Tony and Doug belong to Irwin Allen Productions.
I am using them without permission, but I am not and don't expect to make money from this.
Gaby and Rick are mine.
Rated PG: A few sexual references and mature concepts.
Just a little bit of fun for the Fourth, with a moment or two of serious talk. A sort of epilog to 'The Time Tunnel', too. I know it's very American in tone, but hopefully enjoyable for everyone else, too.
Zeppole : An Italian dessert, popular in street fairs. They are a ball of soft pastry about the size of a fist, fried like a donut, and usually rolled in powdered sugar. Delicious!
Kindly take a moment to review...
"C'mon, Jen, I'll win you a prize," Wes said. Gaby stopped with the rest of their small group and watched him step up to the gaudily decorated shooting gallery booth. He paid and picked up an air rifle, aiming at the jerkily moving rows of duck cutouts. A target fell over with the first shot.
"I taught him everything he knows," Jen said with a grin.
Wes missed the next shot. "You were saying?" Eric asked.
"I didn't teach him that." She laughed.
"Eric..." Gaby said, tugging at his sleeve. "You do it, too. Win me something."
"Years of sharp-shooting training, and you want me to blow away a bunch of fake ducks?"
"Yeah. Get me the teddy bear."
"Oh, all right." With an exaggerated sigh of disgust, he handed over his money and in another few moments was next to Wes, peering down his rifle sights. "Bet I get a prize first, rich boy," he challenged Wes.
"Oh, yeah, tough guy? Prove it."
After a few seconds of elbowing each other for position, they both started to bang away. The duck carnage was alarming. So were the cries of triumph and curses of defeat from the combatants. The two women dissolved in giggles.
Jen crossed her arms, grinning. "I can practically smell the testosterone. It's enough to grow hair on my chest."
"Now, that would be a shame," Wes called over his shoulder.
Ten minutes of manly competition later, Jen and Gaby were the proud possessors of a stuffed rabbit and a teddy bear. They moved off, Wes and Jen holding hands, Eric and Gaby side by side, Rick, Tony, and Doug trailing behind.
"They did a nice job, didn't they?" Rick commented.
"Yeah," Wes said. He turned to Tony and Doug. "They do this every year, for the Fourth of July. Kind of a tradition. It's been a while since I came. Forgot how much fun it is." He swept an arm around them, taking in the temporary fairgrounds that had been set up just outside Silver Hills, complete with rides, games, vendors selling almost anything you could imagine, music, food, and more food.
"It sure looks great to us," Doug said. "The more bright lights, and the more people, the better."
"Not to mention the food," Tony added. "I think I've already gained ten pounds."
Gaby smiled in sympathy. Tony and Doug didn't belong in 2003, not really. But it was their home now. After being involved in a failed experiment in time travel in 1968, they had spent the last year stranded in the late Cretaceous, trying to avoid being eaten by dinosaurs, despairing of ever seeing another human being again.
And now they were rescued. But there was no way to return them to their own time. She tried to imagine how it must feel to suddenly find yourself thirty-five years in the future, your parents long dead, no way to explain the situation to other family and friends, forgotten by the people you used to know...
But this was no time for depressing thoughts. It was a night for dancing, eating, drinking, watching fireworks. For welcoming Tony and Doug to the twenty-first century. For celebrating the fact that they had all survived their latest adventure.
It had been a last-minute decision to come. She smiled again, remembering how Wes and Jen had showed up at Eric's office door at Bio-Lab, insisting that both of them needed to get out and get some serious relaxation, forget their problems for just one evening. Eric had grumbled, as usual, but it really hadn't taken that much to persuade him, especially when she had said she wanted to go.
She clutched at Eric's arm as something caught her eye. "Oooh! Zeppole! I didn't think you could even get them in California. Come on!"
"You have any idea how fattening those things are?" Eric griped as she towed him along.
"That's why they're so good. I'm having three. With lots of sugar."
"I can't believe we missed most of the sexual revolution." Tony smiled.
Gaby looked around at Wes, Jen, Rick, Tony, Doug, and Eric next to her. The seven of them were all sitting at a large round table, outside one of the larger food booths. After stuffing themselves with various unhealthy treats, they had sat down for a brief rest from the constant noise and motion of the fair.
"And now, I understand it's no fun anymore," Doug said. "Now you've got all kinds of diseases. You have to worry about -- er -- safe sex."
"We think sex is still fun," Jen said, smiling at Wes and taking his hand.
"Eric and I think it's a chore," Gaby said, grinning around her cup of Sangria. "But someone's got to do it."
"That's different from our time, too," Tony remarked, looking a little embarrassed. "Most people kind of -- well -- disapproved of unmarried people -- um..."
"Shacking up?" Eric suggested.
"Well, yeah. But now everyone does it."
"Everyone who's lucky," Rick said with a laugh.
"Some people still don't like the idea," Wes said. "But almost everyone at least accepts it now. Especially when the people involved are in love." He and Jen exchanged another smile.
Gaby stole a glance at Eric, who appeared to be fascinated by his napkin. "Lots of changes since 1968," she said, watching Tony and Doug as a shadow flickered over both their faces.
"Thirty-five years of history and scientific advances. Changes in society, too," Doug murmured, echoing her thoughts. "We have a lot to catch up on."
"When we left, the war in Vietnam was going on," Tony said. "You guys probably weren't even born when it ended."
"We learned about it, in school. My dad told me some stuff," Wes said. "It got much worse after 1968. Didn't end until... mid-seventies, wasn't it?"
"The biggest crisis of our time, and you can't even remember what year it ended. Now it's just another part of history," Doug said.
"Everything passes into history," Jen said softly. "Everything happening now will, too. Time goes on, there are new problems, new crises. It's inevitable."
"And that's exactly what we don't know about. Everything new for the last thirty-five years. We can't even have a casual conversation without looking ignorant," Tony said.
"Well, you have missed a lot," Wes agreed. "Watergate, Nixon resigning, the Iran hostages, the space shuttle disasters, the Gulf war…" He hesitated. "9/11. Everything that's come after it." They were all quiet for a moment.
"There were other things too, good things," Jen said. "Incredible development of computers and electronics, the internet, advances in medical science. Some big steps forward in protecting the environment."
"Huge increases in medical costs, some big steps back in protecting the environment," Eric said.
"Cynic. Civil rights, gay rights, women's rights."
"All of which have a long way to go."
"O. J. Simpson," Rick said. "Rodney King. The problems with our legal system."
"Monica Lewinski," Gaby offered. "Amy Fisher, Tonya Harding."
"Geez. Maybe you were better off lost in time," Rick muttered.
"No way," Doug said with a grin. "This is our country, our home; problems, mistakes, and all. You have to admit the good things outweigh the bad."
"That's true."
"We're glad to be back," Tony added. "Glad to have the chance to contribute to solving some of those problems."
"You know…" Gaby started. "I'm a little surprised you're still so positive about it, after what the government did to you. They left you stranded in time, gave up on you, and covered the whole thing up."
"Yes," Doug said. "But they also spent over a year trying to get us back, despite huge expenses and security risks. They only gave up when it seemed to be hopeless."
"We've been in touch with some of the senators and congressmen who sponsored the project, with your father's help, Wes," Tony said with a smile. "They've quietly arranged for us to get the records and papers we need to start new lives. They've even given us pensions. We have no complaints."
"That's great. You won't even need to work."
"But we want to. We'll see what we can do at Bio-Lab, once we catch up on the technology."
Jen had been watching as several couples moved out into an open space to dance to the music being blasted over scattered speakers. "Come on, Wes, let's dance," she said. With a grin, Wes got up and followed her.
Gaby watched them, smiling into each other's faces before moving closer into an embrace. They swayed to the music, moving together so naturally and comfortably, eyes half closed, suddenly seeming to have shut out the rest of the world, conscious only of each other. She saw Wes whisper something into Jen's ear that made her smile and tighten her arm around his shoulders.
"Ah, young love..." Rick commented.
"Yeah. Come on, Eric."
"What, dance? But I'm comfortable here."
"Oh, come on." She tugged him to his feet and onto the dance 'floor'. With a smile, he spun her around before settling into the rhythm of the music. For the next few minutes she relaxed, enjoying the sensation of strong arms around her, the contact with Eric's body, the way her chin just fit on his shoulder, the slight scratchiness of the skin of his jaw against her cheek as they moved to the sound of a favorite old song. For the moment, the world was perfect. She closed her eyes.
There was a chorus of 'oohhs' and 'aahhs' as a fresh round of fireworks burst in the air over the empty land outside the fairgrounds. Gaby pressed her hands over her ears, smiling and laughing along with the others.
"Now a display of red, white, and blue, our flag in lights, for Independence Day!"
More fireballs soared over them, burst in streamers of red, white and blue, and sank into darkness in trails of smoke. They were followed by a barrage of glittering, bright, colorful explosions. Applause broke out. The show continued, shells flying into the air to form colorful spheres of light, every color, every size imaginable, some detonating with a flash, some dissolving in a ball of sparkles, some bursting apart only to have each fragment explode into its own fireball. All of them deafening, almost drowning out the music. Then another announcement during a brief lull.
"In honor of Silver Hills' own colorful heroes, the Power Rangers!"
She looked up, laughing in delight as the sky was filled with five bursts of sparkling colors mixed with white; red, pink, blue, yellow, green; then red again, by itself against the black sky.
"Look, Eric, that one's you!" she shouted, tugging on his arm. He looked down at her and shrugged. But he was smiling.
Half an hour later, ears still ringing, they were making their way into the parking lot. It was a clear, dark night, no moon. They were a little distance from the lights of the fair and a surprising number of stars were visible. Gaby paused to look up, smiling at the bright points of light set in velvet darkness, pleasantly lightheaded from noise, excitement, and wine, then trotted after the others when Eric pulled at her hand. After a brief search, they found their cars and gathered to say goodnight.
There was a round of handshakes with Rick, Tony, and Doug. "I guess we'll be seeing you at Bio-Lab," Wes said.
"We'll be around."
"And I'll probably see you tomorrow," Rick said as the three of them moved off towards his car.
"So who's Monica Lewinski?" they heard Tony asking. "And what did she do to get famous?"
"You mean, who did she do..." Rick's voice trailed off as they got into his car.
"Can you believe they made us into fireworks?" Wes asked, grinning at Jen.
"I think it was nice. Very touching."
"Hmmf," Eric said. "'Colorful heroes'. Pretty cornball."
"No, it isn't," Gaby said indignantly. "No one made you be Rangers, you just did it. All of you risked your lives to do what you think is right. And you're still doing it. You are heroes." They were all staring at her in surprise, Wes grinning, Jen smiling, Eric frowning. "People like you are what makes America great," she finished, hands on hips.
"Are you drunk?" Eric inquired.
"Just a little."
"Right." He dropped an arm over her shoulders. "Say goodnight to Wes and Jen."
"Goodnight, Wes and Jen."
"Goodnight. 'Night, Eric."
"Did you really mean that?" he asked as they started in the direction of his car.
"Absolutely. I've always felt that way. Because it's true."
He grinned at her. "Come on, I'll take you home. Let's see if we can make our own fireworks."