Rated PG: language.
I blame Rach for this, for inspiration, suggestions, and not immediately telling me it was a stupid idea. Part of my ongoing 'Year of Time' stories. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, everywhere!
Kindly take a moment to review...
"Stinky-breath!"
"Shut up, needle-brain!"
"Fart-face!"
"Mom!"
"Jesus, can't you shut those brats up?" Eric muttered as the two children, a boy and a girl, noisily chased each other out of the room.
Wes shook his head. He had to admit his little cousins were annoying, in fact even his patience was nearing an end. But they were family, his mother's sister's grandchildren, and he felt some obligation to defend them.
"They're just kids, Eric. Just having fun. I bet you were a lot like them when you were a kid."
"I got smacked if I made noise like that."
"I hope you're not suggesting…"
"No, of course not." But his expression said it was tempting.
"They are enough to make me think twice about having kids," Jen said. Gaby nodded in agreement.
The children chose that moment to charge back in, still yelling insults. Wes sighed. This was supposed to be a nice, heart-warming Thanksgiving dinner, a chance for him and his father to see some of their relatives, and an attempt to make both Jen and Eric feel like part of the family. Maybe even get Eric thinking about marriage and a family of his own, now that he and Gaby were living together, and Wes and Jen were getting married soon. So far, things were not going well.
But he had an idea… "Susie! Bobby!" he called. "Come over here!"
"Why?" Bobby asked suspiciously.
"We're playing!" Susie exclaimed.
"You said you wanted to hear about what we did as Power Rangers, didn't you?"
In another instant, two eager faces were staring at him raptly, as they crowded around. "Tell us, Cousin Wes!"
"What was it like?"
"Did you beat up mutants all day?"
"I told you he was a Ranger!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Alright, alright. Just sit down and be quiet. I'll tell you all about -- uh --"
"Yes, Wes, what are you going to tell them?" Jen asked sweetly.
"Hmm." It had to be something entertaining… and not too violent… maybe something funny... He grinned. "Okay. I'll tell you about -- Emoticon. One of Ransik's very most dangerous mutants."
'Who?' he saw Eric mouth silently to Jen. She shrugged. Gaby looked puzzled for a moment and then started to giggle.
"Emoticon had a terrible mutant power," Wes started. "He was the master of emotions. Could absorb them…"
"Come on, Jen. You really need to loosen up. Tell a joke once in a while. Or even just laugh at one."
"We're here on a serious mission, Wes! We have no time for joking or laughing!"
"But it can't hurt to relax once in a while…"
"I'll relax when Ransik is captured!"
"Maybe Wes is right," Lucas said calmly from the other side of the picnic table in the main room of the clock tower where the five of them lived during their struggle with Ransik. "I mean, we're bound to win in the end. Why not enjoy life in the meantime?"
"How can you be so sure? We have to buckle down! It's going to take hard work!"
"Hey, no one as cool as me could possibly lose." With a confident smirk, Lucas got up.
"Jen, maybe you could try to -- well, relax a little," Katie said with a warm smile. "Being nice to each other makes us a stronger team. A little smiling and kidding around might help."
"Are you saying I'm not nice?" Jen demanded.
"Of course not." Katie looked contrite. "You're wonderful, Jen. We all love you. But sometimes you seem like you're not very happy, and Wes is just trying to cheer you up."
"What do you think, Trip?" Jen asked.
"I think all of you are right."
"What? What does that mean?"
"I mean, I think Jen is doing a great job, and so is Wes. Everything's going to work out great, just wait and see! We're Power Rangers, after all, what could possibly beat us?"
"Holy -- er -- crap," Eric snorted. "If that's the way you guys talked to each other, I'm glad I never joined the team."
"Believe me, we never had a conversation like that," Jen said with a menacing glare at Wes. "And I was never like that."
"Just telling it the way I remember it," Wes said airily. "Now, where was I…?"
"Rangers! Mutant activity at the park!" Circuit's chirpy voice startled them, alerting them to the latest attack on Silver Hills.
"Let's go! And try to act like professionals this time!" Jen yelled.
Moments later they were dashing into the park where for some reason so many of their mutant enemies chose to attack. They came to a stop and looked around, confused.
"Where is he?" Katie asked.
"Where's who?" a new voice demanded. Angrily, as usual.
"Eric?" Wes asked with a friendly grin. "Nice to see you! Here to catch some rays? Get in some jogging?"
"No, moron! You think I go jogging in this Ranger suit?"
"Well, you love that morpher so much, who knows?"
"Why don't you %@*# yourself, you &^*$%!" Eric advised Wes to perform an anatomically impossible act and punched him, knocking him down.
"Hey! Don't drag me into this!" Eric exclaimed. "And I was never that obnoxious! Was I, Jen?"
"Hmm," Jen commented.
"Don't interrupt." Wes took a breath and continued.
"Ha! Too busy fighting each other to pay attention to me, huh? I'm hurt!" Again a new voice took them by surprise. The Rangers turned to see the mutant their scanners had detected. He was average height, human-shaped, but his face was bright yellow, almost perfectly round, and smiling. He gestured towards them, his smile turning into a huge, tooth-baring grin. "My name is Emoticon! Remember it! I'll destroy all of you, and then the whole city!" he crowed. "And no one can stop me!"
"Oh yeah, you yellow freak?" Eric shouted furiously. He charged forward despite the pleas of the others to fight as a team, snarling, "I don't need you jerks! I'll handle this myself!"
But then he staggered to a stop, raising a hand to his head. Something strange was happening. The other Rangers all gasped in horror as a strange, distorted version of Eric's head seemed to float up, out of his helmet, and into the air. It was round, bright red, and had an expression of incredible anger on it.
Wes stopped again, interrupted by a sound like someone choking. "Do you mind? I'm trying to tell a very dramatic story here," he said.
Gaby clapped a hand over her mouth, trying unsuccessfully to muffle some very undignified snorting sounds. "Smiley face… angry face…" she gasped.
"If I may continue," Wes said, shooting her a glare.
"Oh, no! What have you done to poor Eric?" Katie cried as Eric fell to his knees. The angry red face floated to Emoticon and appeared to merge with him. And as Katie ran to his side, she also hesitated, swaying. A face floated up from her head, yellow, round and sweet, with a loving expression.
"Katie, no!" Jen cried. "Fall back! We need a strategy!" But it was too late.
Emoticon waved a hand at them. Jen gasped, Lucas groaned, Wes staggered, Trip moaned. Round faces emerged from their heads and began to drift towards the mutant. Jen's was scowling fiercely, Lucas's looked superior, Wes's was laughing, and Trip's looked happy and cheerful. They merged into Emoticon, who promptly began to laugh fiendishly and disappeared.
"What -- what did he do to us?" Trip asked.
"I don't know," Jen said. "But I feel okay now, so it can't be important."
"No -- he's done something terrible, I just know it," Trip said. "We have to do something! Right away, or it could be the end!"
"Don't be melodramatic, Trip," Wes said forcefully. "We're alive, and we'll get through this, one way or another."
"I don't know," Lucas whimpered. "I can't handle this. I mean, who am I to fight someone like Ransik?"
"Why are we fighting him, anyway?" Eric asked. "I'll bet we could talk this whole thing out without violence."
"Something's wrong," Wes said. "That doesn't sound like you. Doesn't sound like any of you."
"What did Emoticon do to all of you?" Bobby asked, eyes wide.
"I can't wait to hear this," Jen muttered.
"He used his mutant power on us. Of course, we didn't know yet exactly what was happening. We all went back to the clock tower…"
"Trip, have you found any information about Emoticon in your mutant information database?"
"Yes, Wes," Trip said, his lip trembling. "He absorbs the most dominant emotion in a person's character, leaving his victims without that part of their personality. It's terrible! I think he's taken away Jen's dedication, and Lucas's confidence."
"You mean Lucas's vanity," Katie smirked.
"Whatever, who cares?" Jen said from her seat on the couch, as she picked up the remote control to turn on the television.
"Confidence? What could a dufus like me ever have to be confident about, anyway?" Lucas said.
"I guess he took your optimism, Trip," Wes said grimly. "And Eric's anger."
"If he wants my anger, he's welcome to it. I don't mind," Eric said, smiling.
"And Katie's kindness."
"Will you shut up already, you green-haired freak?" Katie growled. "Why do I put up with any of you weaklings, anyway?"
"See? And Wes, your sense of humor."
"You're probably right, dammit. We have to do something, and fast."
"Why?" Jen asked. "Why bother doing anything?"
"Don't you want to capture Ransik? Preserve the timeline? Go home to your own time?"
"Let me think…" She yawned. "Nah."
"Well, if you don't care, I do! We have to get out there, find Emoticon, and get our emotions back!"
Jen shrugged. "What's in it for me?"
"We can't fight someone that powerful! We'll lose! He'll destroy us!" Lucas cried. "Of course, I deserve to be destroyed!"
"I'd like to see that bastard try to destroy me!" Katie snarled. "I'll rip that ugly metal mask off and stick it right up his--"
"Please, let's not have that kind of talk!" Eric exclaimed. "We can all get along, if we try! I'm sure Ransik is really a lovely person, if we'd just give him half a chance…"
"No! He'll kill us all! It's hopeless, why should we even try?" Trip moaned.
"We have to try!" Wes exclaimed. He stood up, and looked each of them forcefully in the eyes. "This whole city is depending on us. We're Rangers. Like it or not, the power we were given came with responsibilities, to protect those who can't protect themselves. We're going back out there and we're going to win this fight! Now get up, and come on! We've got a mutant to defeat! And remember, above all; never give up!"
"Hah. I notice you get to make a big speech and be all heroic," Eric remarked.
"Yes, well, someone had to step in and save the day. Take over. Be a leader. Have the right stuff. Step up to the plate. Triumph over the odds…"
"So brave. And so modest," Jen murmured.
"Glad you noticed. Anyway, we went back to the park…"
"Rangers! Come back to give me another helping of nice, juicy emotions?" Emoticon chortled.
"Why is he back here in the park?" Trip asked.
"Who cares?" Jen said. "Look, why don't all of you just do your fighting, and leave me out of it. I'm going for ice cream."
"We really shouldn't be fighting at all," Eric said reasonably. He walked closer to Emoticon. "Look, sir. I'm sure you just want to have a nice, peaceful afternoon in the park. So why don't we all just find a couple of benches to sit on, and talk all of this out…"
"It won't work, Eric!" Trip cried. "He'll kill us all!"
"Not if I get my hands on him first!" Katie snarled.
"You can kill me!" Lucas whined. "No one will care if I'm gone! I won't even care myself!"
Wes stepped forward resolutely. "Come on, guys! Let's get him!" He looked back to see them all watching with various expressions of fear, hopelessness, anger, or indifference.
"Weren't we all morphed?" Jen asked. "How could you see our faces?"
"Quiet," Wes explained. "I'm getting to the most exciting part..."
"Who's with me? Katie?"
"As long as I get to hit someone, I'm in!"
"Trip?"
"We're all going to die in horrible agony anyway, so why not?"
"Lucas?"
"A pathetic loser like me won't be any help, but I'll try!"
"Eric?"
"I still think we could reach a peaceful solution, but in the interests of harmony and unity, I'll pitch in and do my part to settle this conflict without unnecessary violence and..."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Jen?"
"Sheesh, if it'll get you off my back so I can get to the mall before it closes, all right."
"Rangers, attack! We have a job to do! Never give up!"
"Don't hurt me, Rangers!" Emoticon whimpered, cowering. "I surrender!"
"He gave up? What about the big fight? What about the part when the monster blows up? I wanna hear about the fighting!"
"We always tried to settle things without fighting, Bobby."
"I wanna big robot zord battle! Giant size mutants! The Q-Rex!"
"Geez, where do they get this stuff?" Wes muttered.
"Hold on. Why don't I finish the story?" Eric said with an evil smirk.
"I'll destroy you all, Rangers!" Emoticon shouted. "Anything to stop those corny speeches and stupid slogans!"
"We will defeat you, Emoticon!" Wes declared, posing heroically, not to mention ridiculously. "Because goodness always triumphs over evil! Niceness over meanness! Most of all, because we never give--"
"Noooooo! Don't say it again! Being destroyed would be better than this!" With a scream, Emoticon exploded into a fireball, releasing all the emotions he had absorbed.
A laughing face drifted over to Jen. A red, angry face to Trip. A sweet, kind face to Lucas. The cheerful, optimistic face went to Eric, the determined face to Wes, and the confident, or perhaps vain, face to Katie. There was silence as they all stared at where the mutant had disappeared, then at each other.
"Oh, no! You all got the wrong emotions!" Susie exclaimed. "What happened then?"
"Well, looks like you're having a good time!" a cheerful voice broke in before Eric could answer. Wes's cousin, the children's mother, was standing in the doorway smiling at them. "I hope these two haven't been any trouble for you, Wes."
"Nope. It's been fun."
"Good. Your father said to bring you into the dining room, dinner's about ready."
"But what about Emoticon? What happened?" Bobby asked plaintively.
Eric crossed his arms, frowning at them sternly. "That's another story. And I'll tell it to you another time, if you're good."
They all got up and started into the dining room, the kids running ahead, Eric and Gaby side by side. Wes took Jen's arm as they followed. "Pretty good, huh?" he asked. "For something I made up on the spot."
"Not bad. I'd be more impressed if I hadn't watched that episode of Red Dwarf with you."
Wes grinned. "Any resemblance to the plot of an episode of Red Dwarf is purely coincidental."
Jen laughed. Then she tugged him to a stop, stepped closer and slipped her arms around him. She raised her face to him, smiled softly and kissed him gently, lingering to lean her forehead against his.
"What was that for?" Wes asked. "Not that I mind."
"For Thanksgiving. Because I'm thankful to have you, and your father, as my new family." She grinned. "And for being the kind of guy who'd tell that ridiculous story."
"I love you too." Wes kissed her, and then wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they started again for the dining room where his -- no, their family was waiting.