Legacy Rangers (Book Two of the Chosen Universe)

Chapter Thirty: Epilogue

TOMMY

His huge house had never felt as empty as it did that night. He couldn't even imagine how empty it would feel once Billy and Kimberly moved into their new house and took Josh and Kenny with them.

He couldn't look at Katie's bedroom as he walked toward his own. She's gone, he thought. He wondered how long she'd been gone... Because the girl who Thorn had killed to save Kenny's life... The girl who'd tried to kill Jayden... The girl who had killed Mike and Mentor Ji... That was not his daughter. How long had evil been lurking inside of her? How had he not seen it? What had happened to his little punk?

He couldn't give up. Tommy didn't have that in him. Besides, everyone had just risked everything to save him. So many Rangers had lost their lives, and for what? Tommy was determined to make all of this mean something. He would fight. He would always fight... And maybe, just maybe, he would bring enough good into the world to balance out the evil that had infiltrated every aspect of his life.

Tommy climbed into his bed. He was startled when something let out a "Mmmmph" of protest. Tommy rolled over and grabbed the protester.

"Saba?" He asked in surprise.

"I had hoped you would return," Saba said.

Tommy was suddenly completely overwhelmed with grief. "She's dead, Saba... Katie is dead." Somehow, telling Saba made it infinitely more real to him.

"I had to leave her, Tommy," Saba said. "She meant to use me to kill a Ranger. I could not allow it. Whoever she had become, she was not the White Ranger anymore. I left, and I came straight here." Saba paused. "Did the Ranger boy survive?"

Tommy shook his head. "We lost Mike," he said. "But you did the right thing, Saba."

"I know that... Yet still, I grieve for her."

"So do I."

"As much as her constant theft of me was annoying, it was nice to have someone hold me as close as she did... The love and friendship of that child was not unappreciated."

Tommy curled up and held Saba close to him, the way Katie used to as a little girl. "I could use someone to snuggle, too," Tommy admitted.

"Sleep, Tommy. You need to rest now."

Tommy was fairly certain that was impossible, but he tried anyway. Having Saba back helped. He had been Tommy's companion in battle for years, and he might be the only one who understood how Katie had worked as well as Tommy did.

THE NEXT MORNING.

JASON

He'd brought Tammy home with him rather than send her back to the last place she'd stayed with her father. Jason had done all of the things he needed to. He'd called Elena Taylor and told her the truth about what had happened to her husband. Zack had told her everything because Tammy had to stay in Angel Grove and he'd stayed with her, but that didn't make hearing her husband was dead any easier. Elena had gone hysterical for several minutes before she finally became coherent again. Jason offered to explain it to John and Tate, having experience dealing with grieving children since Becky"s death, but she wanted to tell them herself.

After Elena promised she and the boys would be there the following day, Jason had put the kids to bed. Luke had refused, insisting he needed to clean up the mess in the house. Thanks to his nervous cleaning habit, the house was already spotless, but Zack had been Luke's Godfather. He was taking the news hard. Robby tried reassuring Jason that Zack was swimming with Becky and his pet fish now. Vinny had remained silent. Ollie stayed close to Tammy. Jason assumed she'd ask to crash with Ollie, but instead, she'd refused to go to bed. Finally, Jason had brought her up to his room and held her until she cried herself to sleep. He held back his own tears until after she'd fallen asleep, but he'd completely soaked his pillow with them throughout the night.