Jake never thought this would happen to him in a hospital. He had imagined many different horrible things happening to him and the people he loved in a hospital – usually those things ended with a slow, painful, disease ridden death – but never this.

He got Gia to the hospital and the doctors took her in right away. Everyone could see she had been beaten up pretty badly. She had come to on the way to the hospital, in Jake's arms, and hadn't been able to calm herself down since. Jake had set her on a gurney once he got to the hospital. He kept the tiger with her as the doctors took her away. He wasn't allowed to see go with her. It was doctors only.

After that, he had paced back and forth in the waiting room. He had Noah text Emma to keep her and Gia's parents up to date with everything that was happening. As he waited, he also got in contact with the police. He told them about Cliff, what he had done to Gia, and where they had left him. The promise of a great reward was very tempting. Cliff had been horrible to Gia for two years so something good needed to come from all of this.

When the doctors finally let him and Noah into Gia's room, he ran as fast as he could, with Noah fumbling behind him to keep up. The blue Ranger had promised Gia's family he would let them know as soon as Gia was ready to see them. They were worried Gia was still angry with them, and that showing up before she was ready would only make things worse.

Jake ran right into the room and saw Gia sobbing in the bed. She had her knees tucked into her chest and her face buried in the space between. When she heard the door opening, she looked up. Jake ran over and without a second thought, he took her in his arms.

She threw her arms around him and clung on desperately. She sobbed like Jake had never seen her sobbing before. This wasn't the Gia he knew or the Gia he had fallen in love with. Only a few months ago the world had seen her as a tough, fearless, popular, hot, smart, unattainable goddess. Now, she was a mess. She was a scared, hurt, beaten and broken down mess. Jake still found he couldn't turn away from her. All he wanted to do was make sure she was okay. He held her close to his chest and rocked her back and forth.

Noah sat in the corner of the room. He looked on with great concern as he texted Emma an update that Gia was awake. He could assume from her sobbing that her memory was intact (whether or not that was a good thing was yet to be discovered). It seemed Cliff's beaten looked worse than it was.

But there was more. Emma had said this once to him last time Cliff had sent Gia to the hospital. It wasn't the scars that the doctors could treat that really had her worried. It was the one the doctors couldn't see, and couldn't treat, that were the biggest problem. Noah knew what she meant, but he had never really understood it until now.

"It's all over now," Jake promised Gia as he rocked back and forth with her in his arms. She clung to him desperately, with the stuffed tiger wedged between them. Eventually, and it almost seemed miraculous, Gia started to calm. Her grip around Jake loosened slightly, but she never let him go. After a while, it was just a hug; just a comforting hug. Jake kissed the side of her face softly. "I'm sorry, Gia. I'm sorry he hurt you. I was too late."

Gia shook her head and buried it in his neck. She had never felt this way with a boy before. Around boys she always felt nervous and suspicious. She knew what they thought about. She knew they were all up to something. She had to keep her guard up. She had to be strong and tough, or else they would walk all over her. They would tear her apart, take what they wanted from her, and leave her in pieces.

But with Jake… she felt different. In his arms she felt safe. In his arms, the world was blocked out. Nothing bad could happen to her.

When Cliff touched her, his skin was like sandpaper. Even the softest caress would cause her pain. The lightest touch or the gentlest of kisses would feel like fire on her skin. The pain felt agonizing and it lasted for days, weeks, sometimes even months. Long after that, long after she thought it was gone it even had the power to come back.

But with Jake, there was no sandpaper. With Jake, there was no fire. His touch was soft and warm and secure. It was strong, but gentle just for her. He would keep her safe. He would treat her right. She knew, in his arms, everything would be okay.

Noah then cleared his throat. He knew the timing wasn't good, but it never would be. There was too early or too late. There was no in between. He held up his phone.

"Gia, your parents and Emma really want to see you. They're really worried."

Gia couldn't remember why she was mad at them. After what she had been through with Cliff, it didn't seem to matter anymore. She had already forgiven Emma, and even if she hadn't, the fact that she had come all the way out to find her and protect her from Cliff meant a lot to Gia.

As for her parents. They were her parents. Though there were some things they had to do as parents, like care for her, give her a home, make sure she had enough food on her plate, got a good education, they had always done more than that. They had always supported her. They loved her. They gave her their very best every day. Even when they didn't know what to do for her, they always tried. They were amazing parents. One lapse of judgement couldn't begin to unravel everything they had done for her before that. They were her parents. They loved her, and she needed them. She nodded her head in Jake's neck, and he looked to Noah.

"Get them here ASAP."

"One better," Noah smiled as he started to dial Emma's phone. It didn't ring for long. He quickly told Emma it was safe to come visit, and then he asked she put Mrs. Moran on the phone. Noah wasn't sure who Gia was closest to, but figured there was no harm letting Gia speak to her mother.

Then he walked to the bed and handed the phone to Jake. Jake put the phone to Gia's ear. She heard her mother's voice and started to sob again. Jake held her close. Noah sat beside her on the bed and put his hand on her back so she knew he was there too.

Gia's mother managed to top Noah's plan. She had Emma's cell phone on speaker. Everyone could talk to her, and everyone could comfort her as they piled into the car to drive over. Troy and Ms. Chesterfield were also coming along. They all wanted to see for themselves that Gia was okay.

In a record-breaking time, they made it up to the room. Noah moved away to give the Morans room with their daughter. Jake tried to leave, but Gia didn't want him to. For some reason, he gave her safety the others could never provide her with. She needed him.

Her parents and Emma were glad to let them stay. Mr. Moran even pulled Jake into the hug and he leaned in to comfort his daughter.

When Ms. Chesterfield came into the room, she brought a bouquet of flowers with her. Though she had gotten to know Gia a little better over the past few months, Gia was still a huge mystery. Unsure of what her favourite flavours were, Ms. Chesterfield brought a bouquet of assorted flowers. She set them on the table by the window, so Gia could see them.

For the most part, the room was silent. Everyone told Gia how much she had worried them, and how glad they were that she would be okay. They all promised her she would be okay. After that was the silence. Jake could only take it for so long before he had to do something about it. He kept one arm wrapped tightly around Gia and reached for the remote control with the other one. There had to be a soccer game on.

But when he turned it on, it was just the news. Cliff's name flashed across the screen, and Jake wanted to change the channel before Gia heard it, but Emma slapped the remote from his hands.

"Look," she said as the crawl continued to roll by. Then the news anchor started to cover the story.

"The search for fugitive Cliff Morris comes to a brutal end when a tip from a local teen leads police straight to Morris body. Police discovered Morris only moments ago and were shocked to find an alien standing over him. Morris died from injuries sustained in a fight. Police believe he was defending himself in an attack against the alien. Morris was charged with physical assault, sexual assault, twenty accounts of murder, and escaping from prison with the help of a still unidentified accomplice."

"I'm not sad to see this scumbag go," the co-news anchor said as she flipped through her pages. "However, his murder does raise questions about the aliens. This one specifically has been seen attacking the city, but he takes time out of his day to rid us of a dangerous and dirty criminal?"

"You know you're bad when even the evil monsters are disgusted by your actions," the first news anchor joked. Jake turned off the TV, before the whole thing turned into something to be laughed at. He looked to the rest of his teammates.

"Vrak killed him?"

"He must have," Troy nodded. He looked at his hands, "I'm not going to say we didn't do a number on him, but when we left, he was alive, and we didn't beat him so that he couldn't survive."

"I don't care," Emma said. "Cliff's one guy I'm never going to give a damn about. I've wanted him dead for a while. Then when we found out he sided with Vrak, he was no different than any other alien we faced."

"The important thing is he's gone," Mr. Moran assured the teens as he put his hand on his daughter's shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze. "He's out of our lives for good. The healing can start."

Gia sniffed and pulled away just a bit from Jake. She wiped her nose with her arm and looked around the room at her friends and family. They all smiled at her. They were all trying to comfort her, to help her. They wanted to see her get better. They had always been there for her. All she had done was make their lives difficult. She had worried them, she had gotten angry with them. Though she never wanted to hurt them, she was sure she had said some hurtful things to all of him out of her own frustration. Cliff was gone, and she was glad for that, but that didn't mean everything was over. She was still so broken.

"I'm sorry, guys," she whispered. Jake pulled her back into his arms and he gave her a loving squeeze.

"Aside from worrying us, you have nothing to apologize for."

"No," Gia shook her head and pulled away again. "You've all done enough. You've all been so amazing. But look at me!"

"Gia…"

"I'm a mess," Gia cut off her mother. "You've all done so much I don't… I don't want to burden you anymore. I'll fix myself, I promise. You guys can all just… find someone better."

"Gia, there is no one better," her mother took her hand. Gia pulled away and fell into Jake's arms. He gave her a hug before he pushed her away. He grabbed her arms gently and looked at her.

"Gia…"

"Jake, I'm sorry."

"Gia…"

"I like you, I really do, but you don't deserve this. You're amazing and you deserve to be with someone just as amazing. I'll…"

"Gia, will you still go to Prom with me?"

"Jake! I'm a mess!"

"You're beautiful," Jake gently wiped away her tears. "I know it's a lot, I know it's going to take a lot of time. I know it's never going to be a perfect relationship, but you're the one I want. I've seen you at your worse and I'm still crazy for you, Gia."

Jake pulled her back into his arms and he hugged her warmly, "Will you still go to Prom with me?"

"Even looking like this?"

"Even looking like this. It would be an honour to be your date at Prom."

-Megaforce-

"You look beautiful," Mrs. Moran smiled at her daughter and wasn't sure she could be any happier as she looked her little girl in the eyes. It had been some time now since Cliff. In a sick, twisted way, Mrs. Moran had him to thank. Though it wasn't the ideal way of getting her daughter to start truly healing, letting things fall below rock bottom had worked out for the best. Nothing was perfect yet, and it would be a long time before things could ever feel normal again – if that was even possible – but they were better. The Morans finally felt like they had a happy and healthy family again.

Though it hadn't been without its trials. Gia had several crises in the weeks between her stay at the hospital and now. Given all she had been through, it had been expected. Her family stuck by her, no matter how challenging she got, no matter how hard she seemed to be falling. Eventually, they noticed that she wasn't falling, it was part of her recovery. Every time she seemed to have a moment of panic, she seemed to get stronger and feel better.

She did go back to school on the days leading up to Prom. It wasn't much, but it meant she was strong enough to face the other students. They had tried asking her questions, but her friends kept them all away. Gia didn't need to talk about what had happened with strangers. She had people who really did care for her, and who really wanted to help. They were the ones she needed in her life.

By the time Prom came around, the old Gia was starting to show. She had built up a few walls, but this time they weren't unreasonably high. She had learned to stand up for herself. She had found a new respect for herself that she hadn't had during the Cliff era – as Emma had called it.

Finally, the old Gia was making a comeback, and she was here to stay. Even Mrs. Moran could agree that no human being was ever perfect, but as she looked at her daughter right now, she couldn't see anything less than perfection. Gia was starting to feel happy with herself again, and that was all Mrs. Moran wanted for her daughter.

Mrs. Moran finished with Gia's makeup, covering up as much of the bruising and scarring as she could. It would still be some time before Gia's wounds were healed. Some would leave a permanent scar, but for tonight they weren't noticeable at all. Mrs. Moran looked down at Gia lovingly.

Gia pulled away, "Mom…"

"I am so proud of you."

Mrs. Moran kissed her daughter's forehead. Gia moved away and then looked at herself in the mirror, smiling just a little bit.

"Is it too much?"

"It's fine, sweetheart. Go show your father."

Gia nodded her head and walked out of the bathroom in search of her father. Mrs. Moran started to clean up and couldn't wipe the smile from her face. It was at that moment that Emma walked in.

"Can you help with the zipper?" she asked and turned around. Mrs. Moran nodded and closed up Emma's dress. Then she smiled.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Emma whispered. Mrs. Moran looked over at her and sighed.

"Not the night you expected?"

"Troy and Noah are sweet," Emma shrugged her shoulders, "But I thought it would be Jordan, you know?"

"You're going to miss him for a long time," Mrs. Moran said, "But I'll be damned if you can't enjoy tonight. You only have one junior prom."

"Senior prom is the real big deal," Emma smirked, "Maybe I'll have found someone by then?"

"I want you happy. With or without a boy, you are amazing."

"But it would be nice," Emma looked up with a little smile. Mrs. Moran poked Emma in the side.

"You have two charming young men tonight. You can't do much better."

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Mrs. Moran's face lit up with excitement as she rushed to the door. Emma rolled her eyes.

"I know who is most excited," she walked out into the hallway and down the stairs. She saw Troy and Noah waiting at the door for her. They were dressed in their best suits.

"Don't you both look handsome," Mrs. Moran said as she pulled the boys inside. Emma reached the bottom of her stairs and then stopped. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Noah. He knew what she meant, and tucked his bag behind his back.

"I always have my laptop with me."

"Even tonight?"

"What if I need it? Besides, where else am I going to hide my morpher?"

"Inside your jacket," Troy said and he opened his jacket to show his morpher. He had taken a piece of fabric and sewn himself a big enough pocket to hold his morpher. Then he turned to Emma, "You look beautiful."

"Oh, uh, yeah," Noah nodded his head and smiled. Dates were still new territory, even though the three of them were just friends.

"Thanks," Emma blushed. Then she looked over their shoulders, "Where's Jake?"

"On his way. He's got a big surprise for Gia."

"A big one?" Emma asked and frowned, "What did he do?"

"He wouldn't say," Noah shrugged his shoulders. "He just said he was going to be a little late."

"Jake's late?" Gia asked from the top of the stairs and everyone looked up. Noah took off his glasses to clean them off. Troy's jaw dropped. Emma chuckled as she pushed it back up.

"Staring is rude."

"Gia, that's a dress!" Noah said once his glasses were on.

"It is?" Gia pretended to be surprised as she looked down at her dress and gasped. Then she looked at the boys and rolled her eyes, "What did you think I was going to wear?"

"Uh… the usual?" Noah realized how dumb his answer sounded as he said it. He shook his head, "Uh, never mind…"

"You look beautiful, Gia," Troy said. Then he turned to Noah and gave him a look. Noah frowned.

"She's not my date," he was hit in the stomach and groaned, "You look good, Gia."

Emma crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at Vanessa.

"Yeah, real charmers."

"You're going to have a fun night," Mrs. Moran promised her. She handed Emma her clutch, "I found one big enough to hold your morpher. Do not lose it."

"Not letting it out of my sight," Emma promised. At that very moment, the doorbell rang. Mrs. Moran smiled brightly as she pushed her way past the boys and Emma to answer it. Emma looked up at Gia with a smile. Gia walked down the stairs and straightened out her dress.

"You're fine," Emma whispered to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Not as nervous as I thought I would be," Gia smiled. Emma smiled back and wrapped her arms tightly around her best friend.

Then the girls heard a cough. They pulled apart and Gia smiled as a bouquet of roses was presented to her.

"These were hard to find," Jake said, "but they aren't the reason I was late."

"They're beautiful, Jake," Gia took the flowers and then hugged Jake tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a loving squeeze before he pushed her away.

"You know how I got a bit of money, recently," Jake asked and Gia nodded her head. Cliff's escape from prison had been a big deal, and a very large sum of money had been promised to whoever could give the police any information that would lead to Cliff's arrest. After he got Gia to the hospital safely, Jake had been the one to contact the police. He told them where Cliff had taken Gia, and gave specific directions to the bush in the woods. The police found Cliff already dead, but still gave the full reward to Jake.

"Yeah."

"I stopped by the women's shelter," Jake said. "I donated all of it in your name."

"All… all of it?"

"Yep. Every penny."

"Jake…"

"What else could I have done with it?" Jake asked her with a big smile. Gia rolled her eyes.

"A college fund? Money to help you and your father find a place?"

"My dad and I are fine," Jake shook his head, "And I plan on getting a scholarship, remember? I don't need money. And besides, helping people who aren't as unlucky or lucky as you is the only right thing I could have done with that. I didn't need it."

"Jake…" Gia wrapped her arms around him again and rested her head on his shoulder, "Thank you."

"Are you up for tonight?" he whispered to her. "If it's too much too soon, I'm fine with a living room Prom in…" he was cut off when something soft touched his lips. His eyes widened and he smiled when he saw it was Gia kissing him. He held her close.

When they broke away, Gia looked up at Jake with a smile. She didn't say anything as she took his hand. She gave the roses to her mother and walked out the door, leaning in closely to Jake.

The End

Just for now. Just like with the Samurai Series, this will be divided into several different stories. So look out for the next installment (Prom Night) and let me know what you think!