A/N: Well, I'm still at it. Partly because I want to and partly because I had 30 ideas planned out anyways so I don't see a reason not to keep going. So, Happy New Year and the next ranger is...Riley! Enjoy!

A knock on the door dragged Riley's attention, somewhat reluctantly, from his book. "You're only home for a few days and you want to just hide in your room?" Matt asked. He tossed a towel to his younger brother. "Come on. It's a beautiful day, the chores are done, and Mom's away. Let's go to the lake."

Riley grinned in response as he hopped off his bed. After Matt left, he scrambled into his bathing suit and pair of flip-flops that were just barely hanging on. He was so excited that he just barely remembered to grab the towel on his way out. Since their mom was out, Riley ran through the house until he found Matt at the front door. "Let's go," he said, not even out of breath.

Matt laughed, throwing his arm over his brother's shoulders as they walked. "You spend a couple months in city and all of a sudden you're Mr. Athletic."

"I've always been physically fit." Riley shrugged the arm off, but it was quickly back. "We live on a ranch. Do you think I would've been able to lift all those wooden beams to fix fences if I wasn't?"

"You could lift them, but you were't happy about it. Besides your little…swordplay, you preferred to be inside with your books."

"Well…working on your feet all day at a museum changes your perspective." Plus, being a monster-fighting superhero helped a lot. Not that he could tell Matt that part though.

"I'll definitely use those muscles of yours when you're home. We might even be able to finally fix the barn."

'Always work with him,' Riley thought. If only farm life could include something besides fixing barns. 'Ranger life is 100 times better than farm life.'

It only took them fifteen minutes to reach the lake. It wasn't exactly private property, but they hardly ever saw anyone there. Ever since they were little, it had felt like their secret hideaway. On the far shore, Riley could still make out the small "shelter" (a lean-to composed of large sticks) they'd made when he was nine. As soon as he stopped, Riley dropped his towel and stripped off his shirt. It was a typically hot, California, summer day, so a dip in the water was welcome. Unfortunately, he didn't notice Matt. His brother had stopped, halfway through taking off his own shirt, as he stared at Riley.

Still oblivious, Riley glanced over at Matt as he talked. "So, are you going to race me…down…" his voice trailed off as he registered the look on Matt's face. "Matt? What's up?"

"What's up?" Matt asked in disbelief as he lowered his shirt. "What's up?! Riley! Look- Look at you!"

"What?" Riley looked down at his bare torso. Besides his well-defined muscles, a few pale scars dotted his body. Nothing looked out of place. He looked back up at his brother. "What is it?"

"What is- Riley, where the hell did you get those scars?!"

Riley suddenly felt like a huge idiot. His scars weren't new to him, he didn't even keep track of them (and certainly didn't compare them to others' like Chase and Koda did when they were bored), but they were new to Matt. "I…uh…. They're nothing." He almost winced at how pathetic of an explanation that was.

"Nothing?" Matt walked closer, still staring at his brother. "Riley, you look like you've been stabbed!"

'Only a little,' he thought in protest. 'The suit took most of the damage.' But Matt couldn't know any of that. "I told you, it's nothing."

"If it's nothing how did you get them then?"

"I…" Riley tried desperately to think of a satisfactory answer, but kept coming up short. 'Work! Damn you, brain…work!' The chastising did nothing to help. His heart started beating faster and Riley felt himself tensing. His body's telltale signs of danger. But he wasn't in danger. It was just Matt. Even if his brother was staring at him intensely. "Matt…come on. Just let it go."

"Just let it go?! How can you say that? Look at you!"

"They're not even that bad! They could've been worse." Riley snapped his mouth shut, his eyes widening at the accidental admission. 'Fuck.'

"Worse? What do you mean it could've been worse?"

"I- I didn't mean that. I misspoke. What I meant was…" No plausible explanation came to him.

"Riley, what the hell have you been getting up to in the city? I thought you were working in a museum?"

"I am!"

"Like hell you are! You've been acting weird all summer. You barely call us, even after you told Mom you'd call every week. And when we do call you're either in middle of "something important" or completely exhausted. And I swear, sometimes it sounds like you're in pain. I kept thinking that I was just imagining it but seeing this…" Matt gestured helplessly at his little brother's torso. "So, I'll ask you again, what are you doing in the city?"

"I told you! I'm working at the museum!"

"Bullshit!" Matt's demeanor changed from confused to angry. "There's no way you'd get hurt like that from just working in a museum. Not unless those fossils are coming to life and chasing you around!"

"Well…it's not that."

"Riley-"

"Matt! Let it go! I told you, I'm fine."

Matt stepped closer, not missing how Riley immediately stepped back. "Does it have something to do with those monster attacks we always see on the news? Because you promised Mom you'd stay away from those."

"No! It's definitely not monsters!"

"Then what is it, Riley?!" Matt stepped closer and grabbed his brother by the arms. "What's going on?"

"N-Nothing is going on." Riley had to simultaneously fight the urge to throw off his brother's grip and not cry out in pain. Unknown to Matt, he was grabbing a spot where Riley's right arm had been broken in his last battle. Thanks to his ranger healing, it was already mostly healed, but had left a nasty bruise on the back of his arm. A bruise that Matt was currently digging his fingers into roughly. "Nothing, Matt."

"I don't believe you. None of this is adding up. Tell me what's going on."

"I already did. I work in a museum."

"Riley, whatever's going on you can tell me." Matt didn't relax his grip, but did stare at his brother, pleadingly. "I promise, if- if someone's hurt you or- or threatening you to keep quiet about something-"

"It's nothing like that!" Despite how painful his brother's grip was, Riley couldn't help but feel bad. The last thing he wanted was for Matt to worry about him like this. "No one's hurting me or anything like that."

"How did you get those scars then?"

"I- I-" If trying to think of a lie had been hard before, it was harder now with Matt hurting him like this. "Matt, I'm fine! Now let go!"

"No! I'm serious, Riley. I'm not dropping this until you tell me what's going on with you."

"Nothing! How many times do I have to tell you?!"

"As many as it takes until you tell me the truth!"

"I am!" Riley gritted his teeth a little as Matt's grip tightened. "Matt, please-"

"No, Riley. Ever since, Dad…I've felt responsible for you. I've tried to be a good role model and help Mom take care of you…" Matt swallowed. "Riley, if anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."

Riley swallowed a bout of guilt. 'I can't tell him the truth,' he thought. 'I can't. I'm not allowed and I don't want to worry him like that.' Seeing how upset Matt was at the thought of him being hurt just reinforced Riley's conviction. It was better for Matt not to know. Riley swallowed again, trying to use his new conviction to help him ignore the radiating pain in his arm. "Matt, please just let this go."

"Why? If it's not big deal, why can't you just tell me what happened?"

"Because it's not important! I'm 17 Matt! I don't need you smothering me anymore. I know how to take care of myself!" If it was possible, Matt's grip got even tighter. Riley grit his teeth in an effort to not flinch. "Matt-"

"Just tell me and I'll leave it alone. Come on, Riley, you've never tried to keep things from me like this before."

'But I can't tell you!' Riley thought helplessly. 'I can't tell you, even if I wanted to!' Which he definitely didn't because Matt was just proving he couldn't handle the truth. It was such a frustrating question that part of Riley wanted to scream and stomp his feet like a toddler. 'I'm doing something important, something I can't tell anyone about, even my own brother, and I'm keeping it a secret for him! To keep him safe and stop him from worrying endlessly!'

"Riley…" Matt took a deep breath. "I don't want to do this…but if you don't tell me what happened… I'll tell Mom and tell her not to let you go back to the city at the end of the week."

"What?!" Riley stared at his older brother in open mouth shock. "Matt- You- You can't-"

"I can and I will. So help me, Riley, I will do it. I know this independence thing is important to you, but it's not worth your safety. And if this is what I need to do to keep you safe, then so be it."

Riley practically ground his teeth against each other. 'If he tells Mom then it's over. I don't know how I'll be able to sneak off the farm. And even if I do, they'll just come to the museum to get me.' And God forbid there be a monster attack while his family was in the city. It would be even harder to keep his identity a secret at that point. 'Plus I definitely wouldn't put it past Sledge to target them.'

"It's your choice, Riley. Either you tell me, or I'll keep you home for the rest of the summer. What'll it be?"

'My choice? My choice?!' Riley balled his hands into loose fists. 'None of this is my choice! That gem chose me, not the other way around! And I definitely didn't choose to be standing here getting interrogated while he digs his fingers into my bruised arm!' The whole situation felt so frustrating he could barely form it into words. "Come on Matt… Don't be like this…"

"I'm trying to protect you, Riley."

"I don't need your protection!"

"You clearly do if you've been hurt so many times in only a couple of months!"

"I told you it's nothing!" Between how stressed he was and the building pain of Matt's grip, Riley's voice sounded borderline hysterical to his own ears. "It's nothing, it's nothing, it's nothing! Let it go!"

"It's not nothing! Tell me, Riley!"

"I can't!" As soon as he said it, Riley knew it was a huge mistake. His words only seemed to reinforce Matt's pre-conceived ideas. "Matt, please…just let it go."

"No, Riley. I can't let it go. I'm your brother, I love you. Tell me who's been hurting you."

It was like talking to a brick wall. Riley was suddenly aware of how heavy his energem felt on its chain. He blinked back tears. In all his time being ranger, he'd never felt so helpless. Trapped between the lake, his older brother he loved more than anything, and the energem around his neck.