A/N: The first chapter here is more of an epilogue, just something to keep things ticking over until I see the next ep. Hope you enjoy it.
Legal: I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, characters etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.
Rating: T – may be some mild adult themes.
It had been a long time, but there was a part of Brenda that felt strangely good about getting back to the office. Stepping off the elevator, she heard a round of applause, and couldn't help but smile as she saw the staff at the Department of Health waiting for her. They had strung a banner across the office bearing the message "Welcome back Brenda."
"Aw, come on guys, you didn't have to do this." She told them, becoming a little overwhelmed by how much the greeting meant to her. She started to make her way slowly over to her office. The only thing she noticed that was different was that one desk was empty. Clearly, Superintendant Ramsay had yet to replace Erica following her arrest. She was sure that meant that they would all have more work to do to cover for the extra workload, but after so long n the shelf, she figured that a little paperwork would be a good place to start back.
She got to the office, shaking hands with a few of her well-wishers on her way, to find a stack of paperwork in her in-tray, and some gifts waiting for her. There was a fruit basket, addressed from the rest of her colleagues. There was a teddy-bear the size of a toddler sitting there, addressed from Superintendant Ramsay there too. In her time recovering, she had heard the details of the case against Erica, and had since found out Ramsay had been questioned in suspicion of the shooting because he had feelings for her. She just sighed and moved it aside. It was clear that he still did, and that she might just have to have a word with him to let him down gently.
She turned her attention to the last gift on her desk, a large bouquet of red roses, addressed from Ji. She couldn't help smiling as she saw it. He had only seen her that morning, indeed, he had dropped her off, meaning that he had only left her a few minutes previously. Yet, he had still obviously arranged for these flowers to be delivered to her office. She read the card, smiling a little.
"I'll deal with the monsters, you deal with the unsafe food. Your dearest Ji." She read aloud, before moving the bouquet off the table. As she did so, she looked to the door, seeing someone in a long coat and a hat waiting there.
"Um...hello?" She asked. "Can I help you?"
"Of course you can." A chillingly familiar voice told her. She pulled off the hat and ditched the coat, revealing herself to be Erica. Brenda started to breathe rapidly as she saw the gun in her hand. Erica started to advance on her. "You can die like you were supposed to the first time!"
Brenda screamed as she snapped upright on the bed. She looked around, finding herself in her room, soaked in sweat. It wasn't the first time she had experienced nightmares like this. She had been experiencing such horrifying images for a while now. Checking her watch, she realised that it was almost midday. She just pulled herself up from the bed and pulled on a robe.
"Ji?" She called out. She furrowed her brows. Ji had moved in temporarily while she recovered, and she was sure that he had to have heard her screaming, and she wanted to be sure she could explain. "Ji?"
Heading through to the living room, she found that the sheets and the pillow he had been using to sleep on the couch were rolled up neatly, and set aside for the day. She looked around for any signs of him.
"Ji?" She called out again. As she went to the table, she found a note addressed to her on the table in Ji's handwriting.
"Brenda, I saw that you were running low on some essentials and went to the stores." It explained. "I was thinking that perhaps you could meet me at Antonio's cart for lunch at around one? It's been a while since we went out for fresh air. He'll be by the Sea Life Centre today (he is aware of the irony, but he insists that the visiting dolphin show increases sales...go figure.) Looking forward to it, love, Ji."
She just smiled as she thought about it. At the doctor's request, they had taken a few short walks into the city whenever she felt up to it. It looked like a nice day out, and she was sure that Ji had factored that into his plans. She headed to the bathroom, and started to run the shower. If she hurried, she would be able to get there in good time.
In another part of town, Spike and Bulk were round at Cody's place training. With Serena on hiatus with whatever personal problem had caused her to leave town without any further explanation, they were lucky enough to find that Cody and his dad were willing to help them train.
Cody's dad had an entirely different form of training than Serena had, but it was no less effective. He always started training with some yard work, something that served the dual purpose of helping Cody and his father with their chores, and also...Spike had to admit, it was a hell of a workout!
Spike swung his axe, chopping into a log that he had set up on a tree stump, cleaving it in half. He smiled as he saw that the pile was almost finished, but his smile faded as his uncle staggered back into view, carrying another load in a bag. Cody's dad was jogging ahead of him, yelling at him to go faster as he carried a bundle almost twice the size of the one his uncle was carrying.
"Aw man, are you kidding?" Spike complained. Cody just looked up from where he was hand-sawing some planks.
"Come on, it's not so bad." Cody assured him with a shrug. "It keeps us in food."
While the Shiba Clan had paid for the materials for Cody's ancestors to build this house centuries ago, and had paid for the upgrades over the years to bring it up to modern standards, the guardians were expected to deal with their own expenses within reason. Cody's father supplied some local stores with high-end hand-carved furniture. They had seen many examples of his work in the house, but most of it he sold to nearby stores.
"Dad, do you think we might actually get around to some Martial Arts today?" Cody teased his father. "Spike's beginning to feel a little like Danny LaRusso."
"Hmm...I guess I have enough wood to be getting on with." He conceded, looking at the work they had done. "Alright Cody, show Spike where the equipment shed is and fetch some bokken. Bulk, would you like to help me fetch some water?"
"Oh God yes!" Bulk groaned, looking like he was ready to pass out. As they went around the back, Cody shook his head and laughed a little.
"I've got to admit it, your Uncle's pretty tough." He conceded. "I have a feeling dad saw him and thought he wouldn't be able to hack the pace."
"Yeah, a lot of people underestimate him." Spike agreed, looking around the equipment shed as they went inside, turning on the light. "Serena always said she was really surprised how well he took to the training."
"You know Serena?" Cody asked him. "Well, don't take it personally. My dad's always believed in training full-tilt. It's pretty much been that way in my family for generations."
"So...your family taught their style down generations?" Spike asked him. "Kind of like Serena's family?"
"Yeah, it dates back to our ancestors." Cody replied. "It's just always been kind of a tradition. Some families fish, some families, like Serena's farm...we carve wood and learn Martial Arts."
"Wow, that's...actually kinda cool." Spike conceded. "So, is there much money to be had in carpentry?"
"It keeps us living pretty comfortably." Cody said with a shrug. "I guess at some point dad would like it if I took up the family trade."
"So, the end of term's only a month away." Spike said with a little smile. "I guess your school will be looking forward to their social."
"I guess so." Cody answered as they gathered up equipment. "It's never really been my scene. I guess I never really worried about stuff like that."
"Really? You don't have friends you hang around with or...?"
"Yeah, because there are so many kids that are into woodwork and kendo." He chuckled. "So are you going to your social?"
"I'm going with the guys." Spike told him with a smile. "It's been ages since I've been to a school dance. I can't wait..."
"So...um...are you going with anyone?" He asked. "You know...like a date?"
"Nah, nothing like that." Spike said, waving off the suggestion as they went to the front yard, dumping their equipment there. "We're just going to have a good time. After Melanie, I'm going to lay off the girls for a good while."
"So...you and Vicky aren't...?" He asked. Spike just looked at him.
"No." He replied in disbelief. He found it a little odd that Cody seemed to start smiling as he heard this.
"But I thought...you really aren't..." He started to shift uneasily. "So you wouldn't mind if I...you know..."
"I guess not." Spike said with a shrug. Cody just started beaming brightly and patted him on the shoulder.
"I guess I can ask dad for an advance to get myself some decent clothes for the dance." Cody told him. "Presuming she says yes of course. I guess I go to a formal after all. I'd prefer to go to yours anyway, there aren't any kids at my school I'd like to hang around with."
"Well, it'd be cool to have you there." Spike agreed, picking up a bokken and pacing the yard as Cody's dad and his uncle returned with the water. He grabbed a cup, filling it and handed it to Spike.
"Alright, it's kind of hot today, and the last thing I want is anyone passing out." Cody's father told them. "Rest up for a few, and then we'll begin."
As he started to drink, Spike couldn't help looking at Cody, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat at the thought of going to what Spike was under the impression would be his first school dance, but something else started to gnaw at him. He couldn't help thinking about what Cody had said about asking Vicky to go to the dance with him. He didn't know why, but as he thought about it, his stomach started to knot up. Cody just took a cup and tapped it to Spike's before starting to drink. Spike knew he was a good guy, so why did the thought of him asking Vicky out bother him?
Back in her apartment, Brenda had finished getting cleaned up and dressed, and was hurriedly brushing her hair. She checked her watch and realised that she now only had about twenty minutes left to get to Antonio's fish cart for their date. She gathered up her things, shoving them into her purse, before heading to the door.
As she faced it though, she suddenly stopped. She could feel her mouth starting to dry out, and her heart began racing faster, making it hard for her to breathe. Although she had left the apartment a couple of times since the shooting, she had only done so until now with Ji. The last time she had even answered the door on her own, it had resulted in her almost on an assault charge when she had panicked and pepper-sprayed a UPS courier.
She could remember vividly seeing him reaching into his jacket, and while she now knew it to be a perfectly innocent gesture, knowing he was only going for a pen so she could sign for her delivery, she had panicked.
She didn't remember much about the night she was shot. It was one of the things that had made it hard for the cops to find the culprit, and the doctors had explained that it was not uncommon for people to not remember the incident that caused a major trauma, she did recall some of it. She could remember seeing someone approaching her, reaching into a jacket, and then hearing the shots before her memory faded.
In the times she had gone out of the apartment with Ji, she had found herself getting nervous around people, but while she was with him, she knew that she would be safe with him. When she was with him, it wasn't as hard. She would occasionally find herself staring whenever she saw someone go for a purse or a jacket. She had even once had a bit of a start near the local park when she thought she had seen a gun, only to realise it was only a kid with a Super Soaker.
Now though, she just stared at the door, and found herself feeling distinctly sick. All she could imagine was what she was seeing in her nightmares. She started to get closer, looking through the peep hole, but she could only see a small section of the hall. She could just imagine someone waiting for her, just out of view, waiting for her to leave the safety of her apartment.
She reached out for the door handle, and her hand started to shake. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to turn it and open the door.
She eventually just retreated to the couch, drawing her knees to her chest and cowering into the cushions.
Meanwhile, over at the Sea Life Centre, Ji sat in a deck chair by Antonio's fish cart, waiting for Brenda, drumming his fingers on the table as Antonio and Jayden served his wares to the public. Jayden just let out a huge groan.
"Ji, I know you're meeting Brenda here, but do you have ANY idea how irritating that is?" He complained. Ji just checked his watch.
"It's almost half past." He commented, completely ignoring Jayden's statement. "She's late."
"She's a woman." Antonio told him with a shrug. "My understanding is that they're meant to be late."
"Not Brenda, she's always been a stickler for punctuality." Ji told them, pulling out his cell phone.
"Maybe she's still sleeping?" Jayden suggested. "You did say her sleeping pattern's all over the place at the moment."
"Jay, I doubt even Emily coming down from a sugar high could sleep in this heat." Antonio complained, mopping his brow. "Are you sure you don't want anything? I could always just do a couple of shrimp to keep you going until..."
"I would rather wait." Ji told him, starting to dial his cell phone. "It isn't like her not to call."
He called her, and it took a while for her to answer. In fact, he had to dial again since the first time he called, her phone went to voice mail.
"Ji, maybe she..."
He held up a couple of fingers as he finally got an answer. He could hear noises on the other end, breathing, and sobbing.
"Brenda?" He asked her. "Brenda, are you alright?"
"I'm sorry." She sobbed. He could tell from the tone of her voice that she was terrified. He started to become increasingly worried.
"Brenda, where are you?" He asked her.
"My apartment." She finally managed to say. Ji held the phone closely. "I'm sorry Ji, I couldn't..."
"I'll be there as soon as I can." He assured her. He then started to gather together his belongings.
"Is everything alright?" Jayden asked him, seeing the look on his face. Ji just shook his head.
"I shouldn't have tried to push her so quickly." He muttered as he looked around frantically. "I should have given her time...I..."
"Ji, what's wrong?" Antonio asked him.
"I need to go." Ji told them. "I'll call you later."
With that, he left the stand quickly. Antonio just put his arm around Jayden.
"I'm sure whatever it is he'll be alright." He assured him. Just then, another customer came up to the cart.
"Hey, that smells amazing!" He commented. "What do you have?"
"Take a look at my catch, see if anything appeals to you." Antonio told him. "I have some pretty nice trout."
"That sounds great." The customer replied. As Antonio started to work on the latest order, Jayden took a seat, looking down the path Ji had taken. He knew that he had gone to help Brenda, but he was starting to wish that he didn't take Brenda's care on himself. Ji had always taken his role in caring for Jayden and the other Samruai seriously. He only hoped that this wasn't one of those times that he had overstretched himself and forgotten that sometimes, even carers needed care.