What Happens Doesn't Always Stay

Realization

Eric's mind was reeling. Taylor had a daughter. A daughter she didn't tell him about. That daughter was the little girl he'd met a couple days ago. The girl that looked like him.

Looking back, everything made sense. When he first pulled her over, Taylor had looked so familiar, but he couldn't figure out why. Then, during the picnic, while she was chasing him to try to get her book back, they'd ended rolling down a hill and she'd landed on top of him. It had felt like déjà vu. Even when they kissed, every time had felt so familiar. Like they'd been reunited after years apart.

A memory suddenly surfaced.

There was a girl with curled blonde hair that nearly reached her hips. She was sitting at the bar alone. No. There was a man with her. She was trying to get him to leave, but he kept trying to get her to go with him.

"She said to leave her alone," he walked up behind the man.

"Are you her keeper?" the man asked in a thick French accent.

"I don't stand for harassment."

The drunk man tried to punch him, but, even in his drunken state, Eric was stronger and faster. The man was down within thirty seconds.

The girl turned to him. "Thank you."

One thing was clear. He could tell by the mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes and small, genuine smile. The girl was Taylor Earhardt.

"Paris," he whispered.

"What?" Taylor asked.

Eric looked up and grabbed her wrist. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay?" She whispered something to Michael and the girl nodded before running back to the picnic table and sitting down.

The Quantum ranger practically dragged his girlfriend out of the temple, and she led him to a secluded spot in the forest of the floating island before turning to him and crossing her arms.

"What's gotten into you?"

"How old is she?"

"Michael? She turned seven in April."

Eric started pacing. "Which means she was born in '95, so she was conceived in about July of '94."

"What are you talking about?" Taylor asked. "Eric? You're acting like a madman!"

He stood still and looked at her. "Paris."

"Paris?" She was clearly confused.

"You were in Paris in July of 1994," he walked up to her until he was standing directly in front of her.

"How did you?" she trailed off.

"Because I was there, too."

"No," she shook her head. "You can't possibly be saying."

"She looks just like me, Taylor!" he interrupted, grabbing her arms.

The yellow ranger pulled away from him. Looking panicked, she sat down on a rock. "No," she whispered, covering her face with her hands.

Eric sighed and squatted down in front of her.

"That's not possible," she said.

"Do you know who her father is?"

There was a pause. "No," she sighed.

"Where did you wake up July 15th, 1994?"

Taylor finally looked at him, teary eyed. "In a motel with a man I didn't know," she admitted quietly.