Author Note: This particular plot-bunny bit me hard last night. It's an expansion of one of my favorite scenes in 'Island of Illusions' with new dialogue and more emotional emphasis, and I wanted to explore what Billy and Trini might have been thinking about each other during that test. If this ficlet goes over well, I might expand it to a series about all the Rangers conquering their fears with follow-up after the battle.

Never Too Far Gone

"Oh! Those pesky Power Rangers give me SUCH A HEADACHE!" A very irritated Rita Repulsa gripped the railing of her balcony in frustration, too enraged to care that the wood was starting to splinter under the pressure.

The plan had looked absolutely flawless at first glance. Strip the Rangers of their powers and their mentor, weave a spell of doubt and misery around them, and watch them crumble to pieces like the weak humans they were. Unfortunately, she'd failed to include one factor in her calculations: the strength of their friendship.

One by one, she'd worked her magic on the Black, Pink, and Green Rangers. And one by one, Zackary, Kimberly, and Tommy had slipped from her grasp with the encouragement of their teammates and the assistance of that annoying dwarf. What was his name? Quackpire? Dragstire? Oh, she couldn't be bothered to remember when there were Rangers to quash.

But how would she eliminate them? Every time she cast a net of doubt over a Ranger, they'd slipped out of her grasp with ease. The other five would thwart her attempts to catch one every time. But…what if the odds were four against two?

That was it! Rita had to take a moment to congratulate herself on her incredible genius. It was quite an accomplishment to think of such a brilliant plan while under the stress of a massive headache. It would strain her magic, of course, but she'd cast her spell on TWO Rangers at once! By driving a bigger wedge between the group, she'd easily bring them to the brink of ruin!

"Say goodbye, Billy and Trini! Ahahahaha!"

For the moment, the Power Rangers were enjoying a brief moment of respite in their battle with their fears on the Island of Illusions, reveling in Tommy's victory over his doubts. The confident and capable Green Ranger had almost lost himself back there, when Rita's magic had warped the images of his best friends into menacing Putties. He feared being alone against the world, and Rita had taken advantage of that. It had almost been his downfall. But his loyal friends had come through, and now that he was safe in Kimberly's arms again, he couldn't be happier.

Unfortunately, the gentle Yellow Ranger couldn't bring herself to share in her friends' happiness. The sight of Kim and Tommy's distress had resurrected an old fear in Trini quite suddenly, almost as if the emotion wasn't entirely her own. In their eyes, she'd seen two people desperately clinging to the one they loved, trembling from the fear of abandonment. And now, it seemed, that fear was starting to consume her as well. She sank to the ground lifelessly, eyes fixed on the blue-clad friend she couldn't bear to lose, even as the blanket of nothingness crept over her legs.

It might have looked odd when Billy suddenly jerked his head away from the celebrating Kimberly and Tommy, but it didn't take the other Rangers long to pinpoint the cause of the Blue Ranger's distress. As they'd cheered, Rita's magic had reached Trini's mind, and her body was quickly becoming transparent. Before any of them could blink, Billy had arrived at the quickly-fading Trini's side, desperately willing her to hang on.

"Trini, listen to me! You're currently experiencing de-molecularization at a rate proportional to your negative self-perception. Concentrating on your positive memories will enable you to reverse the process." His words came out in a jumbled rush, but if anyone could understand, she could. If she comprehended the theory, he hoped, she could calmly apply it to her current situation and easily conquer Rita's influence.

For a moment, Billy's encouragement managed to halt the effect of Rita's spell. Their eyes met, and the tiniest of smiles flitted across Trini's face. "I'm listening. Right, positive…"

But Rita would have none of this! In the next instant, the air around Billy and Trini crackled with a distinct hint of evil as the assault on the Yellow Ranger's mind increased threefold. Trini was fading again! Her normally warm brown eyes seemed to stare straight through Billy's worried green ones, as if lost in a distant nightmare. "Billy, you're too high up! BILLY!"

Taking quick stock of his surroundings, Billy concluded that he remained on the same ground level as Trini. Rita's spell, therefore, must have pulled her into a painful memory they'd shared: the day on the cliff when he'd been trapped by Putties. His wonderful, brave friend had conquered her fear that day and come to his rescue, so surely she could succeed again now? Billy reached for her hand then, as a physical indicator that he was present and not in any danger, but his hand passed right through her rapidly vanishing fingers.

The Blue Ranger stumbled back in shock, suddenly distraught by his inability to assist Trini in her moment of need. If even his logic and reason couldn't reach her inquisitive mind, what good was he? Consumed by a feeling of uselessness that somehow seemed foreign and familiar at the same time, he slipped backwards as a determined Jason led the rest of the team over to Trini's fading form.

"Stay with us, Trini!" That was Kimberly's wail, terrified at the thought of losing her best friend since the age of five.

"Think positive, Tri! C'mon, you can do it!" Zack remained as energetic as ever, but his infectious optimism had a newfound urgency to it.

"It's just Rita's illusions! Remember something positive!" Jason's stance was every bit the confident leader, refusing to be swayed no matter what the odds.

"Yeah, think back! What did Quagmire say?" And there was Tommy, faithfully summoning their newest friend.

Quagmire appeared in a flash of smoke at Billy's side, reaching into Trini's memories to grasp onto the triumph he felt could save her.

"Trini had to conquer heights, although that was her greatest fright. Now my child, do your best to pass this part of Rita's test!" The words seemed to have an immediate effect on the half-vanished, trembling form on the ground. Her eyes drifted shut, calling the rest of her memory about that day on the cliff to the surface.

Suddenly, all the willpower that had driven her up the cliff that day was flooding her mind again. She didn't have time to remember her fear of heights, her fear was only for one person in the world: Billy. Without wasting a moment, she slipped into a defensive stance in front of the Blue Ranger. The suspense was far more terrifying than the height, she thought. She steeled herself for a cliff-top fight to the death when the Putty charged, but Billy had a better idea. In the next instant, he'd grabbed her waist and steered her safely to the side as the Putty helplessly flung itself over the cliff.

Trini smiled triumphantly as her body was fully reformed, finally free from the anguish brought by Rita's spell. Her elation continued to soar as a relieved Jason pulled her to her now-solid feet, steering her into Kimberly's waiting embrace. She was back, and everything was all right. They were all safe, Billy was safe---or was he?

"Billy?"

Trini retreated from Kim's arms a moment later as the first inklings of panic set in. Billy was there, yes, but he likely wouldn't be for much longer. The very friend she'd conquered her fear to save was disappearing fast, staring blankly at his fading arm.

"It's no use. Not even the extent of my scientific knowledge can assist in this situation. I've failed you all." Billy's body began to rapidly de-molecularized as his thoughts slipped out of his normal rigid control, logic and careful reasoning giving way to the all-consuming fear that he'd lost his closest friends. All because he hadn't been smart enough. He hadn't been careful enough. He hadn't been quick enough. The other Rangers faded into a hazy blur in the distance of his thoughts, and he couldn't even see Trini's outline. He couldn't even be sure that she was really there.

Jason, as usual, tried to remain in control. "Billy, no. It's not your fault. Don't let Rita take you."

"Come on, Billy, you can do it. You're better than a hundred of her." Kimberly fidgeted with her hands as she stood beside Trini, cheering for her oldest friend.

"No question about it. C'mon Bill, think! You can do that better than any of us." Tommy smiled sheepishly for a brief second, despite the gravity of the situation. Kimberly responded with a mild slap on the arm as they turned their attention back to the disappearing Blue Ranger.

"Yeah! You can outsmart her in no time. What was that you were saying about positive thoughts?" Zack chimed in, offering a nervous smile. Right, positive thoughts! Trini clung to that thought desperately as she called out for their mysterious benefactor, needing to save Billy as he'd saved her so many times before.

"Quagmire, quick! Rita's after Billy!" Reliable as ever, Quagmire appeared in a flash over Jason's shoulder. Quagmire swiftly sorted through the barrage of thoughts in the distressed Blue Ranger's mind, finally reaching a memory that might help him.

"I sense a fight in a land of dreams, where Billy fought a nightmare queen!" Something about that statement triggered Billy's slipping thoughts to right themselves, and the memory slowly began to surface through the haze. He drew a shaky breath into his fading lungs and closed his eyes, willing his mind into his control once more.

"I recall the confrontation." He saw himself as the Blue Ranger struggling to free himself from Madame Woe's vice-like grip. "She had me in a most impressive grip, until I finally applied sufficient leverage to defeat her." A smile stretched across his lips as a rush of confidence returned to him. He wasn't just the unassuming nerd he'd been a few short months ago, he was a Power Ranger. A hero, as unlikely as it might sound to the non-Rangers he knew.

Billy's consciousness finally returned to the outside world as he checked over his fully solid form. He was there, and Quagmire was there, and his friends were there---and yes, Trini too. He locked eyes with a smiling Trini, immensely relieved to see that she had been freed as well. "Wow, prodigious!"

Trini bounced on the balls of her feet at the sight of Billy's fully restored form, leading the group over to him with a soft smile on her face. He was real, wasn't he? Trini pushed the last lingering tendrils of doubt from her mind as she slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, confirming that he was indeed there with them.

"Billy, you're back." Billy pulled her in by the waist and rested his head on her shoulder in response, overcome with relief at their victory. Trini wished their embrace could have lingered, but she reluctantly made way for the onslaught of happy friends clamoring for a piece of their blue-clad genius.

"That was totally morphenomenal, you did it!" Kimberly jumped onto the scene with a wide smile, squeezing Billy's arm warmly.

"Knew we could count on you!" Next up was Zack, proudly slapping Billy on the stomach.

"We were rooting for you, Billy." Tommy had slipped around the Blue Ranger and squeezed his shoulders from behind, accompanied by a hearty backslap.

"All right! Now let's claim our Power Coins and get outta here!" Finally Jason arrived, slapping Billy's hand with gusto.

Billy smiled shyly at the gathered group, surrounded by their affection. How wonderful it felt to have such amazing friends. He'd opened his mouth to say something when Trini's hand slipped into his, making the contact that had eluded them earlier. His hand squeezed hers gently, communicating to her the extent of his relief that they'd pulled through.

"I seem to be completely reconstituted." Ah, just like Billy. Only back from the brink of non-existence for a minute and he'd already slipped back into his familiar techno-babble. The team shared a laugh at his expense, and for once, he found he couldn't help but join in.

"You useless thing, you let them get away!" By this point, Squatt and Baboo had already fled for cover. A fuming Rita was now storming around the balcony, whacking things here and there with her over-sized wand. She'd had the perfect plan, but those power geeks had slipped past her again! Well she wouldn't fail this time. This was her last shot to destroy the Power Rangers forever, and she most certainly wouldn't waste it.

"GOLDAR! Get down there and get rid of that Jason at once!"