Chapter 16
"Yes," Wes agreed. There was no point in denying it. "For a second I thought Jen might have been back, that something might have gone wrong." He was lying. For a second, when he had first seen Jessica, he had hoped Jen was back, not because something was wrong, but to be with him.
"I want to see the faces of the others," Jessica demanded. "NOW!" she demanded desperately.
Alex looked at Jen. They both had the certainty that seeing his face would only confirm Jessica's fears. That Jen and Wes loved each other, and that Wes had married her, not for who she was, but for who she looked like. Of course, Alex would be serving her same purpose, in Jen's case.
"Power down!" the other three Rangers said at once and Jessica looked at them without much interest.
"What's the problem with him?" she asked.
"Jessica, you have to calm down," Jen began, but was cut off by Jessica's yell.
"CALM DOWN?! How can you ask me to calm down?! I just discovered my husband never really loved me!" She added the last bit with true misery tainting her voice.
"Jessica, that's not true!" Wes said, tears running down his own cheeks. "That's why I didn't want to tell you about her! I knew you would feel like this."
"Don't I have a reason?" Jessica asked Wes defiantly.
"No, you don't," Wes assured her. "I love you. There was nothing between Jen and me, nothing at all." He was lying again, but nobody dared to correct him.
"Nothing at all?" Jessica repeated.
"I promise," he told her, finally grabbing her hand. "I swear," he said looking at her straight to the eye.
"Then I want to see him," she demanded, pointing at the black Ranger. "If there was nothing between you, then he better be your exact opposite."
"I am," the black Ranger said. "Although, at first sight, you might not see it," he added. Jessica closed her eyes with a pained expression. She already knew what the face hidden under that helmet looked like. "Power down," Alex muttered.
Jessica opened her eyes slowly. At the sight of Alex she shook her head 'no' and with a fresh wave of tears, ran out of the studio.
"Jess!" Wes called, going after her.
"Leave me alone, Wesley," she told him, keeping her back to him. "Go back, and enjoy your beloved Jennifer, who's back to finally be with you!" and with those last bitter words, she locked herself in her home office.
Wes lowered his gaze, tears also running down his cheeks. He had been so close to finally being happy with his wife. He was so certain the previous night would have convinced her of his love for her, but he had been wrong, by the looks of it.
He returned to the studio and without looking at any of his former teammates he said, "Leave. I don't want any of you in my house again," then he turned and left the room.
Jen, after getting an approving nod from Alex, followed him. "Wes, she had to know," she told him. "Let me talk to her, perhaps I could--"
"NO!" he said forcefully. "Don't even think about it. You've told her enough."
"Let me do it," said a deep voice from behind them. Alex was standing in the door.
"Yeah, that'll work!" Wes said with bitter sarcasm.
"Think about it, Wesley. I'm technically in her same position. If there's anybody that can convince her you love her and Jen loves me, it's me. She's going to trust me, because she thinks I know what she's going through." He shot Jen a guilty look and added, "And she's right."
Jen gave him a puzzled look. He had never before mentioned doubting she loved him, he had always seemed so confident that it was him and not Wes who was in her heart. "Alex?" she asked, not without apprehension.
He ignored her, keeping his eyes focused on Wes. "Let me talk to her," he pleaded. Wes looked at him questioningly, but he seemed to decide his intentions were good, because he nodded at his descendant and looked away, from his figure that was walking towards Jessica's office, and from his wife, who was standing there, staring after him.
Alex knocked on the door. "Mrs. Collins?" he asked. "Mrs. Collins?!" he called louder.
Jen jerked out of her thoughts about her husband's doubts and looked at the door, her gaze lost, as if she was trying to listen to something others couldn't. "Alex, get out of the way!" she yelled, running to him desperately and pushing him away from the door, which blew up a split second later.
There was a smoke curtain, and nothing could be seen for a few seconds. Then a woman yelled, and Wes ran into the smoke filled room. "Jessica!" he called her.
Forgetting all her previous doubts, she called for him. "Wesley! Help me!" she begged.
He then saw it, a big dark figure could be seen through the smoke, leaning over his wife's body, which was pinned to the floor by the weight of her attacker. Suddenly, the huge mutant flew away, as if kicked by an invisible warrior. Jen, standing menacingly in the door, looked at him, with her furious gaze lost in the mutant's only eye.
"Tell your Mistress that she better come up with another plan!" she snarled at the attacker. "Tell her that killing Jessica Collins will only result in her son's disappearance from history, not mine." After she was done, the mutant turned around and walked away, as if in trance.
"What the--" Wes demanded. "What's going on here?"
"Alex's mother has gone insane. She's evil, and she has an army of mutants working for her. She hates me, because I stopped her plans to destroy Time Force and rule the world, twice. So now she wants me out of history, and she seems to believe Jessica is my ancestor from this time," Jen said tonelessly, still staring at the point where the mutant had been standing.
"What did just happen to that mutant?" Wes asked.
"I controlled his mind," Jen said distractedly.
"How did you learn to do that?" Wes asked, trying to move closer to Jessica, who stood up and moved away from him, obviously still hurt.
"I am a psychic," Jen said softly. Then she turned her gaze to Jessica. "We were in love," she said simply. "Or so we thought," she added last and left the ruined room without another word.
Wes followed her out, angry. "That certainly helped our cause!" he yelled at her.
"It did," Jen said. "Because pretending we didn't love each other, lying to her about it, is only confirming her fear that we are still in love, and in denial."
Wes was left speechless, and entered the studio, where he was greeted By Katie, Trip and Lucas. Jen walked towards the living room, and stared out the window, to the beautiful gardens that surrounded the house. A tear slipped down her cheek. Why hadn't Alex ever mentioned to her that he didn't completely believe she wasn't in love with Wes anymore?
Back in the ruined office, Jessica was also staring at the point where the mutant had been standing. Alex put a hand on her shoulder and she looked at him, looking confused and terrified.
"I know this is too much to take in all at once," he said in a soft voice. "But you have to take it one bit at a time. For now, I suggest you focus on protecting your life, we'll deal with Wes and Jen later."
She looked at him. "We?" she asked distractedly.
"Yes, because, although I never told Jen this, I have the same fears you have right now. I have the same confusion and the same constant pain, all the doubts you are having," he assured her.
"Then why are you still married to her?" she asked.
"Because I love her," he said. "And she's innocent until proven guilty."
Jessica lowered her head. "I just thought of something," she began.
"They may have loved each other, but I think it was a puppy crush," he said.
She shook her head. "It's not that," she said, looking up at him again. "I just realized Josephine and her children might be in danger," she said distractedly, as if she didn't realize who she was talking to.
"Who's Josephine?" Alex asked, concerned.
"My twin sister," Jessica said simply.
To be continued.
"Yes," Wes agreed. There was no point in denying it. "For a second I thought Jen might have been back, that something might have gone wrong." He was lying. For a second, when he had first seen Jessica, he had hoped Jen was back, not because something was wrong, but to be with him.
"I want to see the faces of the others," Jessica demanded. "NOW!" she demanded desperately.
Alex looked at Jen. They both had the certainty that seeing his face would only confirm Jessica's fears. That Jen and Wes loved each other, and that Wes had married her, not for who she was, but for who she looked like. Of course, Alex would be serving her same purpose, in Jen's case.
"Power down!" the other three Rangers said at once and Jessica looked at them without much interest.
"What's the problem with him?" she asked.
"Jessica, you have to calm down," Jen began, but was cut off by Jessica's yell.
"CALM DOWN?! How can you ask me to calm down?! I just discovered my husband never really loved me!" She added the last bit with true misery tainting her voice.
"Jessica, that's not true!" Wes said, tears running down his own cheeks. "That's why I didn't want to tell you about her! I knew you would feel like this."
"Don't I have a reason?" Jessica asked Wes defiantly.
"No, you don't," Wes assured her. "I love you. There was nothing between Jen and me, nothing at all." He was lying again, but nobody dared to correct him.
"Nothing at all?" Jessica repeated.
"I promise," he told her, finally grabbing her hand. "I swear," he said looking at her straight to the eye.
"Then I want to see him," she demanded, pointing at the black Ranger. "If there was nothing between you, then he better be your exact opposite."
"I am," the black Ranger said. "Although, at first sight, you might not see it," he added. Jessica closed her eyes with a pained expression. She already knew what the face hidden under that helmet looked like. "Power down," Alex muttered.
Jessica opened her eyes slowly. At the sight of Alex she shook her head 'no' and with a fresh wave of tears, ran out of the studio.
"Jess!" Wes called, going after her.
"Leave me alone, Wesley," she told him, keeping her back to him. "Go back, and enjoy your beloved Jennifer, who's back to finally be with you!" and with those last bitter words, she locked herself in her home office.
Wes lowered his gaze, tears also running down his cheeks. He had been so close to finally being happy with his wife. He was so certain the previous night would have convinced her of his love for her, but he had been wrong, by the looks of it.
He returned to the studio and without looking at any of his former teammates he said, "Leave. I don't want any of you in my house again," then he turned and left the room.
Jen, after getting an approving nod from Alex, followed him. "Wes, she had to know," she told him. "Let me talk to her, perhaps I could--"
"NO!" he said forcefully. "Don't even think about it. You've told her enough."
"Let me do it," said a deep voice from behind them. Alex was standing in the door.
"Yeah, that'll work!" Wes said with bitter sarcasm.
"Think about it, Wesley. I'm technically in her same position. If there's anybody that can convince her you love her and Jen loves me, it's me. She's going to trust me, because she thinks I know what she's going through." He shot Jen a guilty look and added, "And she's right."
Jen gave him a puzzled look. He had never before mentioned doubting she loved him, he had always seemed so confident that it was him and not Wes who was in her heart. "Alex?" she asked, not without apprehension.
He ignored her, keeping his eyes focused on Wes. "Let me talk to her," he pleaded. Wes looked at him questioningly, but he seemed to decide his intentions were good, because he nodded at his descendant and looked away, from his figure that was walking towards Jessica's office, and from his wife, who was standing there, staring after him.
Alex knocked on the door. "Mrs. Collins?" he asked. "Mrs. Collins?!" he called louder.
Jen jerked out of her thoughts about her husband's doubts and looked at the door, her gaze lost, as if she was trying to listen to something others couldn't. "Alex, get out of the way!" she yelled, running to him desperately and pushing him away from the door, which blew up a split second later.
There was a smoke curtain, and nothing could be seen for a few seconds. Then a woman yelled, and Wes ran into the smoke filled room. "Jessica!" he called her.
Forgetting all her previous doubts, she called for him. "Wesley! Help me!" she begged.
He then saw it, a big dark figure could be seen through the smoke, leaning over his wife's body, which was pinned to the floor by the weight of her attacker. Suddenly, the huge mutant flew away, as if kicked by an invisible warrior. Jen, standing menacingly in the door, looked at him, with her furious gaze lost in the mutant's only eye.
"Tell your Mistress that she better come up with another plan!" she snarled at the attacker. "Tell her that killing Jessica Collins will only result in her son's disappearance from history, not mine." After she was done, the mutant turned around and walked away, as if in trance.
"What the--" Wes demanded. "What's going on here?"
"Alex's mother has gone insane. She's evil, and she has an army of mutants working for her. She hates me, because I stopped her plans to destroy Time Force and rule the world, twice. So now she wants me out of history, and she seems to believe Jessica is my ancestor from this time," Jen said tonelessly, still staring at the point where the mutant had been standing.
"What did just happen to that mutant?" Wes asked.
"I controlled his mind," Jen said distractedly.
"How did you learn to do that?" Wes asked, trying to move closer to Jessica, who stood up and moved away from him, obviously still hurt.
"I am a psychic," Jen said softly. Then she turned her gaze to Jessica. "We were in love," she said simply. "Or so we thought," she added last and left the ruined room without another word.
Wes followed her out, angry. "That certainly helped our cause!" he yelled at her.
"It did," Jen said. "Because pretending we didn't love each other, lying to her about it, is only confirming her fear that we are still in love, and in denial."
Wes was left speechless, and entered the studio, where he was greeted By Katie, Trip and Lucas. Jen walked towards the living room, and stared out the window, to the beautiful gardens that surrounded the house. A tear slipped down her cheek. Why hadn't Alex ever mentioned to her that he didn't completely believe she wasn't in love with Wes anymore?
Back in the ruined office, Jessica was also staring at the point where the mutant had been standing. Alex put a hand on her shoulder and she looked at him, looking confused and terrified.
"I know this is too much to take in all at once," he said in a soft voice. "But you have to take it one bit at a time. For now, I suggest you focus on protecting your life, we'll deal with Wes and Jen later."
She looked at him. "We?" she asked distractedly.
"Yes, because, although I never told Jen this, I have the same fears you have right now. I have the same confusion and the same constant pain, all the doubts you are having," he assured her.
"Then why are you still married to her?" she asked.
"Because I love her," he said. "And she's innocent until proven guilty."
Jessica lowered her head. "I just thought of something," she began.
"They may have loved each other, but I think it was a puppy crush," he said.
She shook her head. "It's not that," she said, looking up at him again. "I just realized Josephine and her children might be in danger," she said distractedly, as if she didn't realize who she was talking to.
"Who's Josephine?" Alex asked, concerned.
"My twin sister," Jessica said simply.
To be continued.
