What Happens Doesn't Always Stay

Human

Taylor watched as her boyfriend walked away with her daughter. Their daughter?

Could the man she'd been having nightmares about for years also be the only man she could imagine a future with?

When Eric and Michael were gone, Taylor left her friends behind. She just needed somewhere to think.

Preferably alone.

She wasn't sure where she was headed; she just kept going wherever her feet took her until she ended up on the cliff.

She trusted Eric. Trust wasn't something she gave out freely; people had to earn it. He had. He was genuine with her. Could this revelation change how she saw him?

Would he have treated her differently if he hadn't thought Michael was his?

A glow beside Taylor startled her out of her thoughts. "Kite? I mean, Animus?"

"You have a daughter," he stated.

"I do."

"Why did you leave her?"

"I didn't want to," she answered honestly.

"But you still did."

"I left everything behind. My job. My friends. My dad. Michael. She's my world. I left her so that I could keep her safe. I'd do absolutely anything for her. She means everything to me."

"Would you give up being a ranger to go back to her?"

The question presented by the ancient being in the form of a young child took Taylor by surprise to say the least.

"No," she stated after a moment. "It's just like being in the Armed Forces," she explained. "She's my reason for fighting. Alyssa has her dad. Merrick has Princess Shayla. Cole does it because he thinks it's his destiny. I do it to keep my baby girl safe. I don't want her to grow up in a world overtaken by disaster. My reason for fighting the Orgs is the same reason I had for joining the Air Force. It's the same reason my brother fought in the Army, and my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents before us. We fight in order to keep the ones we love safe. I fight so that Michael doesn't have to live in a world full of wars like I had to. I fight to protect her. And if that means that I can't see her, so be it. I'd rather her be safe without me than in a world of destruction with me."

Kite nodded before asking, "why did you act mean to me, then?"

Taylor closed her eyes. "Every time I looked at you, I saw her. I wasn't trying to be mean. I promise."

"You told me that a kid shouldn't protect the Earth."

"What I meant was that a kid shouldn't have to. A kid shouldn't have to fix their parents' mistakes. All the trash and pollution. That's not something a kid should have to think about. I know you like me the least out of all of us. I know you think that the Eaglezord and the Bear Brothers should've chosen a different person. But I care more about the wellbeing of my daughter and the people of Earth than I do about the planet itself. I'm sorry. Danny cares about the plants. Cole cares about the animals. Alyssa, Max, and I care about the people. Humans, despite our flaws, make up the planet, too. Yes, sometimes we lie, cheat, steal, kill, destroy the planet, but that doesn't mean that we aren't worth the effort of saving. You say we're horrible for killing animals, but in some places, like where my mom grew up, if the deer population gets too high, they pose a threat to the ecosystem and people alike. Humans are made to be omnivores. Look at our teeth, and you'll see. So don't antagonize us for eating meat. Wolves, eagles, lions, tigers, they're all carnivores. They all kill in order to eat. How are we really any different?

"Humans make up the population of Earth, Animus. Maybe most of us have become misguided, but most of us also care about each other. Martin Luther, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesus Christ, Peter, Paul, John the Baptist ate locusts and wild honey, for charging out loud! So many people care less about the planet itself and more about the humans who inhabit it." Taylor stared the boy in the eye. "Why does it make us bad if our priorities are different from yours?"

Animus simply stared at her. "I don't hate you, Taylor." He finally spoke. "I respect you. Your predecessor cared more about humans than the planet, as well. While I don't understand, I can respect your beliefs."

With that, Taylor was once again left alone on the cliff.

A/N
I'm sorry I've been MIA for a while, but work's left me without much downtime. Anyway, I've always seen Taylor as a caring person, even if she doesn't show it. When I was watching "Monitoring Earth" a few months ago, I realized that Taylor had a line where she tells Kite "be quiet. A kid shouldn't talk like that." To me, it sounds like she meant that a kid shouldn't have to talk like that. She cares more about protecting him than she ever did protecting nature.