A/N: Yes, a Power Rangers fic. I can't believe it myself. But Lucas was just too juicy and unexplored a character to ignore, so… here you go.

I've watched, so far, only until the episode where Eric's appointed leader of Silver Guardians, and that is when this story takes place. Also, I watch the show dubbed in my mother tongue (which is not English), so I'm not sure about some of the Terminology (most of which have been literally translated into English). Any other warnings? You'll be seeing a bit of the Rangers' dark sides. ((evil snicker))

Disclaimer: Don't own anything you recognise in this story.

Azure Dreams

One: Desire

Lucas Kendall was a man who always appreciated some order in his life.

A secret place in him, a tiny dark ghost that latched onto his murky subconscious often whispered that that was part of the reason he had joined Time Force in the first place – the allure of those prim and neat young men and women, decked in their white uniforms, saving the world in their own, orderly way, moving like ants to the tune of strategies created by greater minds; making sure everything worked like clockwork. The thrill of racing was something that complemented the routine of his job, and everything was balanced – all was right, and the universe was in order.

Which was probably why he hadn't appreciated suddenly being transported three hundred years into the past after an indescribably disastrous mission, and being expected to fight mutants to save his life (and not to mention the Earth's future) every day.

Every. Single. Day.

He sighed, and leaned back in his chair, watching through hooded eyes his fellow Rangers scurry about the clock tower room, engaged in those million little – yet ridiculously essential – trivialities. The thrill of being a Blue Ranger, wielding such power, such authority, the pure pleasure of having mutants tremble at the sight of him, was almost worth the loss of order, he reflected.

Almost.

"Lucas!" Trip. He seemed to be struggling with their Time Interface computer, which had gone haywire. Again.

"Coming," he said dully, getting up and striding toward his friend. The ultra-thin processing unit of the computer hissed and belched tiny wisps of smoke in response, while Circuit flitted above both their heads, crying in her own metallic way, "Oh dear, oh dear, this is not good…"

Trip flashed him an apologetic smile, pushing some of his green hair out of his eyes. "You think you could do something about this, Luke? I have an errand to run, and I'm already late…"

"Sure." Technically, Trip was the one among them most qualified to deal with such delicate Time equipment, but hadn't he, Lucas Kendall, been the one to secure second place – with top distinction – in the technology department back at the Time Force Academy? "No problem at all. Where are Katie and the others?"

"Katie and Wes just left on some job for Mr. Carson." He rolled his eyes. "And you know how demanding that man can be." He grabbed his backpack. "And Jen should be back any moment now." He rushed down the stairs. "Thanks, and see you later, Lucas!"

"Yeah. See you later." He turned back to the protesting computer, and narrowed his eyes. "Now, you." He rolled up his sleeves and picked up the laser-driver, wielding the thin equipment like a sword. "You're going to co-operate."

Circuit watched him nervously – well, as nervous as a robot could manage – from the neighbouring table. "Don't be too hasty, Lucas…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

One agonising hour later, where Circuit was screaming expletives she most certainly oughtn't have known, and he was screaming ones even worse, and the innards of the Time Interface computer was spread all over the worktable, the door to the tower room opened, and a curious face peeked in.

"Uh… is this a bad time to be returning?"

Lucas whirled around, his temper flaring. "Bad time? Of course not. Just a piece of malfunctioning technology that won't even be invented in another three hundred years…" He blinked, and trailed away, as he finally realised who was standing at the door, looking at him with an expression of gentle amusement.

Jen.

She laughed and entered the room, eyeing the smoking pieces of equipment on the table with an amused eye. "Is the thing holing up again?"

"Yeah," Lucas replied, unable to keep a note of sullenness out of his voice. "Trip put me in charge of getting it running by the time he came back."

Jen nodded. "Which would also be the time the Time Force Base Captain pays his weekly call." She looked toward the gadget again, hands on hips. "Well, let's get cracking, then."

Lucas looked at her, incredulous. "Jen, I've been trying to fix it for the past one hour. Nothing's worked."

She smiled benignly at him. "Oh, I think we can fix it now. Assemble all the parts again, will you, Lucas?"

With barely concealed scepticism, Lucas did as the Pink Ranger told, and stepped back from the stubbornly blank holographic screen. "Now what?"

Her smile widened into a grin. "Now, I don't know much about gadgetry, but I do know a time-tested method, which just might work."

His eyebrows rose. "Oh? And what's that?"

"Watch, and learn."

She stepped back a few paces from the computer, hands raised in attacking position, a look of intense concentration on her face. Lucas and Circuit watched apprehensively as she sprinted toward the gadget, and brought her hands down on the hologram-builder spikes with a loud "Hyyaah!"

A few smoky sputters, and the holographic screen flickered to life, as the system initiated itself.

Lucas's jaw dropped.

Jen smiled triumphantly, and rubbed her hands. "Works every time."

"Most effective, Miss Jen, but I must wonder about the stability of the machine if that technique is used too often…" Circuit said, glowing eyes blinking.

Lucas just shook his head, and lifted a nearby power cable.

Circuit seemed to welcome his move. "If you'll please, Lucas, I would like to recharge now, before the captain calls. I believe the past one hour has really frazzled my internal circuitry."

He affixed the cable into one of Circuit's internal circuits, while the robot closed its eyes, and began to recharge. Lucas sighed and dropped into a nearby chair, inexplicably exhausted. Jen sat across him, still smiling. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her this happy since before Alex died. He cleared his throat.

"Somebody's cheerful today."

Her eyebrows rose, pink lips curling into a mock pout, which, surprisingly set off alarm bells in Lucas's head. "Is that a crime, or something?"

"No, not really." He waved a hand vaguely. "You know what they say about sharing the joy."

"Why I'm happy?" She leaned back, the last fading rays of sunlight filtering in through the window throwing shadows over her face, throwing her strong features into sharp relief. Lucas felt as if he had just seen a painting come to life, and the ethereal nature of the whole situation rose when she began to speak, her voice low, soft, and loaded with meaning. "To be honest, I don't know myself. I guess today's just been so peaceful – no mutants to fight, which was kind of a relief " – Lucas found himself agreeing wholeheartedly – "and I… I was reminded of how wonderful it used to be, before the whole mess with Ransik started."

Lucas's eyes narrowed. "I thought those memories would be painful."

Jen sighed. "I guess they were, but I'm sure Alex wouldn't like me to remember him that way, you know? He was the best thing that ever happened to my life, and I'd like to remember him that way. All the happy times." She fingered the thin silver engagement ring on her right hand, almost absentmindedly.

There was a moment of silence after that, heavy with a billion emotions that seemed to roil within Lucas's soul.

He'd always had a distinct interest in Jen, even before they were assigned to the same missions. He was interested in what he considered a 'very curious' personality of hers, her determination, her stubbornness, how she could transform from being a nervous young girl to a strong young woman of calibre and decision.

He remembered her on the day they had first been admitted into the Time Force Academy, two nervous fifteen year olds among many other nervous fifteen year olds, overawed by the reputation of the Academy and the organisation they were entering, and anxious of the onerous responsibilities they would one day have to assume. They had been assigned to the same group, and Jen, for all her faults, had been the most determined and hardworking of theirs.

There had been a time of self-doubt, Lucas knew, and that had been the time Alex had made – no, crashed – his way into their lives.

He had watched them as that intangible feeling rose between them, and he had worried.

No, he had been angry.

Furious.

He had seethed every time Jen leaned against Alex's strong shoulders, sighing contentedly, every time his hands had guided hers in range practice, every time she had smiled at him with a smile that radiated love so unconditional that many people could only dream of having someone love them like that…

He had been the best student in their batch. Best pilot. Best fighter. Champion racecar driver. It was obvious that she ought to have approached him, but Alex, a senior student, had come and simply stolen her heart away. It was just not right.

It was just not in the scheme of things.

He looked across the table at Jen again, and realised that he wanted her. He had wanted her from the beginning. Her stubborn, fiery nature complemented his cool, sensible one perfectly. They would have fit, would have been another perfect piece in the jigsaw puzzle of life. Up till the incident with Ransik and their appearance in 2001, the want had been not so much as love as the desire to set order to his life.

But when they met Wes –

That desire morphed into competitive lust, fuelled by his fury.

Alex had taken away last piece to his perfect life not once, but twice!

"Um, Lucas? Is something wrong?"

He was startled out of his spiralling musings, to find Jen looking at him with concern. Her face was now partially obscured by shadow, as the last few rays of sunlight coming through the huge glass face of the clock glowed a soft golden colour.

She was so incredibly beautiful

"Nothing, Jen. Nothing."

He both hated and marvelled at the deep husky tones his voice had taken. So susceptible to a moment of lust fabricated by years of repressed emotions…

"Are you sure? You look a little disturbed about something."

If only you had any idea… He heard the worn leather of his chair rustle as he stood up slowly, walking over to where she sat, looking up at him with a curious – and mostly concerned – gaze.

He bent down.

He could hear the creak of wood outside. Somebody was coming up the stairs. That somebody could see them.

But he didn't care, not really.

"Lucas?"

He reached out with one hand.

"You have something –"

That makes me crazy. That makes me want you in my life like no other woman.

" – on your face."

What he did next was inevitable, really. In one, indeterminable second, his lips were on hers, his hands had slid into her soft chestnut curls, and he was kissing her with a passion that he had only dreamt of… Jen was limp under his kiss for a moment, too surprised to react. The golden light filtering through the enormous glass window behind them illumined their moment, casting what felt to Lucas a magical, ethereal quality.

The door opened.

"L-Lucas?" Trip. He sounded surprised, and shocked beyond measure.

"What? Jen? Lucas?" Katie sounded incredulous, but unlike Trip, her voice held more fascination than betrayal.

"JEN!"

Wes.

Lucas, master of perception, would still be unable, many days later, to analyse the tumult of emotions Wes had expressed through that single syllable.

The next moment, Lucas and Jen's lips were torn apart, as Wes ploughed into him with a ferocity Lucas had not expected from the Red Ranger. "How dare you?" Wes yelled, eyes burning with fury – and jealousy? Lucas couldn't tell – as he shoved at Lucas.

Lucas Kendall stumbled backwards, stunned by the force of that push.

"How dare you do that to her?"

Wes had pushed against him again, uncharacteristic anger and strength fuelled by some indeterminable source, as the other Rangers watched in stunned, paralysed silence. Lucas was literally shot toward the window –

-- but, this time, he couldn't stop himself.

The shatter of glass pierced the air as the glass clock face cracked and shattered behind the force of his impact, and he was falling, the light reflecting on the millions of tiny glass fragments that followed him on the long, slow descent.

And through the high piercing sound of the shattering glass that echoed over and over again in his ears until the pain seared through his body, he heard one voice clearly, as though she had been standing right by him, soft lips against his ear:

"LUCAS!"