New story-yay! This one is different than all of the comedy I've done in the past...pleased be warned that it's darker and does involve character deaths (sob), because of this and the language and situations later in the story, it is rated M. I'm really proud of how it's come along and I hope you like it!

Be patient with updates...it's not done yet but I wanted to share the first few chapters that I do have complete.

Read and review :-)

DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers is not mine.

The Inevitable:

PROLOGUE

Rose Ortiz leaned her head over the back of the bench she was sitting in. She kept her eyes closed and fully savored the rays of the sun as they bore down on her face. She was so lost in the moment of utter peacefulness that she didn't register her own name when she heard it being shouted by one of the many people strolling in the park that day.

"Rose!"

She snapped her head up and turned towards where the voice was coming from. A young woman with shoulder-length dark hair was hurrying towards her while tying a light blue sweatshirt around her waist.

"Hi Maddie!" Rose flipped her textbook closed and gracefully hopped off the bench to greet her friend. "It's about time you got here!" she said as they shared a hug.

"No kidding," Madison Rocca laughed, pushing a few stray strands of hair out of her face. "It's cold and raining in L.A., so our flight was a bit delayed."

"You call four hours a bit?"

Madison shrugged good-naturedly as Rose picked up her book and they fell into step with each other. "Californians don't do rain."

"It was seventy-nine degrees and rained for an hour. That's a normal Tuesday in Cambridge."

"You haven't lived in San Angeles long enough. Four hours is a legit delay for one hour of rain."

"I need to get you out to Massachusetts. So, where's my fellow pinkie?"

"Vida's at the hotel. She doesn't like flying. Or rather, her stomach doesn't."

"Ooh," Rose winced sympathetically.

"Yeah," Madison said slowly. "So…do you want a roommate for the weekend?"

"Ha. No."

"It was worth trying," Madison muttered, only partially upset about having to share a room with her sick twin. "I know you've been here a few days already so you know your way around better," she continued as they exited the park. "But Xander wants to meet us as some ice cream shop right by the hotel, if that's alright with you."

Rose nodded. "I know the place. We went there the day I got here. Wait…what's Xander doing here?"

"He and V took their vacations at the same time."

"Cute," Rose commented as Madison faked gagging. "So how's the rest of your team?"

"Same as always," Madison replied.

"Mm-hmm," Rose quickly responded before Madison could ask the same question. "And how is...that one guy, what's-his-face?"

"Nick," Madison said, becoming shy.

"Oh, we address him by his name now?"

"Vida's the only one who doesn't address him by his name," Madison countered with a slight shake of her head. "And he's coming back tomorrow, actually."

"What?" Rose said, halting in front of the ice cream store. "What the heck are you doing here for the weekend?! You should be there waiting for him!"

"I've been waiting for two years," Madison said as she waved at Xander, who was inside wondering why the girls had randomly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Another day won't kill me."

"What about killing him?" Rose demanded.

"Not my problem. He was the one who left."

Rose ignored that. "Did you know he met up with Mack in Brazil?"

"Yes," Madison said patiently.

"And you know what they talked about? You!" she exclaimed before Madison could answer. "It's killing him you know! He really misses you and he-!"

"Rose! I know!"

"You know?"

"Yes, I know," Madison said patiently again, pulling the shop door open and nudging Rose inside.

"How do you know?" Rose asked as Xander came over to them.

"Know what?" Xander asked, looking between the two girls.

"He told me."

"He told you? When?"

"Told you what?"

"Yesterday."

"Yesterday? When yesterday? Why'd you talk to him yesterday?"

"Talked to who yesterday?"

"He called me."

"He called you?"

"Who called you when about what?" Xander all but whined.

"Nick called me yesterday to say he's coming home tomorrow," Madison snapped at him.

"Oh," Xander replied calmly. "Well I knew that."

"Come on," Madison said, rolling her eyes and taking the first step toward the counter. "I'm starving."

"And that was the last time I tried to wake Ronny before noon on a Saturday."

Madison and Xander laughed at Rose's story as they entered their hotel. "And I thought Vida was dangerous in the morning," Madison said.

"Yeah, really," Xander said dramatically. Rose stifled a laugh while observing the mixed look of disgust and amusement on Madison's face. "Oh...wait," Xander said quickly when he realized what he implied. "I meant...it was...oh, never mind. I'm going to bed," he said as he sulked to the elevator.

"Whose bed?" Rose muttered to Madison, whose face this time crumpled into a look of annoyance.

"If it's hers, would you reconsider that offer for a roommate?"

"Absolutely. See, there's a difference between taking on a sick roommate and taking on a sexiled roommate. There's Billy!" she added as she looked over towards the entrance of the hotel restaurant, where Billy was standing at the entrance and animatedly talking to a younger man in blue.

"And Justin is with him," Madison added. "Have you ever met Justin?"

"Is he a blue?" Rose asked, eyeing his ensemble.

"Yep."

"My god, you people are everywhere!" Rose complained. "For once I'd like one of us to be here who isn't blue!"

By 'us' Rose meant, obviously, the Power Rangers. By 'here' she meant Cape Canaveral, Florida, at the tenth annual Mathematics or Physics ("MORPH") Scholarship Awards Ceremony. The event had been founded by none other than Trini Kwan as a charitable means to recognize a select group of high school seniors who had earned full-ride scholarships from the organization to go to their choice of a college as a math or physics major. She had started the program with Billy shortly after Kimberly and Jason's ordeal with Divatox. Since Trini and Jason had just gotten back from the World Peace Conference, she had moved in with Kimberly near her gymnastics studio in Florida, also located near the cape. Billy returned from Aquitar soon after and they joined forces to start the scholarship program.

They had run into a snag with their main donor only two years into the program, but then at the Rangers' yearly reunion, they met the newest team, the Time Force Rangers, and their leader Wes Collins, who just happened to have a few million dollars laying around that he was more than happy to offer to a power ranger sponsored scholarship (not that anybody knew that's who was sponsoring it).

Over the years, as new ranger teams were introduced, new members were added to the executive board of the gifted program, which now included Trini, Billy, Justin, Andros, Kendrix, Kai, Angela Fairweather, Cam, Hayley, Ethan, Kat Manx (though she only made public appearances in the future), Madison, and only a year earlier, Rose.

It also served as an unofficial Ranger reunion, but the rangers who attended were usually there with a member of the executive board. This year, Andros' wife Ashley had come, as had Angela's husband Joel, and Madison's sister Vida and Vida's boyfriend Xander. Kimberly was also planning on making an appearance since she lived so close by. She and Jason had come every year, starting with the first ceremony which was at about the time they were still recovering from their ordeal with Divatox. The two of them got together every year the weekend before the event to commemorate their being evil.

It was a tradition that the other rangers never understood, but just accepted with a smile and a nod.

Justin had just checked in and was going down to the hotel restaurant to grab dinner when he met up with Billy. They were deep in conversation outside the restaurant, Justin's dinner forgotten, when Billy suddenly looked over Justin's shoulder and waved at Madison and a girl in pink. They walked over to where the girls were standing near the elevators.

"We're not all blue," Madison was saying. "Trini was yellow, and she founded this scholarship."

"With a blue," Rose muttered.

"And Andros is red," Madison continued, ignoring her. "Cam is green. Angela and Hayley aren't even rangers. Kat Manx was a ranger, but I don't think she had a specific color," she looked briefly to Billy, who shook his head 'no' to confirm. "And then there's-"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Rose said.

"Kendrix," Madison finished simply. "A pink."

"So there's a whole two of us."

"But Kimberly's coming," Billy added. "And isn't your sister here, Madison?"

"She's upstairs," Madison said before turning to Justin. "Justin, this is Rose. Rose, Justin. He had the flu last year and couldn't come. That's why you didn't meet."

"Pleasure," Rose said as they shook hands. "Even if you're not a pink."

"I wanted to be," Justin said solemnly. "But our pink ranger wasn't the one who was retiring when I came on. Plus my butt looked awful in that spandex skirt.

"It's true," said a new voice from behind Billy and Justin. They turned to see Jason walking toward them from the restaurant, with Trini following behind him. "Justin easily has the ugliest butt of us all. Mine, however?" he turned to the side to model his behind. "Flawless."

"It is beautiful," Trini said dryly as she hugged Justin, Madison, and Rose in turn.

"Thank you," Jason said proudly as he had a turn greeting everyone. "So, can we eat now?"

Trini sighed. "I don't understand how Kat puts up with your lack of manners."

"Me neither," Jason said thoughtfully, momentarily forgetting the growling beast in his abdomen. "I asked her once and she said something about forming a support group with Aisha…"

"The help-my-man-is-a-pig club?" Trini supplied.

Jason shrugged.

"Probably," Trini muttered. "Rocky's even worse than you. Ready to eat, Billy?"

"Absolutely," Billy replied. "I met Justin on his way in, so he'll be joining us. And you two are welcome to join us," he added, looking to Madison and Rose.

They simultaneously shook their heads.

"I need a nap," Madison said. "Jetlag."

"I'm stuffed on ice cream," Rose said, contently rubbing her stomach.

"Did you check out that place down the street?" Jason asked eagerly.

"It. Was. Amazing." Rose replied, and Billy and Madison nodded in agreement.

"We should go there for dinner tomorrow," Jason suggested, and they all nodded in agreement.

"We'll go for dessert," Trini corrected, and Madison and Rose shared an amused look when Jason and Justin nodded obligingly. "Alright boys, let's go eat."

They waved to the two youngest girls as Jason practically pushed them inside, saying to Justin "You have to try the rib tips here, kid. They're morphonominal."

Madison felt like she had only been asleep for a few minutes before she felt herself being violently shaken awake.

"What...what? What time is it? Did I miss the ceremony?"

"Chill out," Vida said, satisfied that her sister was awake. "It's just past eleven."

"Eleven? The ceremony started at ten! I thought I set my alarm for eight!"

"Maddie, it's eleven at night! The ceremony's tomorrow."

Madison paused as Vida beamed at her. "Why are you waking me if it's still today?!"

"Wanna go for a walk?"

Madison just stared at her. It was no secret that the twins were totally opposite, but sometimes it surprised even them just how little they had in common. Jetlag was one of their differences. Whereas Madison could barely keep her eyes open after a flight, Vida couldn't get hers to close.

"A walk?" Madison asked dryly. "At eleven at night, in a city we don't know?"

"Which is why I need you," Vida concluded logically. "You've been here before, so with that fancy memory of yours, I won't get lost."

"We won't get lost," Madison corrected, pulling herself out of bed and groggily reaching down for her shoes, knowing that letting Vida loose in a strange city wasn't the best idea.

"Yes!" Vida said triumphantly. "Let's go!"

By the time they got off the elevator and were walking through the lobby, Madison was fully awake to realize her decision.

"Okay, let's go back now."

"We haven't even left the building," Vida said as if she was explaining to a small child.

"I'm tired!" Madison practically whined like a small child.

"And I'm hyper!" Vida retorted. "Just once around the block then we'll come back."

"Fine," Madison said as she pulled open the front door. "But just once."

About an hour later, almost ten blocks away, Madison found that she was actually enjoying their midnight stroll. As they were leaving the hotel they had met Rose, and the two pink rangers had been talking non-stop since then. It didn't bother Madison; she enjoyed walking without conversation, and the pinks seemed to have an endless amount of topics to talk about. It more amused Madison than anything, especially because Rose had about as much in common with Vida as Madison herself did; brown hair, brown eyes, and it was their job to save the world. She found her enjoyment fading, however, when Rose decided to bring Madison into the conversation, whether the former blue ranger liked it or not.

"So, Vida," Rose said innocently. "Have you heard from what's-his-face recently?"

Vida's tone instantly changed. "No. Why?"

"Oh, so you don't know?"

"What? Know what?"

"Thanks, Rose," Madison muttered.

Rose smiled sweetly at her before turning back to Vida. "He's coming back tomorrow."

"Hmm," was all Vida said before continuing to walk.

Madison and Rose glanced at each other, both surprised at Vida's reaction, before rushing after her.

"Hmm?" Rose repeated skeptically. "That's it?"

"Well," Vida said thoughtfully. "Are you going to see him?" she asked her sister.

"No," Madison said slowly. "I'll still be here."

"Well then," Vida said again, this time matter-of-factly. "I won't worry about it until Sunday when we're headed back to Briarwood."

"How mature of you," Rose commented, glancing upwards as a flash of light caught her attention.

Madison was about to say something about how it's not up to Vida anyway, but she stopped when she noticed Rose had fallen behind to suspiciously gaze at something in the sky.

"Rose? What is it?"

"The shuttle."

The twins looked to where Rose was gesturing.

"Is that an airplane?" Vida asked, though she knew the answer before Madison and Rose silently shook their heads.

"I thought the launch wasn't until tomorrow," Madison said quietly.

"It's not," Rose said just as softly. "I know that for a fact…I was supposed to be there. It's not supposed to be until after the scholarship breakfast."

Around them, the few other people on the sidewalk had also stopped to look at the sky. The single car driving on the street came to a halt when the driver saw something in the sky between the buildings. The owner of a shop came out to see what everyone was staring at.

"It's flying really low," Vida observed. "And why is it circling?"

Neither Madison nor Rose answered, and Vida didn't notice the whirring of the two brilliant minds beside her. Madison's eyes were squinted as if she was trying to read the answer to their questions in the sky, and Rose was muttering to herself. Suddenly, they both finished their mental calculations and sharply turned their heads to look at each other.

"We need to go-now," Rose said suddenly as Madison grabbed Vida's arm to draw her away from the sight in the sky. Vida didn't argue.

The next moment, the shuttle stopped circling and seemed to simply drop straight down from the sky. Rose tugged on Vida's and Madison's sleeves to get them moving, but she could tell it would be too late. The people around them were screaming and frantically running away as the shuttle finally made contact with the top of one of the nearby buildings. Madison dared to look back, and in that split second she saw a wall of fire coming towards them right before the crashing shuttle caused the building to come tumbling down.

A few horror-filled seconds later, the wall of fire descended upon them. Instinctively, Madison reached out for Vida's hand.

"Sis!" one of them screamed, before the fire completely overtook them.

And the world around them burned.