Mr and Mrs Landsdown sat, staring at their daughter in disbelief. It seemed as though hours passed as they tried to fathom what could have led her to ask something like that. She had left them dumbfounded by coming over for the first time since her aborted wedding and asked them if they loved her.

"Honey, how could you possibly ask that?" Her father finally responded. "Of course we love you..."

"Then why didn't you come to my trial?" She asked them. "In all the time I was in prison you never once applied for a visitation pass. You didn't come to see me after I was released..."

"Would you have seen us?" Her mother interrupted her. "Summer, we wanted nothing more than to help you, but you were so angry after the wedding. We didn't think you'd want to see us."

"Mom, do you remember the day you told me I was meant to marry Chas?" Summer continued.

"Of course I do." She responded. "We came to The Garage..."

"No, not when you tried to force me to marry him." She interjected. "When I was 13, the first time you told me."

Mr and Mrs Landsdown looked at each other for a second, trying to get their thoughts together. It had been so long since then; it had been an issue that had never been raised. Because of their constant travelling and busy schedules, they had a habit of simply never discussing such things. Summer had never brought that up to her mother again, she just seemed to accept it and move on.

"You shouldn't upset yourself like that." Mrs Landsdown told her.

"Do you remember it?" Summer asked a little more forcefully. Mrs Landsdown looked down to her feet and nodded.

"I explained we had arranged the wedding." She responded.

"You betrayed me!" Summer snapped, her anger flaring up in her. "You made a decision for me and you manipulated my whole life to make it happen!"

"Summer, we only did what we thought was best for you." She replied, her regret obvious in her tone.

"You slapped me in the face!" Summer shot back. "When I told you I didn't want to do it you slapped me!"

"I told you then that I was sorry." Her mother assured her. "I couldn't believe it myself when I hit you. It's the only time I've ever raised my hand to you."

"I never got to make a decision for myself until the evacuation." Summer said bitterly. "You never let me do anything that would risk spoiling your plans to marry me off."

"We only wanted to make sure you would be taken care of." Her father added. "We know we're not going to be around forever. We knew that if you married Chas you would be taken care of."

"The way you and mom took care of me?" Summer muttered under her breath. Her dad reached out to her, touching her cheek gently.

"We did what we thought was best, we were wrong, we know that." He explained. "My parents raised me almost exactly the same way. I saw your grandfather maybe twice a month my whole life."

"So why did you put me through that?" Summer asked him, knocking his hand away.

"I did the same thing because I didn't know any better." He told her. "It was just the way my family did things. I never learned how to raise you properly, so I let Andrews do it."

"No one teaches you how to raise kids dad, most people just learn." She snapped. "Andrews was the closest thing I had to a parent. He died while he was getting me to the city. He was killed protecting me from Grinders and I didn't even know his first name!"

"Summer..."

"The reason I didn't know his name was because I never asked! I never asked because you always taught me to treat him like a servant!" She screamed at him. "You never wanted me to get close to anyone!"

"That isn't true." Mrs. Landsdown chipped in. "We wanted you to be happy."

"You fired Mrs. Kitchner because I kissed her son." Summer stated. "You were so scared I might have feelings for him and screw up your plans for the wedding that you fired her and threw them out."

"You remember that?" Mr Landsdown asked her, looking horrified at the memory.

"I do now." She replied. "I also remember you beating the crap out of me and screaming at me!"

Mr Landsdown turned as white as a sheet as she said this and buried his face in his hands, visibly rattled by the memory. His wife put an arm around him, holding him.

"I'm so sorry." He mumbled. "It's the only time I've ever hit you. I was so scared and confused that I lost control. I hated myself for doing it, I was so ashamed of myself I couldn't look at you for months afterwards. It was just too painful to remember what I'd done to you. I've still never forgiven myself for that."

"Your father was devastated." Mrs Landsdown told her daughter. "For weeks afterwards he couldn't sleep. He was in pieces over it."

"I'm so sorry honey." He sobbed, overcome with one of the worst memories of his life.

"Do you want to know the thing that hurt me the most?" Summer asked him. "Ronan."

"Sweetheart..."

"I told you what he did to me." Summer reminded him. "I came to you when he started harassing me."

"Summer, we're sorry about that." Mrs Landsdown told her.

"You were so worried about what the Winchesters would think you told me to keep it quiet." Summer stated bitterly. "I never made a complaint against him because you told me not to. Even after he attacked me and almost raped me you still insisted I didn't press charges because you thought Chas wouldn't want me."

She shifted closer to them, looking intently between her mother and father. "I told you what he did to me. I needed you."

"We'll never forgive ourselves for that." Her mother whimpered as tears began to form in her eyes. "We've treated you terribly. We know you'll never be able to forgive us."

"When you were released from prison we couldn't face you." Her father stated. "We were so ashamed of ourselves for not supporting you the first time, we were certain you'd blame us."

"We know we haven't treated you fairly." Mrs Landsdown reiterated. "We only knew how to raise you the way we were raised. We love you."

"What about each other?" Summer asked them. "You were made to marry each other. You didn't love each other."

"That doesn't mean we don't love you." Mrs. Landsdown assured her. "We got married for all the wrong reasons. We didn't love each other, that's why we argued so much. We made each other miserable. The only thing that made it all worthwhile was having you."

Summer rolled her eyes and turned her face from them. As much as she wanted these answers, she was beginning to think this was a bad idea. All she felt was anger. Her father reached forward, taking her hands softly in his.

"Summer, you're the only good thing that's come out of this whole mess." He said in a soothing tone. "I'll never forget the day you were born. You were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I was just so scared because I didn't know what to do or how to raise you."

"Everyone goes through the same thing." Summer replied. "You've lived a lie my whole life. You would never have gotten together if it wasn't for all this bloodline crap."

"We wouldn't have." Her mother agreed, taking Mr Landsdown's hand, lacing her fingers with his. "That doesn't mean we aren't happy we did. You're the only good thing we've done. Please don't hate us."

"Mom?" Summer asked, noticing the closeness between her parents. It was something she wasn't used to. Her parents had been so cold and isolated for most of her life. In all the years she had been with them she could barely remember them even touching each other.

"We separated for a while, but because we have no money we couldn't afford another apartment. We had to live with each other." Her father explained. "Over time, we got talking, and we supported each other. In the end, we fell in love."

"You're right; we got together for all the wrong reasons." Mrs Landsdown told her daughter. "But I guess we were lucky, because now we're together, I couldn't imagine us being any other way."

"I suppose you could say it took us losing everything to realise what we always had." Her father said with a smile. "We always thought that having money and position was everything. In the end, the only thing that mattered was what no one could take away from us, and that's you."

Summer looked between her parents, a little stunned by what they had just told her. This was pretty much the last thing she'd ever have expected from them. She wasn't able to stop herself from crying as she came across to them, throwing her arms around them.

"We're so sorry for everything honey!" Her mother wailed as they both embraced her. "We'll understand if you can't forgive us, but please don't turn your back on us. It would kill us, you're everything to us."

"I'm angry but I can't hate you, you're my parents!" She responded. "I'll try; I'll really try to get through this."

"Well you know we'll be right here for you." Her father whispered in her ear. "You know you have us."

"So is that Black Ranger taking good care of you?" Her mother asked her. Summer released them and looked at her mother with a little smirk as she wiped away her tears.

"I never told you about me and Dillon." She remarked. "How did you know?"

"Please, I gave birth to you, I know you." Her mother replied. "I saw the way you looked at him at the wedding, we both did."

"We both saw the way he looked at you." Her father added. "He seems like a good man."

"He is." Summer said with a small blush. "He's been great with me through all of this. I love him."

"Well that's more than enough for us." Mrs Landsdown stated flatly. "Anyone that makes our little girl happy is fine by us."

She got up, wiping her eyes again as she prepared to leave. Her parents got up with her, showing her out.

"Summer, would you do us one favour?" Her father asked her. "When the time is right for you, when you're feeling a little stronger, bring him around. We'd love to get to know him better."

"I'll see what I can do." Summer told them. "He doesn't play well with others."

"Well as long as he plays better at dinner parties than he does at pool." Her father said in a laugh, recalling the first time he met him, mistaking him for a servant. Dillon had taken the pool cue he had given him and snapped it in half to make a point. "I know he'll look after you, far better than Chas would have. I still can't believe he's being honoured."

"Chas is being honoured?" Summer asked, looking a little puzzled. Her parents looked at each other for a second.

"We heard through the grapevine about an awards ceremony in a few weeks." He told her. "Colonel Truman, Marcus Truman, Scott Truman and Chas are being awarded medals for their part in the evacuation."

"What part did Chas play?" Summer asked indignantly. "He spent the whole day cowering behind the shields!"

"We all know that, but you have to remember that the Winchesters lent the Government a lot of money when they were building the shields. They quite literally own a large part of the dome. They couldn't have snubbed Chas."

"He's determined to make it his day." Her mother stated, fishing out a newspaper and handing it to Summer. "He's planning to announce his engagement to Brie then."

"Chas is marrying Brie?" Summer asked them. "He's marrying the vacuous cow that shoved me out of the transport truck?"

"You have to understand, when he was snubbed at the wedding, the Winchesters lost a lot of face." Her father explained. "Brie's from an old money family, and nowhere near smart enough to turn him down. She wanted to marry him long before this all happened."

"Well I guess it's good they found each other." Summer muttered. "They deserve each other."

"I couldn't agree more." Her mother said with a large smile, putting her arm around Summer. "He didn't deserve you."

Meanwhile, Tanaya was sitting in her chair, looking around the room thoroughly bored. She was still paraplegic since Dr. K hadn't yet removed the implant in her lower spine, and she was still hooked up to all of Dr. K's support systems to ensure all of her biological functions were taken care of. Ziggy rounded the door, knocking it gently. Tanaya smiled as she saw him.

"I brought a couple of things like I promised." He told her, showing her a bundle of clothes. "Summer said she doesn't wear these anymore."

"Thank you." She replied. "You've been very kind."

"What can I say; I hate to see people in trouble." He replied. "Why are you smiling?"

"You called me a person." Tanaya answered. "You really think of me as a person, don't you?"

"Well you are aren't you?" He asked her, putting the clothes down and looking out a pair of jeans. "You're like Dillon; you're a person with a little...extra hardware."

"I suppose it could be phrased like that." She responded, nodding as she saw the denims in his hands. "I just didn't expect you to see me like that. Your boss made it pretty clear she doesn't like me."

"She was like that with me at first too." Ziggy assured her. "She isn't really a people person."

"Why do you spend this time with me?" Tanaya asked him. "After everything I've done, why do you keep helping me?"

"What can I say; I believe everyone deserves a chance." He told her, finding a pair of underpants in the pile of clothes, and dropping them again, blushing as he did so. "I haven't always made the smartest choices in life, and I turned out alright. If I can turn around, then anyone can. It took a while, but now I'm a part of the team..."

"Something tells me I'll never be a part of the team." She interrupted him as she pointed to the underpants. Ziggy handed them to her and turned his back as she struggled to put them on.

"You could be." He commented. "More importantly than that, I can see that there's a good person in you. Even if you don't become a Ranger, there are plenty of ways you could help."

"I like children." She told him, thinking back to the times her heart had led her to her defiance of Venjix's commands. "I can't explain it, but I just have this feeling inside me any time I see them that makes me feel good about myself."

"They have that effect on a lot of people." Ziggy told her. "Maybe when you're better I'll take you back to the orphanage to see them."

"You don't think they'll be scared?" Tanaya asked him. "I mean the last couple of times I was there I was anything but friendly."

"You were wearing the visor and the catsuit back then." He reminded her. "I doubt they'll recognise you. Trust me; the kids love it any time they have someone new to play with."

"I'd really like that." Tanaya told him with a huge grin. "Of course you'll have to convince Dr. K."

"You let me worry about that." Ziggy told her. He tapped her restraining bracelet with his finger. "As long as you wear that, she'll know where you are."

"I can't remove it." Tanaya reminded him. "Even if I could, it's not like there's anywhere I could go. Venjix would likely put the implants back in, or destroy me. Either way I know my end would be inevitable. I'm sure I'd be made to suffer either way."

Ziggy cradled her chin gently with his hand and lifted it to make her look up into his face.

"Your suffering is over." He said reassuringly. "I'll make sure of that."

"Really?" Tanaya asked him.

"Really." He responded. With that, he picked up the jeans and started preparing them, lifting her feet and placing them in the trouser legs. "I only have one question."

"What would that be?" Tanaya asked him.

"Why do you whistle before you attack?" He asked her. Tanaya smiled a little as she lifted herself off the chair enough for him to pull up the trousers.

"I don't know, it's just a habit I had." She responded. "I had that tune in my head for some reason, and I just whistle it at times."

"I guess Dillon has more than a few little quirks." Ziggy commented, picking out a t-shirt for her. He handed it to her and turned his back. "He doesn't remember anything before the implants either."

"Why do you turn away from me?" She asked him, pulling off her robe. "Is there something wrong with my body that you can't look at it?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with your body." He stammered a little nervously, praying that she would get dressed soon so he could speak with her normally. "It's just that...I'm not used to seeing girl's bodies, that's all."

"So you don't think I'm hideous?" She asked him, pulling on the t-shirt. "I'm not some kind of freak to you?"

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a freak." He responded in a chuckle. "I've been a freak my whole life, I'm used to it."

"So why can't you look at me?" She asked him, Ziggy breathed a sigh as he tried to think of a way to answer.

"I'd just be more comfortable when you're completely healed." He answered. "Are you dressed yet?"

Tanaya got a slightly mischievous grin on her face and pulled her T-shirt off. "I am now."

Ziggy turned around, and seeing her half-naked form, he staggered backwards, tripping over a work bench and hitting the floor hard. Tanaya pulled her t-shirt on and rolled her wheelchair over to him, looking down at him.

"Ziggy, are you alright?" She asked him. He smiled up at her from the floor.

"I am now." He replied with a grin. "I am now."