"Thanks for letting me stay here again," Raven said quietly.
"Well, Andros had to be going. We'd have left you hooked up a bit longer, but knew you'd want to come," Skull mentioned.
They were sitting around the kitchen table, "Why do I have to keep getting hurt?" Raven asked Bulk and Skull.
"He used to ask the same thing," Bulk joked about Skull, who smacked his arm.
"I just feel weak, I guess," Raven confessed.
"You know, we don't think you are weak, and neither does your team. Tommy gave me his ring. However, I know you and Tommy were the only ones that had really warmed up to me. It's hard letting someone into a group. We want you to be our new leader," Skull told her.
"Me?" She sat in shock.
"You'll be a great leader," Bulk added.
"I'm also in contact with someone who can change your ring to black, giving me a suit like yours, and letting you take the red powers. But I can't make you do this," Skull explained.
"If you guys really think I can be the leader, then I can't let you down," she smiled weakly.
After talking more about their wariness about Piper, they went to the living room and watched some television to zone out the past few days. Raven fell asleep on the couch, waking up to Skull carrying her to the guest bed.
"Sorry for waking you," he noticed her eyes opening.
"It's fine," she muttered sleepily. He placed her in the bed and covered her back up. She had been so exhausted from the day she fell back to sleep almost instantly. She thought she felt a small kiss on her forehead, but she thought she might have dreamt it.
In the morning she awoke to the smell of bacon.
She crawled out of bed to go check it out.
"Morning," she alerted Bulk of her presence.
"Morning, hungry?" He asked her as she sat down at the table.
"Mhm," she responded.
"We'll eat when Skull gets out of the shower," Bulk told her.
"Do you need help?" She asked quietly.
"I'm fine, just take it easy," Bulk told her.
"You know, Tommy said you guys used to be bullies and pranksters, but you both are two of the nicest people I've ever met," Raven observed.
"Well, not everyone sees things the same to begin with, but we have changed a lot. He became a ranger, I got a consistent job, we've settled down a lot since then. If you call him going and saving the world settled," Bulk joked.
She sat there and thought about what Bulk had said. If they had changed so much in just a few years, maybe Piper had changed and she misjudged her.
After a moment they heard the bathroom door open. The bathroom was on the other side of the hall from the bedrooms so he had to walk by the kitchen to get to his room. He passed the kitchen, wearing only a towel around his waist. Raven blushed when she saw him and noticed how skinny he really was. She also noticed had a little bit of muscle popping out from his chest. He turned his head in slight shock, "Oh, I didn't know you were up, sorry," He walked quickly to his room to get dressed.
Bulk started placing plates on the table. Skull came into the kitchen with a set of clothes, "I thought you might want to change. You also might just want to start leaving an outfit or two here," he mentioned quietly.
"Maybe I just like borrowing your clothes," Raven joked trying to show him he shouldn't be embarrassed.
After breakfast Skull cleaned off his plate, "I have to go meet today about the rings before Billy leaves town."
"I should probably go check on the Piper situation," Raven decided.
"I need to go grocery shopping if we are going to keep having guests over," Bulk laughed.
Raven walked to campus hugging Skulls hoodie to her. It was a cold morning; she'd been so busy lately that she hadn't even noticed how close to winter it had gotten. So much had happened lately there was so much to take in.
She got to campus and knocked on Jacks door. He opened it, revealing himself, and the other rangers.
"Can we talk?" she asked him quietly.
He nodded and they started down the hall. They didn't start talking until they were back outside.
"How is she?" Raven asked Jack.
"She's been through a lot," Jack responded quietly.
"Look," Raven tried to get to her point, "I didn't understand why you would trust her. She had attacked me, she worked with Lucifer, who killed one of us." She went to continue but Jack interrupted.
"I don't know why you trusted Skull so quickly. He swooped in out of nowhere, basically stalked us, and just included himself in our group. Now with Tommy gone, we do need someone else. But why not Piper instead?" Jack said.
At this point, Raven was getting irritated that he interrupted her as well as how he was attacking the person who saved her.
"If he didn't do all of that, I wouldn't be here! Ok, I came to say that maybe we should give her a chance. People can change, and everyone deserves a chance. But apparently you don't think Skull deserves a better chance, so how about we stick to just the four of us and try to take him? Huh? Will that be fair to you?" Raven yelled.
"We need her," he mentioned.
"We need him," she replied.
"You seem to need him, but I'm not sure if the group does. You've been spending so much time over there and coming home in his clothes. What is going on with you?" Jack asked accusingly.
"Is that what all of this is about? You are jealous because I spend time with someone other than you? We are best friends. Yes, best friends stick together, but that doesn't mean they are the only person that they hang out with. I have the freedom to hang out with or even date whoever I want to, you don't control my life. And if you haven't forgotten, I keep getting hurt, in ways that would make it kind of hard for me to do anything at all. So you try having your arm bones shattered, getting hit with blaster fire, and coughing up blood. My lung will never be the same and I will probably always have breathing trouble because of it. We just went through something tragic, and I'm trying to help piece this group back together. You guys apparently picked me to be the leader, but if you think you can do a better job, go for it. Save the world, lead the group, but I won't be in it," Raven started storming off angry.
Jack ran to her and grabbed her arm, "I'm sorry, ok? I shouldn't have acted like that. I guess it's just with Tommy dying and I felt like you were abandoning me, it's just been really hard," he explained, "I was just worried. And Piper needs a friend, and I feel like I can be there for her. I feel like we can all be there. Plus, she knows Lucifer, she can help us plan and fight against him," he apologized.
They sat down on a bench and sat in silence for a few moments.
"We ok?" she asked him.
"Always," he replied.
"I guess I should go actually introduce myself to her," Raven said standing up; she started walking back toward his building.
When they arrived, Raven walked in his room and put her hand out as an invitation.
"I'm Raven," she said.
"I'm Piper," she replied, "I know it won't mean much to you, but I am so sorry for your arm as well as for your friend."
Soon after Raven got there, Elle and Aiden went back to their dorms to change.
Piper and Raven got to know each other a bit better, and although they were not the best of friends yet, they had gotten past the awkwardness and could see each other working together to beat Lucifer.