Life at the Thompson house was… different. That was really the only word that Sarah could use to describe her home. At times, it was great. Having her father back, even if Sarah was doubtful of his identity, was a dream come true. There were times where it felt like he had never left – times where life felt like everything was normal.

And then there were other times. Times when Sarah would catch her father doing something a little out of character for himself. She had to remember that he had been through a traumatic experience, and that was bound to make him act and think differently even if he was the real deal. However, the fear of this being another one of Oedius' trap would creep into Sarah's mind, and sometimes living at home felt like walking on eggshells.

This wasn't one of those days, fortunately. This was a good day. Sarah's parents were on the main floor of the house, doing their own thing, while Kelly and Sarah were up in her room, studying for a math test that they had coming up. Sarah wasn't too worried about it, but Kelly always had a tough time with math and needed the extra help to ensure she passed.

"Ugh, this is hopeless," Kelly muttered. "I want to be a journalist and a writer. When will I need math?"

"In journalism? Understanding statistics… Analyzing graphs…"

"Fine…"

"Not to mention all the benefits of math that have nothing to do with the numbers themselves," Sarah added. "Such as problem solving and challenging yourself to see things from a different perspective to get an answer. Persistence…"

"I get it," Kelly interrupted again with a growl before she slammed her textbook shut. "Alright, I think we've done enough studying for today. What if we headed out for some ice-cream or something? Take a brain break."

"It's not a break if you don't go back to studying," Sarah chuckled.

"Are you seriously denying ice-cream?" Kelly asked, to which Sarah shook her head. As they started to pack away their books, Bill knocked gently on the door, then poked his head inside the room. When he first heard that Jenny let Sarah and Kelly up in Sarah's room alone, with the door shut, he hadn't been too thrilled. There was still a little discomfort evident on his face as he looked in. However, Jenny had insisted that she trusted Sarah, and their daughter had never done anything to break that trust. Bill knew this wasn't a fight he wanted to have, and so let it go.

He was glad to see that the girls were doing exactly what they told him they would be doing. They were studying for their test, even if they were packing up now.

"Mom and I were going to order in for dinner. Any preference?" he asked. Sarah shook her head.

"Kelly and I are going out," she said. "We'll take care of ourselves. You two can have a date night."

"A much needed date night, I'm sure," Kelly added with a smirk.

"Where are you going?" Bill asked the girls.

"Ice cream, for sure," Sarah said. "Maybe to the park, after that. Teach Kelly to ride the hoverboard on her own."

"I've never done it before," Kelly smiled. "I wanna know what it's like."

"Then maybe dinner somewhere," Sarah told her father. "Or we'll hang out with the others."

"Others? The other Rangers."

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "We won't be home too late. And I'll have my phone with me. Barring alien attacks, we should be back before curfew."

"Sounds good to me," Bill smiled. "Just… be safe, alright."

"Will do," Sarah said as she grabbed her bag. She kissed her father on the cheek on the way out. "See you later!"

Bill followed the girls down the stairs. As they headed out the door, he walked into the living room and sat next to Jenny on the couch. She put her book down.

"I guess they're doing their own thing?" she asked her husband, who nodded his head.

"I forgot how independent she is," he said. "I guess all that time away, I was remembering her when she was young."

"Young and… still independent?" Jenny frowned.

"Young and when her whole world was still this family."

"It still is," Jenny promised with a smile. "This family is just a little bigger now."

"You're talking about Kelly?"

"About all the Rangers," Jenny said. "It's a lot to get used to. I'm still not used to how it all plays out yet, but I think it's good for all of us."

Bill nodded, then smiled at his wife.

"I do like one new thing," he said.

"Yeah? What?"

"I always knew you could be a good mother. I love seeing how you've grown into the role, though. You're so… calm and confident and…"

"Shaking on the inside. All the time," Jenny chuckled. "But that is normal, right?"

"Oh, I'm always terrified on the inside," he nodded. "But you really seem to know what you're doing now and… while I don't like the circumstances that encouraged this, I am happy that you feel much more confident as a mom, now."

"I guess it just took not having a safety net for me to see I really can do this job," Jenny smiled. "And, you know, having a good kid sure does help."

"Yeah," Bill nodded and leaned in, gently kissing his wife. Jenny moved in a little closer to him.

"The girls aren't home," she reminded him. "Maybe we should head up to our room and close the door."