CHELSEA

She saw her parents sitting at the table in the dining room and eating the breakfast Chef had made for them. "Breakfast, Miss Chelsea?" He asked politely.

"Just coffee. Spiked with-" Chelsea began.

"A Monster. Of course." He handed her the drink and she smiled.

"You're the man, Chef," she said. She didn't know Chef's real name. Her parents refused to address him by it, and by the time Chelsea had been old enough to realize he had one, it had seemed impolite to ask.

"Parentals." Chelsea greeted her mother and father as she walked by them. She was met with silence, as usual. Her parents only paid attention to her when they wanted to parade her around in front of their socialite friends. Chelsea knew all about keeping up appearances.

Chelsea grabbed a slice of chocolate cake out of the refrigerator before heading outside with her chosen breakfast. If her mother had noticed, she'd have had heart failure at the calorie intake, but that wasn't an issue. She headed toward the bomb shelter. She'd hidden out there before, just to have a place she could make her own. Her bedroom was cool, but her parents still had some say over what she did with it. Chelsea had decorated the bomb shelter with her art. She'd strung up several strands of lights to make it less gloomy. She'd even set up a mattress and a beanbag chair. She decided it was almost ready to be seen by the band, but first, she needed more places to sit. Scott had promised to bring a generator to supply electricity as needed. There was a ton of space, so setting up an area for the instruments and equipment would be easy enough.

A thunderstorm unexpectedly rolled in. Chelsea could hear it even with the shelter sealed. She felt very uneasy suddenly. She hurried outside as the storm grew stronger. It was raining incredibly hard, which didn't happen often in California. Chelsea looked around and saw one of the warriors she'd faced when the Rangers had been attacked.

"Time to morph," she decided. She called on her stone and was ready to fight.

"Yellow Ranger... All alone? How tragic," the woman taunted her.

Lightning lit up the sky. The woman called it toward her and tried to fling it at Chelsea. On instinct, Chelsea put up her hand to shield herself. To her shock, the lightning stopped in mid-air, vibrating with power but not moving.

"What the fuck?" Chelsea mumbled. She knew she was fast, but this was the first time she'd been exposed to lightning since picking up her stone. She shrugged and decided she could roll with this. Focusing on the frozen lightning bolt, Chelsea made it turn around and hit the woman instead.

"Impossible!" The woman cried. "You cannot use my storm against me! I am Felina, Great Sorceress of Eltar!"

"Obviously not that great," Chelsea said before summoning lightning of her own. It struck Felina and actually slightly singed her.

Felina let out a cry of rage before pulling out what appeared to be a wand. Chelsea tried to fry it with more lightning, but it didn't touch the wand. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

Focus on your element! A voice instructed.

Great, Chelsea thought. Now I'm hearing voices... Time for some psych meds.

You have not gone mad, Child. Listen to me.

That's probably what all the little voices say, Chelsea thought.

Use the lightning, Child! It will protect you!

Chelsea figured it couldn't hurt. She focused on the lightning and suddenly, a shield of electrical currents protected her. Felina tried to attack again, but nothing she did touched Chelsea. Finally, Felina fled, leaving Chelsea soaking wet, but safe. The storm vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

"Thanks, Voice in My Head," Chelsea said. The voice did not reply. Chelsea shrugged and dropped her morph before heading back toward her house. She stood in the living room for a minute and tried to process what had just happened.

"Chelsea? Why are you soaking wet?" Her mother demanded in disgust. It was the first thing she'd said to Chelsea in days.

Chelsea rolled her eyes. Of course she didn't notice the freak thunderstorm. Oblivious, much?

"I took a shower," Chelsea replied sarcastically.

"Well, use a towel next time. You're dipping water all over the carpet. You'll ruin it."

"Right. My bad." Chelsea rushed upstairs to take an actual shower. She knew she'd need to hurry if she planned on getting to school on time. Luckily, hurrying was no longer a problem with her superpowers.

SCOTT

He was strumming his guitar when Van sat beside him. "Nice song," Van said.

"It's about you," Scott said with a grin.

"About me? Are you serious?"

"Musicians write what they know. Look at Taylor Swift," Scott joked. "Don't worry. It's not a breakup song. I only have the hook so far... Wanna hear it?"

"Of course I wanna hear it."

"I warn you, it's pop punk, and pop punk lyrics are notoriously goofy."

"I'm all ears."

Scott began to play the notes leading into the hook before singing, "Baby, I love you, love you, in a permanent sort of way. You make my heart resurrect, each and every single day... Because Van, Van, oh honey, I'm a fan, fan, and every chance I can, can, I'll be happy you're my man, man..."

Van stared at him for a second before saying, "You're right. Super goofy." Then, he kissed Scott before adding, "I love it."

Scott smiled. "Good. I was worried you'd hate it, realize I'm an idiot, and dump me."

"That will never happen," Van promised. "Because I love you in a permanent sort of way, too."

"You know exactly how to make my heart melt, Van. Do you do it on purpose?"

"Maybe."

"Are we moving too fast? Writing goofy love songs and declaring this to be a permanent sort of love?"

"There's no timeline on love. It just happens... And yeah, it's crazy. It's completely unlike me... But you make me really happy, Scott... And no one else ever has."

Scott had fallen for guys quickly before, but those times had been different. He had a habit of picking a flavor of the month, getting in deep way too fast, and wondering what the hell he'd been thinking after a week or so. This time, he just found himself continuing to fall deeper and deeper for Van. He knew their relationship was the first time he'd truly been in love.

Scott kissed Van because there weren't words to explain what he was feeling. He released him when he noticed a tall shadow towering over them.

"Uh... Can we help you, Freddy?" Scott asked with a laugh.

"I didn't want to interrupt," Freddy replied. "Have you guys seen Allie?"

Van seemed to think about this for a minute before he said, "Her sister's not feeling well. Allie probably stayed home to take care of her."

Freddy frowned before nodding and walking off. "I'm sure he was thinking 'thank you,' " Scott said with a laugh.

"Freddy's not much of a talker. I already figured that out. It's fine," Van said.

"So... Where were we?" Scott teased. He was about to lean in for another kiss when the bell rang.

"Late," Van said with a laugh. "We were late. Come on. Time for class."

"But I don't wanna Adult," Scott said with a frown.

"School's not Adulting. It's Teenagering."

"Fine. I don't wanna Teenager."

"Teenagering comes with making out," Van teased him.

"I take that back!" Scott declared. He kissed him again before Van insisted they hurry up and get to class.

DARCY

Something caught her attention. Darcy followed the odd feeling until she found herself outside of the school's pool. She cautiously opened the door and slipped inside. The pool was usually empty at that hour, but not today.

Pierce was swimming furiously, like his life depended on it. He kept this up for several minutes before finally getting out of the pool. He sat on the edge, his legs in the water, and that was when Darcy saw his tears.

"Pierce? Are you okay?" She asked.

He stiffened. "Go away," he said.

"Look... If you want to talk-"

"I don't." He stood up and Darcy had to admit Pierce didn't look bad in nothing but a speedo.

Ew, gross. No. Bad Darcy! Bad! She scolded herself. Pierce might be undeniably attractive, but he was also an asshole. Still, seeing the obvious sorrow in his eyes made her feel the need to try to help.

"We're a team, Pierce. Let me help," she said.

"You can't fix this, Darcy."

"Sometimes, talking helps."

"Not this time."

Darcy hesitated before touching his arm. "Pierce... What's wrong?"

"It's his birthday."

Pierce didn't elaborate. He didn't have to. She knew he was talking about Frankie. "Shit... I'm sorry, Pierce. I forgot."

"I wish I could. It's just one more reminder every year..." He shook his head.

"Why didn't you stay home?"

"My parents don't allow that. I have no reason to as far as they're concerned... It's not like I lost him, too, or anything..."

Darcy looked into his eyes as she said, "They sound like real assholes."

"They are real assholes." He shrugged. "They routinely make it clear that the wrong son survived."

"That's horrible!"

"They're right."

Darcy had not expected that from him. "No, they're not."

"Frankie was everything I'm not, Darcy. He was so much better than me..."

"He was Frankie, but you're Pierce. And you're pretty great, too."

"You don't understand. Forget it."

"I understand that you're hurting, Pierce. And I wish I could help... But the only thing I can do is say that your parents are screwed up, awful people and you don't deserve to be treated like that."

He looked into her eyes and she noticed how vulnerable his were. He leaned in very close and for a second, Darcy thought he was going to kiss her. For some reason, she didn't try to stop him, but he pulled away at the last second.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly.

"You're welcome," Darcy replied.

Pierce walked toward the locker room and Darcy let him go. She felt like, for the first time, she'd seen more of Pierce than he wanted people to.

With a sigh, Darcy decided to skip the class she was already late for. She hid out in the auditorium, which was also empty, until the bell rang to signify first period had ended. Then she raced to Andie's classroom.

As Andie came out, Darcy looked at her and said, "I've lost my mind."

"Just now?" Andie asked.

"I sort of walked in on an intense moment and, um... Pierce almost kissed me."

"Pierce? Like... Pierce Pierce?"

"Yeah... And Andie, I must be nuts, because I didn't try to stop him."

Andie frowned. "This requires more caffeine." She led Darcy to the vending machine and purchased two Cokes. Darcy took hers gratefully. "Okay... Start from the beginning," Andie said.

"I felt drawn to the pool... Imagine my surprise when I saw Pierce swimming... I mean... He doesn't swim. He used to, but after Frankie died, he stopped training. Anyway, there he was, all wet and in just a freaking speedo, and I realized..." She hesitated.

"Realized what?" Andie asked.

"He was upset... It's personal, but... I thought he might need a friend, so I tried talking to him... And the next thing I knew, he was so close I could practically feel his pulse... I was positive he was going to kiss me... And part of me wanted him to."

"Pierce? Seriously, Darcy? You can do better. He's a jerk."

"Yeah... A jerk who looks uncomfortably hot in a speedo... And more importantly, I think there's more to him, Andie. A lot more."

"So explore it."

"Really? You think I should?"

"I'm no expert on matters of the heart, Darce..."

"But you have a Knight in Shining Armor trying to woo you," Darcy teased her.

Andie whacked her arm playfully. "Shut up," she said. "I just think if it feels right, you should follow your instinct. Maybe there's something there. There's only one way to find out."

"Make out with him?"

"I was going to say talk to him."

"Your way's better... But mine's more fun," Darcy said with a wink. She wasn't overly boy-crazy, but she wasn't exactly shy around guys either. Darcy had a mischievous side that sometimes made her slightly wild.

"Are Power Rangers allowed to date each other?" Andie wondered aloud.

"I never said I wanted to date him... But why wouldn't we be?" Darcy asked.

"It seems like a lot of drama that could hurt the team... I mean, what if the couple has a fight and then has to run into battle? Relationships lead to trouble."

"Not all of them." Darcy shrugged. "I'm not sure where, if anywhere, this will go... But if he gets all up in my personal space again, I might actually go for it and kiss him... Just to see..."

"Good luck."

"Thanks for talking me through that."

"Any time."

With that, they headed to class, and Darcy pushed Pierce out of her mind.

A WEEK AND A HALF LATER.

VIDA

It had been a hell of a week. Most of it had been spent training. Vida was working closely with Team Magic, which was a ton of fun. Combat training with Jayden from the Samurai team and Dustin from Ninja Storm was really fun, too. Still, they all knew the seriousness of the situation. They'd tried to take exactly one day off from training so they could celebrate something happy. Kimberly and Billy's last-second "Just In Case We Die" wedding had been crashed by Tengas, or Tengus, or whatever they were, along with some alternate reality villain named Ivan Ooze. The Rangers, who'd all worked super hard to give Billy and Kimberly their special day, had done what Rangers do and kicked all kinds of bad guy butt, however it had been the newly reformed (No-Longer-Lord) Zedd and Rito Revolto who'd finally put an end to the Tenga issue. Then a guy named Fred from Ooze's reality had taken the seriously nasty bad guy away and the festivities had resumed.

It was finally the day of the big battle. Tommy was literally dying. They were out of time.

"Xander, I want you with Madison," Nick was saying. "You stick to her like glue, got it? And if the bad guys try to touch her, I want you to-"

"Introduce himself?" Chip suggested.

"Destroy them," Nick said, rolling his eyes.

"Maddie will be fine, Mate," Xander promised him.

"I am a Ranger, guys. I can fight," Madison reminded them.

"Yeah, but I want you safe, Maddie. This fight's going to get ugly. I don't want you getting hurt," Nick said.

"My sister is perfectly capable of taking care of herself," Vida said firmly. She didn't want Nick turning Madison back into the scared girl who totally lacked confidence. She'd come a long way from that. Still, she looked at Xander when no one else was watching her and mouthed, Please. He nodded, understanding. Madison was strong, but she'd do everything she could to resolve things peacefully, and this time, that could get her killed.

"Okay. I'm on Recon, so I'll be all over the place," Nick said. "Chip, stay close to Vida."

"To protect her?" Chip asked.

"Nope. So she can protect you."

"Damn right!" Vida said. "Don't worry, Chippy. I've got your six."

Kira Ford stood before all of the Rangers. "Alright," she said, "You all have your assignments. Be careful. Be vigilant. And... Well... May the Power protect us all, right?"

And so, the morphing began. Every Ranger whose powers were still active or who had gotten them restored by Zordon morphed, back-to-back, in order by team. It was a hell of a sight.

"Zordon should have restored my ability to morph," Nick mumbled.

"Xander's active. Zordon could only restore so many of us. You and I have still got our magic, Nick... Just without a costume change," Vida said.

"Right," he said, trying to sound upbeat.

Zordon didn't make me an active Ranger again because I'm a mentor, and Xander already had his powers back... But why didn't he restore Nick? Vida wondered. Again, she thought about what Clare and Udonna had said. Could Zordon have sensed that something was off with Nick, too?

He seems the same as he always has, Vida scolded herself. Stop being paranoid. Nick's fine, just butt-hurt that he isn't a fully active Ranger again. That's all it is.

"Ready to go, Vida?" Chip asked.

"Huh? Oh, of course," Vida said. "Let's do this!"

VAN

The fight got ugly fast. Felina and Raffitty had ordered the ambush on the Rangers. They'd used a tulpa to lure them to the park, and when they'd showed up, the rest of them had attacked.

"Guys, I think we're in trouble!" The Blue Ranger said.

"Yes, Blue," Felina said. "You are."

"We need our weapons!" The Red Ranger declared. They each summoned their personal weapons.

The Yellow Ranger he now knew was Chelsea summoned hers last. Chelsea didn't seem to be part of the group like the others were. She came in once fights started, beat people up, and fled before anyone could stop her. She very quietly called for her weapon and Van was positive no one else heard her. Nunchucks manifested in her hands.

"Badass..." Chelsea mumbled with approval. She started messing around with them. Soon, she was waving them around like she waved her drumsticks, and the movement seemed very natural. She might not have training, but somehow, she knew how to use them.

"Hey, look! Yellow's, like, a ninja or something!" The Black Ranger declared. Van stiffened. He knew that voice.

You're imagining things, he told himself as he went one-on-one with the Green Ranger.

"He's mine," Neptune said. He stepped in front of Green and began battling him.

Van shrugged and raced to help his father, who was fighting the Black Ranger. Black began levitating off the ground. He rose higher until Van's father had seen enough. Using his own telekinesis, he flung an entire tree toward Black.

"Shit!" Black cried out right before the tree struck him. He fell dangerously fast toward the earth and his morph began to fail.

"Scott!" Red screamed. She raced toward him as Van stared in shock.

Scott lay on the ground. He wasn't moving. Oh God... Van thought. He's... He's a Power Ranger? How?

Van was starting to understand why Felina had attacked the warehouse. There hadn't been one Ranger inside... There had been two. He shook his head and wondered if Freddy was on the team, too. Blue definitely wasn't Freddy, but Green's build wasn't too far off.

I have to save him, Van thought as he saw too many explosions getting too close to his boyfriend... His Power Ranger boyfriend...

As Raffitty attacked Red, Van made his way to Scott. He walked urgently, like he meant to kill him, but as another explosion went off, Van threw himself over Scott to protect him. He hoped it looked like the blast had just knocked him down.

Damnit... I'm so screwed, Van thought. He knew exactly one thing... Even if Scott was a Power Ranger, he could never hurt him.

Van quickly cast a very subtle healing spell on Scott. As he started regaining consciousness, Scott groaned. Van rolled away from him before he could realize who'd saved him.

PIERCE

Neptune really seemed to hate him. Pierce struggled to fight him off as he adapted to his every move. Finally, Pierce summoned water. Once again, Neptune jumped back like the water was trying to murder him.

Andie let out a scream, drawing Pierce's attention away from the terrified Eltarian soldier. Felina seemed to be using some sort of spell on her, and Andie's morph failed as she struggled against it.

"Sis!" Darcy screamed. She was caught up with Raffitty and couldn't get to her. The mysterious Yellow Ranger was battling the freaky monster they'd shown up to fight to begin with. Scott was seriously hurt and not moving much, and Greg was trying to cover him.

Pierce flung the puddle at Neptune, who fell apart in his panic. He raced toward Andie, standing in front of her protectively.

"I know who you are! You cannot be allowed to live! Remember so I can destroy you myself!" Felina shouted.

"Back off, Bitch Witch!" Pierce told Felina.

"Such disrespect!" Felina said. "Your Mystic isn't here to fight your battle for you this time, Green Ranger."

"I don't need him to fight. I fight my own battles." Pierce aimed his trident straight at her.

Felina laughed. "Perhaps Raff had reason to fear the prophecy," she said.

"What prophecy?" Pierce demanded.

Felina laughed again before increasing whatever she was doing to Andie. Suddenly, Zuzu flew straight at her head.

"Ah! Stupid bird! What are you doing?" Felina demanded.

Zuzu pecked her forehead before flying away. Felina's spell seemed to break as she cursed at the bird.

Andie stopped moving. She curled up in a ball, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. Since Felina vanished, Pierce knelt beside her.

"Andie... Andie, are you okay?" He asked.

"Don't!" Andie cried out. Her eyes were terrified and it didn't seem like she was all there.

"Andie, it's okay... You're okay," Pierce said gently. He knew PTSD when he saw it. He had it, after all. He didn't try to touch her, but stayed close so he could protect her from anyone who tried to attack.

Yellow picked up speed and helped Darcy chase everyone off. When they were finally gone, Greg helped Scott get closer to Pierce and Andie. Yellow sped off as usual. Darcy headed toward them.

"Is she hurt?" Greg asked.

"I don't think there are any physical injuries," Pierce said.

"Sis... Sis, it's me," Darcy said. "Can you hear me?"

"He knows..." Andie whispered in terror. Her words even gave Pierce chills.

"Who knows what?" Pierce asked gently. "Talk to me, Andie... Tell me what happened," he urged her patiently.

Darcy looked at him with obvious surprise. "What?" He asked. "I'm not always a dick."

"He knows who I am..." Andie said.

"Who is he, Andie?" Pierce asked.

"Zell." With that, Andie began violently shaking.

"She's having a seizure!" Scott said in horror.

"Hold her down," Greg said. "I know she'll freak out, but she might hurt herself otherwise."

"He's right," Darcy said. She held Andie's legs. Pierce grabbed her arms.

"Bring the girl to me!" A voice commanded.

Pierce looked up. "Amos? What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"There's no time, Pierce! Bring her here."

The use of his actual name told Pierce how serious this was. "Who the hell is that guy?" Darcy demanded.

"Amos is a Shaman. He's been helping me. You can trust him," Pierce said.

"Andie won't be okay with some strange man touching her."

"Pierce!" Amos said again.

Pierce stared into her eyes urgently. "Darcy, whatever's happening to her is beyond our skill level. Amos can help. I won't let him hurt her. I promise."

As Andie's seizure got even worse, Darcy nodded. She let Pierce scoop Andie up in his arms and carry her to Amos, which wasn't easy with how violently she was twitching.

Amos took Andie and gently laid her down inside of a circle of candles. He cradled her in his arms and began speaking a language Pierce couldn't understand.

"Um... What's he doing?" Scott asked nervously.

"Some Native American magic I don't really understand," Pierce said. "Amos has been helping me since we got our stones..."

"You have a pet Shaman? Do we all get one? Because that would be cool... "

"He's not my pet, Dumbass. He's the guy who saved my life when my brother died. The one everyone told me didn't exist."

This effectively shut Scott up. Andie stopped twitching, but began screaming. That got Pierce's attention, along with everyone else.

"Sera!" She screamed. "Sera! Ash!"

Darcy stiffened at the words. After a moment, she began moving toward Andie. Pierce was pretty sure she didn't even realize she was doing it. When she was finally kneeling beside the circle, she looked at Amos.

"Go ahead," he said. "You may reach through."

Darcy touched Andie. "Shhh... I'm here... Daphne," she said.

"Daphne? Who's Daphne?" Scott asked.

"Serafine?" Andie asked in a small voice.

"Is she possessed or something?" Pierce asked.

"No," Amos said. "She is awake... And she is not ready yet. This isn't safe."

"Serafine... Sera, I'm frightened..." Andie nearly whispered.

"It's me," Darcy said gently. "Go back to sleep, Daphne. You're safe now."

"Not safe... He... He's here." Andie began twitching again.

Darcy seemed to snap out of whatever had just happened. "Andie!" She cried out.

"Step back! He is draining her," Amos said urgently. Darcy reluctantly moved back slightly. "She cannot defend herself yet. Pierce! Come help me!"

Pierce didn't argue. He hurried to the Shaman's side. "Take her hand," Amos said. Pierce nodded and did it.

Pierce was stunned as he felt himself connecting to Andie's energy. "Anchor her," Amos instructed. "Remind her who she is. I must put Daphne to sleep. It is the only way to protect her for now."

Even though he had no idea what he was doing, Pierce followed his instinct. He held onto Andie for dear life. Suddenly, he could see what she saw. A terrifying man was brutally murdering her, but her only thought was of protecting her son, the little boy on the other side of the room... Suddenly, she flashed forward through time. There were knights and a King and... Ivan? Pierce watched through Andie's eyes as she laughed and smiled and kissed Ivan, her heart filled with love... And then grief... So much grief...

"Don't get stuck, Little Fish. You aren't where you need to be yet," Amos called, seemingly from a great distance. Pierce held Andie tighter and they moved forward again, toward the sound of his voice. He was positive he was in Andie's mind now as he saw her mother, passed out and stoned. A ceiling began falling apart, and a very tiny Andie tried to shield her mother with her body... Then she was sitting with her mom, trying to stay awake and look after her... She blacked out from exhaustion and woke to find her mother dead from an overdose... Then she was older and with her father. He was angry... So angry... He screamed, and he hit her, and then he pulled out a knife and stabbed her more than once, until Andie hit him over the head with his own baseball bat and fled the house. She was dying... She had to get help, but she was so scared...

I'm here, Andie. You're not alone, Pierce thought. You made it. You survived, and you're safe, but you have to wake up... I'm with you. I'm not letting go.

Finally, Pierce felt Andie gasp and he opened his eyes. She was in tears, but she wasn't twitching anymore. She took several deep breaths before burying her face in Pierce's shoulder.

Pierce held her, knowing exactly what she was feeling. "It's okay," he said aloud gently. "You're safe. It's over, Andie. It's safe now."

Darcy watched him in surprise. When he finally released Andie, Darcy nodded at him before taking her sister into her arms.

Amos put a hand on his back. "You did well, Little Fish," he said affectionately.

"Was that real?" Pierce asked.

"Very. The angry sorceress unlocked her past life too quickly. A very dangerous entity latched on and drained much of her life force. The shock of the energy loss caused the seizure. I thought I had her, but when your Lady of Fire unlocked her own past self briefly, Andie connected entirely, and he was able to snatch her back. If I hadn't locked Daphne off, we would have lost her."

Andie was drinking water as Darcy came toward them. "She called me Serafine..." She said.

"Yes, Lady of Fire," Amos said.

"Darcy," Pierce told him.

"Darcy."

"Lido called me Bella... And Belladonna... Belladonna didn't feel right, and I straight-up hated when he called me Bella... But Serafine is different... I feel her inside of me," Darcy said.

"Belladonna was your given name. Zell himself nicknamed you Bella when he was your mentor... But the name you claimed in public was Serafine, a name of Fire. It gave you power, which is likely why Zell refused to use it... There is much you must remember, Darcy... But not today."

Pierce wondered how Amos knew all of that, but he decided not to ask.

"Is Andie going to be okay?" Scott asked as he and Greg got closer.

"For now, yes," Amos said. "If my Little Fish had not been here, it might have been too late for me to save her on my own, but Zell was not expecting two Shaman warriors."

"I'm not a Shaman," Pierce insisted, but having just literally touched Andie's soul, he wasn't so sure anymore.

"You are not trained, Little Fish, but today proved just how powerful a Shaman you already are." Amos looked remarkably proud, and it surprised Pierce to realize how good that felt. He'd been trying to get his father to look at him like that for years.

As Amos left, Darcy touched Pierce's arm. "Thank you," she said.

"No big deal," Pierce said.

"You were really sweet with her."

He shrugged. "She needed it."

"Pierce... You're not what I thought you were."

He frowned at her. "Yes I am."

"No... There's more to you."

"You're delusional. I'm an asshole. That's all." He looked back at Andie. She seemed much calmer now. "You okay?" He asked.

"I think so... I can't really remember what just happened, but I know you helped me, so... Thank you," Andie said.

"No problem. I'm heading home." He walked away before anyone else could accuse him of caring.

VIDA

She was walking with Chip when she sensed trouble. "Tia..." She said.

"Huh?" Chip asked.

"Tia, from Team Magic... Aisha's daughter? The one who had to kill her when she turned evil? I feel her... Something's wrong."

She followed her instinct until she could hear an unexpected voice... Nick's voice... "Bitch! I'll knock you up again, you slut!" He shouted.

Vida and Chip exchanged glances before rushing toward the voice of their team leader. Tia ran straight into Vida and let out a startled cry. Not much shook the seventeen-year-old up, but something had clearly terrified her. Vida understood Nick's words now... He'd attacked Tia before.

Something is wrong with his energy... Vida remembered. Udonna and Clare weren't sure what it was...

Vida protectively wrapped her own magic around Tia. "Run, Tia," she whispered. Tia looked at her gratefully before running off. Vida desperately tried to think of a logical explanation for what they'd just overheard. "Nick... What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know!" Nick said, trying to play innocent. "She just went psycho and attacked me! Wasn't her mom the one who turned evil? Maybe she's following in her footsteps."

"Cut the crap, Nick! Tia killed Aisha for turning evil! She didn't turn."

"Nick... We heard what you said to her," Chip said nervously.

"What? Guys, it was her spell! It made me lose it for a second," Nick insisted.

"She's just a kid, for shit's sake, Nick! How could you?" Vida demanded. She felt sick. This was her team leader... The son of their beloved mentor... The source of pure good from the day he was born... Not to mention, her sister's ex-boyfriend... Could he really be a monster? Then again, Tia had no reason to lie. Vida had been training with Tia in the sacred space Adam's daughter Sage had set up. That girl was as honest as they came, and she was pretty fearless... Yet she'd been terrified of Nick.

"Zell makes a good offer," Nick said, apparently realizing Vida wasn't buying his crap. "He was able to amplify my powers and take me to levels I never dreamed of, Vida... He made me unstoppable... And he promised my child with Tia would be even stronger."

"It's true?" Chip asked in horror. "Who are you?" The disgust was clear in his voice.

"The strongest magician here."

"We'll see about that!" Vida declared.

Nick laughed before shooting a spell at her. Vida dodged it and shot one back. This went on for several minutes until Nick suddenly declared, "I took your sister's virginity, too. It wasn't easy, but I talked her into it... She cried, you know... But she consented, so I didn't do anything wrong... Poor Madison actually thought I loved her!" He was laughing harder now.

"You bastard!" Vida screamed. She reached deep down for her strongest spell, and that gave Nick the opening he needed.

"Vida!" Chip screamed. He attacked Nick, making Nick's spell miss her. Chip, the only one in the room who wasn't using magic, struggled with Nick for a minute before Nick snapped Chip's neck right before Vida could reach them.

Vida reacted before she could think and blasted Nick with the strongest spell she knew. It killed him instantly, and he fell to the floor with his eyes still open, staring at her accusingly.

Vida covered her mouth in horror. What did I just do? She thought frantically. Their magic was not meant to be used to kill, and not only had she killed her teammate, but she'd killed her team leader... Udonna's son... Did this make her as evil as Nick?

Looking at Chip's body, Vida began to cry. "Oh, Chip... Why?" She whispered. He'd been an idiot to try to take on Nick by himself, but that idiot had saved her life... And lost his. She pulled him into her arms and wept over him.

It took Vida several minutes to pull herself together. Once she did, she used magic to transport both Chip and Nick to a new location. She might have killed Udonna's son, but she could at least make sure her old mentor got to say a proper goodbye to him.

Vida began walking aimlessly, tears streaming down her cheeks. It wasn't until she walked straight into Ivan that she even realized where she was.

"Lady Vida?" Ivan asked. "Why do you cry? What has happened?"

"I killed him..." Vida whispered.

"Who, Vida?" Ivan asked gently. "Who did you kill?"

"Nick... My team leader... I... I killed him."

"You would never do such a thing without reason. What was the cause?"

"He admitted he raped a kid... And then, he... He killed Chip..." She began sobbing harder. To her surprise, Ivan pulled her into his arms.

"I am so sorry for your loss, Lady Vida... Let this out. Weep now, and head back into battle stronger."

Vida was a hysterical mess at first, but she found strength as Ivan held her and spoke to her kindly. Soon, she was calmer. She took a deep breath. "I'm okay," she said.

"Then back to battle we go. Allow me to lead you to your next destination."

"I think I need the time alone. I'm focused, Ivan. I can do this."

"Very well. I shall see you at the end, Lady Vida." He bowed to her before walking away.

Vida forced herself to remain calm as she headed deeper into the battle.

IVAN

His heart broke for Vida, but Ivan had a job to do. He headed to meet up with some of his teammates. "Take this, Tyler," Shelby was saying as Ivan arrived. She handed him an impressive-looking weapon. "It's my baby, and I only trust you with it."

Tyler smiled at her. "It looks great," he said. He kissed Shelby before aiming the weapon to test out how it felt.

Suddenly, the weapon began to spark. An army of Venjix attack bots burst into the room. Ivan saw Koda and Chase standing close by and helped them defend the outer part of the room. While caught in the middle of that, Ivan saw James run toward his son.

"It's infected!" James shouted.

"What?" Tyler asked.

James had no time to explain. He grabbed Shelby's weapon from Tyler's hands just as it exploded. "Dad!" Tyler screamed.

"Tyler! Is everyone okay over there?" Chase shouted.

"Dad! Oh God... Oh, God, no... Please..." Tyler cried out.

"Ivan! Cover them!" Chase said.

Ivan made his way past several attack bots until he reached Tyler, Shelby, and James. Tyler stood up and began to fight again. Ivan realized James was dead when he saw his unblinking eyes staring blankly ahead.

"Sir Tyler... I am truly sorry," Ivan said.

"There's no time for that right now," Tyler said numbly.

"Oh God... What did I do?" Shelby whispered in horror. She stared at James in shock, not moving or trying to defend herself as the attack bots swarmed around her.

"Carry my dad," Tyler said to Ivan. "Get him out."

Ivan nodded. "You have my word," he replied.

Tyler rushed to Shelby's side. He fought off the attack bots who tried to kill her. Shelby continued staring into space in shock. Tyler scooped her up and carried her out. Ivan carried James, following Tyler's lead. Koda and Chase were right behind them. Only when they reached safety did everyone stop. Tyler put Shelby down and refused to look at her.

"Tyler..." Chase began. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Man."

"He die very brave. With honor," Koda said somberly.

"Indeed. A hero to the end," Ivan agreed.

"Tyler..." Shelby sobbed. "I'm so sorry... I... I didn't know..."

"Not now," Tyler said softly.

"Please, Tyler, listen to me! I didn't know it was infected with Venjix-"

"You should have!" Tyler snapped. Shelby looked like he'd slapped her. Gentler, he added, "They warned you, Shelby. Kendall warned you it was flawed. Justin and Billy were concerned. Doctor K herself said it might be vulnerable... But you didn't listen. You didn't double check it... And now, my father is dead. I just got him back, and he's gone... Forever this time... So I'm sorry... But I can't do this right now." He looked at Koda. "Keep her safe."

Koda nodded. He forced Shelby to walk away. "She doesn't deserve protection," Chase said. "Or kindness. She killed your father, Mate..."

"I know... But we're Power Rangers. We protect people... Even people we don't like," Tyler said. He sighed. "Ivan, get my dad somewhere safe, and then meet up with us. We still have a mission to complete."

"Of course," Ivan said. He walked down the corridors carrying his fallen friend. He'd lost friends in battle before, but this was different. James and Tyler had surely deserved better than this. As he gently placed James in one of the designated safe areas, Ivan bowed respectfully. "You fought with great honor, Sir James. Your son is safe thanks to your sacrifice... You shall be missed, my friend." With that, Ivan left to head to find the rest of his team.

VIDA

Some time had passed and the battle was over. Tommy was safe and had once again become a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, this time a previously unseen Gold one. The casualty list was unbearably long, but now the survivors stood together trying to cope with a final horror. Before Billy and Josh had finally killed her, the evil demigoddess Merkhet had impaled Kira. Her boyfriend Dustin was hysterical. Almost everyone was watching in horror. Kira had brought them all together, but in a final heroic move, she'd jumped in front of Tommy and taken the attack meant for him.

"I'm okay," Kira kept repeating. She was obviously in shock.

"Kira... Please..." Dustin whispered in horror. "Please don't die..."

"You don't get to leave me, Kira," Tommy said. "I am not losing another daughter today. I refuse to lose you, too." Tommy's daughter Katie had shocked everyone by turning evil. She'd killed a member of the Samurai team and their mentor, and she'd nearly killed Kimberly's son before her cousin, Thorn, had been forced to kill her. Thorn looked broken now. Vida knew how he felt.

"You won't," a voice said.

Hope filled Vida as she saw the Mystic Mother standing before them. "Mom?" Zedd and Rita's daughter Angie asked. In that realm, the Mystic Mother was known as Rita Repulsa. She'd been killed while still evil after sacrificing herself to save her daughter.

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me," the Mystic Mother replied.

"How?" Angie asked between sobs as she hugged her mother.

"Casey saved me," the Mystic Mother replied. Casey was Tommy's deceased sister, Adam's wife, and Thorn and Sage's mother. "She helped me heal from everything I've done... She let me meet my mother... And now, I'm here... Exactly where I should be."

"Mystic Mother?" Xander asked in confusion.

"In your realm, yes. That is my name." She smiled.

What was left of Vida's team bowed respectfully. Vida ran to her. "Mystic Mother... I need your help! I need you to undo something I did. Please..." She begged.

"Vida..." She said sadly. "I wish that I could... I am the source of all good magic, but Nick turned evil. I cannot help him."

"But I killed Udonna's son!" Vida sobbed.

"Udonna will understand. He turned his back on all his parents stood for. I can, however, ease your pain in another way..."

Suddenly, Chip walked into the room. Vida nearly fainted. Instead, she asked, "What the fuck? Chip?!" It had to be a cruel trick... She'd watched him die... She'd held his dead body and cried over him...

"It's me," he promised.

His goofy, awkward grin convinced her. Vida flung her arms around him. "Don't you ever die on me again, you idiot! I love you, you freaking moron!"

"You brought him back?" Madison asked.

"I did, sweetheart," the Mystic Mother replied. "Chip never should have died to begin with. Just as Kira shouldn't. Also, I find her amusing, and I'd like for her to stick around... So let me help her." She knelt beside Kira and began healing her. When she pulled the spear out, Kira was fine.

"Thank God..." Tommy whispered.

When Tommy released Kira, Dustin pulled her into his arms. "I love you," he said. "I love you so freaking much and thank you for not dying because it's been a really fucked-up day but that would be too much..."

Vida was crying hard as she whispered against Chip's ear, "I love you..."

"I love you, too, V," he replied.

"No, Chip... I love you... I fucking love you and you died and everything in me broke... You can't leave me... Ever... I'm in love with you, you dumbass, and I need you to not die. Okay?"

Chip stared at her in surprise. "Well? Say something, asshole!" Vida demanded.

"Okay," he said.

"Okay?!"

"Okay, I will do my very best not to die again... And I love you, too, Vida. I've been in love with you for years."

"Kiss me, you jerk..."

Chip leaned in close and kissed her. It healed a small part of what had broken in her... But she couldn't stop thinking about what she'd done. She didn't know what that meant for her, but for now, she was just beyond grateful that the Mystic Mother had brought Chip back. She'd been given a second chance, and she refused to waste it.

FELINA

She shuddered as she returned from her vision. "Is it over?" Raffitty asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Did he survive?"

"Zell survived, but he is very weak. His energy was stolen from him, even after he killed his son and took back what the boy took long ago."

"Zordon is dead?" Raffitty asked in surprise.

"No. Zordon was dead. Two Mystics brought him back... But he is fifteen and hardly has any power."

"Excellent news."

"Indeed. Zell will need time, but he will grow strong once more, Raff. We should help him-"

"No."

"Raffitty, he is a powerful ally-"

"And a dangerous one. We will not go to Zell unless and until we are ready."

Felina was furious, but she remained quiet. Zell had been her mentor. He'd given her everything, and she was eager for their reunion, but for now, she must be patient. All things would come in due time.

DARCY

The flashes haunted her nightmares. She hadn't remembered being Serafine... But for just a few minutes, she had become her. Now, Darcy was seeing images that she couldn't quite put together.

She was a young girl in a village. She had magic, especially fire magic, and she was strong. As a teenager, her power grew to previously unseen levels. She moved to a busier city but visited the village often to see her little sister, Daphne, who was still quite young... Ash, who was only a year younger than Serafine, had followed her as he always did. They were inseparable, practically like twins.

The sudden sense of danger consumed her. Darcy awoke screaming as she felt like someone was about to attack her.

"Darcy? Darcy, what's wrong?" Andie asked, running into the room. Darcy's parents were right behind her.

"I'm okay," Darcy said. "It was just a bad dream."

Her parents insisted on comforting her for a bit before they left. Darcy motioned for Andie to join her on her bed. "Be my teddy bear tonight?" Darcy asked. Andie didn't like strangers touching her, but she had no issue with snuggling up with Darcy, and right now, all Darcy wanted was to hold her sister. She couldn't tell if the urge came from herself or from Serafine.

As Andie curled up beside her, Darcy closed her eyes. You have to find Ash, she told herself. Somehow, she knew the three of them were stronger together, and she had a feeling they'd need that strength very soon