Gia furrowed her brow as she tried to follow Sarah's story. It made sense, she just couldn't believe it.

"So… wait… he's alive?"

"Dad's alive. It's him," Sarah nodded. "But after the whole Aiden fiasco, the team and I decided not to trust it right away. Madam Oedius is always up to something and Dad coming back could easily be a trap."

"And it was."

"He was working for her. I… I don't know what his role in everything was exactly but… he took responsibility for what happened to Anne. He said it's his fault she's dead."

"So, your dad came back as a double agent, basically?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded.

"So why were you alone?" Gia asked.

"I… I couldn't face the others, yet," Sarah said. "I didn't think dad would approach me right away. I didn't think he'd lead Oedius right to me."

"But he did?" Gia asked and pointed to the gash on Sarah's arm. She looked to it, then nodded her head.

"As soon as she was distracted I just ran. I came here. Mom's in the hospital with Hayley's dad, Kelly probably wants nothing to do with me and Calvin's got his hands full with Hayley, so I… I didn't know where else to go."

"You can always come here," Gia assured her. "What does Serena know about this?"

"Uh… she knows Dad's back and we're keeping an eye on him but… honestly, this all happened so fast I didn't even think to fill her in."

"Make sure you do, ASAP," Gia said. "She can help."

"You won't?"

"I will but I can't be in Angel Grove and Summer's Cove at the same time," Gia said. "Serena's at your school, if she knows what's going on, she can be an extra set of eyes and ears. There's a reason she's your TA."

"I know."

Gia nodded her head. Sarah wasn't like her. Though she had run off from her friends, leaving herself vulnerable, she didn't need to hear the lecture about going back and leaning on them. Gia trusted that once Sarah was able to process what had happened, she would turn to her friends and family again. For now, it seemed she just needed somewhere safe to process her thoughts.

"How long do you plan on staying?" she asked.

"Are you kicking me out?"

"You're still a minor," Gia told her. "Even if you can take care of yourself, your mother still needs to know where you are."

"She's busy with Mr. Foster. You can't bug her."

"Should have thought of that before you ran off alone," Gia said with a chuckle. "Relax, I'll just tell her where you are and that you're safe. I won't worry her."

-Ninja-Steel-

Mr. Foster hadn't wanted to leave the hospital, but between the doctors and Jenny telling him there wasn't much he could do from there, he had finally been convinced to leave. He couldn't return home, so Jenny offered to take him back to her place.

"I can't thank you enough for your help with all this," he said. He couldn't smile, but Jenny knew his words were sincere. She remembered losing Bill and how difficult it was to move forward from that. She hoped she could make this transition a little easier for Aaron, especially considering her husband's role in all this.

She hadn't said anything about it to the grieving husband. First, she wouldn't know what to tell him. She couldn't explain her husband's involvement without spilling all the details about the Rangers. Second, she wasn't really to blame for what happened. She had kept an eye on her husband, but he had been sneaky enough that suspicions about him being dangerous were low. Finally, she didn't want to tell Aaron. She didn't want to be made out to be the bad guy.

The truth had a funny way of coming out. Jenny knew one day Aaron would find out about Bill. She just hoped that, until that day, she could help him cope with losing Anne.

"It's really nothing," Jenny said. "When Bill disappeared, Hayley was there for Sarah. This is honestly the least I can do to return the favour."

"Well, I appreciate it," he said. "I guess… now it's time to start making funeral arrangements? Any advice?"

Jenny shook her head. She never held a funeral for Bill. There was never a body to be found. Though both she and Sarah had been certain he was dead, by the time it became a certainty, they had already moved on. It seemed too painful to go back to mourning him when they had finally found peace without him.

"No advice, but I can help," Jenny said. "I can't imagine how hard it's got to be to plan when you're still hurting."

"Maybe it will help bring closure," Aaron suggested with a shrug. "Though, knowing why that monster picked Anne of all people will forever haunt me."

"It is a mystery," Jenny agreed. Suddenly her phone rang. She was about to excuse herself to answer it but recognized the number as belonging to the Silver Guardians. Her heart sunk. Last she had heard, Sarah had taken off by herself. Her daughter was smart but at a time like this, it wasn't unthinkable to imagine something terrible had happened.

"Everything okay?" Aaron asked. Jenny looked up, gave him a nod and then answered the phone.

"Please tell me you're checking in?"

"Maybe I should have called from my personal number," Gia chuckled, which put Jenny at ease somewhat. At least if the police were laughing, maybe it wasn't a big deal. "Everything is fine. Sarah's okay."

"Then why are you calling? Is she with you? What did she do?" Jenny asked. Aaron looked over curiously. She covered the mouth piece of her phone and whispered to him who it was.

"She didn't do anything wrong. She's fine," Gia assured her. "But she is here at HQ with me. She's got a bit of a cut on her arm but we've already cleaned and bandaged it. Nothing a Ranger can't take."

"But she's okay?"

"She's fine," Gia promised. "She's got some things to work through, as I'm sure you're aware. I'm going to let her stay here with me until she does. You know she's safe here. Once she's ready, I'll have Serena pick her up and bring her home."

"Thank you," Jenny told her.

"Are you okay, Mrs. Thompson?"

"I… I'm getting there, I guess," Jenny said. "Thanks again, Gia. Don't let her give you any trouble."

She hung up and looked to Aaron, chuckling slightly as he appeared worried.

"Sarah's just at the Silver Guardians'. All's good but… it's kind of the last phone call I need right now."

"I'll bet," Aaron nodded. "What's she doing there?"

"I… uh…" Jenny stopped herself from answering. Knowing all the details, it was easy to see how Sarah might be affected by everything going on. Like Jenny, she was going to feel some level of guilt over Bill's actions. Even if she had nothing to do with it, the fact that he was her father would play on her mind.

However, she couldn't say that to Aaron. If she did, she risked telling him everything. He had a right to know the truth, but Jenny couldn't see a way that would help him right now. While she was sure he could find someone else to help him with his grief, she had already been through losing a spouse. She could help him in a way the rest of his friends and family might not. Jenny didn't know much about his family but she did know that all of Hayley's grandparents were alive. His parents or in in-laws might not be much assistance when it came to understanding the true pain.

"She might just need the extra safety," she finally said. "A monster attacking a random person is scary for everyone. The fact that it hit so close to home for us has probably got her a little scared."

"So she runs to the police?"

"She and Gia are pretty good friends at this point," Jenny said. "Gia and her old partner Jordan were the ones to help Sarah out when her mother kidnapped her."

"Oh yeah," Aaron said, and looked a bit regretful for having brought it up. "It's been a rough couple of years for you too, hasn't it?"

"Nothing we can't handle," Jenny assured him. "Sarah's like an elastic. She just bounces back from everything."

"And you?" Aaron asked. "Hayley told me you're a step mother and, well, with Sarah's father gone and her mother out of the picture, that's a lot of responsibility to fall on you."

"Fortunately, I was up to the task," Jenny said. "Even if I didn't think so at first."

"No one does," Aaron chuckled. "I remember when Hayley was born, I was surprised the nurse let me hold her. She's the first baby I ever touched, never mind held. Somehow, apparently, I was still qualified to be a dad."

"Honestly, when Bill told me he had a kid, part of me wanted to run. But he was so sweet and… even with the kid, I didn't think I'd find someone like him again. When I did meet Sarah, I saw she was such a good kid. Could have been worse, right?"

"Still, taking on someone else's kid full time, without help…"

"You're one to talk," Jenny chuckled. "Or did you forget the seventeen-year-old you have living in your basement."

"To be honest, I did," Aaron laughed. "Not in a bad way, though. Kelly's just… she's really blended into the family well, I can hardly remember what it was like without her. She's my daughter, just as much as Hayley now."

"I'm sure she'd love to hear that," Jenny said. "Especially now."

"I should make sure I tell her," Aaron agreed. "Actually, I should probably check in with both the girls. They might not be lucky enough to run into cops."

"If you want, you and the girls are welcome to stay here tonight," Jenny offered.

"I get points at the hotel, we can…"

"A hotel?"

"Yeah, it's no trouble and I don't want to put you out," Aaron said, but Jenny shook her head in insisted he stay.

"It's no trouble at all. Honestly, I couldn't imagine going home after what happened, and having you stay in a hotel? That's just cruel."

"Are you sure? Three people is a lot to take in and I wouldn't want to impose…"

"Take the guest bedroom," Jenny said. "The girls can share Sarah's room."