A/N:
Okay, everyone. This one is going to be my very first Mighty Morphin Power Rangers story on here. I just got into Power Rangers a couple months ago, and I've grown absolutely obsessed with it. Billy is my number 1 favorite ranger in the series, and in my opinion, the best blue ranger. Plus, David Yost is one of my idols, so when I read that he'd written a script for an episode called "Billy's Transformation," I couldn't resist writing a story based on it. Apparently, David wrote the episode with it explaining that Billy's mom died of cancer, but the producers didn't want anything to do with it because they thought it would be too heavy and dark for little kids to take. I felt I should honor that script and write something based around it, because I think if the episode ever got produced, it would've been very powerful. Words are taken right from the screen shot of that script which David had posted to his Instagram story.
Timeline: takes place during season 1, sometime after the Grumble Bee episode. Tommy and Kimberly are together, so for those of you who love Tomberly, I promise you will be satisfied, too.
Summary: It's October, a month that goes by many names, such as Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as the month where Halloween is celebrated. But it's also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For Billy Cranston, this month proves to bring the young man memories of sadness. After his mother lost her battle to stage-four breast cancer when he was ten years old, Billy grew deeply depressed. With the anniversary of his mother's passing approaching, Billy must learn to lean on his friends as he grieves.
"Daddy . . . is Mommy okay?"
Wallace Cranston paused as he took in the question his son had asked him. The father of a single child could feel his heart cracking as looked at his ten-year-old son, Billy.
Billy wasn't your average ten-year-old. He was very intelligent and observant for his age. Sometimes, Wallace cursed himself for having such a smart child. Billy had always been one that was eager to learn and ask questions. Wallace could remember when Billy had asked him one day, "How did I get here? How was I made?" It had been a conversation Wallace had regretted having with his child . . . the S-E-X talk. That had only been when Billy was four years old. Now, the boy was ten, in the fourth grade. Each day, Billy grew smarter and smarter. Put him in front of a college-level Biology text book, and the boy was distracted for hours with reading. Many told Wallace his son was gifted. Wallace, for one, had to agree. In many ways, he was proud. But he also hated the idea of needing to sit down with his child and explain to him what had been going on with his mother.
Billy's mother, Janet, was dying. Wallace knew that when his wife had gone to the doctor two months ago that there was terrible news. She had stage-four breast cancer. There wasn't anything the doctors could do, because it was terminal. Wallace dreaded needing to tell his son that his mommy was sick and dying. Janet was the love of Wallace's life, the mother of their only son . . . he did not know what would happen if he lost her tomorrow, or next week, or next month.
"Daddy . . . what's wrong with Mommy? Is Mommy sick?" Billy asked again, staring at his dad behind his thick glasses. The little boy was filled with so much curiosity. His blue eyes looked so innocent, so pure . . . Wallace didn't want to say anything to Billy. He knew it would only break his little boy's heart.
"Billy, buddy . . ." Wallace started to say. Right now, his wife was in their bedroom, asleep. 'How do I tell my son this?' Wallace thought to himself. 'How do I tell my boy that his mother is dying?' Getting up from the sofa where he was sitting, Wallace proceeded to pick up the phone to call John and Cindy Scott, his two best friends. He knew he needed all the support he could get. Plus, his son needed his friends.
Over at the Scott household, Cindy was in the kitchen preparing dinner when the phone rang. John picked up the phone, answering. Their son, Jason, was pre-occupied with practicing his karate down in the basement of their home.
"Hi, Wallace," John said. "Billy asked . . . you mean? Wallace, you know how observant that boy is," he continued to say as Jason came up the stairs. "Wallace, when Janet got diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer two months ago we saw it coming . . . look, I-I don't know how I would explain it to your son. I never had to do that . . . Okay, give us ten minutes, we'll be over there with Jason . . ." John hung up the phone before turning to his wife.
"Cindy, we have to go to the Cranston home," he said.
"Janet's getting worse?" Cindy asked, trying to hold her tears back. Janet Cranston had been one of her best friends in the world. Their sons played together . . . the thought of losing her friend killed Cindy inside.
"Yeah," John said. "We should go over there." John turned to his son. "Jase, buddy . . . we're going to Billy's house. He's going to need you."
"Why? Is Janet okay? What's wrong?" Jason asked, his brown eyes turning up to meet his dad's.
"Just . . . you have to be there for Billy right now, buddy. He's going to need you and your other friends there with him. Just know that, he's going to be very sad for a while," John whispered.
Jason nodded, though he too was just as confused as Billy. They piled into John's car and drove to the Cranston household. They could see that Caroline Hart, Nathaniel and Jill Taylor, and Marlon and Soo Yung Kwan already there with their children. Kimberly Hart, Zachary "Zach" Taylor and Trinity "Trini" Kwan were already entering the house, searching for Billy.
"Wallace," John whispered, clasping his friend into a firm hug. He looked towards the living room to see Janet sitting on the couch, looking weaker and sicker than ever. She had lost a considerable amount of weight. John and Cindy then turned to the kids.
"Go find Billy," whispered Caroline to Kimberly.
Kimberly, Trini, Jason and Zach all nodded, knowing this was a conversation for the adults to have. Running up to Billy's bedroom, they found their ultra-intelligent, blonde best friend sitting at his computer, doing a search. He had dictionaries open, and his eyes were tear-stained.
"Billy?" Kimberly asked, going over to him and hugging him fiercely. They were all fiercely protective of him. Even though Billy saw Kim and Trini as his "little sisters", he was still viewed as the "little brother" of the group. All his friends defended him from bullies loyally, and he knew he could rely on Jason to protect him always.
"Billy are you okay?" Zach asked him.
Billy shook his head as the tears continued to roll down his face. Jason looked down at the dictionary Billy had open at his desk, and could see words like "stage four", "terminal" and "breast cancer." Clearly, Billy had overheard the phone conversation between John and his father, and had looked up the definitions. It only made his fears more real.
"M-Mommy's d-dying," he sobbed out, shaking his head.
Trini and Jason both reached over and pulled their friend into a hug. Trini rubbed his back, unsure of what to say. What do you say to your friend whose mother was dying? They didn't even know when she was going to die. Of course, their parents had made them aware Mrs. Cranston had been ill. They just did not know how sick she had been. This only confirmed it further, and it made Billy even more scared.
Billy just cried into Jason and Trini's shoulders, clinging to them as he wept. He didn't want to lose his mother. He couldn't lose his mother. Kimberly grabbed the box of tissues on Billy's desk and took some out, sympathetically.
"Billy don't cry," Kimberly tried to plead with him. "It's gonna be okay . . ."
Billy shook his head as he tried to be comforted by Kimberly's words, which were soft, gentle. Kim was agile, graceful, kind . . . a bright light who cared deeply for her friends. Trini was gentle and peaceful and loving, hating the idea of others hurting.
"N-No K-Kim," he sobbed out. "No . . .!"
The five friends just sat there in Billy's room while the parents talked downstairs. They knew all they could do was just hug their friend and be there for him while he cried for his mommy's death.
Present Day:
"I'm president of the debate team this year," Billy whispered as he knelt down in front of his mother's grave. "Sometimes, I am afraid I will forget what you look like, but then I close my eyes and remember how beautiful you were."
It was now five years later. Billy Cranston, now fifteen years old and in his sophomore year at Angel Grove High School, found that as more days went by, the more he missed his mother.
Days after it had been revealed his mother had been dying, Billy's mother had passed away in the hospital. The last words she'd said to Billy were, "I-I love you, William." Those were the words Billy forever held dear as he visited her grave every month. But this month was especially hard given it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
For Billy, the month of October was bittersweet. Yes, he always looked forward to Ernie's Halloween party that got held at the Youth Center, Gym and Juice Bar every year. But every year, Billy was hit hard with the memories of the loss of his mom. It was a month where the fifteen-year-old blue Power Ranger found himself sinking into a deep depression, even more so than typical. His friends knew what this meant. But for the newest edition to their team, Tommy Oliver – the green Ranger – he was a fish out of water when it came to dealing with Billy's moods.
Tommy and Kim had decided they wanted to go with Billy to the cemetery for moral support. The couple watched as Billy knelt in front of his mom's tombstone. Kim closed her eyes as she leaned into her boyfriend.
"Billy's mom always reminded me of an angel," she whispered to Tommy. "She was perfect in every sense and took care of everyone."
Tommy breathed out a sigh as he watched Billy brush a hand over his cheeks, clearly wiping away silent tears. "It must have been a shock when she died from cancer," he said as he and Kimberly walked over to Billy, who was knelt on the ground sniffling softly. Tommy leaned over and rested a comforting hand on the back of Billy's neck. "Come on, buddy," he whispered gently.
Kimberly leaned over and took Billy's hand, squeezing his fingers gently as he rose to his feet. The blue Ranger could feel Tommy's arm coming around his shoulders comfortingly.
Kimberly breathed out a sigh as she whispered, "Are you gonna be okay?"
Billy sighed, swiping a hand over his face to dry his tears. Even though he'd never admit it, he was still greatly hurting over the loss of his mom. He remembered the night he'd found out his mother had been dying. His father had called his friends' parents to come over and talk. His friends had held him the whole night and Jason's father and mother, as well as Billy's father, had come up to explain to Billy how badly sick his mother was. All his friends had been present at the funeral and showed their respects. Billy remembered his father's eulogy, which was enough to make the young man break down in tears every time he thought about it. Most of his nightmares that he had at night consisted of memories of his mom's death. Losing his mom had been the worst thing he'd ever had to go through.
However, a twist of fate had happened when Billy and his friends had been selected by their intergalactic mentor, Zordon, to become Power Rangers. He'd been bestowed with the responsibility to control the triceratops zord, as well as the blue power coin. Through the formation of the Power Rangers, Billy had unexpectedly gained yet another father in his life. Zordon had seen something in him that had been worthy. Billy gaining a yellow belt in karate under tutoring from Jason as well as Trini's uncle, Howard, had only helped him boost his self-esteem even more. After the loss of his mom, it had seemed as though life had drained from Billy as well.
Kimberly could remember how depressed Billy had been after the funeral. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat and had starved himself. He'd been severely depressed to the point where he would have suicidal thoughts at twelve years old. Luckily, he hadn't attempted anything extreme, because it had been Kim, Jason, Trini and Zach who had pulled the solidary, shy, hurting boy out of his shell. Kimberly especially would make him participate in their games of basketball in the park. She always made sure Billy participated in all activities, no matter what the game. Jason and Zach had constantly looked out for him, defending him endlessly from their childhood bullies Bulk and Skull. His friends were constantly looking out for him, something Billy would forever be grateful for.
Having Tommy as an edition to their team only helped a little more. Tommy having moved to Angel Grove from Reef Side with his adoptive mom and dad had meant the former-evil Ranger had been a loner. He'd been a spot where he'd been vulnerable enough for Rita Repulsa, their nemesis, to take advantage. Luckily, the Rangers had saved Tommy and gained a new friend. For Billy, he considered himself lucky for that.
Billy could feel Tommy's arm tightening slightly around him. He knew Tommy sympathized with him. Tommy had never known his biological parents, having been adopted as an infant. Billy also knew Kimberly had a great amount of sympathy. Her father and mother had divorced when Kimberly had only been eight years old, and her father had been abusive and used to beat her. Billy knew Kim blamed herself for her parents' divorce and was embarrassed to be in the same room as them when they were together. But neither Tommy or Kim could ever understand what it had been like for him. Yes, Kimberly had been present when his mom had passed away. She'd been at the funeral, too. But she did not know what it was like to truly lose a parent so suddenly like that.
The three friends continued to walk towards the Youth Center in solemn silence, Billy trying to keep the tears out of his eyes as Kim and Tommy walked on either side of him, comforting him without words. As they continued walking, Billy could only allow one thought to run through his mind.
'I miss you, Mom . . .'
A/N:
Well, what did you think? Be sure to check out my other story, Mighty Morphin' Legacy, as well as my X-men/Avengers crossover Peace in Our Time, which is in collaboration with the talented MarvelMaster 616! Affirm yourself, follow, favorite and most importantly of all, REVIEW! Have a morphinominal night!
