The ship Rec Room was startlingly silent for having all 6 Rangers within it, sitting on the couches placed in the room. They had left the clearing quickly after Coulson arrived, barely giving an answer to his request to speak with them. Daisy hadn’t said a word since they got back to the ship, hadn’t made a joke or traded snarky jabs with Trini. She and Jemma were the only ones who hadn’t had to go make excuses to their families so they could have a real Ranger meeting. Part of Daisy regretted that the attack had interrupted date night for the whole team but she couldn’t bring herself to focus on just that, not after that encounter with Coulson.
Daisy wasn’t a stranger to disappointment or feeling like the rug had been pulled out from underneath her, she did grow up in the foster system after all, but she had thought-hoped- that that part of her life was behind her. She was just settling in to her new normal, not just being a Power Ranger, but having a family. Having parents who actually cared about her, who asked about her day at school and made sure she had enough to eat and celebrated when she finally earned her black belt.
A family that suddenly felt like a lie.
“Hey,” Jemma’s voice was soft in Daisy’s ear, same for the hand on her shoulder. Daisy turned her head towards her girlfriend. “Are you sure you’re up for this? It can wait.”
“No,” Daisy shook her head, looking at the destroyed power coin laying on the table, “we need to figure this out. I can deal with my...family stuff later.”
“You don’t have to make light of this Daisy,” Jemma told her softly, reaching for Daisy’s hand and squeezing her fingers. “Not with the others and especially not with me.”
“I know Jem,” Daisy threaded their fingers together. “Just - I can’t right now.”
“Okay,” Jemma leaned forward to press a kiss to Daisy’s cheek. Daisy let her lips pull into a small smile as she and Jemma stood up together.
Juliana looked up from where she was examining the small cut along Valentina’s hairline, courtesy of the battle they had just fought. Juliana caught Daisy’s eye and raised one eyebrow in question. Daisy nodded once, glancing to where Jemma stood to her right. Juliana offered her an understanding smile as she returned the nod.
“Alright,” Juliana said, brushing Valentina’s hair behind her ear before turning to the group. “Let’s go see what Zordon has to say about this.” Juliana picked up the broken green power coin with one hand and led the group of tired Rangers from the Rec Room, down the hall and into the Command Center. Alpha-5 and Zordon were both already present in the room, waiting for the Rangers.
“You were successful,” Zordon noted as the Rangers took what was becoming their customary seats on the stairs. “Our scans no longer pick up any Puttie activity.”
“Yeah, they’re all dusted now,” Trini said. “But what about Rita?”
“With the loss and destruction of the Green Power Coin,” Zordon began solemnly, like he mourned for the lost power, “Rita will be substantially weakened but not completely powerless. It is likely she will return at some point.”
“For the crystal?” Kim asked, feeling something in the back of her mind that had her reaching for Trini and settling a hand on the small of her back. She thought it was her Ranger sense, but none of the others seemed to have felt it. Trini’s tensed muscles relaxed slightly.
“Yes, but also for the Coin,” Zordon’s face moved along the wall until he was near the port around the Morphing Grid. “Rita has been cut off from an almost limitless source of power and will stop at nothing to gain that connection back.”
The energy from the grid was moving, an image of Rita Repulsa as she had been before their battle, covered in green armor and her skin dotted with flecks of gold.
“Rita had access to this power for many years before my time as Ranger, her mastery is unparalleled,” the grid continued to change as Zordon spoke, images of Rita as a mighty warrior appearing and disappearing in a display that might have been beautiful once but now only served to amplify Rita’s terrifying power. “The power of being Ranger combined with Rita’s innate magical abilities drove her mad and made her more dangerous.”
“And the only thing more dangerous than someone who has power,” Juliana spoke lowly, “Is someone who has lost power and will do anything to get it back.”
“Yes, exactly,” Zordon seemed sad as he continued and the Rangers wondered, not for the first time, what exactly happened between Zordon and Rita all those years ago. “Rita will bide her time for now to gather her strength, but it is only a matter of time before she comes back.”
“Great,” Trini muttered under her breath, touching the faint scars on her neck from Rita’s claws. Kim’s hand moved along her back, wrapping around Trini’s hip and pulling her close. Trini let her head fall onto Kim’s shoulder.
“So, what do we do in the meantime?” Daisy asked. “I mean, I know we’ll keep training and watching over Angel Grove and all that but…”
“But Shield could be a problem,” Juliana took over where Daisy had trailed off, nodding her head just the slightest bit to acknowledge the grateful look Jemma sent her way. “If they’ve been monitoring Angel Grove for a while like Agent Coulson said, they could already know more about us than we want them to.”
“Human government organizations have really no control over the Power Rangers,” Alpha said happily. “Even if they know you exist, they have no connection to the Morphing Grid and no way of matching the power you six have.”
“That doesn’t mean they aren’t a threat,” Kimberly said to the helpful robot. “If they figure out who we are when we’re not morphed, they could do any number of things to make us do what they want.”
There was a heavy pause where Daisy wanted to say that they wouldn’t do that, that her father wouldn’t do that but the words won’t come out. She didn’t think that Phil had ever lied to her before, but now everything was different. There was too much up in the air, too much that Daisy thought she knew but wasn’t sure about now. Jemma’s hand slipped into Daisy’s own and squeezed gently. It didn’t make everything better, but it was enough to remind Daisy that even if she had no idea who her parents really were, she wasn’t alone anymore. Jemma wouldn’t abandon her, neither would any of the other girls.
It didn’t make everything better, but it helped.
“You must continue to be cautious,” Zordon was saying as Daisy focused back on the conversation. “Do not morph where you are visible, continue to keep your identities a secret, and stay vigilant. The Power Rangers must always be ready.”
Zordon, without bothering to specify what the Rangers should be ready for, melted back into the wall.
“I love it when he tells us exactly what we need, without all that cryptic nonsense,” Trini said sarcastically, lifting her head from Kim’s shoulder and standing up.
“Maybe we can train him,” Daisy suggested, “like a dog. If he tells us the truth, we give him a treat.”
“What treat? A day where we don’t bother him?”
“Nah, he’d enjoy that too much.”
The six Rangers laughed as they walked out of the Command Center together and none of the others commented when Daisy’s laugh came out a little more forced than normal.
“Bonfire?” Trini asks after moving to Daisy’s side, her voice dropping to a low level that the other Rangers could probably still hear, given their advanced senses, but they had the good sense to stay quiet.
“Yeah,” Daisy said back just as softly. “Don’t really feel like going home yet.”
Trini nodded, turning back to the group. “Everyone down?”
“Who needs sleep anyway?” Kim joked, nodding her head at Trini. Trini offered her a smile in return.
“We’ll meet at the usual spot,” Valentina said, holding her hand out to Juliana and linking their fingers together.
“I’ll get the fire started,” Daisy sent a small smile in Jemma’s direction, nodded at the others, and teleported out in a shimmer of pixelated light.
“She’s not at all okay, is she?” Kim asked, moving to stand next to Trini again. Trini shook her head slightly, leaning in to Kim when the other girl wrapped an arm around her.
“She will be,” Jemma told them without moving her gaze from where Daisy had been standing. “Give us twenty minutes, please.”
“Sure thing, Jem,” Juliana agreed for all of them. Jemma disappeared in her own beam of light a moment later. They stood in silence for a moment before Juliana took Valentina’s hand in her own. “C’mon, let’s check that head injury.”
Juliana pulled Valentina in the direction of the Med Bay by the hand, leaving Trini and Kim in the hall outside the Command Center.
“What do we do now?” Trini asked softly, leaning further into Kimberly now that they were alone. Trini wasn’t as comfortable with PDA yet, they hadn’t even told the others that they were officially together.
“Wait, and be there when Daisy lets us,” Kim slips her arm fully around Trini’s waist to hold the smaller girl close, not completely able to ignore the thrill she feels at being allowed to do so. There would be time to marvel at their new relationship status later, lots of time really, but for now they had a friend who deserved all the help they could give.
~
Daisy hated the part of herself that was surprised when Jemma showed up at their bonfire spot mere moments after Daisy herself. Daisy hated the part of herself that still believed no one truly wanted to be around her, a part of herself that had been slowly healing as was now back full force.
Jemma didn’t say anything as she moved to stand next to where Daisy was kneeling, moving some dry twigs around before she began nursing the fire to life. Daisy’s movements halted as she felt Jemma approaching, her shoulders tensing in a way that broke Jemma’s heart. She didn’t need to look at Daisy’s expression to know that it would be one of heartbreak but grudging acceptance, any fear hidden behind a clenched jaw and hard eyes. It made Jemma realize just how young they all were. All of them, just children with the weight of the world on their shoulders, but none of them as alone as Daisy felt in that moment.
Try as she might, Jemma knew she could never truly understand what Daisy was going through. She knew her parents loved her from the moment her mum found out she was pregnant. She’d never been given reason to doubt that she was anything but loved and wanted. She’d never been abandoned the way Daisy had been.
“I know I can never understand what you’re going through,” Jemma said softly, lifting one hand to rest it on Daisy’s shoulder, stroking her thumb back and forth until the muscles began to relax. “But I am here. If you want to talk or sit in silence or cry or anything else you need. I’m here…”
Jemma trailed off suddenly the words ‘and I’m never going anywhere’ dying on her tongue because she didn’t think Daisy would appreciate a comment like that. No matter how true it was, coming from Jemma, there was no telling how many times Daisy had been told those exact words only for whoever said them to break that promise later. Jemma wouldn’t be that person, even accidentally.
“I thought I finally found them, a family, parents who really cared,” Daisy said, her voice thick with emotion but she refused to cry. “I just don’t know anymore.”
Jemma wanted to say something about it being okay to not know, but again didn’t think Daisy would be receptive of that. Instead, Jemma knelt down so she and Daisy were on equal footing, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend loosely until Daisy began to lean into her.
“How can I help?” Jemma asked softly, pressing a kiss against Daisy's hairline. Daisy closed her eyes, turning her head to bury her nose against Jemma’s neck and inhaling slowly.
“Just like this,” Daisy said without opening her eyes, leaning her weight on Jemma. Jemma readjusted and then they were sitting in the dirt, completely wrapped around one another, the twigs and dried leaves still unlit beside them. Jemma smoothed her hands over Daisy’s back, humming softly under her breath.
By the time the other’s arrived, Jemma was sure that Daisy had fallen asleep against her chest but the other girl had sat up as the Rangers emerged from the treeline.
“Anyone have a lighter?” Daisy asked, her tone nowhere near as cheery as usual, but not as downtrodden as before. Kimberly fished a lighter out of her pocket and tossed it over. Teasing questions arose over why Kim was carrying a lighter, Daisy was adamant that if she had something she should be sharing, before the Rangers settled down around the growing fire. They split into couples, as was becoming somewhat customary, but if they all sat a little closer together than normal, Daisy wasn’t going to complain.
It was different, she decided, with her friends. She couldn’t deny that there was a small part of herself that was still afraid she would be abandoned again but not by her friends. Not by Jemma. The more time they spent together outside of Ranger duties, the more Daisy was sure of that.
She couldn’t reconcile the lie her adoptive parents had been telling her, but at least she knew she didn’t have to face it all alone.
“So…” Daisy broke the easy silence around them. “Halloween is coming up. What’re your bets that we’re going to have discount Rangers walking around?”