Chapter One: Let My Love Go

—My Heart is Broken; Yeah, You're Still My Only One—

Dillon sighed, turning the steering wheel of the Fury as the black antique car grumbled down another side street. It amazed him how different yet similar things looked, especially since he'd been halfway around the world already. He glanced to his right at the woman in his passenger seat, her stance more than echoing the current state of their relationship: awkward. Nonetheless, they were returning to Corinth with extremely urgent matters to tend to.

"It's a right up here," Summer said shortly.

Silently, Dillon complied and let the familiarity of the old RPM garage warm his insides. This was it. He was really home.

He killed the engine and gave his keys to summer. "You and Tenaya go ahead and grab something to eat; I'm gonna find Doc K and see if she can help us, alright?"

Summer nodded and Tenaya smiled gratefully. "Thank God, I'm starving."

He grinned at his sister and hugged her through the back seat. "I'll let you guys know as soon as I get in touch with Dr. K."

"Alright, I'll see you in a little while. Love you."

"Love you, too. Be safe," he instructed them.

As the car reversed and headed away from him, he sighed anxiously to himself. This was it. He was going to come face-to-face with Flynn—the only person he'd ever cared about as more than a friend. What would it be like? What would Flynn say? What would he do? The former black ranger wasn't stupid, though; he knew he'd left on less than stellar terms with Flynn—hell, they hardly made eye contact before Dillon left. He could still remember the way his palm felt the last time he touched Flynn.

—You Were My First Love; Trust Me, I Have Tried—

Dillon apprehensively went toward Flynn. Sure, they were friends, they could be in the same room, they could act like things were fine; right?

He searched the blue ranger's eyes, attempting to convey a secret message through emotion, but he knew he was failing; Flynn would barely look him in the eyes. But Dillon continued to try, his eyes as intense as possible on Flynn's delicate yet strong features. Their hands began to move toward one another, both men anticipating the electric tingle induced by the skin on skin contact.

"Yeah, take care," Flynn said harshly, but gripping Dillon's hand for dear life.

Dillon finally caught Flynn's eyes and the sparkles within them, the black ranger's own eyes intent on conveying his message of condolence. But Flynn's eyes held nothing but sorrow and anger. It was done, then.

The Venjix Hybrid retreated to his vehicle with Summer and Tenaya in tow, and then he revved his engine and departed. In the smoke left behind him, he could feel his "ex-boyfriend" becoming even more bitter and isolated; and the tears that nipped at Dillon's eyes were retained and held at bay.

By the time they reached the wasteland, Dillon was positive he'd made the wrong decision. His mind, now free of his endless data stream, was clouded by memories of Flynn McAllistair in every emotional state Dillon had ever seen him in; furthermore, any displays of affection shared between the two were intensified seamlessly. Somehow, the "comforting" hand Summer placed on his thigh only made the pain of losing Flynn more unbearable; but in that moment of total vulnerability and humanity, he felt more in touch with himself than he ever had. Maybe this could be a good thing, he remembered thinking.

—But Now I Need to Learn to Fall without You by My Side—

Now, Dillon knew he had been right. His time away from Flynn—having loved and lost for the first time—had made him a much stronger person and human. He had learned how to communicate and how to trust; how to forgive and to forget; how to love and to be loved.

Standing in the very spot he'd last seen or talked to Flynn, Dillon took a deep breath and walked toward the door. He knocked lightly, suddenly nervous and hoping against hope that maybe Flynn's computer networking shop wasn't run out of the garage.

But of course it was.

"Front entrance is in the back," an elderly Scottish man instructed Dillon with a friendly smile as he opened the door, "but come in."

Dillon was somewhat frozen, but willed his shaking legs through the doorway. To one side was a large glass wall that divided the building into what appeared to be a kindergarten—upon further observation, it was clear that it was the school Doctor K and Ziggy had been planning to open. On the other side was a large display of computer consoles that led all the way back to Doctor K's old lab. He wondered what had become of his old quarters and all the memories left in them.

"Looking for anything in particular?" the older man asked.

"You must be Mr. McAllistair," Dillon presumed, throwing on what he hoped to be an amiable grin.

"Aye, in the flesh; though me son is also a McAllistair, of course."

"Yeah," Dillon chuckled, running a hand through his newly shortened hair, "I'm actually friends with your son."

"Flynn?" the blue ranger's father wondered aloud, sitting behind a computer. "He's a popular lad, eh?"

"You could say that."

"Well, he's out on a lunch break right now, but he should be back, if that's who you're looking for."

Dillon couldn't help but smile at the prospect of seeing Flynn again. "That'd be great, actually, but I think I'm gonna go next door and say hello to some more old friends."

Mr. McAllistair frowned in thought. "You know Ziggy and Doctor K, too?" A look of recognition flashed over his face as the epiphany hit. "You're one of the rangers, aren't you?"

Dillon noted how very similar the old man sounded to his son and laughed richly. "I was, yeah. Now I'm just…me."

"Well, I'll be sure to let him know you stopped by, then."

"Thanks, but I'm sure I'll catch him around sooner or later."

With that, the former black ranger headed out the front entrance, turning to his right and heading over to the kindergarten; it turned out to be an afterschool help center and daycare aimed at helping young children.

"What happened to the whole school idea?" Dillon asked wryly, a small smirk playing at his lips.

Doctor K spun around, a look of surprise on her young face. "Dillon!"

Ziggy looked up from where he was helping a young girl with her math homework, beaming largely at Dillon.

"What are you doing here?" the short, spastic male asked as he hugged Dillon in turn with Doctor K.

"It's actually kind of serious," he said lowly. "When Summer and Tenaya get back, I'll elaborate. I just need to know if you can help with Venjix Implants."

Doctor K opened and closed her mouth a few times. "Uh, Ziggy, would you mind looking after the kids for a while?"

"Sure thing," he said somberly, accepting the peck on the cheek from the raven haired doctor.

Dillon raised an eyebrow but remained otherwise quiet.

"We don't usually use the word 'Venjix' around the younger kids; it scares them because they don't really understand it much," Doctor K said as they exited the school.

Dillon nodded, "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude."

"Well, I assume that it is as you said—serious."

When they looked up, Tenaya and Summer were already sitting in the garage on the trunk of the Fury. Doctor K understood immediately.

"Her implants?"

Tenaya smiled unfocusedly. "Hello, Doctor."

"When did this happen?" she demanded rapidly, taking Tenaya's hand and leading her into another doorway hidden in the garage area.

Dillon followed, glancing around and noticing that the entire RPM headquarters had been preserved, simply relocated further from the shop and school.

"This week. We've been driving for two days straight trying to get here in time. Apparently Corinth is still pretty strict with communications, because I couldn't get through to you at all."

Doctor K sighed as she pulled out a scanner and began to run it along Tenaya's face. "Yes, that would be an issue I've been futilely fighting with Wing Commander Truman."

"Wing Commander?"

"Scott."

"They actually made his head even bigger than it already was?"

"Unfortunately, he's adapted his father's way of narrow-minded thinking," the short woman retorted quickly as she stowed the scanner and grabbed another. "He seems to think that recreating a stronger, more perfect global network would set us up for another Venjix attack."

"That's genius."

She rolled her eyes. "That's military thinking for you."

"Hey," Summer entered quietly.

"Summer!" Doctor K attempted to greet her. "Sorry if I made you feel unwelcome, I was simply worried about the condition of—"

"It's fine," the Landsdown heir replied softly, almost insincerely.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, just tired," she snipped.

"What's the verdict, Doc?" Dillon asked tensely.

"I'll need about a week or two to get her schematics from the Venjix archives; it'll require military clearance and hordes of digging, but I think I can help. For the time being, I think you're familiar with your old quarters?"

Dillon fought the urge to wince.

"Of course," Summer said more happily, "it'll be good to stay for a while, anyway. I, myself, am looking forward to seeing this 'Commander Truman' now."

Dillon rolled his eyes. "That'll be one trip I'll make sure to be sick for."

Doctor K smiled. "Tenaya, for the time being, I'm going to ask you stay here with me so I can run some more medical scans. Is that okay?"

"Sure, Doctor," she said softly. She sounded fragile and scared, much like she had when she was first made aware of her human identity.

"Why don't you two go out and get some grocery shopping done before rush hour? By that time, I should have a temporary fix for Tenaya."

Dillon looked relieved. "Thanks, Doc." He turned to Summer, "I'm gonna head out, why don't you go visit with Scott?"

"Well, can I take the car, then?"

Dillon gritted his teeth. Letting her drive once already was enough for one day. On the other hand, if she were gone, he could have more time to run into Flynn.

"Fine."

"Thanks."

He made a faint "mhm" sound before he turned, kissed Tenaya's cheek, and headed out the entrance they'd come through.

—Baby, Let My Love, Let My Love Go—

Dillon rounded the corner, slamming right into a shorter, scruffy man wearing sunglasses, knocking his cigarette down.

"Fuck," the male cursed as he fumbled for the stick of nicotine and adjusted his glasses.

"Sorry about that," Dillon apologized quickly in a distracted manner.

"No problem," said the man in an irritated, quiet, but unforgettable accent.

"Flynn?"

The man froze, his back turned to Dillon and his hand around his cigarette in a protective manner as he attempted to relight it. The flicking of the lighter instantly ceased as he slowly turned and exhaled his smoke. He pulled his sunglasses above his forehead and squinted at the tall, former black ranger.

"Dillon?"

"Uh…hi."

"What was important enough to bring you back here?" he asked rapidly, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Uh…I…had business with Doc K. Why are you smoking?"

"I see," Flynn nodded awkwardly. "I smoke cuz I, uh, feel like it, you know?"

"It's bad for you."

"A lot of things are bad for me, Dillon. Don't mean I don't do em."

The two were awkwardly silent.

"Nice hair," Flynn finally said.

"Thanks, you too; letting it grow out?"

"No, just haven't really had the time to cut it, you know?"

"Gotcha," Dillon said, looking at the ground. "So listen, do you wanna come shopping with me?"

"What, didn't you bring Summer for that?" Flynn asked tersely.

"Uh…she's visiting Scott."

"And Tenaya?"

"Tenaya's getting a checkup with Doctor K," Dillon retorted, his tone hardening. "Her implants failed."

Flynn stopped inhaling his cigarette and, for a second, dropped his distant attitude. "Sorry to hear that."

"So, do you wanna come?"

"Dillon, I can't."

"Why not?"

"You leave for four years, disappear into the new world without so much as an idea of where you're going, and then come gallivanting back into my life, expecting me to 'go shopping' with you?"

"We both agreed it was for the best."

"We both agreed you leaving with Tenaya was for the best; not Summer."

"She came with us, that's all."

The ex blue ranger was speechless. He pulled his sunglasses back down and flicked his cigarette onto the sidewalk near the school.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong," Flynn snapped. "Let me change and check in with my dad and I'll let you know if I want to come."

Dillon didn't respond, but merely watched his old lover walk away, his gait completely different than what it was when they were rangers. Flynn seemed drastically different. He was harder, angrier, careless, and agitated; plus, from what Dillon could tell, he'd been leading a rather alternative lifestyle.

The semi-mechanical man walked over to Flynn's cigarette butt and collected it, tossing it in the trash can. He stood idly and glanced around the neighborhood that was so very different from how he left it.

—Baby, Let Me Live; I've Got to Go—

For about the twentieth time since Flynn had gone inside, he slowly turned in a circle, surveying the scene. It was then he saw a man in a blue truck trying fruitlessly to unload a large monitor and CPU simultaneously. Dillon was over to him in seconds.

"Need a hand?"

"Oh, please," the guy responded gruffly.

Dillon easily grabbed the monitor and lugged it to the entrance of the shop.

"Do you mind resting for a second before we take it in?" the tall blond male asked, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Sure," Dillon responded, setting the large screen down lightly.

"I sure appreciate your help," the man said, a slight drawl evident in his voice. "I'm Andy."

"I'm Dillon, nice to meet you."

"You from around here?"

"Uh, kinda. I've been away for the past four years helping with reconstruction and stuff. You?"

"Oh, no, I'm from way down south, but my family moved here when the Venjix attacks started."

"I see, I see. Do you work here?"

"Not really, I just help out whenever I can—keep Flynn from going insane," Andy chuckled.

Dillon frowned at the mention of Flynn. "You know Flynn?"

"Yeah, him, his dad, and that doctor lady helped fix up my brother and remove the Venjix virus in him."

"Your brother was a hybrid, too?"

"Yup, he worked with the Colonel. Corporal Hicks."

"Oh, wow, I know him," Dillon said, smiling now.

"Small world. How do you know Flynn?"

"Alright, Dillon, I'm all set to—"

The Scotsman stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the two men before him.

"Oh, hey there, we were just talkin about you," Andy said cheerily.

"W-were you now?"

"Yeah, Dillon here was kind enough to tote this stuff over for me and it turned out he knew you and my brother."

"Yeah…" Flynn responded slowly.

"Something wrong?" Dillon asked, genuinely confused.

"No! No, no," Flynn stammered. "Why don't we get goin, though, huh?"

"Oh, where you off to?" Andy wondered.

"I'm gonna go grocery shopping with Dillon."

"Alright, well I'll be here, then."

"Alright."

And, as if in unbelievable slow motion, he watched the two males—Flynn and Andy—lean in closely like Dillon thought was only possible between himself and Flynn. He watched the lips he'd kissed so many times so many years ago glide seamlessly into Andy's own pale pink lips, and Dillon felt his insides go frigid. Every pore on his body tingled like he'd just stepped into a glacial ocean.

"Good to meet you, Dillon," Andy said after what seemed like eons.

But the hybrid couldn't respond. He couldn't think. His autopilot took over and he stretched his hand and shook Andy's, nodding courteously.

—Maybe One Day I'll Be Yours; Who Knows?—

The song "Let My Love Go" is by Kesha.

So, let me first say I never intended to write a sequel to Bruises, but after the reaction to its ending and pairing, I felt I needed to do it more justice. This sequel will be nowhere near the magnitude of, say, the 4V series, but I will definitely enjoy writing it. This time around, each chapter and its title have been inspired by a song by the artist Kesha. Now, before you flip, understand that most of the songs used are unreleased or demos, and are therefore not as "party-centered" as the songs you may have heard. I encourage you all to look into these songs, as some are rather addicting.