While Tyler tried in vain to ask Shelby out on a real date, Chase took Kendall across the street to the park for a walk. He hadn't been telling tales when he said it was a nice night. Winter never really got too cold in Amber Beach, but tonight was particularly mild.
Chase was rather comfortable on the walk, and not just with the weather. His feelings for Kendall had left him feeling confused for a long time, but he learned to live with them in a way that wouldn't impact his friendship. While he had struggled with how he felt, he had learned one important thing: he didn't want to lose Kendall. His ideal, of course, was a romantic relationship. He loved her in a way he never had any other girl. He found himself wanting to do things for her and with her he never imagined doing with anyone else. Every time he thought of her, he smiled. All around, she made him happy. So if he couldn't be with her romantically, he wanted to be her friend. Therefore, he put the choice in her hands. Whatever she wanted to be to him, and him her, he would be happy with.
Where Chase was comfortable, though, Kendall felt a little uneasy. The date hadn't been her idea: Shelby had gotten the ball rolling. Still, Kendall was determined to take advantage.
"What would happen on a date?" she asked Chase, diving right into it. Chase gave her a quick look then shrugged his shoulders.
"It'd be you and me, alone, for starters," he chuckled. "I'd take you somewhere nice and we would just... talk."
"That's it?" Kendall asked. Chase gave a little nod. "So, kind of like this?"
"Yeah, kind of like right now," Chase chuckled, realizing he had just described what they were currently doing. He hadn't meant to do it. He didn't want Kendall to think he had used Tyler's attempt to ask Shelby out so he could trick her into a date. "Only, you'd know about it beforehand."
"I've never... considered dating," Kendall admitted, though she was sure Chase had already suspected that much. "It's just... the way I grew up didn't really instill in me a sense of... family. I didn't want to be a mother. I thought I'd be bad at it. A part of me still does."
"You're great with Cammy."
"I'm not her mother," Kendall said. "I figured, if I wasn't going to be a mother, I didn't need a husband. I wasn't going to give someone else the chance to walk out on me."
"You say that like it's a guarantee."
"The way I was raised, it was," Kendall sighed. "It wasn't until the Fishers that I had someone in my life who wouldn't leave and, I guess, I didn't trust it. So I left them and focused myself on something I had more control over."
"Energems?"
"School," Kendall chuckled, nudging Chase. "I didn't meet Keeper until a year and a half ago."
"Right."
"I would always have my studies," Kendall explained. "Every night, without fail, I could come home to my dorm, shut the door and study. It didn't matter if it had been a long day or the coffee maker broke, I could always learn something new. For once, I had complete control and I liked it. After my undergraduate, I kept up my studies, determined to learn as much as I could."
"It's an escape?"
"Like how skateboarding is for you," Kendall said. "Once I started studying, I forgot all about my parents fighting when I was a kid, or how dad left, mom killed herself and I left the Fishers. All that mattered was the information in front of me and what I could do with it. I guess, that's how I started on the path I am now. And all of that, I could do alone."
"You could," Chase nodded his head, showing he agreed. "But you don't have to."
"I know," Kendall sighed. "It was nice, but also... a little lonely. Books don't exactly cheer when you do well on a test, and papers don't take you out for drinks when you've make a real breakthrough. I guess that's why I started leaning on you Rangers. Finally, I had people in my corner. You were truly happy with my creations and when I fell, I finally had people who could pick me up."
"It feels good, doesn't it?"
"Scary, mostly," Kendall admitted to Chase, looking to him with a bit of regret. "I like it, don't get me wrong, but there's this huge part of me still that's telling me not to get attached to this feeling because it'll go away."
"You know, some friendships last a lifetime," Chase said.
"And some fall apart for no reason," Kendall reminded me. "Best friends go without speaking for just a few days, and suddenly, years later, you can't remember the last time you saw each other."
"It's never for no reason," Chase smiled. "Friendship takes work, and you're the hardest working person I know. If you've got your heart in it, Kendall, you won't lose what you have with any of us."
"I know I don't want to give up on this. But the others..."
"They like you too, Kendall," Chase assured her. "Don't let anything your parents told you put that into question. You're not just our mentor or boss. You're a real friend."
"And you?" Kendall asked. "How much work are you going to put into this? How... how can I know this won't hurt?"
"You don't, I guess," Chase shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I can't say it's going to work between us for sure."
Kendall sighed, turning away from Chase. She hated uncertainty. She hated the lack of control she felt when she had no idea what to expect next. Even worse, she hated how she couldn't be prepared. The worst could hit her, and she wouldn't know how to stop it hurting. That was how it had been when her father left and how she felt after her mother died. The blows felt like they had come out of nowhere and because of that, it took her a lot longer to be able to get back up on her feet.
"But there's something we can do," Chase added. "We can put the odds in our favour so that we at least don't get hurt."
"How so?"
"We're honest with each other," Chase said. "Just like we have been all along. You tell me what's going on, you let me help, and I'll do the same with you. And if, whatever we've got between us isn't working, we tell the other person, right away."
"And we won't hurt?" Kendall asked. "You won't be hurt if I call it off? If I like us better as friends?"
"Well... I guess I'll be hurt," Chase answered, rubbing the back of his neck. Kendall had gotten him there. He couldn't really guarantee pain would be avoided under any circumstance. "But... it'll be easier."
"You think?"
"Just, break it to me gently," Chase chuckled, giving his head a nod right before he realized he and Kendall weren't speaking hypothetically. She wasn't talking about if they got together, how he would feel. She was talking about if they broke up. He looked down at her, trying to see, based on her facial expression, if his suspicions were true. When Kendall shied away, nervous by his gaze, but also a little flattered by the look, he smiled. "Kendall, are you..."
"Tonight was supposed to be a date," Kendall told him. "A double date, really but... I... I wanted to see if... if this could work."
"And?"
Kendall looked back up at Chase, her face still blushing deep red, but less out of uncertainty and doubt and more so from anxiousness. Her eyes met Chase's and she leaned in, planting a quick, gentle kiss on his lips.
Meanwhile, off in the distance, Heckyl stood by a tree, watching the scene. Since his plan to steal the energems from the frozen Rangers had been foiled, he had been trying to come up with something new. Something that would get them for sure and hopefully make them suffer in the process. He didn't just want to take the energems, but he wanted to have fun doing it.
And what was more fun that torturing the Rangers?
The blue and red Rangers had tricked him and helped the others break free of their icy prisons. Fortunately, Heckyl hadn't revealed his identity to the Rangers. He had stood as himself in front of Kendall, but wiped her memory of him for that encounter. It was too soon for her to realize that the man she considered a friend was really looking for a way to stab her in the back.
Heckyl hadn't targeted Kendall for no reason. He had learned that she was the brains behind the operation. When the Rangers got new toys, either she had designed them, or the technology that helped the Rangers acquire the new weapons. When the Rangers found an energem, she was leading the charge, either on the field or behind the scenes. Even better, she had her own energem, and through it, access to all that power. If he was going to have an in, she was it.
But his plans repeatedly failed. He had tried using his magic to twist her mind. He got a lot of secrets out of her, but no energems. The Rangers kept them too close to their chest and didn't respond as quickly as he liked to her disappearance. Then, when he tried to freeze them, two Rangers found a way to ruin his plans again. Heckyl was growing frustrated. Even worse, his counterpart Snide was getting frustrated. Unlike Heckyl, Snide wasn't enjoying this search for the energems.
Heckyl hadn't really planned on making a friend, if he could call Kendall that. He thought, while he was manipulating her into trusting him, that he would be immune. But their late night conversations, their outings for coffee, the tour of the museum had done something to him. Heckyl found he actually kind of liked having someone to talk to. Of course, not at the expense of the energems. He would gladly sacrifice any relationship with Kendall for even just one energem. Or... would he?
It wasn't supposed to affect him at all, but seeing Kendall reach up and plant a kiss on Chase's cheek burned Heckyl. He was sure he had left her with nothing but good memories of him. He was sure, as far as she was concerned, they were good friends. How then, could she suddenly decide to go for the black Ranger? How could Chase, despite all of Heckyl's mind tricks and manipulations, be the one Kendall turn to and trust the most? What kind of spell did this skateboarding kiwi have over Kendall that could overpower him?
He clenched his fists as his rage grew. The tattoo on his neck then began to glow. Normally, Heckyl would try to fight it. His counterpart was a part of him, but they often didn't quite see eye to eye. This time, he let Snide take over.
When the transformation was complete, Snide let out a cry and rushed to the Ranger. He wasn't too concerned with the way Heckyl felt, though knowing a part of him had been betrayed did motive him to give this fight his all. Rather, he cared more about obtaining the energems and there were two right in front of him.
In honour of Heckyl, he charged for the black Ranger first, drawing his sword. Chase and Kendall didn't have time to morph before they were taking to the ground. Snide grabbed Chase, pulling him to his feet before he began his beating.
"Stop it!" Kendall shouted as she picked herself up and morphed. Suddenly, the purple Ranger fired a shot at Snide, knocking him to the ground. She made her way over to Chase, helping him up then standing guard in front of him as he fumbled to grab his morpher and charger. Kendall held her sword at the ready, glaring angrily at Snide.
This was him, she just knew it. This was the monster who had invaded her head, who made her believe her friends couldn't be counted on. This monster had made her miserable, and she wanted her revenge. While Chase morphed, she rushed to Snide, meeting him in battle. She landed a few blows, striking him once across the chest, but then he took over from there, blasting her aside and setting his sights once more on Chase. The black Ranger was barely out of his morph before he was met with Snide's brutality, and took a hard hit to the head as a result. Fortunately, his helmet protected him, but not by much. Snide's attacks were relentless, and the more opportunity he got, the stronger his blows felt until, suddenly, Chase was on the ground, unable to get up. His suit failed him, disappearing from his body while he looked up helplessly at Snide.
"I'll take your energem," Snide said, reaching to Chase's chest but he was stopped when blast shot him in the back. He turned around, seeing the purple Ranger standing behind him. "Fine," he growled. "I'll take yours first."
Chase watched from the ground as Snide unleashed his fury on Kendall. She was able to hold her own, but Chase knew that wouldn't last long. Snide wasn't like the other monsters they fought. He was stronger, faster, and more determined to get what he wanted. Maybe it was because the other monsters were more so fighting for freedom from Sledge than to obtain energems and defeat the Rangers. Maybe, it was just because Snide was truly powerful, and nothing the Rangers possessed could match him.
Either way, he and Kendall couldn't handle this fight alone. Groaning heavily from the pain, Chase reached to his back pocket, where his communicator rested. He pulled it out and called for help from the others before turning back to the battle and helplessly watched as Snide took control of the fight, knocking a tired Kendall to the ground. Like Chase, she had no strength left in her and powered down.
"It was fun," he said, lifting his sword for the final blow when a mark on his neck began to glow. Snide grabbed it, stumbling backwards in pain.
"I must!" he cried out, seemingly to himself. "I must destroy them! Both of them! It's the only way!"
Despite his cries, Snide stumbled further and further away from both of the Rangers before breaking out into a run, retreating in spite of being the victor in that battle. Kendall watched him go, breathing a sigh of relief before she noticed Chase a little ways off. She jumped to her feet, racing over to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked him. Chase nodded his head, but let out a little groan of pain as he did so and Kendall could see his injuries were far worse than he was letting on. For some reason, that monster had attacked him first, and attacked him the hardest. She shook her head, that didn't matter anymore. He was gone, for now. "We better head back."
