Wes, Eric, and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.
Anyone you don't recognize is mine.

Rated T: language, violence, sexual content including m/m sexual relationships.

A/N: This is a response to the Power Rangers Slash Write 22 challenge, a slash-oriented romance theme challenge. A link to the challenge site on LiveJournal is in my profile.

Reviews are always appreciated.

Turns in the Road

A/N: In memory of Edward Laurence Albert, 2/20/51 - 9/22/06, who brought Mr. Collins to such convincing life in Time Force.

- - -

Legacy, part 2

- - -

Sacramento was bright and green and beautiful, as Wes watched it go by from the window of the rental car Eric was driving through the streets of downtown. The buildings weren't much different from Silver Hills but the parks and trees were more plentiful, perhaps because it was the state capitol and served in part as a showcase.

Speaking of the capitol - his eyes followed its columns and domes as they passed the building, and he wondered how many times his father had walked up those steps and gone through those doors, pursuing equality this time instead of money. And why did he find that thought so troubling? As Lyn had pointed out, he should be proud instead of feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable and half-wishing everything could simply go back to the way it had been years ago.

Age. That must be it. Wes sighed. An upcoming birthday, making him miss the good old days.

"Wes?"

"Hmm?" He glanced over at Eric's profile.

"Are you paying attention? You're supposed to be telling me where to turn."

"Oh. Right." Guiltily, he lowered his eyes to the map and the set of directions in his lap, hoping they hadn't already missed their street.

"Right? At the light?"

"Not that kind of right. I mean - just hold on a minute." He spotted a street sign and, thankfully, found it on the map. "Go straight here, then left at the end of the next block. It should be right around the corner."

"Good. We should make it on time."

A few minutes later they had parked in the lot next to the ordinary-looking office building where they were meeting Alan Collins. Self-consciously Wes straightened his uniform shirt as they reached the door, aware of the curious glances they had already gotten. He and Eric had decided that wearing the uniforms might be helpful when it came to interviewing Jake Walsh's co-workers, friends, and neighbors, but at Wes's insistence they had left the berets and equipment harnesses behind. On Eric's insistence they had brought their blasters.

After a brief elevator ride, the doors opened to reveal a small receptionist's area dominated by a desk with a preoccupied-looking woman busy on the phone; the walls lined with a few couches and corner tables piled with magazines. It was decorated according to his father's tastes, Wes noticed, simple and tasteful but with an understated elegance that showed in the quality of the carpeting, the paintings, and the real wood of the desk. He also noticed the golden gleam of the letters mounted across the wall facing them, spelling out 'ALLIANCE FOR EQUALITY'.

The young woman behind the desk hung up and greeted them with a perfunctory smile as they reached the desk. "May I help you?"

Wes saw Eric turn to him with an upraised eyebrow. "Yes," he said, "We're here to see Alan Collins."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes - uh - I'm Wes Collins. His son."

"Oh!" She looked at him with considerably more interest, her smile becoming warm and genuine. "You're Wes! I should have recognized you from your picture." Her face turned to Eric. "And... you must be Eric Myers. Right?"

"Yeah. Right." Eric nodded, not looking entirely pleased.

"Your father's said so much about both of you. Let me call him; I'm sure he's waiting."

The receptionist murmured a few words into the phone, hung up, and smiled at them again. "It's really a pleasure to finally meet both of you. Are you here to take the tour? See what we're doing? You must be so excited about all this."

"Well..." Wes hesitated. "Partly, I guess. We're in town on business and we wanted to talk to my dad. We don't get to see much of him anymore." He exchanged a glance with Eric, who had an annoying smirk on his face now.

"I can imagine. We keep him pretty busy, here and in Washington." She laughed lightly. "But I suppose that's not news to you. In fact, none of us would be here if not for you."

"Really?" Wes said.

"You're his inspiration for all of this, aren't you?" She waved a hand to include everything around them as Wes blinked. "Ah, here he is now."

Wes heard his name and turned to greet his father, who was advancing from a side door with a big smile and an outstretched hand. "Hi, Dad," he said, forgetting his uneasiness for a moment as he was enveloped in a hug.

"Son. You look good." Collins stepped back and shook hands with Eric, clapping him affectionately on the shoulder. "And so do you, of course, Eric."

"Thank you, sir."

"This isn't Bio-Lab; you can drop the 'sir'. Well, come on, I'll show you around and then we can talk."

He led them down a narrow hallway and stopped at an open door, beckoning them in far enough to see a tall, thin, elderly man at a desk. "This is James," Collins said. "James, meet my son Wes and his partner, Eric Myers."

"Ah, Wes and Eric. Heard so much about you." James' lined face suddenly creased with a grin that lit it up with an arch and flirtatious humor. "You're both even better-looking than your pictures. Alan, where have you been hiding these two?"

"In Silver Hills. Someone's got to mind the store at Bio-Lab."

"Nice to meet you," Wes said.

"Anytime, handsome. And I mean anytime"

"Interesting guy," Wes muttered as they started back down the hallway.

"Yes, he is. James has been involved in gay rights since before you two were born, and has the scars to prove it. He knows everything about everybody - which politicians support us. Which ones would like to help us but are afraid to. Which ones hate our guts," Collins said. "And which ones are in the closet," he added with a smile as he ushered them into a larger office. "We have a few more people, but all of them are out right now."

Wes looked around as they took seats. "Well - I'm impressed," he said.

"Sorry I had to make you come down here, but I have that fund-raiser I told you about tonight, and tomorrow Lina and I have to be in Washington for a meeting. Too bad we can't all have dinner and spend some time together."

"No problem, Dad. It was short notice," Wes said.

"So..." Collins looked at Eric and back at Wes. "You said this has something to do with Jake Walsh?"

"Yes, it does," Wes said. "We saw Lyn and Sky Tate day before yesterday. She said her brother's gone missing from his job, and her parents can't reach him at home. So she asked us to see if we can find out what's happened to him."

"Jake..." Collins looked thoughtful. "The job I got him was with a lab affiliated with Bio-Lab. I haven't heard anything about him from them recently, but I really wouldn't expect to; they operate pretty independently for the most part. No, all I know is that he seemed to have done well there, up until now. Sorry to hear there's a problem."

"We were wondering if he's come after you asking for money, actually," Eric said. "You gave him something when he left Silver Hills. If he decided to move on, maybe he wants more."

"No." Collins shrugged. "Nothing. Maybe money isn't his problem."

"Maybe. But money's at the root of most problems." Eric stood up. "Okay, the next step is to interview the people he worked with. I'll take care of that, and meet you back here, Wes."

"What?" Wes looked up, confused. "Shouldn't we both go?"

"This is routine stuff; it won't take both of us. I'll see you later, sir." With a nod at Collins, Eric started out.

"Eric, wait!" Wes jumped to his feet. "Dad, will you excuse us?"

Eric turned back to him in the relative privacy of the hallway. "Stay here and talk to him, Wes," he said, smiling slightly as he added, "You know you want to, and you may not get another chance for weeks."

"Yeah, but..." Wes glanced back in the direction of the office. "It doesn't have to be now. And here."

"Why not? Isn't this place and what he's doing here part of the problem?"

"Well, it's not exactly a problem. I mean, don't you think it's great, what he's trying to do?"

"Yeah, I guess so. But this gives me the creeps." Eric looked around. "I mean, sure I want the right to get jobs and live anywhere I want. And the right to hold hands with you in public and not get beaten up. But the rest of it? Marriage, and kids, and adoption?" He shook his head. "Why the hell should I want all that crap? Let the straights do it; they can have it."

Wes found Eric's words both amusing and vaguely troubling. He decided to show only the amusement, and smiled. "Yeah, but everyone who does want those things should have the right to have them."

"I dunno. The constitution says you have the right to pursue happiness. Not to catch it." Eric straightened his shoulders decisively. "Anyway, I'm getting out of here before they try to make me their damn poster boy for gay rights. I'll meet you for lunch." He quickly touched Wes's hand, started away and then glanced back. "And watch your ass around that James guy."

Wes was still smiling as he returned to the office doorway, and as he paused there. Typically, his father had taken advantage of the interruption of Eric's leaving to return to work for the moment, and had his head bent over a letter or memo. The morning sun shone in through the windows around him, glinting from hair which had once been a shade or two darker than Wes's but was now mostly silver, and mercilessly highlighting every sag and wrinkle in that familiar face.

When did Dad get so - old?

A silly thing to wonder, of course. He only noticed because they hadn't been spending much time together lately. Or maybe it was the realization that his father would retire someday - someday soon. Things would change - they always changed - time rushes on, and you could never go back to the good things you missed, only hope that there would be more good things in the future. Wes smiled again, to himself, with regret this time. A Time Force Ranger - and yet he was as helpless as anyone else to hold back the advances of time - a progress that meant someday his father would be gone. Forever.

But that time was not yet, Wes reminded himself as blue eyes rose to meet his, still as full of life and strength as always. That day was - hopefully - a long way off.

"Is everything all right, Wes?"

"Yeah, Dad." Wes stepped inside the room and took his seat again. "You know Eric; he wants to get started on finding Jake. Besides - well, he figured I should talk to you alone."

"What's up? Problems at Bio-Lab?"

"No, nothing like that." Wes shrugged. "It's just that you've been spending a lot of time on... this." He waved a hand around them. "I mean, I think it's great what you're doing, but we've been wondering - well, what you're planning to do in the future."

"The future." Collins looked thoughtful.

"Yeah." Wes summoned a smile. "Lyn thinks you're going to retire. So does Eric."

Instead of the denial he had been expecting - or hoping for - Wes saw his father's serious expression deepen. "Retire? I've thought about it," he said slowly.

"You have?"

Collins' eyes moved restlessly past Wes to one of the windows. "I started Bio-Lab when I was in my twenties. I've devoted my life to it for the last forty years, to the point that sometimes I wondered whether I was running the company or it was running me. I loved doing it, most of the time anyway, and I was very good at it. Up until a few years ago Bio-Lab - and you and Lina, of course - were all I needed. But now it's time for me to move on to other things."

Wes watched his father's gaze return to him. "Other things - like this?"

"Yes. I've gotten very involved in gay rights."

"Why?"

Collins looked surprised at the blunt question. He smiled. "I could just say, 'why not?' But... well, I've spent most of my life in the pursuit of money." He pointed a finger. "Something I remember you disapproving of pretty strongly. It's only right for me to give something back, isn't it? To use that money in a good cause."

But Wes was sure that wasn't the real reason. "Is it because of me?" he asked. "Because if it is... I think it's great, and I appreciate it, but..." He hesitated for a moment, trying to find a good way to explain how he felt. "But it's my problem and my life, Dad. You can't fix things for me forever, and I don't want you to try. I'm not saying this to insult you or anything..."

"I know that, son."

"It's just that if you do retire, you should relax and enjoy life. Not knock yourself out doing this."

"Wes, listen." Collins held up a hand and then paused before going on. "Remember when you first told me you were gay, and the way I reacted?"

"Well, yeah. How could I forget?" Wes said, a little ruefully.

"I know. I realized soon enough that I was wrong. Believe it or not, that's when all this really started, when I decided I needed to know more. And I learned a lot - for one thing, that ignorance is one of the biggest obstacles gay, bi, and transgender people face."

"I know you did, Dad. But - I also don't want you doing this out of guilt."

"Hear me out. Later - remember the night when Lina and I announced our engagement, and we were talking in the restaurant? Remember how you told me that you hated it that you and Eric had to hold hands under the table in public, so no one would see?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"I decided that situation was unacceptable, and I decided that something had to be done. At first I thought I'd just make a few sizable donations to a few organizations, make a few campaign contributions to the right political candidates, and express my opinion to a few people in the position to make a difference. But - slowly I got more involved."

"That's what I mean, Dad. I don't want you doing all this just because of me."

"And I'm not." Collins was leaning forward now, his expression intent. "I said I got involved. I met the people, and heard the stories, and listened to them talk about all the things they want - the same things I've always taken for granted because I'm straight. Not just the right to be safe from violence and outright discrimination. The right to be open about who you love. The right to be treated with respect. The right to marry, and adopt, and to not risk losing your own kids." His expression softened into a smile. "I'm sorry, Wes, but it isn't about you anymore. It's about everyone who's treated differently because of their sexuality. The people I work with here have accepted that I'm sincere, and I hope you can accept that too."

Not all the changes were visible on the surface, Wes realized as he watched his father's face. Behind the graying hair and the wrinkles was something much more profound, something that had taken shape so slowly and subtly over the years that he had never really seen it - until now, as a jumble of glimpses of the past ran through his mind.

Dad walking across the lobby of their house, giving him only a quick and disapproving glance: "You're not going to be late, are you, Wesley? You know how I feel about punctuality."

His father's coldly harsh face peering up from a car window before rolling it shut between them: "I couldn't be more disappointed."

A shout following Wes across a courtyard as he turned his back: "Wesley, you walk away and you'll regret it!"

Silver Hills Park, not much later, his friends watching them talk, quietly and regretfully this time: "Wesley, I try, but I just don't understand you."

A dark office in Bio-Lab, after a long and bitter separation, a cold indifference wiping out the flash of happiness Wes had thought he saw on his father's face: "You don't come around here for months, and when you do show up you ask for a favor?"

Later still, a contest of wills, with Wes on the losing end as he stood facing Eric and his father in a laboratory with his teammates' future at stake: "Son, I'm sorry, but you've got to understand..."

And then a stark hospital room, with the father who had always been so strong and powerful lying so still and so pale, Alex's prediction of death ringing in Wes's mind, a day and night of waiting for the inevitable, returning and thinking it had come when he found an empty bed. There had been no surprise at the grief he had felt, only a sort of numb and paralyzing pain, until Wes had heard that familiar and unexpected voice and knew their history had been changed: "I heard you took my place in the company while I was away. I can't tell you how much that meant to me. But son, I don't want you to be a businessman for my sake. Your place... is with the Rangers."

In a time of destruction and crisis, a smile and a few quiet words of support: "I couldn't be prouder of you, son."

And later, after the crisis, words of sympathy - and plans for a future without Jen, Trip, Lucas, and Katie: "We'll protect the entire city - for free. But I need a good leader. What about it?"

That had seemed like a happy ending - and it had been, with Wes agreeing to lead the Silver Guardians along with Eric. In that moment the course of his life had seemed set and settled. But life goes on, and there had been new challenges and new revelations, and another clash when Wes had finally confessed what he had denied so long even to himself, and told his father that he was gay and in love with Eric. There had been more angry words and threats on both sides, memories Wes still tried to avoid. But maybe they had learned from the first time, because this time the apologies and the changes had come quickly.

And now - from denial and rejection to acceptance and support. Wes felt a rush of confusing and conflicting emotions as his eyes met his father's. Love, certainly. Pride. Regret for the conflicts of the past - and yet, not regret - since those conflicts had ultimately brought them closer. Gratitude. And - full circle to love.

"I understand, Dad. And whatever you decide about Bio-Lab - I'm ready to step in when I'm needed," he said quietly, and was rewarded with a smile.

"Thanks, son. That means a lot." Collins cleared his throat. "We can talk about that later. Now - why don't I show you around this part of the city? Then you can call Eric and let your old man take both of you to lunch."

"Sounds good to me."

"Great." Collins stood up and led the way to the door. "I seem to remember something about you having a birthday coming up soon."

"You hadda remind me, didn't you?"

- - -

TBC...