Disclaimer: Well, you all know the drill by now so I won't repeat it.
AN: Well, apparently a lot of you liked the last chapter. I know I am taking things slowly but it is for a good reason. Once I get a few things out into the open, the rest will just wiz by. "These are spoken", these are thoughts , and *these are memories*. As always though, review!!!!!!
Chapter 21
Trini stared at her viewing screen. He didn't just say that did he? She shook her head to clear her mind. "No way he said that." She turned off her device and set it on her bedside stand.
As Trini got ready for bed, she couldn't stop thinking about what Billy said. Did he or didn't he really say that? She sighed as she set her alarm and slid into bed. Her eyes closed as a smile appeared on her lips. I hope he did.
THE NEXT MORNING ON AQUITAR
Billy opened his eyes and smiled. He sat up, stretched, and headed for his bathroom. He then showered, got dressed, and got some breakfast. As he ate, he thought about what he said to Trini. Did he really mean that?
He finished his breakfast and cleaned his dishes before heading into his living room. He quickly moved his furniture out of the way for his kata. Did I really mean that? He then began to stretch and warm up. As he then started his kata, he thought about what his mother always said.
*Billy, you can never lie when it is a matter of the heart. Love always shines through the cracks and shows the truth when someone tries to cover it up.*
As he turns, punches, blocks, and blocks, his thoughts clear up and he knows exactly what he wants to do. He finishes the kata and smiles. Well, my dad will be glad; he can help me this time! He walked over to his communication link and opened a link to Zordon.
"Yes Billy?" Zordon was surprised to hear from his young genius. "What can I do for you?"
Billy smiled. "I need to talk to my dad about something. Could you have Jason or Kim teleport him there when they get out of school? You can contact me when he is there."
"I will teleport him on his lunch break. I gave him one of the spare communicators when Kim brought him here yesterday." Zordon could hear Billy's surprise at the news.
"You did? Wow, I bet he loved it!" Billy smiled. I never thought they would take him there that fast! "Well, I will be here. Just let me know when he is there."
"We will Billy." Zordon cut the link.
Billy worked on his sketches and other plans while Zordon contacted his father. About three hours later, he heard a beep on his communication link. "Go ahead Zordon."
"Billy?"
"Dad?" Billy turned on his view screen and smiled. His dad smiled back at him. "I hope I didn't drag you away from anything important."
Hank Cranston shook his head and laughed. "Nothing is more important than you William." His smile turned into a frown when he saw Billy's face. "What's wrong?"
Billy sighed. "Well, I need to ask you something. The thing is, I don't know where to start."
"Well, don't be afraid to ask me. I told you that you can always ask me anything and I won't judge you or make fun of you for it." Hank looked at his son. What has him so scared and unsure?
"Well, did you read my email?" As his dad nodded, Billy relaxed. "Well, it sorta has to do with that." He looked down as a blush creeped up his face.
"Yes, I read it and I cried too. Do you really feel that way about her?" Hank was glad that his son had finally found someone he could be happy with.
Billy looked up with wide eyes. "You cried?" His dad nodded and smiled. "Well then, you might cry at this news."
Hank was perplexed and his son knew it. It took something very close to him and his family to make him cry so he was now scared of what his son could want to ask him. "Well, go ahead. I'll try not to."
"Okay." Billy took a deep breath and smiled. "Last night I was talking to Trini through one of those devices I designed. Well, we got to talking about where we saw ourselves in ten years and she said wherever her family was. Then she asked me where I saw myself." He paused to watch his dad's reaction.
Hank looked at his son. "What did you tell her?"
Billy smiled. "Without even thinking, I told her I saw myself in Angel Grove, working for you, and coming home to her every night."
Hank stared at his son as a lone tear ran down his cheek. It's just how I was with Annie before I proposed! "Well, what did she say? And did you really mean it?"
Billy blushed. "I turned the device off as soon as I said it. After sleeping on it and then clearing my head during a kata this morning, I know I meant it." He watched as his father's expression turned from shock to a smile.
Hank laughed. "You really are your mother's son! If you really meant it, then I say it's about time!" His son's shock made him laugh even harder. "Billy, why do you think my friends and I dragged the five of you with us whenever we got together?"
Billy shrugged. "I always thought it was because you guys couldn't find a baby sitter on the same night as your friends, or you wanted us to become as close a group of friends that you guys were."
Hank nodded. "That's exactly it. And for both those reasons! But as we watched you grow up, we realized that you and Trini were different than the others. You both had a thirst for knowledge and everything around you. She is not a genius like you but she had such a high IQ that she missed that category by one point." He stopped when he saw the shocked expression on his son's face.
"She missed it by one?" Billy was in awe. He knew she always had a high IQ but not that high! He smiled. "So is that the only reason you guys thought we were different?"
"There was one other reason that we never told you about." He blushed and looked down for a second. "You and Trini were so much like Annie and me that we hoped you would take things further than friendship."
It was Billy's turn to blush. "You mean you guys set us up?" He shook his head as his dad nodded. "I can't believe this! Our own parents set us up!" He then laughed as he thought of a way to get back at them. "I have one more thing to ask you then."
Hank began to get scared. He knew the look in his son's eyes and that meant something bad for him. "What is it?"
Billy grinned. "What would you say if I were to ask her to marry me this coming summer? I mean, IF she were to accept."
Hank smiled. "Well, I would tell you to go for it. I am sure she would agree. I am sure all your friends would help, as well as their parents." He thought of something. "Is that what you want?"
Billy nodded. "Absolutely. If we are so much like you and mom, I know things will be all right."
Hank nodded and smiled. He then looked at his watch. "I hate to break this up but I have to get back to work. My lunch hour is almost over. Shall I have Zordon send you the ring when you go to Phaedos so you can spend some quality time with her before coming home?"
Billy blushed. "I guess. It doesn't really matter to me. Although I do have something for her that is from one of my friends here so I will probably be a little late. If it is all right with you, I might just spend the night there after my quest."
Hank nodded. "It's fine with me Billy. I will talk to you later. I love you."
Billy smiled. "I love you too dad." He smiled as his dad cut the link. "Well, onto more pressing matters." He went back to his sketches and suddenly remembered the two coins and the stone he found under the other stones. He walked into his room and picked them up before heading back out to his desk.
He set them on the desk in a row and placed the other stone with them. A leopard coin, a chameleon coin, and a turtle stone stared back at him from among the other stones. Okay, so Amanda could be one if she feels up to it. But who would the other animal be for? Kat definitely will get one since she is using Kim's right now. He stared at the animals and an image formed in his head. "That's it! She could be the one!"
Billy then sighed. "Now why is there a purple stone?" According to the elder, there had never been a purple ranger on any team. Only when one of the rangers was missing would the purple ranger appear. But even then, the last one to be seen was thousands of years before Billy became a ranger. Cobi, I need your help. The wolf appeared next to him.
"William, I know what you seek. The purple ranger is a healer. She is not a ranger for battle. She does however have the knowledge and skill of one should they need an extra person or if one of them should become unable to fight."
Billy was stunned. "So they don't really have a reason to be a ranger other than to heal the others?" He shook his head. It just didn't seem right. "There has to be a reason they are there, other than to heal."
"You are correct young pup. A purple ranger can help the powers to heal their fellow rangers faster. For instance; if one of the rangers received a deep wound that could put him or her in the hospital, the purple can channel the powers of that ranger, herself, and anyone else willing to help, into that wounded ranger to heal it well enough that they can go about their day with only a minor cut."
Billy smiled. "We could really use it with what is coming our way. Thank you Cobi."
The wolf bowed its head and began to disappear.
"Cobi?" Billy waited until the wolf completely rematerialized before continuing. "How do I know if I have the right people for the purple rangers?"
"You need not worry about that young pup. They will make themselves known to you." The wolf then vanished and Billy returned the coins and the stones back to where he had them.
LATER THAT EVENING ON EARTH
Hank Cranston stepped into his son's bedroom. "Good thing he kept it safe. Otherwise, I would never be able to find it!" He walked over to the desk, opened the top drawer and reached in. He felt a small key taped to the top of the drawer. How did he manage to tape it there? He laughed as he pulled it free and unlocked the small door in the middle of the top shelf of the desk. "Only Billy could find a way to hide a key to his most prized possession that way."
He opened the door and pulled out a small yellow ring box with two blue hearts on it. As he closed the door and locked it, he smiled. From one blue angel to another. He placed the key in the small drawer next to the door and headed towards the bedroom door. He stopped when he caught a glimpse of an old picture of his son. He and Annie had invited the Harts and the Scotts over for Billy's birthday and had surprised the kids with a gift of their own. He smiled as he remembered the looks on the kids' faces.
"We should do that again sometime. The kids used to love it." He then dashed t his own room and dialed his best friend's number.
"Scott residence." Jason's voice came over the phone.
"Jason, this is Hank, can I speak to your father? I have something urgent to discuss with him." He smiled as his forming idea grew even more.
"Hank? How are you doing? What's so important?" Jonathan Scott was surprised to hear from his friend so suddenly. I hope nothing happened to Billy!
"I'm fine. Did Jason tell you about Billy, Trini, and Zack?" He smiled as his friend let out a big breath.
"He told me they are coming back around the end of January. Why?" Jonathan was sure he heard a slightly giddy laugh from his oldest friend. "Are you planning something?"
Hank laughed. "Well, I talked to Ernie yesterday and we are thinking of having a surprise welcome home party the weekend after they get back. The thing is, I need some help with the entertainment."
"Okay. What do you need help with?" Jonathan suddenly had a funny feeling he knew what Hank wanted.
"Well, I was going to contact our old friends to get them to perform a few songs." Hank smiled when his friend laughed. "What do you say? Think we can get them to come?"
"Sure Hank. I'll call Bob, Lee, and Steve. You worry about the other stuff. I'll take care off all the entertainment." Jonathan smiled at his wife who had just come up next to him. I'll talk to you in a bit."
"Yeah, thanks. I know the kids will love it." Hank hung up the phone and smiled. I just hope we can pull it off without letting the kids know.
Across town, Jonathan Scott looked at his wife. "Hank wants to have a surprise welcome home party at Ernie's the weekend after the kids come back."
"So I gathered. But what are you doing about the entertainment?" Mary Scott knew what her husband was capable of. "Let me guess, you are going to get your favorite entertainment to perform."
"Well, if they agree!" Jonathan smiled. "I just wonder if the other parents are as anxious for their return as we are."
"Well, I know the mothers are. You'll have to find out when you talk to the fathers." Mary sighed. "Well, I'll leave you alone to talk to your buddies."
Jonathan smiled as he called his other friends. An hour later, he had everything arranged and called his best friend back. "Hank, this is Jon. I called everyone and they all agreed. They are going to start rehearsing at eight pm this Saturday after Ernie closes. He will fend off any curious kids."
"Okay, thanks. I'll see you there Jon." Hank hung up his phone and headed for bed. Billy is going to love this.
AN: By the way, if any of you haven't figured out what exactly is happening with the parents, then just wait and you will find out. Everything I write in here is for a reason. It will all come together eventually. In the meantime though, please review!!!!!! Thanks! As for those of you who regularly review, I have a question. Do you guys want me to continue naming the chapters by number? Or shall I start giving them actual title to help you remember what chapter is what? Please let me know in either an email or a review.
AN: Well, apparently a lot of you liked the last chapter. I know I am taking things slowly but it is for a good reason. Once I get a few things out into the open, the rest will just wiz by. "These are spoken", these are thoughts , and *these are memories*. As always though, review!!!!!!
Chapter 21
Trini stared at her viewing screen. He didn't just say that did he? She shook her head to clear her mind. "No way he said that." She turned off her device and set it on her bedside stand.
As Trini got ready for bed, she couldn't stop thinking about what Billy said. Did he or didn't he really say that? She sighed as she set her alarm and slid into bed. Her eyes closed as a smile appeared on her lips. I hope he did.
THE NEXT MORNING ON AQUITAR
Billy opened his eyes and smiled. He sat up, stretched, and headed for his bathroom. He then showered, got dressed, and got some breakfast. As he ate, he thought about what he said to Trini. Did he really mean that?
He finished his breakfast and cleaned his dishes before heading into his living room. He quickly moved his furniture out of the way for his kata. Did I really mean that? He then began to stretch and warm up. As he then started his kata, he thought about what his mother always said.
*Billy, you can never lie when it is a matter of the heart. Love always shines through the cracks and shows the truth when someone tries to cover it up.*
As he turns, punches, blocks, and blocks, his thoughts clear up and he knows exactly what he wants to do. He finishes the kata and smiles. Well, my dad will be glad; he can help me this time! He walked over to his communication link and opened a link to Zordon.
"Yes Billy?" Zordon was surprised to hear from his young genius. "What can I do for you?"
Billy smiled. "I need to talk to my dad about something. Could you have Jason or Kim teleport him there when they get out of school? You can contact me when he is there."
"I will teleport him on his lunch break. I gave him one of the spare communicators when Kim brought him here yesterday." Zordon could hear Billy's surprise at the news.
"You did? Wow, I bet he loved it!" Billy smiled. I never thought they would take him there that fast! "Well, I will be here. Just let me know when he is there."
"We will Billy." Zordon cut the link.
Billy worked on his sketches and other plans while Zordon contacted his father. About three hours later, he heard a beep on his communication link. "Go ahead Zordon."
"Billy?"
"Dad?" Billy turned on his view screen and smiled. His dad smiled back at him. "I hope I didn't drag you away from anything important."
Hank Cranston shook his head and laughed. "Nothing is more important than you William." His smile turned into a frown when he saw Billy's face. "What's wrong?"
Billy sighed. "Well, I need to ask you something. The thing is, I don't know where to start."
"Well, don't be afraid to ask me. I told you that you can always ask me anything and I won't judge you or make fun of you for it." Hank looked at his son. What has him so scared and unsure?
"Well, did you read my email?" As his dad nodded, Billy relaxed. "Well, it sorta has to do with that." He looked down as a blush creeped up his face.
"Yes, I read it and I cried too. Do you really feel that way about her?" Hank was glad that his son had finally found someone he could be happy with.
Billy looked up with wide eyes. "You cried?" His dad nodded and smiled. "Well then, you might cry at this news."
Hank was perplexed and his son knew it. It took something very close to him and his family to make him cry so he was now scared of what his son could want to ask him. "Well, go ahead. I'll try not to."
"Okay." Billy took a deep breath and smiled. "Last night I was talking to Trini through one of those devices I designed. Well, we got to talking about where we saw ourselves in ten years and she said wherever her family was. Then she asked me where I saw myself." He paused to watch his dad's reaction.
Hank looked at his son. "What did you tell her?"
Billy smiled. "Without even thinking, I told her I saw myself in Angel Grove, working for you, and coming home to her every night."
Hank stared at his son as a lone tear ran down his cheek. It's just how I was with Annie before I proposed! "Well, what did she say? And did you really mean it?"
Billy blushed. "I turned the device off as soon as I said it. After sleeping on it and then clearing my head during a kata this morning, I know I meant it." He watched as his father's expression turned from shock to a smile.
Hank laughed. "You really are your mother's son! If you really meant it, then I say it's about time!" His son's shock made him laugh even harder. "Billy, why do you think my friends and I dragged the five of you with us whenever we got together?"
Billy shrugged. "I always thought it was because you guys couldn't find a baby sitter on the same night as your friends, or you wanted us to become as close a group of friends that you guys were."
Hank nodded. "That's exactly it. And for both those reasons! But as we watched you grow up, we realized that you and Trini were different than the others. You both had a thirst for knowledge and everything around you. She is not a genius like you but she had such a high IQ that she missed that category by one point." He stopped when he saw the shocked expression on his son's face.
"She missed it by one?" Billy was in awe. He knew she always had a high IQ but not that high! He smiled. "So is that the only reason you guys thought we were different?"
"There was one other reason that we never told you about." He blushed and looked down for a second. "You and Trini were so much like Annie and me that we hoped you would take things further than friendship."
It was Billy's turn to blush. "You mean you guys set us up?" He shook his head as his dad nodded. "I can't believe this! Our own parents set us up!" He then laughed as he thought of a way to get back at them. "I have one more thing to ask you then."
Hank began to get scared. He knew the look in his son's eyes and that meant something bad for him. "What is it?"
Billy grinned. "What would you say if I were to ask her to marry me this coming summer? I mean, IF she were to accept."
Hank smiled. "Well, I would tell you to go for it. I am sure she would agree. I am sure all your friends would help, as well as their parents." He thought of something. "Is that what you want?"
Billy nodded. "Absolutely. If we are so much like you and mom, I know things will be all right."
Hank nodded and smiled. He then looked at his watch. "I hate to break this up but I have to get back to work. My lunch hour is almost over. Shall I have Zordon send you the ring when you go to Phaedos so you can spend some quality time with her before coming home?"
Billy blushed. "I guess. It doesn't really matter to me. Although I do have something for her that is from one of my friends here so I will probably be a little late. If it is all right with you, I might just spend the night there after my quest."
Hank nodded. "It's fine with me Billy. I will talk to you later. I love you."
Billy smiled. "I love you too dad." He smiled as his dad cut the link. "Well, onto more pressing matters." He went back to his sketches and suddenly remembered the two coins and the stone he found under the other stones. He walked into his room and picked them up before heading back out to his desk.
He set them on the desk in a row and placed the other stone with them. A leopard coin, a chameleon coin, and a turtle stone stared back at him from among the other stones. Okay, so Amanda could be one if she feels up to it. But who would the other animal be for? Kat definitely will get one since she is using Kim's right now. He stared at the animals and an image formed in his head. "That's it! She could be the one!"
Billy then sighed. "Now why is there a purple stone?" According to the elder, there had never been a purple ranger on any team. Only when one of the rangers was missing would the purple ranger appear. But even then, the last one to be seen was thousands of years before Billy became a ranger. Cobi, I need your help. The wolf appeared next to him.
"William, I know what you seek. The purple ranger is a healer. She is not a ranger for battle. She does however have the knowledge and skill of one should they need an extra person or if one of them should become unable to fight."
Billy was stunned. "So they don't really have a reason to be a ranger other than to heal the others?" He shook his head. It just didn't seem right. "There has to be a reason they are there, other than to heal."
"You are correct young pup. A purple ranger can help the powers to heal their fellow rangers faster. For instance; if one of the rangers received a deep wound that could put him or her in the hospital, the purple can channel the powers of that ranger, herself, and anyone else willing to help, into that wounded ranger to heal it well enough that they can go about their day with only a minor cut."
Billy smiled. "We could really use it with what is coming our way. Thank you Cobi."
The wolf bowed its head and began to disappear.
"Cobi?" Billy waited until the wolf completely rematerialized before continuing. "How do I know if I have the right people for the purple rangers?"
"You need not worry about that young pup. They will make themselves known to you." The wolf then vanished and Billy returned the coins and the stones back to where he had them.
LATER THAT EVENING ON EARTH
Hank Cranston stepped into his son's bedroom. "Good thing he kept it safe. Otherwise, I would never be able to find it!" He walked over to the desk, opened the top drawer and reached in. He felt a small key taped to the top of the drawer. How did he manage to tape it there? He laughed as he pulled it free and unlocked the small door in the middle of the top shelf of the desk. "Only Billy could find a way to hide a key to his most prized possession that way."
He opened the door and pulled out a small yellow ring box with two blue hearts on it. As he closed the door and locked it, he smiled. From one blue angel to another. He placed the key in the small drawer next to the door and headed towards the bedroom door. He stopped when he caught a glimpse of an old picture of his son. He and Annie had invited the Harts and the Scotts over for Billy's birthday and had surprised the kids with a gift of their own. He smiled as he remembered the looks on the kids' faces.
"We should do that again sometime. The kids used to love it." He then dashed t his own room and dialed his best friend's number.
"Scott residence." Jason's voice came over the phone.
"Jason, this is Hank, can I speak to your father? I have something urgent to discuss with him." He smiled as his forming idea grew even more.
"Hank? How are you doing? What's so important?" Jonathan Scott was surprised to hear from his friend so suddenly. I hope nothing happened to Billy!
"I'm fine. Did Jason tell you about Billy, Trini, and Zack?" He smiled as his friend let out a big breath.
"He told me they are coming back around the end of January. Why?" Jonathan was sure he heard a slightly giddy laugh from his oldest friend. "Are you planning something?"
Hank laughed. "Well, I talked to Ernie yesterday and we are thinking of having a surprise welcome home party the weekend after they get back. The thing is, I need some help with the entertainment."
"Okay. What do you need help with?" Jonathan suddenly had a funny feeling he knew what Hank wanted.
"Well, I was going to contact our old friends to get them to perform a few songs." Hank smiled when his friend laughed. "What do you say? Think we can get them to come?"
"Sure Hank. I'll call Bob, Lee, and Steve. You worry about the other stuff. I'll take care off all the entertainment." Jonathan smiled at his wife who had just come up next to him. I'll talk to you in a bit."
"Yeah, thanks. I know the kids will love it." Hank hung up the phone and smiled. I just hope we can pull it off without letting the kids know.
Across town, Jonathan Scott looked at his wife. "Hank wants to have a surprise welcome home party at Ernie's the weekend after the kids come back."
"So I gathered. But what are you doing about the entertainment?" Mary Scott knew what her husband was capable of. "Let me guess, you are going to get your favorite entertainment to perform."
"Well, if they agree!" Jonathan smiled. "I just wonder if the other parents are as anxious for their return as we are."
"Well, I know the mothers are. You'll have to find out when you talk to the fathers." Mary sighed. "Well, I'll leave you alone to talk to your buddies."
Jonathan smiled as he called his other friends. An hour later, he had everything arranged and called his best friend back. "Hank, this is Jon. I called everyone and they all agreed. They are going to start rehearsing at eight pm this Saturday after Ernie closes. He will fend off any curious kids."
"Okay, thanks. I'll see you there Jon." Hank hung up his phone and headed for bed. Billy is going to love this.
AN: By the way, if any of you haven't figured out what exactly is happening with the parents, then just wait and you will find out. Everything I write in here is for a reason. It will all come together eventually. In the meantime though, please review!!!!!! Thanks! As for those of you who regularly review, I have a question. Do you guys want me to continue naming the chapters by number? Or shall I start giving them actual title to help you remember what chapter is what? Please let me know in either an email or a review.