TAMIRA

She was singing a song from The Little Mermaid. She'd recently discovered that Squatt especially loved Disney songs. Finster and Baboo didn't seem to mind, and even Virges was staring at her adoringly. Singing for the monsters gave her comfort as much as it seemed to soothe them, and it helped pass the time. Tamira smiled as the room grew even brighter, wondering why it always seemed to do that when she sang.

"Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun!" She sang.

"What is this?!" Merkhet demanded harshly. Tamira immediately stopped singing and began trembling. "Again, you fools? I told you to stop gathering around her! You worship her as though she were a Goddess, while I remain the only Goddess present!"

"Demigoddess, Mistress," Virges corrected her gently.

"Close enough! I come from deities! That child does not!"

"Merkhet, she has the powers of the Sun. She must be of the Gods," Finster said.

Merkhet frowned. "Yes, I suppose she may descend from a line of Horus... But it is diluted and tainted with the blood of countless generations, each more human and less demigod... She is human. I am the real thing. So stop gathering around her and do your jobs!"

The monsters fled. Merkhet glared at her. "Enough of you," she decided.

"Are you going to kill me?" Tamira found the strength to ask.

"Oh, no, Child. I'm going to do much worse than that." She laughed before opening up a portal. She proceeded to drag Tamira through it. Tamira stared in horror at the monster before her.

"Lord Zedd! I bring a gift!" Merkhet declared, shoving Tamira toward him.

"What would I possibly want with that?" Zedd asked.

"I thought you might enjoy a replacement for Aisha... You certainly seemed to like her."

Zedd did something shocking then. He struck Merkhet hard across the face. Tamira had yet to see anyone with the guts to attack Merkhet.

"Do not speak of matters you know nothing about!" Zedd said harshly.

Merkhet looked stunned. "You dare to strike me?" She demanded.

"You crossed into my domain, Woman! You are not in charge here. Now leave."

Merkhet looked furious, but she left. Zedd looked at Tamira and shook his head. "Tanner! Do what you will with the child. She is of no interest to me," he said.

A teenager looked at Tamira darkly. She began to shake, sensing the pure evil within him. Terrified, she did the only thing she could and began to sing.

"You would not believe your eyes if ten million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep, cause they'd fill the open air and leave teardrops everywhere. You'd think me rude but I would just stand and stare... I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly. It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep cause everything is never as it seems..."

Tanner got closer. He tried to touch her. Tamira began to sing louder. "Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs as they tried to teach me how to dance, a foxtrot above my head, a sock hop beneath my bed, the disco ball is just hanging by a thread!" The room was filling with light now.

Just as she was certain something terrible would happen, someone stopped it. Tamira looked up in surprise as Zedd pulled Tanner away from her. "Wait!" He said. "I have changed my mind."

"But Father, you said-" Tanner began to protest.

"I know what I said. Go. You are never to touch that child."

Tanner looked furious, but he left the room.

"Sing, Child. Go on," Zedd said.

Terrified and confused, Tamira resumed the song. "I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly-" The room lit up even more.

"Raven." Zedd whispered the word.

"What did you call me?" Tamira asked.

"Not you... Someone I used to know, a very long time ago." Zedd was staring at her now. "He had the same gift you do."

"Gift? What gift?"

"My child... Do you not realize you make the light?"

"I thought the monsters were doing it because they liked my singing."

"No, dear girl... That light comes purely from inside of you." He shook his head. "It soothes me still, even now... I believed that impossible. Sing for me, Child."

"Tamira," she said cautiously.

"Sing for me, Tamira, and I shall cause you no harm."

That much, she could do. Tamira began to sing other songs, and the room filled with light entirely. A woman joined them. "Ahhh! What is that blinding light? It's going to give me a headache!" She shrieked. Then she paused as the light touched her. "Zedd? What is this?" She asked much softer.

"A gift. Join me, Rita," Zedd said, patting the space beside him. Rita sat down and began listening to her sing.

"You... Remind me of someone..." Rita mumbled. Tamira hoped that was a good thing.

RITA

Something strange was happening to her. As the little girl sang, Rita felt different. She could initially think only of Angeline, her beloved daughter. She missed her and hoped she was safe. Then, she began to think of others. Zedd, who frustrated her to no end, was still her husband. He didn't love her, not the way she wanted, but she supposed he'd come to care about her on some level because the love spell had been broken yet he stayed by her side.

It isn't his fault, she thought. Zedd is incapable of love, just as my father is. He gets as close as he can... Of course, he forgot I existed when that brat Aisha was around, but so what? It gave me a nice vacation from pretending I had a headache.

Her thoughts turned to Rito. As much as her baby half-brother could be a pest, Rita cared for him deeply. She might even love him. It wasn't his fault he was such a fool. She blamed her step-mother for that. He meant well, and his fierce loyalty endeared him to Rita.

Her thoughts began to fall much further back in time. She saw Zordon, the funny blue boy who'd saved her life when she'd barely existed. There had been a time, when Rita was very naive, when she'd loved him, too...

"Enough!" She cried. She refused to let herself think about her earliest years. She fled the room and plugged her ears, not wanting to think of anything but taking over worlds and destroying lives. Still, one persistent shred of light touched her heart.

Angeline... She thought. She hadn't known it was possible to care so deeply for someone. Her own mother had abandoned her at birth, leaving her alone with her father, Master Vile. He hadn't been the worst parent, but he never understood Rita, and he never loved her. At times, he'd resorted to cruelty to teach her lessons, but Rita knew he was only trying to make her stronger.

That's Zedd's logic, too... Be cruel to Angeline to make her stronger... Rita realized. "Ugh!" She cried. "I married my father!" She had never really thought about how similar the two could be at times. That was probably why her father hated Zedd so much. They were so alike, they kept butting heads.

Rita sighed. She picked up her scrying mirror. "Show me Angeline..." She whispered. It didn't always work, but this was one of the rare occasions when it did.

Angeline sat in some sort of courtroom. Rita frowned. What was going on? She watched closely, hoping her daughter was not in trouble.

ANGELINE

She was extremely nervous as she waited for the judge's decision. A social worker stood with her. "Relax, Angie," she said kindly. "Everything will be fine."

Angie wasn't sure about that. She'd told the court about the abuse in the group home, as had Josh. They hadn't officially filed charges yet, but they were investigating the claims. In the meantime, Tanya had stepped up.

"I have Angie's two younger sisters living in my house with their mother," she said. Tommy and Billy had worked together to cover up the unusual DNA results so they only showed that Angie, Tye, and Tessa were siblings. "Now that we know she has family, I think they should be together."

It had stunned Angie that Tanya was willing to step up to gain custody of her. No one had ever fought to keep her before. They usually ran screaming after sending her back to whatever group home she'd been in.

"Agreed! No dispute here!" The representative from the foster care system said. That didn't surprise Angie. Of course they were happy to get rid of her.

"Your evaluation shows you are a fit guardian," the judge said. "Custody granted."

Angie stared in shock. "Come on, Angie," Tanya said. "Let's go home."

"Home?" Angie repeated. She'd never had one of those for more than, at best, a few weeks at a time.

"That's right, sweetheart. You're going home. For good this time," Tanya replied, reading her thoughts.

They left together. Angie tried to remain calm, but part of her was waiting for Tanya to kick her out. She knows about the magic. She has other people with gifts in her house. Maybe it can work out this time, she thought, but she refused to get her hopes up. Things never worked out for Angie like that.

JOSH

He hadn't heard from Taylor in a few days, and he was starting to worry. Josh called him. "Hey Josh," Taylor answered. He sounded upset.

"Taylor... Is everything okay?" Josh asked.

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

"You can talk to me."

Taylor sighed. "I'm okay, Josh... Just trying to get out of something."

"So talk. Maybe I can help. I'm good at figuring things out." Except how I feel about you, he added silently.

"There's this guy... Another incubus. He found me wandering around and took me under his wing to teach me. He was cool at first, and I know he's just trying to help me figure out how to control what I can do so I don't hurt anyone, but now..."

"Now what?"

"He's too clingy, Josh. I affect him. I shouldn't be able to. This guy's supposed to be the strongest incubus walking the earth, but he reacts to me like everyone else... And he doesn't want to let me out of his sight for long. He asked me to stay with him."

"Did you agree?"

"No. I appreciate the way he helped me, but now... It's like he wants me to be his, and I don't want that. I'm not a possession, even if that's how my father treated me."

"Of course you're not. Taylor, can you get away from him?"

"I think so. If I leave town, I don't think he'll follow me... I just don't know where to go."

"Come back to Angel Grove. Go home to your family."

"You know why I can't."

"Then at least come to town... I'll help you find a place to stay. You're safer here, Taylor."

"I'm not safe anywhere," Taylor said. "My father will find me. He'll destroy me. It's only a matter of time."

Josh was determined not to let that happen. "I'll protect you," he said softly.

Taylor's end of the conversation went so silent, Josh was worried he'd hung up. After a minute, he asked very softly, "You will?"

"Yes. I'm a Power Ranger. We protect people."

"I'm not an innocent civilian. I'm an incubus. I tried to hurt you. I did hurt Thorn."

"Stop. The past is over, Taylor. You did what you had to, but you're choosing differently now."

Taylor paused. Then his entire tone changed. "Who are you? How did you find me?" He demanded.

"Taylor? Taylor, what's happening?" Josh asked.

There was a struggle. Then, he could hear Taylor running. Finally, he gasped into the phone, "Josh... Josh, I'm scared."

The admission was beyond terrifying. Josh knew how serious things must be to actually scare Taylor enough that he'd express his fear aloud. He didn't hesitate. He teleported right to Taylor.

"You shouldn't have come," Taylor said in horror.

Seeing the fear in Taylor's eyes, Josh morphed. "It's okay," he promised. "I'll protect you."

"The guy in my room... He was powerful, Josh... The evil radiated off of him, and I think he's older than my father... Whatever he wants, it's not good."

"You would be right... Grandson," the man who appeared before them said. "Zedd is, unfortunately, my son. I straightened him out a long time ago. I'll do the same to you. An incubus with your power levels simply cannot be good."

"Bite me," Taylor said. "I do what I want."

"You remind me of him as a boy. Look what he became! You can be even stronger, Taylor. You can bring pride back to our family line!"

"Yeah... Pass. I've got plans tonight."

Zedd's father tried to hit Taylor. Josh reacted on instinct, attacking him so he couldn't hurt Taylor. He reacted by attacking Josh instead.

"Josh!" Taylor screamed as Josh went blow-for-blow against Zedd's father.

"Run, Taylor!" Josh shouted.

"There is no way in hell I'm leaving you!"

Josh felt a severe blow connect to his head. His helmet protected him from the worst of the damage, but given his history of head trauma, it left him badly hurt. He felt his morph fail and knew he was in trouble.

TAYLOR

"Josh!" Taylor screamed frantically as he saw him come out of his morph. He lay motionless on the ground, clearly injured. The asshole who was apparently his grandfather was about to kill his only friend in the world.

He's more than that, Taylor thought. He felt too much for Josh, and it confused him. He was still new to existing, but he'd felt love versus lust on the people he'd fed on. What they felt for him was raw need, passion, pure desire... But what Taylor felt for Josh was different. It was deeper, and it scared the hell out of him, but he sort of liked it.

Josh clutched his head, reduced to whimpering. Taylor had to do something. Josh was only in this mess because he'd come to help him. As his grandfather delivered another blow, Taylor looked around frantically for a way to help Josh.

Left with no options, Taylor tried to attack his grandfather. He touched him and tried to drain his life force. It wasn't supposed to work on another incubus or on a succubus, but it did when Taylor did it. He'd figured that out when he attacked Tanner.

"You use the same tricks as your father!" His grandfather shouted. He was a great deal stronger than Tanner had been, and he grabbed him by his throat and tossed him several feet into a boulder.

Taylor refused to cry out in pain. Instead, he embraced it and willed himself to keep fighting. As his grandfather came at him with what might very well have been a fatal blow, something very odd happened.

A magnificent white beast appeared. It made a loud sound that seemed to mean, "Come at me, bro!" Then it stood firmly in front of Taylor, shielding him from harm.

"You!" His grandfather hissed. He tried to attack, but the beast refused to allow it. Finally, he glared at Taylor and said, "We are not finished, Boy!" Then he fled.

The beast still did not move. Taylor was terrified of it, because if it could scare away his grandfather it must be very powerful, but he forced himself to stand. He ran to Josh.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Josh didn't respond. Taylor kissed him, sending his own healing abilities into Josh. He couldn't let Josh die... Not for him... Not at all...

"Please..." Taylor whispered. "Please wake up..." He didn't know if this would work. He'd never tried to heal someone else before, but somehow, he felt he could. "Take my energy, Josh... Take it all... Just be okay... Please... You have to be okay."

Josh groaned suddenly and opened his eyes. "My head..." He mumbled.

Encouraged, Taylor continued to hold Josh in his arms and pour his energy into him. "You'll be okay," he promised. "I'll make it stop hurting."

Josh looked at him with an expression Taylor couldn't quite read. "I'm okay," he said finally. "Thanks."

Taylor had never been so relieved before. "I'm sorry you got hurt," he said.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not... I keep hurting you, Josh. I-"

His words were cut off as Josh kissed him. Everything in Taylor came to life. He felt pure energy flowing through him, but he was careful not to drain any of Josh's life force. He had never expected Josh to initiate another kiss, but he was thrilled that he had.

I love him, Taylor thought. Not just physically, but totally. I can't love him. He's too good for me. He told himself to break the kiss, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Just a little longer, he thought. Then I'll walk away, and he'll never see me again, and he'll be safe.

Josh intensified the kiss, shyly starting to run his hands over Taylor's back and pulling him even closer, so their bodies were pressed completely together. Taylor couldn't help but respond. Walk away, he thought. Protect him. In his heart, Taylor knew he would never be able to bring himself to do it. The second Josh called him, he'd answer.

When they finally broke the kiss, the beast who'd scared his grandfather away let out a terrifying cry before coming toward them.

"Get back!" Taylor cried, moving protectively in front of Josh.

"Taylor, it's okay," Josh said.

"That thing scared my grandfather! It's too powerful!"

"Taylor, it's not going to hurt you."

"How do you know? What is it?"

"It's a horse. You don't have to be afraid of her, Taylor." Josh stepped closer to the horse. "Hey, Girl... Don't worry. I won't hurt you." He gently pet the beast's long nose.

"Josh, don't! It must be dangerous."

Josh laughed. "Come here," he said. Reluctantly, Taylor did. Josh put his hand on the horse's nose. "Just pet her."

Taylor was filled with terror as he stroked the horse's nose. It responded strongly to him, moving its head to encourage the pets.

"See? She likes you!" Josh said.

"What do I do now?" Taylor asked.

"You could ride her."

"What? Are you insane?"

"It's what people do. I took some lessons as a kid. I could show you how."

"No thanks. I'm good down here, with two feet on the ground."

"Are you afraid of heights?"

"I'm afraid of huge beasts throwing me off of their backs to my death." He shook his head. "I just want to go back to Angel Grove. Can we leave?"

"Okay," Josh said kindly. Taylor was amazed he didn't mock him for his fear. Instead, he pet the horse one more time before taking Taylor's hand and teleporting them both back to Angel Grove, nice and far away from the horse.

THE NEXT DAY.

KENNY

He was happy to spend time with Angie. She seemed distracted, but he figured he could cheer her up.

"I present... The Descendants, and its sequel, cleverly named The Descendants Two," he said, popping the first one into his computer.

Angie looked at him. "What are they about?" She asked.

"The children of fairy tale villains who struggle with whether they want to be evil or good."

Angie laughed. "Gee, I had no idea they made a movie about my life."

Kenny grinned. "I thought you might appreciate the plot."

They snuggled together on his bed as he started the first movie. To his surprise, by the end, Angie was wiping away tears.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah... I just... I wish that was how reality worked. Like it was just that easy to change your path, and the weird girl gets the boy, and the kingdom embraces her, and everyone sings their troubles away..."

"Well, I carry a pretty decent tune if you want to try that sometime..."

Angie laughed. "I'm just saying, it's not as easy as they make it look. I still don't fit in at school. Everyone knows I'm a freak. I'd do anything to be normal."

"Why would you want that? You're amazing, Angie. Do you think I changed when kids picked on me? No, I just worked harder and kept trying to reach my goals. You are perfect the way you are."

"Perfect? Right."

"You are. You can't see what an amazing person you are, but I can." Kenny hesitated for a split second before leaning over and kissing her.

He thought it might scare him, or make him think about what happened with Tye, but it didn't. Instead, he felt better. He wasn't scared anymore. He'd just needed to take control of his choices back. One kiss from Angie healed most of what had been broken in him.

Angie stared at him when he pulled away. "What was that for?" She asked.

Kenny shrugged. "It just felt right... Are you upset? I'm sorry."

"No... No, I'm not upset... It's just that no one's ever kissed me before and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to react..." She sighed. "Lame, right?"

"You're not lame." He paused. "Other than what happened the night my power coin was stolen, I haven't exactly kissed anyone either."

Angie looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah... Gymnastics doesn't leave a lot of time for romance, and a lot of girls just assume I'm gay."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "It's a stupid stereotype. I don't really care. A person's sexual orientation doesn't matter... But I'm straight. I like girls, I just never have time for them."

"Yet you kissed me..."

"I'm working on learning better time management." He grinned at her.

Angie laughed. She gave him a quick, shy peck on his lips. Kenny wasn't sure what this meant for them, but he decided to just roll with it. For now, they were friends. If it escalated into something more, he was okay with that. If not, he was happy just to have her in his life.

KATIE

She was planning to go home when she got the communication from Earth. Jayden had been severely burned. Katie jumped in the Turbo Falconzord and raced to his side.

"I'm here, Jayden," she whispered, carefully taking his hand in hers. "You're going to be fine now."

"I'm okay," he said weakly.

"Liar."

"You're here now. That's all that matters."

She softened. "I love you..."

"I love you, too."

Jayden was too injured to stay awake for long. The pain kept causing him to black out. Katie decided to do something she knew he wouldn't want her to do. She took his Samuraizer and tried to cast a kanji symbol on him to help him heal. Jayden had taught her some of the symbols because she'd been with the Samurai Rangers for a while and he wanted her to understand what was going on around her. He probably had not expected her to be able to use them.

Slowly, Jayden began to heal. Katie knew it would take time, especially with the severity of his burns, but she could feel it working.

"How?" Mentor Ji asked from behind her, causing Katie to jump.

"I just... I had to try," Katie replied.

"It worked... You should not have been able to do that."

"I just wanted to help. I'm sorry, Ji, but-"

Ji put up a hand to quiet her. "I'm not angry, Katie... Just confused."

"We're all Rangers. Our power comes from the same thing at its core. I just tapped into that."

"You are wise beyond your years, Katie. Your understanding of how the power works is not something even most mentors possess."

Katie shrugged. "My father is the Ultimate Ranger. I guess it's in my DNA."

"Even Tommy does not understand it on that level, Katie. Your connection to the morphing grid is extremely powerful. To be able to make a tool that was never meant for you work... You are different."

"I'm just stubborn." She grinned.

"That I will agree with."

As word spread to the rest of Jayden's team about what she had done, their reactions were mixed. Mike seemed hurt, and Katie remembered he wasn't great with the kanji symbols. Kevin was furious another non-Samurai had done what should not have been possible. Mia was impressed. Emily just seemed relieved Jayden was going to be okay. Antonio cheered her on. Finally, Jayden's sister Lauren hugged her.

"Thank you," she whispered. Katie could tell how scared Lauren had been.

Katie decided she wasn't going anywhere until Jayden's team dealt with their latest issue. Her team would have to deal with just Sage for a bit longer. In the meantime, Katie decided to help Mike with his symbols. That seemed to cheer him up, especially when he got things right.

Sage is keeping secrets from me, Katie remembered. Sage had expressly forbidden anyone from stressing Katie out while she was away. Katie knew it was for the best, but hoped nothing too serious had happened in her absence.

ZACK

Merkhet had appeared to him a couple of times. She hadn't made any serious demands, but Zack was worried. His head went fuzzy around her. What if he did something horrible in that state? Would he even remember?

"I want proof that my daughter is safe," Zack said to her.

"You hold no power here, Black Ranger," Merkhet replied. "You may make no demands."

"Please... I just need to know."

"She is perfectly safe and shall remain that way as long as you obey my commands."

He suspected she was lying, but he couldn't take chances with Tamira's life. "I understand... Mistress," he forced himself to reply.

"Excellent. Now, run along. I shall visit you again soon." With that, she vanished.

Zack felt incredibly empty. He couldn't keep this up much longer. He needed to find his daughter. If I could just tell Jason... Or Tommy... Or anyone... He sighed. He knew he couldn't do that. Merkhet was watching him too closely, and she had an eerie way of knowing his every move. I'll find you, Baby Girl, he vowed. Somehow, I'm going to bring you back home.

THORN

Sage still wouldn't speak to him. He understood her reasons, but it still hurt him deeply. He finally understood what she'd been feeling. How could he have been so stupid?

"Thorn? Are you okay?" Caleb asked gently.

"Yeah... Just thinking too much," Thorn replied.

"That's always dangerous. Can I help?"

Thorn smiled at him sadly. "You being here helps." He kissed him. "Thank you for putting up with me when I was all broken."

"I love you... Even when you're broken." Caleb looked into his eyes. "Especially then, actually, because you need me when you're broken."

"I always need you, Caleb. And I always will."

Suddenly, Caleb looked very distant. Thorn was beginning to recognize the visions. He waited patiently for Caleb's awareness to return.

Caleb was trembling. "What did you see?" Thorn asked gently.

The fear in Caleb's eyes was clear. "Something's coming... Soon," he said.

"What is it?"

"Death. A lot of death." Caleb looked haunted. "I didn't see the reason, or even the faces of the victims... But there were so many dead... And I think some of them, at least, were Power Rangers. Maybe not from your team, but from others... There was a huge battle, and not everyone survived."

Thorn stared at him. "We'll stop it," he said.

"I'm not sure if we can... I feel like too much has already been set in motion... I wish I knew more. I'm sorry... I can't control these stupid visions."

"It's okay, Caleb. At least we know to pay attention and look for signs. We'll figure it out."

Caleb was still shivering. Thorn wrapped him in his arms. "You feel so cold..." He said in alarm.

"It happens sometimes," Caleb admitted. "When I touch death... It's like my body responds... I guess it goes back to the fact that I died."

"Caleb..." Thorn held him closer. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't. I knew it would upset you. Besides, I'm dealing with it. I'm remarkably well-adjusted for someone who was brought back from the dead and woke up in a morgue." He smiled, but Thorn could see how scared he actually was.

"You're doing great, Caleb. And I'm here for you."

"I know you are." Caleb kissed Thorn, and Thorn could feel him steadily warming up. He kept kissing him until Caleb stopped shivering. "See?" Caleb asked. "My body just needs to be reminded I'm still alive sometimes."

"You're alive," Thorn promised him before kissing him again.

He tried not to worry too much about what Caleb had told him. What was this big battle? What could be so important it would cause other teams of Power Rangers to show up? Who would die? Thorn knew obsessing wouldn't help, but it was hard not to. So far, Caleb's visions were proving to be very accurate. This was one that needed to be prevented from coming true.

ZEDD

He had never seen Rita so calm. She looked at him with eyes that were almost child-like as she asked, "Oh, Zeddy... Can we keep her?"

"For now, perhaps," Zedd replied. Although he found Tamira's voice soothing, it unnerved him how much she reminded him of Raven. He couldn't keep her around forever, or he might harm her.

So? You're evil. Harming people is what you do, he reminded himself. The only problem was, he still remembered a time when he hadn't been evil, and it had been Raven who helped stop the nightmares he was cursed with after surviving a childhood with his father. There were times when nothing calmed him except Raven's light. Even his beloved Galaxia could not always comfort him when the nightmares were at their worst.

Xia... He thought. He felt nothing for her now, but he remembered loving her. Oh, how he'd loved her... He'd been a fool to believe they could be happy. That had never been in the cards for him. He was born to a truly evil bloodline. Sure, he had tried to rebel, and he'd even run away to be with her, but the truth was, he should have known how their story was going to end.

Zedd excused himself and walked to his room. There, he pulled out a box he had kept sealed for an eternity. He pulled out an ancient leather-bound book and opened it. Xia smiled back at him, perfectly sketched by his own hands on the first page. She had been so beautiful... And her many-times-great-granddaughter Aisha reminded him of her just enough to hurt him deeply. He had loved Xia, but once he became evil, that love had died. He could not love anyone. It was part of his curse. Instead, his former love translated to an obsession, and when he had Aisha in his clutches, he hadn't been able to resist doing horrible things to her. He wanted so desperately to be able to feel what he had felt for Xia again that he punished her descendant.

At first, he'd felt pure hatred for her because she dared remind him of Xia. That hatred had produced Tanner, who had all of Zedd's darkness inside of him. Then, he'd felt something else... The desperation of a terrified boy who loved a girl so much, he would give up anything to save her... Even her. Had he been able to, he might have wept, but he couldn't do that anymore. Instead, he attacked Aisha again, hoping to feel something, and that had produced Taylor. As much as Zedd hated to admit it, Taylor reminded him deeply of who he'd been as a teenager. Perhaps that was why he was so hard on the boy.

The girls had been born afterward, as Zedd tried to make up for his mistake. He knew Taylor would be dangerous to him. He needed more evil children to balance him out. Somehow, though, the girls had been born as normal, innocent, good people. Maybe Taylor had somehow made it impossible for any of Aisha's other children to be evil. Zedd wasn't entirely sure. Tye had been so pure of heart, she'd protected the Red Ranger. Zedd had flashed back upon an incident from his past. He'd refused to harm Xia. Instead, he had asked her to teach him to ride a horse. His father had been furious. The next time he sent him after her, Zedd again refused to harm her. To punish him, his father had nearly killed him. When that hadn't worked, he'd slashed his face open before pouring acid into the wounds. That was the exact punishment Zedd had inflicted upon Tye.

It had to be done, he reminded himself. Tye was weak. He could not allow that. He had to teach her, as his father had taught him. The wounds had never healed, and even though Zedd covered them with a glamour most of the time, he never forgot that lesson. When he had transformed into his current appearance, the scars were covered by the metal over his face, and hardly visible with his flesh gone, but he still saw them when he looked in the mirror. Even now, he was haunted by those scars.

I shouldn't have done that to her, Zedd thought. Tye was such a pretty girl. He felt no remorse, but he did regret doing anything his father's way. Even as an evil ruler, Zedd did not want to be his father's son.

He wondered how Tessa was. She was so innocent and pure of heart, it was clear she was completely made up of Aisha's energy. At least she'd been obedient. He'd never needed to seriously harm her.

He looked again at Xia's face. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know I have disappointed you." He flipped through his old sketchbook, the only remnant of his youth he'd kept, and saw more drawings of Xia. There were others, too. He'd sketched his beloved horse Winifred, who had become his closest confidant. He'd truly loved Winnie, which he had not expected when he initially encountered the horse. He'd sketched Raven and Dimitri training, Quin laughing, Caius reading, and Morgana staring into space, deeply traumatized but absolutely beautiful. He'd even sketched a young Zordon with his carefree long blonde hair and casual clothing. They had been his friends once. He had nearly been one of them... But that hadn't worked out. He saw another person on the next page, and he tore it out.

"Bastard!" He spat. He shredded the reminder of the man who'd turned him into what he'd become, ripping it apart until there was nothing left but useless confetti.

He shook his head, tempted to burn the final proof of his previous weakness. He might have, but looking at Xia's face, he couldn't do it. Instead, he tucked it safely back into the box and sealed it tight with magic.

"Forget all of that," he scolded himself. "That boy is long-dead, and good riddance! He was weak!" He banished the box from his sight so he would not be tempted to look at the book again.

ZEKE

His still-unnamed little sister was smiling at him as she ate breakfast. They'd been calling her honey and sweetheart while they debated choosing a real name for her. Zeke sort of liked Lilly, but he wasn't sure if the kid would grow up to hate it. He just thought it was pretty. He also toyed with naming her after Casey, which his dad sort of liked the idea of, but Zeke was worried it might upset Adam, Sage, and Thorn.

"Go on, Cutie. Watch some TV while I clean this up," Zeke said as she finished. Somehow, he always managed to keep a smile on his face around her. She'd been through enough. She didn't need to see her big brother falling apart all the time. If she could be okay, maybe he could be, too.

She gave him a hug before running off. His father looked at him as he did the dishes. "Relax, Dad," he said. "She had cereal. It's a spoon, a bowl, and a plastic cup. Nothing I can hurt myself with."

"I wasn't thinking that," his father said too quickly.

"Yeah you were, but that's okay. I earned it. I gave you a reason to be worried."

His father paused. "Zeke... Can we talk?"

"Yeah. What's up?"

"There's something I have to tell you... Something I should have told you sooner, but..."

"But I was too busy trying to off myself?"

"Don't say it like that!" His father looked completely horrified by Zeke's casual, dark humor.

"It's the truth... But I'm sorry, Dad... Really. Tell me what it is."

"It's bad, Zeke."

"So tell me fast and get it over with."

"Your sister isn't mine, Zeke," he said gently.

"Then why did Children's Services let her stay with us?"

"She's..." His father sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. We can do this later, when you're better."

Suddenly, Zeke understood. "Oh God..." he whispered. "She's mine?"

"I'm so sorry, Zeke."

It hadn't even occurred to Zeke that that was possible. He felt like a complete idiot. He knew how pregnancy worked. There was no rule that said it was impossible for a kid to knock someone up... But it was too horrifying and his mind had refused to consider it. "I don't know what to do with a kid... I am a kid!" Zeke couldn't breathe. He had a kid... with his mother... He was filthy and horrible...

"Zeke... I know this is hard for you. It's hard for me. But you're not alone. I'm here with you, and I'm in this for the long run. Whatever happens, you're not alone, okay?"

"Does the kid know?"

"No. I figured it would confuse her."

"This poor kid is screwed... She's got a horrible mother and now she's stuck with me as a father? I can't do this, Dad... I can't fuck up her life."

"You won't. And if you don't want to ever tell her, then we won't. I'm happy to let everyone believe she's mine. She's a great kid."

"For now, okay... But eventually... Eventually, she has the right to know." Zeke shook his head. He'd almost killed himself, and now he was finding out he had a kid? He couldn't leave her. She had the worst mother ever. He couldn't leave her without a father. He'd only survived their mother because he had his dad.

I gotta pull myself together for this kid, he realized. Somehow, he had to get better, even though it seemed impossible. Slowly, he had started to get twitchy from boredom and his now-untreated ADHD. That was a problem he could fix. "Dad... I know I fucked up, but I need my meds," Zeke admitted. "I'm thinking way too much and I can't focus, and knowing this... I have to try to get well, right? The kid needs at least one functional parent, even if she doesn't know that's what I am."

His father sighed, apparently deciding it was better not to point out that he'd still have his meds if he hadn't been a complete idiot and tried to take them all at once. "Zeke... If we tell the therapist what happened, you're going to end up in the hospital," he said. "Maybe you need that... But I've been trying not to do that to you, and you've had Adam and me to look after you."

"I don't want to be locked up in loony land... But I'm crazy now, so-"

"You're not crazy, Zeke... You're just hurting."

"Did they find her yet?"

"No... She's on the run, but they will, Zeke. I won't stop until that bitch is rotting in prison for what she did to you."

"Where's Katie and the Turbo Falconzord when we need her? Nothing outruns that." Zeke sighed. "She's still out there, Dad... And so is whoever was working with her... Whoever... Attacked me. And I have no idea who he is. I could see him on the street and I'd never know, and... And I'm so fucking scared, Dad... I'm scared all the time."

"You have every right to be scared, Zeke. You went through hell."

"But this kid needs me to be strong... How am I supposed to be strong?" He felt himself starting to cry again. He hated that he kept doing that.

"You are strong, Zeke." His father held him, and Zeke felt stronger in his arms. "You are so much stronger than you realize. I love you. You're going to be okay. We're going to get through this together."

There was a knock on the door. His father answered it. He returned a minute later with Sage. "Hey, Zeke..." She said softly. "How are you feeling?"

Sage was the only one of his friends who was allowed to see him. Zeke didn't want anyone else to hear about what he'd done from anyone other than him. Since Adam had told Sage the truth so she could do what she needed to do, Zeke didn't mind her coming around.

His father left them alone. Zeke looked at Sage and sighed. "Come on. Let's talk," he said. He led her up to his room. Once they were inside, Zeke asked, "Are you mad at me?"

"No," Sage said. "How could I be mad at you? Everyone breaks sometimes, Zeke. I just hate that it got this bad and none of us saw it coming... And I'm worried about you."

"I'm okay... Sort of."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I still hurt all the time, and I still want it to stop, but I have decided I can't kill myself... I can't do that to my dad. I'm all he has. I saw the way it broke him when he found me with the pills in my mouth... He was so scared, and I did that to him, and I feel like shit about it." He shook his head. "She's still out there, Sage... And I have no idea where."

"She won't be able to run for much longer."

"Why do you say that?"

"I may have used a Shaman parlor trick or two... She's not resting, Zeke. She's having the worst nightmares of her life. I'm forcing her to see everything that terrifies her pretty much constantly."

"You can do that?"

"Yeah."

"And... You did that... For me?"

"Of course I did. You're my friend, Zeke. I love you."

He almost started to cry again. "I don't deserve that... I tried to kill myself. I quit. I even left the team without a fight, because I'm no Power Ranger..."

"Yes you are, Zeke. You're more of a Power Ranger than anyone. Even with everything you went through and how badly you broke, you stopped and rescued that little girl. There's nothing more Power Ranger than that."

"Yeah... About her... She's sort of mine." He waited for her to freak out. Instead, she looked relieved.

"Rocky told you," she said.

"You knew?"

"He told my dad. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know... I guess I should at least give the kid a name."

"Yeah, that would be a good start."

"I like Lilly... Do you think it's too stripper-like?"

She laughed. "No, Zeke, I don't. It's beautiful, actually."

"Or, I could name her after your mom... I mean... If you're okay with that? Is that weird?"

Sage paused. She looked at him sadly. "No, it's not weird. I know how close you were to my mom. She saw how badly you needed a mother's affection, and she stepped up and tried to be there for you. She loved you, Zeke."

"I loved her, too." He sighed. "I miss her so much sometimes... She'd know what to say to me, you know? She'd put this all in perspective for me and somehow, I'd be okay."

"I wish I could do that for you..."

He took her hand. "You being here and talking to me helps, Sage. Trust me."

She nodded. "So, you like Lilly, but also want to honor my mom. What about Casey as a middle name?"

"Lilly Casey sounds weird."

"Lillian Casey. It's pretty and you can call her Lilly for short."

He smiled. "I like that, actually," he said. "It feels right."

"Glad I could help."

"You always do... I love you, Sage. I don't tell people I care about them enough, but I love you, okay? I mean, I always have. You were even my first crush, when I was, like, five."

She laughed. "You had a crush on the school freak?"

"You're not a freak. You're awesome. And that's exactly what I told your bullies when I beat them up."

She laughed. "You shouldn't have. I was perfectly fine just walking away."

"They needed to learn their lesson. You didn't deserve the things those jerks said to you."

Sage smiled at him sadly. "You always were secretly sweet," she said. She reached toward him to touch his cheek. Zeke flinched automatically. "I'm sorry," Sage said quickly.

"It's okay," he said. "I didn't mean to be all weird... I just..."

"You're traumatized. I understand, Zeke. I get it. More than you think." She paused. "I still don't know what happened while I was unconscious, but I have a son... A son who's older than me because of time travel... And it's the weirdest thing ever, but I love him anyway."

"He's a good guy... How is he handling the power?"

"He's doing well... But we miss you."

"He's a good addition to the team. He'll do well."

"Until you come back."

"If I come back."

"You will."

"Sage... I'm sorry you understand this... But I know you do, and you're the only one who does..."

"And I'm here for you, Zeke. You can talk to me, because I do get it."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"So... Do you want to meet my kid?" He had a hard time saying that, but he needed to. Talking to Sage about it made it real, and he needed to accept that it was or he'd never deal with it.

"Sure," she said.

Zeke guided her downstairs. His sister... Daughter... The kid was sitting on the couch watching Nickelodeon, but her face lit up when Zeke entered the room.

"Hey, Kid, come here," he said. She obediently did. "This is my friend Sage."

"Hi," the kid said cheerfully. She immediately hugged Sage, because the kid liked hugs, and she didn't seem to understand that strangers weren't always trustworthy.

"Hi, sweetie," Sage said.

"So, I decided we're going to name you today," Zeke told her.

"Okay," she replied.

"I was thinking of Lillian Casey... But I'll call you Lilly, like the flower. Do you like that?"

She shrugged. "I like flowers," she said.

"Because if you hate it, I can change it-"

"Zeke," Sage said with a slight laugh. "She likes it. Stick with it."

He nodded. "Okay. I christen you Lilly! I'll talk to Dad later and he can make sure they put it on your paperwork... We're working on getting you an official birth certificate and everything, since it looks like our mother never bothered to let anyone know you existed."

"Do you want to watch TV with me?" Lilly asked. For her, it was as simple as that. If he said her name was Lilly, she was good with that.

"Sure," Sage said since Zeke didn't reply. They sat down with her and started watching. Lilly began explaining the plot of the show. Zeke was sort of amazed the kid was picking things up so quickly. She was smart, especially for someone who'd been locked away from the world and only exposed to adults who wanted to hurt her.

After a while, Zeke walked outside with Sage to say goodbye. She looked at him. "She's a cute kid," she said.

"Yeah, she is," Zeke agreed.

"Are you okay?"

"No. Not even close... But I'm going to try to be. My dad and your dad have been trying to push me to talk to my shrink... I think it's time I do that."

"That's good, Zeke. It'll help."

"I hate knowing that bitch and her friends hurt Lilly, Sage... She's just a baby, you know?"

"I do... But she's really young, Zeke. I think if you stop dwelling on it, she might forget eventually, as she gets older. She's got a good chance of getting through this well. Just be there for her when she needs you."

"I will be... I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I'm going to be here for her."

"Good." She hugged him, and he was calm enough that he allowed it. "I'll come back soon, okay? I promise I'll keep checking on you, and if you need me, promise me you'll call."

He nodded. "I will. Thank you, Sage. For everything."

She left and Zeke went back inside. He sat down with Lilly. When his father came into the room, Zeke said, "Dad, meet Lilly."

"Lilly?" His father asked.

"Lillian Casey."

His father looked a bit emotional as he heard her middle name. "That's a great name," he said. He looked at Lilly. "Do you like it?"

"Uh-huh. I like flowers, and Zeke says it's a flower," she replied.

"Are you okay?" His father asked Zeke softly.

"No, but I've decided I need to be, so... I'm going to talk to someone. I don't know how, but I will. I have to. I can't keep going on like this, so it's talk, or finish what I started... And I'm not going to do that, Dad. I promise." It scared him to promise not to kill himself. It put a lot of pressure on him to survive, but he needed that. If he set the goal in front of a witness, there was no backing out of it. He would do this. He would find a way to get well. And maybe, somehow, he'd become a Power Ranger again one day.