Kendall woke with a start by the sound of someone calling her name. She lifted her head off her desk in the lab and had a quick look around. She wasn't sure what had happened after she left the museum but when she reached to her head she could feel a bandage where blood had once been. She assumed she had gone to the doctor's, like Chase promised, and then returned back to work. She was in the lab, after all, and her computer was logged on.

Though, for the life of her, she couldn't remember any of it. This was all just assumptions based on what were admittedly some very fuzzy memories.

"Kendall, is time to go home," Koda told her, looking down with some worry. Kendall nodded her head, saw it was well past quitting time and tried to get to her feet. She was a little shaky though and Koda had to reach out to steady her.

"You're not looking well, Lady Kendall," Ivan said, moving in closer to get a look at her. "And what is that bandage doing on your head?"

"Occupational hazard," Kendall explained. "I've seen a doctor, though. Don't worry."

"You've been to a doctor?" Ivan frowned. "When did this happen?"

"Why not tell us?" Koda asked.

"I didn't want to worry you," Kendall grabbed her purse and logged off the computer. She had no idea what she had been working on but figured she could figure that out, as well as get back to it later. Her head was spinning. Clearly she needed a break. Maybe it was whatever painkillers the doctor had prescribed her. She opened her purse, looking through to see if she could recognize the pills, but there was nothing there.

Why would her memory be so fuzzy if she was completely sober? She hadn't hit her head that hard, had she? And if she had, the doctor wouldn't have let her return to work. Maybe she had insisted. She did have a lot that needed to be done. Or she could have been testing out the charger again.

Thinking of the charger, Kendall asked Koda if he could bring her laptop home. If the charger had malfunctioned twice, Kendall wanted to know what was wrong with it. She couldn't test it at home like in the lab, but she could run several scans overnight. Koda picked up the laptop like he was asked while Kendall went to pick up the charger. However, it wasn't where she left it, nor was it on the floor where she found it earlier after passing out, nor was it in her morpher.

"It... it's gone," she whispered. Ivan, who had stayed close to her side while Koda was getting the laptop, frowned to her curiously.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The charger," she said. "I... I've been working on a new weapon. Something to increase the strength of the Ranger suits tenfold in case of trouble."

"Why do that?" Koda asked.

"Just... to be safe," Kendall said. "In case something or someone does come after the energems."

"But Sledge and Fury gone," Koda insisted. "Kendall scan say so."

"Yes, but something weird happened and... Koda, I just want to be safe," Kendall said. "I'd rather be ready for something that never happens, then let the two of you jump into trouble unprepared."

"What kind of trouble?" Ivan asked.

"I... I can't answer that," Kendall said. "But that's not important. There's a powerful charger that I can't find. Neither of you took it, right?"

Koda and Ivan looked to each other, shaking their heads. Even though work in the lab was a lot less dangerous since Sledge and his monsters were gone, both were still very careful around Kendall's things. And they would never touch, never mind take anything without her permission.

Knowing they were honest men, Kendall rubbed her temples when she saw their answers. She was quickly growing frustrated. First, someone had logged into her computer, as her, and she had no memory of the event or explanation for who it could be. Now, a very powerful and highly dangerous, incomplete charger had disappeared right out from under her nose.

Both of these had taken place inside a lab only a handful of people knew about. All of which Kendall trusted with her life. And there was no clear explanation for why any of those people would do something of the sort to her and lie about it. If they had logged in, Kendall only wanted to know why. If they had taken a charger, Kendall would only insist they be careful with it.

Suddenly, tears started to come to her eyes. Kendall couldn't explain the rush of emotion. She was generally good about keeping her feelings to herself, and frustration rarely led to such an emotional reaction in front of her friends. Ivan saw the tears and turned to Koda, who shoved the bag with Kendall's laptop into the knight's hands and took the scientist in his arms.

"It okay," he promised her. "Maybe forget where put charger. Find in morning, after sleep."

"You do look like you need it," Ivan added. Kendall nodded, wiped her tears and followed the boys out of the lab.

-Dino-Charge-

Kendall looked down at the cup of tea being offered to her by Heckyl. They had been getting home at the same time, and seeing the cut on her head, Heckyl offered to have Kendall over for a bit before they both called it a day. Having a vague memory of rejecting him earlier, Kendall accepting his invitation and allowed the boys to head into her apartment while she spent some time with Heckyl.

He was always polite and always ready to listen, and something about him drew Kendall in. When she was with him, she felt more able to take risks and try things she had never done before. He had already convinced her to sing publicly. Kendall wondered what else he could draw out of her. What else could she discover about herself that couldn't be done when she was busy at work or busy with her responsibilities as a Ranger?

"Break ins, huh?" he asked, taking a seat next to her on the couch. Kendall nodded her head.

"I'm not sure," she clarified. "All I know is some strange stuff has been going on in the museum and I... I can't figure it out."

"And you hate that," Heckyl chuckled. "Do you think maybe you're overworked?"

"I've had less work to do lately than I have in the last year," Kendall said. "Things are slowing down. For the first time in forever I've been feeling like I can take my time on stuff. How is that overworked?"

"You decline me more often than I'd like because of work," he reminded her. "I've been meaning to take you back to Karaoke Night. There's actually a contest next week. I think, between the two of us, we'd kill it."

"Thanks, but..."

"Don't refuse me," Heckyl begged her. "Not yet, at least."

He turned on some music and got to his feet, inviting Kendall to take his hand and join him. "It's not a formal thing. You can decide to go the day of. Until then, what if we just got you comfortable with the music."

"Heckyl, I..."

"What I love about music is how relaxed it can make you," he told her, smiling softly as he wrapped his arms around her and began to sway to the soft beat. "Whenever I feel like I'm losing control, I just turn on some music and I let myself go."

Kendall tried resisting. Work got her feeling relaxed. When she finally made a breakthrough, or reached the end of an experiment or completed an invention; that was when she felt the most relaxed. She had no problem believing music could help keep Heckyl calm, but it wasn't the same for her.

Yet, she felt herself relaxing in his arms, and found herself feeling more and more comfortable as the music took over. In fact, she almost felt as comfortable as she was around Chase.

Suddenly, she stopped swaying with Heckyl and gently pushed him back. She shook her head, looking hurt. Heckyl leaned in closer, softly holding her arm.

"Is everything okay?"

"I can't do this," she said, looking up at him. "If you think this is a date or something..."

"Why not?" Heckyl asked, looking a little disappointed. "Is there someone else?"

"I... no... I mean..."

"Who?" Heckyl asked before he frowned slightly. "Don't tell me it's that Kiwi I rescued. I thought you said you were just friends."

"We are, but he..."

"What do you think is going to happen between the two of you?" Heckyl asked her. "Isn't he gone? Back in New Zealand with his family? If he really loved you, wouldn't he have stayed?"

Kendall looked up, horrified by those words.

"Kendall, that's it!" her mother shouted, dragging her by the arm up the stairs and into her bedroom before throwing her on the bed. "You're grounded!"

"But mom, I was just..."

"Just what? Huh, Kendall. What exactly is it you think you were trying to do?"

"I just wanted to know where he is," she said, pointing to the notebook her mother held in the other hand. "He's been gone a long time and..."

"You think some stupid letters are going to bring him back?"

"Yes?" Kendall flinched as her mother tossed the notebook across the room, and the seven year old had to remind herself that this was the alcohol's doing. It was only the middle of the afternoon, and Kendall had just gotten back to school, but her mother had already drunk a couple of bottles of wine and wasn't thinking straight. Kendall knew later she would have to put her mother to bed, and was looking forward to not having to tip-toe around her house so much.

"The man's a bastard!" her mother yelled. "He's a dirt bag, a lazy, useless husband and a dick of a father!"

"No, mom..."

"You know what," her mother growled. "You want to write to him, go ahead."

She walked over to the other side of the room, where the notebook had fallen. She swayed a little under the influence of her drink, and couldn't pick up the notebook on the first try. However, when she did, she walked back over to Kendall and shoved it into her daughter's arms. "Write to him. Write to him and learn firsthand that people only break your heart. But keep this in mind, Kendall. If he really loved you, wouldn't he have stayed?"

"I'm here," Heckyl told her. "I'm sticking around. I don't have plans to travel across the world. All I want to do is be here, to be with you. Haven't I earned something?"

"It's complicated..."

"People who care stay. I'm sure you've figured that out," he said, as though he could read her mind and Kendall began to doubt what she had with the other Rangers. At the first sign of calm, anyone who could had packed up and left. Sure, they kept in touch, but they weren't around. Kendall remembered waking up earlier that day in the lab after a test gone wrong, and knew she never would have woken up alone had the Rangers been around. They would have found her, tended to her, made sure she saw the doctor, kept their eye on her afterwards, and they would have been able to explain why her memory was so fuzzy afterwards.

But they were gone. All they needed from her was a quick chat every few days and the longer they were gone, the more distracted their chats were. It didn't feel as sincere as when they were around. Even Ivan and Koda, who were living with her, seemed more distant now.

Perhaps they were moving on. Perhaps it had only been a conditional type of love. They had been Rangers. They needed each other. Their lives were in each other's hands, and most of all, they were counting on her to stay safe. Maybe, their love and friendship had been for survival. The more they made her care for them, the more effort she put into keeping them safe. The more of herself she put into everything.

And it seemed to work. Kendall had noticed working harder and putting in longer hours the more she started to see the Rangers as friends. In fact, even now that the danger was gone, she was working herself to the bone trying to ensure they would stay safe. And what were they doing for her? Video chats a couple of times a week, telling her how amazing their lives were when she wasn't around, never once mentioning how they wished she could be with them. Chase did but the longer he was away, the less he made it known. At first Kendall assumed it was because he had said it so often, he thought it was always implied. Now, maybe, she was starting to think it was because he was realizing he didn't actually need her.

He didn't care. None of them did. Kendall wiped the tears from her eyes as Heckyl pulled her back in.

"I love you, Kendall Morgan," he said, and she didn't care that they had only been friends a couple of months. She felt the sincerity dripping from his voice and chose to believe it because if she didn't have him then she would have no friends. "And I promise, I need you more than you could ever imagine."

He put his hand under chin, tilting her head upwards before pressing his lips against hers. She didn't mind and deepened the kiss by putting her hand behind his head and pulling him in. She had no idea how it happened, but suddenly she wanted and needed him more than she could imagine.