A/N: Hi guys! I thought I would take a little break from Head Above Water to post a Christmas story I thought of the other day. I hope you enjoy it. It combines my favorite obsession with my favorite movie. I also want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, Twizzlers or anything else mentioned in this fic.
It's a Morphing Life
"Kim, you've stirred that bowl of icing for about twenty minutes now. I think you're good." Andrew's voice said, breaking me out of the trance I had on the blue glass bowl in my hands. I glanced up at my brother, seeing him standing in the doorway of his kitchen. His gorgeous kitchen, located in his gorgeous house on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. He grinned at me, walking over to his stainless steel, top of the line oven and pulled the door open. Pulling on an oven mit, he grabbed the cookie sheet that was rest inside of the hot oven and set it on the counter next to the mess I had made while making the royal icing. "Pretty sure the gingerbread houses will be able to withstand a hurricane now."
"Well, at least an earthquake." I replied, setting my wooden spoon down along with the bowl. I moved a bag of sugar and the milk, letting him slip the tray further on the counter. Six little gingerbread men lined the sheet, ready to be decorated once they were cool.
"I'm sure the California Weather Team will be sure to ask you for the recipe." He winked, taking the mit off. "And why so spacey? Still thinking about the thing we aren't supposed to be talking about?"
"Oh, you mean how I was just fired and had to move back in with my kid brother? Totally not thinking about that." Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the sink and turned the warm water on. "I was just trying to figure out what my options are now. I mean, I had resources in Florida. Or so I thought."
"You have resources here, Kim. You've got us, your friends. You'll find something. I'm sure of it. Just take some time over the holidays to relax and you can figure out the rest of your life in the new year."
"It's easier to say when you aren't edging 32 with no career, no family. Hell, I don't even have a boyfriend." I muttered, scrubbing my hands with soap and water.
"It's a good thing we aren't talking about this then." Andrew turned the water off, handing me a dish towel. "Besides, you know the girls love having you here. You are their favorite aunt."
"I'm their only aunt." I replied. He shrugged.
"It just improves your chances." Looking over his shoulder, he stuck his head out of a large doorway. "Jenna! Dana! Time to make the gingerbread house!" Above our heads, there was a thundering noise and the sound of bounding feet came from the staircase around the corner. Two little balls of energy ran into the room, my nieces beyond excited for the Heart Christmas Eve family tradition. Jenna, the older girl coming in at the ripe old age of ten, jumped up on the stool closest to me. She had chestnut brown hair that was pulled back in a ponytail, bright green eyes behind thin framed glasses. She gets those from her mother, Tina. The rest of her though, was me right down to her height. Dana on the other hand, was a spitting image of Andy. The seven year old was almost as tall as her sister and her hair was more mousy brown than Jenna's. Her eyes were brown, matching the same shade as my brother. She was surely his miniature and the two were stuck like glue since day one. She jumped into his arms and he carried her over to the other stool, setting her down.
"I think someone is excited." I said, smiling at the two of them. They nodded, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the candy, the frosting and the large pieces of gingerbread we had made earlier. I had cut them to size, big enough to make a house that both of the girls could decorate without fighting. Grabbing an empty piping bag, I scooped the frosting I had made into it and tied it at the base.
"I've been waiting all day for this!" Dana said, fidgeting in her seat. "Can we do the gingerbread men too?"
"After the house. We have to wait for them to cool off or the icing will just melt on it." Andy replied. Bending over, he opened a drawer and pulled out to aprons. "How about we put these on? Your mother will kill me if you get icing all over your clothes." He helped the girls pull the aprons on, tying them around their waists. I handed each girl a piping bag and grabbed two sides of the house.
"Jenna, put a lot of icing on the edge right here." I said, pointing to the right side of the front wall. Sticking her tongue out slightly in concentration, she put a thick layer of the frosting on. As she did, I pressed the edges together. I applied enough force until it stood on it's own. Andy helped Dana on the other side, giving the house a third wall. Together, we put the fourth one on, a little door in the front of it. Next came the roof pieces. Andy helped me with this, both of us remembering the difficulty we had as kids when it came to this part. Soon, we had a well structures house standing in front of us on the tray.
"It looks great! I think it's time to decorate though." Andy said, winking at his daughters. They squealed, kneeling on the stools to start layering icing on the cookie house. I watched them decorate the dessert, finding myself thinking of the Christmases I had as a kid. This was a tradition we did every year until my parents divorced. Then, it was something I made sure to do with Andy the weekend before Christmas. He went to live with my father after the divorce, our mother getting me in the settlement. It was hard for us but we made it work. The tradition seemed to die out for a while when he went off the college and I was living in Florida. But after he got married to Tina and they announced they were having a baby, we made an agreement to keep the tradition alive every year. And we have over the course of the last ten years now. It was one of the only things I had to look forward to these past few years. It was also the only time I would take off from work to make the trip here every year.
Two weeks ago, I walked into my boss, Mr. Reynold's, office to request the vacation time.I had requested it about a month before that but he had neither approved nor denied it in our computer system yet. With it being a busy time of year for the school, I knew things happened and were hectic. But when I walked into his office, he informed me that the school board had voted and the music department was going to be downsized. They only had room in the budget for one music teacher and the 73 year old Mr. Turner had decided to stay for a few more years before retiring. This meant that I was the one being cut. I was crushed. It meant leaving my job that I loved and trying to find something else. I tried but didn't seem to find anything that would work with my skills and my degrees. When I called and told Andy about it, he offered to let me stay with him and Tina. I didn't jump for joy at the idea, feeling like an idiot but it soon became apparent it was the only real option I had. My lease was up and without a steady income, my landlord wouldn't renew it. So, I found myself in a moving van, heading for the other side of the country.
"What do you think, Aunt Kim?" Dana asked, showing me the shingles she was trying made on her half of the roof. They were pretty good for a seven year old. A little crooked but nothing that I could have done better myself.
"Awesome!" She smiled at my praise, deciding to keep going. On Jenna's side, she was fashining bushes on the side of the house along with windows that she lined with twizzlers. "Good work, Jenna. I love the windows."
"Thanks!" She said, not looking up. Leaning on my elbows, I felt something hollow in my chest as I watched them. I was proud of the family Andy had. He worked hard, becoming an engineer and landing a well paying job by the time he was 25. The girls were beautiful, his wife was amazing (though a bit bitchy at times) and his house was gorgeous. He had everything that a person would want for themselves. Everything that I wanted for myself that I wasn't even close to having. I had always thought that by now, I would be working in an amazing job with a family, married to the love of my life. I didn't even have a cat, let alone a man in my life. Life - 1, Kimberly - 0.
The girls finished up the house, adding windows on all sides and lining them and the doors with Twizzlers. Next, they added chocolate candies to the roof, making them look like layer shingles in the loops Dana had made. Andy helped them add big globs of icing to the peaks of the roof to look like icicles. I made a walkway with graham cracker pieces, showing where the gingerbread men will have to walk to get to their home. The girls added candy to pretty much every inch of the house, making it look like a diabetic nightmare once they were finished. Andy grabbed the tray it was on and carefully carried it over to the counter by the sink, out of the way. On his way back over, he grabbed the now cooled off gingerbread and set one down in front of each of the girls, himself and me.
"Wow!" Tina's voice exclaimed, walking into the kitchen. The raven haired woman smiled over at the gingerbread house and turned back to her daughters. "That's quite impressive! Is it supposed to be our house?"
"Yeah!" Dana exclaimed as Tina walked over to stand next to Andy. He handed her a gingerbread man too. "Now, we're going to make ourselves to live there."
"Of course we are." Andy said, smirking at Tina. The girls went to work, adding different colored frosting and gel to their cookies, making them look like them. I worked on mine, giving it a pink shirt with a pair of black pants. The hair was a bit of a challenge, making the long hair on the sides. Jenna showed me how todo it though to make it look longer. I added two eyes and a mouth, a smile as fake as the one I have been trying to wear on the face.
"What do you think? Does it look like Daddy?" Andy asked, holding his up. His cookie had a red suit on, red boots on his feet and a santa hat. It had his brown hair though and a wide smile on his face.
"You aren't Santa, Dad." Jenna replied, rolling her eyes. Right there. That was entirely me right there.
"I dressed it up for the holidays!" He protested. Dana slid her forward, the cookie dressed in a dress of mixed frostings and a purple beaded necklace. The hair wasn't a good as Jenna's but it was a good effort. Jenna put her's next to her sister's, her's wearing green and red pajamas.
"I think you guys did the best job." I said, setting mine next to theirs. Tina did so as well, hers having a different hair color than the rest of ours and green pajamas.
"I think so too." She said, smiling at them. Dana wiggled in her chair, looking over at the baking sheet that the cookies had been baked on.
"There's one left!" She said, pointing. "Whose it for?"
"It was just an extra one I made just in case one broke." Andy replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"Oh." Dana frowned. "I thought maybe it was in case Aunt Kim got a boyfriend for Christmas." Andy snorted, nearly choking on the gum drop he was chewing on. I sent him a glare of daggers, letting him know where he could shove his snickers. I shook my head.
"I don't think Santa is in the business of human trafficking." I said, wiping my hands off on the dish towel next to me. "Besides, I'd rather get something useful than a man."
"Hey!" Andy said, looking hurt. "I'm useful. Right, Tina?"
"Yes, dear." My sister-in-law said. "Come on, girls. It's time to get changed for bed. You don't want Santa to miss our house cause some naughty girls were still awake, would you?"
"No." Jenna said, the girls hopping down from their seats. They ran out of the kitchen, Andy following behind them. Tina shook her head, scooping up some pieces of cookie that had fallen on the counter. She dumped it into a bowl and sighed.
"Wine?" She asked.
"Yes, please." I muttered, grabbing the empty frosting bags. I tossed them into the garbage can as she took two wine glasses down from the cabinet near the fridge. Pulling the bottom drawer open, she grabbed a bottle of a white wine from the wine fridge part of the appliance and walked back over to the counter. Carefully, I set the finished gingerbread men with the house, propping them up on the front. The four of them stood together, looking like a happy family. Glancing down at mine in my hand, I realized that there wasn't a place for mine. Even Gingerbread Kimberly couldn't catch a break. I set her down on the counter next to it and went back to the island where Tina was waiting with a glass of wine for me.
"Here. Sorry about that. Kids, right? They do say the darndest things."
"That they do." Frowning, I took a long sip from my glass, almost emptying it. "Honest little people they are." She laughed.
"Just like their father." I nodded, agreeing. "Listen, don't take it to heart. The girls don't know everything going on. Besides, I'm with you. I'd rather get a giftcard than a man for Christmas."
"Santa would be nice and leave me a job with a 401k tucked under the tree." I replied, swirling the wine left in my glass. "Or at least a lead to where I should go with my life. Right now, I just feel like I'm not living for any kind of purpose. Like I could vanish from this spot right here and not even make an impact on the world."
"Stop it. You know better than anyone that those two little girls upstairs would be devastated if anything happened to their Aunt Kim. Andy and I would be too. And don't even get me started on your mother. That woman would be a trainwreck. You're just in a little slump in life. It happens. The best thing to do is dust yourself off and get right back up again. You will. You always do." She said in a reassuring tone. I shrugged.
"I know. It's just recently, I've been thinking about how little of a difference it would make if I had never been born." I finished the rest of my wine, filling it back up from the bottle. "It's not like I'm making huge strides right now."
"Everyone is here for a reason." Tina said, giving me a smile. "You'll find yours. I should go check on Andy. Those girls will drown him in the tub if he's not careful. You gonna be okay for a bit?"
"Yeah. Go ahead. I think I'm going to sit out back for a little while."
"Okay. Feel free to finish the wine." She winked, heading out of the kitchen. I grabbed the bottle, walking towards the two sliding doors on the left side of the kitchen. Flipping on the light switch next to them, I could see the softly illuminated sitting area in the backyard. I slid the door open and stepped out, the slightly cool December air in California making my pull my sweater tighter around me as I walked towards the chairs. It was a larger area located next to the pool and the hot tub. Cobbled stone was under my bare feet as I walked over to the chairs facing a fireplace. It was lined with black bricks, glass stones inside of the pit. I pressed a button on the control panel on the side and a fire roared to life inside of it. Andy had really thought of everything when he bought this house. Maybe becoming their live in nanny was an idea.
Sitting in the chair, I drained my wine glass and poured more inside, setting the half empty bottle on the ground next to me. Tucking my feet under my, I stared into the flames of the fire. The stones crackled but never broke under the heat of the flames, something I had to give them credit for. I was facing the flames myself and I was about ready to pop. Instead of feeling like a positive role model for my nieces, I felt more like a dingy lost at sea with nothing there to anchor me to shore. The very thought made me nauseous. How the hell did my life end up here? I was doing great when I was a teenager. I had great marks, a great group of friends, and the most perfect boyfriend, Tommy, on the planet. I also had a small side gig of being a Power Ranger. The Power Rangers are a team designed to protect the Earth from evil doers and aliens, mostly anyone who is looking to destroy Earth. Believe me, there's more people out there trying to do that than one would think. I had the world at my feet and felt like nothing could stop me.
Right before graduation, I landed a spot at the gymnastics school led by world famous trainer, Coach Schmidt. He had high hopes of me making it through the Pan Global games and right into a spot on the Olympic team. It meant leaving California though and heading to Florida. I agreed with the support of my friend, my family, and Tommy.I handed in my powers and off I went. I trained for long hours, working my body as hard as I could to achieve my dreams. I missed home though and Coach Schmidt saw this. He told me he felt like it was a distraction for me and that if I was serious, I needed to put 100% of myself into this. So, I made the decision to break up with Tommy. It wasn't something I wanted to do but thought it would be best for the both of us. We were 3,000 miles apart and I felt like I was holding him back from the things he wanted to do. That was the beginning of my ending however.
After breaking up with Tommy, I ended up go to the Pan Global games. During my routine on the beam, I feel and broke my ankle in three places. I needed to have surgery to fix it but the damage was too much for me to qualify for the Olympic team. When Schmidt heard of that, he promptly kicked me from the training program. I ended up staying with my grandparents in Florida since my mother was still living in Paris and my father didn't have the means for me to come back to California. I did manage to finish my high school diploma and ended up getting a music degree. Next came my teaching certificate. I found my job as a music teacher after that and figured it was one way I could go with my life. I thought I was happy but I knew I was lonely. And no matter who I tried dating or the people my co-workers tried to set me up with, deep down I knew that none of them would measure up to Tommy in my mind, the one that got away.
God, I sound like a freakin' Hallmark Christmas movie, I thought, rolling my eyes.I was more pitiful than I thought. I lost the one thing in my life I had going for me. I instantly felt like that seventeen year old version of me again, unsure of what to do. It made me feel so empty inside. It didn't help that since I moved back here, none of my friends from Florida have tried to contact me. And very few of my friends from here even know I'm back. I've been in hiding since my arrival, ashamed of how fast I had taken off with my tail between my legs. Besides, they were all living lives they were meant to be. Trini and Billy were physicists, owning their own lab. Jason was travelling the world with his wife, Sarah. Aisha and Rocky owned their own travelling agency. Adam was the guitarist for a rock band that was building quite the fan base. Zach was killing it on the broadway scene. And Tommy? The last I heard, he was with Kat, my replacement on the team, teaching high school science with a doctorate. Yeah, Surely, none of them needed to have me there to help them achieve all of that. Especially him. The last one I had even spoken to was Trini. She was calling to tell me that the gang would be getting together for Christmas this year if I was interested. She was the only one that knew I was back. I'm sure word had spread though. And yet, no one had bothered to find me.
"The world would be better off if I had never been born." I whispered, feeling my eyelids grow heavy with tiredness and wine. I snuggled into my sweater as I drifted off to sleep.
"Ay ay ay!" A mechanic voice exclaimed, shocking me out of a slumber. I jolted up, confusion setting in as I tried to figure out what was going on. The last I recalled, I was in the backyard. I still was, blanket now covering me. Had I dreamt the voice? I must have. It sounded an awful lot like someone I used to know. It was impossible thought. "Kimberly! There you are!" The voice said behind me. I whipped around, finding the red and gold chrome plated Alpha 5 standing in the space between my chair and the pool. My eyes widened as I looked at him, his chest plate lighting up where the lightning bolt was. His buttons were also flashing along with the thing screen on his head that went around the entirety of it.
"Alpha?" I asked, standing. I wiped my eyes, unsure if I was truly seeing him. He didn't vanish though, stepping closer instead. "How...how are you here?" I asked.
"I've been sent here to see you!" He exclaimed in a cheerful voice. He was just as I remembered him. It made my chest ache slightly to think of the last time I had seen him. My eyes flashed to the house where I could see Tina and Andy standing in the kitchen. If they turned just right, they would see me out here talking to a robot.
"You have to go, Alpha." I whispered, walking over to him. "I'm glad to see you but my brother will see you if you don't go."
"No, he won't." He replied. "I've been giving a cloaking mechanism to hide my from humans." He sounded proud of this achievement and I noticed that Tina looked out the door but didn't even bat an eye in our direction. Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair.
"What's going on? Is something wrong, Alpha?" I asked, sitting on the chair closest to us so I could face him.
"I'd say. I heard that you wished you'd never been born. I was worried about you. That's why I came to see you as soon as I heard." I shook my head.
"I'm fine. Really." I said, faking a smile. "It's good to see you. I've missed you."
"I've missed you, too. You are sad, Kimberly. I can read it with my emotions scanner. Please don't be. The world wouldn't be the same without you here." Spoofing, I leaned back against the chair.
"I don't know about that. I mean, you're the first visitor I've had since I've come back. Where exactly did you come from, Alpha?" I asked. He stepped towards me, his metal feet scrapping on the bricks under our feet.
"I've been doing research on Aquitar. Your friends still love you, though. I'm sure of it. Their lives wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for you being a part of them." I smiled at him.
"You're sweet. It's not the same from when you knew us all when we were kids. Besides, they didn't really need me then either. I was just the damsel in distress, dressed up in pink that constantly needed saving. I was no help with anything that the team needed. I was just there."
"Oh, dear." Alpha said, shaking his head. "I guess I will have to show you since you won't believe me."
"Show me? What are you talking about?"
"This." Reaching up, he pressed several buttons on his chest plate. Around us, the world seemed to dissolve. I jumped up from the chair, seeing it dematerialize right in front of my eyes. Everything faded to black for a moment before reappearing in a fuzzy picture. I saw I was no longer standing in Andy's backyard. Instead, I was in the middle of Angel Grove park. Or, at least what used to be Angel Grove park. All around, the buildings of the square were either destroyed or in ruins. Smoke came from a number of them and the park itself looked like a battlefield. Makeshift grave markers littered the area where I had played volleyball as a teen with my friends. The playground was demolished, nothing left there but pieces of metal. The lake was also gone, the water dried up and large rocks in the center of it. I gasped, covering my mouth.
"Where are we?" I asked, looking around.
"Angel Grove in 2000 in a universe where you were never born." Alpha replied. Pressing a button on his head, a light projected from him, illuminating the darkness around us.
"What happened here?" I whispered. The moon was full above us, make it just bright enough to see.
"I think you should see if for yourself." He said. "Come on." He walked forward, heading in the direction of the lower park. I walked behind him, trying to see something that made sense in what I was seeing. Nothing was standing higher than two stories, the building leveled. On the taller structures, there were people with bright lights, using them to look at the streets below. From what I could see, they were dressed as Power Rangers. Relief filled my chest at the sight of them. They would be able to figure all of this out. There had to be some kind of weird spell in place or something.
"Look, Alpha. Rangers. We can ask them for help." I said. Alpha shook his head, continuing to walk.
"No, we can't. No one can see or hear us. You've never been born." He said without a moment of thought. I followed him still, unsure of what the hell he was talking about. He headed straight towards the parking lot of the Youth Center, the only real building that seemed to be in some kind of decent shape. Walking up to the back door, he yanked on it. There were thick chains around the handles, locking it. It did open slightly, allowing enough space for him to slip through. He help it for me and I did as well, entering the dark youth center.
The only light source came from Alpha's small beam. Everything had been tossed to the side, the pictures torn from the walls and the lighting fixtures ripped out of the ceiling. Moving forward, Alpha headed towards the door that was the kitchen. It was one I had seen the owner, Ernie, walk out of a hundred times. I knew he wouldn't be walking out of it now. Ernie had died the summer I graduated from college, his niece letting Jason and Trini know. In the window of the door, I saw a small flicker of light. Soon, the soft murmurs of voice followed. Alpha pushed the door open and allowed me to step through first.
On the other side, I found a group of people sitting around the kitchen island. Candles were lit around the room, giving some light. On the surface of the counter, there was a large map rolled out. Little figures were placed on it along with what appeared to be towers made of toothpicks. Next to these, there were black boxes and thumb tacks, marking some kind of structure it seemed. At the head of the table, I saw a man standing there. His hair was dark and shaggy, it sticking up in places in the back. He was dressed in all place, homemade armor coating his arms and chest as he peered down at the map in front of him.
"This makes no sense." He spoke, his voice sounding deep. It made me stop as I realized it was Jason who had spoken. I looked closer, seeing it was him. He was a great deal skinnier than I had ever seen him and his looked worn down, bags under his eyes. I saw a small piece of his red uniform under the armor now.
"They are on the move. That's for sure." A woman said next to him. To my surprise, I saw it was Trini. Like Jason, she wore the homemade armor and her hair was pulled back in a braid that ran down her back. Yellow was painted on her chest plate and dirt was smeared on her face as if she hadn't bathed in weeks. Leaning forward, she pointed at one of the towers. "Billy reported no sightings in this area, different from last week." At the mention of Billy's name, I turned to the other two figures in the room. Neither one of them were Billy. Instead, I noticed that they were in fact Bulk and Skull, to other people I had gone to high school with. They had been the class bullies. Well, had tried to be. They were harmless for the most part. Both sat at the other end of the table, armor cladded. Bulk was skinnier and Skull had a bandana with skulls printed on it covering his neck. They both looked the most serious I had ever seen them.
"Skull and I managed to follow a team of them to the north side. Something was happening. There were at least thirty of them." Bulk said, scratching his head. "Drakkon is up to something."
"Something awful, I'm sure." Jason sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Have we heard from Zack or Billy yet?"
"No. We haven't had a signal from their packs in over twelve hours. We have a unit out, looking for them now." Skull replied, frowning. "They are set to report back within the hour."
"They should have been back by now. That neutralizer only needed to be placed and turned on. Something must have happened to them on the way." Jason said, shaking his head.
"We can't give up hope yet." Trini said in a soothing voice, setting a hand on his arm. "We'll find them. Zack and Billy know how to hold their own ground."
"Trini's right. We'll find them, Jase." Skull said nodding. "Our intell at Drakkon's lair haven't reported them there."
"Whose Drakkon?" I asked, looking down at Alpha. He sighed, shaking his head.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He answered softly. He held out his hand and took mine in it. "It's too far to walk. I'll take you there." Glancing over to the group, I watched the hardened versions of my friends as they began to dissolve just like it had back in the backyard. We appeared in what I thought was a dark room. I realized after a couple of moments that the room wasn't dark. There was a pale green light filtering through it from orbs that hung in the air. It was a generous size room, pillars lining the stone walls that held Power Ranger helmets. Some of them I recognized from the news, teams that proceeded ours. Others, I had no clue. I did see Jason's helmet perched on the pillar closest to mine. What was it doing here? Turning, I saw there was a throne in the middle of the room, the back of the chair facing Alpha and I. I could see the dark shadow of a figure sitting there.
"Where are we Alpha?" I whispered, unsure if the person would be able to hear us.
"Lord Drakken's throne room." Alpha replied, not bothering to hush his voice. He walked forward, edging his way around the throne. I followed, careful to not touch anything. As I walked around, I saw that the figure was a man. He was dressed in a dark green robe, long hair hanging over the front of his face slightly. His left hand hung over the arm of the throne while the other drummed on the other arm. Sighing, he rolled his eyes in a bored expression. His face was pale in the green light but I saw deep purple lines running up his cheeks from his neck. They looked like veins, filled with some kind of poison. As he shifted in his seat, I saw his eyes and reality came crashing into me.
"That's Tommy, Alpha." I said, looking at the robot in disbelief. Alpha nodded, clasping his hands in front of him.
"Lord Drakkon is indeed Tommy." He replied. I shook my head, stepping towards him slightly.
"Sire!" A voice said behind us, stopping me. I turned, seeing a figure dressed in Trini's signature uniform of yellow. It was a man though and the outfit was slightly different, weapons at their hips. Tommy looked up, his bored expression still present. "We've found trespassers on the south side of the perimeter."
"Bring them to me." Tommy replied flatly. The guard nodded, disappearing from a dark doorway. He reappeared a few moments later, another guard with him. This one wore black armor and to my surprise, he was dragging in Zack behind him. There was a deep gash on Zack's cheek but other than that, he looked like the same kid I had grown up with. His hair was cut short and his armor was black, a black cloak under it. Behind him, another guard in red carried Billy. He looked worse for ware. He was sporting a black and blue eye where his glasses should have sat. He had less armor than the rest of them, a tattered blue hoodie on his torso. Fear filled his eyes as the two guards forced them to kneel in front of Tommy who smiled at the sight of the young men. "Ah. Billy and Zack. Long time no see. I was wondering when you and your friends were going to pay me a visit." He said, pulling himself to his feet. Now standing, I could see the dragon dagger on his hip and his hand naturally rested on it as he stepped down from the throne perch.
"Guess you could say we aim to please." Zack said, pulling against his restraints. His arms were bounded behind his back and he glared up at Tommy. "What do you want, Tommy?"
"It's Drakkon, remember?" Tommy asked, leisurely pacing around the two of them as they knelt. "And you were on my land. You should tell me what you were doing here."
"That's none of your business." Zack said, clenching his jaw. I had never seen him this angry before. If looks could kill, Tommy would be one dead asshole right now.
"Sire, they had these with them." The yellow guard said, stepping forward. He held two poles in his hand, small motors attached to the top of them. "They were attempting to attach them to our walls."
"Well, fuck me." Tommy chuckled, gazing over at the guard. "Neutralizers. I should have known. That's a Cranston specialty. Tsk tsk." He shook his head like he was speaking to a child. "What were you boys planning?"
"Like I said, it's none of your business." Zack replied through gritted teeth.
"Alpha, we have to do something." I said. Alpha shook his head.
"I told you. There's nothing we can do. You were never born so you don't exist here." He replied.
"What about you? You have to exist!" I exclaimed.
"I did. I've been destroyed." He said softly.
"Billy," Tommy said, gaining my attention again. "What were you doing out there? I know you don't have the balls to lie to me." Billy visibly shook with fear even though he tried to give a brave front.
"I won't tell you." He said, his voice not quivering. Tommy shrugged.
"Alright. If you insist." With a quick movement, he pulled the dagger from his waist and sliced Zack clean across his Adam's apple. I let out a shriek, covering my mouth as Zack's eyes widened. Blood instantly began to pool from the wound, drenching the front of his armor in the deep red liquid. Zack began to follow forward and I ran to catch him. I couldn't though, him going right through my hands like I was invisible. He let out a shallow breath before closing his eyes. Billy let out a gasp, shaking his head at the sight.
"No. No. NO!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face. "This can't be true! This can't all be because I wasn't born."
"It is though. Without you there on the Rangers team, there was no one there to try and befriend Tommy after Rita placed him under her spell. He had no reason to fight off the spell after the other rangers viewed him as the enemy. It allowed her to transform him into Lord Drakkon without any objection." Alpha said.
"I'm going to give you one last chance, Billy." Tommy said, stepping over Zack's body. "What were you doing?"
"Tommy, don't do this!" I screamed, trying to get him to see or hear me. He didn't flinch though, no sign of him knowing I was there.
"I-I-I…" Billy started, stuttering with fear. "I can't."
"Sure, you can, Billy. Just tell me what you and the other Power Rangers are planning and where the rest of them are hiding." Tommy replied, kneeling in front of Billy. "I'll make it a whole lot quicker that way."
"Without someone there to help him, Rita morphed him into Lord Drakkon. Lord Drakkon took over the world, destroying the Command Center and the Power Coins." Alpha said. "Tommy doesn't exist anymore. Without you there, he had no one there to believe in the good he had inside of him. He's wiped out most of the human race."
"I won't." Billy whispered, bravery shining through. Tommy sighed, shaking his head as he stood back up again.
"As you wish then." He swung again and sliced Billy's throat. He let out a gurgling noise before slumping backwards, his eyes wide open. A sob emitted from my lips as I watched the life drain from him. Bending over Billy, Tommy pulled a small device from his front breast pocket. Holding it up, I saw it had a blinking red light on it. "Yellow." Tommy barked, glancing over at the guard. The guard stepped forward,bending slightly at the knee in front of Tommy.
"Yes, sire." He replied.
"Take this and track the homing beacon. That is where we will find the rest of the degenerates." Tommy handed the guard the little disk. "Prepare for battle. We will take them out while they sleep."
"Yes, sire." The guard turned and walked out, the two guards from before dragging Billy and Zack's bodies out with them. Tommy walked back over to his throne, touching his waistband. He morphed, except for his head. His body glowed a green and white light, covering him in white spandex with green accents.
"He absorbed the white tigerzord powers when Jason tried to use them to defeat Drakkon's army. He took Saba and killed him, taking the powers for his own." Alpha explained. A helmet appeared on the seat of the throne, a mix between the Dragonzord and the Tigerzord helmets. Three points hung off the top of it into the air, a menacing look about it.
"Two down, two to go." Tommy said, smiling down at his helmet. Picking it up, he let out a dark and loud laugh that brought me back to his time as the evil green ranger. "Sleep tight, Rangers. It'll be the last thing you'll ever do." He pulled the helmet on, his laughter filling the room as the world began to dissolve again.
We appeared in Angel Grove park, the same place we did as before. Only this time, it was an active war zone. Guards like the ones from Tommy's lair were engaged with civilians that I recognized as Rangers. Fists and weapons flew between the sides, random beams of colored energy flying through the air at times. The noise was almost deafening, yelling and screaming coming from both teams. In the dead center of it all, I saw Tommy's morphed form going toe to toe with Jason.
"Give it up, Scott. You've lost." Tommy's voice called, taunting Jason who was wielding his old Power Blaster. He shot it at Tommy who ducked, countering it with a sharp kick to the solar plexus. Jason manager to only take some damage from the hit, dodging the best he could.
"Where's our friends?" Jason called out, connecting the butt of his weapon with Tommy's helmet. Tommy stepped back, shielding himself from another blow.
"Dead. Just like how you will be in a few short minutes." Reaching for his waist, Tommy pulled what looked like the remained of Saba from his other side. To his right, he spotted Trini fighting with a blue cladded soldier. Grabbing her by the hair, Tommy yanked her towards him and plunged the blade of the sword into her stomach. She emitted a loud scream, blood spraying everywhere as Jason tried to run forward.
"STOP IT!" I screamed. "Alpha, I can't see anymore. I can't. I want to live. I want to stop this. I can't lose them. Please. I want to live again. Please." I closed my eyes, begging for everything to stop. For it to not be happening. I heard Jason yell and I knew he was gone too, Tommy killing him with the rest of them. "I want to live again...I want to live again…" I whimpered, feeling my entire body shake.
"Kimberly?"Andy's voice said, the rest of the noise happening around me stopping. My stomach dropped at the thought of my brother being here. Opening my eyes, I saw him standing in front of me. Instead of being in the middle of battle, however, we were in his backyard. His pool hummed behind us, his filter kicking on. The fire crackled in it's pit where I had turned it on. There were no guards, no blood, no evil versions of Tommy and lastly, no Alpha. My heart was thundering in my chest as I looked around. "Are you alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"I did." I whispered, closing my eyes for a moment before opening them again. "I think I had a nightmare or something. What time is it?"
"About nine. I saw you come out here a few minutes ago and thought I would check on you. You sure you're alright?" He asked, concern on his face. I nodded.
"Yeah." I heard the door behind Andy open and Tina stuck her head out.
"Kim, you have a visitor." She called, smiling. I looked at her, confused. Then dread set in. Was Alpha at the door now? Was he going to forever haunt me now?
"Thanks." I called back. Quickly, I passed Andy and entered the house. Going through the kitchen, I beelined it up the hallway to the foyer where I found the front door slightly cracker. Opening it, I was surprised to find Trini and Billy standing there, Jason and Zack standing behind them. "Trini!" I exclaimed, hugging her as tightly as I could. I almost knocked the plate she was holding in her hand as I pulled her close.
"Hi! I'm happy to see you too." She chuckled, pulling away. "We figured since you weren't ready to come to us, we would come to you."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I know moving back here was hard. We wanted to give you some space before coming over." Jason replied, smiling at me. "But, you gave us no choice. It is Christmas Eve after all."
"I have never been so happy to see you guys before in my life." I said, feeling tear prick the back of my eyes. "Come on in." Stepping aside, I let them come in. Each was carrying something whether it was food or wine or presents. Andy and Tina came into the foyer, greeting them as well. Relief flooded my chest as I hugged each of them. They were alive and well, something I had just seen the opposite of.
"You look like you've just experience a phenomenon." Billy said, hugging me. I chuckled, shaking my head.
"I guess you could say that. You all are just a sight for sore eyes." I replied.
"Good to hear!" Zack called, winking at me as the group headed towards the kitchen. I went to follow when I heard a knock on the door. Stopping, I turned the doorknob and pulled the door open. I was expecting to see Rocky, Aisha and Adam standing on the other side of it. To my disbelief though, Tommy was there. He looked just as equally shocked to see me as well, his eyes wide. His beautifully warm brown eyes. His face was cleared of all purple veins and his hair was cut short, looking proper like a teacher would.
"Tommy." I said softly.
"Hey, Kim." He replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry for just showing up. Jason told me you were back in town and we were all meeting here to surprise you. Surprise?" He said, holding up his hands.
"It's great to see you, Tommy." I said, smiling up at him. "It really is."
"The same goes for you. I've wanted to call you and everything but life sort of has gotten in the way with everything going on."
"I should have called you." I said, softly. "Tommy?"
"Yeah, Kim?" He asked. Standing on my tippy toes, I pressed my lips against his. I felt his arms wrap around me without a moment of hesitation, pulling me closer. Alpha had been right. I was meant to be in this world. I was meant to be a part of all of their lives. I was meant to be with Tommy. It was something I was born to do. Pulling away, Tommy pressed his forehead against mine.
"Merry Christmas." I whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Kim."