Chapter 28

Jessica sat on her bed looking at colors and wallpapers for the baby's room. She didn't hear the door open, and she was startled to hear Jen's voice.

"Picked one already?"

"Uh? No, not yet," the redhead said shyly.

"Mind if I help?" Jen asked, pointing at the bed.

"No, please, sit down," Jessica said, smiling slightly. She looked down at the paint colors again. "I haven't even decided if I want paint or paper," she explained.

"I know," Jen said. Jessica looked at her raising an eyebrow. "It's obvious, you still have both sample books here, you wouldn't if you had already picked one," she explained, to rule out her psychic powers.

"Well, I trust you don't have much to do?" The business woman asked. Jen shook her head. "You like this pale pink or this pastel purple?" Jessica asked pointing at two paint samples.

"I'm biased," Jen admitted. "The Power Rangers powers have a slight downside. they cause this mania-like obsession that has been called 'Color Compulsion'. It makes us sort of addicted to our Ranger colors. Alex is in a bit of a mess right now, because the compulsion is sort of permanent and he was never cured of his red compulsion, and now he's black." she laughed softly. "I think it's caused by the pride and honor of being a Power Ranger. You sort of want to show off, but can't. However, Time Force has been studying the Power Rangers for centuries, and they have classified the color compulsion as a secondary effect of the powers."

Jessica listened, interested. "That would explain why Wes insists on wearing red ties. And when I don't let him, he puts on his red underwear."

Jen laughed. "That's what we do," she pointed out. "When we have to wear a uniform, we wear underwear in our colors!"

"Your colors?" Jessica commented playfully. "So, pink is your private property?"

"Not really," Jen said. "I love to see pink in almost everything. Most of the things I see, I think would look better if they were pink." They both laughed with similar sounds and expressions.

"I think I must be the Purple Ranger without knowing it, I love purple," Jessica said.

"Pink or purple?" Jen said looking at both paint samples. "I wonder what your girl has got to say about this."

"I wish you could read her mind," Jessica commented.

"I can," Jen said softly. "Not too many formed thoughts yet, but I feel her presence. I can assure you it's a girl."

Jessica smiled. "Does she like pink or purple?" she asked playfully.

"Pink!" Jen answered, looking to the ceiling with a fake innocent air. "She likes pink!"

"Well, obviously," Jess said. "She's Wes's daughter, isn't she? You've heard Aerosmith's song? Pink? It says pink is like red--"

"But not quite," Jen completed. "I heard it once on the radio while living here. I liked it, so the guys bought me the album."

"Birthday?"

"Yes," Jen admitted. Then they both looked at each other for a moment, before Jen broke into the actual song. "Pink! It's my new obsession!" Jessica joined her right away, both singing at the top of their lungs, "Pink! It's not even a question."

**********************************************

Wes was picking up his old toys. Now the twins and their parents were back at the farm (they had left about a week ago, but the toys had laid around the house for several days, mostly because Jessica wouldn't let anyone put them away) there was no need for them to be around, no matter what Jessica said.

He reached for one, the baseball glove and put it in a protective bag before putting it inside the box. One of the balls rolled away from him and as he looked up to follow its trajectory he saw it stopping by Alex's fingers.

The Time Force officer grabbed the ball expertly and looked at him. "Play catch?" he asked.

"Give me your best shot," Wes dared. Alex threw him a curve he failed to catch. "Well, that was a good one," he admitted.

"I love baseball," Alex admitted, moving to pick the ball up again. "I'm in the Time Force team."

"What position?" Wes asked. Alex raised an eyebrow and gave him a meaningful look, showing him the ball trapped between his fingers. "Pitcher?"

"Pitcher indeed," the officer answered. "So, you got a bat big enough there?"

"Yes, I played until I was in college," Wes said, looking for the bat. "Wanna take this outside then, punk?"

"You bet," Alex assured him, picking up a glove.

Wes took the bat and they both walked towards the garden.

************************************

"Jen, Alex told me about your children," Jessica said after minutes of silence.

"He did?" the other woman asked, looking at her, interested.

"I hope you don't mind," the redhead added quickly.

"No, I don't, it's just Alex usually isn't that open with people he doesn't know, especially about something so private." Jen's voice sounded full of astonishment. "It took me a while to make him accept that it had hurt him too, losing those babies."

"He didn't say it had hurt him, he just said you had lost them," Jessica said. Jen shook her head as if she was trying the shake thoughts away. "Anyway, what I was going to ask is," she stopped for a second of hesitation. "Do you think you'd be a good mother?"

"I do," Jen said. "All women can be good mothers, some choose not to, but it's rare."

"I'm afraid," Jessica pointed out. "I need to tell this to someone." She swallowed hard. "I have to tell this to someone or I'll just go out of my mind."

"What is it?" Jen asked, sensing her fear. She focused on Jessica and saw the same horrible images that had been haunting the businesswoman.

Jessica putting her baby in the oven and turning it on.

Jessica stinging her baby with a pencil.

Jessica stabbing her newborn.

She shuddered when she felt the satisfaction it gave her to drown the newborn through Jessica's mind.

"Jessica," Jen said, holding the other woman's hand.

"You saw them?" the pregnant woman asked.

"Jessica, that is not you," Jen assured her. "It's a disease."

"I'm having these awful day and night dreams. I daydream of hurting my baby however I can, with whatever is in my hand," the mother-to-be admitted, mortified.

Jen moved closer to her. "Jessica, that's a disease, you need to see a psychiatrist," she assured her. "That's a form of depression, it's not you, it's not how you truly feel."

"No, it's not," Jessica disagreed. "I feel like I won't be able to be a mother. I feel like I will do everything wrong, I'm scared I'll turn out like my mother, cold and careless. Jen, I feel so clumsy, so stupid, the more books I read, the more information I get, the more convinced I am I won't be able to be a good mother." She dried her tears with both of her hands in an useless gesture, they kept pouring out of her eyes.

Jen hugged her tightly and caressed her red hair soothingly. "Jessica, I assure you you'll be a terrific mother," she said. "You have Wes with you, and you don't want to be like your mother, do you?" Jessica shook her head in denial. "That's all you need to not be like her. Choosing not to."

"You really think I will make a good mother?" Jessica asked.

"I don't think so, I know so," the psychic assured her. "Jess, do you want me to take those thoughts out of your head? I can do that for you, if it'll make you feel better," she offered.

Jessica looked at her for a few seconds and then, surprising even herself, nodded. "I want them out," she pleaded.

"I'll respect your privacy," Jen promised.

Jessica shook her head. "Do whatever you have to, look wherever you need to, everything I had to say to you, I already have."

********************************

"Not bad, Mr. Collins," Alex called. "I'm impressed."

"Was that sarcasm?" the blond asked.

"No sir, I'm actually impressed," the officer admitted. "Fourth bat?"

"In every game of my life," Wes said proudly, swinging the bat in front of him.

"You know, the first time I came around, I was so sure I wasn't going to like you," Alex admitted.

"Why was that?"

"Well, because you struck me as everything I had been running away from my entire life," Alex said quietly.

"What would that be?" Wes asked, interested, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"A spoiled brat," Alex said without even blushing.

"You thought I was a SPOILED BRAT?" Wes asked in disbelief. "I left my fortune behind to help your girlfriend and her friends to save the world!"

"Yes, but since you were taking my girl from me slowly I wasn't exactly thinking straight," Alex defended himself. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'how dare he call himself a red Ranger?'"

"I don't believe you!" Wes declared. "You came here and began yelling at your friends and your girl! It's not my fault you behaved like an ass!"

"Actually, it sort of is," Alex said. "I was, you know, jealous of your popularity among the Rangers."

"You were jealous of me?" Wes asked in disbelief. "YOU, Mr. Time-Force- Perfect was jealous of ME?"

Alex nodded, not looking at him. "Yeah, well," he began, but Wes didn't let him finish as he began laughing. "It's not funny!" Alex complained.

"Oh, it is from where I'm standing!" the red Ranger said.

"Oh, is it?" Alex asked. "I assume it would be," he said. "But I didn't want to be YOU. All I wanted was what you had taken from me."

"Taken from you?" Wes asked, not laughing anymore, sounding wary.

"Yes," Alex said in a matter-of-fact tone. "All I wanted were my powers, my friends and my girl back, everything you had, let's not say taken, but borrowed from me."

"I earned that morpher," Wes said. "I earned it, and I earned Jen's trust and the other's too. I worked to get what I had."

"But you wouldn't have gotten it if you hadn't looked like me," Alex argued.

"But I did a good job, and I worked hard."

"I don't deny you were a great Ranger, and a great man, still are, but you DID take my life from me."

Wes pointed his forefinger at Alex menacingly.

"Are you threatening me?" the officer asked. "Because I can kick your sorry ass twice!"

"You wish," Wes said. "Come on! Give me your best hit!"

Alex approached him and, in an unexpected move, hugged the blond man and patted him on the back in a friendly way. "Thanks for taking care of Jen," he said. "And thanks for giving me back everything," he added, letting go of the businessman and offering his hand.

Wes shook it. "You're welcome, besides, now you are taking care of my girl, so we're even."

"I've been here for six months, and still the only things I know about you, I know because the others have told me."

"I like baseball, I like challenges, and I fall asleep at board meetings," Wes said simply. "Probably you already knew all that."

"Not the baseball thing," Alex admitted.

"About you, on the other hand, all I know second hand is you dated Jen for a few years and tried to capture Ransik on your own. First hand all I know is that you are an uptight asshole," Wes said.

"I like baseball, I like challenges and I fall asleep at debriefings," the officer admitted.

"You see, Colonel? We are more alike than we care to admit," Wes said.

"Let's keep it a secret," Alex commented. "I'd hate it if the others knew I have a heart."

Wes picked up the bat. "So where were we?" he asked.

"Five strikes and five hits," Alex said, putting the glove on.

"I'm ready to hit your balls," Wes commented.

"Just his, or can anyone play?" a voice asked. Both blue-eyed men looked around and saw Eric walking to them, wearing a glove himself. Lucas came along, with another bat.

"Where's Trip?" Alex asked.

"He's updating Circuit," said a female voice behind Lucas. Katie came into view, carrying a bat.

"I refuse to pitch for Katie," Alex warned.

"Don't worry, hon," said another voice, as Jen walked in, wearing a glove. "I'll do it," she offered. He gave her an expression that meant 'really?' "You doubt my pitching abilities?" she asked.

"If I'm to be honest," he began and trailed off as he looked at the house, Jessica was coming out as well, she didn't have a glove, nor was she carrying a bat, she was just wearing her sunglasses and a ponytail.

"You are all so lucky I'm pregnant," she called out. "I could kick all your butts in this sport."

"I bet you can't even catch a ball," Wes commented playfully.

"Of course I can," she said. "I have many hidden talents, Mr. Collins. There's a lot about me you don't know."

"What? You jumped out of your window to go to baseball games?" he asked.

"No need, I would stay at the university when there was a game. From where Mom and Dad were standing, I was studying."

"You told me your life had been devoid of all fun," he said in a resentful tone.

"You keep your secrets, and I'll keep mine," she said matter-of-factly.

"I still don't think you can catch a ball," Wes said.

"Try me," Jessica challenged.

"Get a glove," he ordered.

"I don't need a glove."

"You'll do it barehanded?" he asked in disbelief. Jessica good at sports? At HIS sport?

"Unless you're too scared to throw me a ball," she commented, arranging her sunglasses over her nose.

"I'll do it," Alex called, looking at Wes, who smiled at him. "I'll throw you a ball," he told her.

Jen looked at Wes demandingly, and caught a thought from his head: If I couldn't catch that ball. Alex put himself in position and threw Jessica the same curve ball he had thrown Wes. Pregnant and all, she caught it.

"Is that it?" she asked. "I would SO kick your butts in this game," she commented, throwing the ball back at Alex, who caught it, amazed by its speed and direction.

"You know, we were looking for someone to pitch for Katie," he said. "I don't think it would hurt you to pitch, I'll run for you, if you want," he offered.

"You want me to pitch?" the redhead asked. "All right, but I want Eric to run for me," she said, and the comment caught the Quantum Ranger by surprise. "That way we can be like one person, at least for a little while," she explained. Eric couldn't keep a smile from his face as she winked at him.

"Okay," he said. "I'll run for Jessica," he agreed, using her name, which pleased her.

"I'm going to need a glove," she said. Alex handed her his.

"This is a pitcher's glove," he said. "I'll play barehanded."

Wes counted the gloves. "I'm sure I have four gloves," he said.

Jen looked back at the house, "You do, I'll bring the other for Alex," she announced.

"Honey, don't bother to--"

But Jen had brought the glove using her mind. "I did cause a black-out in a city once, you know?" she commented, handing him the recently summoned glove. "This game has got to be Alex's team against Wes's," she said, getting superficial reads from both of the men who had owned her heart.

Both men looked at each other. "I'll take Jen, Katie and Lucas," Alex announced.

"And I keep just Eric and Jessica?" Wes complained.

"And me," said Trip, running out to the garden. "I'm done with the updates for Circuit," he announced.

"Looks like we're even, Mr. Collins," Alex said.

"Bring it on, Colonel Drake," Wes answered.

They took their positions, and Eric, in an uncharacteristic manner, yelled "Play BAAAAALL!!!"

To be continued.