Being dumped on the streets and practically told by Serena not to come home until he saw Dr. Fletcher turned out to be exactly what Mike needed. The walk to the therapist's office had calmed him down after his run-in with Frankie. He had a better grasp of his emotions and the conversation with Fletcher was a lot smoother.

The clock on the wall read 6:49. Mike had just managed to squeeze in an half-hour appointment after calling in last minute, and he had several more appointments lined up during the week after football practice and well into the next few weeks. He didn't think Frankie deserved his forgiveness or kindness, but he wasn't going to let Frankie ruin his life. Mike desperately wanted to keep his job at the school, and unfortunately if the principal found out Mike was a danger to one student, it was more than enough to get him fired. Mike was happy in a house with Serena, James, and Terran, but he wouldn't be happy there forever. He was working to earn himself an Emily their own place and eventually they would have enough money to start a family. If Mike got fired, his and Emily's dream would be pushed back. He had no idea how long it would take to get everything on track and for the stars to line up for him again.

"What do I do, doc?" Mike shrugged his shoulders, "Just hearing his name makes me so angry. Having to see him at school every day…?"

"This won't come easy," Fletcher said. He was very supportive of Mike, and he always had been. No matter what Mike told him or no matter how Mike behaved in his office, he always greeted the young man warmly. He insisted his office was a safe space for expression – that if Mike didn't feel like he could release his emotions inside the therapy office, there was nowhere he would be able to express himself. With a lot of help and patience from Fletcher, Mike had learned the proper way to express himself. He learned how to get his feelings out and make his thoughts known to others without putting them in danger.

But Frankie was a different matter, so Fletcher had to treat him differently. Unfortunately, there was never any quick fix, "What your coach is doing is helpful, but avoiding Frankie isn't going to fix the problem. You are going to see him in the hallways, around the school, at assemblies, and he may even attend a few footballs games."

"But I don't trust him…"

"At one point, your wife didn't trust you," Fletcher knew to tread carefully, but that was his job. Mike looked pained and lowered his head.

"I know."

"You earned her trust back. You changed yourself. Why can't Frankie?"

"Because… because he…"

"He offered you an apology," Fletcher said, "Now, I was not the one to look after Frankie, but I have seen people change. I am not telling you to forget or to err on the side of caution, but by not accepting Frankie's apology, the only person you are hurting is yourself. You need to forgive him."

"Forgive him?"

"You need to let this go. I will help you," Fletcher looked up at the clock and then pointed to the door, "Think about what I said and come back and tell me about any thoughts you've had about it."

"I need to forgive him?" Mike shook his head and got off the couch, "Seriously. I trust you, doc, I really do but… I don't know how. You didn't see Emily when she… You don't know, dude."

"I don't, I appreciate that. How about we make this deal," Fletcher got up from his chair and walked out of the room. He traded a few words with his receptionist before turning back to Mike, "You only pay if I help you. Once we're done with these sessions, you will be the judge of whether you think I deserve payment or not."

"Serious? You don't want money?" Mike stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I'm not doing this for the money, Michael," Fletcher shook his head, "I do this because I want to help people. I want to help you. If these sessions don't help you figure out the best way of handling your emotions towards Frankie, then I don't deserve to take money from you. I'll see you in a couple of days, after you've put some thought into my words."

"Alright, cool," Mike nodded his head and shook his hands with Fletcher, "I'll try. I really appreciate this, dude."

"You're a good man, Mike. You're going to do what's right."

-Samurai-

Antonio pulled his cart down the sidewalk after a busy day at work. He hadn't been able to get back to his business. His final moments as a Samurai had been crazy and had taken all his time away from fishing. Moving on with his life, getting settled into a new home with his fiancé made his life a little more crazier. He had managed to go down to docks a few times to catch some fish, but this had been his first day back on the streets and it had been a great success.

What had made the night even better was that at the end of the day, Jayden had stopped by unexpectedly to walk home with him. As Antonio pulled the cart behind him, he held Jayden's hand and told him all about his day and some of the crazy people he met. It was both a perk and a downside to the business. Some people were crazy. It made for good stories, but they were rough at the time.

As the men walked down the street, they noticed they were approaching Mia and Kevin's house, and there was something going around in circles in the driveway. They stopped by, seeing Riley on a little pink bike and wearing a helmet with the pink Samurai Ranger design. With her little training wheels on the back of her bike, Riley was having a blast spinning in circles on the driveway. The fact that it was cold didn't seem to be affecting her (not that kids really ever felt the cold).

"Whoa, jealous," Antonio said as he set his cart down and raced up the driveway, "You got a new bike?"

"I wasn't 'llowed to keep Mrs. Nibbles," Riley stopped her bike and smiled as she recognized her uncles, "So Kevin buyed me a new bike! He's gonna teach me to ride it!"

"You're doing amazing already. I can't imagine Kevin needs to teach you much more," Antonio said and he felt Jayden squeezing his hand lovingly. Though Jayden did babysit Terran on occasion, he was still a little shy around kids. He was the youngest in the Shiba Family, and he had grown up without any brothers or sisters or friends. Antonio had been his only one until he met the Ranger team. Some of the Samurai had been young, but none of them had been kids. Riley was Jayden's first taste at being an uncle to a child. It was much different from being an uncle to a baby.

But Antonio knew exactly what to do and say to kids. He was a natural at it, just like everything else he took to. Jayden knew it was far down the road, but he was sure Antonio was going to make a great father. There would be no going wrong with a partner like Antonio by his side.

"I'm going to learn to ride without the baby wheels," Riley pointed to her training wheels. "Kevin's gonna take them off and teach me to ride on two wheels."

"And you know how to swim? How old are you again?"

"Four."

"Really? Riding a bike and swimming, you sound like you're… six."

"No!" Riley giggled and shook her head. She held up four fingers, "I'm this old."

"I'm…" Antonio let go of Jayden's hand to hold up all ten of his fingers, "This old."

Riley counted his fingers and then frowned. She wasn't good at math yet but she knew how to count to ten, and she knew her uncle Antonio was much older than ten.

"Plus my toes, plus three more. What does that make?"

"A hundred!"

"Close enough," Antonio gave Riley's helmet a pat and then took Jayden's hand again, "Uncle Jay and I are going home now, Riley. Can you tell Mia and Kevin we said hi?"

"No need," Jayden pointed to the house as Kevin and Mia came out. They had been keeping an eye on Riley from the window as they discussed wedding plans and when they noticed their friends in the yard they couldn't help but come out to say hi. Riley let the grown-ups talk while she rode her bike in circles on the driveway.

Then she noticed something and stopped her bike. She looked to Mia and Kevin, and then back to Jayden and Antonio. They were holding hands. Her mother and father used to hold hands, and they had been married. Mia and Kevin were getting married, and they were holding hands.

Her uncles were holding hands. Riley was sure that meant they were getting married. It was that simple for her. But it also wasn't. Her parents had always told her that a mommy and a daddy got married. Two mommies couldn't get married, and two daddies couldn't get married. They weren't allowed to fall in love. It was bad.

"You're bad people," Riley said to her uncles. Jayden and Antonio looked to each other, feeling that was a little odd for Riley to say. She pointed to their hands to explain, "God hates you."

"Riley," Mia shook her head, "That's not nice."

"I don't have to be nice to gay people," Riley got off her bike and rolled it up to the open garage. She put it away carefully, placed her helmet gently on the seat of the bike and then ran inside the house.

Mia and Kevin were red with embarrassment. They knew Antonio and Jayden knew where they stood on the issue of gay couples. When both their friends came out, neither Kevin nor Mia had a problem with it. They had been caring and supportive. But Riley was their child. Even if it was only just the start of their time as parents, Riley's behavior was a reflection of them.

"We haven't…"

"We know," Jayden nodded his head and turned to Antonio, "Maybe it's time we go."

"We'll talk to her," Kevin promised, but Mia was already walking towards the house. "We'll straighten this out."

"Really," Antonio shrugged his shoulders, "Guys, it's cool. She's only four. She'll understand some day."

"That's not an excuse," Kevin shook his head. "How about you two swing by tomorrow. Riley will offer you an apology then."

"Don't rush it," Jayden said, "I hear she doesn't even like the idea of you and Mia getting married. Really, it's okay. She'll learn eventually."

"My daughter will respect everyone," Kevin stated firmly, "Especially her family. Riley will apologise to you tomorrow, I promise. Come by for dinner."

"Dinner sounds great," Jayden said. "See you guys tomorrow."