A/N: Hi, everyone! Hope you are enjoying so far. Please let me know if you have any questions. I'd love to hear from you.

I was bored the other night and made a Spotify Playlist of all the songs that I have been inspired by or that I listen to while writing. Feel free to check it out under my morphme handle.

Enjoy!

Kim

It felt like I had slept for days when I had awoken. Tommy informed me it had only been a few hours but my entire body was sore when I sat up. Tommy explained to me what had happened while I was sleeping, how Zordon was possibly hiding something, and that the Kim in the other world had been given the same warning as I had about being with Tommy except it had been Jason there. It confused me seeing as I couldn't understand why Jason and her being together was something that occurred. Wasn't it a world just like ours? That's why Drakkon had taken her in the first place. They were together just like Tommy and me. Where did Jason fit into the whole equation? A funeral was going to be taking place as the sun goes down to honor the fallen leader of the other team. Preparations were being done by Alpha and the Billys. The rest of the other team seemed to have vanished, the altercation between Trini and the Ranger Slayer still echoing through the building it felt.

Trini supplied me with some clean clothes and I took a shower. As I stood under the water, I thought about Abby and what was happening to her at that very moment. I prayed she was safe and that she knew that everything was going to be okay. I worried about little Tommy too, his scared little face coming to mind. I knew Drakkon was evil but I found it so hard to believe he had such evil things planned for a child. There was something especially heartbreaking and vile thinking that he would be capable of such an act. I thought he had started to change over the course of the last few weeks, him showing more humility than I had ever seen. Was it all an act? Was it just to get my guard down and to allow him access to Abby? Why would he want Abby though? Just to toy with us?

Coming out of the bathroom, I walked up the hallway. Something told me to stop however and I did. My attention was drawn to the main control room. It was empty, Zordon not in his chamber and Alpha in the medical unit. However, I saw that it was actually occupied with someone. They were pressing buttons on the computer, their back to me. Quietly, I stepped into the room and noticed that their form was shorter and feminine. I didn't recognize them though. They shifted from one foot to the other, an annoyed yet determined expression on their face.

"You cut your hair," I said, my voice cutting through the quiet of the room. The Ranger Slayer looked over her shoulder at me. Her long hair was gone, cut short on the sides and in the back with long locks on top. She looked like a completely different person now, not like the person I had seen each time I looked in the mirror. Her face seemed hollow as well. Like it does when a person has spent a great deal of time going through something traumatic. "I like it."

"Thanks. I'll give you my stylist's number." She replied, turning back to the computer. She pressed another button and there was a noise similar to that of an error alert. She swore under her breath as I stepped closer to her.

"You can't do this," I said, stopping behind her.

"And what exactly is this?" She questioned, not looking at me.

"Going after Drakkon isn't going to bring Jason back." She stopped, putting her hands on the console. She leaned against it, shaking her head.

"No, but at least he will know what he's done then."

"He knows exactly what he's done and he knows what it will cause too. That's the kind of guy he is." Walking over, I turned my back to the chamber where Zordon usually dwelled and leaned my backside against the computer. "You know better than anyone why he did what he did last night."

"He's never understood." She said, standing up straight. "I don't understand it. I've told him over and over again the truth but he's just never heard the words I was saying."

"So, tell me. I'll listen." I offered. She cast a hard look in my direction, trying to determine if she was willing to do so. I could see the pain in her features and recognized that familiar look of heartache that was in her chest.

"After we broke the spell Rita had on Tommy, we asked him to join our team. He was happy and said that he couldn't wait to work with us. I was absolutely elated because I finally had him back on our side without Rita controlling his mind. I thought things were going well. He had been on our team for a few weeks at that point and we had grown so close during that time. I thought he was going to ask me out or something. But it was like a switch flipped in him and he went back to Rita. He was different than he was when he was under Rita's spell. I knew that she didn't have to control him then. He went willingly. At first, I told myself it was because he was scared of being without her or that he cracked under the pressure of being on our team. But it started to sink in that it wasn't something so complex to give an excuse to. He went back to Rita because he wanted to. Then, he kept coming after us. Even when we were at home or with our families. It's like he wanted to catch us off guard and he didn't care who got hurt in the crossfire. I knew I had to reach him somehow. I thought that if I just talked with him, he would understand what was wrong. That I could fix him."

"What happened?"

"I went to the park to meet with him. He had sent me a message. I wasn't even sure if he would show. But he did. I pleaded with him. I begged for him to leave Rita's team and to just go back with me. He told me that he could never work under Jason and that she had helped him see the truth about the kind of man Jason was. I tried telling him he was wrong but he didn't want to listen. He told me that if I wanted to be with him, I would need to join him and Rita. That they were the winning team and I could have whatever I wanted once we had beaten the Rangers. I told him I couldn't. They were my friends and I couldn't just turn my back on the rest of the world that was counting on us to defend them from forces like Rita. I went to leave but then…" She trailed off, looking into the distance.

"That's when he put the spell on you," I said softly. She nodded, biting her lip.

"I couldn't even remember how I ended up with Drakkon while I was under the spell. He had convinced me I had joined him right in the beginning and that I was a vital part of his team. I've killed so many people because of him. I hurt so many lives." Tears welled in her eyes as she looked down at her hands. "Jason tried to reason with me in the beginning after Drakkon had taken me. We were in mid-battle, my team trying to take out the Rangers like always. He kept telling me that he could save me and that Drakkon was the real enemy. The spell and my own stupidity wouldn't let me see that though. I didn't listen. He did exactly what I had done with Tommy, pleading for me to come back to the Rangers and to see that Drakkon was the one poisoning my mind."

"You couldn't help that," I said. "Drakkon was using you." She took a ragged breath, trying to sniff away the tears that dripped down her face.

"Drakkon had me send a message to Jason that I needed his help. That I wanted to leave Drakkon finally and that I needed him to save me. It was a ploy to get him away from the Command Center for an attack. Drakkon wanted to absorb a power that Zordon had kept hidden there and he knew Zordon would try to give Jason. Jason and the others caught on quick though and showed up while Drakkon was destroying the Command Center. He managed to exile Zordon from our world before Jason stopped him. The two of them found and I watched in the shadows as Drakkon killed him for the first time. I didn't do anything to stop it just like I didn't do anything to stop it this time." She shuddered and I thought about putting a hand on her back. I knew better though. This version of myself felt she needed to be stronger than most because of how she was conditioned by Drakkon and her life with him. Half of her life was lived under a spell, thinking that he was the only reason she was allowed to breathe. Now, she was just this shell of a person who walked around life and wondered what exactly she was supposed to do with it.

"None of this is your fault," I said firmly. "Drakkon is the one who did all of this. You were just a kid when it happened. No one can blame you for what happened back then and what happened yesterday. Jason knew the risks going into the mission and he accepted them the moment he agreed to go. That is not on you."

"Yeah, well, I think some people may disagree with you." She said, wiping at her face. "I think they are right half the time when they say I was better off dead than here."

"I don't believe that. You helped them get this far in this war. And I can confirm that Drakkon still considers you a threat to their forces. They talk in whispers about you at the castle still. He has not forgotten you to say the least." She let out a chuckle, closing her eyes.

"It's pathetic how much it makes me feel better to know that. I shouldn't feel this way. I should hate him with my entire being. But I just can't. I don't know why but I just can't stop feeling this way about him even after everything he's done."

"I'm starting to think it's wired into us Kimberlys. Almost like it's something to happen to us for a reason." I crossed my arms. "Ironically enough, I did the same thing as you when he was under Rita's spell. I went to Tommy one night to try to talk some sense into him. It didn't amount to anything though besides an argument and him threatening to kill me. It was like he was trying to find a reason to be cold and hateful towards me though. He kept saying things about the guys, especially Jason." I glanced over at her. "Did anything happen between Jason and you ever?"

"No. Jason tried from the time we were like 13 until Tommy came around though. I always knew he had feelings for me but I told him that I didn't see him like that. He was more like a brother to me than anything. I couldn't picture seeing him as anything more than that. Drakkon just never believed me though."

"Because he didn't want to." Pushing off the console, I faced her. "I'm not going to stop you from going after Drakkon. Hell, I'd like to get my hands on him myself. But I am going to ask you nicely to wait. Wait until we have a plan and a solution so that we can make sure everyone comes out unscathed. I have all the faith in the world that the Rangers will think of something. I think you should too." I started towards the door, stopping near it. "Jason's funeral is happening shortly. I think it might be good for you to be there. He'd want you to be." Giving her a small smile, I left the room.

Once the sun had set, we gathered as a group outside. The Billys and Alpha had constructed a raised platform from wood where Jason's body rested on top. I helped Trini gather some flowers to lay with him. As we ground around the pile, I saw that Jason was struggling to look at his fallen counterpart on the stack. Tommy reached out and put a hand on Jason's shoulder, giving a squeeze. Trini wrapped her arms around his torso, leaning into him to support him. The other Trini and Zack were not present, their whereabouts unknown after she and Tommy exchanged some words I was told. Alpha stood next to me and I heard him let out a little noise that told me his circuits were trying to compute the emotions he was having. I put a hand on his arm and he patted the back of it with his metallic hand. Our Zack assisted Billy with a large piece of wood that the two carried over to the base of the platform. Carefully, they tucked it into place and stepped back. William stood at the head of the platform, looking at his fallen leader and friend.

"William, I think you should say a few words," Alpha said, gesturing to the only member of the older team with us. The older man nodded, adjusting his glasses.

"Jason was a man of action, something I frequently thought was reckless growing up. It become a necessity though as we grew older and the war began. I've never witnessed him have a selfish moment or act in a manner that wasn't representative of the ways he was as a leader. He was strong, resourceful, dedicated, and determined to protect the world under are solemn oath. From the first day he said yes, he breathed and lived by being a Power Ranger. There was nothing more he enjoyed being and he was the embodiment of the red Ranger in its full glory. There will never be another Ranger as worthy as Jason was of the honor to hold the mantle of his post. May his legacy continue to live on and may the power protect him." William stated.

"May the power protect him." We all murmured.

Bending down, William grabbed the torch that was near him and set it next to the kindling between the pieces of wood. After a moment, flames began to form along the base and around the platform. The flames reflected off William's glasses and I could see tears shimmering on his face. I felt for him and for the loss his team had suffered, not just from Jason. Their entire world had been destroyed to the point of no return. Drakkon had killed their families and taken away what normalcy they had. There was nothing but loss for them, something that made my chest hurt for them.

Looking up, I could make out through the haze from the heat that the Ranger Slayer was standing in the shadows of the Command Center. We locked eyes for a moment and I knew that she had decided not to go after Drakkon on her own yet. Her arms were around her mid-drift as she hugged herself, the slight breeze in the air making her cape billowing behind her. I thought about how she must feel, seeing someone who loved her his entire life taken away and then his ashes being blown into the night sky with the embers that shot into the ink-black above. And that no matter how hard she had tried or wished it, she could never feel the same way about him. It was no wonder she blamed herself for what happened and that she was unable to live with herself given the guilt and the shame. Even though I was looking at a version of myself, I knew that we had not lived the same lives and that she wasn't able to experience the same things as me. She had to live in a cold and cruel reality with the man she loved treating her like a rabid dog rather than the woman he claimed to love. Looking over at Tommy, I wondered if he had the same traits inside of him that would make him act the same way. If a course of action had changed just slightly, would we have been in the same situation as them? Would we have been cursed with living a life that succumbed to the urges of Rita and her created Drakkon?

Tommy glanced over at me, catching my glance. He let go of Jason's shoulder and wrapped an arm around me. There was warmth in his embrace and I couldn't help but lean into him. Tommy had something that Drakkon didn't. I wasn't sure what it was but I knew that this version of Tommy would never have been able to hurt me as Drakkon had done to the Ranger Slayer. There was something good built into his soul, the same piece of him that was connected to me. I wasn't sure if it should be called fate or destiny. All I knew what that we were the versions of ourselves that were meant to meet and fall in love. There was a reason behind everything that happens in life and I was certain that us being here together meant something much greater than I could ever explain.

"You okay?" He asked. I nodded, turning my attention back to where the Ranger Slayer had been. She was gone now though, no sign of her behind the building flames.

"She's gone," I said softly. Tommy looked at me confused. "Kimberly."

"I have a feeling I know exactly where to find her," Trini said.