Nothing's Ever Going To Be The Same

by Gage39

Sequel to 'Never the Same' by Piaffe417. Sydney's undercover mission is finally over but a phone call to Ranger Headquarters changes everything for Gage and the loved ones she left behind.

1. Chapter 1

Title: Nothing's Ever Going To Be The Same

Author: Gage39

Summary: This is the sequel to Piaffe417's 'Never The Same'.

Mexico

Texas Ranger Sydney Cooke exhaled and wiped her long black hair off of her face. It was extremely hot in Mexico, even hotter than Dallas. The thought of Dallas made a smile cross her face immediately followed by a sad look. Dallas held her one true love; Francis Gage. If she had it to do over again she would have told the people that wanted her to help out on a case to go jump off a bridge. There was no way on earth she was going to leave the man she loved! But now it was too late. She was stuck in Mexico far, far away from Gage.

Dallas, Texas

Ranger Headquarters

Meanwhile, in Dallas, Sydney's partner or Texas Ranger Francis Gage as he was known was sitting morosely at his desk just staring into space which was now his new normal position. He used to sit and stare at his partner when he was supposed to be doing his paperwork.

Captain Cordell Walker watched him with a frown. Sydney had been undercover for two very long years and Gage was still acting the same. Walker wouldn't have been so worried had it not been for the fact that the younger man was actually doing his paperwork. That was enough to scare Walker.

Mexico

Sydney sat the tray of drinks down on the counter and sighed. She was getting really, really tired of this place. Thank goodness the ATF was making their raid today. The doors opened and several men with guns burst in shouting, "This is a raid!"

Sydney pulled out her gun and started shooting. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her side. She fell to the floor and her last thought was Gage, I love you and then everything went black.

Ranger Headquarters

"Ranger Headquarters, Captain Walker speaking," Walker listened to whoever was on the other end and he looked sick. Gage, Ranger James Trivette, A.D.A. Alex Cahill-Walker, and Rangers Kay Austin and Rhett Harper glanced at him sharply. They could all tell it wasn't good news by the way Walker sat the phone down slowly and sighed heavily.

"That was the ATF," he said slowly. "Gage, I'm sorry but Sydney…Sydney was killed while they were taking down the Garcia-Muniz families. She's not coming back."

Gage could feel his world shifting. The room started spinning and he hit the ground hard.

"Somebody get some water!" Walker yelled as he knelt next to Gage and checked for a pulse. he was greatly relieved to find one. Alex returned a second later with some water which Walker splashed on Gage's face. The blond Ranger choked and tried to sit up.

Gage rubbed the back of his head ruefully and looked straight ahead for a minute, not saying anything. All of the others remained quiet as well. They would all grieve Sydney as well but not as much as Gage. It had been obvious from the start that the two were in love. They all knew that this would devastate Gage.

Gage slowly took a deep breath then whirled on Walker. The senior Ranger recoiled when he saw the look of pure hatred in Gage's eyes.

"It's your fault," he growled through clenched teeth.

"How is it his fault?" Kay asked.

Gage shook his head and said, "It just is." He got to his feet and ran out of the office.

"I'll go after him," Rhett disappeared after Gage and Walker watched them go.

"Oh, Walker," Alex started crying. "First they don't even get to see each other for two years and now this."

"I know," Walker agreed. "I know."

Gage stopped by his motorcycle and leaned against the wall. Syd was gone. She wasn't ever coming back. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. Emotions were overwhelming him and he slid down the side of the rough brick building and sat on the ground and cried some more. He heard footsteps but just assumed it was Walker. The footsteps stopped next to him but the person remained quiet. Gage didn't care though. Syd was gone. He continued crying.

Rhett couldn't think of anything to say so he remained quiet. He had never seen one of the senior Rangers lose it before and he wasn't sure he wanted to see them lose it again. He sat down next to Gage and looked at everything except for the grieving Ranger.

After a while Gage calmed down enough to lower his hands and, to his surprise, saw Rhett Harper sitting next to him. the black-haired Ranger was playing with a blade of grass and doing his best to give Gage some privacy.

Both men were silent for a while before Gage rose and tried to climb on his bike only to have Rhett grab his arm.

"You're not in any condition to drive," Rhett said.

"Let go of me," Gage warned. He was bigger than Rhett to begin with and when he got mad he fought a whole lot better.

"No," Rhett said firmly. "If you drove right now you'd have an accident or something."

Gage scowled at him. "Let go, Rhett."

"No," Rhett glared at him and Gage felt a smile twitch at the corner of his mouth. Rhett Harper was so like him at that age that it wasn't even funny. All he hoped was that Rhett wouldn't make his mistake of falling in love with his partner.

"What's so funny?" Rhett asked.

"You just remind me a lot of me," Gage said and almost laughed at the horrified look on Rhett's face.

"Just get in the car. Somebody else can drop off your bike later."

Gage was about to argue again but the look in Rhett's black eyes told him that he would be better off arguing with the Senior Captain about getting a raise. It just wasn't going to happen.

"You win but just this once," Gage said as he climbed in Rhett's car.

"That's better than never," Rhett pointed out.

"Just shut up."

"Has Gage left yet?" Walker asked. he, Alex, Trivette, and Kay were gathered at the windows in his office trying to see whether their friend had left yet.

"He's getting in Rhett's car," Trivette reported.

"Remind me to drop off his bike later," Walker said. "Since I doubt that there's room for it in Rhett's car."

"There's not room for much of anything in Rhett's car," Kay said. "He keeps it so messy that it's unbelievable."

"So does Gage," Alex smiled. "It used to drive Sydney crazy…" her voice trailed off. It was still so hard to believe that Sydney wouldn't be there anymore. They couldn't even picture Gage without her though she had been gone for two years. But at least there had still been a chance that she would return; now there was no hope at all.

"Walker, does she have any family that we need to contact?" Kay asked.

"I have no idea," Walker replied. "Gage would probably know." He too fell silent as he suddenly realized that Gage would be in no condition to tell them anything about Sydney's next to kin. "Kay, can you pull her file?"

"Yes, sir," Kay moved away from the window and went to her computer. At least she had something to do. She hadn't known Sydney very well but had been regaled with stories of her from the time she had started. She had been a little nervous since she was a woman but meeting Ranger Cooke had instantly put her mind at ease, as well as meeting the Company B Rangers. They hadn't minded that she was a woman.

After dropping Gage off at his apartment Rhett went back to work, knowing full that Gage wouldn't stay and he was right.

Waiting until he was sure that Rhett was gone, Gage walked outside and kept on walking. It would have been easier to take a cab but right now all he wanted to do was walk, get drunk, and get in a fight. In that order.

3 Hours Later

Walker sighed as he and Trivette entered the smelly bar. They had received a call about a bar fight and it looked more like a street fight. Three guys were still fighting and Walker groaned out loud when he recognized the familiar brown cowboy boots. He glanced over at Trivette, who had spotted them too and looked extremely sympathetic, as if he somehow understood why Gage was fighting.

Just about then Gage fell off the counter and landed on top of Trivette. The black Ranger yelped and then yelled, "Gage!"

Gage staggered to his feet somewhat unsteadily and headed toward the other two guys again. Walker grabbed his arm and spun him around. Gage didn't hesitate and slugged Walker in the nose, knocking him back a foot.

Gage charged the two men and Walker winced as somebody, he couldn't tell who, flew over the counter and he could hear bones cracking. He and Trivette rushed around the counter and knelt next to their friend.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed as well?" Walker muttered, already knowing the answer.

4 Days Later

Dallas Memorial Cemetery

The Rangers, Alex, Sydney's grandfather, and various friends stood huddled together in a silent group as the preacher's voice droned on and on while Gage's thoughts drifted to Sydney and where she was now.

Standing on a hill watching

The people below I can't

Help but wonder what you're

Doing and if you can see

Me now.

Walker glanced at Gage and sighed once again at the look on his friend's face. He was not entirely sure if the pain-filled expression was from the broken arm or from losing Sydney although he suspected it was from losing Sydney.

Or are you just wandering

Through the world,

Destined to roam until

The end of time?

But either way, Nothing's

Ever going to be the same

Again.

Trivette too looked at Gage. He was one of the few people there that even somewhat understood what Gage was going through. He hadn't been in love with his girlfriend Angel, who had turned out to be a hired assassin, but he thought he had been and therefore had grieved her with as much love as he could. He glanced upward as the rain started pouring down.

It's raining now and it matches

My mood 'cos all I want to do

Is cry now that's nothing ever

Going to be the same again.

Rhett stayed still. He had lost far too many people for his liking. First his dad had died and he had been shipped off to live with his aunt and uncle who had been murdered four years earlier.

Now that I lost you I feel

Like I've lost myself too

Since you're gone I feel

Like I'm gone too and

Nothing's ever going

To be the same again

Gage was subconsciously aware of the sympathetic looks he was receiving but only physically conscious of Angela Walker holding on to his hand tightly and in his mind he imagined that it was Sydney holding his hand.

I'm standin' in a kleadiscope

Of grays and my world's spinning

Out of control and I need you

To fix it

Angela didn't know what was going on other than that her Aunt Sydney (who she didn't even remember) had died and so everybody was sad, especially Uncle Gage. And if there was one thing Angela hated to see it was somebody sad. The only thing she could think to do was go and squeeze her beloved uncle's hand. After a few seconds he squeezed her hand back.

Nothing's (no not a thing)

Ever (never) going (never

Again) to be the same

(Not the way they used

To be) Nothing's ever

Going to be the same

Kay held her partner's arm and the two of them watched their friends mourn the loss of another dearly beloved friend. Gage was definitely taking it the hardest. He had been as quiet as a mouse ever since Walker and Trivette had brought him home from the hospital after the bar fight. Being left with a broken arm, several cuts and bruises and two broken ribs had temporarily put him out of circulation although no one was sure that was a good thing. Not being able to work had left him with a lot of time to brood and more than once they had come over to find him drinking and staring at a picture of Sydney.

None of them knew what to do with him anymore. Everyone had attempted to talk to him at some point but had been rebuffed on every attempt. He simply didn't want to hear words of sympathy. He had heard enough of those as a child and had no use for them. Only one person could make him feel better and she was gone. His sister had come for the funeral and even she couldn't get a response from him.

3 Weeks Later

Ranger Headquarters

Nothing had changed since the funeral. Gage was still at home (a second bar fight re-broke his arm) and was still drinking. Julie had stopped by before she went back to Parkerville and asked Walker to keep an eye on him as she was extremely worried. Walker had promised and mentally cursed the ATF. He didn't know who to blame for all of this mess but he couldn't help but feel partially responsible. He could have told the ATF to jump off a bridge, that he wasn't going to give them one of his best Rangers but that had been Sydney's decision, not his.

Gage's Apartment

Gage lay on the couch, unconscious. He had drank himself to sleep the night before and hadn't woke up yet. Drinking was the only way to numb the pain in his body and in his heart. She was gone and wasn't ever coming back. At least, in his dreams, he was with her.

Sydney laughed as Gage chased her through one of the pastures on Walker and Alex's ranch. He sprang and tackled her.

"Get off me, Francis," she ordered.

"I don't think so, Shorty," he said as he smiled down at her and tickled her.

"Stop that," she giggled. Slyly, she started tickling his stomach which quickly caused him to stop tickling her.

Suddenly it started raining and he looked around but couldn't see anything. "Syd!" he yelled. "Syd!"

"Syd! Syd!" came back to him along with a strange mocking laughter.

Wildly he looked around but didn't see her. All that remained was a note…stained with blood.

Gage stirred restlessly and tears streamed down his cheeks as he continued his pain-riddled sleep.

A/N: I must have at least 3 (three) reviews before I will post chapter 2. So, please review and thanks to Piaffe417 for allowing me to write a sequel.