The morning sun
peeked in the windows of Tommy Oliver's bedroom, tapping on his eyelids
and slowly bringing him awake. Briefly, he considered rolling over and
going back to sleep, but the noise of activity from downstairs caused him
to nix that idea. Sitting up, he stretched, and grinned as he noticed the
near-pristine state of his bedcovers. From the lack of wrinkles there,
he'd be willing to hazard a guess that he hadn't moved all night.
Well, he was
entitled to sleep soundly. He'd spent the last two weeks on near-constant
alert, from the attack of the Dianth pirates to the battles on Edenoi to
the trial itself. He was definitely due a long sleep.
The trip had
certainly been an interesting one, he reflected. Most of his time shipboard
had been spent with Jason, just talking about everything. It had scared
him to realize just how far apart they had drifted since Jason lost the
Gold Powers. With Jason no longer a Power Ranger, it sometimes had seemed
as if there wasn't any time for them to hang around together. And after
the Morphin Warriors had been activated, Tommy had felt that to some extent,
his old friend didn't need him anymore.
Well, luckily
for all of them, that had been cleared up. He and Jason were best friends
again, and this time, he wasn't letting that relationship go without a
fight.
Speaking of
friends... Tommy grinned. The trip to Edenoi had given him time to get
to know Parker O'Neil better, as well. Theirs was an unusual relationship
anyway, not only because of Tommy and Lillian's relationship, but also
Tommy owed Parker a great debt. The reporter had been the first person
to believe in the reformation of the Green Ranger, and his articles on
the subject had gone a long way towards causing the people of Angel Grove
to accept him as one of the good guys. Things had been awkward between
them at first, but now they were finally smoothing out.
A crash from
downstairs caught Tommy's attention. What in the world was that,
anyway? He was usually the only one in the house up this early in the morning.
Levering himself out of bed, he headed downstairs to investigate.
"I should have
known," he groaned aloud, coming into the family room. Teddy was seated
in front of the television, a fairly large bowl of chocolate and peanut
butter- his favorite snack- in front of him. The crash Tommy had heard
was no doubt something falling over as Teddy attempted to get the food
off the top shelf. On the TV, the "Turbo Heroes" program was playing, and
his little brother was watching raptly as six teenagers in Spandex fought
cheesy rubber monsters.
"Hey, Ted,"
Tommy chuckled. His little brother looked up and smiled.
"Hey, Tommy.
Want some of this? I have another spoon!"
Tommy grimaced.
"No thanks, Ted. I have to watch my figure." The thirteen year-old snorted
as his older brother sank down onto the couch next to him.
Teddy looked
at Tommy out of the corner of his eye. "I missed you," he said, suddenly
serious. "I was kinda worried."
"Hey," Tommy
replied, slinging an arm around his brother's shoulders. "The Power Rangers
always win. And there isn't anything in the universe that I'd let keep
me away from you guys." That brought a smile to the younger boy's face.
"So," Tommy began, knowing he'd probably regret it. "What did I miss?"
Teddy launched
into a synopsis of the episode's plot so far, and Tommy relaxed. No doubt
about it, it was good to be home.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the front
porch of another house in Angel Grove, Tanya Sloan watched the sun come
up as well. She knew that most of the other Rangers would no doubt be sleeping
like the dead, but she had far too much to think about, most of it having
to do with Phaedos.
She was a Ninjetti,
and a Black one, at that. It felt a little strange for her to have the
same Ranger color as her boyfriend, but it was also kind of interesting.
And she and Zack Taylor shared an animal spirit, which had been the grounds
for some good-natured teasing when it came out. Still, she was somewhat
in awe of her new abilities, which she had a feeling none of them had even
begun to tap.
The trip to
Phaedos had been interesting for other reasons, too. One of those had been
a chance for her to really get to know Billy, not something she had ever
really been able to do. During his time as the assistant in the Power Chamber,
he had been so distant, and she had felt somehow that the Billy she was
seeing wasn't the real thing. Their time in Dulcea's compound had proved
her right. Instead of the self-contained, somewhat melancholy man, she
had seen a capable leader, who thrived from the position, if not from the
spotlight. She wouldn't say he was better or worse than Tommy- just different.
And now, her relationship with him was far closer and her understanding
of him far greater.
And then there
was Adam. Tanya smiled, thinking of her shy boyfriend. Spending so much
time together had only strengthened their relationship. So many nights
after their training had just been spent lying under the stars, talking
about anything and everything that crossed their minds. When Kim and Skull
had announced their wedding, right before the trial, it had been a spur
for them to discuss where they wanted to go. After a long talk, she and
Adam had agreed that while they weren't ready for marriage yet, it was
definitely something they looked forward to in the future.
Sighing, thinking
of her boyfriend and how much she loved him, Tanya sat back to enjoy the
rest of the sunrise.
Entering the
kitchen, Adam raised an eyebrow. Despite the fact that it was only seven
in the morning, both his father and brother were already up and eating
their breakfasts. He supposed he could understand it, though. God knew
those left behind on Earth had undergone as much stress as any of the space-going
teams, if not more. As for his mother, she didn't respond to stress by
not sleeping. In that, both Park boys took after their father.
"Morning," Trevor
greeted his older son, as Adam walked over to the table. "Sleep well?"
"About as well
as could be expected," Adam returned, grabbing Franklin's box of Froot
Loops. His father shuddered.
"I'll never
understand how you kids eat that stuff."
Franklin shrugged.
"We need the energy from all the sugar," he explained. For a moment, the
three sat in silence, then Franklin grinned at his brother. "I'm glad you're
back, Adam. We really could have used your help."
"I'm sorry about
that, Frank. You guys did real good on your own, though."
"Yeah, we did,"
the younger boy agreed, with no hint of arrogance. He was merely stating
a fact. Finishing his cereal, he looked at the clock. "And that is my cue
to get moving," he announced. "I've got to go get a shower."
Trevor raised
an eyebrow at his younger son. "Where do you have to be today?"
Halfway to the
stairs, Franklin turned and flashed the two of them the trademark 'Park
grin.' "I have a date with Rosa De Santos," he declared, then hurried
up the stairs.
"Now there's
a surprise," Adam remarked blandly. His father chuckled and returned to
his breakfast.
Looking at his
father in the morning light, Adam was suddenly struck by the depth of the
lines on the older man's face. For the first time in his life, Adam thought
his father looked old. He's not old! He's only forty-seven! the
Green Zeo Ranger thought to himself, shocked. _But he sure has been through
a lot lately,_ he admitted.
"Dad," he began
hesitantly, "about the past couple weeks- we didn't have much of a chance
to talk after I got home last night. It must have been pretty rough for
you."
For a moment,
Trevor considered just giving Adam an excuse and letting it go with that.
The trouble was, he knew the boy would never buy it. That was the problem
with having superheroes for children, he reflected semi-sourly. They learned
to see through appearances quickly.
Trevor sighed.
"Yes, it was," he admitted quietly. "Not so much because I was worried
about you, really. I was, but at least I didn't know what was happening
to you, and I could tell myself that you were all fine. But Shadowborg...
that thing nearly killed half of my squad, and all I could do was sit back
and watch as Franklin went toe-to-toe with it. I don't think I've ever
been more proud of the two of you, but it was a lot of stress, just the
same."
Adam nodded.
"I missed you too, Dad. I couldn't help worrying about what was going on
back here, although I never imagined something like this. But it's OVER.
We all made it back safe."
"Yeah," Trevor
agreed, "and you'll never know how grateful I am." Reaching out, he gave
his son a quick hug, which Adam returned with interest.
"Sure is a beautiful
day," Kat Hilliard remarked, looking at the desert scenery which surrounded
the jeep.
"Sure is," David
Trueheart agreed. His gaze was locked on her, however, not their surroundings.
Reaching out, he slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.
"Did I tell you yet just how much I missed you, Kat?"
She chuckled.
"Oh, only about five times. But please, go ahead and say it again."
"Without you,
there was no sun, no moon, there were no stars... and I got stuck with
third-hand reports from the Power Chamber," he grinned.
Pretending to
pout, she turned away from him. "You only love me for my news connections?"
"No, but they're
a serious fringe benefit. Now, you were saying something about Kim and
Skull getting married? I can't believe it."
She laughed.
"Sometimes I can't either, and I was THERE. Heck, I was a bridesmaid! She
really was a beautiful bride, though, and it was a lovely ceremony." Smiling,
she regarded him out of the corner of her eye. "I kept thinking of you."
Backing off,
he raised his hands in mock horror. "If she pulls out a ring, she's walking
home," he announced to the desert in general.
"No, you nut,"
she scolded, swatting him lightly. "It's just- I was so afraid that I wasn't
going to ever come home. We'd come close to dying twice already, and I
couldn't stop thinking about the chance that I might not come home to you."
Sensing the
change in her tone, David reached out and drew her closer. "I was kind
of worried about that myself, Kat," he replied. "Gave me a lot of sleepless
nights."
"You're not-
mad about it, are you?" she asked, blue eyes wide. He smiled.
"No, Kat, I'm
not mad. But I do see why it's so hard for Rangers and non-Rangers to have
a relationship. Most people in a relationship, they want to be first in
the other person's life. I've been a Ranger, Kat. I know you can't do that.
Your duty and your teammates will always hold first place in your heart.
I'm perfectly satisfied with being equal to that."
Smiling, Kat
slid her arms around his neck. "You are," she told him honestly. "And you
always will be."
Chelsea Oliver
cocked an eyebrow at her boyfriend, who stood staring out one of Pyramidas'
window screens at the hills beyond. "For a man who's just gotten off the
intergalactic hook, you don't seem too cheerful," she observed.
"Huh?" Trey
turned suddenly. "Oh, hi Chelse. I didn't hear you come in."
"I figured,"
she drawled. "What's bothering you, Trey?"
He sighed. "Darkonda's
candidate. I know he had one- guys like Darkonda are always prepared. And
I'm pretty sure he's high up in the Triforian line of succession. The trouble
is, I don't really know most of the men in the line of descent. I never
planned on dying."
"It's over,
Trey. Darkonda will NEVER be able to hold office in the Council again,
and nobody associated with him will be able to get a job as town dogcatcher.
Why is this still bothering you so much?"
"Because someone
willing to ally with Darkonda to gain the Triforian throne is willing to
go after it using other methods. And here on Earth, it would be pretty
easy to arrange an 'accident,' and claim that I had selected him as my
successor. But that's not really what I'm worried about. If somebody wants
me dead, the best way to attack me is through my family. With me on Earth,
they're vulnerable- and so are you. It would kill me if I lost you, Chelse."
She smiled.
"Yeah, but I'm harder to kill than you might think," she pointed out. "And
you've got the Rangers on your side." She hesitated, something suddenly
occurring to her. "Trey, we didn't really have time to talk about this
before- does my being a Deshaadra bother you?"
"No way!" her
boyfriend replied emphatically. "I know that's been a problem for you in
the past, with some of your Earth dates, but frankly, I find the fact that
you can hold your own in any fight to be an asset, not a setback. If I
wanted a wife whose sole purpose was to make me look good, I would have
married one of those brainless lumps of fluff that have been trying to
get betrothed to me for the last four hundred years."
"I guess I just
needed to hear that," she sighed. "I guess there are some things even a
Deshaadra warrior and the sister of a Power Ranger finds intimidating."
He hugged her
tightly, and the two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence.
When Rocky De
Santos awoke, it was to a completely new sensation- quiet. For as long
as he could remember, his house had always resounded with the thumps, shouts,
and occasional screams of his younger brothers and sisters raising havoc.
This morning, however, he could hear nothing. No television blasting, no
radios sounding, and no sounds of Juan threatening to use the twins as
bases the next time he had to practice. Nothing but pure tranquility. It
was beginning to spook him.
Rising from
his bed, he looked at the clock. One in the afternoon! He knew he'd been
tired after his return from space, but he hadn't realized he was THAT tired.
His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he'd missed breakfast. Which was
a minor miracle in and of itself, he mused.
As he walked
downstairs, Rocky pulled a shirt over his head, still trying to puzzle
out the lack of noise in his house. He's seen his brothers and sisters
trying not to wake someone- they usually failed. Even if they had been
trying to be quiet for his sake, he should be hearing SOMETHING.
Entering the
kitchen, Rocky found a note on the kitchen table. His mother's graceful
handwriting informed him that she'd dropped Alex and the twins at their
playgroup, Juan at baseball practice, and Lindsey at ballet. Rosa was on
a date with Franklin, and who knew when she'd be home. He was to expect
an influx at five.
Setting the
note down, he opened the refrigerator and began to forage. He didn't often
get the house to himself, and he intended to make the most of it. Starting
with making up for the meal he had missed.
He sure had
been tired, he reflected. De Santos children were known for their inability
to sleep through meals. Not that he wasn't entitled. He'd spent the last
two weeks almost constantly 'on.' Whether he was worrying about the trial,
or the five bruisers on Danata who were interested in making paperweights
out of him, he hadn't really had much of a chance to relax.
Danata… Rocky
grinned to himself, remembering how much he had enjoyed his short stay
there. He'd never have been able to fit into the culture long-term, but
a short visit had been a great deal of fun. Although he had been surprised
to find that yes, there were some foods too spicy for even him to eat.
As he put together his hero sandwich, he made a mental note never to challenge
TJ to an eating contest.
The adventure
in space hadn't been all of it, either. He figured that the shock of returning
to find out about the whole Shadowborg thing had contributed to his exhaustion
as well. The Turbo Rangers had obviously been trying to play the whole
adventure down, but even what they had told him was enough to curl his
hair. Still, the kids had come through with flying colors. Which made Rocky
just a bit uncomfortable. He wasn't going to be able to ignore the fact
that his little sister was growing up anymore.
With a sigh,
he pulled himself away from those thoughts and addressed himself to his
sandwich. After all, a Ranger had to keep his strength up.
Finishing her
routine, Katarina Petronov looked up to see Ernie's television set playing
a newscast about the recent Shadowborg fracas. She grabbed a towel and
headed over to the bar, waving at Christina Collins as she did so. The
White and Silver Zeo Rangers settled onto a pair of stool, eyes still glued
to the set. Katarina whistled.
"We missed THIS?"
she remarked, astounded. The television was currently replaying Shadowborg's
first battle with the Turbo Rangers. Both girls winced as they watched
their much younger colleagues being thrown around unmercifully by the evil
Beetleborg.
Christina shook
her head. "I can still barely believe they pulled it off," she replied.
"With just a skeleton crew!"
"Allies can
be powerful things," her friend remarked. "As has been most definitely
demonstrated."
"Mmm," agreed
Christina. Neither of them was likely to forget just how many unexpected
witnesses had come to Zordon's trial to testify, not so much for Zordon
as for them. It was a sobering experience to see how many people the Rangers
had touched.
Katarina sighed.
For years, ever since she had come to America, Christina had been her best
and sometimes only friend. Even after their joining the Rangers, they'd
been inseparable. Inseparable, that was, until the time had come for the
Rangers to split up in space. Katya could understand the logic behind the
choices- her personality, not to mention her powers as a Silver Ranger,
made her the perfect choice for a trip to Danata. Christina, on the other
hand, could not be separated from Billy, who was the only logical choice
to lead the Phaedos contingent. And now her best friend was a Ninjetti,
something she, Katarina, couldn't even begin to understand. There was a
strange sort of reserve in Christina now, a wall Katarina wasn't sure she
could break. But she was darn well going to try.
"You know, you
never got around to telling me at the party- what was Phaedos like?" she
asked.
Christina smiled.
"Oh, it was beautiful," she replied, blue eyes dancing. "Oceans, and forests,
and mountains- although we didn't get to see all that much of it. We were
pretty busy with our training. The best part of the whole thing was that
Billy and I had all this time to spend together. What about you? How was
your trip?"
"It was marvelous.
I've never felt so- well, free. We landed during a festival, and the atmosphere
was very contagious. I loved it. I just- wish you could have been there."
Nodding, Christina
took her friend's hand. "I know we're a little different now, Katya, but
I don't want you ever to think that I'm not your friend anymore. I'll always
be your best friend, and nothing is ever gonna change that."
Katarina smiled.
"Same here, Chris. Same here."
"Ugh." Lillian
O'Neil wrinkled her nose and made a face. "Parker, does this stuff really
have to smell this bad?"
Her brother
raised an eyebrow at her as he dipped his pictures in the developer. "Listen,
Sis, a girl who goes toe-to-toe with Rito Revolto should not be complaining
about a little chemical stink."
"I was talking
about your cologne," she shot back, grinning. "Besides, when I go up against
Rito, I'm wearing a helmet. The stench doesn't get through quite as bad."
Then she shrugged. "Not to mention Rito was always Jason and company's
department."
Parker sighed.
"I give up. You almost finished with that batch?"
"Just hanging
'em up to dry." Squinting in the red light of Parker's darkroom, Lillian
examined the photos before her. "Hey, this batch is from Edenoi. Siege
of Tae Shalrith. They turned out nicely."
"That's good,"
her brother replied. "Whoops, can't use this one. That's Tommy in the background."
"I'm not sure
you wanna use this one, either. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to
figure out what that gesture translates to."
Taking the photo
in question from his sister, Parker made a face. "No, Jacobs would skin
me alive. Nice to see some traditions are universal, though." Turning to
look at his sister, he found her staring at nothing in particular. "Are
you all right, Sis, or is the developer just getting to you?"
Lillian started.
"No, just thinking about the trip. I've gotta admit, of all the people
I could envision taking a trip to outer space with, you wouldn't have been
first on my list."
"Not how I would
have expected to spend two weeks either," Parker assented. "But it was
a great trip. Don't you think?"
"Aside from
the fact that I still have nightmares about Tae Shalrith, yeah," she shot
back dryly.
He cocked an
eyebrow at her in the "reporter face" expression she'd come to know so
well. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked.
She shrugged.
"Not much to say. It's just that last battle, you know, with the sea of
goons closing in on us. If it hadn't been for Lexian's troops, we would
have been toast." Shivering, she shook her head. "I just- hadn't been quite
that close to death yet in my career. It happens to everybody."
"Well, you know
if you ever need to talk, I'm here," he told her seriously. She smiled
at him.
"I know, Park.
After all, what are big brothers for?"
Jamie Zedden
was almost through with her sword routine when she suddenly had the sensation
of being watched. It wasn't malevolent- after two-plus years as a Power
Ranger, she'd learned to tell THAT feeling in a heartbeat. So she didn't
whirl immediately. Instead, she finished her routine, banished her sword,
and then turned around. As she had suspected, her father stood in doorway
to the porch, watching as she worked out.
"What's up,
Dad?" she asked, sinking into a chair. Walking out onto the deck, he did
the same.
"I was just
wondering," Larry Zedden began, "you went to Danata, correct."
Jamie nodded.
"Yeah. That was a weird experience. It was like I belonged and I didn't
at the same time. I felt so at home there- but at the same time, I wanted
to get back to Earth worse than anything."
Her father smiled.
"I know the feeling. It's about what I went through back when I first came
to Earth. No matter how much I tried to pretend as Lord Zedd that Danata
didn't mean anything to me, deep down inside, it was still my home."
"Do you ever
think about going back, just for a visit? You could, you know. Thanks to
Zordon and a little slight of hand, the whole galaxy thinks Lord Zedd is
dead- which he is, in a way. I'm sure Zarador would be happy to help arrange
things."
Larry sighed.
"I've thought about it, but- it's probably better that I don't go. The
way things are now, Danata's more like- the memory of a dream. I'm happy
here, on Earth, with your mother and you. This is my home now. I don't
want to take the chance on stirring up any old memories."
Jamie nodded.
After a moments silence, she cocked her head. "You look like crap, if you
don't mind my saying so. This must have been pretty stressful for you."
"You have no
idea," her father laughed. "For millennia, I knew every hell-hole and scum-sucker
to walk the Alliance of Evil. And all I could think about, from the moment
you left to the instant you got back, was of you and the rest of the Rangers
meeting up with every one of them. The only thing that kept me from going
completely insane was the fact that all of you would probably send them
screaming back to whatever holes they crawled out of."
She chuckled.
"Your faith in us is staggering."
"Well, heck,
you used to make ME feel like that. Even back when there were only six!
I'd hate to see what twenty-plus would do to a villain's equilibrium."
With that, the
two of them settled down to watch the sun set over Angel Grove, secure
in the knowledge that the Rangers were all home and safe- at least for
the time being.
The End