“There are a lot of things that have gone unsaid between us, Wes.” Jen stared into her coffee as she slowly stirred it with a spoon. Minutes ago she had confessed her secret to Wes; a secret of which Jen almost started to believe herself after a few years, but now the truth came out. “I never meant to keep it from you, but as things became more complicated, I decided it was safer.”

Wes looked at her at first in awe, then in disbelief. “Complicated? What was so complicated about telling me I had a son for the past ten years of my life? What was so hard about sending me a message or something?”

Jen bit her lip. Wes was angry, it was obvious. Hell she didn’t blame him; she would be too if she just found out she had a son after ten years. “Like I said, it’s a lot more complicated than it sounds, and if you let me, I’ll explain.” He sat back and continued to watch her, sipping his coffee slowly.

“In my time, things aren’t as wonderful and perfect as we make it out to be. Sure, things may work more efficiently and it’s cleaner but when you push past all the neatness and perfection, it’s just like it was a thousand years ago. The city still has thieves, robbers, rapists, corrupt politicians, it’s all still there. In the middle of that is Time Force, the ones who bring ‘peace and justice’ to the city. But even there is a dark side to the organization.”

Wes smirked. “Dark side? Don’t tell me you guys have a special ‘force’ to go along with that.”

She ignored his comment and spoke again. “Time Force is a military unit, with me and Logan in command. I get notes all the time from female officers, requesting a leave of absence for a few months. Girls and guys go out for a hot night and find out later they’re pregnant, or they think they are. I grant them the absence because I know how difficult it is to keep something like that a secret. It’s not an issue, the time off, because we have a lot of personnel to cover it.”

Again, Wes spoke up. “So how does this deal with you, Alex, Dave and me?”

Jen stirred her coffee again. “Do you know hard it is to keep rumors that big from spreading? It’s like a plague, Wes, and the second I found out I was pregnant it spread like wildfire. Without having a steady story behind it I would have been investigated for having a relationship with a younger officer and I could have lost my job. But, like always, Alex helped me through it. We figured that because majority of Time Force knew of our past relationship, saying that we had started something up again helped cover our asses until we could sort it out.”

She bit her lip and shook her head in disgust with herself. “We thought maybe terminating the pregnancy, but the second I saw the image of what a small, beautiful creature Dave was, I couldn’t go through with it. So after deciding I couldn’t give him up, we thought of a back story, because if Time Force has discovered my relationship with you, and what really happened, they would have made me terminate the pregnancy.”

Wes’s face dropped in amazement. “Wait, so if Time Force had found out that Dave was my son they would have forced you to have an abortion?” Jen nodded slowly and sighed. “But- they couldn’t do that. It’s practically murder.”

She continued. “In regards to having Dave and lying about it, I had no choice. It was either that or lie or lose my job and my baby. So now, I couldn’t contact you. Wes, I wanted to, so much,” she swallowed hard. “But doing so would have put all of us in danger.” She paused as the spoon clanged against the side of the cup. “Every day I worried that somehow Time Force would find out, during my annually physicals, during the monthly blood tests . . . I panicked each time that something would give away that Alex wasn’t Dave’s father, and he would be taken from me.” Jen fell silent as she continued to stir her coffee, and became lost in the dark brown swirls the spoon created.

Wes sized her up curiously. She had changed so much in ten years, yet she remained the same. Strong spirit, strong heart, yet something about her had changed. She seemed older, more mature, and strangely, lost. For such a strong and outgoing woman she truly had been through a lot. Lying for the past ten years to her son, to Wes, to her agency, and mostly, to herself. She worked so hard up to now to protect her son.

Wes placed his cup down and walked over to where she sat on the bar stool, her shoulders hung low. He placed a single finger under her chin and rose her face to meet his and he looked into her dimmed hazel eyes.

“No matter what the future holds, Jen, know that I will always be there for you— for you and Dave. I promise.”

She placed her hand over his and nodded. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes and letting go of the tension she held. She felt his lips press against the top of her head as he began to rock back and forth gently. He gently lifted her, cradled her in his arms and brought her upstairs. Once in his room he placed her on his bed and drew the shades, darkening the room. Crawling into bed besides her he slid the covers over her body as Jen silently fell asleep.

Jen opened her eyes and was able to make out Wes’s shadow from beside her. She reached across her body and drew Wes closer to her, wrapping his arm around her stomach and snuggling closer towards him. Seconds later she fell into a deep sleep.

For a while Wes lay there and listened to her breathing and felt her stomach rise and fall with each breath she took. She rolled over onto her back and subconsciously wrapped her fingers in between Wes’s. The worry and doubt from hours ago had disappeared and left Jen to a peaceful slumber, free of fear. The moonlight that snuck out from behind the curtains danced across her cheeks and eyelashes, illuminating her face slightly.

Content, Wes closed his eyes and smiled to himself, whispering the words of sweet love and wishes for a restful night’s sleep into the air.

--

“I was like you when I was younger. I had no idea who my parents were, no idea who I was.”

“But you lived in a jungle . . . with monkeys and other jungle . . . creatures.”

Cole Evans grinned at the younger Ranger besides him. “Okay, you’ve got me there, but no matter where we grew up, like I said, we’re similar. Except you found out you actually have parents.”

Nick returned his grin. “Udonna and Leinbow, what a pair. They fight sometimes like cats and dogs; I find it funny, actually. To be honest, when I first became a Ranger one of my main goals was to find my birthparents, if they were alive. Little did I know I was a magical prince who could do no wrong.”

“We’re all like that at a younger age, aren’t we?”

Nick smiled at Cole. Out of all the Rangers he was now teamed up with, he found he liked Cole the best. For some reason, they just clicked. He realized it as he got to know the Wild Force Red Ranger more— about how he had a rather wild upbringing, and about how Cole too, did not know who his parents were. He was so laid back and relaxed that nothing could stir him from a good mood. Nick sometimes wished he could be like that.

“So talk to me, Nick,” Cole pushed his hands into his pockets. “What’s bothering you?”

Nick shrugged and began to kick a rock down the path through the woods they chose. It was early in the morning, just as the sun was visible through the tree tops. The waking crickets and birds gave a luscious yawn and broke into song as the rock he kicked flew off the path and landed in the brush. The moisture in the air hung gently as it began to accumulate on their jeans and jackets. A shiver ran down Nick’s spine as he looked to Cole again.

“It’s about Madison. I don’t mean the normal worried if she’ll make it through okay. I know Madison by now to know that she’ll make it through. Don’t get me wrong, I’m worried, but a part of me just . . . knows that she’ll be okay. It goes deeper than that. I mean . . . real deep.”

Cole at first was confused, but when the red blush began to emit from beneath his sugar brown skin, Cole knew it was something else. He playfully nudged Nick as he smiled slightly. “You’ve got the hots for her don’t you?”

“Well, it goes a little deeper than that. Before I left Briarwood three years ago, I told her that we had something, and she agreed. I told her that I’d be back in a few weeks. But other things arose and they kept me away for three years. I’m just afraid that it’s too late, for us.”

“Nick, my friend, I felt the same way when I left Alyssa to join the Peace Core. I was gone for years, but I still kept in touch with her.” Cole placed his hand reassuringly on Nick’s shoulder. “Just give her time, and tell her how you really feel. There is no emotion stronger than pure love.”

He grinned at Cole and nodded in thanks. “I’ll keep that in mind, Cole, thanks.” Cole smiled back as they continued to walk along the forest path.

--

Dave sat in the crevice between the couch cushions and the indent Jen’s body made in them. Her arm was draped across his shoulders as he listened with amazement and stared at Wes’s face. Wes had his eyes, his crazy strands of hair, the small Wes’s cheeks made in his face. It made the boy’s mind wonder as he thought of how Wes had looked so much like him. Now he knew.

For years Alex helped raise him, but he never really acted like a father. He never took Dave to watch a football game or play catch in the yard; he never took Jen out for a romantic evening out on the town, when they didn’t come back till later that night. Dave had wished for a dad that could do all that, but never got his wish. Was that about to change?

“I should have told you a long time ago, sweetie,” Jen said as she parted his hair. “I’m sorry.”

Dave glanced at Wes’s face, as his ears listened while his eyes followed Jen’s every move, from the blink of an eye to the hand she ran through his hair. “Could I talk to Wes, Mom?”

Jen grinned and looked to Wes. “Not a problem. If you two need me, I’ll be at the computer.”

“That’s not a surprise,” Wes muttered. Once she was gone Wes scooted closer to the boy. “So what’s on your mind, kiddo?”

Dave shrugged. “I want the best for my mom, and if you really are my dad, I want to make sure she gets it.”

Wes smiled in admiration. “You know for a kid whose ten, you act a lot older.”

“I get that a lot, thanks.” Dave paused. “She does a lot for me, and for the city. I mean, what kind of mother is single, fights crime and risks her life on a daily basis, and still has time to cook dinner and help me with my math homework? My mom’s been hurt by a lot of guys and I don’t want to see that happen again.”

Wes nodded in agreement. “I couldn’t agree more, Dave.”

“I want to know that you won’t hurt her, Wes. I want to know that you won’t ever leave her, and there’s a way you can prove that.” He didn’t skip a beat.

The Red Ranger cocked his head. “What would that be?”

A smile crept across Dave’s face. “When I was younger we used to go to the boardwalk when the Carnival came through and just hang out. I was wondering if you could take her there tonight, to try and get her to relax a little. You know, take some stress off of her shoulders.”

Wes raised a curious eyebrow. “Jen likes Carnivals?”

Dave nodded. “I mean, I won’t mind tagging along, too, just to keep an eye on you two or something.”

Wes couldn’t help but laugh. “I bet not. So tonight, huh?” Dave nodded eagerly. “Sounds good to me.” Dave jumped off the couch and ran upstairs to tell his mother of their evening plans. Wes was left to ponder. He never pictured Jen liking Carnivals, but to each her own, he decided.

Standing he went upstairs to get ready for his afternoon shift with the Guardians. He called Eric to say he would be late and all Eric did was snicker and laugh. There was no doubt in Wes’s mind that he would receive some teasing about it.

Following Dave’s path Wes made his way upstairs to his room. Upon arriving at the top of the staircase he looked into Alex’s room and saw Jen talking quietly to him. It had been about two weeks since Alex’s brutal attack and slowly, bit by bit, the Commander was starting to turn around and make a recovery. Wes hadn’t seen much of Alex lately, only came in to check up on him every now and then. But whenever he did, Alex was asleep.

“He’s doing okay, Wes,” Katie said as she turned the corner with a fresh bag of bandages and pain killers. “Seems like the only person he’ll talk to is Jen.”

“I noticed the same thing. He’s probably just glad to see she’s okay. I know I was thrilled with it.”

Katie grinned. “We all were. I mean, Jen is really his only true friend at Time Force. He’s already lost her twice; I guess he doesn’t want to see her leave again.”

Wes watched as Jen gently changed his bandages and saw the smile on Alex’s face, at her soft touch and warm smile, and something pinged in his heart. Was it jealously, that she was with Alex at that current moment and not him?

“He’s not the only one who lost her twice.”

She stared at him and saw the eager look in his eyes. “What are you so worried about, Wes?”

He began to walk away at the sound of Jen laughing. “We’re no closer than we were before she left. She told me she still loves me but every time I get close, something happens that pushes her away from me. I don’t know who she wants more; me or him.”

“Maybe you should ask her about it, Wes. You know Jen as well as I do by now. She’s a hard woman to figure out.” She walked past him and into the room.

Wes wasn’t about ready to tell Katie how Jen had slept next to him the night before, but nothing happened. She was upset and he was comforting her. Isn’t that what she wanted— comfort? Or was she leading into something else, a relationship they once had before? Was he to be Alex’s replacement while he was out of commission, or was he taking everything in the wrong direction? But last night, Jen admitted she still loved him. Nothing made sense to him.

For now he pushed everything out of his mind and headed for his room before Eric called and hounded him for being late. However he would set everything straight while he, Jen and Dave went out for the evening. He would know if the feelings he felt were still being returned, or if maybe he was racing a race that should never have been started.

“Wes, where the hell are you?” Eric’s voice came over his phone as it rang against the table.

Tommy sat in the lab at Silver Guardian Headquarters and chewed over the information Jen had given him, possible coordinates to locate Kane, and the possible reasons explaining how he was able to come back in time. Tommy heard of how Time Force had fool-proofed it’s time gates so that way no one or nothing could get through. But somehow Kane bypassed it. Why was he still holding Madison Rocca captive, and what did Billy have to do with it?

A piece of clothing had ripped off of Kane’s jacket during their last fight, and an unfamiliar residue was left on it, plus an unidentified fingerprint that records could not match, even after placing it against the records of the criminals Time Force sent over. Was it possible that Kane had disappeared from the California coastline all together? Was it stationed somewhere over the boarder? The fingerprint— was it from someone outside of the United States?

All these questions Tommy had written down, a common task he started doing when he didn’t know the immediate answer to a question. They painfully scratched at his brain and made him think to a point where it hurt. Moving his eyes away from the magnifying glass he sighed. Collecting samples from clothing proved harder than it looks, especially when it was different types of who knows what.

He rubbed his eyes as he went to grab a cup of coffee, his fifth for the afternoon, and suddenly tripped over a box of evidence that held bags full of bullet casings that Kane had, and a few shells from the weapons Samira had fired off as well. But one article of evidence caught his attention immediately. A piece of the pants Kane had worn— and they were covered in blood. But whose, was the question Tommy asked. Sure, he couldn’t identify a crappy fingerprint, but blood held DNA— and DNA could identify a person.

If Time Force could alter DNA, he was sure they still took blood samples. Pulling on a pair of fresh gloves he stripped the cloth from the bag and immediately began running tests on the dried blood it held. Maybe it was Kane’s, maybe it was Samira’s, maybe even it was Alex’s blood. But he didn’t know— he wanted to know.

The next thirty minutes found him sitting in front of a computer monitor as he scanned file after file for a match. His head began to hurt from all the flashing lights the monitor let loose. After nothing showed in the files, he popped in Jen’s database CD again and began another scan through the thousands of criminals Time Force had accumulated. It was a long and tiresome procedure, Tommy knew, and leaned over the desk to close his eyes.

--

The smell of hot dogs and cotton candy hung in the air as the sun began to set, the day’s humidity level dropped as well as the temperature, leaving the night air a comfortable seventy-two degrees. Happy cries of laughter echoed through the boardwalk; the Carnival was in full swing. For five days each year the Summertime Carnival made a home of the boardwalk, turning it into a place where kids young and old could get away for a few hours and just have fun.

That was Dave’s plan as he scrambled off the roller coaster and laughed with excitement. Grabbing Jen’s hand he began to run towards the swings, eager to board them before the ride launched again. She nodded to him as he ran towards the line and entered the entrance. Jen smiled and waved as he boarded the ride and swung back and forth in his seat.

“So I guess you do like Carnivals, huh?”

Jen looked at Wes and grinned. “Are you kidding me? I hate them.” A clown passed by and began to do a trick for a group of children. “A bunch of people running around, chasing after kids and acting like idiots in multicolored suits that were in style back in the 1960’s. What ever made you believe I liked these things?”

Wes’s cheeks burned brightly with embarrassment as he chuckled. “Well, your son has quite the ability to bullshit his way into anything.” He paused. “Must get that from his mother.”

She glared at him and shook her head. Yes, she didn’t like Carnivals, but seeing Dave act as happy as he was put her at ease and gave her the patience to put up with it for a few hours. On the plus side she was able to walk along the beach, and spend some time with Dave and Wes. She had been a little tense since the night she told Wes about Dave.

But for now both of them had pushed the conversation and the events prior out of their minds and simply enjoyed each other’s company as Dave lead them through the fairgrounds to each and every ride his heart desired to ride. Everything seemed like it was before they fell in love; having heart-felt conversations that often led to Jen making fun of Wes, or Wes bringing up a very embarrassing memory of Jen. Munching on a stick of cotton candy, he licked his fingers clean of the sugary build-up and began to chew another strand.

Jen couldn’t help but laugh as Wes brought up one of their better experiences— Jen baking her own cookies after mercilessly beating Wes to a pulp. She remembered the expression on his face as he tasted it, and the reaction Jen had to her own cooking, which she would easily admit wasn’t the best.

“The cookies, what memories that had.” Jen chuckled as Wes nodded.

He fell silent as they walked along slowly, his eyes wondering how to ask her the question that bad been burning on his mind all afternoon. Was Jen going to go back to Alex, now that he saved Dave’s life and nearly lost his for the second time? Was the love she admitted the other night for Wes or for Alex? He had gone over this question several times and could never find the right way to phrase it.

“Wes, I want to ask you a question, and I want you to be honest with me.” Jen’s eyes shrunk as a smirk formed across her lips. “You’re not jealous, or something, are you, that I’m spending more time with Alex than you?”

“What?” He asked in astonishment and nearly choked on the cotton candy he had recently purchased. Wes was left speechless as she hit the nail on the head. Talking quickly, he began to feel his nose starting to grow. “N-no, not at all. Why would I be jealous of Alex?”

Jen smiled in jest and nudged him playfully. “I bet you are. Your face is turning the same shade as the Ranger suit you wear.” Her smile faded with the dimming summer sun. “I don’t blame you. Even sometimes I get jealous of him, when he’s given all the special assignments and all.”

He remained silent for a few seconds, and then spoke. “Well I guess I hid that real well.”

She laughed at him. “That’s the one thing Alex could never really make me do, without telling a bad joke before it. He isn’t the comedic type, but when he wants to be romantic, he can be.”

Wes raised an eyebrow. “From what I’ve heard, so can you. Alex’s told me quite a few stories,” he grinned evilly. “Hershey’s syrup ring a bell?” Jen’s eyes opened wide and immediately she blushed.

He laughed at her reaction. “Well, I was making a joke, but I guess that is significant in your past love life, isn’t it?”

“Mom, Wes! There are fireworks on the beach in a half hour, can we go watch?” Dave said as he came careening up to them after going on the Tilt-A-Whirl.

Jen relaxed as Dave came to her with hopeful eyes. “Fireworks sound good, Dave. Lead the way.”

Dave turned and began to trot to the southern end of the boardwalk where the fireworks were going to be set off.

“I think your details with that Hershey’s syrup story may be a little goofed at the moment. Remind me to tell you what really happened, Wes, so we can get our facts straight.” Jen muttered as she gently nudged him, and he nudged back. As he did so, he gently pulled her hand into his and pulled her closer.

Minutes later they found themselves staring into the night sky as the first firework was released and sent an array of colorful sparks into the air. They danced around in intricate patterns weaving back and forth across the night sky. Music played loudly to accompany the show as Dave and a few other friends he made that day stared into the sky and shouted happily as the next burst of light came.

Standing on the railing Wes snaked his arm around Jen’s waist as she rested against him and watched the display. There was something magical about fireworks, she thought, how they always seemed so perfect and erupted at the right times to set different moods. Each set off at a different time to create the most beautiful light show fire could offer. She heard Wes laugh as Dave ran a few feet back from a larger burst. She turned to him to meet his eyes and smiled.

Wes looked at her for approval, and when she smiled to him he returned it. Slowly, he bent his head closer to hers. They had agreed to take things slow for now, and maybe something could spark for them. The second his lips touched hers his thought was confirmed as they began to make fireworks of their own.