Author's Note: Hey readers! Just wanted to let you know, I've written an original story on Fiction press (link provided). It's based on my own personal experiences (like all my original stories) and it would mean a lot if you can read and review it for me, as well as read and review this.

Thank you!

Link: s/3329998/1/Excuses-and-Empty-Promises

Madam Oedius was no stranger to getting her hands dirty. She was willing to do what others wouldn't. Despite his reputation, Madam Oedius hadn't been afraid to betray Galvanax. She had plotted how she would take power from him once the Power Stars were obtained and had it not been for the Rangers defeating him in battle, she would have surely executed her plan.

However, she didn't always see the need for getting her own hands dirty. These were her plans, her ideas, but she didn't always need to be right in the middle of them. If someone else could get the hard work done for her, why not let them?

Or force them. She wasn't opposed to making other people fight her battles against their will. In fact, it brought her a certain thrill to have someone knowing she had control over every aspect of their life.

She also enjoyed toying with her enemies – using their weaknesses against them to further herself. She had tried it with Aiden. She had taken the memories of the red Ranger's brother and tried to use them in her robot to gain the team's trust and gain more information about them. While she hadn't gotten the information she wanted, Aiden had proven useful. He had almost torn the Ranger team in two and kept them busy long enough while Oedius did some research of her own.

She tried to use the Rangers' weaknesses again when she broke Drex free from prison. She used him as her soldier to fight the Rangers in the hopes that his history with pink would cause enough pain to weaken the team. Unfortunately, that didn't work out so well. Rather than fear him, the Rangers' hatred for Drex fueled them to fight harder – to protect each other.

So if a fake had failed, and if using one of their enemies had also failed, there was only one more way Oedius could go.

"I won't do it," the man before her stated, and though he tried to see confident, the way his voice trembled indicated he was afraid. Oedius only chuckled.

"You sound like you have a choice."

"You can't do anything to me that'll make me change my mind."

"I saved you."

"I'd rather be dead," he spat. "She would rather I be dead."

"You should be grateful," Oedius told him. "I'm reuniting a family – your family. Imagine, the look on her face when she sees you. She'll be so happy, she'll never see it coming."

"I won't do it," he stated again, but Madam Oedius only laughed in response.

"You'll do it, and you'll enjoy every minute of it."

-Ninja-Steel-

Jenny watched, winced and felt her heart race, then stop, then race again as she watched the Rangers train. She knew they weren't trying to hurt each other. She knew they were being gentle, but it didn't look like it.

"Yeah, I didn't realize how hard it was to watch until we signed Terran up for lessons," Serena said as she noted the pained and terrified look on Jenny's face as she watched the Rangers train. "My red Rangers own a dojo but the discounted classes don't make it easier to watch my son fall flat on his face."

"This is rough, though," Jenny said. "I mean, at least in classes, they aren't rough."

"He takes classes to learn discipline and strength… and because it's fun," Serena said. She pointed to the Rangers. "They train because they have to defend the planet. This needs to be rough. If they can't cut it here, there's no way they'll survive a real fight."

"I know you're right. I know they take care not to hurt each other, but it's hard," Jenny admitted. "All it takes is one wrong move and Sarah could…"

"Heads up," Serena said and pulled Jenny down, doubling over as Preston flew over their heads. Jenny felt her heart start to race but Serena remained calm as ever. "Watch the audience, please!"

"Sorry," Sarah called back. Preston pushed himself back up on his feet after a rough landing and returned to his sparring partner. Serena turned to Jenny with a laugh.

"I think Sarah's going to be fine."

"So you've said," Jenny nodded and thought back to their talk at the school. Jenny had a meeting scheduled with Serena to be sure everything was on track where Sarah's education was concerned. Jenny had a chance to see some of Sarah's work and the progress she had made at the beginning of the year. It seemed that with Serena's help, as well as with help from the app that her friends had created, Sarah had begun to thrive once again. Despite not being able to read or write, school was quickly becoming too easy for her.

"I didn't just mean academically," Serena said. "I believe a person's strengths are matched by their weaknesses. Like how a jock might be the best at his sport, but he's not so good at math or writing papers. Or how a nerd can solve complicated math problems but may have trouble making friends or even just talking to people in general. Sarah isn't like that. She's well rounded. She's athletic, smart, social, kind. If anyone's going to be fine, it's her."

"She's lucky," Jenny nodded. "And maybe that's why I'm always so worried. What if that luck runs out?"

"She's an excellent problem solver," Serena said. "She frustrates a little easy now, but if you remind her to keep trying new ideas, she'll eventually figure something out. If her luck runs out, she'll figure something out."

"What about what you said, though. About weakness balancing out our strengths. If Sarah is so strong, what makes her weak?"

"Hopefully we never have to find out," Serena said. "My idea is just a theory. Just based on what I've seen. Though, if it helps, Sarah is quite impulsive. And maybe a little too focused with the ideas in her head. Once she feels committed to something, she has to achieve her goal."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"If she gets attached to the wrong idea," Serena nodded. "We can only hope that doesn't happen."

At that moment, Dane clapped his hands together. He smiled as he looked to the Rangers, proud of their work for the day. Though he had only stepped in to show them some new tricks and attacks, he was glad to see their strength and how well they could work together as a team. Despite some challenges at the beginning, all the Rangers had now mastered his lesson.

"I think we can call it a day," he said. As the Rangers grabbed their things and found somewhere a little more private to change into their regular clothes, Dane made his way over to Jenny and Serena. He looked to Jenny. "What did you think?"

"I think it's better I stay at home during these lessons," she chuckled. "I have no idea what's going on so it just looks like friends punching friends."

"It's hard at first," Dane nodded. "Having my boys spar, especially when they were young, isn't easy to watch, but you have to keep the goal in mind. They train hard now so they'll survive later."

"Let's not use the word survive. I prefer win," Jenny told him. "It feels less… close to death."

"If you want, I can explain to you some of the moves and stuff over coffee," Dane suggested. "If you know what they're doing, and why they need to do it, it makes a little easier to watch."

"I'd like that," Jenny smiled.

"Dad! Let's go!" Brody called as he and Levi stood a little ways off, ready to leave. Dane chuckled at his boys, then looked to Jenny one more time.

"I'll text you and we'll set something up."

"Sounds good," Jenny smiled. She watched Dane leave, before she was brought back to reality by a sharp elbow in the ribs.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

"We're just friends," she frowned at Serena, then hushed the former Ranger as Sarah approached. Serena frowned to herself.

"It's not like she knows what I'm spelling," she muttered.

Jenny took Sarah's bag from her hands, seeing her daughter looked tired, "Are we waiting for Kelly?"

"The Fosters are having a family dinner tonight. No dates," Sarah said. "It's just us going home."

"Well, we can be each other's dates for dinner tonight, then? Order pizza and Netflix?"

"Sounds good," Sarah smiled.

"I can't wait to hear all about your D-A-T-E with D-A-N-E!" Serena said teasingly as Jenny and Sarah started to leave.

"Will you S-H-U-T-U-P?" she said. "We're F-R-I-E-N-D-S. And not in front of S-A-R-A-H."

"Okay, I hate this game," Sarah frowned. "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing. She's just being a tease," Jenny assured her daughter.

"Is she teasing me or you, because this spelling game feels a little mean."

"She's teasing me," Jenny said. "And it's over nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Whatever," Sarah shrugged.