Breaking the Cycle
By J.C. Vascardi

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Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all related material is the property of Saban and/or Disney. I claim no ownership to it and am not making any money from this story. The only thing about this story that I own are the characters, places, and storylines not featured on the show.

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Chapter Four

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Arriving back at his house, Zaidan found Greg and Mike sitting in Mike's truck in the driveway. Parking his motorcycle, he walked over and said, "I'm sorry guys. I hope you weren't waiting long."

Greg shook his head and said, "No, we just got here about five minutes ago."

"Oh good," Zaidan said. "I was detained and ended up being a bit later than I expected. " Detained was the understatement of the century, but he figured his new domestic help did not need to know that he'd just spent the last couple of hours as Rita Repulsa's prisoner. As long time residents of Angel Grove that could conceivably scare them enough that they might reconsider working for Zaidan, especially since the whole reason they'd needed a job and a place to live was because of Rita to begin with. So, instead, he opted to keep his mouth shut about that and instead reached into his pocket to retrieve the keys he'd had made for them, before he said, "Anyway, here's your house keys."

"Thanks," Greg said, as he took both keys, adding one to his key ring and tucking the other one into the watch pocket of his jeans. Zaidan's face must have looked questioning, because Greg said, "Mike is always losing his keys, especially if they're not on a ring. So, it's best I hang onto it for now."

Mike rolled his eyes and elbowed Greg, but otherwise said nothing. Zaidan grinned as he asked, "You guys need any help getting moved in?"

"No, it's mostly just clothes," Mike said. "So, it's nothing we can't handle."

"Thanks for the offer though," Greg added.

Zaidan nodded and said, "Well, in that case, I've got some homework I should get done, so I'll be in the study. Later guys."

Heading into the house, Zaidan detoured into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator, before heading into the study and powering up his computer. While he waited for it to power up, he sat down in the desk chair and took a deep breath as he unscrewed the cap on the bottle. Taking a long drink, he sighed as he thought over the events of the day. Being kidnapped by Rita really had not been a part of his plans for the day and he couldn't help but wonder why she'd kidnapped him.

'My powers seem to have been a surprise to her,' Zaidan thought. 'So, why the hell did she kidnap me? What could she possibly have had to gain from it?'

Zaidan couldn't come up with any answers to his questions, however, and so he decided that he'd just have to be extra vigilant from now on. He also decided to seriously consider getting in some more practice time with his powers. He'd avoided using them for most of his life, preferring to do everything the mundane and normal way, but recent events had him thinking that maybe that was a mistake. If he was on Rita's radar now, he'd need all the help he could get. Sure, the rangers had saved him this time, but what if they weren't around the next time?

-o-0-o-

Back at the command center, with the ceremony to transfer the red, black, and yellow powers back to Rocky, Adam, and Aisha completed, it was time for Jason, Zack, and Trini to head back to Switzerland. Zack and Trini had already said their goodbyes to everyone, but Jason was holding back. He missed Billy so much and he just wished that he could stay with him. Billy, apparently, had the same thought as he asked, "Zordon?"

"Yes, Billy?" Zordon asked.

"You know that I'm in love with Jason," Billy said and Zordon nodded. "So, while I completely understand that he needs to return to Switzerland to finish with the peace conference, I was hoping that he could stay in Angel Grove for a day to allow him and I to get reacquainted."

Before Zordon could respond, Jason added, "The long distance has been very hard for both of us."

Meanwhile, the other rangers were all standing in the background with grins on their faces because they couldn't believe that Billy and Jason were actually doing this, since they were essentially asking Zordon if Jason could spend the night with Billy. And knowing them as well as they did, they didn't need Billy's high IQ to know that when the blue ranger said reacquainted that he meant that in the carnal sense.

Zordon was silent as he thought over the request. He knew it would be good for Billy's morale for him to allow Jason to stay for a day and with the rangers being the planet's only effective defense against Rita and her minions, it was very important that they keep their morale up. Zordon also had a nagging suspicion which he hadn't shared with the rangers or even Alpha that there was something very big and very bad on the horizon which would make it more important than ever for all the rangers, including the three past rangers, to be in high spirits. After a moment, he nodded and said, "If Trini and Zack are confident that they can hide Jason's absence, he can stay for a day."

Turning to Trini and Zack, their faces pleading, Trini shook her head and smiled, "It shouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah, guys, go make rabbits jealous," Zack said as he grinned from ear to ear. "We'll cover for Jason."

"I have one other condition," Zordon added, prompting Jason and Billy to turn back to him.

"Yes Zordon?" Jason asked.

"To ensure nobody sees Jason here when he's not supposed to be," Zordon answered, "I ask that you remain here and use Billy's room for your activities."

"That's fine with us, Zordon," Billy said as Jason nodded. "Thank you."

-o-0-o-

The following Tuesday evening, Zaidan had just finished dinner and decided to check his email account, before finishing up an essay he had due the next day. Opening his browser, he logged into his email account and was met with a very strange sight. He had over thirty emails waiting for him - all of them from Wes. They were best friends, so they did email each other, but usually it wasn't more than once or twice a week. So to suddenly find over thirty emails from Wes in his inbox, all of them dated on the same day and many of them sent only ten minutes apart, he immediately knew something was wrong. Before he could click on any of them, however, the phone rang, so reaching over and picking it up, Zaidan answered, "Hello?"

"Zaid! Finally!" Wes said. "Do you have any idea how many messages I've left you?"

"I was just checking my email," Zaidan said. "And I can see there's plenty of them." As he said this, he took a moment to analyze his friend's voice. Something didn't sound right, as he could pick up just from the tone that his friend was obviously upset, but there was something else. It was almost as if he was having difficulty talking for some reason, as some of what he'd just said sounded a bit off in terms of pronunciation. Which was strange seeing as how he'd never known Wes to have any kind of speech impediment. "Wes, I can hear it in your voice - what's wrong?"

"My dad knows."

"What do you mean your dad knows?" Zaidan asked, as he furrowed his brow in confusion. "Knows what?"

"That I'm gay."

'Oh shit,' Zaidan thought. He'd had several talks with Wes over the time they'd known one another in which his friend had expressed his complete and utter terror over the idea of coming out to his father. Zaidan knew that was something most gay teens were afraid of and that sometimes they ended up making a much bigger deal out of it then necessary as their parents surprised them and reacted better than they thought they would. That, unfortunately, wasn't always the case though and based on things he'd heard his father say over the years, Wes was sure that the reaction was not going to be good. Zaidan had always hoped, however, that Mr. Collins would surprise his son, but from Wes' tone, Zaidan had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that that wasn't the case. "I take it he didn't react well?"

"He left me," Wes said.

"What?" Zaidan asked.

"In New York - he left me in New York," Wes elaborated. "Threw me out of our hotel suite and said he never wanted to see me ever again. Next morning, he got on his jet and went home without me."

"HE DID WHAT?!" Zaidan exclaimed. He'd known that Wes had been afraid of his father's reaction, but never in his wildest dreams did he think that Mr. Collins would go so far as to abandon his son over two thousand miles from home. Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm down, Zaidan asked, "Wes, I can't believe he did that - how'd he even find out?"

"I went with him to the Erikson shareholder's meeting," Wes answered. "There was a young intern there that I got to talking with. I knew dad had a few more meetings to attend after his business at Erikson, but he didn't consider them important enough for me to come with him. So, he let me go back to the hotel and me being an idiot and thinking dad would be gone for a few hours, I invited the hot intern over and we hooked up."

"Oh fuck, tell me what I'm thinking didn't happen," Zaidan said.

Wes was silent for a moment, before he said, "I can't. Dad forgot a file he needed and came back to get it. Needless to say he wasn't thrilled to walk into my room and catch me with a guy's dick up my ass."

'Definitely not the ideal way to come out to your father,' Zaidan thought, before he asked, "What did he do?" In his head, he couldn't help but wonder if Mr. Collins' reaction had anything to do with why his friends' speech sounded off, because Zaidan had a bad feeling that it wasn't just his friend's emotional state causing the impediment.

"Ordered us to get dressed and then kicked the guy out," Wes said. "Told him I was only seventeen and that if he ever saw the guy's face again, he'd call the police. Guy left in a big hurry and didn't look back." Wes hesitated for a moment, and then said, "When we were alone, he hit me."

"He... hit you?" Zaidan asked, hoping like hell he'd heard Wes wrong.

"Yeah," Wes confirmed. "Backhanded me hard enough to send me flying to the ground - busted my lip and gave me a black eye."

It's a really good thing that Zaidan was alone in his home office, because when he heard this, he could feel anger boiling over inside of him - enough so that he lost control and sent a bolt of lightning flying across the room, where it hit and shattered a vase full of fresh flowers.

Obviously having heard the noise, Wes asked, "Zaid? What was that noise?"

Trying hard to rein in his anger, Zaidan took several deep breaths, before he answered, "Shattered a vase."

"Shattered... you mean?" Wes asked.

"Yeah, I lost control," Zaidan said. "It's a damn good thing your father isn't with me. The way I'm feeling right now, I'm not sure there'd even be ashes left."

After a few moments of silence, during which Zaidan took several more deep breaths to get his anger under control, Wes asked, "Zaid, man, Dad disowned and abandoned me - what am I going to do?"

"You're going to come live with me, of course," Zaidan said as if it was the silliest question he'd ever heard. "I've got three empty bedrooms and you're my best friend - I'm not going to let you live on the streets of New York City."

"And how am I supposed to get to Cali?" Wes asked. "Dad kicked me out with only the clothes on my back. I have a cell phone and twenty dollars in my wallet - cause I'm sure by now he's cancelled my credit cards. In fact, knowing him that would have been the first thing he did after slamming the door in my face."

"Leave that to me, Wes," Zaidan said. "Just meet me in the alley behind the pizza parlor we went to on Saturday."

Zaidan hung up the phone before Wes could say anything. Pressed for time and figuring it was good practice, Zaidan used his powers to clean up the mess he'd made - he also didn't want to try and explain it to Greg. A shattered vase could be easily explained away by claiming he'd accidentally knocked it over, but that wouldn't explain the charred flowers. Once that was done, Zaidan visualized the alley he'd told Wes to meet him in, before he disappeared in a flash of purple.

-o-0-o-

Arriving in New York City, Zaidan made sure to appear in a darkened corner of the alley, just in case there was anyone other than Wes present. It wouldn't do for anyone to see him appearing out of thin air, after all. Quickly looking around, however, Zaidan quickly realized that there wasn't anyone in the alley and that included Wes. Of course, Zaidan had no idea where in the city Wes was when he'd called, so, with only about five minutes passing since he'd ended the call, it wasn't really surprising that his friend wasn't there yet. While he waited for Wes to arrive, Zaidan pulled out his cell phone and dialed John Taylor's private line.

"John Taylor."

"Mr. Taylor, it's Zaidan Prince."

"Ah, Mr. Prince, what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to know if it would be possible for you to change my vote on the Erikson deal."

Mr. Taylor was silent for a moment, before he said, "The contracts haven't been signed yet, so, yes you can change your vote. Though I find myself curious why you'd want to as you will make quite a bit of money off this deal."

Now it was Zaidan's turn to be quiet, as he contemplated whether or not to tell Mr. Taylor the truth. He knew the man was trustworthy if his mother had chosen him to manage her assets, as she'd always been an impeccable judge of character. Ultimately, he decided he need a bit more information first, so he asked, "Mr. Taylor, before I answer that, can I ask you a personal question?"

"I can't guarantee an answer, but you can ask."

"How do you feel about same-sex relationships and gay people in general?" Zaidan asked.

That question wasn't even remotely what John had been expecting Zaidan to ask. It was an easy one for him to answer, however. "My youngest daughter is a lesbian and my wife and I are active members of PFLAG if that answers your question, Mr. Prince."

"Yes, it does," Zaidan said. "As to why I asked, well, part of it is that I'm gay and I wanted to know if you'd have any problems with that. However, it also relates to why I want to change my vote on the Bio-Lab/Erikson deal. You see I'm good friends with Bio-Lab CEO Alan Collins' son, Wesley, who like me is also gay. After I came back to California, Mr. Collins found out that Wes is gay and he really didn't react well."

"What was his reaction?"

"He disowned him," Zaidan answered. "That was after he busted his lip and gave him a black eye. As if that wasn't bad enough, he then kicked him out of their hotel room in New York with only the clothes on his back and then went home to Silver Hills without him - leaving Wesley to fend for himself on the streets of New York City with only a cell phone and twenty dollars in his wallet."

"Oh good God," John said. "Even if I wasn't accepting of my daughter's sexuality I would never even think about doing that to her. It's unconscionable that any parent would do that to their own child no matter how they feel about them. Knowing what he did, I can't say as I blame you for wanting to pull out of the deal, Mr. Prince - I'd do the exact same thing, were I in your shoes. Is there anything I can do for the younger Mr. Collins?"

"I've already made arrangements for him to come and live with me in California," Zaidan said. "Although his father has completely cut him off, so, is there any way that I can help him? Financially, I mean?"

"Mr. Prince, you can do anything you want with the funds that have already been released to you," John said. "While it's true that the majority of your mother's estate is still in trust, you have complete control over what you've already been given access to, so if you decide to share a portion of it with young Mr. Collins then there's nothing that says you can't. Although, I would caution you that if he's a minor, it would be difficult to setup a bank account for him without an adult cosigning for the account. And while you are technically an adult due to your emancipation, I doubt you'd find a bank that's willing to let you cosign. Of course, then again, with the size of your accounts, they may be willing to bend the rules a bit. I've been in this business for thirty years and I've seen banks willing to bend their own rules if a customer has a large enough deposit. Which just proves the old saying that money talks."

"So I've noticed," Zaidan agreed. "As for Wes, he's eight months older than me, so, he'll be turning eighteen in two months."

While he was talking with John, Zaidan turned his back towards the entrance to the alley, so he didn't see Wes arrive until he tapped Zaidan on the shoulder. Turning around, Zaidan cringed when he saw Wes' busted and swollen lip. He did not, however, see his friend's black eye, as Wes was wearing a pair of dark sunglasses which hid it well. Zaidan couldn't help but think that was probably a good thing, because he was sure he'd be angry if he'd seen it. Despite the fact that they'd decided they were better off as friends, Zaidan had always liked his friend's eyes, so to see one of them blackened would have likely gotten him angry and the last thing he wanted to do was lose control while he was on the phone with John Taylor.

Holding up a finger to Wes, Zaidan said, "Anyway, Mr. Taylor, I need to be going now, but thank you for answering my questions. If there's anything else, I'll be sure to contact you."

"It's not a problem, Mr. Prince," John said. "If there's anything I can do for you or your friend, just let me know. I'll be more than happy to assist you."

"Thanks Mr. Taylor - goodbye," Zaidan said as he closed his phone and put it away.

"Taylor? That's your trust manager right?" Wes asked.

Zaidan nodded. "Yeah. While I was waiting I decided to call him and punish your father for what he did."

"What did you do?" Wes asked, clearly curious.

"Instructed Mr. Taylor to change my vote on the Bio-Lab/Erikson deal," Zaidan said. "While it would have been profitable for me, I refuse to work with your father on anything after what he did to you. Mr. Taylor said it wouldn't be a problem, so I'm sure it won't be long until your father gets the news that I've changed my mind and will be throwing in with the shareholders who were against the takeover."

"Zaid, while I appreciate you wanting to punish my dad," Wes said, "you have to know this is going to really piss him off."

"I know," Zaidan said with a grin. "Great isn't it?"

Wes didn't share his friend's enthusiasm, however, as he said, "He's a very rich and powerful man, Zaidan - you don't want him as your enemy."

"Thanks for the concern, Wes, but I'm really not worried," Zaidan said. Seeing that Wes obviously wanted to say something, he held up a hand to forestall further comment and added, "As you well know, Wes, I've dealt with enemies that are more dangerous than your father could ever dream of being. If he wants to take me on, he's more than welcome to, but all the money in the world is not going to help him if he hurts you again. Now, are you ready to go?"

Remaining silent for a moment, Wes sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready. I'm sure it's just my anger with my dad talking, but right now, if I never see New York again it'll be too soon."

Zaidan nodded as he wrapped an arm around his friend, before looking around to ensure nobody was around. Once he was sure they were alone, Zaidan and Wes disappeared.

-o-0-o-

Appearing in a dark corner of one of the unused garage bays at his house, Zaidan said, "Okay, Wes, you know I hired some domestic help."

Wes nodded. "Yeah the last email you sent before my dad found out mentioned that."

"Right, well, obviously they don't know my secrets," Zaidan said. "So, we'll have to change your story a bit. Leave out the New York part."

"Okay," Wes said. "How about Dad disowned me at home in Silver Hills and I hitchhiked to here?"

"Hmm," Zaidan said. "Not sure if it's believable that you hitched across a fourth of Washington state, all of Oregon, and almost a third of California to get here. That's quite a distance, after all, and would mean you'd need to have been disowned a couple days ago, at least - enough so that your busted lip and black eye wouldn't look quite as fresh as they do."

"True," Wes conceded. "Although, couldn't you use your magic and heal them? I mean you did just teleport us from New York, after all."

"Wes, with the exception of teleportation, you know I don't really use my powers very often. Considering their source, I've always hated them, so I don't have a ton of practice. As a result, I can heal myself okay, although my unique physiology helps with that too, but I'm not very good at healing others." With a sigh, Zaidan added, "Honestly, I'm afraid that if I tried I'd do more harm than good and I rather think your face has been harmed enough lately."

"Alright, well, how about he disowned me shortly after we got back to Silver Hills and I called you. You offered to let me stay with you, so, you wired me money for a plane ticket?"

Thinking about that for a moment, Zaidan said, "Yeah, that'll work. We'll have to make it look convincing though. Stay here."

"What are you going to do?"

"Just trust me and stay here."

Zaidan went up to the front door and took a deep breath. "Please let this work," he thought, as he called on his powers and cloaked himself in energy which caused him to fade from view. Reaching out a finger towards the front door, Zaidan grinned when it went right through the door. Concentrating on what he was doing, Zaidan walked through his closed front door and into the house, spotting Greg and Mike sitting at the kitchen island. They didn't spot him, however, and that's exactly why he had cloaked himself as he had, so that he could sneak back into the house without being noticed.

Going into the study, Zaidan dropped the energy and turned his gaze to the phone, snapping his fingers as he did so. A moment later, the phone rang and Zaidan called out, loud enough that he'd be heard in the kitchen, "I've got it, Greg, Mike." Picking up the phone so that it would stop ringing, Zaidan waited for a few minutes, before he hung up the phone and headed out to the kitchen, as he made a show of pulling his keys out of his jeans pocket.

"Hey guys," Zaidan said with a smile, as he entered the kitchen and saw that Greg and Mike were eating dinner. "That was a good friend of mine who just got in down at LAX and I'm going to go pick him up. He'll be staying here for awhile, so, while I'm gone, Greg could you go upstairs and prepare one of the empty bedrooms? I'm thinking the larger one on the front of the house, so not the one that you have to go through the media room to get to, but the other one."

"You're the boss," Greg said with a smile. "I'll just finish my dinner and I'll get right on it."

"Great, thanks," Zaidan said with a smile. "I'll see you in a couple of hours then."

Walking out of the kitchen and out the front door, Zaidan teleported off his front step into the empty garage bay, right next to Wes. "Hey Wes."

Wes jumped halfway across the room and said, "Man, Zaid, don't do that. You trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry," Zaidan said. "Anyway, I've arranged things with my housekeeper. He thinks I'm going to go down to LAX to pick up a friend whose just got into town and will be staying here for awhile. So, what I'll do is go get in my car and drive out to the outskirts of town. Then I'll come back and you and I can go shopping."

"Shopping?" Wes asked.

"Yes, shopping," Zaidan confirmed. "Wes, it's an hour and a half drive from Angel Grove down to LAX, so, we have about three hours to kill. And seeing as how you only have the clothes on your back, it seems to me you're going to need more, so we'll go shopping and get you some luggage, clothes, and other essentials to back up the whole friend coming in from out of town and staying for awhile story. As I rather think that Greg and Mike would find it very odd if you come with nothing, despite the fact that you're staying here for awhile."

Wes really couldn't argue with that logic, so he said, "Yeah, okay. Why don't you just take me with you now though? Why go to the outskirts of town and then I'm assuming teleport back here for me?"

"This is a gated community, Wes," Zaidan said. "There's a guard on duty 24/7. Don't you think it would look a little suspicious if the person I'm allegedly going to the airport to pick up was in the car with me when I left to go to the airport? I mean I doubt that Greg or Mike would ask the guard, as they have no reason to think I'm lying, but its' better to be safe than sorry."

"Yeah, you're right, of course," Wes said. "Okay, then, I'll just stay here and wait for you." At this moment, Wes' stomach grumbled and he said, "And, um, I'm getting rather hungry, so I'd appreciate it if you could hurry it up. I haven't eaten anything since last night."

"You said you had twenty dollars in your wallet," Zaidan said. "I'm surprised you didn't get yourself anything."

"I was saving my money," Wes admitted. "In case I didn't reach you, I wanted to have some money, hoping I could maybe find some really cheap motel for the night."

"In New York City?" Zaidan asked. "It's doubtful you'd find any motel that would cost that little, not to mention one that would let you check in without a credit card." Then remembering that his friend had said his father had kicked him out of their hotel suite the previous day, Zaidan got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he asked, "Wait, Wes, where did you sleep last night?"

Wes sighed, as he looked down at his feet for a moment, before he said, almost under his breath, "On a bench in Central Park."

"Ouch," Zaidan said, before clasping his friend on the shoulder. "Well, don't worry, Wes, we'll get you some food, new clothes, and everything else you'll need. And you'll have a nice, warm, and soft bed to sleep in tonight. Told Greg to make up the largest of my upstairs guest rooms for you. It has a California King bed, a balcony, its own bathroom and a walk-in closet, so, definitely a step up from a park bench."

"Yeah, definitely," Wes agreed. "Thanks, Zaid, I mean it. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't come and got me."

"Hey, no problem, that's what friends do for friends," Zaidan said with an easy grin. "Anyway, I'd better get going. See you in a few minutes." With that, Zaidan flashed out of sight, as he teleported himself over to the bay that his car was in. Moments later, Zaidan's Jaguar convertible was pulling out of the garage and heading down his driveway.

-o-0-o-

The next morning, Zaidan was coming out of his bedroom and heading for the kitchen, just as Wes was coming down the stairs. He was dressed in some of the new clothes they'd bought for him the previous night and looked pretty good, all things considered, although traces of the purpled swelling of his black eye were now visible even behind the dark sunglasses he was wearing, even if they did cover up most of the damage. Zaidan wished again that he could help his friend, but he still wasn't confident in his ability to use his magic to heal Wes' injuries without causing more harm.

'Just one more reason to start practicing more,' Zaidan thought, even as he smiled and said, "Morning, Wes. Sleep well?"

Nodding, Wes said, "Yeah, the bed was definitely a step up from a park bench." After a moment, he grinned and said, "You know, Zaid, even though you sent me pictures, I'm still in awe of this place. In some ways it pales rather drastically when compared to the Collins mansion, but then I've always thought some of the decor there was too stuffy. This is also fancy, but with a more laidback feeling that I like. Not to mention that it's a pretty damn cool house for a seventeen-year-old kid to own."

"Who are you calling a kid, Wesley?" Zaidan asked, with mock frustration. "I seem to recall that we're the same age."

"For now, maybe," Wes said. "But I'll be eighteen in two months."

"True," Zaidan conceded. "Anyway, shall we get some breakfast? Maybe you can meet Greg and Mike this morning."

The shopping had taken a bit longer than the three hours they'd had to burn and thus they hadn't gotten back in the previous night until after 11 o'clock, at which point Greg and Mike had already gone to bed. Greg had, however, left a note saying that he'd prepped the upstairs room and that he'd made a light dinner for Zaidan and his friend, which he'd plated and left in the fridge wrapped in foil. Zaidan hadn't asked Greg to cook, but he was glad that he'd taken the initiative, especially after Wes eagerly ate his own share of it. Their first stop after Zaidan collected Wes was to go to a fast food restaurant and get some food, but after not eating for nearly an entire day, Wes had a healthy appetite.

Stepping into the kitchen, Zaidan found Mike sitting at the kitchen island sipping coffee and eating cereal. Greg, meanwhile, was fixing his own breakfast and looked up as his employer and his friend entered the room.

"Morning guys," Zaidan said. "This is my friend, Wesley Collins." And then motioning towards them, he said, "Wes this my housekeeper, Greg, and his boyfriend, Mike, my landscaper."

"Nice to meet you," Wes said, as he shook hands with both of them.

It was obvious from their expressions that they'd noticed his busted lip and the traces of a black eye that were visible around the edges of Wes' sunglasses, but before anyone could comment, the phone rang. Standing closest, Zaidan picked it up and said, "This is Zaidan."

"Mr. Prince what the hell are you playing at?" an angry voice demanded from the other end of the line. "We had a deal!"

Recognizing the irate voice as that of Alan Collins, Zaidan was half-tempted to hang up, but said instead, "Yes, Mr. Collins, we did have a deal. However, I find myself completely unwilling to work with homophobic bigots who hit their children and kick them out for no good reason. You knew I was friends with your son. Did you honestly think that I would want to help you with anything after I found out what you did to Wes?"

"And it all becomes clear," Mr. Collins said. "You're a faggot, too, aren't you? And I suppose you've probably fucked that pathetic waste of skin that used to be my son. I suppose he's there with you now? Sharing your bed no doubt."

"Yes, he's here, but he's not sharing my bed," Zaidan said. "I am gay, but Wes and I are just friends. Now, I suggest you forget my phone number, Mr. Collins, because I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the police would be very interested in what you did to your son and I rather doubt you want that kind of publicity."

"Are you threatening me, boy?" Mr. Collins asked. "I did some checking and your measly fortune is nothing compared to mine. I could crush you like a bug with very little effort."

"There are some things in this world that money can't buy, Mr. Collins," Zaidan said. "And if you try anything to hurt me or Wes, I promise you that you will regret it. Goodbye."

As he hung up the phone, Zaidan turned to look at his friend and noticed that he'd gone very pale. One of his hands was clutching the back of one the stools at the kitchen island, hard enough that his knuckles were turning white, while his other hand was clutching his stomach, the way someone that was feeling sick might do.

"Wes, you don't have to worry," Zaidan said.

"How can I not worry, Zaid?" Wes asked, his voice quivering in fear. "My father is a very rich and powerful man. I've seen him take down people who get in his way before and if you changing your vote on the Erikson deal didn't make him mad enough, what you just said on the phone is certain to. He doesn't respond well to threats, Zaidan."

"I'm sure he doesn't," Zaidan said. "But, as I said, don't worry, Wes. I'm not. Your father is a jackass and I'm not going to let him intimidate me. You shouldn't either."

"It's very hard not to," Wes commented. "I'm the one who grew up with him, so I know better than anyone what he's like when he gets mad." Sighing, he said, "I'm sorry I involved you in this, Zaidan. I never should have contacted you and dragged you into my mess."

Shaking his head vigorously, Zaidan pulled Wesley into a hug and said, "Don't ever say that again, Wes. You're my best friend, of course you should have contacted me. You needed help and I'll gladly give it." Noticing their concerned looks over Wes' shoulder, he added, "And I don't think I'm alone in that."

"You're not," Greg said, as Mike shook his head in agreement.

This prompted Wes to look up and turn around to look at his friend's hired help. He'd almost forgotten they were even there. A bewildered look on his face, he asked, "Why would either of you stick your necks out for me? You don't even know me."

"True," Mike said. "But, from your eye and your lip, and what we just heard from Zaidan's side of that phone conversation, we can piece together what happened. What your father did was wrong and Greg and I will do whatever we can to help you."

Greg nodded. "Mike's right, it was wrong. As for why we'd stick our necks out for you, it's because a good friend of ours from high school was beaten to death for being gay. The perpetrator tried to use the gay panic defense, but thankfully it didn't work and he's in prison for second-degree murder. However, ever since then, Mike and I have been very active in the community, helping gay teens and older realize that falling in love is not a crime and that there's nothing wrong with them."

"I accept that there's nothing wrong with me," Wes said. "That's not the issue. The issue is that my vindictive and very powerful billionaire father is not a man that should be crossed. I don't want to drag any of you into this because its' not your problem."

Zaidan shook his head. "That's where you're wrong, Wes. As soon as you called it became my problem and it's one that I'll gladly shoulder. You're my best friend, one of a very few that I've made since my mother died. You've been there for me several times and now I'm going to return the favor whether you like it or not."

"And we're going to help however we can," Greg said, as Mike nodded his head and said, "Ditto."

Wes shook his head and said, "Just so you know, I think you're all crazy to want to help me." With a sigh, he added, "But I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," Zaidan said. "Now, let's get something to eat. I have to be getting to school and you're coming with me, Wes."

"I am?"

"Yeah, last I checked you haven't graduated yet," Zaidan said. "And you sure as hell can't go back to the prep school in Silver Hills, so you may as well enroll at Angel Grove High with me. Besides, it'll give you the chance to meet my new friends, including Rocky."

Wes smiled. "Alright, let's eat. I want to meet this boyfriend of yours, make sure he's right for you."

Zaidan grinned, "We've only been dating for a few days, Wes, we're not quite to the point of thinking about each other as boyfriends yet."

"Doesn't mean I can't grill him," Wes said with a shake of his head. "You're my best friend, too, Zaid, and as you said, friends look out for their friends."

Zaidan sighed, and with a grin he said, "I've created a monster."

"Zaidan, please, don't joke about monsters," Greg said, as Mike added, "Yeah, it's not really a joking matter in Angel Grove."

"What do you mean?" Wes asked, obviously confused.

"Living here, you'll find out," Zaidan said, before busying himself making his breakfast.

-o-0-o-

To be continued.

And there you have it, Chapter 4 of 'Breaking the Cycle'. I apologize for the long wait, but I have other stories that demand my attention and for awhile I didn't feel much like writing at all after my mother-in-law lost her battle with cancer in late April. So, what did you think about this chapter? I realize that the rangers weren't major players in this chapter, although I hope the fact that Wes, who will eventually become the Red Time Force Ranger, factored rather heavily into the chapter made up for that, at least a little bit.

Those of you who follow me on Twitter ( JVascardi) know that I'd intended to post a prequel interlude between Chapters 3 and 4, which would have been set about a month and a half before Chapter 1 and thus doesn't include Zaidan at all and focuses entirely on the rangers. However, I got to writing, and this chapter ended up being finished first. And since it's been so long since the last update, I figured I'd go ahead and post this and make the interlude the next update.