Disclaimer: not mine.

Apologies for not updating faster, I had a stomach virus the past two and a half days and was stuck in bed. Anyway, here's chapter 10!

Painting a Parchment Canvas

The house was quiet, with the only sound coming from the crackling embers of the fireplace. Defeat reflected in their eyes as each Ranger sat in pain and fatigue. Nothing was worse than a Ranger team being defeated, let alone four. What had they done wrong to deserve such a striking blow? Now one of their own lay fighting for life up in his room, with only hopes of surviving. A heartbroken little boy lay quiet up in his room, comforted by the sole sounds of his sobs which in any other case would keep anyone awake. But who could sleep after losing both parents to a murderer?

No one wanted to talk about the past events and the battle with Kane. Slowly, Phillips walked into the living room with a few cups of warm tea and coffee, hoping to try and ease the sorrow that circulated through the room. A few Rangers refused, but some took it, hoping to swallow something other than grief.

Vida took a cup and sipped it slowly, her eyes unfocused as she stared into the burning wood. Her eyes filled with tears that dripped slowly from her eyes and down into her cheeks that were now flushed red. She bit her lip as all the memories of the past three weeks came back into mind, and the horrors she came to release. She glanced upwards and made eye contact with Nick. Suddenly she stood up and left.

"Vida," Nick spoke the first word in hours as he immediately followed her into another room as a few sets of eyes followed her. "Vida!" Nick called again as she ran into the porch and turned, her eyes red with fear. "V, what's-"

"Please, stop, Nick!" she pleaded, "Just… stop asking what's wrong," she sobbed and collapsed onto the couch, "Please."

Slowly Nick sat down and stared at the Pink Ranger. Never in his life had he seen her this upset about something. Her sobs filled his ears as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Vida let out a long sob as she rolled into his arms and cried her heart out. Nick swallowed hard as tears began to call from his face as well.

"What happened to Madison wasn't your fault, Vida. You're got to realize that."

Vida looked at him and closed her eyes. "Yes, it was, Nick. It was all my fault. I should have never let her come home. I knew what was going on, I knew the second that he came to me-"

He stood up, his eyes wide. "Who, V, who came to you?"

Vida stood up and walked over into the moonlight, and pressed her hot face against the cooling glass door. She suppressed yet another sob and nodded. "This man… he told me everything that would be happening within next few weeks, everything that has happened up till today I knew about." Vida walked over to the couch where Nick sat, wide eyed.

"Vida, I need to know everything that you do. We all do. Please, V, tell me what happened," Nick spoke quickly and held her hands tightly. "Vida, if you tell me, we may be able to save Madison." But Vida remained quiet, "Please, V, we all need her," he let out an unsteady breath, "I… need her."

The Pink Ranger sat on the couch and swallowed hard and gave a small nod. "It all happened before spring break. I was sitting in the lounge doing some studying for an upcoming calc final when a man walked over and said his name was William Cranston…"

The fire was dimming down, and that was the only thing that could keep his eyes in focus. He kept his eyes focused into the flames and hardly blinked. They shifted around to the room to where this defeated and destroyed team now sat. Eric held Taylor as she kept an ice pack on her forehead and slept lightly, Cole did the same for Alyssa. Trip, Katie and Lucas helped Xander, Chip, Conner and Kira with changing bloody bandages, meanwhile Tommy took it upon himself to fix whatever weapons were damaged. Vida rushed out of the room with Nick in pursuit; it was obvious something was troubling her.

Wes sat there in disbelief that all this could have happened, that they could have been so badly hurt. Now, Alex lay near death in his room upstairs with nothing but a prayer keeping him alive. Dave lay in his room, destroyed on the fact that his birthday could have been such a nightmare. He stood, not being able to take the sorrow anymore and walked upstairs, towards the balcony. He always liked to go there when he had a lot on his mind.

Walking quietly past Dave's room Wes opened the door slightly and saw the small boy curled up in a ball on his bed, quietly resting. In the moonlight a puddle of tears could be seen on his comforter, which tore at Wes's heart even more. He lost his mother when he was younger, but it wasn't fair for Dave to lose both his parents, both within three weeks of each other.

He passed his father's study and stopped briefly, pouring himself a small glass of whisky, he continued his pace until he reached the balcony. Opening its doors he felt the warm spring breeze that engulfed his body whole and sent a sort of… calming aurora around him. Wes's eyes followed the dark shadows of the hedges and around the backyard until they came to the garden, one of his favorite places around the mansion, for many a reasons. One reason in particular, began on a night such as this, in the year 2002…

"Wesley!" his father's angered voice called from behind him. "Damn it, Wes, I told you this meeting was important!"

He grabbed her hand and chuckled as they ran further into the garden, hoping to avoid his father's sharp vision. "Get down," he whispered into her ear as they ducked beneath the bushes and came into a small opening, a place he found when he was younger.

Wes bit his lip and pressed himself closer to the ground, she did the same. His father's feet came to eye level as Collins sighed and left. "Some things just never change, do they?"

Once he was sure his father was gone, Wes let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his shoulders.

"Running from parents and hiding in bushes, I feel like I'm sixteen again," Jen muttered and sighed.

Wes rolled on one side and grinned at her, "And how old are you now?"

She playfully hit him as he got up and rolled out from underneath the bush and assisted her up as well. He grinned and took her hand again, leading her deeper into the garden maze. "Come on, we're almost there," Wes led her past the fountain that marked half way and made a right, a left, and a right again.

"Were the hell are we going, Wes?" she asked as he stopped and counted in his head.

"This way, come on," he urged as she followed him through yet another bush wall. A few more feet later and they came to a small six by six foot opening where a futon was covered by a tarp. Wes removed the tarp and sat down, patting the area next to him. "I don't bite," he said innocently as Jen gave him her famous 'bullshit' glance, and sat next to him.

"What's so special about this place?" she asked.

Wes's eyes were fixed on the sky and he pointed, "Watch."

Her eyes shifted back to where the clouds gathered. Suddenly they parted as the wind picked up, to reveal a full, orange tinted moon. The air filled with lavender as the flowers around them opened, and dried petals lifted off the earth.

"Oh Wes, it's beautiful," Jen whispered as moonlight filled the space around them, illuminating their small space together. He laced his fingers around with hers and gazed lovingly into her soft, hazel eyes.

"You know, there's nothing I would give to have you stay just one more day, Jen. Just one. Call me a little school boy with a crush, but this just feels so… so right."

Jen sighed. "I know, but tell that to Time Force. I have no more control over this just as you do."

Wes nodded and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Jen. This time, I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm only afraid of what will happen when you leave me again."

"I'll find a way to come back, Wes, I will. Good byes don't last forever. Just for a while." She snuggled in closer to him. "Besides, we have a few hours left together, I think we can find something to keep ourselves occupied," she raised and eyebrow and grinned. "Don't you?"

Wes grinned at the young woman besides him and chuckled and said teasingly, "Jennifer Scotts, I would never expect to hear that, coming from you especially."

Jen let out a hearty laugh, "There's a lot of things you wouldn't expect from me, Wes."

He muttered something into the crevice of her neck and she laughed again, soon silenced by Wes's lips. The humidity in the air suddenly rose as a few small drops of rain began falling from the clouds above them. Rain and lavender filled the air as piece by piece, wet garments landed on the ground and continued to be soaked by the falling rain, with the only small trace of light coming from the moon, hidden by clouds.

Wes bowed his head slightly. "You promised you'd come back, Jen. I kept my part in never forgetting you; I never let go. Now it's your turn. Come back to us, Jen," he took a sip of his drink and leaned up against the column. "For all our sakes."

The doorbell rang loudly throughout the living room where the Rangers sat as Phillips made his way over to the door.

"Who could it be at this hour?" the butler asked himself and opened the door as a warm breeze blew through it, announcing the figure that stood graciously at the door.

"No wonder people get drunk," Wes muttered as he reached the bottom of his glass, "seems like refills come out of no where, just not this time." He sighed and held the glass at eye level, searching for more of the sweet liquid that may be trapped in the ice. Suddenly the glass fell from his fingers and shattered on the ground as Wes whipped his head around. His eyes played tricks with him, they had to be.

"Please tell me this isn't dream," he whispered and swallowed hard.

"I told you I would find a way to come back, Wes," Jen smiled as she stepped forward into the warm light of the moon. She cocked her head and sighed. "It just took me nine years to figure out how."

Wes returned her smile as Jen stepped forward and stood face to face with him. They stood there for a few seconds, not knowing what to say to the other. He let out a slow breathe and chuckled, then gently pulled her into a hug.

"All that matters now is that you're safe, Jen. I missed you… I mean we all missed you," the smooth scent of vanilla encased him as he closed his eyes and held her closer.

Jen rested against him, feeling safe for those few brief seconds. "I'm just happy to be back in one piece, honestly," she hesitated as she let go and looked Wes in the eye. "But tell me, how is Alex? I heard he was hurt."

Wes glanced at the ground, then took her hand. "Come on, I'll show you." Walking quietly through the house Wes led the way to the door where Alex lay behind. "This is his room." He paused as Jen put her hand on the door knob. "I'll- leave you two alone for a few minutes. Before you came up here one of our Rangers left," he glanced down over the railing to see Vida and Nick walking back into the living room, "And from the looks of it, we're about to get an inside look onto what she knows about this whole ordeal. If you need me, I'll be downstairs."

Jen turned her head towards Wes, "I'll only be a few minutes, thanks." Wes smiled and walked downstairs, a small hop in his step.

Her grip on the doorknob tightened as she turned it and opened the door. A soft blue glow could be seen coming from the IV bag where Alex laid asleep, compliments of medication and fatigue. She walked slowly over to his bedside and sat down besides him. He moaned as he turned his head and opened his eyes slightly. He tried to speak but Jen hushed him.

He drew in a shallow breath and turned his head more to see her. "Jen," he muttered as she ran a finger over his burning cheek.

"Yes, Alex, it's me. I'm back, and this time I'm not leaving, I promise. Listen, Alex," she bent closer to his ear as more painkillers set in, "I want to thank you for doing that for Dave, I know it meant a lot to him. It meant a lot to me as well. It's nice to know that after all these years I can still count on you." She paused as his eyes drooped closer together and his muscles relaxed. "I need to get downstairs for something, just promise me you'll take it easy from now on. Rest up fully before going out into another battle."

Alex huffed. "I still need to fight. I can't just lay here waiting-" She silenced him yet again.

"Alex, you're always running around and saving people's lives. Isn't it about time someone saved yours?"

He sighed, defeated. "Just be careful, Jen."

She smiled and ran her thumb across his cheek. "I will. Get some sleep." Jen stood up and left his room as his breathing became slower and Alex fell into a restful slumber.

"I haven't told anyone this, until now. I guess I just kept it quiet because I was afraid what he told me would come true- what did come true."

Tommy sat on the edge of his seat, his eyes fixed to the young Ranger in front of him. "What exactly did Billy tell you, Vida? How did this whole thing start?"

Vida sighed and looked to Nick, who urged her on. For the past twenty minutes they sat in the back room and Vida spilled her secrets about the past events, and the truth behind her sister's disappearance. For Nick, the events painted a picture that drew everything together- Dave coming from the future, Kane escaping and kidnapping Madison, Billy Cranston's death- it all came together once Vida explained what she knew.

"It started about five weeks ago. I was sitting in the campus library studying for a final exam when a man approached me; he said his name was William Cranston…"

"Vida Rocca?"

Vida's eyes appeared over the top of the Calculus text book and fell upon a tall, slender man with a small file in his hand. "Yes, who are you?" she asked.

He sat down in the chair across from her and adjusted his glasses. "My name is William Cranston, and I have something important I need to discuss with you- it's about an upcoming event that I think you should be aware of." He paused as his eyes met with Vida's. "Ms. Rocca- your life is in danger."

Vida stared at him, then started to laugh wildly. "Excuse me?" she asked. "My life is in danger? That's the biggest bull I have ever heard. Where'd you get that from?
She looked around, half expecting Ashton Kutcher to pop out from somewhere and holler 'You've been Punk'd!'

"This is in no way a joke, Ms. Rocca. In about two weeks from Friday, a woman will appear at your house, and she will tell you what do to. She plans on kidnapping you."

"Kidnap me!" Vida shouted, but shrunk down as eyes fell upon her.

This man, Cranson, nodded. "Yes. She has a friend coming to a city called Silver Hills in about two weeks. This friend and this woman, they are both powerful beings, with weapons that are no match to the ones we have in our time."

"Powerful beings?" Vida asked sarcastically. "I've had my fair share of 'powerful' beings."

His eyes went stern. "This pair is twice as strong as any villain The Master sent out for you and your Mystic friends when you were Power Rangers, Ms. Rocca," his voice was hard against hers. "Two weeks, Ms. Rocca, Friday at 8PM, in your living room, she will be waiting. I can only ask that you go there, but do not get caught. Do not let her catch you off guard. Show up and get out of there. Go anywhere, but do not let her get you. Your kidnapping will start a chain of events that will effect future generations, for years to come."

Billy stood and left quickly, leaving an envelope on the table in front of her with a name written on it.

"I didn't go home that evening of that Friday, however, I forgot that someone else was-"

Xander gulped. "Madison came home, and this woman thought she was you." Vida nodded.

"Naturally, Madison would have fought with this woman, which is how all the burn marks appeared on the wall, the woman had gun, a weapon," Eric thought through the fight.

Kira turned towards Eric, "But what woman would have a weapon like that?"

"Samira," Jen spoke up from the doorway as she entered the room. She had been listening to Vida's story from a distance. "She has the strength, the will and the firepower to produce powder burns without having any residue."

Conner grinned at the young woman who entered; a tone of authority rang out in her voice. "Who are you?"

Katie shook her head and jumped up. "Jen! You're alive!" Lucas and Trip followed. Jen whispered something to the three who nodded, and slowly, Jen walked over to where Vida sat with a distraught look upon her face.

Vida bit her lip, "Lieutenant, I'm sorry. What happened to you-"

"Was not your fault, Vida, I assure you. It would have happened anyway, whether it'd be you or your sister who Samira took," Jen placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "For now, finish your story, and we'll talk later." Jen stood up again and walked over to where Wes sat and leaned on the wall behind him.

Vida sighed. "And, after Madison was taken, I kept on seeing all these different trends that all tied into Madison's disappearance. Billy's death, Dave coming back from your time," she looked at Lucas, "And Kane showing up and beating the crap out of us." Slowly, she pulled a letter from her jacket pocket. "And I was supposed to give this to you, Tommy, I just forgot about it. It's from-"

"Billy…" Curiously, Tommy took the browned envelope and read the message on the front: For your eyes only, Tommy. "Thank you, Vida."

Taylor sat up and repositioned the ice pack, "The one thing that boggles my mind is where all of this ties together,"

Chip nodded in agreement, "And what Kane wants with Vida, Dave…"

"And what will happen next. That's the major question here, I think," Trip added.

The room was silenced again for a few minutes as the clock in Wes's living room chimed 2am. Jen bit her lip in thought, then nodded once to herself. "Well, I think some of us have had a big day, I think it'd be wise if we get to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Eric huffed as he stood up, a sore muscle in his back screamed as he groaned. "Oh yea, Jen's definitely back. Nothing's changed."

Jen grinned at the Quantum Ranger, "Nice to see you too, Eric."

"Nothing's changed!" He hollered back as the group headed upstairs and into the bedrooms Wes set up for them. With a bit more of an upbeat tone in the air the sound of doors closed and the mansion was quieted again, with Wes and Jen being the only ones in the living room. She stood in front of the fire and gazed into it, trying to figure something out in her mind.

"Jen, this is going to sound strange, but I don't have a spare bedroom anywhere, and I feel bad for it," Wes ran his fingers through his hair.

She grinned as she headed towards the doorway. "It's fine, Wes. If I know my son the way I do, knowing I'm hear he'll want me to sleep with him tonight. We can figure out the room situation tomorrow. Have a good night, Wes." Jen headed up the stairs quietly and counted four doors on the left… Dave's room. Opening the door quietly she saw him rolled up in a ball on the top of the sheets.

Jen sat down gently on the edge of the bed and rubbed his shoulder. Dave stirred and rolled his head over and looked at her with red eyes. Suddenly he jumped up and encased her in a tight hug.

"Mom," he whispered.

"Hey kiddo, I'm home, Dave," Jen returned his hug tightly. "And this time I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Tommy sat on his bed and stared at the envelope Vida gave him. He took it and slowly opened the flap. Inside was a folded note from none other than Billy. But this note seemed different. He read it quickly, his eyes opened wide. All the information Billy had given him, could be the reason Kane came back here, to this time? Is this why he needed Vida and Dave?

Folding the rest of the letter down, Tommy sat in horror and in awe of what Billy had revealed to him in these few short paragraphs. Tommy sighed and threw the letter down onto the floor, rubbing his eyes. This was classic Billy, always trying to help protect the other members on his team, always trying to get his friends away from danger.

"Damn it, Billy…" Tommy sighed and shook his head.

Suddenly he came to realize that Vida was not the only one who should be missing… or in Tommy's case, dead…