Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers. They belong to Saban, blah,blah,blah
Summary: A new girl arrives in Angel Grove, and captures Jason's attention. But what will happen when
he learns her secret? Please read and review.
The Phoenix Saga
"Hey bro! What's up" Tommy Oliver asked Jason Scott as he walked in to their math class.
"Nothin much? Did you hear about the party at the Youth Center next Saturday? " Jason asked as they sat down.
"Yeah, Ernie told me yesterday when I left."
"We're all going to meet in Billy's garage at 6:30, then walk over there. Wanna come?"
"Count me in." Tommy replied smiling.
"Now if only Rita would keep to herself." Jason joked.
"Yeah, but what are the chances of that happening? It's almost like she does it just to bug us." Tommy pointed out. They continued their discussion when a girl hesitantly walked over.
"Excuse me?" she asked. Jason looked up at her. "Is anyone sitting here?" She glanced to the seat next to him.
"Um, no, go ahead."
"Thanks." She sat down and slid her backpack under the chair. My name's Erin. I'm new here. She extended her hand.
"Jason Scott." He shook it, smiling. "This is my friend, Tommy Oliver." He pointed to the young man in the green shirt beside him. He smiled and said hello. "So, Erin," Jason began, "did your family just move here?"
"You might say that." She answered. He was about to ask her more when the teacher bell rang.
"Ok, class. Open your books to page 58 and begin working the problems 1 through 10.
Jason opened his book and glanced at Erin. She looked a little nervous.
"Hey, do you have a book yet?"
"No. And the teacher said she won't get any more for about a week." She looked down.
"Well, here, we can share." Jason moved his desk closer to her. She glanced around nervously. "It's ok…. She lets us work together all the time." Glancing around, Erin noticed that everyone was forming there own little groups.
"All right. Thank you." She smiled at him as they bent their heads together and began talking about everything except what they were supposed to be working on. Tommy shook his head and sighed.
An hour later, Jason and Erin walked out of their math class.
"So you know where room 227 is?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I'll take you there."
"But don't you have class?"
"Yeah. It's in room 218, right down the hall from yours."
"Oh, ok." The two started to walk off. Tommy walked out of the class behind them.
"Hey Jase," Tommy called after them. "Don't forget, we're meeting at the Youth Center to spar at 4:00." Tommy reminded his friend.
"I'll be there bro, don't worry." With that he turned around and started talking to Erin again. Tommy shook his head, knowing full well that Jason probably wouldn't show up.
Jason was the last to arrive at Billy's garage on the Saturday night of the party.
"Bout time man!" Zack said, coming up and giving Jason a high five.
"Sorry man, I got tied up." he answered.
"Yeah, showing that new girl around, huh?" Tommy joked. After class last Monday, Jason had volunteered to show the new girl to her classes, then after school he took her around the city, showing her the Youth Center, the park, downtown, everything. It had been a fun afternoon. Since then, they had been spending quite a bit of time together
"Oooo, Jason." Kimberly and Trini croned, jokingly. Jason just smiled at all of them.
"Come on guys, we're gonna be late." With that they began the walk to the Youth Center.
Erin walked around the apartment, trying to sort through all her boxes to find something to wear.
"Jason said it was casual." She mumbled to herself. She ripped open her box of clothes trying to find her favorite outfit. "Where did I put that damn shirt?" She worried aloud. She only had about 10 minutes left to get ready. It would only take her about 5 minutes to walk to the place, it was right across from her apartment. She thought back to the afternoon. Jason really is a hottie. She pictured him in her mind. She knew he had to work out, seeing how buff he was. They had been together almost all the time since last Monday, when she had met him in class. Except for those few times when he seems to just disappear. Every now and then, she would go look for him and not be able to find him anywhere. It would be so easy for me to find him, to, if I would just.... NO. That part of my life is over. She shook her head to clear it. Jason had told her about the party tonight, and how much fun it would be. She told him she would try to be there, if she could find something to wear. Which hasn't happened yet! She was beginning to get frustrated. Just as she was about to give up, she spotted the elusive orange and black tank top at the bottom of the box. She pulled it out, quickly changed, fixed her make-up, grabbed her keys, and ran out the door.
Jason, Tommy, Billy, Kim, Trini, and Zack walked in the door of the Angel Grove Youth Center. The place looked awesome. It had bright lights everywhere and strobe lights on the dance floor. Tommy looked over at Kimberly.
"Wanna dance?"
"Yeah, let's go!" The two walked over to the dance floor and began to dance to the fast, upbeat music.
"Well, I'm off to find Angela. Check ya later guys!" Zack walked off in search of his prey. Jason was looking around eagerly.
"Jason?" Trini asked. No answer. "Jason?" she asked again. Still no answer. "JASON!?!" she practically yelled at him.
"Huh… what?" he looked at her.
"Are you waiting for someone?" she asked, a smile on her lips.
"Kinda. I told Erin about the party, and she said she would try to make it."
"I see." Trini laughed. Tommy had already told them all about this girl. And about how Jason completely ignored him once she came into the room and sat next to him. "Well, Billy, you wanna dance?" She asked.
"Sure, why not?" Billy was sure glad Zack had givin him a crash course in dancing before the party. The two of them went out to the dance floor. Jason made his way up to the refreshment table. Ernie, the owner of the Youth Center, was standing there.
"Yo, Jason. What's up man?"
"Nothin much, Ernie just waiting for someone."
"I see. Well, here, have something to drink while you wait. You gotta try this new drink I came up with…….
Erin walked into the Youth Center and was amazed. The place looked awesome! Whoever had done the decorating did a great job. She glanced around, but didn't see Jason anywhere. She was beginning to get nervous. I shouldn't have come. I don't know anyone here! And I just met Jason. I really don't know that much about him. She clutched her purse tighter as a group of people came in and practically pushed her to the side. She hated being in groups of people where she didn't know anyone. She turned to leave just as two guys walked in, and practically ran into one of them . One was tall and pretty big, the other short and bony. They both looked like they were in need of some serious fashion advice. She had run into the bigger one.
"Hey, watch where your going." He yelled at her. "Wait a minute… you're that new girl in my math class aren't you?"
"Um, yeah, I am. Now, excuse me." She turned to walk around him, but he stepped and blocked her way. "Where do you think you're going? No one leaves until I say so."
"Yeah, no one leaves until he says so," the skinny one laughed. He had the most annoying laugh.
"I don't think you know who I am…." The big one began, but was cut off.
"Personally, I don't care who you are." Erin said. "Right now I want to leave, so get out of my way." She was getting pissed off that he kept blocking her.
"Or what? Huh? What are you going to do….."
"That's enough Bulk." Erin turned around; Jason was standing behind her. He had noticed the scene and come up to see what was going on. He was a little surprised to see her standing there.
"Awwww…. Is wittle Jason coming to help out the wittle new girl." Bulk laughed.
"Actually, yes, I am." He walked closer.
"Thanks, but no thanks, Jason." Erin stated. "Trust me, I can take care of this." This made the little man laugh even harder.
"Hey, Bulkie, did ya hear that? She thinks she can take you all on her own!" Again with the annoying laugh.
"Yeah, I heard her Skull." he responded, amused.
"Look, BOYS," she began. "I REALLY am not someone you want to piss off." Jason noticed her stance change, just slightly, into a fighting stance. So, she knows martial arts By this time, Tommy, Kim, and the others had joined him. He glanced at Tommy. He nodded ever so slightly; He had noticed it too. At that moment Bulk and Skull did what they were famous for and lunged at her. Jason stepped in and flipped Skull over as Erin did the same to Bulk. They both fell to the floor and everyone laughed. Jason looked up at Erin and noticed that she looked VERY uncomfortable, almost scared. She was shaking and staring at Bulk on the floor. I could have easily killed him. I felt the anger inside me… what if I had given in to it. I came here to get away from fighting… she jumped as she felt a hand on her arm.
"Hey. You ok.?" Jason asked her softly. The others were to busy laughing at the would-be bullies to notice.
"Yeah. Yeah." she shook her head and looked up at him. "But I have to go."
"What? Why?" he started
"I just have to…. I'll see you in class tomorrow."
"But…." It was too late. She had already run out the door.
"Hey, where'd she take off to man?" Tommy asked.
"I'm not sure."
Erin walked into her apartment, dropped her keys on the table, and fell down on the futon she was using as a couch. Her mind was in turmoil. How could I let myself do that? I got so angry at him! She shook her head. She knew she had been wrong. She had been so close to losing control. It had been so tempting. I was right there, in the right frame of mind and everything! Tears started streaming down her face. I came here for a fresh start!!!! She fell down on the futon and cried herself to sleep.
Jason stood at the door to his math class Monday morning. He needed to talk to Erin about Saturday night. The others had been to busy laughing, but he had seen the almost panicked look in her eyes after she had flipped Bulk over her shoulder. He needed to find out what was wrong, and she hadn't been answering her phone all weekend. He was still waiting as Tommy walked up.
"Hey, man. What's up?" he asked.
"Huh? Oh, nothing really."
"Waiting for Erin?" he smiled.
"Yeah, I am." Jason said.
"Man, you just met. You barely know her, but you've got it bad, don't you." Tommy was laughing at him.
"No, that's not it. I'm worried about what happened Saturday night, when she ran out of the Youth Center."
"I wouldn't worry about it. She probably just got embarrassed."
"Yeah, but I just want to make sure."
"I understand man, I ……" he stopped as his and Jason's communicators went off. They glanced at each other, and walked over to the locker area, where no one could see them.
"Go ahead Zordon." Jason said.
"Jason, Tommy, I need both of you to teleport to the park. Rita has released the putty patrol."
"We're on it Zordon." Jason turned to Tommy. "Ready bro?"
"Yeah, let's do it." Tommy and Jason were about to teleport out of the locker bank when Erin came around the corner. Jason saw her and put his hand on Tommy's arm to stop him.
"I thought I heard you talking over her Jason. What's up?" She noticed the weird looks on both their faces.
"Um, I don't mean to be rude, um, but, you see…" Jason was trying to find an excuse to leave, but couldn't.
"Sorry, to rush off, but we're late for a meeting." Tommy covered quickly. "We'll catch ya later, ok." With that he practically dragged Jason around the corner. As soon as they were clear, the two teleported to the command center. Back in the hallway Erin was confused. She rounded the corner, expecting to see them hurrying down the hallway, and was shocked to see that they were gone. What the hell just happened here? she wondered as she turned to her locker and began to put her books up. They couldn't have made it down the hall and out the doors that fast. Something strange is going on. What the hell have I gotten myself into by coming here? I just wanted a normal life. But I guess that's too much to ask. Shaking her head, she walked down the hallway to math.
Jason and Tommy got to the park as the others were finishing the last of the putties.
"Good of you to join us." Zack remarked jokingly.
"Sorry, we got held up." Tommy glanced at Jason.
"It's not like I told her to show up! Sheesh, gimme a break!"
"Lemme guess…" Kim started. "The new girl again?" They all smiled at Jason. He was about to speak, when Zordon interrupted them.
"RANGERS. TELEPORT TO THE COMMAND CENTER IMMEDIATELY."
"You heard the man, let's go." They all disappeared in 6 different colors of light, only to reappear moments later in the command center. "What is it Zordon? Has Rita sent another monster?" Jason assumed leader mode.
"No, Jason. However, we have been getting some unusually strong readings from her moon palace. I just wanted to warn all of you. She is planning something, so be careful."
"No problem Zordon." Zack responded. With that they teleported to the rear of the Youth Center, where they knew no one would ever see them. Talking to themselves, they went around the front of the building and walked in. As they made their way to the counter, Jason saw Erin down on one of the exercise mats stretching.
"Hey guys, I'll catch ya later, ok." he turned and walked over to her. "Mind if I join you?"
Erin looked up, startled. She hadn't noticed him walk up. "Sure." He noticed how good she looked. She was wearing black workout pants and a tight orange shirt, a red ribbon keeping her hair tied back. He sat down and began his own stretching regime. He and Tommy were planning on working out anyway, so he might as well get started.
"Look, I'm sorry about running off Saturday night. I just got embarrassed. Everyone was staring at me, and I didn't know what to do." She was lying, but she couldn't tell Jason the truth. Not now, and not ever.
"That's ok. I was more worried about the fact that you weren't answering your phone all weekend."
"Oh, sorry about that. I was unpacking some stuff and moving things around, and didn't realize that I had unplugged the phone in the process. I figured it out Sunday night when I dropped my keys behind the table." she smiled. "I wondered why no one had called." They continued talking while they both stretched. Then Erin got up and moved over to the practice mats. Jason followed her.
"So, how many years have you been training in martial arts?" he asked.
"Oh, only a about a two years." she replied.
"Wanna spar?" he asked. "I get kinda tired kicking Tommy's ass all the time."
"I don't think I'm going to be much better….." she hesitated. She hadn't sparred against anyone in a long time. She preferred to practice alone.
"Oh, come on." he gazed at her anxiously.
"Ok, but not here."
"Wanna go to the park?"
"Sounds good to me."
"All right, just let me grab my stuff." he picked up his bag, and the two of them walked out together.
Jason and Erin collapsed under a tree in the park. They had been sparring for about 2 hours, and he was surprised at how good she was.
"Are you sure you've only been doing this for two years?" he asked.
"Yeah, what can I say, I'm a quick learner." she laughed.
"You can say that again. You're almost as good as me." he laid down on the ground, staring up at her.
"Almost?" she threw her towel at him. "I'd say we were pretty evenly matched."
"I was going easy on you." He threw the towel back at her. She caught it. Jason lay down with his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Erin smiled as she silently twirled the towel around. When she was done she aimed at him, paused for a second, then….SNAP!
"Hey!" Jason cried out, jumping up. Erin fell over laughing uncontrollably. "Think that's funny, do you?" Jason grabbed the towel and started twirling it himself.
"Jason Scott, don't you dare!" She pushed herself up and backed away. He got up and started chasing her. She ran.
"Ugh. Look at those two." Rita Repulsa was spying on Jason and Erin from her lookout on the moon. "That power punk isn't even trying to catch her. It's disgusting!"
"I believe that is what the humans would call flirting, my empress." Goldar replied.
"I know what it is you dumbass. Well, let's break up their fun. Goldar, send in the putties!"
"Yes my queen."
Rita laughed menacingly. "And I'll send in the monster as soon as Finster finishes!"
Jason caught Erin and popped her with the towel a few times.
"Ok, ok, ok! Truce!" she exclaimed.
"Promise?" Jason asked, holding the towel ready.
"Yes. I promise!" she laughed. He let the towel drop, and both of them walked back to the tree and collapsed underneath it. Neither said anything for a few moments; they just lay their, looking at the sky above them. Then Jason spoke.
"So, why did your family move to Angel Grove?" he asked. Erin knew that he would ask that eventually, and she had dreaded when it would come. She hated lying to people, but unfortunately is was necessary. She felt even worse about it with Jason though. She was really beginning to like him.
"My dad got transferred to a firm here." It was the same story she told everyone.
"Really? That's good. What does your mom do? You have any brothers or sisters?"
"My mom is a daycare worker." That at least wasn't a lie. "And I have an older brother, but he doesn't live at home." Not a lie either. Jason noticed that the subject didn't seem to be one she particularly enjoyed.
"Hey, you wanna go see a movie tonight? With me and the rest of the gang?"
"Oh, I don't want to impose."
"You won't be…. I promise. I'm not going to take no for an answer."
"Well, if you insist." she smiled. "But I should probably go home and take a shower first."
"No problem, I'll pick you up at 7:00."
"All right." she sat up and began to gather her stuff as Jason stood up. He reached down for her hand and pulled her up. He pulled harder than she expected though, and she ended up losing her balance and landing against him. "Sorry…" she began, then noticed he was staring down at her. His eyes are beautiful. she thought to herself. Just as she finished the thought, he leaned down towards her. "Jason… I…" he leaned in closer, so their faces were nearly touching. Just as he was about to kiss her, he noticed a flash of gold behind her.
"Oh shit." he said and pulled away.
"What?" Erin mind was reeling…. she didn't know what was going on. He had just been about to kiss me..... She stopped in mid-thought as she noticed the weird gray men all around them. She turned to see what Jason was staring at, and gasped as a big, gold-winged, monkey-looking monster stood behind her. Jason dropped into a fighting stance, and she did them same.
"You goons really know how to ruin things, don't you."
"Um, Jason, what's going on?" Erin asked. "What are these things?"
"The gray things are called putties. They like to terrorize the citizens of Angel Grove. The big hairy ape is their leader, Goldar. Usually he only goes for the Power Rangers, but he's been known to go after unsuspecting people sometimes too." He turned and looked at her, and noticed she was in a fighting stance as well. "Erin, get out of here. You're not going to fight. Go back to the Youth Center and get help."
"You must think I'm nuts! These…things… have both of us outnumbered, no way am I leaving you here alone!"
"Erin, now, get out of here." he was getting frustrated. Any minute Goldar and the putties would attack, and not only did he not want her to get hurt, but he couldn't morph until she left.
"Jason, deal with it, I'm not leaving." At that moment Goldar ordered the putties to attack. The gray men surrounded them, and they turned back to back.
Damn it Erin. Why didn't you listen to me? This would have been a hell of a lot easier if I could morph. His though was cut off, however, as the putties attacked and both teens began to fight
to be continued……….
