several hours, but from what we have been told, and all of your reactions, it's not that hard to guess that all this can go very badly, and all because of how Connor treats Kira." When no one corrected him he continued. "Connor and I may not be BFFs but I've known him my whole life, and he's a good guy. An airheaded dumb jock…yes. But he's loyal, and caring, and he'd never hurt someone on purpose. That's how he got detention that day." He directed to Tommy. "Yeah he was skipping class, but he was doing it because Jackson, a junior who he's only slightly better friends with then he and I are, really wants to be on the soccer team. Jackson didn't ask Connor for help, Connor offered. They've been practicing all summer, and with tryouts only a couple weeks away Connor was working with him as much as he could. He hides behind his popular kid jock persona sometimes, but he cares." Everyone, Tommy and Jason especially, thought on what Ethan said. If someone like Ethan, who didn't really have loyalty to Connor as a friend, and who by all accounts would be on the receiving end of bullying from the jock to the nerd, could say that of him, then there must be a great deal of truth in it, for Ethan had no reason to lie to them. Then there was the fact that The Power had chosen Connor to be a Ranger. They knew that you didn't have to be pure of heart or the best person in the world to become a Ranger, there were certainly Rangers out there who were selfish and cold as proof, but that didn't mean that they weren't good people. The Power would never chose you if you took pleasure in other people's pain, or if you didn't care, or wouldn't ultimately do the right thing, even if it wasn't necessarily the right thing for you.

"On top of all that," Kim continued, knowing they all had been thinking of the same thing. "There's one thing you, though granted mainly Tommy, has forgetting. He can't hurt her. He loves her, she is the most important person in the universe to him and he would do anything to keep her safe and make her happy. They are the same person, they share a soul. I know we've told you all that, but no matter how many times we tell you, you don't feel it, so you're forgiven for not remembering, but you," she directed to Tommy. "Shouldn't have forgotten because you can't! Our bonds are similar, very similar, and I know you've been concentrating on the negative aspects of it, but that's no excuse for forgetting all the good! Now go talk to them. I mean it Thomas! You get your head out of your ass and you fix this, you fix it now!"

Feeling like the ass he was being called, Tommy did as he was told and went outside. He couldn't see the two he sought and for a moment he felt fear well up inside him again, remembering Kim's challenge for the Zeo Shard. But, he forced himself to calm down and remember that his daughter favoured a spot by the stream just inside the woods surrounding their house. Sure enough, he found Kira and Connor sitting behind a large boulder right next to the water. Connor had Kira in his arms, his hand running through her hair, and Tommy's heart clenched as he neared and heard the sniffling coming from his child.

"Kira…" he murmured, stopping in his tracks as the two stiffened and Connor let loose a growl.

"If you're here to try and kill my mate, you can just fuck off cause it's not going to happen." She said, letting out her own growl. Tommy flinched. She'd never used that word in his, or Kim's, presence before, let alone directed at either of them. It didn't surprise him that she knew it, he'd known it at her age, but for someone that young to actually use it meant things were bad.

"I'm just here to talk." Tommy responded, taking a seat on a nearby rock but keeping his distance. "I wanted to apologize, to both of you. We shouldn't have said what we did. We were wrong and I'm sorry."

"You know I'm hearing the words come out of your mouth, but they sound entirely like mom's."

"Well, don't forget, we are essentially one person-"

"And don't you forget that so are we!" Kira snapped, finally lifting her head to face her father. "We may be younger then you, I may be quite a bit younger then when your bond formed, but we have an almost identical bond! 'The Child will be bound to another as the Lady is to her Lord' It's the same. We share a soul, we are one person, just like you and mom. The only difference I see is that our bond probably isn't fully developed because I'm not fully developed. Good chance that'll change in five or six years when I'm grown. When I'm old enough to have sex."

"So not helping…" Connor muttered, once that three-letter word was said.

"I don't care! Because that's really the difference here. You and mom were both teenagers. You may still have been young but your bodies were old enough to have sex so it happened right away, whereas for us it won't cause I'm only ten. But just because that one aspect is different doesn't mean that we're not just as connected as you two. How would you feel if someone threatened your mate? How would you feel if someone, someone you loved, said they'd thought of killing mom?" Tommy knew exactly how he'd feel for the mere thought of it had Tom raising his ugly head.

"Beyond angry." Tommy answered finally. "Betrayed cause it was someone I loved who said it. And willing to do anything to stop them."

"I know the feeling." Kira breathed, her eyes still a mixture of sadness and anger.

"You're right. Everything you said it true, but you have to understand that it's different-"

"Different?!" she cried, anger winning out once more. "Were you not just listen-"

"Listening to a word you said?" Tommy interrupted. "Yes, I was. And that's why I wasn't going to say different for you, but rather it's different for me. And for mom, and Uncle Jason, and the rest of our family." Kira eyed him wearily, wondering where he was going with this, as Connor merely kept quiet but ready to intervene if things got out of hand. "You're my daughter, Kira. And that right there is the reason it's different for me. The bond Kim and I share may be the same as the one you and Connor share, and all four of us may want to protect our mates at all costs, but your mother and I also have the added pressure of protecting our child. You may now understand what protecting your mate feels like, but you will never understand protecting your child until you have one of your own."

'Which I hope to god isn't for at least another ten+ years.' He added in his head, hoping against hope that she'd bypass teenage pregnancy.

"I have loved you from the moment your mother told me she was pregnant. And from the first time I saw your tiny, scrunched up face and held you in my arms, I swore I'd never let anything hurt you. We brought you into the world when we were both Power Rangers, and our enemies would have, and did, do anything to get their hands on you. But we protected you from all that, and then not even a year after you were born we learn there's something we'd never be able to protect you from. We learned about the prophecy and it was the scariest moment of our lives…until today. For nearly ten years we've lived with the knowledge that there would come a day when you would be bound to someone as we were to each other. That alone scared us, and if our bond was only the good things we feel, it would still scare us, but that isn't the case. There's a dark side to our bond that we've…more or less told you about, but it…that…that you would, or even just the possibility that you could, go through any of it scares the shit out of us. We didn't have a good start, your mother and I, and I…I can't even think of you going through what she did."

"Which part? The pain from the mark when she disobeys or leaves you? Or the part I know you're alluding to, but would never say aloud, where you raped her?" Tommy's eyes widened at her words, but Kira just rolled hers.

"Come on, dad. I know what happened on the Moon, I know how I was conceived. Between the wording of the prophecy and what you guys have and haven't said over the years it wasn't hard to figure out." Tommy hung his head, having hoped she'd never figure it out even though he knew it was a great possibility that she eventually would. But to hear her say it out loud, and when she was still so young, was a shock to his system. "But I also know that you were evil when that happened. You were under Rita's spell and I know you'd never have done it if you had been yourself."

"You sound exactly like your mother. She said the exact same thing to me ten years and nine months ago."

"Well I am her daughter." Kira said with a small smile. "And I'm also yours which is probably why I got angry so fast."

"You get that from both of us actually."

"I always thought it took longer for her to get angry, but when she did we all ran for cover." Tommy laughed at his daughter's attempt at a joke and conceded her point. Kim wasn't as quick to anger, but when she did get angry it was a full on rage.

"Dr. O." Connor spoke up finally. "I get you and Mrs. O are scared. That your entire family is scared…hell I'm scared. But I would never hurt her. I could never hurt her. I don't know how many times, or ways, I can explain this, or even if I can explain it differently or better then I am, but I don't feel that way towards her. Kira is the most precious thing in the world to me and I want to, and will, protect her with everything I am. The bond wants us to be close, as I'm sure you know, and yes, things like this," he motioned to their current position with her in his lap and their arms wrapped tightly around each other. "Feel amazing. I've never been happier or more at peace then when she's in my arms. But even if that's true, there is absolutely nothing sexual in my feelings towards her. I swear to you, the closest I want to be physically is being able to hold her like this."

"And even if that changes when I grow up." Kira added before her dad could say anything. "That doesn't mean that he's going to rape me. You didn't rape her because of the bond. The two have nothing in common, at least as far as I see it, because from everything you have and haven't said, it would have happened whether the bond was there or not, because you were evil. So unless I'm greatly mistaken, it plays no part in your bond, which means it plays no part in how our bonds will be similar."

"I can't believe my ten-year-old daughter is talking sense into me about this." Tommy muttered. "This is something most beings could never normally understand no matter how old they are, and yet my ten-year-old is talking about it as if she knows it all and has all the answers."

"Well no one ever said I was normal. In fact there's an ancient prophecy that clearly says I'm not normal." This time there was no laugh from Tommy, it hit too close to home. "And I don't know it all or have all the answers. I'm just doing what I can, and seeing it from a point of view from someone who hasn't had nearly ten years to brood over it." Tommy sighed and nodded his head, before standing up, feeling that the conversation was over. Connor too stood and as Kira was still in his arms he brought her with him before setting her on her feet. Kira then went over to her dad and the two pulled each other into a much-needed hug.

"I love you daddy." Kira murmured. "Just because Connor's around now doesn't mean that's going to change." Tommy held his daughter that much tighter as he once again marvelled at how much like her mother she was, for on top of everything else she noticed that he had been feeling like he was losing his daughter to the new man in her life. And while he supposed this was a common occurrence for fathers whenever their daughters met the man they were going to spend the rest of their lives with, he knew it wasn't normal for it to happen at age ten, which only served to amplify those feelings. But, with one simple sentence, Kira had worked to alleviate his fears, just like the many times her mother had before her. Sighing in resignation at the fact that she was all this at such a young age, Tommy pulled his daughter closer.

"I love you, sweetie."

A/N - Another chapter of talking as warned and there's one more to come, sorry. I promise things speed up after that. I did want to get in a bit of where everyone is in their lives, and I thought I did an ok job with it. Other then that, not much to say about this chapter.

Review please!