Disclaimer: Still do not own them. Still wish I did.

A/N: Here's the next one. Hope you all still like it.

"Zordon, I found them," Alpha cried. "They're being held in a cave on the outskirts of Angel Grove." Alpha pushed some more buttons, looking up at Zordon. "There seems to be some sort of force field around them. I can't break through it."

"Can you get me in there, Alpha," Jason asked, turning away from Zordon and facing the little robot.

Alpha glanced at Zordon, seeing him nod slowly, then turned to face Jason. "Yes, Jason," he reluctantly answered. "But, once in there, there is no guarantee I can get you out. We could not help you in any way."

Jason turned to face Zordon, hoping he would understand. "I have to take that chance, Alpha," Jason whispered. "I can't let my parents die without trying to help them."

Zordon looked away from Jason, mixed emotions running through him. He took a deep breath, then turned back to face Jason, while speaking to Alpha. "Have Jason morph, then teleport him to the cave," he ordered. "We don't have any other choice." He fought down his emotions as he looked at Jason. "Be careful," he managed to whisper.

Before Jason could morph, Alpha handed him two bracelets. "If you get the chance, give these to your parents. It will enable me to teleport them here if you destroy the force field."

Jason wordlessly nodded, reaching behind his back to pull out his morpher. "It's morphing time!"

Christine sat thoughtfully after Steve had finished his story. She looked at Steve after thinking for a few minutes. "So, Jason was friends with your younger brother before he became friends with you?"

Steve nodded. "I knew who Jason was, everybody at school does," Steve answered. "And I had talked to him a few times, but we didn't become friends until after Derrick died." Steve looked out over the park, a small smile on his face. "I'm only sorry now that I didn't make friends with him earlier. He's a great guy."

Christine thought for a few more minutes, thinking over what had happened over the last few days. She took a deep breath. "Can I ask you something?" When Steve nodded, she continued. "Is Jason really bad to the girls he has dated," she asked. "I mean, has he ever gone out with a girl once and then dumped her for no reason?"

Steve looked at her in surprise. "No," he answered. "Jason really hasn't dated that much. Most of the girls who have gone out with him just did it because he is so popular. They weren't interested in getting to know more about him."

"What about Kimberly," Christine asked. "Do she and Jason like each other?"

"Is this about that kiss the other day," Steve asked.

Christine nodded. "Is just that kiss seemed so real," she said. "I mean, they just looked like they belonged together, you know?"

"Well, I don't know about Jason, but Kim seems to really like Tommy." Steve shrugged. "The person to ask would be Jason."

Michael and Karen stood near the front of their cell, watching as the smoke grew thicker. "We have to find a way out of here," Michael said. "We have to try and stop that gold monster from hurting Jason."

Karen nodded. "You look on your side and I'll look on mine."

They were about to head in different directions, when a red light flashed in front of their cell.

Jason ran up to the front of the cell. "Mom, dad," he said. "Are you all right?"

"Jason," Karen cried. "You need to get out of here. That monster is expecting you."

Jason held out his hand, showing them the two bracelets he held in it. "Take these," he ordered. "If I can get rid of the force field, Alpha can teleport the two of you out of here."

Michael grabbed Jason's arm. He looked behind Jason and let go as his eyes widened. "Jason, look out," he yelled.

Jason's back arched and he grunted in pain as a sword slashed him on the back. He turned from the cell, dropping the bracelets on the floor as Goldar swung at him again with his sword. Jason ducked under the blow, dropping to his knees and rolling away from his parents.

Goldar snarled in rage and followed Jason, ready to exterminate him.

Jason rolled to his feet, holding up his right hand. "Power sword." He swung his sword down as it appeared in his hands, blocking the next swing from Goldar. He backed away, leading Goldar further away from his parents.

Goldar stalked after Jason, his lips pulled back in a snarl. "It won't do you any good to run, red ranger," he growled. "Both you and your parents are finished."

Michael bent down, picking up the bracelets and handing one to Karen. He stood up as Karen put her bracelet on.

"Michael, what are we going to do," Karen asked, looking fearfully over as Jason fought with Goldar.

Michael fastened his bracelet on his wrist, looking up as Jason slashed his sword down Goldar's chest. "Keep looking for a way out of here," he ordered. "Then, maybe we can help Jason." He watched as Jason caught Golder on the chest with another blow. "That is, if he needs it."

Goldar swung at Jason's head, snarling again as the teen ducked under the blow. He grunted in pain as Jason slashed his chest.

Jason didn't give him the chance to recover. He slashed Goldar on the chest once again, watching as the gold monster doubled over from the blow. Jason stood back, waiting for Goldar to recover as his eyes raked around the cave. He saw a silver glow back in the corner, off to Goldar's left, and moved slightly in that direction.

Goldar straightened up from the blow, not noticing that Jason was slowly moving towards the force field control. All he could see was the red ranger, his enemy. He took a step towards Jason, swinging his sword down once again.

Jason blocked the blow with his sword, thrusting Goldar's sword away from him. He caught Goldar with another blow, moving more towards the silver glow again. He was really close, but Goldar closed in on him before he could reach it. He turned his back towards the force field controller, ducking under another blow. Jason straightened up, his sword swinging around savagely.

Goldar gave a roar of pain as the sword cut him deeply on the side. He staggered back, watching helplessly as Jason swung his sword at the silver ball in the corner. "No," he growled, seeing the ball explode from the blow of the red ranger's sword. He growled deeply and moved towards Jason, his anger giving him new strength. "You will not escape me, Jason." His sword came down hard, raking across the front of Jason's uniform.

Jason staggered back as the blow connected. He forced himself to a stop and blocked the next blow, swinging his sword sideways once again. He smiled under his helmet as the blow connected and Goldar fell to his knees, blood running down his side. Jason looked behind Goldar and saw his parents disappear in a flash of red light.

Goldar knelt on the floor of the cave, bleeding and hurt bad. He looked up as Jason moved to stand over him. "Get it over with, red ranger," he snarled. "Finish it. I would."

Jason stood over Goldar, looking down at him as he raised his sword. He slowly lowered his sword as his anger finally started to fade. Jason shook his head, waiting until he met Goldar's eyes. "I'm not like you, Goldar," Jason said simply. He knelt down in front of his enemy. "But, if you ever mess with my parents again, rest assured, I'll come back and finish the job." He stood up, took two steps back from Goldar and teleported out of the cave, heading back to the command center.

Goldar slowly stood up, his side bleeding badly. He pressed his hand against it as he raised his sword and teleported out of the cave, back to the moon.

Zordon felt the relief fill him as Jason arrived back in the command center. He waited until Jason powered down, watching as Michael and Karen wrapped their arms around their son.

Jason held his parents tightly, relief filling him that they had not been badly hurt. He glanced up at Zordon, not knowing what to say to him. Jason opened his mouth, but stopped as Zordon shook his head.

Zordon looked at Alpha. "Teleport Jason and his parents home, Alpha," he ordered. He looked back to Jason as he continued. "We'll talk later."

Jason nodded, feeling his parents arms loosen slightly. Before he could say or do anything, the three of them disappeared in a flash of red light.

Zordon let his breath out slowly, mixed emotions filling him. He had the feeling that their next talk was not going to be a good one at all.

Jason sat at the kitchen table, watching as his mother wrapped a bandage around Michael's let arm. His parents had been quiet since they had arrived home, a fact that made Jason a little worried. He sat back as Karen finished her work, then took a seat next to Michael, both of them looking at Jason.

Michael took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He met Jason's eyes as he began to speak. "Just a few hours ago, Jason, I was going to order you to give up being a ranger," he stated. "I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you." He shook his head, glancing at Karen as he continued. "I thought my mind was made up, but now I don't know what to think."

Karen looked at Jason, putting her hand on Michael's arm as she spoke. "The same goes for me, Jason," she said quietly. Drawing a deep breath, she looked deep into Jason's eyes. "I think I need to hear from you the reason you became a ranger in the first place."

Jason sat back, pausing for just a second before answering. "I became a ranger because it seemed the right thing to do," he answered. "When Zordon asked us to become rangers, I was the only one who thought it might be a good idea. After Rita attacked us, the rest of them agreed with me. It kind of grew on me, knowing that I was doing something good to save this planet."

"But, you're just doing it for the glory," Michael said. "For the recognition, right?"

Jason shook his head, smiling slightly before answering. "I'll admit that it feels pretty good when the news people thank us for saving them," he answered. "But as far as recognition goes, nobody knows it was me. They know about the red ranger, but don't know who I am." Jason leaned forward, making sure his parents understood him. "I like being a ranger, I won't deny that. But, I would give it up in a second if you told me to. I would hand in my power morpher and walk away with no regrets. I'll respect your decision and I love you enough to do what you ask, period."

Michael sat back in his chair, thinking carefully before asking his next question. "Jason, we saw the end of your fight with Goldar," he stated. "I have another question. Why didn't you kill him? You could have, but you didn't. Why?"

Jason sighed, shaking his head. "I probably should have," he stated. "And, I might regret that decision later. But, I thought, if I did, I would be no better than him. I wanted him to understand that I was better than him. I don't have to take a life to prove that." He met Michael's eyes, hoping that he would understand. "Does that make any sense?"

Michael smiled, nodding. "I think that makes perfect sense, son," he stated. He looked at Karen, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

Karen smiled, turning to face Jason. "I think we would be doing a great disservice to Angel Grove if we made you quit," she stated. "I think you should continue to be a ranger, for as long as you want."

Michael nodded, meeting Jason's eyes. "I agree," he said. "I don't want to be the one to stop you." He leaned forward. "Just promise me that you will be careful, always."

Jason smiled at his parents. "I promise," he said, meaning it.

A/N: That's the end of this one. Next chapter up as soon as I can. Let me know what you think.