AN: I probably should have apologized for the shortness of the chapters earlier. They're all pretty much like this but you've been getting one a day so you really shouldn't complain (not that anyone has, I just feel bad).

The Return

Chapter 3

Lily jumped with a small cry.

"Sorry, miss," the elderly conductor said with a kind smile, "but this is your stop."

Lily sighed, feeling the train slow down. She could feel the concerned looks from her fellow passengers but ignored them, she had more important things to worry about.

"Do you need any help?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Thank you though." She stood, feeling her sore muscles protest. They wanted more sleep -- a lot more sleep.

"Are you all right?" the conductor asked, eyeing her arm.

Lily looked down. Her forearm was swollen slightly and she needed to change the bandages.

"I'm fine," she said, pulling her backpack from the shelf above her seat and headed downstairs.

When the train stopped she hurried into the station. She was lucky, the station was fairly new and had family bathrooms for people with small children. She rushed into one of them, telling herself it was for the best since she anyone who saw her in the normal bathroom would call the police, after they puked of course. She started by unwrapping her arm. The bandages were bloody, but that was her own fault for trying to use her speed. She could see that Casey's stitching was holding together well and she silently thanked him and whoever had taught him, she'd have to ask him about that when this was all over. She took some alcohol from her first aid kit and held her arm over the sink as she cleaned the cuts. There was nothing she could do about the swelling and she could only hope it wasn't becoming infected. As she slowly wrapped a new bandage around her arm she wondered how the boys were doing. She sincerely hoped that neither of them were hurt. Once her injury was taken care of she quickly changed clothes. She dearly wanted a shower but this was the best she could manage. She made sure her old bandages were well hidden in the trash can before leaving, she didn't want any small children freaking out.

She looked around the bustling station. Even at six in the morning things were hectic around here. A sign on the far wall told her the upcoming arrivals and departures. She only had five minutes to buy a ticket and run down to the bus station if she was going to get to the base any time before noon. She ran through the station, wincing as her arm protested the movement. Whatever was wrong with RJ, she was sure there wasn't much time.

Camille had not been comfortable with the way things were going ever since Dai Shi returned. He ignored her far more than was acceptable, he ignored his own shortcomings but picked on ever insignificant one of hers, he had brought Carnisoar into their ranks, and now he was talking to the ranger's master. That last one wouldn't have bothered her several hours ago when she had thought the human was under the influence of Carnisoar's spell, but after what happened last night…. She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the Red Ranger's screams, but the moment she did she saw his face when he fell. She had never seen anything like it and dearly hoped she never would again.

She shook herself and watched Dai Shi. Ever since she'd brought the human he'd been on edge. He had good reason to be. The evil coming from the human wasn't the result of any spell, it was old and strong. Whatever it was, wherever it had come from, it was terrifying.

"You will fight with us," Dai Shi said.

RJ smirked. "I fight with no one."

Carnisoar shot Camille a glare from his place behind Dai Shi's throne. Camille winced and backed further behind her usual hiding column.

"But I will destroy the rangers," RJ continued.

"He already defeated the Red Ranger," Camille said quickly.

"Really?" Dai Shi asked, torn between anger and interest.

"He tasted delicious," RJ said, a growl in the back of his throat.

Camille winced, trying to force the memory down once more. Dai Shi allowed the human to leave. When the heavy doors had closed, Dai Shi appeared beside Camille and dug his claws into her arm.

"Ow!" she cried before she could stop herself.

"What did he do to the Red Ranger?" Dai Shi asked, his voice low.

"I- I don't know -- exactly. But when the Red Ranger fell -- he was still alive but his eyes looked dead."

"You're sure he was alive?"

"Yes, his heart was beating and his chest was still rising and falling." Camille ducked her head, not wanting Dai Shi to see the fear or sadness in her eyes. She usually wouldn't feel pity for one of the rangers, but -- she had lied to Dai Shi. She knew exactly what had happened to the Red Ranger and no one deserved that kind of fate.

Eric Meyers was a patient man. He was a fair man. He was a strong man. He was a reasonable man. But he was in no way a good man. At least, that was what he decided as he stood on the side of the highway, bent over the open back of his van. They had agreed long ago that he would do this, that he would be the one to handle this. And he had taken some pride in that because it showed that he was a good man, especially after the long months Taylor had to go it alone. Oh yeah, he was a saint. A saint who fully intended to have a long, drawn out conversation with his wife concerning the terms of their marriage.

A perfectly timed giggle from the van made Eric smile.

"Yeah," he said, "you're right, she'd kill me. And where would that leave the two of --"

Eric stopped and whirled around at the sound of a twig cracking behind him. He dropped his defensive stance when he saw a surprised girl with a bandaged arm and an oversized backpack.

"Sorry," he said.

The girl nodded but just continued on her way. Eric looked around. The highway was relatively busy. The cars that whizzed by stirred up the fallen leaves scattered on the roadside. The wild trees and bushes that dominated the landscape swayed in the artificial wind. Wherever the girl was going she'd get skin cancer and a snake bite by the time she got there -- and possibly get assaulted by some idiot college kids.

"Hey!" he called. She was just reached the front end of the minivan but turned to regard him from behind her sunglasses. "How about a ride?"

One of her eyebrows lifted gracefully but she shook her head.

"Come on," he said, keeping an eye on the trunk, "what kind of psychopathic killer drives around in a minivan with a giant stuffed t-rex in the back and wears a shirt covered in creamed carrots, spit up, and what I hope to God is creamed prunes."

The girl giggled.

"I'll take that as a yes," Eric said. He bent down to lift Eli from the changing blanket and the girl came up behind him. "You can put your stuff back here after I --" The girl quickly folded the blankets and moved them to the side. "Thanks," Eric said, somehow balancing the baby and tying the used diaper up in a plastic bag. "Jump in."

Once Eli was buckled in beside his brother and Eric was sitting in his own seat he turned to the girl.

"So, do you have a name?"

"Lily," she said with a smile, removing her sunglasses.

"Eric," he said, shaking her hand. "Where are you heading, Lily?"

"To see my sister," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "She's at the air force base. I took the bus as far as it would go, but they're not allowed any closer to the base."

Eric pulled out onto the road carefully. He was stopped from asking another question by a cry from the backseat. He laughed. "This is Eli and Cooper."

Lily turned half around and smiled at the two boys. "Hi," she said, her voice rising an octave. "How are you?" she asked reaching back and wincing as her arm brushed the top of the seat.

"What happened?" Eric asked, noting her bandages.

"Just an accident. It's nothing."

"It looks like more than that. When we get off the highway we should stop and I'll take a look at it. I've got a first aid kit in the back and I'm a pretty handy medic when the occasion calls for it."

"No," Lily said firmly, "I'll be fine."

Eric looked sidelong at her but decided to drop the issue. "You know, my wife used to be stationed at this air force base, maybe I've met your sister. What's her name?"

"Taylor Earheart."

Eric jerked the wheel to the right as hard as he could. The car swung around and only stopped when it was resting on the side of the road, facing the opposite direction. Eric ignored the honks from other cars and his son's cries of protest. He pulled his quantum blaster 2.0 from beneath his seat and leveled it at Lily's head.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.