After running away from Emily and the other Rangers, Spike wanted to shout out their secret to the either world. He felt betrayed by all of them, but Emily especially. Deep down, he knew he had figured it out on his own before the truth was revealed, but it still hurt to know the only true friend he had ever made (or, at least, he thought she was a true friend) had lied to his face. She told him Mia wasn't a Ranger over and over again. He hadn't seen the pink Ranger's face yet, but he knew there was no one else. Emily had promised him she would tell him if she ever found out the Rangers' identity. What hurt the most was that she had made that promise knowing she had already broken it.

Spike kicked a rock, oblivious to the fact that it was a rock and not a pebble. He stubbed his foot, hurting his toes and bounced down the sidewalk until he reached a bench. He sat down and massaged his foot while never taking his mind off the Rangers.

He was really started to let everything process now that he had to chance to sit down and breathe. On one hand he felt hurt he had been lied to, but on the other hand, he knew who the Power Rangers were. He had met them and spoken with them. He had been a friend to them, something he hoped they wouldn't forget. It felt good, knowing he was the only person in the city who knew the identity of the Rangers.

That was when it started to occur to him just how much power he had. He knew the identity of the Power Rangers. He could easily tell the entire world. He was sure many people would doubt him, but some people would be convinced. He could out them and…

Spike furrowed his brow as his thoughts trailed off. He began to wonder what exactly he had to gain by spilling their secret. It wasn't like he was going to get the fame or glory. Once people knew who the Rangers were, he would go straight back to being "Spike who?". No one cared about the messenger.

Then he started to think of all the attention the Rangers would get. He had seen it before, when the fake Rangers decided to come out and steal the limelight. It had been fun and games at first, but knowing the identities of the Rangers could put everyone at risk.

Spike started to wonder if maybe the secret identity thing was best kept a secret. He was lucky to know, but the Rangers probably didn't feel the same way. Now that he knew, the villains could come after him for information. Spike began to panic, realising the danger he could be in in this very moment. He was close with the Rangers. He considered one of them to be his friend, another was his first and only crush, and most of the guys he met seemed like cool guys. He worried the monsters would come for him because he knew.

He didn't quite know his way back to the Rangers' house, but he knew he had to get back there and figure something out to keep himself safe.

-Samurai-

"This is exactly why I did not want you Rangers forming personal relationships with anyone outside of this house!" Mentor Ji shouted angrily, slamming his stick against the table in front of Emily. The yellow Ranger jumped in her seat, terrified of her Mentor in his moment. Mike was immediately by her side.

"It's not like she wanted him to find out!" he shouted back. "It's…"

"Silence!" Mentor growled. Mike was about to argue but he felt Mia grab his arm and pull back, her signal for him to calm down before he made the situation worse for himself and Emily. Mike took a deep breath and allowed himself to calm down while Mia tried to talk with Mentor.

"Spike's my friend too," she said. "I don't know him as well as Emily, but of the rest of us, I've run into him the most. I know it's not a good thing that he found out, but better a friend than a total stranger, right?"

"We have no idea what Spike is going to do," Mentor shook his head. "He could already be telling the press about us now. Everything we've worked so hard to protect could already be in danger."

"In danger?" Antonio asked. He furrowed his brow, "Mentor, there is nothing dangerous about Spike. Besides, the monsters who want our secrets already know who we are and where to get them."

"Do not argue…"

"Look, Mentor," Kevin started, "I'm not exactly fond of the kid, but maybe the others have a point. He seemed to have a genuine friendship with Emily. Maybe we can use that."

"NO!" Mentor shouted. He slammed his stick down on the table again, his face red with rage, "This needs to be fixed before the day is done or I will take care of Spike myself."

Mentor stormed out of the room, leaving the Rangers to exchange worried looks. They had no idea what Mentor planned on doing to Spike, but they didn't want to find out.

Finally, Mia sighed, "I think we've given Spike enough time to process everything. I'll go see if I can find him."

"You?" Kevin asked, sounding worried. Mia shot him a look and Mike couldn't help but laugh.

"Relax dude, she's still wearing your ring."

"But he's…"

"A hurt kid," Mia said to her fiancé. "He was lied to by his friend, so I doubt he'll listen to Emily. I'm the next best thing. Maybe I can talk him round; keep him from telling the entire world who we are."

She leaned forward and gave Kevin a kiss, "I love you."

"I love you too," Kevin sighed before letting her leave. Mike was still chuckling as he stared at his best friend.

"You're threatened!"

"No I'm not," Kevin shook his head. "I just don't like the thought of him flirting with Mia. It's creepy."

"Whatever. You're threatened," Mike laughed.

Jayden got out of his chair, "I'll go talk with Mentor. This is a serious issue, but we need to figure out the proper way to handle things. I doubt 'taking care of Spike' would be the right thing to do."

"So… uh… now what?" Antonio asked when Jayden was gone. He looked at the three remaining Rangers. When his eyes fell on Emily he saw she was holding back tears. His face softened.

"Em, don't listen to Mentor. He's got a short fuse when it comes to the Samurai stuff. He used to yell at me and Jay all the time."

"I don't care about Mentor or this stupid Ranger thing. I hate lying," Emily sniffed and hugged her knees to her chest.

Mike placed his hand on his girlfriend's back, trying to comfort her, "You did it for a good reason, Em. We couldn't let anyone know. You were trying to protect Spike."

"He hates me," Emily buried her head in her arms. "I hurt him. He doesn't have other friends. Not close friends… I had to lie to him… I hate being a Samurai!"

"We'll figure this out, Em. Don't feel bad," Kevin tried to comfort his little sister. "You were doing the right thing."

"Yeah, look where that got us. I should have told him the truth from the start," Emily huffed. "He knows regardless and now that he hates us who knows what he'll do. What if Master Xandred finds out and he gets hurt? It'll be my fault."

"Emily, we all lied to him," Mike wrapped his arms around the little ball that was Emily. "You're not the only one to blame here. I bet, when Spike realises why you lied to him, he'll come back here and he'll apologize to you."

Emily uncurled herself and got to her feet, "I'm going to my room."

-Samurai-

Mia was surprise when she reached the bus stop and saw Spike was stepping off the bus. She thought he would be somewhere in town sulking or talking to a reporter, but he had somehow found his way back.

She approached him, scaring him slightly when she walked up behind him.

"You're sneaky," she told him and he turned around to face her. His mind almost went to mush but he remembered he was here to do something important. He knew the Rangers' secret. His life was in danger.

"You are the pink Ranger, aren't you?" he asked.

Mia nodded her head. There was no point trying to hide it anymore. He had figured out Mike and Emily already and if she lied, she only risked alienating him further. Right now, the best thing she could do for herself, her team and Spike was keep him close.

"One and only," she said. "Sorry… the pink Ranger's not single either."

"I'm kind of bummed about that," Spike chuckled. "So, judging from what I saw in the battle, I take it your fiancé is the blue Ranger."

"Kevin," Mia nodded. "Jayden's red, Antonio's gold. While we're at it, Jayden and Emily aren't cousins and Ji isn't Emily's uncle. He's our Samurai Mentor."

"Okay," Spike said. He looked at Mia, "So… am I in trouble or something?"

"Why would you be in trouble?" Mia asked.

Spike shrugged his shoulders, "I know your secret. Won't the bad guys come after me?"

"Not if they don't find out," Mia answered. She grabbed Spike's arm and pulled him into the forest. "Look, Spike, I have to ask: have you told anyone?"

"No," Spike shook his head, "Why would I?"

"It's big news. A lot of people, especially reporters, would kill to know who we are. You would be paid a fortune for a scoop like this."

"But it would just make things complicated for you," Spike shrugged.

Mia couldn't help but smile when he heard this, "Glad to see I was right to stand up for you. You are a good kid, Spike. I knew you would do the right thing."

"You stood up for me?" Spike began to sway and hope glimmered in his eyes. Mia steadied him.

"Whoa, whoa, Spike, please don't do this now. I'm engaged, remember?"

"Oh… right," Spike nodded, kicking the fantasies out of his head. "Why would you stand up for me, though?"

"Like I said, you're a good kid, and just because I'm engaged doesn't mean we can't be friends."

"Friends?"

"You've got all the Power Rangers on your side, Spike. We didn't want to hurt you by lying to you. Honestly."

"Yeah… I realised that."

"Good boy," Mia smiled. She started to see the gates of the Shiba House and stopped walking. Spike stopped with her and turned to face her.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked her. "Are you going to erase my memory?"

"No, Spike," Mia laughed. "That's not something we do. Do you promise not to tell anyone about us?"

Spike nodded excitedly and crossed his fingers over his heart, "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Let's not hope to die," Mia smirked. "Not a soul, Spike. Not even your Uncle can know about us. The less people who know, the better for us and the safer you'll be."

"So, what do I have to do, then? I mean… how does this work? How are you guys going to keep me safe? Am I going to have bodyguards following me around? Will one of my bodyguards be you?"

"Spike…"

"Sorry."

"No bodyguards. You'll go back to your regular life with your Uncle and occasionally you'll bump into one of us Rangers. We have to keep things as normal as possible so no one becomes suspicious of anything."

"Back to my normal life?"

"Consider yourself lucky you can go back," Mia nodded. "We don't have a normal life. The life of a superhero isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Okay, but… before I go back to my normal life…"

Mia pointed to the Shiba House gates, already knowing what he was going to ask, "The house is that way. I'll let you in."

"Thanks, Mia. I have a few apologies to make," Spike followed Mia as she led him the rest of the way to the house.

-Samurai-

After apologizing to the boys for following them into battle, Spike set out to find his friend. Mike had told him she was hiding out in her room, but he couldn't quite remember where that was. The house was really big and there were so many rooms.

Finally he found it and he knocked on the wall after stepping inside, trying to grab Emily's attention. She was sitting on her bed and looked up when she heard a knock. She was shocked to see it was Spike.

"What are you…?"

"I'm here to apologize," Spike interrupted her. "I know you lied, but you're a Power Ranger… identities need to be kept secret. I'm sorry I got mad at you."

"You're sorry?" Emily frowned. "I shouldn't have lied! You trusted me and…"

"But you didn't lie about something stupid," Spike shrugged. "You lied to protect me. It was to keep me safe. I never thought you would be a Power Ranger, but I guess… I shouldn't have pushed it. Either you really didn't know anything and I had no right to snoop and question you, or you did know and… well… this."

"It really wasn't easy lying to you, Spike," Emily said. Spike laughed.

"Yeah, I noticed that. You're not very good at it. That's why I got so suspicious."

"I'm really sorry you got wrapped up in all of this," Emily sighed. "You've been nothing but nice to me and now we're stuck in a tight spot. You're in danger…"

"Mia already talked to me," Spike said. "We figured that out. I need to keep my normal life to stay safe."

"That doesn't mean we can't see each other, right?" Emily asked. "I mean, we saw each other before you knew. If we bump into each other…"

"We'll say hi, yeah," Spike nodded. "And as soon as you and the other Rangers defeat Master Xandred, we can really start hanging out again. Like real friends."

"Another reason to fight," Emily smiled. "Well, two more reasons to fight: keeping you safe and our friendship."

"I don't need protection," Spike chuckled, raising his hands up in front of his body, showing off his Samurai stance and causing Emily to laugh, "I'm a Samurai in-training."

"If you're a Samurai in-training, I'm the best Samurai that's ever lived," Emily teased. "When we can hang out again I'll teach you how to be a real Samurai."

"Deal," Spike nodded his head. It was then Jayden popped his head into the room.

"Spike, sorry to say this, but you really have to go," he said. "The longer you stay…"

"The more danger I'm in. I know," Spike nodded. He looked at Emily, "Friends again?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

Spike smiled back and turned to leave. He found his own way to the door but heard the footsteps of the other Rangers following him. Before reaching for the door he turned to them.

"I'm sorry… again."

"Don't worry about it," Antonio waved it off casually. "It's a bit of a relief not having to hide our identities from everyone."

"If you ever run into trouble, you know you can come to us," Mike said. "Well, Nighlok trouble, I mean."

"Your Uncle's probably looking for you," Mia reminded the young teen. "You should probably head home before he worries."

"Yeah… and thanks, guys… you know, for not erasing my memory."

"Go home, Spike," Mike chuckled. He opened the door for Spike, letting him leave. Spike stepped out, but before he was truly gone he heard Jayden call his name.

"Consider yourself an honorary Ranger," Jayden said with a smile. "We'll talk about you being an honorary Samurai after you've gotten a few proper lessons."

With a bright smile, Spike left the Shiba House for good, swearing he would do his part to keep his friends safe by not telling anyone about anything that had happened.