Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Power Rangers. The song "Hey Baby" belongs to Brian Adams. It's on the single cd for "When You're Gone" and is kinda hard to find.

Edited to add: Another songfic where the lyrcis have been removed. The song it was is listed above.

Hey Baby

It was quiet.

He supposed it was better that way. There could have been a big fuss. There would have been a big fuss if he had chosen to do this differently. He could have made a big deal of it, made it an issue, fought until the bitter end.

But he was tired of fighting.

Oh sure, he had been 'fighting' since he was fifteen. He had always been a bit of a warrior, more so than the rest of the original team and most of the people who joined their exclusive ranks later. That was part of the reason he had been a leader. Part of the reason he had lasted as long as he had in this situation.

Now, he did not want to fight anymore. Could not fight anymore. This was too personal. Too close to home. And he had already lost too much in the battle.

It was one thing to fight evil from somewhere else. It was easier when you were fighting to stop people from getting hurt. It was easier to fight beings you could clearly define as evil.

It was another thing altogether to have to fight against people you had known your entire life, people you had liked and respected who now hated you just because you were a bit different.

And he couldn't deal with it anymore. He just couldn't. He had been spread so thin for so long and hadn't minded, hadn't said a word in complaint. But this...this was too much. He couldn't stand being hated for this. It was his one, big breaking point.

Too be hated by people he had once, and still, loved.

He did have a regret though. He had to leave someone behind. He knew that if he asked his lover would have come with him, would have followed him anywhere and done anything with him, for him, but he couldn't ask that. He couldn't wreck two lives.

His life in Angel Grove was gone. It would never be the same. But he could spare his lover that, spare him the humiliation, the regret, and most of the pain, if he just left now. Quietly. Without a word.

He would set his lover free. Give him the option he had never gotten. He knew news spread like a wildfire in Angel Grove, since it was a pretty small town. He just hadn't expected himself to be flung aside as an outside so quickly.

It made him chuckle a bit to think about it. He should have known it but somehow...somehow he had hoped he would have been treated with a little more dignity, with a little more respect everything considered.

He shouldn't have been surprised when his parents had disowned him but he had been. He had hoped, prayed they would understand that they could love him for who he was. But no such luck. They didn't even give him a lecture, a choice, anything! He had been politely asked to leave and all of his belongings and papers and anything that showed he had once lived within his parent's house had been sent to him a few days later. They hadn't even delivered it in person. They couldn't even give him that.

He had held onto the hope that his parents would come around for six months and then given up. The denial of his very existence is what got to him the most. He hadn't just been disowned. He had never existed to them, he had never been born. As soon as his things were out the door it was as if his memory had been obliterated from their minds.

His father had not kept the fact he no longer had a son a secret for even a day and his mother was, within a week, denying he had ever existed. Of course, the reason he had been disowned was not kept in the closet for very long either.

If they didn't have a son any longer, his being gay couldn't shame them.

After that his life had become a living hell.

His boss hadn't cared, so at least he got to keep his job, but most of his bigoted co-workers had harassed him whenever they could and shunned him the rest of the time. It didn't matter that he was one of the nicest, kindest people you could ever meet, or that he was so good at his job he had won awards. He slept with other men. That was all they cared about.

His former team mates had made it very clear that they still loved and supported him, and both of them when those same team mates found out who his chosen partner. They also agreed to keep it a secret until things settled down a bit so that his lover wouldn't suffer they way he was.

But most of his other friends and the rest of the town had all openly expressed their disgust for him. Oh sure, there were a few exceptions, like his boss, like one jovial hangout owner, like a few of his former teachers and students, but the number was small compared to those who would look at him with open contempt.

The harassment got so bad he started to fear for his safety and that of his friends. He got a few threats, and one person actually punched him before they realized how much power was held in the stoic frame and ran the other way. But the isolation and the hatred was just too much for him.

A town of prejudiced people had done what no monster, no form of torture, no evil monarch could do.

They had broken him.

He was packed and ready to go. He had been before his lover slipped in unnoticed by the outside world. His suitcases were hidden, and he had only taken just enough to get him started where ever he ended up. There wasn't enough gone to alert his lover of his trip.

But his lover had noticed something was wrong, had realized he was hurting badly. They hadn't talked much. He had been gathered into a pair of strong arms and held close against a warm body as he finally gave in and cried. His lover hadn't really known what to do. He had known that the end of the rope was near but now that they were confronted with it neither knew how to proceed. So he had been comforted, had been rocked back and forth as nonsense words meant to sooth had been whispered into his ear and a pair of firm, warm lips had kissed away his salty tears.

"Don't cry, love. Don't cry. It'll all be alright. You'll see. It will all work out." The voice soothed him wonderfully but he knew it wasn't true.

"You don't know that."

"I know I love you." His lover had insisted. "And that we do have friends that will always be on our side. I know it's hard right now but it could get better. It has to get better."

"There's nothing else it can get." He had mumbled.

The comment had earned him a worried look. "Nothing can be that bad."

He had smiled sadly than. He was a bit jaded now but what could anyone expect after what he had been put through in the last few months. Reaching up to trace the handsome features he had made simple request. "Hold me. Just, please, hold me a little while longer."

They had made love afterwards. It was slow and gentle and tender and all the things that he wanted his lover to remember him by, just in case. He hoped they would find each other again, prayed that his lover would understand, wished he wouldn't be hated by his lover as well, and dreamed that one day they might be able to find a place they could be together without all the pain.

He had lay there afterwards and traced his lover's relaxed features lazily. It wasn't anything new. The man lying snuggled against him knew he had a tendency to get like that after they finished. He had shifted slightly, and taken his lover's lips slowly, memorizing every inch of that wonderful mouth and trying, desperately to convey all his love and passion in that long kiss.

His lover had just about melted when the kiss ended and was quickly fading towards sleep. He had held him close and let him snuggled so tightly against him he thought they might end up merging together into one person.

Now he sat on the edge of the bed, watching his lover for a few more moments as the other man slept on peacefully, completely oblivious to everything. Gazing down at those relaxed features was almost enough to make him reconsidered everything and stay.

But no. This was for the best. He knew that. He was sure of that, as sure as he was of his love for his partner.

He was ready to go and he almost made it to the door when he remembered and turned back for just a few, too short moments.

He walked back to the bed and pulled the envelope out of his pocket. Placing it on his pillow he took one last glance at his love. He couldn't resist reaching out to touch him once more.

His unsteady hand made it way through the long, brown hair slowly, as he wished he could have found another way to do this.

To his surprise his love moaned softly in appreciation and two sleepy eyes opened half way. A lazy smile spread over the lean features before the eyes closed again, the man still lying snuggled under the covers was still too asleep to realize what was going on or even that he was awake.

He bent down and touched his lips to his love's for a moment, feeling the slight pressure of the gesture being returned.

Then he straightened, turned abruptly but quietly, and snuck out of the apartment, grabbing his bags as he left his whole life behind him sleeping in the bed.

Tommy Oliver woke up alone the next morning. He frowned slightly. He had dreamt that his lover was leaving, hadn't he. Reaching over he felt that the other side of the bed was cold. No one had been there for quite some time.

Then he saw the letter.

Tommy reached for it with trembling fingers, dreading whatever was inside. His mouth went dry as he read the words written in the familiar scrawl that had flirted across the page of many a letter to him. None of those letters would have an impact on him as much as this one would.

Dear Tommy,

I am so sorry for leaving like this, without telling you. Please, forgive me. And don't think you could have prevented it if you had known. You couldn't have. I had to leave.

I love you. That's the one thing I have right now, my love for you. Please, don't think I don't love you. I do, I love you so much. Don't ever doubt that. My love for you has nothing to do with me leaving. I just couldn't stay.

I was dying here. You saw what it was like for me and that wasn't the full extent of what was happening. I tried to protect you from it but I couldn't protect myself. I can't breathe there anymore and everyday, every comment or sneer kills me a little more. I couldn't do it anymore. I'm sorry. There's no fight left in me. I've broken and I'll never be able to put the pieces of me that are left back together while I'm still in Angel Grove. I'm not welcome in my home any longer and that hurts so much that the pain sometimes feels physical.

Please, please understand why I've had to go. And I know you would have gone with me but you still have a life there. I can't take that away from you by asking you to give it up for me. I won't do that to you.

I will be in touch. I promise. I need you and love you too much to live without you, even if the only contact I have is through a letter or something.

I love you.

Jason