I felt kinda bad writing this chapter, since i've been writing Dino Ninja things really haven't been going well for me, first i break the two ninja's up and then i do this to Conner: geez i need to cheer up i'm making myself sad.
Chapter#7-Graveyard
Conner stared at the dark cloudy sky with a bittersweet smile, the weather today reflected his mood pretty well he might ask Dr O if his dino powers could affect the weather at all. After all it was October 12th the one day in the year he couldn't put on the mask of Conner McKnight and pretend everything was perfect because on this day nothing was perfect.
He felt made for shutting out his friends and fellow rangers-especially a certain white ranger-but every year he spent this time alone just thinking with his own thoughts and that made him snappy half the time and broody for the other half of the time. He guessed the other rangers had picked up on his strange mood because during training that day Dr O pulled him aside so that they could have a small talk.
"Okay Conner what's going on?" The black ranger bluntly asked making the red ranger startled for a moment.
Normally his mentor was a lot calmer and hesitant to his approach with things that bothered his students: although considering he was getting extra credit being his T.A and was his Red Ranger he could see how Dr O wouldn't think of him as one of his normal students at all. It went both ways though in most ways Dr O was more of a dad then the father he never saw, but despite this it didn't mean he had to tell the other anything.
"It's nothing" he muttered and Dr O's stare turned into a glare and his arms crossed.
"No it's not 'nothing'" the black ranger growled "It's something and it's upsetting the team, have you really looked at Trent today he's been a mess" he said making Conner look up at him in shock.
"But he hasn't done anything!" he gasped, why would his boyfriend think it was him that was making him so weird. They'd been dating for a good two months and in some ways they were the highlight of his senior year-besides becoming a power ranger I mean come on he's a freakin power ranger!
Dr O pointed at Trent who was looking down at a picture he had sketched the other day of him in his ranger form, the white ranger looked so miserable and just watching his boyfriend sitting there looking like his whole world was lost made Conner feel so guilty, he had done that to his normally cheerful boyfriend. "Yeah but does he know that?"
Conner sighed and ran a hand through his hair, why couldn't this day be on a weekend, that way he could have shut himself away with the excuse of marking papers for Dr O, but no the day fell on a stupid Friday which meant not only did he have to go to school but his freedom was just a day away and he couldn't get to it.
"Dr O do you know what the date is?" he asked slowly as he lifted himself up to sit on Trent's ATV
"Ah...October 12th isn't it?" The older ranger asked suddenly confused
Smirking at his perplexed teacher Conner looked over at Trent who was staring at him and gave him a sad smile that the white ranger hesitantly mirrored back. "Did you know that when I was eight I was caught up in a heist?" he said not turning his gaze away from his boyfriend taking his silent support even if he didn't know he was giving him it.
"Really? Were there any causalities?" Dr O asked in a concerned voice making Conner smile and nod.
"Yes, six" he said slowly
The black ranger put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it tightly "Do you want to call Trent over?" he asked as he saw the direction that he had yet to look away from.
"If you don't mind"
Dr O gave him a sweet smile and then looked up at the white ranger and motioned him over "Trent I think Conner needs you over here for a bit" he said his voice brooking no argument not that Trent would ever argue with his mentor.
When the white ranger reached them Conner tangled his hands with his own and stared at them taking support from Trent just as the other had done when telling him about his father all those weeks ago. "I was eight years old and my mother wanted to get a watch for my father: their anniversary" was a few weeks away" he explained as Trent sat next to him on the ATV hood and Dr O sat on his own.
"My mom took me to this really classy jewellery shop and we were just looking at all these different watches when these men came in with the guns. They shot one into the air and told us they were taking over the store" He explained his eyes going glassy as he remembered the day where his whole world changed, "There were twenty people in the store including me and my mom"
Dr O gave him a nod and he took a shuddering breath so he could continue "The gathered us all on one side of the building as when the cops asked for their demands they said that if they weren't met they would kill a hostage every hour" he said his voice wavering slightly as he began to get overwhelmed with emotion "I don't know why they didn't met them quick enough, maybe they thought the guys wouldn't go through with it but...they killed the first hostage at the one hour mark: I can still picture him clearly: he had been a young man looking for engagement rings he'd been a marine"
Trent pulled him a little closer and Conner gasped as he felt his tears welling up, why was this so damn hard, this shouldn't be so hard! "Come on Conner keep going" the white ranger whispered softly and gave his hand an affectionate and comforting squeeze.
"This pattern kept going and on the sixth hour they walked around the store looking for their next victim, they'd already killed an elderly man, the marine a young female worker, a business man and a young woman. No one knew who'd be next that is until he stopped n front of me" he said slowly.
Dr O stilled and looked at Conner in shock "What?" he asked softly thinking of his student in that kind of situation looking death in the eye that young.
Conner nodded and the first tear fell splashing on his hand that was joined with Trent's "They said they wanted to kill a kid to make a point. They fired, but my mom had jumped in the way, she was shoot in the upper shoulder, and when the man shot again after pushing my mom out the way he grazed my ribs saying he wasn't gonna kill me anymore just put me and my mom in my place" he said rubbing a spot on his side where a scar remained from that deadly encounter.
"Despite the fact my mom didn't die immediately by the time she'd pulled herself over to me she was barely there. She died after kissing me on the forehead and telling me I was her little T-Rex" he said giving Dr O a teary smile. "I wasn't left alone though a young man by the name of Cole took care of me telling me I would be okay"
"What happened?" Trent asked tears falling from his own eyes at the sight of his usually composed Boyfriend crying silently.
"It took the police seven and a half hours to kill the men responsible and three weeks for my dad to come and get me from Cole's animal reserve" he said slowly "My mom died that day and my dad hadn't cared that I was safe only that he had to seal a deal with his business"
Dr O didn't think about what he was doing just stepped forward and wrapped his red ranger up in a hug "I think you're mom would be very proud of you" he said and then pulled back "Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
The red ranger looked at Trent and then back at Dr O before his nodded "I'd like to introduce you to my mom" he said seriously.
The drive over to the cemetery was silent as Conner took the silent support his boy friend was giving him, he had never told anyone that story, he'd never had a reason to but now that he had he felt lighter he felt better. "Thank you" he whispered against the skin of Trent's temple.
When Dr O's jeep pulled up in front of the graveyard the heavens finally opened up and the rain began to pour, but it did nothing to deter the red, black and white ranger on their course. Conner led them through the rows of tombstones and stopped in front of a beautifully elegant headstone with the words 'Marie Ann McKnight' 'Beloved Daughter, Wife and Mother'.
"Hey mom" Conner said kneeling down and resting a hand on the top of the stone "Another year has passed" he said softly and then looked back at his fellow rangers by his side "I wish you could see me now: you'd be so proud of me"
Dr O took a step forward and looked at Conner for permission and when his student nodded and turned back to the headstone and smile "Mrs McKnight...I just want to say that I love your son like my own" he said evenly ignoring the wide eyed look Conner was giving him "And in saying that I swear to you I will not let any harm come to him"
The black ranger stepped back and clapped Conner on the shoulder once before walking over to his jeep and sat in the driver seat waiting patiently. "Mom that was Dr O...he's my mentor" Conner said happily and then looked over and Trent and held his hadn out to him, "And this is Trent mom...he's my boyfriend" he said not breaking eye contact with his lover.
"He's important to me" he said looking into Trent's brown eyes "You'd like him mom" he whispered.
Trent smiled at Conner and looked over at the tombstone with a proud smile "Mrs McKnight, I don't have the honour of meeting you but I do know that by knowing your son I feel like a better person...and know this: I'm gonna take care of him" he swore
The red ranger gasped and when Trent looked back at him he kissed him sweetly forgetting that Dr O was in the car just a few feet away and that he was in a graveyard in front of his mom's grave, all he cared about was Trent and the emotions that were welling up inside of him. "Thank you" he sobbed and then embraced his boyfriend and suddenly he realised maybe he didn't have to spend this day alone after all.
Read and Review: please?
