Christmas had been fun, and with all her friends and family up on the farm, Emily had had a good time. They had dinner, opened, presents, played games, and ended the day with a snowball fight (which the girls had won. An easy victory considering Emily had been loaded up with sugar and cookies and ran so fast no one could hit her with a snowball).

However, Emily dreaded this morning, and hadn't slept the night before because of it.

The Rangers were getting their normal lives started. Kevin already had a job and needed to return home, and Jayden had mentioned going to school and he had a lot to get done if he wanted to be in class when the new semester started. Antonio wanted to get back to his business. The fish weren't going to sell themselves, and unfortunately Emily's hometown wouldn't be good business for him. Ji and Kate were going to take time to visit Kate's family so she could finally introduce her parents and her brother to her new boyfriend. Now that Ji and Kate were in a very serious relationship and had been for a while, it was about time.

Serena and James also had to get home. Though Serena and Terran were enjoying their time on the farm, celebrating Christmas the way Serena and her family always remembered it, they had left Storm on her own and one night was more than enough for the little Shiba to cause trouble.

The parents had to go home also. Now that Christmas was over, some of them had jobs to get back to, and none of them had planned on driving all the way out to the country and so they needed to be home quickly to take care of the things they had dropped to be with their kids and to support Emily.

She couldn't ask anyone to stay for too long. They all had lives to get back to and Emily couldn't keep them from it. It was bad enough her stress and her guilt were keeping her from living her own.

So as the sun eventually rose and she heard people gathering downstairs for breakfast, she nestled into Mike's arms. She wasn't sure what he would choose to do once the others were packed and ready to go. He had told her of the job Serena got him at the school and though it was a guarantee, Mike had a few loose ends to tie up before the holidays came to an end. He would have to leave eventually, and there was nothing keeping him here.

She knew this was her doing. She knew she could go home with them, but the thought of returning to Panorama City, where the world had suffered and sacrificed the most terrified her. She was beginning to understand what her mother, her friends, and the other parents were saying. She knew she had done all she could, but she still couldn't ignore the fact that people were dead. As hard as she had tried, she couldn't save everyone. Nighlok had killed them, the Megazord had killed them… it was too much for Emily.

"Morning," Mike whispered when he woke up and saw her eyes were opened and Emily seemed lost in thought and very, very tired. "Nightmares keeping you up?"

"I didn't sleep," she shook her head and sat up. Serena, James, and Terran had already left the room. Terran was still getting up in the early hours of the morning.

"You've got to at least try," Mike said. "I know the nightmares are haunting, but at least they aren't real. Maybe if you can conquer those…"

Emily sighed. This time it wasn't the nightmares that had kept her up.

"It's not that."

"What about Dr. Flectcher?" Mike asked, "I swear, he's the most amazing doctor I've had. You've seen the results for yourself. I don't lose my temper anymore. Well, not any more than normal. And he fixed you last time you were scared like this. Remember, fire?"

"I'll never forget," Emily said. "I still get a little nervous around a flame."

"Maybe you just need to come back," Mike told her, "The scariest part is the jump. Once you're in the water, you're in."

"I can't go back, Mike. It's still dead town…"

"More people are home. Everyone's finding a way to cope. Shelters are opening up, families are being reunited. You have to look on the positive side. Sure, Riley's parents and her brother are dead, but thanks to us, Riley's not."

"Mike…"

"Thanks to us, kids all around the world still have their whole lives ahead of them. They can be doctors or lawyers or clowns or CEOs or teachers or…"

"I get it."

"We did good, Em, and you can make life even better for these people. You'll find a way. But you can't do that from here. If you want to make a difference, you need to go back."

"Not yet…"

"Then when? I love you, Em, and I know we're not going to spend our whole lives in the city, but I'm not living with your parents for the rest of our lives. I'm not staying here forever."

"Mike…"

"I want you to get better, and I don't want to pressure you, but at least come home for a little while. If you can't handle it or still need to talk to your mom about some stuff you can come back, but the longer you stay away the harder it's going to be for you to come home."

"Can I think about it?"

"Emily, please," Mike looked down at her pleadingly, "Just try it. A week, that's all I ask."

"I'll think about it," Emily sighed and pulled away from Mike. Her heart was pounding, she felt sick to her stomach, and she felt a little dizzy.

"I have to go home today," Mike told her, "Get some rest, think about it, and give me your answer in a few hours, before we leave. I'll support you no matter what, but I really think it's best if you at least visit."

Emily rolled over, away from Mike and closed her eyes to get some sleep, telling him she wanted to be left along. Mike leaned over, kissed the side of her head and then got out of bed, hungry for breakfast. He really didn't want to her, and if she was sure she wasn't ready to go home, he wouldn't force her, but he knew she couldn't stay away. Dr. Fletcher had told him that the point of recovering wasn't to avoid the things that made him angry, but to learn to deal with them properly. To do that, he had to work through situations that would make him lose control and overcome his desire to lash out violently. It was the same for Emily. If she really wanted to recover, she couldn't avoid Panorama City forever. She would have to get her feet wet again at some point. The sooner she came home, the easier it would be. The longer she stayed away, the more her fears and her guilt would keep her away. She had to face her demons at some point.

-Samurai-

"What if we do it in the summer?" James looked to Serena as they discussed plans for their wedding. Now that there were no more Nighlok, all the Ranger wedding plans could really get going. Kevin and Mia were very anxious to get their wedding going, and James and Serena were also very excited and couldn't wait to get everything sorted and for the big day to come.

They had agreed on getting married at Serena's parents' farm. Serena loved growing up on the farm and James thought the location was amazing, especially in the summer time. It would also save them quite a bit of money which would allow for a better honeymoon and with a son already in the picture, they needed as much money as they could save up for his future. Whatever he chose to be and whatever he wanted to do, James and Serena wanted to be able to support him.

"You mean wait another six months?"

"It gives us plenty of time," James nodded. "Terran will be a little older, this place will look amazing, and it'll be enough of a warning for friends and family to get some time away from work so they can come."

"It'll also get Mia's wedding out of the way," David said as he joined Serena, James, and Terran at the table. "She and Kevin are in the living room and all they're talking about is a Valentine's Day wedding. Mia thinks it'll be perfect."

"It would help," Serena agreed as she thought about it. "If Mia's wedding is over, she'll be more focused on helping me plan mine."

"Ours," James corrected and Serena blushed slightly. She had never been big on weddings, but now that she was marrying the man of her dreams she could understand Mia's love for them. It was going to be amazing. "It'll also mean we'll be able to work out the wrinkles from Mia's and Emily's weddings. Our wedding will top theirs on the awesome scale."

"Wait a minute," the four heard a voice and turned to the stairs where Mike was coming down, "Mia and Kevin are planning their wedding?"

"Yeah," David nodded, "They're in the living room now…"

Mike ran the rest of the way down the stairs and bolted into the living room. Then he pointed at Mia and Kevin, "You're re-engaged!"

"Finally!" Mia cried with a smile and held her hand up in the air, showing off the ring. After Kevin had forgiven Mia for running off they had agreed to continue their relationship, but their engagement had been put on pause. Mia had crushed Kevin's heart, and before he could take her back he needed to see if there was enough magic left between them to survive a marriage. Kevin would make his decision when he was positive Mia was still the right one for him and she wouldn't break his heart again.

"I gave her the ring last night," Kevin explained and smiled to Mike, "Thanks for keeping it safe for me."

"What are best men for?" Mike shrugged his shoulders. "I knew you two weren't calling it off. And anyways, I'm not the earth Samurai, but I know an expensive rock when I see one."

"You're getting married?" Riley turned away from her cartoons for a moment and stuck out her tongue, "Eww…"

"Probably the only kid in the world who doesn't want happily married parents," Antonio chuckled and messed up Riley's hair. She gave him a glare and then groaned.

"But Mia, I don't like Kevin."

"But I like you," Kevin smiled at her. Riley just rolled her eyes and went back to watching TV.

In the kitchen, Serena and James could see and hear the others, but a glance at the time reminded them they had somewhere to be. Storm had been left alone in the house and the more time it took for someone to get home, the more time Storm had to destroy everything. James and Serena didn't plan on staying for too long.

"We've got to think about heading out," Serena stood up, took Terran from his high chair and handed him James, "Mind getting him ready while I make up a car for us? The others might want to stay for a little longer."

"Make up a car?"

"Symbol Power."

"What can't Symbol Power do?"

"I won't be using it as much now that we're not Rangers," Serena said, "but we need a way to get home and your car is still in our driveway. Unless you want go home on horseback."

"I think we can use one more symbol. Can you make up a…"

"No."

"But I can drive my dream car!"

"Not with a baby in the back seat you can't. Safe, comfortable, and efficient."

James groaned and rolled his eyes but he did as his fiancée asked. He took Terran upstairs to get him dressed and ready to leave.

He walked into the room quietly. Everyone was awake but Emily and he knew of her nightmares. Thinking she was sleeping in because she hadn't sleep well during the night, he didn't want to wake her. As quietly as he could with a baby, he moved around the room and got Terran dressed and the suitcases packed.

Suddenly, Emily woke from her sleep with a piercing scream. It startled James, terrified Terran, and caught the attention of everyone downstairs as footsteps could be heard racing up the stairs. Emily sat up in her bed and looked around the room in panic. The rest of the house stormed into the room. Mike and Ellie were quickly by Emily's side.

"Emily…?" Mike asked as he sat beside her while Ellie pulled her daughter in for a hug while telling her everything was fine and it was all just a nightmare. Emily took another moment to make sure she was on the farm and not in Panorama City and then she looked to Mike.

"I'm sorry. I can't do it."

Mike looked rather upset but nodded his head, "You're too scared of going back?"

"I can't. It's dead. It's all dead."

"Emily…"

"Everyone's dead, I'm covered in blood, and now the city's on fire. I'm burning alive in a city of people I killed."

"You didn't kill anyone, Emily," Jayden shook his head. "Everything's fine back home. It's soon going to be the city we know and love…"

"It's not my city," Emily buried her face in her mother's shoulder. "All I know is danger, war, and death. Panorama City is a battlefield. I'm sorry. I can't go back."

"Not even if…"

"No! I'm not going back!"

"Maybe you should step outside for a moment," Ellie said to the other Samurai as she held onto her daughter tightly. Unlike the others, only the Earth Family lived away from the city, and generally they only returned to Panorama to fight in a war. Emily was right; to them, Panorama City was nothing but a battlefield. All memories, even the good ones, were still tainted by Nighlok.

"What are we going to do, Em?" Mike asked her while the others started to leave. Emily shrugged her shoulders. "I've got a job in the city. I can't move away from that. But I'm not leaving you."

"It'll work out," Ellie promised Mike. "I'll take care of everything. Just be patient."

Mike nodded his head and then looked to Emily one last time, "I'm not leaving you, but I can't watch you live like this Em. Please be brave. For us."

Emily looked up at Mike and nodded her head, "I'll try."

Mike gave her a little smile and then walked out of the room. The only person left beside Ellie and Emily was Serena.

"James can take Terran home and I can stay if…"

"If you need to leave, Serena, then go," Ellie said. "Emily will be home with you soon enough."

Serena sighed, walked over to her sister and put her hand on her back, "One phone call, Em, and I'll be here as fast as I can. If you need anything, just call."

"Goodbye, sweetheart," Ellie pulled Serena into her arms quickly for a goodbye hug, "Don't forget to visit."

Serena grabbed her bags from the room and walked out. She didn't want to leave, but she wasn't sure what she could do to help. She wasn't like her mother. She hadn't gone through this type of stress before. She was more resistant to trauma than Emily was and unfortunately, that difference wouldn't help at all.

When the room was clear, Ellie looked into her youngest daughter's eyes, "Fire now?"

Emily hugged her knees to her chest and sighed, "I think it's getting worse. The others are leaving…"

"They aren't leaving you, Emily," Ellie shook her head. "And it'll get worse before it gets better. You just have to want to fight it. Do you want to go home?"

"To Panorama? I don't think I ever can."

"Do you want your life back? Your sleep back? Do you want to have a normal life with your husband?"

Emily nodded her head, "Mike's got a job. I can go back to school… we can have our family…"

"Then you need to fight this thing," Ellie said, "Lay back."

"I don't want to sleep, mom. I…"

"You won't be sleeping. Close your eyes."

"Mom…"

"I won't let anything hurt you," when Emily closed her eyes, Ellie reached for the Samuraizer by the bed, "Take a deep breath."

As Emily breathed, Ellie traced a symbol on her chest. Emily relaxed into the bed and wouldn't wake. Ellie clapped her hands together loudly, but Emily didn't even stir. She set the Samuraizer down, kissed her daughter's forehead and then walked out to the hall. She bumped into Jack.

"What did you do?"

"She'll be fine," Ellie assured him and tried to walk off but Jack grabbed her arm.

"Last time you used a Symbol on our daughter we had to rush her to the emergency room."

"I know what I'm doing this time."

"That's what you said last time. You still almost killed Serena!"

"I don't know what else to do. This is a risk worth taking. And, I assure you, it's no risk."

"Eleanor."

"Jack."

"What did you do?"

"She's done so much, she just can't see it," Ellie pulled her arm out of Jack's grip and started down the stairs, "I'm going to say goodbye to our grandson."

Jack let her go and looked inside the bedroom. He did trust Ellie and he knew she was doing what she thought was best, but he hated anytime his daughters had to struggle.