A/N: another chapter for you guys. I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning to finish it, so you guys better like it.
A/N 2: for the first half of this chapter, a part of it is done for JasonLeeScottfan, so I hope you enjoy it. The second half is done for my friend Falcon4Crane who helped me mold the idea for it. To all my readers and reviewers and everyone who has me or my stories as favorites or on alerts, it means a lot. So thank you. Enough talking; read and enjoy guys.
A/N 3: this is the last time this will be said: I NEVER WATCHED ANY PR EPISODES AFTER AJJ LEFT THE SHOW, SO IF ANYTHING HAPPENS OR A CHARACTER IS CHANGED OR LEFT OUT, THAT'S WHY. OH AND THIS IS FANFICTION, WHICH MEANS, I DO WHAT I WANT. THANK YOU!
Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!
Last time on HBC;
"Alright," Alex said as he pointed to the gun on him. "Say goodbye to lover-boy Kimberly." He cocked the gun and prepared to fire.
"NO!" Kim shouted before she knocked his arm upward. The shot rang out and hit a rafter instead. Kim turned and elbowed Alex in his side before she grabbed the hand with the gun. The two wrestled as Dragon watched on, fear making a presence in him for the first time. His heart pounded as he watched the two, feeling helpless to do anything. Kim and Alex fought over the gun. He threw her to the ground and Kim, still having a hold on him, pulled him with her. She punched him on his nose, and kneed him in the groin, causing him to scream out in pain. The two wrestled around the gun and all three froze when a shot rang out.
(Now—Part 1: Wrath of a Dragon)
Both Dragon and Tommy stood still, fear rushing through their bodies. One thought rushed through their minds, Move Kim, Move! Deep inside, Tommy felt despair and sorrow pushed through the fear and fill his heart. What seemed like hours or eternity, but was actually seconds, later, when Kim still hadn't moved, he let it overtake him. Dragon stood stock still and watched the only person he ever cared about die in front of him. He closed his eyes and never saw the movement of Kimberly's hand. Feeling the pain of the human inside, it soon turned to anger and he let it fill him. Like an ink bottle spilled over him, the red ZEO suit slowly changed to the green MORPHIN suit; a red glow, complimentary to his ZEO power, surrounded him but had turned green creating an aura of anger, despair and hatred. Not feeling their connection with Kim, Tommy didn't fight it as Dragon took complete control. His anger fueling him, only one thought ran through Dragon's mind, 'They're all going to pay.' So focused on his anger, he never saw Kim's eyes open slightly. Seconds later, the newly revived Green Dragon teleported out of the warehouse never even hearing the slight gasp that came from Kim. Minutes later, James and the other rangers burst into the warehouse.
(Minutes earlier)
Kim froze as she felt the gun went off. She was terrified as she wasn't sure if the bullet hit her, Tommy or Alex. She waited with bated breath for the surge of pain that she knew would come with such a wound. After waiting for seconds, she realized that no pain was coming and let out a silent relieved smile. Eyes still closed, she slowly and hesitantly moved her hand. Seconds later, Kim opened her eyes. She looked directly into Alex's face and saw that he was still. Feeling an intense surge of power, Kim shifted her eyes and saw Tommy. She saw that she was looking at the Green Morphin ranger instead of the Red Zeo ranger. 'What the hell?' She thought to herself. She let out a gasp as she watched him teleport out. She pushed Alex's body off of her the moment that James and the others ran up to her.
"Kimberly!" Jason called to her. He fell to his knees when he was next to her. He held out his hand and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright sis?"
"I'm fine," Kim groaned. James moved from her to check on Alex. He felt his neck for a pulse.
"He's dead," James said. "Kim, sweetie, what happened?"
"Gunshot wound," Kim said. "He pulled a gun on me and we fought for a bit. The gun went off and I guess he got it."
"Other than that," James said. "You're fine though, right?"
"Yeah dad," Kim smiled. "I'm fine." James' partner Dave came up to them.
"Is everyone ok?" he looked down at Alex. "Holy crap what happened to him?" his exclamation was due to the fact that Alex still had the gun on his arm.
"He told me that he met with Prince Gasket, the enemy of the power rangers," Kim swallowed. "The gun on his arm was an upgrade from him."
Fortunately, having lived in Angel Grove for five years, Dave was familiar with the Power Rangers and their enemies. So all he did was whistle before he spoke. "Gasket must've been either very generous or very desperate." The others let out wry chuckles. "Alright, I'm going to get someone to bring over a body bag," Dave said before he turned to Kim. "Are you up to coming down to the station to answer some questions?"
"Not now Dave," James intercepted. "At least give her time."
"It's ok dad," Kim said. "It's better I do this now and get it over with."
"You can come down with James," Dave said. "Be—
"Calling all officers," an officer called over the radio. "Can anyone read me?"
"This is Officer Oliver," James said as he pulled the radio to his mouth. "Could you tell me what the situation is?"
"You'll never believe it," the officer said. "But the green ranger is destroying downtown."
"The green ranger?" Dave asked.
"The first green ranger," the officer continued. "The one that had the huge Godzilla-like zord."
"Tommy," Kim whispered, unfortunately, James heard her as he was next to her and his eyes snapped towards her in shock and disbelief. Not saying anything about her whisper, he turned back to his partner.
"Lets' get these kids," he said. "And this body, out of here."
"Will do," Dave replied. He turned just as two officers came up with a body bag and a stretcher. They loaded Michael into it and onto the stretcher. James grabbed Kim's elbow as the group turned to walk out the warehouse.
"Hold on a minute," he spoke to Kim. Jason and the others stopped as well. He waved Dave and the two officers forward and they nodded at him as they kept going. The others turned to look at James, who still had a hand on Kim's elbow.
"Why did you call Tommy's name when the officer said the first 'green ranger'?" he asked her. Kim looked him, silently debating on what to tell him. She wasn't sure if she could tell him the truth, but knew that lying was not an option. With a resigned sigh and look upon her face, she spoke.
"I said that because it's true," she paused. "Tommy's the green ranger."
"How?" James asked. He looked around at each of them, for the first time noticing the colors that they wore. "You're the power rangers…aren't you?"
They couldn't deny it, even if they wanted to, but they weren't in any hurry to confirm it either. Zordon's warnings ran through their minds and they wondered just what the penalty would be for allowing someone to find out their secret. One glance through the entire group confirmed what they were feeling. And in that glance, they made the decision to accept the consequences together…as a team.
"Yes," Jason spoke. "We are."
"Oh my God," James said.
"Tommy was the first green ranger," Kim said.
"Wait a minute," James said. "The green ranger didn't show up until after we moved to Angel Grove and he was evil. Are you telling me that that was my son?"
"It wasn't Tommy's fault," Billy spoke.
"Rita had noticed him at the martial arts expo," Kim spoke softly. "She kidnapped him and made him prove himself to her before she turned him."
James opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Kim.
"Dad, please," she said. "We could stand here going over this but you remember what the green ranger was like before he joined the rangers, the damaged he did."
"Why is he the green ranger again?" Rocky asked.
"Because," Kim swallowed. "Because he thinks I'm dead." She had figured it out because she knew that what would be only the way he would teleport out of here without checking on her. His pain would be too much. Her revelation left them stunned, but it also left them with a sense of urgency.
"Oh God," Trini spoke. "I can imagine the damage that he'll do."
"We have to find him," Zack said. "If we don't, it'll be even worse than when he was first turned."
"I understand that Tommy being the evil green ranger again is a bad thing," James said. "But how can it be worse than before?"
"Because the last time," Jason spoke. "Tommy wasn't in love with Kim and she wasn't being hurt by someone else. A lot of things have happened to Kim and Tommy and Kim is Tommy's whole world. With everything that has happened to Kim in the past few days and everything with Michael in Florida—
"And now, with him thinking that she's dead," Aisha said. "Tommy will go on a rampage."
"And we need to find him before that happens," Tanya said.
"Alright," James conceded. "Kim, I'll take you—
"No," Kim cut him off.
"What do you mean 'no'?"
"I have to go with them," Kim said. "I'm the only that will be able to get through to him. If they go, they will only be able to slow him down for a bit, but they won't stop him."
"In fact," Jason spoke. "Without Kim, our presence might push Tommy even more over the edge. We can't let that happen."
"I know you're worried dad," Kim said. "But if you don't let me go, you will lose Tommy."
"And none of us here wants that," Kat spoke.
James looked at each of them before his gazed settled on the girl that had captured his son's, as well as his and his wife's, heart. The earnest determination he saw on her face was more than enough to show him that she was willing to do anything and everything to save Tommy. Suddenly his mind went back to when to the words Tommy spoke when they were at the house after finding out about Kim being kidnapped;
"I'm going to find my girlfriend," he replied darkly. "And then the son of bitch is going to regret ever going after her."
And now, knowing what he did, and remembering the damage the green ranger had done before, 'And that was before he fell in love with Kim.' The words of the others sunk in. He looked at each of them and sighed in resignation.
"Alright," he spoke. "You win. Just…just be careful."
"We will," Kim spoke, the determination strong in her voice.
"I'll cover for you," James said. "Just so you know, you owe me a lot of explanations."
"Alright," Kim let out a tiny smile. She turned back to her friends. "Let's go save my boyfriend." The group nodded and as one, they turned to leave. James watched them go with warring emotions of pride and worry. 'Be safe guys…be safe.'
Kim and the others carefully made their way out of the warehouse. They had one thing on their mind and that was to get to Tommy as soon as possible. Kim looked back and saw James duck out just behind them. He gave her a barely imperceptible nod of his head and moved to where the other cops were. Kim nodded back at him before turning her attention back to her friends.
"Billy," she spoke. "Do you have your frequency tracker on you and will you be able to track Dragon?"
Billy smiled at his little sister even as he pulled the frequency tracker from his pocket. "I have it here Kim. We should be able to track Tommy."
"Let's do it," She said. "We need to hurry." He nodded before focusing on the tracker. Seconds later, he announced Tommy's whereabouts. Minutes later, multicolored teleportation lights took off into the sky.
…
Dragon watched in pleasure as people scattered away from him. He raised his hand and let loose another blast which connected with a car, sending it a few feet away. He chuckled as he watched the aftermath of his destruction.
"Look at them run," his helmet hiding his dark smile. "They should be lucky that they are alive to run in the first place." Taking another look around and completely satisfied with the destruction that he saw, he teleported out of there. Mere seconds later, the rangers teleported in.
"Oh my God," Tanya's hand flew to her mouth.
"Tommy did this?" Kat asked. The others gasped as they looked at the scene. Buildings were burned and falling apart; cars were blown up; fire hydrants were busted open, water shooting up and all over. Kim felt tears spring to her eyes. She could feel the pain and anger in the air and she knew that it was how Tommy was feeling.
"Oh Tommy," Kim whispered.
"Well," Adam said. "We know for sure Tommy was here, but where did he go?"
"Billy," Zack called out. "Can you still find him?"
"Yes," Billy said. "But we have to hurry. With the way Dragon is moving, and the amount of power he's giving off might overload the tracker, we might lose him."
"Where did you go Tommy?" Kim whispered. 'Where are you baby?'
"Come on guys," Jason said. "Let's make sure no one is hurt or anything."
"Tommy would never forgive himself if someone got hurt," Trini said.
"We have to find him Jase," Kim turned to her big brother.
"We will sis," Jason answered her. "We will." They moved to check the debris to make sure no one was hurt. They tried to contain some of the fires and got most of it under control. When they were done, they took one last look to make sure no one was there before they teleported.
…
Gasket, the Prince of the Machine Empire, was in his throne room pacing. He couldn't believe that his plan had failed. He had thought that he had finally found a way to destroy the rangers, using one of their own, but it didn't go like he wanted. 'That meddlesome ranger…he should be under my control. The power that he gave off, it should be mine!' He was shaken from his thoughts by his general.
"My Prince," Shego spoke. "You have a visitor."
"Who is it?" Gasket asked.
"Hello darling," Archerina said as she stepped out of the shadows and into the room.
"Archerina," Gasket was a bit surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"What?" She asked. "I couldn't come see my dear husband?"
"You can—
"Besides," she interrupted him. "I live here too, or did you forget that?"
"I didn't," Gasket replied. "You left a while ago and I didn't expect you to return to soon."
"Yes well," she spoke. "I wasn't going to, but then I got bored and remembered that you were fighting the rangers and I decided that I should come home and help my lovely husband defeat them."
Gasket smiled and moved to take her hand in his. "My lovely wife, with you by side, those rangers will soon taste defeat."
"I know," Archerina said. "Now what has been happening?"
"I turned one of the rangers evil," Gasket said.
"That's brilliant," she was surprised. "They would never expect that."
"I got the idea from when Rita had the first green ranger on her side before Zordon broke her hold over him," Gasket told her. "I used the same ranger because the evil would take hold of him quicker because he already was evil."
"Well where is he?"
"He attacked and then left," Gasket strode away from her. "I never expected that to happen."
"What did happen?" Archerina questioned.
"He said that he was under no one's control but his own," Gasket said. "He had things to take care of then he'll be back."
"We just have to be ready for him," Archerina walked over to him. "There's no way that a ranger is strong enough to defeat us."
"My Prince?" Shego called.
"Yes Shego?"
"There's a ranger attacking the town," Shego said. "But I don't think he's with the rangers because his suit is different from the others."
"What do you mean?" Gasket asked as he went over to him. He looked at his screen and saw what he was talking about. "The green ranger?"
"There's something different about him," Shego said. Archerina walked up to them. She looked at the screen and saw what they were talking about. She focused on the green ranger; something about his suit troubling her. After a few seconds, she figured it out.
"That's Rita' green ranger."
"What?" both Gasket and Shego looked at her.
"I'm positive that that is the ranger that Rita had under her command," Archerina continued. "This means that that is the leader of the power rangers."
"But he was wearing a red suit when he escaped from here," Shego pointed out.
"Something must have happened to cause his suit to change," Gasket said. They watched for a few more minutes before they decided to go down there.
"Why?" Archerina asked.
"Because if we can't get him on our side," Gasket said. "Then he must be destroyed. And the power rangers will crumble without their leader." The other two nodded and all three disappeared from the throne room.
…
Dragon stood on top of a cliff over looking the downtown area of Angel Grove. From his perch, he was in the perfect position to watch everyone else. He saw couples holding hands and walking towards the park, he saw them on the streets, he saw them everywhere and that made the anger in him grow. 'I lost the woman I love and every single one of you is able to walk down the streets with the one you love; but not me…not anymore. If I have to suffer, then you all have to as well.' He chuckled as he flipped off and landed on his feet in the middle of the street. People stopped and stared at him, some wondering if they were dreaming and their nightmares were coming to life. They recognized the green ranger suit and remembered the damage he had done before he had joined up with the power rangers. Dragon just looked at them before he laughed; a dark sound that sent a shiver and fear through their bodies. He raised his gun. "Run." That one word, a command, was not yelled but it was firm and direct and managed to get them moving. He laughed as he fired a blast, their screams filling the air. Deep inside, Tommy closed his eyes and ears to the sounds, his heart empty over the loss of Kim. Dragon walked on, destroying everything in his path. His pain over his love's loss showing itself in the carnage he left behind. He felt the disturbance in the air just seconds before he heard a voice.
"Good job on the damage," Gasket spoke.
"What do you want?"
"You on my side," Gasket said as he took a step forward.
"You're very strong green ranger," Archerina spoke. "You would do well on our side."
"Who's the metal bitch?" Dragon asked. Archerina bristled at the insult. She opened her mouth to say something but Dragon had started talking again. "And as I told you before, I work for no one but myself. I will never be on your side. The only thing I have for you is thanks for letting me out."
"You refuse to ally yourself to us?" Archerina asked. "Why?"
"Because I can and I don't feel like allying myself to anyone."
"Is it because of that pink ranger?" Shego asked. Dragon stiffened but said nothing. Shego continued. "Did it hurt to know that she chose the human over you?"
"What do you know about it?"
"How do you think he got his upgrade?" Gasket asked. "He needed help in capturing a girl, imagine our surprise when said girl turn out to be none other than the former pink ranger and the girl of the rangers' leader. If you ally yourself with us, you can have toys like his and more."
"You gave him the guns?" Dragon asked his anger building inside of him. "You're the reason he took her…the reason she's gone? I told you before that I would be back to handle you, but now, I think I'll just kill you. It's because of you why she's not here and for that…you must pay." That was the only warning they got before he attacked them. Like before, Shego found himself flying through the air. He got up to attack again but instead saw a beam coming straight at him. He had no chance to move and it connected. When the air cleared, Gasket's general was no more.
"NO!" Gasket shouted. "You will pay for that!"
"Bring it on." Gasket, along with Archerina raised their swords and went after him. The trip fought, with Dragon ducking most of their blows. He kicked Archerina away and fired a blast at her. He then turned his attention back to Gasket, the one he deemed responsible for everything. He felt the anger and the rage building inside of him but instead of letting it control him, he controlled it. Every attack, every blow against Gasket he fueled his rage into it. The two kept going at it, completely oblivious to everything. Archerina staggered to her feet just in time to see the other rangers teleport in.
"Tommy," Kim said. She took a step forward but was held back by Jason. "Jase let me go!"
"No Kim," he said. "You could get hurt and that is the last thing that anyone needs, especially with Tommy the way he is."
From her position, Archerina's brow furrowed as she listened to their conversation. 'Is that the pink ranger Gasket was talking about? The one that holds the heart of the green ranger? Hmmm. She might prove useful.' Avoiding Gasket and Tommy, Archerina made her way over to the others. She was behind them when she decided to speak. "Well well well, if it isn't the power rangers."
"Who the hell are you?" Aisha asked.
"That's Archerina," Kat said. "Gasket's wife."
"Right you are pink ranger," Archerina said.
"Well what do you want?" Trini asked.
"It's not what I want," Archerina said. "It's who."
"Who is it that you want?" Rocky asked.
"Her," Archerina smiled as she pointed to Kim. "The one that hold's the green ranger's heart."
"What?" Kim said as she took a step back. "What do you want with me?"
"Bait," Archerina said before she fired a blast at them. She took advantage and moved to grab Kim. She pulled her against her and they disappeared, only to reappear at the other side of the street, away from the rangers but closer to the battle between Tommy and Gasket.
"You really don't want to do this," Kim spoke.
"Oh?" Archerina looked down at her. "And why not?"
"Because the last thing you want is Tommy on your ass," Kim said. "If you think he's bad now, just wait until he realizes that you have me. You will regret it."
"I'm not afraid of him," Archerina growled.
"You should be," Kim whispered. She needed to let Tommy know that she was alive and well. She closed her eyes and focused on where her ninjetti powers used to lie. She had felt the crane powers settle over her when Michael had fired that beam at her and she needed the connection to them and Tommy now more than ever. Her brow furrowed, Kim concentrated. A few seconds later, she felt a wave of relief go through her when she felt the answering call of her powers. Shalimar
'Yes Kimberly?'
Is Brennan alright?
'He is lost without Tommy,'Shalimar replied. Shalimar flew around and Kim focused on calling out to Tommy's falcon.
Brennan, can you hear me?
'Kimberly?' he asked. He heard the cry of the crane. 'Shalimar?'
Yes, it's us. I need to connect to Tommy. Can you help me?
'His mind is clouded in evil,' Brennan said. 'It won't be easy.'
What do I have to do?
'Just focus on him and how much you love him.'
Got it.
Eyes still closed, Kim focused on her love for Tommy.
Tommy.
An explosion rocked the street as Gasket flew backwards into a building. On the other side of the street, the rangers looked on in shock.
"Holy hell!" Adam said.
"I never thought I'd say this," Rocky shook his head. "But thank God for Gasket. I'd rather he be the one facing an evil Tommy than me."
"Same here," the others agreed.
"What's up with Kim?" Zack asked. They looked over and saw that she was glowing pink.
"I don't know," Trini muttered. "I just hope she's ok. Tommy will never recover if anything happens to her."
"I know that," Billy said.
Dragon took a step in Gasket's direction but stopped when he felt a familiar power reaching out to him. Deep inside, Tommy slowly opened his eyes. He heard a faint sound and his brow furrowed. He listened closely and heard the faint cry of his falcon. Brennan? He concentrated and the cry became even stronger. Seconds later, he heard a cry that left him reeling in shock. His eyes opened even wider when he heard the cry of the crane. 'It can't be.' The crane's cry grew stronger and Tommy found himself moving off the ground to his knees. He focused on the cry and felt it even stronger. It was then he heard it, a voice he didn't think he'd ever hear again.
Tommy.
Kimberly?
Outside, Dragon still hadn't moved. He couldn't believe what he was feeling. It can't be her…it just can't be. He focused his senses on his surroundings, trying to sense exactly where that feeling was coming from. Seconds he later, he turned his helmet in Archerina's direction. What he saw made him freeze.
"Kimberly?"
"Hi Handsome," Kim replied.
"You're alive," Dragon said. Inside, Tommy stood in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He wanted to hold her or kiss her, anything to let him know that she was truly there.
"More or less," Kim said. Archerina tightened her grip on Kim; who let out a grunt as she felt it. Under his helmet, Dragon's eyes hardened even more.
"What's the matter ranger?" Archerina taunted. "You're not so tough now, are you?"
"Let her go," Dragon said.
"I think I'll hold onto to her a little longer," Archerina replied.
"You're going to regret that," Dragon replied. He shifted his stance and looked directly at Kim. He felt his heart thudding in his chest as he looked into her captivating doe-brown eyes. In that instance he saw the tears her eyes, but he also saw the determination. As he looked at them, he saw Kim's eyes widen and her eyes shifted to just beyond his shoulder. In his mind, he heard her voice scream one word;
Gasket!
Dragon ducked from the blow that would've connected to his head. As he turned, he punched Gasket right on his side. He summoned his sword and swiped him in his back sending him to his knees. Kim used Archerina's focus on the battle to her advantage. She brought back her hand and elbowed her in her face. She ducked under her arm and brought her knee into her stomach. When Archerina doubled over, Kim brought up her knee to her face. When Archerina fell to the ground, Kim made her way to where Dragon was. She was half way there, when she heard Rocky cry out.
"KIM, LOOK OUT!"
She turned back only to see Archerina turn her blaster on her. Kim wasn't the only one that turned. Dragon had turned also at Rocky's shout and could only watch as Archerina fired a shot at Kim.
"NO!"
Kim, who panicked at seeing the blast coming towards her, knew she wouldn't be able to dodge it in time. So she did the only thing she could, she crossed her hands in an x and brought them up in front of her face, hoping to ward off some power off the blast. The others could only watch in horror as Archerina's blast connected head on.
"So sad," Archerina cooed. Kicking Gasket away from him, Dragon fired a full powered blast which landed Gasket feet away unmoving. He turned to Archerina.
"You're going to pay for that you bitch!" He snarled. He took a step forward but stopped.
"It can't be," Archerina gasped. The dust from her blast at Kim cleared. Standing there was Kim and she was surrounded by a pink glow.
"Whoa," Adam said. The others looked at each other before they rushed over to Kim. Dragon was already making his way towards her and reached her before they did.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah," Kim turned to him. "I'm fine."
"How is that possible?" Archerina shrieked.
"Anything is possible," Kim said, "Especially for a power ranger."
"You made a mistake coming after us," Dragon said. "And I told you that you would pay."
"You rangers are nothing," Archerina said. "And it would be a pleasure to take you down."
"Bring it," Rocky said. "Let's do this guys; IT"S MORPHIN TIME!"
"ZEO RANGER ONE: PINK!"
"ZEO RANGER TWO: YELLOW!"
"ZEO RANGER THREE: BLUE!"
"ZEO RANGER FOUR: GREEN!"
"GOLD RANGER POWER!"
The ZEO rangers stood in front of the others, with Kim standing side by side with Dragon. Gasket had regained himself and was now standing next to Archerina. Kim looked up at Dragon. "Don't even think about sending me away, I'm helping you."
"Fine," he replied. "But if you get hurt…"
"I won't," she said. Not wasting any time, the two went after Gasket while the rangers took on Archerina. Gasket was shocked with the ferocity with which the two attacked and had a hard time landing any blows on either of them. Pushed back by a kick from Kim, he raised his hands and summoned his cogs. He directed them to others. Within seconds, Trini and the rest had their hands full fighting off the cogs. Seeing it, Kim left Dragon's side to help her friends. She landed next to Aisha and the two girls worked together like they did before. Trini joined them, while Billy and Zack paired off. Within minutes, they got rid of the cogs.
"Man," Zack said. "I never thought I'd say this, but I miss putties."
"Same here," Trini said. "They were a lot easier to fight."
"I heard that," Aisha added. "Do we help them?"
"I—
"GUYS, LOOK OUT!" Rocky shouted at them. They turned to see both Gasket and Archerina firing blasts at them.
"Aw hell," Zack said. Aisha was the closest but she was pushed out of the way by Kim who caught the blast instead. It sent her back into a building where she fell unconscious when she hit the ground.
"KIMBERLY!" everyone shouted. Jason and the others, including Dragon, forgot about Archerina and Gasket and went over to check on the others and Kim. Archerina laughed as did Gasket.
"You rangers are no match for us," Gasket laughed. They ignored him as they helped the others up.
"Kimberly," Aisha groaned.
"She's unconscious," Tanya cried as she had gotten to Kim first. She turned Kim over and placed her head in her lap. Dragon stood there watching everything. Deep inside, Brennan let out a screech of rage when he heard his mate cry out in pain. That rage built until it took over Tommy and empowered Dragon. The power rolled off of him in waves, sending electricity through the air. Feeling the shift in air, the others looked up at him. They were shocked when they saw that he was surrounded by an aura of a deep green color. The sword in his hand pulsed before it too gave off the same green aura. Dragon turned back to Archerina and Gasket. He said nothing as he raised his sword and moved towards them. The rangers watched on in shock as he attacked, moving so fast he was a blur. Mere seconds later, both Gasket and Archerina was blown back. When they smoke cleared, the two had sparks flying off of them, while struggling to their feet.
"This is not over ranger," Gasket said. "We will be back and we will defeat you."
"At least I got that pink brat," Archerina sneered. Her answering reply was blast in their direction which they missed as they disappeared. Dragon growled his displeasure. Needing to release his anger, he once again started to destroy everything in his path.
"We have to do something," Zack said as they watched Dragon.
"We need to get Kim conscious," Trini said. "She's the only one to stop him." No sooner had the words left her mouth when Kim let out a groan.
"Kim?" Jason called. "Come on sis, open your eyes for me."
"Oh man," she moaned. She opened her eyes to see everyone looking at her. "What happened?"
"You tried to protect me," Aisha said. "Thank you."
"You're my sister," Kim said. "No thanks needed." She grabbed Rocky's hand and let him help her up. "Where's—
"Over there," Adam said. Kim looked to where he was pointing and saw Tommy standing, everything flying around him. She shifted on her feet before taking a step forward. Automatically, Jason reached out a hand to stop her.
"No Jase," she cut him off before he spoke. "We all know I'm the only one that will get through to him."
"I know," he sighed. "Just…just be careful."
"He won't hurt me," Kim said before she took off towards the man she loved. The others could only stand and watch. When she was a few feet away, she closed her eyes and focused on her connection with Shalimar. Calling the bird to her, she sent a mental call to Tommy. She watched as Dragon turned towards her. He said nothing; he just stood there watching her. Taking a breath, Kim walked up to him. When she was in front of him, she stopped.
"It's over," she whispered to him. "I'm safe and I'm fine."
"I lost you."
"You never did," Kim said. "And you never will."
"It hurts."
"I know," she sighed. "But I need you now. Please, stop this. Let go of this anger."
"They deserve to pay."
"The ones that were responsible have already paid," she replied. "Michael is dead and Gasket took a huge blow. They paid; you made sure of that." She looked past the helmet and directly into his eyes. She knew that he was still angry and she need to get through to him. "I love you. I always have and I always will; I need you back." She raised her hands and unclipped his helmet. His jaw was clenched and his eyes flashed green periodically. She cupped his cheek.
"I have so much anger in me for what happened," he whispered. "I don't know if I can let it go."
"You can," she whispered back. "Because I believe it and I believe in you. Please come back to me Tommy." She rose up on her tiptoes and captured his lips in a kiss. Immediately his arms encircled her, his grip tight and unrelenting; but as the kiss prolonged, his grip became slack and the kiss, which had turned harsh when he had took control, became soft and loving. In that instant, Kim knew that she had Tommy back. She pulled back from the kiss, but not his embrace, and looked into his eyes. No longer did they hold the cold, unforgiving look of the Dragon in them, but the warmth and love of Tommy. She looked down and was happy to see that he was once again enclosed in his red ZEO suit.
"Welcome back Handsome," Kim smiled.
"It's good to be back Beautiful," he spoke softly. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
"Deal," she giggled before he captured her lips once more. They were interrupted by the others' approach.
"Nothing like going evil to engage in some heavy make out," Rocky laughed. He was slapped over the head by his girlfriend. "Damnit 'Sha."
"You deserved it," Aisha rolled her eyes. "So, is our fearless leader over here himself again?"
"I'm me 'Sha," Tommy smiled, his arm going around Kim's waist as she shifted to his side.
"Thank God for that," Zack said.
"No," Jason said. "Thank Kim." Everyone had a good laugh at that.
"So…" Tommy started as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Just how much damage did I do this time?"
"Let's just say it's a good thing Angel Grove has plans for things like these," Trini said with a smile.
"Nothing like good Monster's Insurance," Zack laughed, as did the others.
"And no," Jason said. "No one was hurt."
"I think we should get out of here before the cops get here," Kat said.
"Good idea," Tommy said.
"Speaking of cops," Kim started.
"What is it?" Tommy asked.
"Your dad," Kim said. "He knows."
"Knows what?"
"That we're the power rangers," Billy answered.
"WHAT?" Tommy was shocked. "But how did he find out?"
"Uhm…." Kim avoided his eyes.
"Kim?" Tommy asked when he saw what she was doing.
"We didn't have a choice," Kim said. "It was announced over the scanner that you were attacking downtown and I kinda whispered your name when I heard it. Unfortunately, dad was standing near me and heard."
"After that," Zack said. "It wasn't hard to put two and two together."
"We couldn't deny it when he asked," Rocky said.
Tommy sighed. "So what do we do now?"
"We're a team," Tanya said.
"And like a team," Kat continued. "We're going to face this together."
Tommy looked around at his friends. "Alright, let's do this. First stop, Zordon." They all nodded and within minutes, multicolored beams disappeared into the sky. Each one hoping that their mentor would understand the revealing of their identities.
(Part 2—Oliver Barbeque Bash...In more ways than one)
It's been three days since everything with Michael and Dragon. After saving Tommy, the rangers had made their way back to the CC and had spoken to Zordon. He had allayed their fears when he told them that the circumstance was such that they had no choice but to tell the truth, and he had no blame to bestow on them. The day after, Kim had sat down the AGPD to sort out the details of her kidnapping and Michael's death. No charges were brought against her and Michael's body was sent back to Florida to be buried. Later that day, the ten of them sat down with James and Melissa and had told them everything. They were shocked when Melissa wasn't truly shocked only resigned. When prompted, she admitted that she had suspected it at first but had dismissed the idea. Both had promised to never tell anyone, especially the other parents. Deciding that everyone, especially Kim and Tommy, needed to unwind and relax after everything that happened, Melissa proposed a barbeque. And now, two days later, everything was already set up and all it needed was a few things to be barbequed, which Tommy and James were going to take care of. The gang had decided to stay over at the Oliver's, so as it were, the showers were in full use when everyone got up. Melissa got the girls to help move the food from the kitchen to the backyard, while the boys set up the tables. Two hours later, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Aisha called out. She moved through the front room and went to the door. She opened it to see her parents and the Hillards standing there. "Hey mom, dad, Mr. and Mrs. Hillard. Come on in."
"Hi sweetie," Nancy Campbell answered as she gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek.
"Hello Aisha," Penelope Hillard, Kat's mom greeted.
"Everyone's in the back," Aisha said as she led them to the back. Seconds later, the bell rang again. "I'll be back." Once more, Aisha made her way to the front door. Standing there was Adam and Rocky's parents.
"Hola mi niña," Carlotta, Rocky's mom, said when she saw her.
"Hola mami Carlotta," Aisha replied. She smiled when the woman pulled her into a hug.
"Where is everyone?" Juan asked as he too hugged her.
"In the back," Aisha replied. "Hi Marlon, hi Soo Yung."
"Hello sweetie," Soo Yung replied. Aisha moved so they can pass and was about to close the door when she heard a voice shouting.
"Hold on!" She looked back and saw Zack's parents and Jason's dad coming up the walk.
"Hey Aisha," Jason's dad Preston said when he got close.
"Hey Mr. Scott," Aisha replied. She opened the door wider for them to come in. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Taylor."
"Hi dear," Jill and Matthew Taylor answered as one. Aisha closed the door and the four of them made their way to the back yard. The adults found the other parents and Aisha moved to her friends.
"Hey Tri," she called out. "Are your parents coming?" Melissa passed by just in time to hear the question.
"No," Trini replied. "My dad got a call early yesterday morning saying his mother was sick, so he and my mom decided to fly out."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Melissa said. "I hope your grandmother is alright."
"Me too," Trini replied.
"My dad won't be here either," Billy said. "He had to leave last night for a conference. It was a last minute thing. He won't be back until Tuesday."
Melissa moved from the teens and went to where James and Preston were standing. "Hey Preston, where's Alicia?"
"She's going to be late," Preston replied. "Said there was something she had to get."
"Aright," Melissa smiled. Soon after, the barbeque was underway. The guys started a game of touch football, while the girls played volleyball. The parents were scattered around talking with each other. Half an hour later, they heard Alicia calling out;
"Where is everyone?"
"Out here 'Lish," James yelled. Alicia Scott came through the door with a smile, but she wasn't alone. Kim and the others had just come back from a game, when they froze. With his back to the door, James saw the shocked look on the kids faces. Confused, he turned around only to stop when he saw what they were looking at. Shocked, he looked at the woman standing next to Alicia. His eyes hardened and his words confused everyone, except the kids. "You better have a good reason for being here."
The woman never had the chance to answer as Melissa came back from collecting the mail. She paused as she saw the looks of shock on the kids face, the anger on her husband and the confusion on everyone else. She saw a woman standing with Alicia, but couldn't recognize her from the back. Bypassing them, she walked over to her husband. "James, what is it?" He said nothing; all he did was motion her to look back. When she did, the mail fell from her hands.
"Hello Melissa," the woman spoke.
"Caroline," Melissa said. Her eyes immediately harden as she remembered what happened to Kim and Caroline's hands in it. "What the fuck is she doing here?" everyone, even Tommy and James, were shocked by her words. Tommy, especially has he had never heard his mom swear.
"Melissa?" Alicia called. "James, what's going on? Why are you reacting this way?" They both ignored her as they continued to stare at Caroline. Alicia looked around and realized that all the kids, except for Kim, were looking at Caroline the same way.
"I want you gone Caroline," Melissa spoke. "I want you out of my house."
"Now wait a minute," Alicia said. "She's my friend and I would like to know why you don't want her here? Especially when her daughter is dating your son."
"She's not my mother," Kim's quiet declaration shocked everyone, except her friends and the Oliver's, and made Caroline flinch.
"How could you say something like that Kimberly?" Alicia asked, starting to get upset with the way everyone was reacting to Caroline.
"Because it's true," Kim replied. "Mothers don't do to their daughters what she did to me."
"What did she do to you?" Preston asked.
"Why don't you ask her?" James said.
Caroline took a step forward. "Kimberly—
"Stay away from her," Melissa said, her voice filled with venom. "You've hurt her enough."
"Would someone tell the rest of us that's in the dark what's going on?" Jill Taylor spoke up.
"I for one would like to know why Kim said that Caroline wasn't her mother," Nancy said.
"Melissa," Alicia said. "How did Caroline hurt Kim?"
"She left me," Kim spoke, anger coloring her tone. "When I needed her most, she abandoned me. Do you know what it was like having your own mother turn her back on you?"
"Kimberly—
"I needed you," Kim spoke over her. "I needed you and you left me. Why?"
"I'm sorry," Caroline said, unfortunately, this angered Melissa even more.
"YOU'RE SORRY!" She yelled. "Sorry can't help her. My God, do you know what you did? You left her Caroline. Because of what you did, Kim was broken when she came home. She was broken long before she came home. Did you know she broke up with Tommy because of it?"
"No," by now tears had filled Caroline's eyes and were running down her cheeks.
"Did you know that she hadn't spoken for about two months after it happened?" Melissa asked. "That because of you, she was too terrified to come home?"
"No—
"You don't know do you?" Melissa cut her off. "Because you were too selfish, you couldn't see that your daughter needed you. She needed your help, your support, and your love but instead you threw her away because you couldn't deal with it. We almost lost her because of you."
"I'M SORRY, OK?" Caroline yelled. "I'M SORRY I LEFT HER, I'M SORRY I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH IT, BUT I COULDN'T…I just couldn't." The last part was spoken softly.
"Carrie," Alicia said. "What happened to Kim that you couldn't deal with it?"
"I was raped," Kim said, tears in her eyes.
"What?" the parents spoke as one.
"That's why she left Florida," Jason said.
"You knew?" Alicia asked her son.
"We all do," Rocky answered her.
Alicia turned back to her best friend. "Why Carrie? Why would you abandon your daughter when she needed you the most?"
"Because…because I couldn't deal with it again," Caroline said. "I couldn't go through it again."
"Again?" Jill said. "What do you mean by that?"
"When I was in college," Caroline wrapped her arms around her middle as she started speaking. She paused a bit and looked at her daughter. She swallowed before she started again. "When I was in college, I was attacked."
"What?" this time, everyone was shocked, even Alicia as this was first time she was hearing it.
"We had just finished this major production so my friends had decided to celebrate with a party," Caroline continued. "They convinced me to go, so I did. After being there for about half an hour, I left. I was walking back to the dorm when I was grabbed from behind. I fought the guy as best as I could, but it was no use. I thought I was going to die. He was just about to rape me, but a fellow student was walking by and heard my pleas for the guy to not do it. He fought the guy off of me and helped me back to the dorm. I begged him not to tell anyone about it. And he didn't. He stayed with me until my roommates got home."
"Oh God, Carrie," Alicia said. "Why didn't you ever tell anyone?"
"I felt so weak and so powerless and sick with myself," She looked away for a second before looking back at her. "I never wanted to feel that way again so I blocked it from my mind. When I got the message from Ken, it brought the memory of that night back, and I couldn't handle it. So instead of being there for Kim, I pushed her away. All I could see was myself and it was too much to deal with. I figured…I figured if I pushed her away, the memory would go with it."
"So," Tommy spoke. "Kim was punished because you couldn't deal with it?"
"What changed?" James asked.
"I broke down and about a week or two ago, I told Pierre what happened," she said. "He was pissed at me and said he would never forgive me for what I did unless I made up with Kim."
"So basically," Melissa said. "You're not here for Kim. You're here because your marriage might be in trouble." She hoped that Caroline would deny, but when Caroline closed her eyes, she knew she wouldn't.
SMACK! Caroline's eyes flew opend and her hand flew to her face. She couldn't believe that Kim had just slapped her.
"How could you?" Kim spoke, her tears flowing down her cheeks. "You couldn't deal with it? You weren't raped. At least you had someone there with you…I had no one. And it's because of you. You abandoned me like I was nothing, all because you couldn't deal with it? Well what about me? I needed my mother to be there for me, to hold me and tell me that everything was going to be ok, to let me know I wasn't alone…that I didn't have to deal with it alone, but instead, you couldn't because it brought back a bad memory for you? You told me you couldn't deal with a tainted daughter. Do you know how much that hurt? I cried myself to sleep night after night, blaming myself for the rape and for the way you treated me. I thought I deserved it because I allowed myself to be raped. You did nothing to help me. And now, the only reason you're here is because you're afraid of losing your husband? WHAT THE FUCK DID I EVER DO TO YOU FOR YOU TO TREAT ME THAT WAY?"
"Kimberly!" Alicia was shocked at her words.
Kim ignored her. "I wanted to die, I felt like dying. I pushed away my friends and my boyfriend because of you."
"Kimberly," Caroline reached out a hand to touch her, but Kim stepped back. Hurt, she let her hand fall to her side.
"Don't touch me," Kim shook her head. "I am sorry for what happened in college, but in no way was it worse than what happened to me. I trusted you, and now…now I can't even look at you."
"I'm so sorry," Caroline said.
"Yeah well," Kim wiped her tears. "Your 'I'm sorry' can't help me." She turned to Tommy. "Can we go to your room…please?"
"Sure Beautiful," Tommy said. Before they left, Kim turned to Melissa.
"I'm sorry your barbeque was ruined mom," She ignored the flinch that Caroline gave.
"It doesn't matter sweetie," Melissa pulled her into a hug. "What matters is you, and if you need to leave, you can. Besides, it wasn't your fault." She kissed her forehead. "Go ahead."
"Thanks mom," Kim whispered. Tommy wrapped an arm around her waist and led her into the house, their friends following behind. As they reached the door, they stopped when they heard Caroline speak.
"Can you ever forgive me?"
Kim turned back to look at her. "I wish I could say yes, but I can't. What you did hurt far more than you realize and I need time to get over it. For now, stay away from me." And with that, she turned back and let Tommy lead her to his room. Caroline turned back to the others.
"Listen to me and listen good Caroline," Melissa said. "You hurt that girl far more than her rapist ever did, and I'll be damned if I allow you to hurt her again. Kim doesn't want to see you right now and frankly, neither do I. So why don't you do her a favor and just leave? Your being here is only hurting her and I won't allow that." Melissa brushed passed her to go to the house, and she got to the door, she stopped and looked back. "Oh and Caroline? Stay away from my family."
As the door closed behind Melissa, Caroline turned back only to find everyone staring at her. "I suppose all of you hate me too?"
"We don't hate you," Jill said. "Are we angry over the way you treated Kim? Yes. But we don't hate you."
"I can't believe you did that," Nancy said. "Your own daughter." Caroline nodded before she looked over at her best friend.
"Alicia?"
"Why didn't you ever tell me about what happened to you?"
"I was afraid," Caroline said. "It was a mistake keeping it from you…from everyone and it was a mistake to treat Kim the way I did."
"Damn right it was," James said.
"But I truly am sorry," Caroline said. "And I'm trying to make up for it. Please don't push me away."
"Now you know how Kim felt," James said, his words cutting through her.
"I am sorry for what happened to you Carrie," Alicia said. "And I'm sorry that you didn't trust me enough to tell me, but Kim's right. What you went through is nothing compared to what she went through. I thought we were friends and I never thought that you would abandon Kim when she needed you most, but I guess I was wrong."
"Alicia…"
"I think you should leave," Alicia said, her voice clogged with unshed tears. Caroline looked at everyone and saw that they felt the same. She wiped her tears and nodded. She knew that coming here would be tough, but she never expected it to turn out like it did.
"I wish I could go back and change how I acted," She said.
"But you can't," Carlotta spoke up. "And your daughter paid the price. Even now, it's one she's still paying for."
"Familia is everything," Juan. "And you broke your family…your daughter."
"I know," Caroline whispered. "And I regret it everyday and will continue to regret it for the rest of my life." She smiled a sad smile. "Goodbye." She turned and walked in the house. As she opened the front door, she stopped as she heard Kim's cries coming from the direction of the stairs;
"How could she do that to me?" Kim cried. "Why would she hurt me like that? I needed her and she couldn't see past herself to be there for me? Why?"
Caroline shook her head and closed the door behind her. Sitting in her car, Kim's words came back to her and it finally sunk in. Because of her own actions and her inability to see past her own wounds, she had destroyed her daughter. She rested her head on the steering wheel as her sobs broke free. She cried for her past, she cried for what happened to Kim and she cried for how she reacted when she found out. But mostly, she cried because she knew that no matter if Kim forgave her, she would never get her daughter back, and it was her own fault.
A/N 4: so there you have it; Michael's dead and Caroline was confronted
Prophet144: I couldn't keep Michael alive. He needed to die simply because he knew that they were power rangers and he would've told. And if that had happened, their lives would've been over. Sorry.
A/N 5: if you guys liked this chapter I'm glad. This is the second to last chapter. Next chapter will be the last. So do what you always do and read and review.