I'll be writing the Phantoms arc my own way, so bear with me while it takes place. There will be the odd crossover, (mostly just the characters involved) but on the whole, expect the script to be thrown out the window and totally re-written.

Anyway, time to get the usual stuff out of the way.

Legal: I do not own Power Rangers or the associated rights, names, characters, places, events etc. Any of the places, events etc. not covered by the above rights are to be considered solely the creation of the author. In the events of crossovers with the script (of which there shouldn't be many) Disney owns the rights, I don't.

Rating: T – May be some adult themes, violence etc.

Timeline: Immediately following the events of "The Rhino Ranger Arc: Re-written". As a quick re-cap, Dominic has very good reason to be upset. As a result of the battles to become the Rhino Ranger, he's made a startling discovery. Not only is Master Mao really his father, Jarrod is his brother. Realising that RJ knew but didn't tell him, the friends are now at odds, with Dominic feeling hurt and betrayed by RJ.

The next morning, Lily woke up to find the other side of the bed uncharacteristically empty. RJ had obviously gotten up early that day. She heard him getting ready in the bathroom and came to his side as he observed his appearance in the mirror. The left side of his face was horribly swollen and his cheekbone badly discoloured as a result of Dominic's punch the previous night. The two had been firm friends and used to regularly spar against each other, so they would occasionally hurt each other but this time it was different. Dominic hadn't tried to pull the punch in the slightest and had let fly with all of his strength. Truth be told, neither RJ nor Lily could really blame him for his reaction to the startling news.

"How's the face?" Lily asked him. "Apart from adorable I mean."

"It's still sore." RJ replied, stroking his face gingerly, wincing slightly as his fingers ran across the bruising. "My neck hurts like hell. Dominic's a lot stronger than he looks."

"RJ, he's just hurting." She told him, resting her head against his back and hugging him warmly. "I'm sure things will be fine in the long run."

"I'm not so sure." RJ responded in a sigh. "I've known Dom a long time. He's slow to anger and even slower to forgive. I've never seen him hurt this badly. I think this might be it for us."

"RJ, don't say that." Lily gasped, surprised by his statement. "You've been friends far too long to give up on him. You've got to talk to him. You've got to..."

"Say what exactly?" RJ asked her sarcastically. "Oh, sorry I kept quiet about the fact you were adopted and you have a brother you never knew about, fancy going for a beer?"

"Sarcasm doesn't look good on you." Lily commented, hitting him playfully. "You know what I mean. I know this will have hurt, but you can't just let things rest like this. I can see how much this has hurt you. You have to make things right with him."

RJ turned to her, and she could see the tears on his cheeks. She knew how upset he was that this had happened. They had talked long into the night about how Master Mao had revealed this most amazing of secrets to him, and how much it gnawed at him to keep it.

"Lily, I don't know if he can ever forgive me." He replied, hugging her tightly. "I should never have kept this from him. I should have said something..."

"Like you said, what exactly could you have said to him?" Lily began, before beginning to mimic RJ's voice, "Oh, sorry I kept quiet about the fact you were adopted and you have a brother you never knew about, fancy going for a beer?"

"But..."

"RJ, I know you were put in an impossible situation." Lily told him sympathetically. "If anything I blame Master Mao. He should have said something to him years ago. He certainly shouldn't have put all this on you. If he didn't say anything to Dom he shouldn't have said anything to you, it was always going to end in tears."

"I just wish there was something I could do to help him." RJ muttered, looking back to the mirror, again inspecting his injury. "Something tells me trying to talk to him is only likely to get me punched again."

"Do you want me to put some concealer on it?" Lily asked him. "It really does look pretty awful."

"I'll just stay in the kitchen." He replied with a bright grin. "I wouldn't want to scare off the customers. Just kiss it better and I'll be fine."

"I think I can manage that." Lily stated, pulling him down and kissing his swollen cheek gently.

"You know, I think my lips hurt a little too." RJ said cheekily. Lily just laughed and pulled him into a long, passionate kiss. RJ always felt better when he was with her. He was normally able to sort these things out in his mind himself, but Dominic was his best friend. The hurt and the emotion of the situation had clouded his mind. He still didn't have a clue how he was going to deal with the situation with Dominic, but with Lily by his side he felt a lot better.

Back in the fortress, Jellica secreted herself in a chamber hidden beyond the view of Dai Shi. Having witnessed both her fellow overlords being destroyed, she knew that she needed the support of the phantoms for her survival. The Rangers had already destroyed Grizzaka and Carnisoar, and she was certain Dai Shi would be hunting her for retribution over her defection. Especially now he had mastered the zukado powers, he was easily capable of destroying her, and would almost certainly be looking for an opportunity to do so. She opened the canvas sack, observing the three remaining crystal eyes with the passion of the desperate.

"The phantoms are my only hope, but I must survive until the alignment." She thought aloud. "Until then, I need to find some reinforcements to keep the wolves from the door."

She opened up a newspaper to a photograph, getting an idea immediately. Observing the main photograph, she immediately felt her spirits rising.

"I know just where to get them." She commented. "I guess it's time I visited San Angeles."

Will Aston woke up beside his live-in girlfriend, Rose Ortiz, stretching himself awake. Life had been good to him since his run with the Rangers. Andrew Hartford was so impressed with his skills as a recovery agent that he had put him to work testing security systems for one of his tech companies. He had found it a bit of a change at first, but he was now earning more than he had been risking his life breaking into the homes of some of the most dangerous people on the planet, and he got to wake up in the same bed every morning.

More than that, he got to wake up next to Rose. She had been a child prodigy and a university lecturer before he met her as a Ranger. He had to admit not being impressed at first, she was initially a shy, timid little thing, constantly hiding in the back of the group, only to remind everyone there was actually a fifth member of the team any time a technical question came up.

Over time though, he had gotten to know her better. He'd been impressed by her intelligence and her gentle, humble nature. He'd met more brainiacs than he cared to remember in his career, constantly regaling him for hours about the brilliance of their latest device, and desperately seeking any opportunity to remind him how smart they were, but Rose was different. She had initially been a little dismissive, almost embarrassed by her intelligence, seeing it as some kind of freakish part of her that invited scorn, but over time she'd come to accept it.

Dr. Hartford didn't have to be convinced too hard to hire Rose to the same company to design security systems. He had always shown an interest in hiring Rose, and Will managed to talk him into hiring her, telling him that if anyone was smart enough to beat him, she was.

Gently stroking her hair, he remembered how it had eventually become a game between them. They kept score of how often Rose's systems beat him, and how often he beat them. Even the other technicians had begun running a book on them, trying to figure whether Rose's intellect or Will's guile would be the victor. He had already grown extremely fond of her and had been on the verge of asking her out more than once before chickening out when it happened. One time, the alarm went off on the cusp of the acceptable limit of chance, following which, one heated and passionate argument later about who had won quickly led to them both forgetting themselves and ending up in a passionate embrace, kissing each other deeply. It was only then that Rose revealed to him she had always had a crush on him.

That was now almost two years ago. They had now been together for all that time. Rose stirred a little as he brushed his fingers against her ribs.

"Will, you know I'm ticklish." She muttered sleepily. "Leave me alone."

"Rose, we really should get up." He told her. "I know we don't have set hours, but I'm sure Dr. Hartford would appreciate it if we showed up at some point today."

"I will if you say it." She replied a little cheekily. Will groaned.

"Rose, how many times? It got us together, it doesn't matter..."

"Say it." She reiterated. Will relented with a smile and kissed her neck gently.

"The alarm would have caught me." He stated. "I'd still have been in the building when security got there."

A knock at the door interrupted their moment together. Will grunted dismissively before turning back to Rose.

"If this is the paper boy asking if I want a bloody subscription again, I'll damn well cripple him." He stated, getting out the bed and pulling on a robe. Rose followed suit, making her way to the kitchen.

"Should I start the breakfast?" She asked him.

"Only if you don't want me getting hungry." Will replied, opening the door. "You know what I'm like when I'm..."

His words were cut off mid-sentence as he felt something sharp pierce his abdomen. He looked at the wound, tracing the pale blue tentacle up to see Jellica standing before him. He knew she was bad news, but he could feel something coursing through him, affecting his thoughts and beginning to take over his mind.

"Will, would you like...?" Rose came in to see him collapse on the floor and Jellica step inside, shutting the door behind her.

"Your boyfriend will wake up with a new set of priorities." She stated. "You will soon too."

"Not likely!" Rose snarled. She knew that she probably couldn't take Jellica on her own, certainly not without her Overdrive Tracker, but she knew she would be able to get the others to help her if she asked. She turned invisible using her genetic gift, making her way quietly towards the door.

"Oh dear, I can't see you." Jellica replied sarcastically, suddenly swelling up and trapping Rose against the wall just feet from the door. Rose felt the tentacle wrap around her, before the stinger plunged into her flesh near her right shoulder blade. "Of course the jellyfish doesn't hunt by sight."

Rose edged slowly away from consciousness, all the while feeling Jellica's venom coursing through her, stealing her free will. She tried to crawl away, but it was already too late. She slumped to the floor completely unconscious.

"Now, where's that film set?" She mused, observing the two fallen Rangers. Will began to stir and rose to his feet. "I have a feeling the Blue Ranger should be next."

Back at JKP, Casey and Theo were working out front while RJ manned the kitchen. The girls had arranged to spend the day together shopping, a thought which terrified their respective partners, but that left them to man the restaurant themselves. Dominic hadn't seen fit to come downstairs, and they could guess why. It hadn't only been him to get a shock when Dai Shi's bombshell hit. They hadn't talked much to RJ either since then, but they didn't really know what to say. Dominic suddenly stormed through the restaurant.

"Dom, where are you going?" Casey asked him.

"Out!" He replied.

"When will you...?"

"Later." He snapped. Casey strode over to him purposefully, grabbing him roughly and turning him to face him.

"I know you've been hurt Dom, but your beef is with RJ." He stated bluntly, making sure no one could hear. "We're still your friends and we still need you..."

"I guess it's just as well I have this." Dominic interrupted, throwing Casey's hand off and gesturing to his morpher before turning on the spot, leaving without another word. Casey watched him go, a little worried by his behaviour. He was worried how stable he'd be in the field now that this had happened.

"Look on the bright side." Theo remarked. "Things can't get any worse."

Andrew Hartford was in his basement, researching ancient manuscripts in search of his latest archaeological obsession. He pulled up from his research as he saw Mack, Ronny, Will, Rose and Dax enter the room.

"Ronny, this is a lovely surprise. I always love seeing my future daughter-in-law." He yelled cheerfully. "Will, Rose, Dax. This is a wonderful surprise. Spencer, get some..."

"Spencer's busy." Mack interrupted. "Dad, we need the Overdrive trackers."

"Why?" He asked. "My monitoring system..."

"There are problems in Ocean Bluff." Mack interrupted again. "We need the morphers."

"Of course, let me get them." He began, opening his safe. It was then a thought hit him. His heart froze in terror and he gulped down a lump in his throat.

"If there are problems in Ocean Bluff, why didn't RJ contact me?" He asked. Mack grabbed him, throwing him clean across the room, through the globe in the centre. Mack laughed; satisfied as he watched Dr. Hartford's limp body sprawled across the floor. Jellica entered behind them.

"We have the morphers." He told her, throwing each of the team members their respective morphers before handing Ronny hers. They shared a passionate kiss as he observed his father's unconscious body. "What should we do with him?"

"It won't matter." Jellica replied. "Soon we'll have the Rangers in our grasp."

Back in Ocean Bluff, Lily had finally broken off from the others. They had taken her with them on their shopping spree to cheer her up, knowing what was happening between Dom and RJ, but she still wasn't feeling herself. She politely excused herself and left, making her way to the wharf. Staring out over the rippling waters, she tried to make sense of everything that had happened. She liked Dominic and hated seeing him hurting so much, but she was also understandably worried about her fiancé. RJ had taken the situation almost as badly as Dominic. Two of the people she cared most about in the world were now virtual enemies as a result of this secret, and it tore everyone involved apart to be involved in the whole, sorry affair.

It was then that she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she found Mack there behind her. She remembered him from the time he and Dr. Hartford had helped RJ with his werewolf problem.

"Mack!" She yelled with excitement, hugging him deeply. "What are you doing here?"

"Ronny and I will be in town for a few days." He replied with a smile. "I'm meeting her for lunch. Do you want to come?"

"I'd love to meet this fiancée of yours." She replied. "Speaking of which, RJ and I have huge news, we're getting married too!"

"That's great news." He replied, leading her up an alley. "Can I see your ring?"

Lily looked to her left hand as she brought it up, completely missing the figure in Yellow approaching fast, blindsiding her. Ronny's Drive claw slammed into the side of her head, splitting her brow and knocking her unconscious. Mack and Ronny laughed as Ronny de-morphed, coming to his side. Mack reached down, pulling Lily's solar morpher out of her pocket and handing it to Jellica as she arrived.

"Her animal spirit will be a problem." He told her.

"Not for long." Jellica replied approaching the lifeless Yellow Ranger with a terracotta jar etched with evil, ancient runes. "Soon she will be as helpless as a kitten."

"One down, four to go." Ronny commented. "Who should be next?"

"Well, I think there's one we can get without too much of a fight." Mack breathed, bending down and ripping Lily's engagement ring off her finger. "You and the others start hunting down the others. I'll bring the Wolf Master."

Later in the day, Mack went into JKP, sitting in a booth by the window. Theo smiled as he saw him. He also remembered how he had helped them before. He went over with a menu, setting it down in front of the former Red Ranger.

"Mack, how are things?" He asked him. "What can I get you?"

"Well, I'm getting married." He replied. "Dad's my best man, and Spencer's an usher, I wanted to see if RJ would like to be another. Could you let him know I'm here?"

"I'll send him right out." Theo replied. "Congratulations by the way. I'd love to meet Ronny some time."

"Thanks." Mack stated, watching him go. "You'll meet my better half sooner than you think." It wasn't long before RJ came out with a big smile on his face.

"So you finally asked her, I'm happy for you." He began. "You know I..."

"I know, I heard." Mack interrupted him, gesturing to RJ's face. "What happened?"

"I had an argument with a friend's fist which I lost." He replied. "So do you have something in mind?"

"Yes, you turning yourself over to us." He replied coldly, laying a blood-stained Polaroid of Lily and her engagement ring in front of RJ. The Wolf Master's heart froze as he beheld what was in front of him. The Polaroid of Lily appeared to be genuine, and recent. The extent of her injuries was obvious in her cuts and bruises. He looked at Mack in horror, noting that his usual warm smile was gone. "Surrender yourself to us at the docks in an hour. Otherwise, she dies."

"Mack, why are you doing this?" RJ asked him softly, making sure no-one else could hear. "We've done nothing to you, why...?"

"My new mistress Jellica requested the pleasure of your company." He interrupted. "Now, what's your answer? I should have mentioned, but if I don't call in within..." He checked his watch. "20 seconds, they'll presume I failed and Lily will die."

RJ didn't even take another second to make his decision, tearing his Wolf Morpher off his wrist and handing it to Mack.

"I don't need to explain, say anything to the others and she comes home in SEVERAL boxes, right?" Mack asked him.

"I'm coming." RJ told him. "You're Andrew's son and we've been friends a long time but trust me, if anything happens to her, ALL of you will be going home in several boxes. I promise you."

"I doubt that." Mack told him, taking the wolf morpher and leaving casually. "One hour, be there."

On the docks, Dominic looked out jealously over the rippling waves. Tears burned his eyes and rolled down his cheeks periodically. Things were so much easier when he was travelling; all he had to consider was his feelings. If he found things a little hard to take, he'd just pack his bags and go. He didn't have to worry about friends betraying him or hurting him, he never stayed anywhere long enough to become more than passing acquaintances with those he socialised with.

He had come to accept the fact that his dad didn't give a damn about him, and his mom was far from interested in his development. It had been painful at first, but since his time at Pai Zhuq, it had become easier to accept the neglect of his family, people there seemed to actually care about him. He had a new family, new friends but now that was up the air. Everything was different now, and it pained him horribly to think badly of the people he had come to think of as his true family.

He looked at his red, swollen knuckles with a mixture of satisfaction and regret. RJ's betrayal had hurt him so deeply that his first and most overwhelming desire had been to hurt him back. It wasn't the same kind of hurt, but at least he could feel some of his pain.

On the other hand, RJ was his closest and dearest friend, almost like a brother at one point. If he wasn't so close to him, finding out he knew couldn't have hurt him so much. RJ had been there for him through so much at the Temple. The two were inseparable at one point, practically family. They'd had one fight in their entire lives and it was over a girl that, as it happened, didn't like either of them anyway. He could feel the anger burning in him as he thought about what RJ had done to him, but he still couldn't escape the good thoughts and memories. When Dom and Jarrod had their little "spats" as RJ would put it, if Master Mao didn't catch them, it was always him that separated them and calmed them both down, despite not knowing the truth. That's when the thought came to him. Maybe he was as much a victim as Dom was. Maybe what he said was true and he only had found out recently himself.

He heard a creak of loose floorboards on the pier behind him. He turned to see the Yellow, Pink, Blue and Black Overdrive Rangers before him. He snorted dismissively and turned back to the pier.

"Wrong town isn't it?" He asked. He flicked out an arm pointing west. "San Angeles is about 15 miles that way."

Will looked to the others who nodded to confirm his idea. Calling forth his Drive Slammer, he smashed it down onto the planks of the pier, catapulting Dom cleanly over them. Dom pulled himself to his feet, sneering at them.

"Come with us and it'll be less painful." The Blue Ranger offered. Dominic chuckled and shook his head.

"You have SO picked the wrong day to piss me off!" She roared, activating his Rhino Morpher. "Jungle Beast, Spirit UNLEASHED!"