Bright Skies (Multi - Season Crossover/Power Rangers, prompt #93: Thank You, T)
-Yawns- I want to take a nap, but I'm not sure when my brother's getting up, or if we still have plans today or not.
So instead, I wrote.
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force moving into S.P.D., multiple Rangers from each season
Characters/: Wes (Time Force), multiple Rangers from other teams (Literally too many to list)
Pairings/: Post - Wes/Eric, Rocky/Adam, Shane/Dustin, Hunter/Cam, Carter/Dana, Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, Carlos/Ronny, Jason/Taylor, Conner/Ethan, Justin/Rose, Tommy/Kimberly, Tyzonn/Mack, Cassie/OC, Nick/Maddison, Zack/Aisha, Trent/Kira, Post - Billy/Cestria. Future Ryan/Carter and Billy/Hayley. More couples will most likely be mentioned, but not shown.
prompt/: #93: Thank You
Rating/: T (For non - graphic mentions of people having babies and being violent with one another)
Disclaimer/: I don't own the Power Rangers, but if Disney's hiring any new writers I volunteer.
Summary/: When Wes' life starts to fall apart, an accident gives him a chance at a fresh start in New Tech City, with Space Patrol Delta. But even a new life has its ups and downs - and weird friends. Meanwhile, Eric tries to move on.
Warnings/: A mentally handicapped person living in a medical facility, angst, male and female slash, non-cemented couples (In otherwords, pairings that will be separated), children created by scientific means, character death
Author's Notes/: I’m not sure if this chapter came out as nostalgic and emotionally-charged as I was hoping for, but I tried.
Much love to
starandrea, as I was inspired for Jack’s part in this while rereading her The Seduction of Schuyler Tate.
Somehow it didn't surprise Wes to find B Squad in the officer's common room rather then their own. Over the years, the kids had developed a habit of coming there when they were looking for family, not superiors. And in the aftermath of Syd's birthday party, family was *definitely* something they all needed.
But Jack, he noted, was suspiciously absent from the group.
"So ... how long have you known, Z?" Bridge asked finally. He'd selected a place on the floor as he tended to do in these situations, leaning back against Adam's knees with Rocky on his other side. He seemed more content than Wes had seen him in days.
She shrugged lightly from she sat near Justin - close, but not quite touching. "After Cruger told us that our powers came from the lab accident, and that Sam was like us, I realized that meant that someone at S.P.D. had to have known my parents. So, I cornered Wes and made him tell me the truth."
"Thank you," Justin spoke up, glancing over at Wes as he gently stroked Z's hair. "I can't remember if I said it yet or not. But thanks, Time. I owe you."
Wes smiled faintly, shaking his head. "Not really. I've missed the little trouble makers too, you know."
"Hey!" Syd protested, cuddling between Ryan and Carter. Ryan seemed pleased with the placement; Carter had the sort of feel about him that said he wasn't sure how do deal with this yet. "I wasn't a troublemaker!"
The assembled parents laughed.
"Syd, the first time I met you, you were still in your Terrible Twos," Eric informed her dryly. "And you were three."
"When was this?" Wes asked, looking at him in confusion.
Eric coughed, shifting uncomfortably. "Taylor decided to introduce me to Sky and the others, so she brought them to Silver Hills for the day."
"What'd you do?" Z asked, looking interested.
He shrugged. "We took the four of you out for food and played in the park for awhile. Then she took me home. The next time I saw you all was at the wedding."
Justin snorted, and tried to smother it behind his hand. But it was too late; Wes started to snicker, while Ryan hugged Syd a little tighter with humph that sounded entirely too amused to be real.
"What? What's so funny?" Syd wanted to know, glancing up at her father.
"Did you know you're engaged, Syd?" Justin teased.
She stiffened, turning to stare at him. "*What*?!" She looked up at Ryan sharply. "Daddy?"
"No, you're not," Ryan promised, chuckling. "Not really."
"I don't know. Litania took it pretty seriously," Justin snickered.
"Stop scaring her, Turbo," Wes told him with a grin. He smiled reassuringly at Syd. "We got into a discussion during the reception about when your dad would be willing to let his princess date, and Jack decided that since he was a prince on his mom's planet, he'd train hard and come back to fight for your hand one day."
Syd stared at him. "You have *got* to be kidding me."
He shook his head, struggling to keep in his mirth. "Nope. He really did."
Syd wrinkled her nose. "Me and Jack? Ew."
"Thanks, Syd. Really."
Everyone looked up at the dry tone as Jack emerged from the wall. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, radiating discomfort. "So ... is this party invitation only, or can anyone join?" he asked awkwardly.
"Depends. Am I going to have to fight you for Syd's hand?" Z retorted.
He gave her an exasperated glance, and Syd giggled for a moment before her amusement faded to worry.
"Please stay, Jack," she begged. "This is about you, too."
He hesitated.
"It's easier to ask questions when you're not hiding in the wall, you know," Wes commented casually, unable to resist.
Now he was the one getting the annoyed stare. "Is there anything you *can't* hear?" Jack demanded.
He shrugged. "Not much." He paused. "Seriously, Jack. Sit down. Please?"
There as a sigh that came out as nearly a huff, and Jack flopped in a chair. A chair that was strangely close to Sky, Wes noticed, and fought not to say anything about it. "So?" Jack said finally. "You were talking about Syd being trouble?"
Syd humphed, and Wes couldn't resist the chance to tease Jack a little more, if just to put him at ease. "Actually, you caused a lot of trouble the first time you met the other four yourself, Jack."
"That's right. Didn't you say something about a brawl?" Z asked, sounding smug.
He nodded with a smile. "That Jack started."
"Hey, how did *I* start it?" Jack asked suspiciously.
"You picked a fight."
"Why am I not surprised?" Sky muttered, flinching as Jack elbowed him.
"You said something rude to Sky, and when Z tried to defend him, you told her that her opinion didn't matter because she was a girl, and girls have cooties," Wes informed him, grinning as Jack's body temperature rose. "So Z jumped you, Sky went after her, and Syd started to help." He paused, thinking. "I know Bridge was the reason it stopped, but I can't remember him actually being involved."
"I remember cookies," Bridge commented with a sort of dreamy expression. "And saying were bestest friends forever." He paused, frowning. "And Sky."
"Sky?" Z echoed, looking at him oddly.
"Sky used to protect me when my powers got out of control," he explained. "His shields kept everything else out. So when I couldn't ground myself, Sky tried to keep everyone away."
"Sky always had a thing for protecting Bridge," Zack commented almost wistfully. He shot Z a playful grin. "You did too, but you weren't as exclusive. You'd protect anyone you thought needed it."
"Especially Sky," Wes agreed with a smile.
"What, were they dating or something?" Jack asked suspiciously.
Sky shot him an exasperated look. "Of course not. We - " He stopped, looking uncomfortable for a moment before at last muttering "Elizabeth was my best friend."
"Oh," Jack said awkwardly.
"How did that happen, anyway?" Z asked softly, but her eyes were on Sky. "We're so different; how'd we end up as friends?"
Sky shrugged, practically radiating discomfort. "Bridge wasn't around as much because he had problems with his powers, and Syd was younger than us. We - " He hesitated. "We were only a month apart, so we ended up spending a lot of time together."
"More than just spending time," Wes commented gently, because they all needed to hear this. "You two had each other's back."
There was an odd silence, as everyone seemed to be searching for something to say.
"So ... " Jack took a deep breath, seeming to brace himself. "What happened? I mean, why were Z and I on the streets?"
Wes flinched. "It's - "
"If you finish that sentence, I *will* hit you," Eric threatened quietly, squeezing his hand tighter than what was strictly necessary.
He sighed, shooting Eric an irritated look. "It's a long story," he finished.
"Which isn't your fault," Justin put in lightly.
He scowled at the other man. "Will you both stop trying to reading my mind already?"
"That's an idea ... " Bridge murmured thoughtfully, almost as though he wasn't paying attention to the conversation at all anymore.
"What's not your fault?" Z asked, looking at Wes quizzically.
He resisted the urge to correct her that it was, because he knew Eric's threat had been more serious than it sounded. For a moment, he searched for the best way to begin. "You've all seen the statue in the main entrance way, right? The ... " He swallowed. "The S.P.D. Newtech Rangers?" He paused for only a moment, not bothering to check whether any of them had actually nodded or not. "It's not entirely accurate - they're missing Turbo and Astro. But basically, that was the team that was sent to Aquitar - " He stopped, frowning slightly, and glanced instinctively to Justin.
"Ten years ago," his teammate supplied instantly.
"Aquitar was the first time Emperor Grumm had managed to get so close to our solar system. Our allies there sent out a distress signal, so S.P.D. Earth sent off six Rangers on a rescue mission to do what they could to help." He took a deep breath, trying to shake away the memories. "Well, long story short, that's where we first met Broodwing."
"Wait - Broodwing?" Jack demanded sharply.
He nodded. "Broodwing was fascinated by the six of us and what we could do. And he started trying to learn more about us and where we were from. I thought we covered our identities pretty well, but ... "He shook his head.
"It wasn't enough," Justin finished quietly. "Grumm eventually pulled his forces from what was left of Aquitar, and Broodwing tracked the six of us back here - to Earth. No one knows exactly how long he spent studying us, but at some point, he hired a group of bounty hunters to kidnap several Ranger kids for scientific study." He reached out to touch Z's shoulder lightly, running a hand along her cheek as she stared at him. "Including the five of you."
"By the time we tracked everyone down, Elizabeth and Jaz were already gone, trying to find help," Wes murmured, too lost in thought to remember what to call them now. "Nerina was injured. Everyone was cold, hungry, and frightened out of their minds - Hawk couldn't even calm down long enough to keep himself visible. Bridge had gone into empathic shock, and Sky was trying so hard to protect him he couldn't let go of his shield."
~"It's never gonna be okay again."~
He jumped as something pinched his arm - *hard*.
He looked up, blinking, to find Eric studying him intensely. "Stay with me, Wes," he murmured, too low for anyone else to hear.
He swallowed hard, and nodded.
"What did you just call me?"
It took him a moment to realize Jack was talking to him, and he noted that Sky was watching him in concern as well. "Sorry, what?" he asked, shaking himself mentally.
"You said ... Elizabeth and ... Jaz ... ?" Jack sounded wary, as if he wasn't sure they were still talking about him.
Wes blinked. "What ... oh! Um, sorry. Jaz is - *was*, your nickname. Jackson Zhane Johnson, Jaz for short."
He could feel the odd look he was getting. "Jackson Zhane?" Jack repeated skeptically.
"That's what I said," Rocky commented absently, only to be elbowed by Adam.
"You named our son 'Bridge'," Adam reminded his husband. "Be quiet."
"It's a Johnson family tradition," Justin explained. "Each kid that's born to the Johnson Family - no matter which set of parents - is named with proceeding letters of the alphabet. For instance, Theodore Jarvis, who comes after Steven Ian, and is followed by Urwin Kenneth." He shrugged slightly. "You got stuck with 'J' and 'Z', and Teej decided to name you Zhane, after his teammate. I think Jaz was because Litania wanted a more unique name."
"So are my parents still alive?" Jack asked after a pause. Something in his tone said he either expected they weren't, or still wasn't sure if he wanted to know either way.
"Yes, they are," Aisha told him gently. "After no one could find you two, they decided it was just too painful to live on Earth. So they transferred to S.P.D. Gannos, in Litania's home dimension." She hesitated. "They know that you're here, and that you're okay, but they're waiting until you're ready to talk to them."
"What about Keri, then? No one bothered to tell her? Or does she just like being dramatic and making a scene?"
Wes knew he wasn't the only one who winced.
"Keri is the Red Silver Star Ranger of Gannos, and heir to your mother's throne, which means she can't leave her planet very often," Carter said carefully. "She's ... well, she hasn't made a secret of the fact that she's been looking for you since she was old enough to search. And she's a lot like your mother. Everyone realized that if Keri knew, she'd come straight here to meet you and try and drag you back to Gannos."
"Which is the last thing we figured you needed," Zack agreed.
Jack was silent for a moment, staring at the floor. "So you guys all knew?" he asked abruptly, looking up at Sky for a long moment before allowing his gaze to flicker to Bridge and Syd.
"Yes," Sky answered simply.
Syd winced. "We didn't want to scare you away," she confessed quietly, and Ryan rubbed her shoulder comfortingly at the meek tone to her voice.
"Or make you feel obligated to join S.P.D.," Bridge added. "Or more obligated, that is. Since you were sort of forced into it. Or bribed, as the case may be."
"He gets the idea, Bridge," Rocky murmured.
Jack stood, shoving his hands back into his pockets into what was obviously a defensive gesture as he headed back to the door. He paused just in front of it, but didn't turn around as he spoke. "I guess I should say thank you, for being honest with me. Finally. I'm ... I'm not gonna say I'm not mad. Furious, actually." He let out a slow breath. "But ... before anybody panics, no, I'm not going anywhere. Whether I like it or not, S.P.D. is more or less my home now."
He phased through the door without bothering to wait for it to open, not giving anyone a chance to say anything in return.
So instead, I wrote.
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force moving into S.P.D., multiple Rangers from each season
Characters/: Wes (Time Force), multiple Rangers from other teams (Literally too many to list)
Pairings/: Post - Wes/Eric, Rocky/Adam, Shane/Dustin, Hunter/Cam, Carter/Dana, Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, Carlos/Ronny, Jason/Taylor, Conner/Ethan, Justin/Rose, Tommy/Kimberly, Tyzonn/Mack, Cassie/OC, Nick/Maddison, Zack/Aisha, Trent/Kira, Post - Billy/Cestria. Future Ryan/Carter and Billy/Hayley. More couples will most likely be mentioned, but not shown.
prompt/: #93: Thank You
Rating/: T (For non - graphic mentions of people having babies and being violent with one another)
Disclaimer/: I don't own the Power Rangers, but if Disney's hiring any new writers I volunteer.
Summary/: When Wes' life starts to fall apart, an accident gives him a chance at a fresh start in New Tech City, with Space Patrol Delta. But even a new life has its ups and downs - and weird friends. Meanwhile, Eric tries to move on.
Warnings/: A mentally handicapped person living in a medical facility, angst, male and female slash, non-cemented couples (In otherwords, pairings that will be separated), children created by scientific means, character death
Author's Notes/: I’m not sure if this chapter came out as nostalgic and emotionally-charged as I was hoping for, but I tried.
Much love to
starandrea, as I was inspired for Jack’s part in this while rereading her The Seduction of Schuyler Tate.
Somehow it didn't surprise Wes to find B Squad in the officer's common room rather then their own. Over the years, the kids had developed a habit of coming there when they were looking for family, not superiors. And in the aftermath of Syd's birthday party, family was *definitely* something they all needed.
But Jack, he noted, was suspiciously absent from the group.
"So ... how long have you known, Z?" Bridge asked finally. He'd selected a place on the floor as he tended to do in these situations, leaning back against Adam's knees with Rocky on his other side. He seemed more content than Wes had seen him in days.
She shrugged lightly from she sat near Justin - close, but not quite touching. "After Cruger told us that our powers came from the lab accident, and that Sam was like us, I realized that meant that someone at S.P.D. had to have known my parents. So, I cornered Wes and made him tell me the truth."
"Thank you," Justin spoke up, glancing over at Wes as he gently stroked Z's hair. "I can't remember if I said it yet or not. But thanks, Time. I owe you."
Wes smiled faintly, shaking his head. "Not really. I've missed the little trouble makers too, you know."
"Hey!" Syd protested, cuddling between Ryan and Carter. Ryan seemed pleased with the placement; Carter had the sort of feel about him that said he wasn't sure how do deal with this yet. "I wasn't a troublemaker!"
The assembled parents laughed.
"Syd, the first time I met you, you were still in your Terrible Twos," Eric informed her dryly. "And you were three."
"When was this?" Wes asked, looking at him in confusion.
Eric coughed, shifting uncomfortably. "Taylor decided to introduce me to Sky and the others, so she brought them to Silver Hills for the day."
"What'd you do?" Z asked, looking interested.
He shrugged. "We took the four of you out for food and played in the park for awhile. Then she took me home. The next time I saw you all was at the wedding."
Justin snorted, and tried to smother it behind his hand. But it was too late; Wes started to snicker, while Ryan hugged Syd a little tighter with humph that sounded entirely too amused to be real.
"What? What's so funny?" Syd wanted to know, glancing up at her father.
"Did you know you're engaged, Syd?" Justin teased.
She stiffened, turning to stare at him. "*What*?!" She looked up at Ryan sharply. "Daddy?"
"No, you're not," Ryan promised, chuckling. "Not really."
"I don't know. Litania took it pretty seriously," Justin snickered.
"Stop scaring her, Turbo," Wes told him with a grin. He smiled reassuringly at Syd. "We got into a discussion during the reception about when your dad would be willing to let his princess date, and Jack decided that since he was a prince on his mom's planet, he'd train hard and come back to fight for your hand one day."
Syd stared at him. "You have *got* to be kidding me."
He shook his head, struggling to keep in his mirth. "Nope. He really did."
Syd wrinkled her nose. "Me and Jack? Ew."
"Thanks, Syd. Really."
Everyone looked up at the dry tone as Jack emerged from the wall. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, radiating discomfort. "So ... is this party invitation only, or can anyone join?" he asked awkwardly.
"Depends. Am I going to have to fight you for Syd's hand?" Z retorted.
He gave her an exasperated glance, and Syd giggled for a moment before her amusement faded to worry.
"Please stay, Jack," she begged. "This is about you, too."
He hesitated.
"It's easier to ask questions when you're not hiding in the wall, you know," Wes commented casually, unable to resist.
Now he was the one getting the annoyed stare. "Is there anything you *can't* hear?" Jack demanded.
He shrugged. "Not much." He paused. "Seriously, Jack. Sit down. Please?"
There as a sigh that came out as nearly a huff, and Jack flopped in a chair. A chair that was strangely close to Sky, Wes noticed, and fought not to say anything about it. "So?" Jack said finally. "You were talking about Syd being trouble?"
Syd humphed, and Wes couldn't resist the chance to tease Jack a little more, if just to put him at ease. "Actually, you caused a lot of trouble the first time you met the other four yourself, Jack."
"That's right. Didn't you say something about a brawl?" Z asked, sounding smug.
He nodded with a smile. "That Jack started."
"Hey, how did *I* start it?" Jack asked suspiciously.
"You picked a fight."
"Why am I not surprised?" Sky muttered, flinching as Jack elbowed him.
"You said something rude to Sky, and when Z tried to defend him, you told her that her opinion didn't matter because she was a girl, and girls have cooties," Wes informed him, grinning as Jack's body temperature rose. "So Z jumped you, Sky went after her, and Syd started to help." He paused, thinking. "I know Bridge was the reason it stopped, but I can't remember him actually being involved."
"I remember cookies," Bridge commented with a sort of dreamy expression. "And saying were bestest friends forever." He paused, frowning. "And Sky."
"Sky?" Z echoed, looking at him oddly.
"Sky used to protect me when my powers got out of control," he explained. "His shields kept everything else out. So when I couldn't ground myself, Sky tried to keep everyone away."
"Sky always had a thing for protecting Bridge," Zack commented almost wistfully. He shot Z a playful grin. "You did too, but you weren't as exclusive. You'd protect anyone you thought needed it."
"Especially Sky," Wes agreed with a smile.
"What, were they dating or something?" Jack asked suspiciously.
Sky shot him an exasperated look. "Of course not. We - " He stopped, looking uncomfortable for a moment before at last muttering "Elizabeth was my best friend."
"Oh," Jack said awkwardly.
"How did that happen, anyway?" Z asked softly, but her eyes were on Sky. "We're so different; how'd we end up as friends?"
Sky shrugged, practically radiating discomfort. "Bridge wasn't around as much because he had problems with his powers, and Syd was younger than us. We - " He hesitated. "We were only a month apart, so we ended up spending a lot of time together."
"More than just spending time," Wes commented gently, because they all needed to hear this. "You two had each other's back."
There was an odd silence, as everyone seemed to be searching for something to say.
"So ... " Jack took a deep breath, seeming to brace himself. "What happened? I mean, why were Z and I on the streets?"
Wes flinched. "It's - "
"If you finish that sentence, I *will* hit you," Eric threatened quietly, squeezing his hand tighter than what was strictly necessary.
He sighed, shooting Eric an irritated look. "It's a long story," he finished.
"Which isn't your fault," Justin put in lightly.
He scowled at the other man. "Will you both stop trying to reading my mind already?"
"That's an idea ... " Bridge murmured thoughtfully, almost as though he wasn't paying attention to the conversation at all anymore.
"What's not your fault?" Z asked, looking at Wes quizzically.
He resisted the urge to correct her that it was, because he knew Eric's threat had been more serious than it sounded. For a moment, he searched for the best way to begin. "You've all seen the statue in the main entrance way, right? The ... " He swallowed. "The S.P.D. Newtech Rangers?" He paused for only a moment, not bothering to check whether any of them had actually nodded or not. "It's not entirely accurate - they're missing Turbo and Astro. But basically, that was the team that was sent to Aquitar - " He stopped, frowning slightly, and glanced instinctively to Justin.
"Ten years ago," his teammate supplied instantly.
"Aquitar was the first time Emperor Grumm had managed to get so close to our solar system. Our allies there sent out a distress signal, so S.P.D. Earth sent off six Rangers on a rescue mission to do what they could to help." He took a deep breath, trying to shake away the memories. "Well, long story short, that's where we first met Broodwing."
"Wait - Broodwing?" Jack demanded sharply.
He nodded. "Broodwing was fascinated by the six of us and what we could do. And he started trying to learn more about us and where we were from. I thought we covered our identities pretty well, but ... "He shook his head.
"It wasn't enough," Justin finished quietly. "Grumm eventually pulled his forces from what was left of Aquitar, and Broodwing tracked the six of us back here - to Earth. No one knows exactly how long he spent studying us, but at some point, he hired a group of bounty hunters to kidnap several Ranger kids for scientific study." He reached out to touch Z's shoulder lightly, running a hand along her cheek as she stared at him. "Including the five of you."
"By the time we tracked everyone down, Elizabeth and Jaz were already gone, trying to find help," Wes murmured, too lost in thought to remember what to call them now. "Nerina was injured. Everyone was cold, hungry, and frightened out of their minds - Hawk couldn't even calm down long enough to keep himself visible. Bridge had gone into empathic shock, and Sky was trying so hard to protect him he couldn't let go of his shield."
~"It's never gonna be okay again."~
He jumped as something pinched his arm - *hard*.
He looked up, blinking, to find Eric studying him intensely. "Stay with me, Wes," he murmured, too low for anyone else to hear.
He swallowed hard, and nodded.
"What did you just call me?"
It took him a moment to realize Jack was talking to him, and he noted that Sky was watching him in concern as well. "Sorry, what?" he asked, shaking himself mentally.
"You said ... Elizabeth and ... Jaz ... ?" Jack sounded wary, as if he wasn't sure they were still talking about him.
Wes blinked. "What ... oh! Um, sorry. Jaz is - *was*, your nickname. Jackson Zhane Johnson, Jaz for short."
He could feel the odd look he was getting. "Jackson Zhane?" Jack repeated skeptically.
"That's what I said," Rocky commented absently, only to be elbowed by Adam.
"You named our son 'Bridge'," Adam reminded his husband. "Be quiet."
"It's a Johnson family tradition," Justin explained. "Each kid that's born to the Johnson Family - no matter which set of parents - is named with proceeding letters of the alphabet. For instance, Theodore Jarvis, who comes after Steven Ian, and is followed by Urwin Kenneth." He shrugged slightly. "You got stuck with 'J' and 'Z', and Teej decided to name you Zhane, after his teammate. I think Jaz was because Litania wanted a more unique name."
"So are my parents still alive?" Jack asked after a pause. Something in his tone said he either expected they weren't, or still wasn't sure if he wanted to know either way.
"Yes, they are," Aisha told him gently. "After no one could find you two, they decided it was just too painful to live on Earth. So they transferred to S.P.D. Gannos, in Litania's home dimension." She hesitated. "They know that you're here, and that you're okay, but they're waiting until you're ready to talk to them."
"What about Keri, then? No one bothered to tell her? Or does she just like being dramatic and making a scene?"
Wes knew he wasn't the only one who winced.
"Keri is the Red Silver Star Ranger of Gannos, and heir to your mother's throne, which means she can't leave her planet very often," Carter said carefully. "She's ... well, she hasn't made a secret of the fact that she's been looking for you since she was old enough to search. And she's a lot like your mother. Everyone realized that if Keri knew, she'd come straight here to meet you and try and drag you back to Gannos."
"Which is the last thing we figured you needed," Zack agreed.
Jack was silent for a moment, staring at the floor. "So you guys all knew?" he asked abruptly, looking up at Sky for a long moment before allowing his gaze to flicker to Bridge and Syd.
"Yes," Sky answered simply.
Syd winced. "We didn't want to scare you away," she confessed quietly, and Ryan rubbed her shoulder comfortingly at the meek tone to her voice.
"Or make you feel obligated to join S.P.D.," Bridge added. "Or more obligated, that is. Since you were sort of forced into it. Or bribed, as the case may be."
"He gets the idea, Bridge," Rocky murmured.
Jack stood, shoving his hands back into his pockets into what was obviously a defensive gesture as he headed back to the door. He paused just in front of it, but didn't turn around as he spoke. "I guess I should say thank you, for being honest with me. Finally. I'm ... I'm not gonna say I'm not mad. Furious, actually." He let out a slow breath. "But ... before anybody panics, no, I'm not going anywhere. Whether I like it or not, S.P.D. is more or less my home now."
He phased through the door without bothering to wait for it to open, not giving anyone a chance to say anything in return.