Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, yada, yada, yada.

AN: Thanks for all the reviews! Here's chapter 18, enjoy and please review! Thanksy!

Silver Hope

Chapter 18

The celebration began to die down, and soon only the rangers, their parents, Bulk, Skull, and Ernie were left. Kat had been worried that her parents were going to think that they were too young. Though her parents had their concerns, they were confident Billy would take care of their little girl. Especially after hearing everything they had already been through, they weren't going to deny them their blessing. Mr. Cranston couldn't be happier about the union. Katherine made Billy the happiest he had seen his son since his mother's death. And he got along with the Hillard's quite well.

The rangers helped Ernie clean up, and everyone went home for the night. Zedd stared down at the happy parties with an evil glint. The pure love and warmth that surrounded them was enough to make him sick. But his depression melted, as he saw the dream wizard taking position.

Billy drove into Kat's driveway and parked.

"I don't want to say goodnight," Billy said.

"I know, me either," Kat replied, as she squeezed his hand.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow. They guys want to go roller blading. You up for it?" Billy asked.

"You bet! See ya around noon?" Kat asked.

"I'll be here," Billy replied. They ended the night with a gentle kiss that was full of enough love to obliterate even the darkest of forces.

The Wizard of Dreams watched as all the rangers fell asleep. Their dreams were peaceful, but he would quickly change that. He turned to the one he had been savoring, for he had nightmares that had nearly come true. The valiant leader of the zeo rangers would be his puppet tonight.

BILLY'S DREAM

Cestria gave Billy a lustful stare as she traced his jaw line with her finger. Billy shrugged her away with disgust. Cestria sauntered toward the captive Kat. As she walked, she drew a jagged dagger from her belt. Kat gasped audibly.

"No! Don't do this Cestria! I'm the one you want, now just take me, and leave her alone!" Billy pleaded.

"Your offer is tempting William, but I know that you will just try to escape so you can be with her. Therefore, she is going to die, so that when I do take you with me, you won't have anything to try and escape for," Cestria said.

"It doesn't matter what you do Cestria. You can kill me, but it won't change the way Billy feels about me. We're meant to be together, and no matter how hard you try, you can't change that," Kat said.

"That's pretty strong talk coming from someone who has only mere moments left to live," Cestria spat.

"She's right Cestria. It doesn't matter what you do, Kat and I will be together, one way or another," Billy replied.

"Oh please, don't try and tell me you're going to follow in Romeo's footsteps after I kill your Juliet," Cestria laughed.

"I'll do whatever it takes to be with Kat," Billy said in a deadly serious tone. Cestria scowled, and approached Kat again.

"CESTRIA, I ORDER YOU TO RELEASE MY RANGERS, AND LEAVE THE POWER CHAMBER. YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE" Zordon boomed.

"I'm the one in charge here, so I won't be taking any orders from you old man. But you get to watch me kill one of your...replacements. Chosen isn't the right word," Cestria sneered. Kat glared at her.

Cestria put the tip of the blade under her chin.

"Don't by any means think that this death will be a quick one," Cestria said, as she traced the blade down her esophagus. Kat tensed as she felt the cold, sharp metal course across her delicate skin. Cestria then smiled evilly, as she looped the rope around the hook more, which lifted Kat's feet off the ground.

"Put her down!" Billy yelled, as he pulled on the shackles holding him with all his might. The metal began to cut into his skin, but he ignored it, and kept pulling. Kat whimpered as hanging by her arms soon became painful. Wil handed Cestria a whip, which only added to Kat's horror.

"No! Stop this now! Leave her alone, please!" Billy pleaded.

"Oh William, do be quiet. Now Katherine, all this pain will end if you just tell Billy that you don't love him, and that you don't want to be with him," Cestria told her.

"Hey psycho! Have you heard anything they've said? Billy doesn't love you, why can't you just get over it?" Rocky remarked.

"You have a big mouth, and when I'm finished, maybe I'll kill you for kicks," Cestria replied coldly.

"Do whatever your going to do Cestria, because there's no way I could ever say those things to Billy," Kat said bravely. Cestria took the dagger and sliced her shirt open, leaving her only in her pink, lacy bra.

Kat winced, as she saw Cestria wind up with the whip. Kat cried out as the whip tore into her side.

"Katherine! Cestria, stop this now!" Billy screamed, as he tried not to let tears come. Cestria wound up again, this time making a slash just above her breasts. Tears streamed down Kat's cheeks, as the whip continued to tear into her fair skin. She circled her victim and spent several lashes on her back. Kat's painful cries echoed throughout the power chamber. Cestria wound up for a final lash, which resulted in an anguished cry from her victim. Billy felt so helpless and felt like his heart was being wrenched from his chest. The evil woman dropped the whip and picked up the dagger, adding to everyone's horror.

"It's time for me to end your miserable existence, and take my prize,"

Cestria brought the dagger back, before thrusting it into Kat's chest. Kat screamed as the dagger violently pierced her heart

"NOOOOOO! KATHERINE! NO!" Billy screamed.

Suddenly, the others arrived, and freed Billy, Rocky, Aisha, and Dulcea.

"We were too late Tommy," Kim cried, as she buried her face in his chest, not being able to look at her dead friend.

Adam and Rocky attempted to hold Billy back, but he tore his way to his fallen princess. Billy let the tears fall freely and he cradled her bloody form.

"I've lost you Kat! I've lost my mother! How many people do I have to lose!" Billy screamed. But then he calmed and became deadly quiet, as he put his zeonizers together.

"I won't lose anymore. We'll be together Kat, we'll be together," Billy said, as he drew his wolf blades and aimed it to his chest.

"Billy no!" Adam cried out. But the cry fell on deaf ears, as Billy drove the blade through his heart. A sharp cry followed and then Billy's dead form fell upon Kat's.

END DREAM

Billy jolted out of bed with a cry. Sweat bathed his skin and he breathed heavily.

"What a nightmare, stupid Wizard of Dreams. Damn it, why doesn't the coward just face us. I don't want Kat reliving the past few weeks," Billy said to himself. With a frustrated sigh, Billy put his pants and shirt on, and went for a run in the park. Running always helped him cool off and gave him time to think.

KAT'S DREAM

Wil pulled Kat close to him, and stared into her eyes with a lustful gaze. One that made Kat's blood run cold. Kat began to fight him, but his hold was too strong for her to break.

"No, Please!" Kat pleaded. Wil backhanded her again, and she fell to the ground with a thud. Wil hovered over her and tore her button down shirt open. Kat cried and tears flowed down her cheeks. She was rendered helpless as he stole her virginity.

"Billy!..." her cry rang out, but no one heard her.

END DREAM

Kat woke up in a fit of crying.

"It was just a dream," Kat muttered to herself.

"But it came so close to happening," Kat sobbed, but desperately tried to calm down.

"Maybe I should call Billy, he would want me to," Kat said to herself. She tapped her communicator and waited for him to answer.

Billy heard his communicator beep and stopped to answer it.

"This is Billy," he said.

"Billy? I'm sorry if I woke you up," Kat said with a small sob.

"Kat? It's all right, you didn't wake me. I'll be right there, and we can go for a walk," Billy said, as he teleported to Kat's house.

Kat put on some clothes and met him outside. Billy hugged her close as she rested her head on his chest.

"You had a nightmare didn't you?" Billy asked. Kat nodded.

"I just want to forget everything that's happened and move on. Why can't I?" Kat asked.

"It's not all your fault, I had a nightmare too. The Wizard of Dreams is playing where he doesn't belong, but these wounds are going to need time to heal as well," Billy said. They joined hands and began walking through the park.

"I don't think I've ever been to the park at 3 am before," Kat said.

"I don't think many people in Angel Grove have," Billy replied.

"It's hard to imagine that this sleepy little town is the number one target for evil attacks," Kat said.

"Yea, Angel Grove is strange. There's no getting around that," Billy replied.

"This will give us a good chance to set a date," Kat smiled.

"Yea, so when are we going to make it official?" Billy asked.

"This summer of course," Kat replied.

"Kat, I want you to know that I am perfectly fine with waiting till after college if that's what you want," Billy said.

"No, I don't want to wait. Waiting might be right for other couples, but it's not right for us," Kat replied.

"I know, and I will go to anywhere with you. If you want to go to college in England, I'll be packing my bags," Billy said. Kat hugged his arm.

"You're so sweet. At one time, I did want to go to England, but now I think I just want to stay here in Angel Grove," Kat replied.

"Angel Grove University does have a nice dance department," Billy replied.

"Yea, and Angel Grove, aside from the monster attacks is a great place to live and raise a family," Kat said, with a smile. Billy smiled back.

"I agree, I wonder where the others are going to go? I mean, I think that we're somehow expected to part ways when we give up the powers," Billy said.

"I suppose, but after everything we've all been through, I think we'll keep in touch with the others," Kat replied.

"I hope so," Billy replied, as he wrapped his arm protectively around her waist.

"How does July 15th sound?" Kat asked.

"Whatever sounds good to you sounds good to me. I can't wait to make you my wife. Besides, do I look like the kind of guy that knows anything about planning a wedding?" Billy joked. Kat giggled, as she imagined Billy trying to figure out all the details of a wedding.

"Don't worry about the planning, leave that to the girls and I," Kat replied. Billy smiled and kissed her gently. They continued to talk as they walked through the deserted park.

Trini and Adam both woke up startled from a nightmare. The rest of this night followed with similar occurrences in the other rangers.

The next morning, the tired rangers, including Billy and Kat, met at the youth center.

"Let me guess, no one got any sleep last night?" Billy asked.

"Once again the boy genius has figured it out," Kim said sarcastically.

"Ouch Kimmy," Billy mocked.

"This has got to stop! If there's one thing that the Rock man needs besides food, it's sleep," Rocky said.

"Why do you always talk about yourself in third person?" Adam asked.

"To make short punks like you ask questions," Rocky retorted.

"Knock it off guys, we need to get clear and go after the real enemy," Tommy said.

"Tommy's right, let's just go on with our day," Billy replied.

"Well, I've been looking forward to roller blading," Jason said.

"Yea, the Zackman wants to style his moves!" Zack said. The others laughed, as they started putting their gear on.

The group of teens trekked through Angel Grove on their blades, each showing off their moves. Suddenly, the Tengucogs and the Arachnids appeared in their paths.

"Oh great, a bunch of party crashers," Adam said. The rangers ditched their blading gear, and fell into fighting stance.

Billy fell into a knife hand fighting stance. He launched at the Arachnids and delivered several axe kicks to the creatures. He disabled the others with knife hand punches and front snap kicks.

Adam and Trini used their quiet skills in Kung Fu to double-team the foes. Their preciseness was overwhelming the Tengucogs, who were falling quickly to their skill.

Tommy threw furious punches and kicks, expressing his intense style. He used a knife hand block to evade an oncoming punch. He then delivered a powerful sidekick, which dismantled the Tengucog.

Kimberly did a triple back flip and delivered a roundhouse kick to an Arachnid.

"Catch ya on the flipside!" Kim called, as she continued to flip her way out of their reach.

Rocky and Aisha did a double front snap kick. They pummeled the foes with their double team attacks. The clumsy foes couldn't match their precision.

Kat was doing well against the Arachnids, until one caught her and locked its arms around her. Kat screamed as the Arachnid picked her up and tossed her into the air.

"Billy!" Kat called. Billy looked up just in time to catch her.

"Hi," Billy said with a smirk.

"Hi," Kat replied in a dazed tone.

The Arachnids began to rush toward them. Billy set Kat down and put his hands on her waist. He picked her up and she kicked the raging Arachnids. Billy turned the other way and Kat kicked the rushing Tengucogs. Billy set her down and then kicked a creature. He then twirled Kat toward him, and she kicked the creature too. Billy turned the other direction and initiated the same move again. Then he surprised Kat by dipping her.

"Thanks for the dance," Billy said. Kat smiled.

The Arachnids and the Tengucogs were defeated.

But suddenly, the dream wizard appeared.

"So, he finally shows his face," Tommy said.

"It's Morphin Time!" Billy called.

"Zeo Ranger 1-Pink, Power of Wind!" Katherine called.

"Zeo Ranger 2-Yellow, Power of Sun!" Tanya called.

"Zeo Ranger 3-Blue, Power of Water!" Rocky called.

"Zeo Ranger 4-Green, Power of Earth!" Adam called.

"Zeo Ranger 5-Red, Power of Fire!" Tommy called.

"Power of Pegasus, Power of the Wolf, Silver Ranger Power!" Billy called.

"It's Morphin Time!" Dulcea called.

"Mastodon!" Zack called.

"Pterodactyl!" Kimberly called.

"Triceratops!" Aisha called.

"Saber-toothed Tiger!" Trini called.

"Tyrannosaurs!" Jason called.

Billy and Jason rushed at the wizard with their lance and sword drawn. But they were surprised when they went directly through him. The wizard laughed.

"Try all you must rangers, but I exist in the dream realm, and can only be reached their," the wizard taunted.

"How can we defeat him?" Adam asked.

"Back to the power chamber guys, I have an idea," Billy said. The rangers followed suit and teleported away.

The rangers removed their helmets upon arrival.

"Zordon, is there a way you can put us all in a cryo-like sleep state so that we can defeat the dream wizard?" Billy asked.

"Yes Billy, though I do not wish to do this, it is the only way. Be careful rangers and remember what you will see is a dream and not reality," Zordon spoke. Alpha had the twelve rangers step into the cryo sleep chambers. With a few commands that were entered into the computer, the rangers fell into the cryo sleep to face their current enemy.

The rangers appeared morphed before the dream wizard.

"Hello power rangers, I see you have come into my world. You will be spending endless nights here as I enjoy haunting all your dreams," the dream wizard said.

"This ends tonight wizard," Billy replied.

"I don't think so silver ranger. It is your dreams that are the most haunted of them all," the wizard said, as he began to show the image of Billy's mother being killed in the car accident. Billy had never seen the actual sight, and he slowly dropped to his knees. Katherine put her hands on his shoulders and hugged him close. The wizard began to play the other rangers' fears and dreams, which began to greatly disturb them all. Kat closed her eyes and began to whisper to Billy.

"Remember Zordon's words. Nothing here is a reality," Kat said, as she hugged him close. Billy's eyes snapped open and he moved toward the wizard with his wolf blades drawn. He violently swiped the wolf blades and shattered the wizard's crystal ball, thus cutting him off from the dream world. The place went blank...

The rangers woke up from the cryo sleep.

"RANGERS, YOU WERE SUCCESSFUL. THE DREAM WIZARD IS IN THE PARK. GO NOW AND DEFEAT HIM," Zordon said. The rangers nodded and teleported back to the park.

"Your day is over wizard! Let's bring em together!" Billy called.

"Us too guys!" Jason called.

"Power Axe!" Zack called.

"Power Bow!" Kim called.

"Power Daggers!" Trini called.

"Power Lance!" Aisha called.

"Power Sword!" Jason called.

"Earth Axe!" Adam called.

"Wind Saber!" Kat called.

"Solar Daggers!" Tanya called.

"Aqua Cannon!" Rocky called.

"Fire Sword!" Tommy called.

"Thunder Lance!" Billy called.

"FIRE!" the eleven rangers called, as they fired the weapons simultaneously, which in turn obliterated the dream haunting wizard for good.

"YEA!" the rangers cheered.

"That's one nightmare that's over for good!" Rocky exclaimed. The rangers agreed and teleported back to the power chamber. Zordon congratulated their victory, and the rangers departed.

Billy and Kat walked together later that night.

"These walks are becoming an addiction," Billy said. Kat smiled.

"I like the addiction a lot," she replied.

"Me too, and I'm glad that tonight we're all going to get a good night's sleep," Billy replied.

"Yea. I got some wedding books, so tomorrow you and I can look through them," Kat said with a bright smile.

"Okay, but you know I don't know a thing about it," Billy replied.

"Well, that's why you are going to help me, and you're not getting out of it," Kat stated. Billy chuckled.

"Okay okay, yes maim," Billy replied.

"I love you Billy," Kat said.

"I love you too Katherine," Billy replied. Their lips met warmly with passion as the sun set around them, both knowing that their love burned as warmly and as brightly as the ardent hues of the sun's setting rays.

AN: Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading, and please leave a review! Later!