Disclaimer: I do not own, or claim to own, or desire to own or make any money off the Power Rangers concepts and characters presented in this story. While the main characters and situation are new, and the timeline of this story differs from the television show, the majority of this stuff is owned by Saban and Disney (cause Disney owns everything). Any character you've never seen on screen is mine.
Power Rangers: Geo-Force
Chapter 26: Grief
After defeating Cephalorax, the Rangers returned to Sanctuary, where they began the process of getting to know one another, as well as bring Craig and Melissa up to speed on what they had missed while under their father's control. The next few days were thankfully quiet from a saving-the-world standpoint.
One of the first things that came up was Craig and Melissa's mother. They had no other family besides their parents, so Debra's friends had made all the arrangements for her funeral.
One of the big changes over the last century had been the phasing out of the traditions of burial and cremation. Instead, the bodies of the deceased were now broken down into component elements through a complex chemical process that created a type of fertilizer. That fertilizer was used to create the memorial gardens that replaced cemeteries.
Tyler stood a few feet away from where Craig and Melissa kneeled in front of the tree that had been grown using their mother's remains. The other Rangers had obligations today that they couldn't get out of, so it fell to Tyler to accompany the twins. Tyler could sympathize with the twins their loss, but he knew their grief was different. He had lost his mother in a tragic accident, she had died saving lives, and he still had his father. Their father murdered their mother and didn't allow them to grieve, having almost immediately subjected them to the processes that had turned them into the original Malika and Crul.
Melissa stood and joined Tyler. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but she seemed to be done. Craig, however, was still kneeling before the tree, his shoulders shaking badly, as he was wracked with tears.
"My parents always agreed that of the two of us, I was the thinker, then twin who lived in her head," Melissa commented softly to Tyler. "However, with Craig they disagreed. Father called him the fighter, but mom said he was prone to fight, because he's the one of us that felt. She was right." She sighed, "I wish I could do more for him . . . but with this new connection through our shared power . . . I can't focus near him when he's like this . . . I feel like I'm getting dragged down into it with him. I love our mother, and miss her, but Craig's tearing himself apart."
Tyler didn't say anything, but walked over to Craig, and knelt down beside him. Craig's normally pale complexion was flushed a deep red, and tears were streaming down his face. This he remembered, this he knew . . . because a week after their mother's funeral, Kris had found Tyler in exactly the same position.
Remembering that day, Tyler used the example Kris had given him. He just knelt there, not speaking, not even looking at Craig for several long minutes. He then slowly reached out and placed just the tips of his fingers on Craig's shoulder. The new Black Ranger flinched slightly, and then relaxed. After another few minutes, Tyler placed his whole hand on Craig's shoulder. After a few minutes more, Tyler slid his hand slowly across Craig's back.
Almost instinctually, Craig turned into the slowly forming embrace, and then fell into Tyler's arms. He buried his head in Tyler's shoulder and his sobs reached a crescendo as Tyler rocked the other boy slightly and stroked his hair. Finally, after several more minutes Craig's sobbing finally subsided. His head still buried in Tyler's shoulder, he spoke in a quiet, choked voice, "I'm going to destroy him."
Still holding onto his new teammate, Tyler replied, "We'll help."
AN: Kinda heavy for a short chapter, I know, but the characters refused to let me move on until I gave Craig and Melissa a chance to grieve. Plus, certain characters seem to have minds of their own in terms of where they want to go, which may force me to alter the rating and put a warning in the summary.