By ValerieRichards
Disclaimers: I don't own any recognizable characters, places, or things from the TV series Power Rangers.
Author's note: I decided to start writing the story of one-shots before Christmas because the song 'Grown Up Christmas List' was playing and I got an idea. This will be the Christmas chapter. This chapter takes place after the last chapter; in 2025. This will be a song chapter; sorry.
POV: Jaycen and Wes.
Song: 'Grown Up Christmas List' by Kelly Clarkson.
Chapter 1
The base was getting decked out for holidays and everyone was getting into the holiday spirit. Bridge, now my boyfriend, had shown me and Sam how he celebrates Hanukkah and we were also going to celebrate Christmas. Mom, dad, Uncle Eric, Aunt Taylor, and Jason and his family were going to come down to celebrate Christmas with us.
"Incoming Sky" I yelled as I ran through the hallways with bags packed to the hilt with presents. I narrowly avoided crashing into both Sky and Bridge trying to get to my apartment.
"Woah, in front of you mom" I heard Sam call. I stepped to the left and let him pass by as he left the door open for me. I got into the living room and dumped everything on the floor. A lot of these presents were for Sam; and I was glad I had double-bagged them and tied a knot at the top so he wouldn't see. My morpher beeped and I pulled it out.
"Jaycen here" I said. Kat told me that there was an attack downtown and I sighed. Grumm and Broodwing may have been captured, but there were still Troobians lurking around. I told Kat I'd be there when I could and morphed. I was still able to morph silently and I ran to the scene.
"Jayce" Sky called to me as we got to the location at the same time. I looked for the criminal; this was the same spot where I had fought Mirloc alone back when the older Sam was here. The place was cleaned up though and there was some new things here for people to do.
"What are we looking for" I asked him. The others were looking around for the Troobian while Sky caught me up. Sky showed me a picture of what it looked like and I nodded.
"Jayce, be careful" he told me and I squeezed his arm. We had been a lot closer to each other than we had been for a long time thanks to Grumm. I walked around to an area where some metal yet to be cleaned up was charred and still smoking. I hoped nobody had been killed; it was the holiday season; nobody needed to lose someone now.
Do you remember me
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you With childhood fantasies
"Jay, write to Santa! You want Christmas presents right"dad had said to me when I was six. He had bent down near the table where I was sitting with Sky; who already had half a page of his huge scrawl done; I hadn't known what to ask Santa for Christmas. I had managed to get a couple of stuff down and gave it to my parents to mail to Santa. That was the last Christmas I had with my dad before he was captured.
Well, I'm all grown up now
And still need help somehow
I'm not a child
But my heart still can dream
"Momma! Momma" I heard a child call. I gasped and saw a little girl roaming around near a little boy around the same age. I ran to the children and contacted Sky on the way.
"Sky, the Troobian's not here, but I've found two children" I called. I looked at the little girl and blinked. She looked like Sam's friend, Nova, from the future, but as a six year old with blond hair instead of black and green eyes instead of brown. Besides, even if she did look exactly like the Nova ranger; Katia, as I later learned her name was; was already at the academy. I had used age-advancement software to secretly figure out who she was. Katia Brinkhamm was her name.
"Copy, find the parents and get them to safety if they're already not" Sky told me. I gave him an ok and approached the little girls. I bent down to her level and began to talk to her.
"I don't know where my momma went! I'm scared" the little girl said. I nodded to her and picked her up. I began to walk fast in the opposite direction to see if we could find their mom; the little boy next to me.
So here's my lifelong wish
My grown up christmas list
Not for myself
But for a world in need
"Ok, sweetie, I'm gonna ask you to tell me if you see your mom. If you do, tell me, and I'll take you to her ok" I asked softly to her. She nodded and I placed her on my shoulders.
"Momma! Over there! Momma" she called. I looked to where her finger was pointing and I followed it. Soon, I found a woman; who was a little dirty; searching for something; or someone.
"Ma'am, is this your son and daughter" I asked. She turned around and her face lit up. She reached for the little girl and I took her off my shoulders. I handed her over to the woman and she pulled the girl into a hug.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! Have you found my husband" she asked me. I shook my head and I told her I'd go look for him. I found him right where Sky and the others were fighting the Troobian. The husband had a little soot from the fires the Troobian set, but otherwise, he looked fine.
"Come with me" I called picking him up. I wondered if there was anyone there when my dad was fighting Mirloc and if they would've done the same thing if he wasn't the one fighting Mirloc.
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown up christmas list
"Oh my god! You're ok" the woman said as I brought the husband towards her. I let the husband walk towards his wife and kids and I hung back watching them reunite. I swallowed hard; thinking of my dad. Would this have been my family if my dad had not been captured; or had the help we had when we faced Mirloc.
"Jayce" Sky asked behind me. I fought my tears down and turned to see Sky and Bridge standing there looking at me. Sky came up to me and watched the family as well. Bridge wrapped his arms around my waist and held me tight. We went back to base and got debriefed and I went straight to my apartment from there. I went into my room and the tears fell from my eyes finally.
As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree
Well heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul
"Guys, you can open your presents now" mom had said the Christmas after dad had been captured and imprisoned. Sky and I quietly and slowly opened our gifts. We each got a present from dad. Sky got a toy morpher that was similar to the one he had and I got a custom-made necklace from him like the one Z had.
"Jay? Jay, mom and dad's here" Sky told me. I was still crying; I couldn't go out there. I told Sky that I was wrapping everyone's presents; I was and could've stopped, but I didn't want anyone to see me cry.
"Mom? Mom, are you ok" Sam asked. He came into my room after knocking and saw me crying. He came over to me and hugged me tightly.
"I'll be ok Sammy, I just...I just need a little time" I told him. He nodded and held me closely. I gave him a squeeze. I told him what had happened and he gave me another hug.
"Oh mom" he said before he pulled away. I heard him leave our apartment and run down the hallway. I wrapped my arms around my knees and cried some more.
"Come on Sky! Dad would want us to be happy during Christmas! We gotta do it for him! I miss him too" I had told Sky thirteen years ago.
Wes
Sky was helping Candy and I get settled in the room we had for the holidays at the base. I didn't see Jay and I was a little worried until Sky told us that Jay was busy wrapping presents.
"Grandpa! Grandpa" Sam called throwing the door against the wall and scaring all of us. He skid to a halt right next to us and caught his breath before he spoke.
"Sam, what's wrong kiddo" I asked him. He was huffing and held up a hand as he tried to catch his breath. Did Sam just run down a couple of hallways to greet me?
"Grandpa, it's mom. She needs you...she's crying" he told me. My eyebrow rose. Why was Jay crying? Did Bridge break up with her? I didn't think that was the case, Bridge was madly in love with my daughter and vise versa. The two of them were almost inseparable as kids and seemed like that even now. Sky sighed in frustration and we turned to him.
"Today we went to fight a Troobian, but Jay reunited a woman with her son and daughter. She also went and found the husband that was right near the battle" Sky said almost face palming himself. I closed my eyes. She was thinking about the years I wasn't there. I ran to her apartment with my spare key.
"Jay? Jay, baby" I called running into her room. I sat next to her on her bed and held her close. Why couldn't I have remembered about Mirloc? I had never wished Jen hadn't modified my memories more than I did now.
"Daddy" she cried clutching my shirt in her fists like she did when she was a toddler. I gently rocked her back and forth and told her I was there repeatedly.
"I'm here now Jay, I'm not going to leave you guys. Not until I'm old and grey. I might be old now, but I'm not grey" I said trying to make her laugh. It worked; Jay let out a small chuckle.
"No, not yet, but with the amount of trouble Sky and I get into, you may have a grey hair soon" she admitted wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. I nodded and kissed her forehead.
"Hey, I'm here this Christmas; and I want to spend it with my wife and kids. I'm here to make up for the time I lost" I told her. She nodded and I looked at her neck to see the necklace I had ordered specially for her sixteen years ago for Christmas. I had wanted to give her a silver necklace with her name on it and little hearts around her name. I wasn't there to give it to her though.
"I missed you so much daddy. I just...I just wondered if that could've happened for us that year if you had what we had" she told me. I rubbed her back and thought about it? Would it have?
"I don't know baby, but we can't change the past. I forgot to mention, your Uncle Conner and Uncle Eric McKnight are coming down with your grandparents" I told her. Jay sniffled and smiled a little. Conner and Eric always knew how to make the twins laugh and I was glad they'd be able to make it down this year with Candy's parents. The twins were always busy with something and wasn't usually able to come down; at least when I was alive.
"Oh no, here comes the two troublemakers" she sniffed. I let out a small laugh. When Conner and his twin were around, something...interesting usually followed. The last time I something happened when I was around, Candy and their mom were yelling at them and I had to take the twins outside so the yelling wouldn't hurt their ears. Candy and her mom were LOUD!
"And you know your Uncle Eric is going to cause some mayhem with Aunt Taylor around" I told her. She rolled her eyes. As far as I heard, even though the two of them had eventually tied the knot, they still had the same love/hate relationship they've had since they met. A couple of days later, everyone had arrived and we got together to have dinner and then give presents out.
"I'm glad you're with us daddy" Jay said snuggling up to me. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into me. I kissed her forehead. I was glad to be with my kids as well; my wife too. I had missed them when I was stuck inside Mirloc.
Merry Christmas to all! There'll be more to come. I might do a chapter of the B-Squad when they were kids. The moment Sky and Jaycen's mom was telling her when Jack tried to push Sky through a wall and Commander Cruger. I kinda thought Jack would do that to Sky as kids if they ever met.