MERKHET

She'd taken Virges and Goldar and fled to Egypt. Her home had changed significantly since her time there. It was torn apart by war, the temples and tombs had been raided, and the worshippers of the old Gods were few and far between, but the magic still filled the land for those who knew where to look.

"Home..." Virges mumbled happily. Merkhet knew how he felt. They'd been trapped in that prison for far too long and they hadn't been home in even longer.

Goldar clung to Scorpina's body silently. Merkhet actually felt sorry for him. She rarely felt compassion for anyone, but it was clear how much he'd loved his wife. Merkhet had loved someone once, too.

Unexpectedly, the flashback hit. Amun had been a handsome, kind soul, the son of one of her father, the Pharaoh's, slaves. He doted on Merkhet from the time they were children. Her father did not approve when he discovered the boy kissing her and he'd ordered him executed in front of her. He'd then married Merkhet himself, something that was not entirely uncommon back then. It was meant to keep the bloodlines pure.

Desperate to escape her hellish life, Merkhet had reached out to the Gods. As a demigoddess, she assumed her mother would answer her prayers, but instead, someone else appeared.

"I can give you what you desire, Merkhet," the terrifying, snake-like creature promised.

"Who are you?" She asked in a terrified whisper. This creature was too powerful and too dark. She had never seen anything like him before.

"My name is Apep, or Apophis to the Greeks. Your people never say it. They call me Chaos. You may call me that as well."

Merkhet was only fourteen, but she was a proper daughter of the Pharaoh, and she knew that speaking to Chaos or even speaking his name was expressly forbidden. She did not speak a single word.

"My child, do not fear," Chaos said. "I have not come to harm you. I find you have great power within you, Merkhet. I believe you will be of use to me. I will give you anything you desire, but you must agree to fight at my side."

"No. I cannot. It is against Ra."

"Indeed, it is. But tell me, Merkhet... What has serving Ra done for you? Where has your loyalty gotten you? Did Ra even attempt to save your love? Did Ra attempt to save you? Who stands here now, answering your prayers? Certainly not Ra. I shall leave if that is what you desire... But my offer stands. Call on me when you are ready."

He had vanished after that. Later that day, her father had treated her as his wife and she'd known she could no longer bear to continue this way. As he took what he wanted, Merkhet had softly whispered, "Help me."

Seconds later, her father had been torn off of her. Chaos stood in all his glory. He brutally tore her father apart. Then, he'd made her promise to serve him in exchange for any one thing she desired. Merkhet had begged him to bring Amun back. He'd done it, but the boy she loved was pure light, and she had agreed to serve Chaos forever. It was not only forbidden... It was the greatest sin anyone could commit. Amun could not love her now, and as her heart turned cold from her bond to Chaos, she could not love him either. Merkhet let her love go before her choice could destroy them both. He'd gone on to live a long life, faithfully serving the next Pharaoh. Merkhet, on the other hand, began wreaking havoc. Eventually, the powers of Good had found a way to trap her and her only surviving minion, Virges, inside of a magical prison that had imprisoned them for longer than she cared to think about.

"Mistress?" Virges called to her. "Are you okay?"

Merkhet shook off the memories. "Goldar... This is the location of a hidden temple to my mother. Her favorite priestesses were entombed here. I believe She will allow you to bury Scorpina inside. It is a great honor," she said.

Goldar nodded numbly. "Let's go," he replied.

"I cannot join you... My mother banished me. If I set foot in there, she will strike me down." Her mother was one of the many deities devoted to fighting by Ra's side and stopping Chaos. Merkhet's choice had been the ultimate betrayal to Her.

Goldar went on alone as Merkhet sighed. "Virges, leave me for a moment. There is something I must do," she said. Virges obediently left. Merkhet cursed before saying, "Zell, I desire a word with you." She knew this was a risk. Chaos had created Zell, a fact he regretted deeply, as he could not control him. Working with Zell was forbidden by Chaos, but it was also the only choice she had left if she hoped to defeat the Power Rangers for Chaos.

"Hello, my dear," Zell said from behind her. To her credit, she did not jump. Instead, she slowly turned around.

"I require your assistance," she admitted. Just saying the words made her feel dirty.

"Of course. I heard about poor Rita and Master Vile. Such an unfortunate turn of events."

"Will you help me or not?" Merkhet asked sharply.

"I shall set the new faction of villains in motion. Fear not, my dear. You may win this battle yet." With that, he vanished, and Merkhet prayed she hadn't made a very big mistake.

GOLDAR

He carried Scorpina into the temple carefully. When he finally found the room with the altar to Serqet, he knew he was in the right place. He knelt before the statue and said humbly, "Great Serqet, I come requesting that You accept my beloved wife Scorpina into Your arms. She was loyal to You, and she worked closely with scorpions. Please, dear Goddess, protect her now as I could not." He felt tears in his eyes. This was all his fault. If he'd just agreed to run when she first suggested it, she would still be alive.

A light began to glow at the statue's feet. Goldar knew Serqet had agreed. He gently laid Scorpina down. "I am so sorry, my love..." He whispered. He kissed her lips before weeping over her a final time. When he released her, he said, "You will be avenged, my beloved. This, I vow!"

It was the hardest thing in the world to leave her, but he did it. He walked away filled only with the need to destroy the Power Rangers and anyone else who got in his way.

DIVATOX

She jumped and let out an undignified shriek as Zell appeared. "Oh! Zell... My... It has been a while," she said.

"Divatox, you look lovely as always," Zell said.

"Thank you... Well, this has been great, but-"

"My dear, I require your assistance."

"Me? What could you possibly need from me? I'm just your run-of-the-mill space pirate..."

"And I know that, in an act of said piracy, you discovered the remains of the Machine Empire. I also know that you have been working on rebuilding them. However, you need assistance... A final spark of life to give them the power they need to return... And I know how to get it for you."

She decided denying her plan was pointless. "Alright. I'll bite. What is it?"

"Venjix."

"What the heck is Venjix?"

"It is a virus from another realm. It comes from a place called Corinth, and although they defeated it, Venjix actually survived. It lives now in the Red Ranger's morpher in that world. I can send someone to retrieve it. With Venjix on their side, the Machine Empire will be unstoppable, and so will you, as their leader."

"What do you want in return?"

"I need the Power Rangers distracted. You and your minions can keep them busy. I want you to join forces with Merkhet and Goldar, and ultimately with Dark Specter. Together, you shall form an unstoppable alliance."

"Unstoppable sounds delightful... What's the catch?"

"No catch, my dear. This is simply a mutually beneficial business deal."

Divatox considered this. What was the harm, right? "Alright, deal. Get me Venjix and I'll keep the Power Brats busy... That's right, Baby! Divatox is back!"

JUSTIN

Okay, so maybe Justin wasn't living a typical life. Justin rarely left the house unless he really needed to go to the store or if his kid needed to go to a doctor. He was perfectly content surrounded by his technology. He worked from home, ordered everything he needed online, and only really socialized with his son, who'd been left on his doorstep with a note saying he was his. Somehow, this turned out to be verified by a DNA test, even though Justin never engaged in the sort of activity that would produce a kid. He hadn't since... Well, he didn't like to think about that.

The sound of an alert went off and Justin tensed. "It's probably nothing," he said aloud. He had special technology all around Angel Grove that existed for exactly one reason... To detect a very specific group of monsters. The tech hadn't been set off since he was a kid, but he'd been reluctant to deactivate it, just in case.

Back when he was eleven, the Blue Zeo Ranger, Rocky, had broken his back. Justin was attached to Rocky, so he'd snuck into his hospital room to check on him and hidden under his bed when someone else had come in. Unknown to them, he'd been watching when they received a call from Zordon and teleported away. Justin had crawled out from beneath the bed and been discovered by Rocky who, in a painkiller-induced state, had decided to send Justin to be his replacement. Justin had become part of the team as they went from Zeo to Turbo. At the time, it was literally the coolest thing in the world to be a Power Ranger, even if he was significantly younger than the rest of the team. In the long-run, however, it had severely scarred him for life. Justin currently suffered from debilitating PTSD, severe agoraphobia, extreme anxiety, a bit of OCD, and he had no idea how to interact with "normal" people anymore.

It didn't help that for his entire tenure as a Power Ranger, his father had abandoned him to handle business issues after his mom died. Justin was a literal genius and he had trouble interacting with kids his own age, so he naturally latched on to the older teens in his life. With no parents present to protect him, he'd been easy prey for Katherine Hillard. Sure, Kat had been awesome at first, but when she began taking advantage of him and convincing him to do things with her no kid should be doing, no one had realized he was in trouble. Justin had been too scared to tell anyone. He idolized Tommy, Kat's boyfriend, and he was positive he'd hate him for what he'd done. Years of therapy had finally made Justin realize that, at twelve, he couldn't have consented. Still, he had kept his history a secret and had simply avoided ever seeing Kat again. He left Angel Grove to go to college and he stayed a few towns away afterward, refusing to go back there.

"It's nothing... A malfunction," he told himself again as he looked at the alert. As he read the code, his jaw dropped. "Impossible!" He said. He hacked into one of the surveillance cameras in Angel Grove and watched in horror as several familiar creatures attacked.

"Piranhatrons?" He shook his head. There was no denying what the ugly, smelly creatures on his screen were. He sighed, then picked up his phone. Justin rarely called anyone, but there were three exceptions. One was his father. The other two were old friends, and he dialed one now.

"Hello?" He answered.

"How fast can you get to Angel Grove, Teej?" Justin asked.

"If it's urgent, I can make it in about an hour. Why? What's up, Justin?" TJ asked.

"The kids are in trouble... Tommy's daughter and all of them. There are Pirahnatrons in Angel Grove. I think Divatox is back. They won't know how to handle her, Teej."

"Pirahnatrons? Divatox? Are you sure, Justin?" TJ asked skeptically.

Justin couldn't really blame him. TJ knew how bad his mental health was even on a good day. "This isn't a paranoia episode or PTSD, TJ. I can see them on the surveillance cameras."

TJ cursed. "How the hell?" He asked. "We took Divatox out... Really, Andros took her out. She hasn't been seen since Astronema became Karone again."

"I haven't seen her, but how else do you explain Pirahnatrons?"

"You're right... I'm on it. Call Cassie and tell her what's going on. I'll figure out how bad it is and call her if I need backup."

Cassie was the only other person from Angel Grove that Justin still talked to. She and TJ tried to check on him fairly often. "Will do. Hurry, Teej... And be careful."

"I can handle Piranhatrons. Don't worry. Just stay safe, Justin."

"I will." They hung up and Justin took several deep breaths. "You're okay," he told himself. "Everything is fine. Breathe... Just breathe, Justin..."

"Dad? Are you okay?" His son asked.

"Jared..." He said. Justin quickly turned off the monitor with the surveillance. He'd be damned if he let his son see what monsters were capable of. He'd done everything in his power to protect him from trauma. He even homeschooled him, although he had enrolled him in several activities so he could socialize with kids his own age. Justin had a car service take Jared to and from them a few times a week. Jared was really great at karate and also enjoyed other sports. Aside from his extreme intelligence, he was a remarkably normal kid. Although Justin's father had gotten into several fights with him because he believed his mental health issues made him a bad father, Justin knew he was, at the very least, doing a better job than his father had done with him. He was there. His son never questioned if he was loved.

Jared passed his father a glass of water. "Breathe, Dad... Do you need your Xanax?" He asked.

"No," Justin said. He drank a little of the water before taking another deep breath. "I'm okay, Jared. Thanks." He hugged his son, fully aware of how lucky he was to have a kid like him. Jared was eleven now, and that terrified Justin. What if his world flipped upside-down like Justin's had? I'll never let that happen, he vowed. His son would not grow up too fast. He wouldn't be asked to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, or save a town from bad guys. His biggest issues would be homework, karate tournaments, and puberty, not monsters and people who preyed on the innocent.

ZEDD

He had never expected Rita's death to hurt so much. Zedd had felt like a piece of him had been torn out. He locked himself in his room and refused to come out as he started to cry. When he decided he was sick of crying, he'd started destroying his room. He knew he could fix it all with magic later, but currently, blowing things up was making him feel better.

The knock on his door surprised him. He expected to see Sage. Instead, he saw the last person he'd expected.

"Zordon?" He asked.

"Oh, Zedd..." Zordon shook his head at the sight of the destruction. "Sage pointed out to me that you might need someone to check in on you."

"Why would you come? You must hate me..." He hadn't faced Zordon since Sage had saved him.

"No, Zedd... I could never hate you." Zordon sighed. "I hate my father and I hate that I failed you... And Rita."

"You didn't fail us. Zell did. You were fifteen, Zordon... And you killed the bastard."

"Not soon enough... And he's back."

"But for a very long time, he was gone." Zedd hesitated. "I'm so sorry, Zordon... For all of it."

"I accept your apology. It was out of your control."

"I made a choice."

"To save Xia, Zedd... And you wouldn't have been you if you had chosen to damn her to the alternative fate." Zordon touched his back gently. "I forgive you, Zedd."

Zedd felt another tear escape, but managed not to actively start crying again. "I wish I could forgive myself so easily," he admitted.

"I understand that. I've never forgiven myself for the things my father did to all of you... Especially to you and Rita."

"That wasn't your fault."

"Just as it was not your fault what you became. He manipulated you. It is what he does. So how about we agree to this? I will try to forgive myself if you do the same."

"I'm willing to try if you are..."

"Good..." Zordon squeezed Zedd's shoulder. "Now, Brother, let me help you clean up this mess."

Zedd did start crying again then. "You would still call me brother? After everything I've done?"

"You will always be my brother, Zedd. Always."

Without another word, they began picking up everything Zedd had broken and putting it back together again.

ZEKE

He was walking Maddie home when they heard trouble. They raced toward the sound of chaos, but hesitated when they saw the source. "What are those things?" Maddie asked.

"I don't know, but man, they reek!" Zeke replied. The creatures smelled absolutely disgusting.

An even stranger creature appeared. It had a pointy head and big eyes. "Morphin' Time?" Maddie asked.

"Totally," Zeke agreed. They morphed quickly and began fighting off the strange new creatures.

"They look familiar, like I've seen them in the archives, but... I'm not sure," Maddie said.

"Where's Encyclopedia Joshtanika when we need him?" Zeke asked.

"Maybe we should call for backup?"

"Other than Mr. Pointy Head, these things seem like Putties... Just uglier and a lot more smelly. Do we really need backup?"

"I'm not sure."

They were doing pretty well until the guy with the pointy head grabbed Zeke around the throat. "Zeke!" Maddie screamed as the smelly non-Putties continued to attack her.

A woman cackled from the shadows. Slowly and rather grandly, she made her overdramatic entrance. "This is what passes for a Power Ranger these days?" She demanded. "Pathetic!"

"We're pathetic?" Zeke asked. "The 1980s called. They want their shoulder pads back."

The woman glared at him. "Elgar, bring that lippy one to me!"

The pointy-headed guy released him. The woman went to grab him. That's when someone else showed up. "Back off the kids, Divatox!" He declared.

"TJ? Ugh! Aren't you dead yet?" Divatox asked. She paused, then laughed and said, "Oh, wait... That was Carlos."

TJ flipped the switch into rage immediately. He ran at Divatox and nearly took her head off. "Ooooh, so hostile!" Divatox said with a laugh as she sacrificed a smelly non-Putty to take the blow instead. "What's the matter, TJ? Too soon?"

"Who's Carlos?" Maddie asked Zeke in a whisper.

"Adam mentioned a friend who died a couple of months ago to my dad... He was pretty upset about it. I think his name was Carlos," Zeke replied.

Suddenly, Divatox pulled out what was clearly a bomb. "Look out!" Zeke screamed.

TJ looked at the device. "Don't worry about that," he said.

"Dude, it's a bomb! They explode. Boom is bad," Zeke pointed out.

"Trust me." TJ looked at the device and laughed. "Yup. Just like I thought... You still haven't learned to set the timers for logical amounts of time."

Zeke realized the timer was set for nearly sixty minutes. He didn't have time to dwell on the stupidity of that as more smelly non-Putties attacked.

"What are these things?" He asked.

"Piranhatrons," TJ replied. "Just keep kicking them. You guys can handle them. Really, they're mindless idiots."

Zeke decided that really did just make them smelly Putties. He and Maddie resumed fighting them off. It was going pretty well until Divatox hit TJ with a serious blow that knocked him through the air.

"Man, I miss morphin'..." TJ groaned out.

"Watch out!" Maddie shrieked as Elgar came toward TJ with a weapon that fired off some sort of blast.

Suddenly, the weapon was kicked aside and someone started kicking Elgar's ass. "Ugh! Not you, too," Divatox said with irritation.

"Cassie!" TJ said with relief.

"Did you think I was going to let you have all the fun?" The newest person asked with a snarky smile. She reached toward TJ and helped him up. Together, they immediately went into a well-practiced, perfectly in-sync fight stance. Zeke knew that, whoever they were, they were a team and had been for a very long time.

"We'll see you soon," Divatox promised. "Tell everyone that Divatox is back!" She added grandly before taking Elgar and the remaining Piranhatrons and running.

"Who the heck are you guys?" Zeke asked TJ and Cassie as he came out of his morph. Maddie followed suit.

"TJ," TJ replied. "I was the second Red Turbo Ranger and the Blue Astro, or Space, Ranger. That's Cassie."

"Pink. Both times," Cassie said, shaking Zeke and Maddie's hands. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," Maddie said. "Thanks for the assist."

"No problem. Tommy tells us you deal mostly with the Mighty Morphin' villains. When my boy Justin realized Divatox was in town, he sent me to help," TJ said.

"Who's Justin?" Zeke asked.

"Big Red... You're Rocky's kid, right? You should know who Justin is."

"My name's Zeke, and my dad didn't exactly tell me about all of this until recently."

"Justin replaced your dad as the Blue Ranger when the team went from Zeo Rangers to Turbo Rangers," Cassie explained.

"He just told me he broke his back and had to quit the team."

"Yeah, and because Justin was hiding under his bed, he found out who your dad really was."

"Hiding under his bed? Who is this guy, the boogeyman?"

"He was only eleven at the time," TJ explained.

"Wait... My dad replaced himself with a little kid? How is that kosher?"

"Zordon approved of the choice, and Justin was a damn good Ranger. He had more heart than any of us."

"So why isn't he here? And hi. I'm Maddie," Maddie said. "I'm Tanya's daughter."

"Justin has... Issues," Cassie said. "He doesn't get out much... But TJ and I are always up for fighting the good fight."

"Damn right. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger," TJ said. "Come on, guys. We'll explain more while I give you a ride home... Oh, and..." He picked up the still-ticking bomb and quickly disabled it. "Let's not forget about that. Now we can go."

Zeke looked at Maddie and shrugged. "I know we're not supposed to get in cars with strangers, but they're obviously telling the truth," he said.

"Right," Maddie said. Together, they got in the car and Zeke tried not to overthink how strange all of this was.

ONE WEEK LATER.

KIRA

Although she wasn't obsessed with traditions, Kira had to admit that she got lonely on the holidays. Doc O took care of that, however, by insisting she come over for Christmas. She was on her way when she saw something odd in the street. A young girl was frantically struggling against something invisible.

"Um... Hi. Are you okay?" Kira asked her.

The girl looked startled. "They're mad," she said. "They're punishing me for weird stuff happening... I can't help it."

"Who's mad?"

"The people where I am."

"Are you not... Um... Here?"

"No... Maybe... I don't know."

"Okay. I'm Kira. What's your name?"

"Lucy."

"How old are you?"

"I'm eleven."

Kira realized Lucy bore a striking resemblance to Jason's son Luke, who was also eleven, and the wheels began turning in her mind. It's too weird, she told herself, but at the same time, the kid obviously had magic like Jason's sons. She didn't look like Jason, but neither did Luke. His light blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin made him stand out among Jason's sons because he was the only one who looked like Becky... And this little girl looked alarmingly like Becky.

As if the Universe planned it, Ollie came by on his skateboard. Kira knew that when his brothers had gone home earlier in the week, Ollie had refused. Instead, he'd moved in with Zack and Tamira on Tamira's fourteenth birthday four days earlier. They were living in Tommy's guest house with Trini and Brian, and Ollie had decided their couch was better than living with his father. "Hi, Kira," he said. "Who's this?"

"Good. You can see her, too," Kira said. "This is Lucy... Ollie, can you stay with her for a second?"

"Yeah, okay, sure," Ollie said with confusion.

Kira walked slightly away and pulled out her phone. "Jason, it's Kira," she said.

"Hey, Kira, what's up?" Jason asked.

"Listen, I have to ask you something personal... But please answer honestly. It's important."

He paused. "Okay," he said cautiously.

"Was Luke supposed to be a single birth?"

Jason was silent. Finally, he asked, "Why would you ask me that?"

"Please just answer me."

"No... Luke was a twin. His sister... His sister was stillborn." Jason sounded broken and Kira hated that she'd had to upset him.

"Jason... Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Becky and I wanted a daughter so badly... It's part of why finding out about Maddie was so incredible for me. I thought I'd lost my only little girl..." He sighed again. "What the hell brought this up, Kira?"

"I may have stumbled across something... Let me call you back." She hung up before he could protest.

Lucy had vanished. "What happened?" Kira asked.

"She flew into a seizure or something... And then she disappeared," Ollie said.

"Ollie, this is going to sound nuts, but I think that girl is your sister."

Ollie didn't protest like she expected. "The blanket," he mumbled.

"What blanket?"

"Mom knit us all baby blankets... They had our names on them. A few years ago, I found one in the attic with the name Lucy on it... My parents refused to talk about it, but they admitted Luke had a twin, and I vaguely remembered there were supposed to be two babies..." He frowned. "How is this possible?"

"I don't know... But she's in trouble."

"I can find her."

"Ollie-"

"Look, I was debating going home... Dad found these gifts mom picked out for us and gave them to my brothers and Vinny freaked out and locked himself in his room and Luke is having a meltdown trying to be in charge because I'm not there... He needs me. But if we have a sister out there... She needs me, too. I can follow her energy. If there are shadows in the room, I think I can get to her."

"Have you ever traveled that far before?"

"Not intentionally... But I know I can. I've got really good control of the shadow walking now. I can do this, but I can't go home first... Dad would never let me try something so dangerous."

Kira wanted to protest, but she knew Ollie was Lucy's best chance. They had to rescue her. They could figure the rest out later.

LUKE

He was a mess. He might excel at pretending everything was fine, but on the inside, Luke was dying. His mom was gone, his dad was barely holding on, Troy had been forced to stop taking care of them, Ollie had refused to go home, and his dad had just given them the last presents their mom would ever get them. There was only so much that an eleven-year-old could take, but he was doing his best. He'd protected Robby that night, but he wished he could have spared Vinny, too. He did everything he could now to make sure his brothers were okay. He'd learned to cook. He obsessively cleaned the house so it looked perfect even if the rest of their lives were a mess... But this was pushing him past his breaking point.

"Merry Christmas, Mom," he whispered as he cradled the present in his arms that he'd bought for her before everything had changed. He cried over it silently, in the safe privacy of his room, and tried to calm down.

Suddenly, he felt her... A girl, reaching out, terrified... He'd started randomly feeling her after his mother died, but he kept telling himself he was crazy. Now, however, he knew she really needed help. Without realizing he was doing it, Luke opened a door.

That was his strongest power... Luke could open doors. It was why Zedd had wanted his help. It was something Sage kept working with him on, but Luke had no real control over the gift. Any progress he'd made had been destroyed the night his mom died, and he hadn't made much anyway. He was still new to this magic stuff, and he doubted himself so much that it made it hard to do much of anything.

He opened the door because he assumed it would lead to the girl... It didn't. The entity standing on the other side made him panic immediately. He tried to slam the door shut, but the blue man who'd murdered his mother forced his way inside before he could.

"Fear not, my boy," he said gently. "I have come to help you."

"No... No, get out of here!" Luke said. He knew his dad and Vinny and Robby were in the house. They were in danger. If this monster stepped out of Luke's room, he could slaughter the rest of his family.

Call Troy... Or Sage... They'll hear you, Luke thought. He decided against that, however, because he knew they'd never get there in time. Luke focused his energy enough to seal his room off entirely. The monster wouldn't be able to get out... But neither could Luke. He was trapped in that room with the monster who'd killed his mother.

"Work with me, Luke, and all will be well," the monster said.

"You shot my mother!" Luke said firmly. "I'll never work with you."

"Brave boy... However, you are not very bright. You will do as I say."

Luke was terrified. This guy's very presence radiated evil and Luke had never felt anything like that before, but it didn't matter. He had to do the right thing. He had to be strong.

As the monster came at him, Luke fought back. His Martial Arts training helped slightly, but when the monster mocked him, he still reacted.

"Poor boy... so brave and strong, but really, you just miss your mother... You remind me so much of him."

"Of who?" Luke asked as he dodged another blow.

"Of Zordon. You even look a bit like him when he was a boy." This realization seemed to make the monster angry. He became more aggressive, and soon, Luke could do nothing to defend himself. At some point, Luke's fear overpowered him and he lost awareness. He came around some time later, bleeding and rocking in a fetal position.

He realized he was alone and forced himself to stand. Cautiously, he lowered the seal on his room and began taking care of his injuries. He jumped in the shower, washed away the blood, and decided he would never speak of this to anyone. It had been his fault... He'd opened the door. He'd let that monster in. His father and Sage and Troy and even Ollie would be so disappointed in him... He couldn't tell them.

When he emerged, he was clean and looked better, even if he was still incredibly sore. He could handle that. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and put the smile back on his face.

OLLIE

He hadn't planned on spending his first Christmas without his mom like this. Initially, Ollie had wanted to pretend the day was anything else. His mom had loved Christmas... But he couldn't ignore the increasingly frantic texts from Luke as the day went on. Tamira's mother and brothers were in town for the entire week since her birthday was the twenty-first, and as much as he loved being around them, it was hard watching her family celebrate. He finally decided to get on his skateboard and head home, at least for the night. After all, even Sage had chastised him for not even giving his dad Christmas.

Now, he was about to do something crazy, but if this girl who looked so much like his mom really was his sister, he had to help her. Family mattered. His mom would want him to save her.

Ollie focused on the girl's energy. It was similar enough to Luke's that he could track it pretty well. He took a deep breath. "Here's to field testing my limits the hard way," he mumbled before stepping into the shadows. It wasn't always easy to navigate in the shadow realm, but Ollie could feel something pulling him toward Lucy. He followed it until he knew he was in the right place, then waited until he sensed she was alone. He stepped out of the shadows and, sure enough, Lucy lay strapped to a bed. He saw the equipment around the room and realized what had caused the so-called seizure... They'd been electrocuting her.

Ollie rushed to her side and tried to free her. The straps were unbreakable. "Screw this," he mumbled. He closed his eyes and summoned his sword. He'd gotten good at that, too. He carefully slashed the straps. Lucy groaned, still too out of it to do much else. Ollie scooped her up in his arms. She was small for her age and clearly hadn't been fed enough. He carried her easily, as if she were Robby. Ollie heard someone coming and carefully placed Lucy out of harm's way. He waited for them to open the door. When they did, Ollie attacked, using every move he knew to take down the assholes who'd clearly tortured this girl. He grabbed the chart that sat on the front of her bed and picked her back up before fleeing back into the shadows.

He somehow managed to land in his bedroom. Ollie sighed with relief. "I guess I passed the test," he said with a grin. He couldn't believe he'd pulled that off!

He placed Lucy carefully on his bed and stuck his head out. "Dad?" He called.

"Ollie? How did you...?" His father asked as he walked toward him.

"You don't want to know. Listen, Dad... I saved someone tonight... Someone both Kira and I think might be-"

"Kira? Wait... Is this about...?"

"Lucy. Yeah. I found her, Dad... I saved her from the people who had her, and I brought her home."

His dad stepped into his room and looked at Lucy. "I know we need to, like, run a DNA test or whatever, but..." Ollie began.

His father continued staring at Lucy. "Only for official records... I don't need a DNA test... That's her," he said.

"How do you know?"

"Because she looks exactly like your mother. There's no way that's not our daughter. I don't know how, but-"

"I might. I stole her chart." Ollie opened it to the first page. It had recent information, so he flipped to the back.

The infant is called Lucy. Orphan. Brought in by her aunt. Surrendered to this facility based on family history of severe mental illness and behavioral disorders. Study and raise patient with extreme caution. Any and all extreme measures approved to treat the psychosis. Surrendered by Katherine Oliver.

Ollie dropped the chart. "Ollie? Ollie, what is it?" His father asked.

"That bitch!" Ollie said.

"What does it say, Ollie?" His father asked as Ollie picked the chart back up.

"It was Kat, Dad. Kat locked her away in that awful place! They were electrocuting her, Dad! And Kat apparently told them to do it!"

His father stared at the chart. "She helped us through the loss," he said numbly. "Katherine was your mother's rock as we grieved for our baby girl... And the whole time..." He shook his head. "The whole time, she was alive."

Lucy started to stir. Ollie quickly sat beside her. "It's okay. You're safe. I got you out of there," Ollie said.

Lucy blinked at him. "Where am I?" She asked.

"You're home, Lucy... And you're never going back to that place," their father said.

"Ollie I know... We met... But who are you?" Lucy asked him.

"I think... No, I know that I'm your father."

"Oh. I didn't know I had one, but okay."

"Okay? Do you have any questions?"

"I'm not supposed to ask questions."

"You can ask us anything, Lucy. We won't hurt you."

"What's your name?"

"Jason."

"Okay, Jason. Is this where I sleep now?"

"You can call me Dad if you want to... And no. This is Ollie's room... I guess we can set you up in Maddie's room for a while. She's usually at Tanya's anyway, and that used to be the guest room."

"No. Put her with Luke, Dad," Ollie said. "Trust me. I think, at least at first, they need to stay close to each other."

"She hasn't even met him... Luke has no idea-"

"I have no idea about what?" Luke asked, sticking his head in. He stared at Lucy.

"You... You're the boy..." Lucy mumbled. "I'm Lucy. You have issues. They started a couple months ago."

"I'm Luke... And I felt you, too... Especially today. Are you okay?"

She shrugged. "They got mad when weird stuff started happening again. They always blame me... But I'll be fine."

"Luke, there's something your mom and I never told you," their father said. "You were supposed to be a twin. When you were born, we were told she died, but... Apparently not. This is your sister."

Luke's eyes went wide. "You guys kept the fact that I had a twin from me?!" He asked.

"We thought she was dead. It would have only hurt you."

"Can I have a minute with her?"

Their father nodded. Ollie followed him outside. "She' s alive..." He said in wonder. "You brought her back..."

"She's family. Family's more important than anything else... I'm back, too, Dad. No more staying with Zack," Ollie told him. He paused before adding, "Merry Christmas, Dad."

"Merry Christmas, Ollie," his father replied as he pulled him into a hug. Ollie knew he was trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

Things were far from perfect and resolved, but Ollie knew it was time to try to start working on fixing them.

THE NEXT DAY.

BULK

He was confused when they brought him into the room he usually met with his lawyer in. Instead of his lawyer, a woman sat at the table. Bulk noticed her long brown hair was pulled into pigtails and she wore jeans and an Avengers t-shirt. Her glasses slid down her nose a bit as she studied a file. She looked up at him and adjusted them quickly as she smiled. Bulk noticed she was pretty hot when she smiled.

"Hi, you must be Bulk," she said. She shook his hand. "My name is Selena Klein, but you can just call me Sellie. Everyone does. Anyway, I'm here to help you with your case."

"You're not my lawyer," Bulk said. "He's not nearly so attractive." He grinned at her.

Sellie laughed. "You're quite the charmer for a man facing the death penalty. No worries, Bulk. I've taken over your case at Billy's request."

"You know Billy?"

"I helped him legally come back from the dead. I handle all sorts of legal issues, but the only thing you need to know is that I don't lose. Ever. Your case isn't even hard, now that Billy can testify... I'm just here to speed the process along. Oh, and I put an injunction against your wife so she can't try to get sole custody of your kids until after you're out of here. I'm confident I can help you get joint custody without an issue."

"How much is this gonna cost me?"

"Nothing. I happen to like Billy, and I don't like seeing people go to jail for crimes they didn't commit."

"You don't dress like a lawyer... Sellie."

"I dress up in courtrooms. The rest of the time, I like to feel like myself. I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty and it's easier if I'm not dressed up like some stuck-up bitch."

Bulk decided he just might be in love with this quirky new lawyer of his. "So what do you need from me?"

"Nothing. Just stay out of trouble until I get you out of here. Don't shank anyone, don't get into fist fights, and don't attack any of the prison staff. Keep your head down and I'll have you out of here in no time."

"Pity. I was planning on shanking the cafeteria lady who keeps screwing me out of pudding later on today," Bulk said with a straight face.

Sellie laughed. "Well, that is a crime punishable by death. Never deny a man his pudding cup!" She said with a grin.

Yep. She's a keeper, he thought. He would definitely need to thank Billy for sending her his way. He felt more confident already. There was no way a judge would ever deny this woman anything she wanted.

LUCY

She woke up being snuggled. That was all well and good, but it was kind of weird for her. No one ever hugged Lucy, but Luke seemed to be a huggy person. He'd obviously been freaked out the night before, but he'd brought her to his room, curled up next to her in his bed, and apparently rolled over and hugged her during the night and just stayed that way.

Lucy wiggled out of his arms and got off the bed. The poor kid was exhausted and he didn't even stir as she crept outside to find a bathroom. She wasn't sure if she was really supposed to go anywhere on her own without permission, but Jason had said she could go anywhere in the house, so she was testing that.

She took care of her morning needs before walking around and looking for other places to explore. Lucy was eleven and naturally curious, but it had never been safe to be curious about anything before, so she was also nervous. She was as silent as a ninja as she walked from room to room. She could hear voices downstairs and figured Jason and his other sons were down there, so she stayed upstairs. She walked into a bedroom that was obviously Jason's. The bed was bigger and there were grown-up belongings everywhere.

A photo on the dresser showed a happy family, or so it appeared. A woman Lucy didn't know stood with four boys surrounding her. The smallest one was clearly trying to escape, but Luke held him by his t-shirt. Lucy smiled at that. It was funny. Ollie was also in the picture, next to another boy Lucy didn't know.

"Good morning," Jason said, making her jump. She cowered, ready for him to yell at her and attack her for being in his room.

Lucy stared at her feet and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said. "You're welcome in my room, Lucy. You're my daughter."

That was a foreign concept to her. She'd never had parents or a family or anyone who cared about her before. She didn't know what to do with them.

"That's your mom," Jason explained gently. "Her name was Becky... She... She died recently, but I know she'd have been so happy we found you... She loved you, Lucy. We both did."

That idea freaked Lucy out. How could strangers love her? "Do you want to meet your other brothers?" Jason asked.

Lucy shrugged. He led her downstairs. Lucy saw Ollie and the other two boys sitting in a room on a couch watching television, although one of them seemed to be reading more than watching. Lucy had never been allowed to watch television, but she'd seen them before in some of the other patients' rooms.

"Boys... This is Lucy," Jason said. "Lucy, that's Vinny reading the book and Robby with Ollie."

"Hi," Lucy said.

"Fight Stance!" Robby cried, running up to her and posing strangely.

Lucy looked at him in confusion. "You're weird," she informed him.

"Thanks!" Robby said. "Do you Fight Stance?"

"What does that mean?"

"This!" He demonstrated.

"Robby, Lucy's not trained like you guys are," Jason said.

"You don't fight? You're a sister! Daddy finally made a sister!" Robby declared with delight.

"Robby, we've been over this. Maddie is your sister."

"Maddie's a boy," Robby insisted.

"Give it up, Dad. He'll never accept it. She's too much of a tomboy," Ollie said.

"Maddie wears dresses, Robby," Jason pointed out.

"But she's still a boy!" Robby said.

"A boy who wears dresses... Maddie's a drag queen?" Lucy asked, remembering the funny term she'd once heard.

Ollie spit out his soda as he laughed very hard. Vinny hid his face behind his book and Lucy suspected he was trying not to laugh, too. Robby looked at Jason and asked, "Daddy, what's a drag queen? Is Maddie a drag queen?"

Jason blinked a few times before recovering. "No... No, Maddie is not a drag queen," he said. Even he looked like he was torn between being horrified and laughing.

"But she wears dresses, and she's a boy, so-"

"Robby... No." Now, he did laugh. "Maddie's a girl. I promise. Just like Lucy."

"I finally have a sister," Robby said. He hugged Lucy, surprising her, but there was something undeniably adorable about the little one and Lucy hugged him back. She kind of liked him.

"Ol, can you get Robby ready?" Jason asked. "I'm going to go wake Luke up."

"Sure," Ollie said. "Come on, Monster." He scooped Robby up in his arms. Robby struggled to escape, but Ollie won, and they vanished upstairs.

"I'll be right back, guys," Jason said. He left to go wake up her twin. She couldn't quite grasp the concept of family, but she understood that Luke was her twin and that made him different... She felt the connection to him. She could feel what he was feeling. She knew when he was scared, and judging from the time everything had started going crazy with her, she knew it was because Luke had lost his mom... Their mom? She couldn't think of Becky as her mother. To her, that was just a word, and Becky was still a stranger and always would be.

Vinny sat on the couch, still silently reading. "You're quiet," Lucy observed. "I like that."

Vinny looked at her nervously. "I don't have much to say," he replied softly.

Lucy was instantly curious about him. Ollie, Luke, and even Robby had all jumped on the "You're my sister, I love you, let's be best friends" bandwagon right away, but Vinny was keeping his distance. He didn't seem to expect anything from her. She appreciated that.

They started talking. Little by little, Vinny began opening up, admitting he missed his mom and had seen everything and still had issues trusting their dad. Lucy knew what had happened to Becky. Luke had told her the night before. Still, she could see how traumatized Vinny was, and she understood being scared and not trusting anyone.

I trust him, she decided. Vinny is okay. He's not a threat. He's just a messed-up kid like me.

When Luke and Jason finally came downstairs, Luke made himself breakfast. "Are you hungry, Lucy?" He asked. She shrugged. He made her some food, too. It was pretty good, and Lucy smiled at him. Maybe her twin wasn't so bad, either. Jason, however, kept insisting on petting her or hugging her every chance he got and he stared at her. She wasn't loving the attention.

Later that day, when she was alone with Robby, she started conspiring. "Jason needs a puppy," she told him.

"A puppy? I want a puppy!" Robby said.

"Do you have any other grown-ups in your life?"

"Troy's kind of a grown-up. He looks like one."

"Call Troy. Tell him to take you to buy Jason a dog, and then when Jason tries to pet me, I want you to tell him to pet the dog instead."

Robby laughed. "That's funny! Okay!"

Lucy had met Troy for all of ten seconds when he'd come by earlier to check on her brothers, but she had a feeling he wouldn't be able to tell Robby no. Sure enough, he came by to get Robby a little while later.

"Jason's going to kill me," Troy said, "but I think a pet would be good for the boys... And I get that you need some space."

"Thanks," Lucy said.

Troy disappeared with Robby. Shortly after, Jason brought someone inside the house. "Lucy... These are my friends, Sellie and Billy. Sellie's going to help me get legal custody of you. I know you've never been in school before, but legally, I have to prove I'm educating you. Billy's here to talk to you about being your home instructor," Jason explained.

Sellie looked like a big kid. She didn't scare Lucy, and her smile made her even less intimidating. There was something very genuine about her. "Hi, Lucy," she said. "It's very nice to meet you. If you need anything, or if you just want to talk, I'm here to help. Your dad and I are going to talk upstairs now, okay?"

Lucy nodded and Sellie left with Jason. Billy stayed with her. "So you're a teacher?" Lucy asked.

"I have taught before, yes," Billy said. "I'm a little out of practice. My life got flipped upside-down for a while, but I'm getting back on track now."

He sat with her and began talking about things. Billy knew a lot of stuff about a lot of subjects and that made talking to him interesting. Most of all, he was a very open, genuinely nice guy, and Lucy decided he wasn't out to hurt her. She got him talking about himself. She noticed he kept lighting up whenever he mentioned a woman named Kimberly.

"Is Kimberly your girlfriend?" She asked.

Billy laughed awkwardly. "Um... No," he said. "No, Kimberly and I aren't dating... We're... We're just friends."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"But you want to date her, right? You love her."

Billy stared at her. "Lucy, I'm not sure this is appropriate for us to be discussing."

"I'm just trying to get to know you. I'm not used to people... But I can tell you love her. Have you told her? You should tell her."

Billy blushed, and Lucy giggled. "I do love Kim," Billy admitted. "I'm just not sure either of us is ready to be in a relationship."

"That's dumb. You came back from the dead, she helped you through it, and you're crazy about her. Just tell her, Dummy!"

Billy laughed. "Wow. That's not something I get called often."

"So stop acting like one and tell the girl you love her." Lucy wasn't sure what was so complicated. People did that all the time, right? They fell in love, they dated, they got married... It was normal, wasn't it?

Billy smiled. "You're very wise, Lucy. I'll definitely take it under consideration."

Sellie came back downstairs and the two left after that, but Lucy was satisfied that he was genuinely going to consider telling this woman he loved her. She hoped he'd be happy. Billy seemed like someone who deserved happiness.

LUKE

He went out for a run because he needed to stay in shape for his Martial Arts training. It also helped clear his head. Luke couldn't believe he had a twin sister he'd never known about, but at the same time, it felt right. He'd always felt off, but he couldn't explain why, and now he knew it was because part of him had been missing.

Luke froze in place as he felt a door open. He hadn't done it intentionally, but somehow, his thoughts had triggered his powers to kick in. Zell stood before him. "Hello again, my boy," Zell said.

Luke tried to run, but Zell pulled him into the place he'd come from and slammed the door shut. Not again, he thought. He desperately reached out to Sage for help and prayed she'd hear him.

ZEDD

Sage was laughing and relaxed one second and looked panicked the next. "What's wrong?" Zedd asked in alarm.

"It's Luke... Jason's son... I think... I think Zell has him!" Sage said.

"Why would Zell target Luke? Ollie's the one he should be after."

"I don't know... But I have to help him, Zedd. I'm going after him."

"Not alone you're not. I'm coming with you."

"You can't face Zell, Zedd. Not yet."

"I'm not leaving an innocent child with that monster, and I'm not letting you face him by yourself."

"He's not in this dimension... I need Tia." Sage picked up the phone and asked her friend to help. Tia gladly agreed. Zedd was just relieved she hadn't gone to Liza. Tia might physically resemble Xia a bit, but Liza looked exactly like her, and while Tia had a very different personality, Liza was basically an exact duplicate of the woman he'd loved and lost. He couldn't handle being near her for any extended amount of time. It hurt too much.

They met up with Tia quickly and she opened up a portal that took them straight to where Luke was being attacked. Sage cursed as she saw the shape the boy was in. Zell fled before Zedd caught more than a glimpse of him, so they raced to Luke's side.

"Luke? Luke, honey, it's Sage," Sage called to him.

Luke was mumbling to himself. Zedd watched as the boy cleaned himself up and began automatically cleaning up the mess his obvious struggles had caused. An eerie sensation hit Zedd and he realized he'd seen this before.

"Luke, let me help," Sage said.

"I'm fine. I just need to clean this up," Luke insisted.

"Luke-"

"I'm fine. It's not a big deal. I'm okay." The boy was on autopilot. It was clear the excessive trauma had broken something in him. More alarming, however, was the fact that he was behaving in a way that Zedd recognized well.

Zedd studied him. He had very light skin, but aside from the fact that he wasn't blue, Zedd realized the boy bore a striking resemblance to Zordon when he was younger. His mannerisms and the way he handled trauma were nearly identical to Zordon as a boy as well.

"It's okay, Luke," Zedd said gently. "I understand. I know what he is... You don't have to talk about it, but please, allow me to heal you and ease your pain."

Luke didn't fight him. He stayed still as Zedd healed an injury to his head. Then, Zedd set to work on healing the rest of the issues. He could feel Luke's fear and pain, as well as his grief over his mother. Zedd did everything he could to soothe the boy. He felt compelled to help him and was reminded far too strongly of the times Zordon had broken and he'd had to help him piece himself back together.

"Sage... Who is this boy?" Zedd asked after stepping away from Luke.

"I told you. He's Jason's son, Luke, the eleven-year-old," Sage said.

"Everything repeats... The Universe provides safeguards, and the story is retelling itself... What if it's not Katie?"

"What?"

"What if the Zordon of the group isn't Katie? What if it's this boy?"

"Zedd, that makes no sense. Katie's Zell's granddaughter."

"What if Luke is related to him, too?"

"How? Jason descends from Dimitri and Morgana."

"What about Luke's mother? You said Zell came into the room and shot her when Jason failed to do it himself. Why would he do that? What made her so important that she had to die?"

"It was so Ollie would be traumatized."

"What if it's more than that, Sage? Zell could have made sure that she died some other way. Why get his hands dirty? Why was she so significant?"

Sage hesitated. "Jason told me this morning that Luke's a twin, Zedd. He just found out his daughter's still alive... Aunt Kat apparently took her away and hid her in some sort of facility and made sure Jason and Becky thought the baby was stillborn."

"A twin... Sage... What if Zordon had a twin, too?"

"Did he ever mention one?"

"No, but Luke didn't know about his twin. Maybe Zordon didn't either." Zedd shook his head. It seemed impossible, but at the same time, if history was repeating itself...

"We have to figure out if you're right... We could ask Zordon-"

"No. No, I can't hurt him like that. If it's not true, or if it is but his sister is dead... It will hurt him. We need all the details before we tell him anything. I'll look for energies that could be right... See if there's anyone out there who feels enough like Zordon to be his twin. If she exists and she's still alive, I'll find her."

"Alright. Let's get Luke home."

He nodded. He didn't say much to Tia because he was pretty sure the girl hated him. She'd gone out of her way to stay away from him, and he figured that was just as well. After everything he'd put Aisha through, he could understand her hatred. She probably blamed him for what she'd had to do to her mother. Zedd blamed himself for that, too. Still, he cared about Tia. She was Xia's descendant, and even more importantly, she'd saved Taylor's life despite that meaning she'd had to kill the mother she adored. She was a strong young woman, one he knew must make Xia incredibly proud, and he wished he could undo everything he'd done that had indirectly destroyed her life.

ANISE

She was enjoying a rare moment of relaxation. Anise had spent the last several millennia living quite the life. Her first fifteen years had been hell. From the time she was born, her father had kept her in the void outside of the timeline. She was stuck there, whether he was with her or not, and he mistreated her terribly. The abuse had been horrific, but what was worse was when he hadn't come back. Because she was completely dependent on her father for survival, Anise had been faced with an unthinkable choice... Find a way out of the void, or starve to death. Somehow, she'd escaped into time, and she'd learned the universe was celebrating her father's death at the hands of her twin brother Zordon.

Anise had wanted desperately to run to Zordon and tell him who she was, but she was afraid it would only hurt him. Instead, she'd found her own place in the world. She learned to blend in anywhere she went. She became a spy in wars for Kings. She would find the side she felt was morally justified and help them win the war. She constantly reinvented herself, living a thousand lifetimes and never aging. She could pass for anywhere between fourteen and twenty-two, and she frequently changed identities and moved to new places because of this.

She was ready to move on again. That was why, when she saw the people coming toward her, she was willing to at least listen to what they had to say.

"Hello," the boy said. She recognized him. This was one of her brother's friends, although he had barely aged. The last she'd heard, Zedd had become a powerful villain and had lost all of his skin, but she had memories of the glimpses into Zordon's mind she'd had over the years and she knew this was what he'd looked like before all of that. "I'd like to speak with you."

"Lord Zedd," she said. "I know who you are. What do you want?"

"It's just Zedd. I've dropped the Lord part... And this is Sage Park, a very dear friend of mine."

"The Green Ranger, yes... That's why you look vaguely familiar."

Sage stared at her. "How did you know that?"

"I keep tabs on the Power Rangers... They're really quite an impressive group. Zordon is very accomplished."

"You know who Zordon is?"

"I do. But the question is, how did you find me?"

"I was looking for you," Zedd said. "I suspected that he had a sister... Am I correct?"

"You are. I'm only telling you this because I can feel you have good intentions. My brother doesn't know I exist."

"It's time he finds out."

"I'd rather not ruin his life, thank you."

"What is your name?" Sage asked.

"I have many... But my birth name is Anise."

"Anise... Your father is back."

"I know. I felt him... I had hoped I was wrong." She shuddered. She wasn't afraid of her father, but she didn't like to think about him, either. The only thing she knew was if she saw him again, she'd make sure he stayed dead this time.

"There are two children who need your help, Anise," Zedd said. "Twins... A boy and a girl, separated at birth... And they bear a striking resemblance to you and Zordon."

"Maybe Zordon has descendants," Sage suggested.

"No," Zedd said firmly. "Zordon only loved one woman. He didn't get anyone pregnant."

"He's right," Anise said. She sighed. "But I have descendants. I had a son, about fifty years ago. I had to give him up for adoption for his safety. A life on the run is no life for a child."

"Did he have a daughter?" Sage asked.

"I don't know. I lost track of him. They kept moving him around in the system, and when he finally got adopted, his new parents changed his name."

"Becky's father was adopted... I remember that... Could she be your granddaughter?" Sage pulled out her phone and pulled up a social media site. She showed a photo to Anise.

"She looks a lot like me," Anise said. "It's certainly possible. He was born in Florida, if that helps."

"So was Becky. She grew up there and didn't move to Angel Grove until her husband decided he needed to come back home."

"If Becky was Zell's granddaughter... It would explain why he killed her," Zedd said.

"She's dead?" Anise asked. "The poor girl... Is... Is my son still...?"

"He's alive. He took it hard, but Becky had siblings, and her mother's still alive, too. He's not alone," Sage reassured her.

Anise was relieved. All she'd ever wanted was for her son to be happy. "I'll make the bastard pay for killing her," she promised.

"Right now, we just need to reunite you with your brother. Zell is going after Becky's son Luke, and he might go for her daughter Lucy next. We have to protect them."

"I can help. They're my family." Anise knew it was time. She'd hoped to meet her brother one day, but she'd given up ages ago. Now she knew she had to do it. Her father could try to use her existence as a weapon if Zordon didn't know, and now there were two young children in danger as well... Her great-grandchildren. She owed it to her son to protect them.

"We'll bring you to Zordon soon... For now, let's just get you to Angel Grove," Zedd said. "You can settle in and then we'll talk to Zordon."

Anise nodded. "I can be packed up and ready to go within the hour," she said. She was used to leaving with little to no time to say goodbye. At least this time, she knew where she was going next.

NEW YEAR'S EVE.

BILLY

Maybe he shouldn't take advice from eleven-year-olds, but Billy had decided it was time. He and Kimberly had been holding hands, sleeping beside each other, and very rarely even indulging in a quick kiss every so often for a while now, but neither had been willing to discuss what all of that meant.

Tommy was having a gathering at his house to celebrate New Year's Eve. A lot of the others had come. As the residents of the house, Tommy, Billy, Josh, Kimberly, Katie, and Jayden were all there. Kenny had gone over Tanya's to stay with Angie, who wasn't up to socializing with everyone else as she continued to grieve her mother. Trini, Brian, Zack, and Tamira had come over from the guest house. TJ and Cassie were in town, so Tommy had immediately invited them over as well. Adam had brought Thorn and Caleb over, but Sage had decided to stay home with Troy, Zedd, and Koda, who was still hanging around Angel Grove looking out for her. Jason and his kids had decided to spend time together at home as a family, although Maddie had come over to Tommy's with Tanya, Zeke, and Rocky. Tanya had also brought Taylor and Liza over, because Liza loved a good party, and Taylor had wanted to hang out with Josh for the night. Tia was watching the other kids, along with Kenny and Angie, back at their house.

Kira walked in with Dustin and said, "I hope you don't mind that I brought a guest, Doc O."

"Of course not! Dustin's family," Tommy said cheerfully as he poured Kira and Dustin drinks.

Billy took the opportunity to slip away with Kimberly unnoticed. He brought her upstairs. "Kimberly... Can we talk?" Billy asked.

"Of course," Kimberly said. "Are you okay? Is the party too much for you?"

"I'm fine... I just... I think we need to discuss a few things."

"Alright. What's up?"

"We never discussed what happened the night I killed Mark."

"There's nothing to discuss. You saved me."

"And we kissed, Kimberly... We kissed, and then we never spoke about it again."

"Oh..." Kimberly smiled at him shyly. "It doesn't have to mean anything, Billy. I know things have been hard for you."

"They have... But being with you helps, Kim. You keep me grounded... And I've realized..." He hesitated. This was harder than he'd thought it was going to be. His wife had been dead for years, and he hadn't said this to any woman since... "I love you, Kim."

"I love you, too, Billy. You're my best friend. I'm so relieved you're back."

"No... No, Kimberly, that's not what I meant." He took a deep breath. It was too late to turn back now. He had to get this out. "I mean I've fallen for you, Kimberly. I'm in love with you..."

Kimberly's eyes widened. She stared at him for a minute and Billy was positive she was going to reject him. Instead, she kissed him. It was longer than they usually kissed, and he savored every second of it. Kimberly felt right in his arms. He knew exactly who he was when they were together. All of their memories came back to him and made him smile.

"I feel the same way," Kimberly admitted when she finally broke the kiss. She stayed in his arms as she added, "I was afraid to tell you. I thought it would scare you. I didn't want to freak you out, and I didn't think you felt that way... I mean... You've always been my best friend, but... I thought that was as far as things went for you."

"I don't know how it happened, Kim... But I can't imagine ever being away from you now. You're my rock, and the only time my world makes sense is when you're in it."

Kimberly kissed him again, and this time, Billy took control. He allowed himself to pull her closer and truly feel her. When he pulled away, he whispered, "Marry me."

Kimberly stared at him. "Billy... Did you just...?"

"I did... Is it too soon? This is insane, right? I'm sorry... I just can't picture ever wanting to be with anyone else, Kimberly. I love you, and if I've learned one thing, it's that life is too short to wait. If we both feel this way... It only seems right... But I understand if you're horrified... You had barely left Mark when I killed him, and it hasn't been that long... I'm sorry. Forget I said any-"

"Yes."

"Come again?" Now, it was Billy's turn to stare.

"Yes, Billy. I'll marry you." She laughed and kissed him again. "I've loved you for a long time, Billy. That love may have evolved into something different, but it's not a new thing for me. I spent entirely too many years being married to a monster... I didn't think I deserved better... But you love me anyway, and I can't think of a single reason why we shouldn't be together."

He was happier than he could ever remember being. He laughed as he awkwardly asked, "How are we supposed to tell everyone this?"

Kimberly smiled. "Who says we have to tell them right away? Let's just enjoy it for a bit... We can tell them we're dating and ease them into it."

"Do you think Josh and Kenny will be upset?"

"No... Not really. They're practically brothers anyway, and Kenny adores you."

"Josh loves you, too."

"I just think we need to find the right time to tell them this... So baby steps... When the moment presents itself, we'll tell them, and we won't tell anyone else before we tell the boys. But we're engaged, Billy. And I love that idea."

"So do I." He kissed her a final time before saying, "We should probably get downstairs before midnight."

They walked downstairs holding hands. Tommy looked at them curiously. "Where'd you guys go?" He asked.

"We went upstairs and decided something," Kimberly said. "Tommy... Billy and I are together."

"Obviously. You're both standing right there, Kim."

Kimberly laughed awkwardly. "No... I mean... We're... Together, Tommy. We're a couple."

"Told you so!" Katie declared. "About time you two admitted it."

"Oh... Oh, wow... That's... Great, guys," Tommy said. "How blind have I been not to see that?"

"Don't feel bad, Doc O. You're awful at spotting relationships," Kira said with a laugh.

"Really? What else did I miss?"

"Oh, don't worry... The other half of the relationship missed it, too," she said mysteriously.

"Huh?"

"It's almost time!" Zack declared. "Ten, nine, eight..."

Everyone began counting down with him. At the stroke of midnight, Billy kissed Kimberly again and he knew they were making the right choice.

"Whoa, when did that happen?" Tommy declared.

Billy looked up and realized Kira had swooped Dustin back dramatically and was kissing him hard in front of everyone. Dustin blinked at Kira with a goofy look on his face when she finally released him. "See? Clueless," Kira told Tommy.

"What was that for?" Dustin asked dreamily.

"You spend every night at my house watching Netflix, right? And you obviously like me. And clearly there's a ton of attraction between us both," Kira said. "You like me, right? You're crushing on me hard?"

"Well, yeah, but... I mean... Was it that obvious?"

"Oh yeah! But don't be embarrassed. It's endearing... And I like you, too. So why not, right? Let's make it official. We're a thing."

"About time," Jayden mumbled.

"Love is in the air tonight!" Zeke declared. He kissed Maddie dramatically.

Trini walked closer to Billy and Kimberly. She was fully healed from her physical injuries thanks to Zedd, but she still wasn't ready to get on a plane and go home yet. "Congratulations, guys," she said. "I'm happy you have each other."

"Thanks, Trini," Billy said as Kimberly leaned closer to him.

"This has been a good night," Kimberly said. "It's a nice change of pace."

Josh walked toward them. Billy looked at Trini and Kimberly. "Excuse us for a minute," he said. He walked away with his son.

"So... Kimberly, huh?" Josh asked.

"Yeah... Are you okay with it, Josh? I know it must be weird for you... I still love your mom so much... But-"

"Dad, you can't be alone forever. No one expects you to be... I just never imagined you'd end up dating Kimberly."

"Are you mad?"

"No. Kim's great... I just didn't know you were ready for a relationship."

"I didn't either, but it seems to have happened anyway."

"Kenny's going to be upset. He's really protective of his mom."

"We'll talk to him."

"I'm happy for you, Dad... Kimberly makes you smile. It's nice to see you happy."

"Thanks." Billy wondered if his son had any interest in dating. Josh had never shown much of an interest in that sort of thing before, but it was an awkward thing to ask. There was a possibility Josh was asexual. He could also be too traumatized for that sort of thing because of the abuse he'd suffered, though Billy hoped that wasn't the case... But there was something about the way that Josh looked at Taylor that made Billy wonder if there was something going on between them.

"Josh... You know you can tell me anything, right? Always?" Billy asked.

"I know, Dad," Josh replied.

"Is there anyone you're interested in like that?"

Josh tensed. "Why?"

"I was just curious."

"No. I mean... I don't know."

"Josh... I want you to know that, no matter what, I love you. I always will. And I'll never judge you or love you any less, even if you think something might be different about you."

"Dad... Are you trying to ask me if I'm gay?" Josh asked in horror.

"I'm just telling you that if you're gay, straight, bisexual, asexual, or unlabeled, I don't care. I'll love you the same."

Josh looked like he might cry. Instead, he whispered, "I'm... Confused."

"That's okay, too. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No... Not really."

"Okay... But if you ever do-"

"I never liked anyone... Not like that. I'm not interested in that stuff... Except... I connected to someone, and it changed that... But that person is the only one that makes me think I might feel something... And I'm scared of it."

"It's a scary thing."

"It's... It's Taylor, Dad," he whispered. "And I know it's not okay... You're probably disappointed in me."

"Why on Earth would you think that? It's perfectly okay to love another boy, Josh. Love is love. You can't control it. Thorn and Caleb are probably the cutest couple I've ever seen. Why would you loving a boy be any different?"

"I don't know if it's love... But whatever it is... It's not okay for me... Because Ian's right then... If I like a boy..."

"That monster took advantage of you. Don't let whatever he said to you change who you are as a person, Josh. What he did wasn't love. It was abuse. You didn't want that, no matter what you may want now."

"I don't know what I want... I just know I like being with him... I care about him... And he's the only person who I ever considered kissing or... Or even..." He shuddered.

"Josh, it's okay. It's normal. You're sixteen. You have hormones. And you and Taylor have a bond that even I can see. You don't have to label it. Your feelings for him don't define you, but they're not a bad thing. If he makes you happy, that's all that matters."

Josh actually looked relieved. "You're really not upset?"

"Not even a little."

Josh hugged him. "I've been keeping it in because I was so scared I'd upset you..."

"How about we be honest with each other from now on? I don't keep anything from you and you don't keep anything from me, and we don't worry about upsetting each other."

"Okay."

Billy hesitated. "I'm going to tell you something, because I just promised to... But don't tell anyone, okay? No one knows yet."

Josh looked curious now. "Okay. What is it?"

"Kim and I aren't just dating... I asked her to marry me, and she said yes."

Josh stared at him. "What? You're engaged? You weren't even dating earlier today!"

"Josh, Kim and I have loved each other for most of our lives... It's become romantic, but it's always been there, even before that. We both know that we want to be together, and we both know how short life can be... Anything can happen in an instant."

Josh nodded. "Okay," he said.

"Okay?" Billy repeated.

"Okay. Kimberly loves you, and she's great, and she makes you happy. I want that for you, Dad. So, okay. Get married. I need a little time to get used to it, but I want you to be happy more than anything."

"Thanks, Josh. It means a lot to me that you approve."

Josh smiled at him. "It means a lot to me that you approve of what I said, too."

Billy knew things were okay between them then. The two of them walked back to the party. Josh went straight for Taylor. Billy smiled, seeing how happy the boy obviously made his son.

He looked at everyone else. They were smiling and laughing. Thorn and Caleb were cuddling as they talked to Zeke and Maddie, who held hands. Kira and Dustin looked happier than ever. Tommy was surrounded by his friends and family, laughing and genuinely enjoying himself for what seemed like the first time in ages. Everything was perfect for just one night. Billy pulled Kimberly closer to him and decided not to worry about how long that peaceful happiness might or might not last.