Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Mystic Force or the original Teen Titans or any places and concepts introduced by them, however I do own the non-canon Teen Titans mentioned - Matthew, Nick, Elanor, Dylan, Adelaide, Inanna and Lara - and any places and concepts not owned by others. However, just in case she gets mentioned later on, Isis is owned by my friend StarfireFury as is Gabriel, who was mentioned in the chapter 14 - read her fics, if you don't you're seriously missing out.
Review replies:
Linnea212: Thank you for the review :) Hope you like this chapter too ;)
condorfan: Thank you for the review, Wendy :) i hope you like this chapter too ;)
Ok, sorry for the majorly long delay, but I've had some major writer's block and then I had this bolt of inspiration and so I absolutely HAD to write, problem is, this is the chapter that fills in before the inspiration chapter lol. Good news is, is that it's turned out a bit better than I hoped *dances*. I hope to get the inspiration chapter up in a couple of days if not tomorrow - I have some chores to do around the house first and I would write it now, but I'm majorly tired and don't want my writing to suffer (writing the notes so I don't forget it though :D ). Anyway, here is the chappie, hope you enjoy it and Maddick lovers (like me) may enjoy this chapter. That is all I'm saying here :P
Mystic Titans
A Power Rangers Mystic Force and Teen Titans crossover
Chapter 26 - Purpose
Madison missed the calming presence of Tiamat Amaterasu, but the cool metal amulet in her hand gave her a surge of energy - the will to do something and to get their search back on track. Knowing now that Adelaide was going to be ok, she reassured Inanna that her sister was going to be fine, she just needed rest and recuperation and entrusted her and her friends to the task.
"Nick, can I have a word with you?" She asked the young Titan quietly as he manoeuvred Elanor onto the floor gently.
"What is it?"
"Is she going to be ok?" Nick was puzzled for a moment, looking to Elanor and then back to Madison,
"She should be fine, but that's not what you wanted to ask." Madison smiled sheepishly,
"You're right, it's not." She sighed and pressed her lips together in thought for a quiet few seconds before continuing, "I need you to help me."
"Help you?" Nick asked, completely taken aback.
"Yes, I need to talk to the others and they're all so frantic and splintered now. We're hardly a group anymore." They looked around at the separate teens, Vida still furious with Chip, said Ranger was hiding by Xander who still looked more philosophical than Madison had ever known him to be. Inanna was still flapping around Adelaide as Lara tried to keep her calm and Dylan and Matthew were quietly talking, though Dylan still looked more shell-shocked than his usual, laid-back self. Nick had completely disappeared.
"I know what you mean, but what am I supposed to do?"
"You're the leader of the Titans, I need you to help me get everyone together again, you and my Nick need to work together to get us back on the right track."
"Your Nick?"
"Our Nick." Madison said, all to aware of the suspicious glint in the young teen's eye.
"I'm not sure he'll go for that."
"Oh believe me, he will." Madison said, in such a way the teen had to suppress the urge to shudder at the finality of her tone. "Besides, I thought you'd patched things up?"
"Patched yes, but I wouldn't say we're going to become best friends or anything." Nick replied cynically, checking on Elanor and then returning to the conversation.
"But you'll help?"
"You said I was the leader of the Titans, so yes, yes I will… but you have to understand, I've only ever really been the leader in name, Elanor's always been more of a leader than I'll ever be."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that." Madison replied as Nick returned to his patient and she ventured off in search of a certain red ranger.
It took her a while to find him, but find him she did. He was throwing a small ball against a tree and catching it, the rhythm seemed soothing in the quiet and she breathed in deeply and sighed. The noise caught his attention and he looked at her before continuing.
"You trying to make sure that tree's dead?"
"Meh, it's something to do." Madison looked at the back of his head in puzzlement.
"Brooding or thinking?" She asked and Nick chuckled,
"It's me, I pretty much do both unless I'm rushing into something." His tone caught her by surprise and she sat next to him.
"You're a little hot headed, but you don't rush, not really." Nick laughed,
"Cheers for the honesty Mads, but you know I rush into things, look what happened when we were rangers."
"I don't follow."
"I rushed into criticising and judging you before I gave you a chance and look how that turned out. I rushed into fighting Koragg and handling him on my own rather than tell you guys, I rushed into almost every fight and I almost rushed out of the most important one of all." Madison smiled weakly and touched his arm to stop the monotonous throwing and catching of his ball.
"You rush to help and save your friends and those you care for, what's so wrong with that?"
"What's right with it? I put you all in jeopardy so many times."
"What's brought all this on?"
"Nothing."
"Nick." Her tone was demanding and he looked at her, but refused to say anything else. "Oh come on, you've never been a big fan of self pity before."
"And I'm not now."
"So talk to me." She said it in such a simple way that it dumbfounded him, she looked imploringly at him and he seemed to find his voice once more,
"I feel like I've lost my place, I guess."
"But you've come home… You've come back."
"I know."
"You don't feel like the leader anymore?"
"There's not a team to lead Mads… Or at least, there wasn't." She looked at him and he sighed, "I never thought I'd miss it."
"But you do."
"It gave me a purpose, y'know?" Madison nodded.
"That doesn't mean you can't find a new purpose though."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, and this is just my opinion remember, but, the Nick I know wouldn't let a simple thing like a little bit of lost direction stop him from being who he is or who he wanted to be." She smiled at him and he gripped the ball tighter in his hand and stared at it.
"You have too much faith in me."
"Nope, just about enough." She replied and gave him a nudge.
"You've changed so much Mads."
"Not in a bad way I hope." Nick was silent and this worried her and she couldn't explain why, "Nick?"
"It's nothing really, I just wondered, why?"
"What do you mean?"
"All the magic training, the sparring against Ellie, the fights with the harpies and the cockatrice, what's it all for?"
"Pardon me?"
"What are you trying to prove? More importantly, who are you trying to prove it to?"
"I'm not trying to prove anything." Madison replied, her tone slightly ruffled and affronted.
"Look, Mads, you don't have to impress me, you know that."
"Nick Russell, what exactly are you trying to say? That I should've spent the last couple of months pining over you? That I should've sat by the phone waiting for your next call and crying when it didn't happen? I didn't realise you saw me as such a pathetic example of the human race!" Her face was flushed with fury and Nick had to double check he was talking to Madison and not Vida.
"That's not what I meant-" he stuttered, but Madison was having none of it,
"So what did you mean? Come on, Nick, what was I supposed to do? I, unlike the rest of you found studying magic interesting. I wanted to spend my time doing something useful that I enjoyed and so I practised. I made films about it and even found spells that helped in my filming. But you couldn't ask that could you? Couldn't ask how I enjoyed my summer, no, you have to have suspicions because I wasn't fawning over memories of you ever other second."
"Maddie, seriously, that's not what I meant."
"I never realised your ego was as big as Xander's!" Madison's fury subsided as quickly as it had erupted and the pair both started laughing - Nick only really started once Madison had been laughing for a good few seconds, namely due to shock and fear.
"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, you know I'd never want to do that… again." Nick apologised once their laughter died down. "It's just, I wondered where my Maddie had gone, that's all."
"Your Maddie?" She asked, her bashfully confused face made him smile a genuine smile, one that also made Madison's knees want to give way,
"Hey, you said I don't rush everything, right?"
"Only for the people you care for."
"Exactly." He smiled a lopsided smile at her and began to walk back through the trees towards Adamar's cottage. Madison was dumbfounded and his movement took a moment to register in her mind,
"Hey, where're you going?"
"To find my purpose. It's time we pulled our team together."
:D So I hope you liked this chapter, like I say, big chapter coming up hopefully, though as I write the notes it's going to take quite a bit of polishing and possibly another lead in chappie, it depends on how the pace of it feels ;) but lots to look forward to I can assure you of that :D All I can ask now after you've read this, and I know it's cheeky, but you know I'll ask anyway, is that you review and tell me what you think. Also, in your review, just let me know whether you'd like to read a story about my own team of rangers or would be interested in a story where the readers got some input. Not exactly sure what kind of input yet, but perhaps your review could give me some ideas? I just want to write more stuff for when I get blocked and would like to know what other people want to read to see if it matches up with what I want to write. Also, please check out a story by LastWhiteRose called 'Olympian Force' it's a great story and my donated character 'Lilly Phoenix' has been superbly developed and crafted by her so please check it out. Thanks very much for reading all this stuff at the bottom that (I hope) is not nearly so interesting as the chapter you've just read :D
Toodles for now ;) Toffy.