Mike went into work that morning feeling better about his problem with Frankie. He and Emily had talked well into the night, and though they were both worried about Frankie's return, they were confident everything would work itself out. Coach Hall, the woman who would be supervising Mike, had agreed to let him step away during the period where Frankie had gym. Instead of work in the gym helping students play sports or run laps, Mike would be in a different part of the school to work with a few of the boys from the cheerleading team who needed a little extra hand with routine and rhythm. Mike knew very little about the sport itself, admitting to mostly admiring cheerleaders when they were around, but anything was better than keeping himself in a room with Frankie.

His little knowledge of cheerleading would be much help for the first couple of days, but if Mike had learned anything about the sport it was trust. Cheerleading was intense, it was dangerous, and some of the students rarely had their feet on the ground. If these boys were going to have what it took to be on the team, they were going to have to learn to trust each other. Mike was sure that by now they were friends, but they needed to go a little deeper.

It was for that reason he brought Serena with him. She rarely had work to do when the students were in class and so she had the free time to be Mike's aid. After getting to know the names of the boys, Mike introduced himself and Serena.

Of course, he always loved to mess with Serena.

"This is my wicked sister in-law."

"Mike," Serena growled and crossed her arms over her chest, "Don't make me…"

"Look, guys," Mike kept his attention on the students. Serena wouldn't do anything to him. Not with so many eyes watching, "Being part of a team is great, and you do make friends, but there can also be a lot of tension, right Serena?"

"Yeah," Serena nodded her head and continued to glare at Mike. "Like when your puny brother in-law calls you wicked."

"Serena and I are on a team," Mike continued on, "You will see us bickering from time to time, but we care for each other. We've been through so much that this is a woman who I would trust with my life. And I have."

"That almost makes up for calling me wicked."

"Being on a team demands that you trust and respect your partners. No matter what may come between you, you need to have faith that your team, your friends have your back. So, this is our first exercise: find your best friend in the room."

Almost instantly the boys teams up with the person sitting next to them. As usual, friends all sat together which made the partner selection very easy. Mike nodded his head, "Alright, now you're going to pair up with someone who isn't your partner."

The teens looked reluctant, but did as their coach asked. Mike smiled to himself and then started passing out blindfolds around the room, giving one to each pair. Then he gave one to Serena.

"What the…"

"Until lunch, one of you will be wearing the blindfold and you will be guided to your classes by your partner. They will make sure you don't bump into other students, things, that you have the right books, and that you make it to the right classes. They will lead you all the way to your desk. Once in the class, you can take off the blindfold to take notes, but you will put them back on at the bell and wait for your partner to pick you up. After lunch, you will switch."

"Will this work?" Serena asked. "What about the other students who need to race to their class and lockers after? Teacher's don't like late-comers."

"Will a note from me work?" Mike asked and handed papers around the room, all signed with his name. Serena shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess."

"Really?" Mike smirked, "Wow, awesome. My signature's never gotten me out of anything before. Now I can show up to class late."

At that moment, the bell rang. Half the students in the room put their blindfolds off and were led around by their partners. Initially there were a few bumps and missteps, but they all made it out of the door just fine. Serena put her blindfold on.

"This is crazy. It might work, but it's crazy. How did you come up with it?"

"Kind of a spin off idea from that time Kevin and I got stuck together," Mike shrugged his shoulders and made sure the blindfold was actually making Serena blind and she wasn't cheating by leaving a peep-hole. "I initially thought of that last night, but then I realized the school might not like me tying up students. So I did the blind folds."

"We'll see how this work," Serena felt Mike take her arm as he started to lead her out of the room. Suddenly, she walked into something hard, "OW! Mike!"

"Sorry. It was a desk."

"Yeah, just don't let it… OW!"

"Wow, you really can't see, huh. That was a wall."

"Michael… OW!"

"That was just for fun," Mike chuckled. Serena rubbed her nose and growled.

"Just remember, you'll be blindfolded this afternoon and I'll have to guide you."

"Uh… right. Careful, open locker!"

-Samurai-

Riley and Mia were enjoying a board game in the living room. Riley was still suffering a bit from her concussion, and the flashing lights from the TV hurt her too much, so she had to find something else to do during the day that would allow her to relax. Mia had no plans, and so once again she spent the day keeping her daughter entertained. It was fun, and Mia enjoyed it, but it could get exhausting. Even with a concussion keeping her down, Riley was still very energetic.

Kevin had shared the news of the raccoon in the attic and promised to bring home something to take care of the problem after he came home from working at the pool. Mia and Riley were right in the middle of their game of Candyland when the front door opened. Kevin was back and he was carrying a rather large cage with him.

"The guy at the store promised this would catch that bugger," Kevin said to Mia as he set down the cage, "Humanely, of course."

"You're going to lock Mr. Nibbles in a cage?" Riley looked at the cage sadly and then up to her father, "Won't Mr. Nibbles get scared?"

"Just for a little bit," Kevin nodded and gave Riley a pat on the shoulder, "but we're not going to hurt him, I promise."

"Why can't Mr. Nibbles stay?" Riley tugged on Kevin's shirt, "I like him!"

"You've never seen him. Besides, he's an outdoor animal."

"But it's cold outside," Riley huffed. "Mr. Nibbles is cold."

"Our attic is not a space for raccoons," Kevin shook his head and then looked to Mia, "I'll set the trap upstairs and we'll check it every couple of hours for the raccoon."

"Mr. Nibbles," Riley corrected Kevin who paid her no attention. No matter what she named the creature, the raccoon had to go. Riley puffed her cheeks when she saw he was ignoring her, she started to drag the cage back outside.

"Shouldn't you call an exterminator?" Mia asked, seeing Riley trying to sneak the cage out from the corner of her eye. She just smirked and let her daughter be. "We're dealing with a raccoon. These guys can be quite clever and stubborn."

"I got Riley to stay," Kevin shrugged his shoulders, "If I can do that, I can get a raccoon to leave," he leaned over to pick up the cage but caught nothing except air. Looking down he saw his cage was already halfway out the door, "Riles."

"Mr. Nibbles likes our house. He should stay."

"He's going to ruin our house if we let him stay, Riley," Kevin shook his head and grabbed the cage. "Mia, can you help me set up the cage?"

"No way," Mia shook her head. She took Riley in her arms, "You can wrestle with the raccoon. Riley and I are going to see if someone can do this professionally. I'm not taking care of a concussed daughter and a rabies husband at the same time."

-Samurai-

Lauren didn't know how to bring up the issue of kids. Now that Ji and Kate were getting married, she was terrified her surrogate parents were going to want to start a family of their own, and she was terrified that family wouldn't include her. She had already lost both parents twice and now finally had a set that promised to be there for her in life. She didn't want to lose them either.

She was smart. She knew the decision was theirs and she would have to live with whatever they wanted, but she knew she had a voice. Before any baby decided to make its home in the Shiba House, she wanted to know where she stood.

She was subtle about it. While Ji and Kate were having lunch she snuck into Ji's room. He had a lot of her father's possessions tucked away in his closet and Lauren knew she would find what she was looking for. When she did, she grabbed the box and carried it to the common room. She pulled out the VCR and hooked it up to the TV, like she usually did for herself and Jayden when they had downtime as a kid. Fortunately, she remembered how to do it, even on a newer TV.

"Just like riding a bike," she muttered. She put a tape into the VCR and started it. It was family tapes from back when she was really young. Most of which had been taken before Jayden had been born.

Her plan backfired on her. Before Ji and Kate could come into the room to watch the tapes (where Lauren would watch their reactions to see if the thought of having a baby together pleased them), she was sobbing. Her time training to use the Sealing Symbol was the majority of her life. She had memories of her parents from before they died, but like anyone, her memories of early childhood were foggy, few, and majorly distorted in some cases. Watching it all play out on tape gave her another perspective. One she missed very much. Her parents had always loved her dearly, and she had loved them. She remembered training with her father and having fun not just with the training equipment, but with her Fire Symbols as well. He had always been great with her. He had always been the fun parent. Even if at times he was tough when it came to training, Lauren never once doubted she would have a good time when she was with her father.

Her mother was a different story. Her mother wasn't a Samurai, and had the Shiba Family duties sprung on her like any other spouse would. At the time, Lauren's father hadn't begun his war and so the possibility still existed that he would be the one to seal Xandred away for good, but Lauren's mother was never certain. She understood that if her husband failed, her oldest child – her daughter – would be forced to take his place. She hated how her husband had to be the red Ranger, but more than that, she hated the thought of her daughter having to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.

The video started in Lauren's old bedroom, which was now known as Mia and Kevin's room. It was impossible to tell the time because the curtains on the window kept all the light out of the room, but it was time for sleep for Lauren. She could place her age at around two or three. She was big enough to have a bed instead of a crib, and big enough to be put to bed with only a bedtime story and a goodnight kiss.

Instead, she got the story and a long, cuddle with her mother afterwards. Lauren's mother rocked her in the same rocking chair Lauren remembered seeing her in with Jayden until she was sound asleep, and then a little longer. She looked down at her daughter lovingly, gently stroking her little cheeks with her fingers.

"One day, the war will end," Lauren's mother whispered very softly to the sleeping young girl in her arms. "Daddy's going to end it. You have to believe in him. He's working very hard to make sure the Nighlok can never, ever hurt you or anyone else. When it happens, we're all going to be very, very happy together. We'll get a house – a real house – somewhere in the city. You'll go to a regular school like all the other kids. You won't need to worry about training or being the red Ranger, or anything dangerous like that. I promise you, Lauren, everything's going to be okay. This war will end."

Lauren's mother gave her a loving squeeze before she got up from the chair. Just when Lauren thought she would be put to bed and left alone for the night, she saw her mother climb into bed with her, squeezing herself into the small space as she lay with her daughter.

"Everything's going to be okay," her mother promised her again, "No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you."

On the couch, Lauren hugged a pillow to her chest and wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched the video. Her bedtime with her mother ended, and was quickly replaced with a video of Lauren and her parents having a tea party in front of the Shiba House, which only made Lauren miss her parents even more. She was about to start crying again when a hand fell on her shoulder.

"That was the night your father told you, you needed to start training," Ji took a seat beside Lauren and sighed. "Your mother thought the decision was premature. He could still end the war and you would never know the pain of being a Samurai. She was terrified because she knew he was preparing for the worst."

Ji wrapped his arms around Lauren and let her cry on his shoulder, "Your mother loved you very much. She gave her life for you."

Lauren pulled away from Ji, "She… she did?"

She had known her mother was dead. There wasn't a way to hide that from a young girl. Because she was young, though, she didn't ask many questions about it. Of course, the why-question did come up often, but she never got real answers. Comfort answers, she would call them now. Her father and Ji only ever gave her comfort answers. By the time she was old enough to start asking serious questions and demanding serious answers she knew it was much too late, and preferred her comfort answers. And anyways, given the way her life went, it wasn't like anyone around her would know or care what had happened to her mother. They had bigger things to worry about.

"You had been feeling neglected. Your parents were so busy with Jayden they could hardly spend any time with you."

"I remember that," Lauren muttered. "Stupid little brother…"

"You began acting up. Nothing would calm you down. Your mother decided, one day, instead of punishing you, you would spend the day together. I remember the morning you woke up, knowing it was your special day with mommy. I have never seen you happier than on that day. I have also never seen you sadder. As you know, between wars, the occasional Mooger does break into our world. While the other families continue to train their newest Samurai without interruption, it is the responsibility of the Shiba Family to take care of the Moogers. While you and your mother were at the park, about a dozen turned up and they came after you. Your father hurriedly left the house, but he didn't make it in time."

Ji placed his hand on Lauren's leg, "That scar you have on your knee was the only injury the Moogers gave you."

"That's from Moogers?" Lauren looked down. She had no memory of this incident at all – even though it felt like it was something she would remember; something that would leave her scarred in more ways that just a mark on her knee, "My mentors always told me it was from messing around in training. It was a discipline trick."

"Your mother held off the Moogers as best she could. Unfortunately, beginner martial arts can only do so much for a woman whose opponents are armed with swords. Your mother took one through the chest just as your father arrived. If she hadn't of done that, that Mooger would have killed you."

"Mom and dad both died for… for me?"

"And they would do so again and again," Ji nodded his head. "Do not feel like this is your fault, Lauren. You were only a child and your mother did what any loving mother would do. And your father made his decision…"

Lauren nodded her head, "I miss them, Ji. I… I miss what I had… what I had before Jayden."

"I understand," Ji took Lauren back in his arms. "I will never try to take your father's place, but if you let me; us, Kate and I will be more than happy to give you back that feeling of home."

"What about… what if… you and Kate… if you have kids…"

"No," Ji shook his head and kissed the top of Lauren's, "We do not want kids. Not at our age. I've already got you and Jayden, and I'm more than happy with that. Kate got her fill helping Emily and Serena's parents. With Riley and Terran, and another other Samurai grandchildren, we'll have more than enough little ones to spoil rotten."

"No kids?" Lauren had to look at Ji to make sure he wasn't lying. This could just be a comfort answer. The future could change. Plans were never solid.

"You have a home here," Ji promised Lauren with a bright, warm smile, "You have a home, and Kate and I will help you with everything you need. We will be whatever you need us to be. That was one of my terms for our engagement. That the three of us and Jayden be the family you've always dreamed of."

"It was a term?"

"A deal breaker," Ji nodded. "Not that it was much for Kate to think about. She agreed before I could finish speaking."

Lauren looked up at Ji with a big, bright smile and then threw her arms around him, "I love you."

Ji looked down at Lauren and gave her a tight squeeze. Since she had come back, he hadn't heard her mutter those words to anyone. For years she had been kept at arm's length from everyone who did come near her. She had been alone for so long, and ripped away from those she did love. Naturally, it was hard for her to open up and settled into a family again. Even more, it was hard for her to admit to herself and admit out loud that she cared for someone so deeply that it was love. She had a lot of irreplaceable friends, a niece she did care for very, very deeply, and a brother she would risk her life for, but she hadn't yet told anyone she loved them.

Ji did all he could do: he gave her a loving squeeze and whispered back, "I love you too, Lauren."