Wes, Eric, Jen, Alex, Trip, Lucas, Katie, and Mr. Collins belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.
Andrea, Morgan, and any others you don't recognize are mine.

Rated R : Strong and descriptive but not explicit sexual content, including m/m contact; language; violence.

This story includes slash, which involves sexual situations between two men. If you're uncomfortable with the idea, don't read this.

Reviews are always appreciated.

Fall From Grace


Forever

They trailed into the ship; tired, dispirited, and overwhelmed. Trip headed right for the control panels and his instruments and powered them on with a few touches. Wes stood behind his shoulder, the others gathered around them, watching what was to him a meaningless display of lights, colors, and lines. They waited for what seemed to Wes like a very long time, as his heart slowly sank.

"You can't find him, can you?" he finally said.

"Nothing so far," Trip said. "I'll keep looking."

"If they're not using their morphers, it's harder to detect them. They've probably also shielded their home base from scanning," Alex explained. "If that's the problem -- we have to wait until one of them leaves the shielded area and activates his or her morpher before we can get a fix."

"But they must have still been using their morphers when they got away from us."

"All we had then was Trip's handheld scanner. Much less range. If they use the morphers anywhere in the area, the ship will pick it up."

Trip looked up. "I'll set up an automatic alarm, to alert us if anything happens." He used a few more controls, and then raised a hand, pressing it to his head for a moment, his shoulders hunching.

"Trip, are you all right?" Lucas asked.

"Just a headache. I'll be okay. Have to keep looking."

"Go get some rest," Lucas said. "You've set the auto alarm. I'll keep an eye on things."

"Maybe you're right." Trip stood up. As he turned around, Wes noticed he seemed a little pale. "I must be tired. Just need to close my eyes for a few minutes."

"Katie, you don't look so good either," Jen said.

Katie stopped rubbing her temples and smiled wanly. "Funny, I have a headache too. Hardly ever get them."

"Trip and Katie, get something to eat, and get some sleep. That goes for the rest of us too. We'll need to be at our best if -- when we find something," Alex said. He turned to Wes. "Go on. There's nothing more you can do here in the meantime." His voice and face softened slightly as he added, "Try to relax. Rest up, you'll need your strength later. If there's any way to find Eric, we'll do it."


When the knock came Wes was just sitting on one of the beds, staring at the floor. The sound was soft and somehow hesitant. "Come in," he called.

The door opened to reveal Jen, looking as uncertain as her knock had sounded. "I wanted to see if you're okay," she said, a little awkwardly.

"I'm all right, I guess. Come on in."

She came inside, hesitating for a moment before sinking down to sit opposite him. The cabin was very small, basically just the two beds, now separated again, and enough room for a person to stand between them. They were facing each other, close enough to reach out and touch. Wes avoided her eyes, feeling her gaze on his face as he looked down into his clasped hands.

"We haven't had a chance to talk," she said after a few uncomfortable moments.

"Yeah, things have been moving kind of fast."

"Kind of."

Silence stretched between them again, until Jen broke it, her voice slightly unsteady. "So... how have you been?"

"Okay." After a glance up at the disappointment in her face, Wes made another effort. "I've been fine. Still working for my dad, with the Silver Guardians."

"I know." She smiled faintly.

"Yeah, I guess you would. Anyway, it's okay." He stopped, biting his lip. That part of his life might be over now. If his father fired Eric, as he had threatened. If Eric...

"I guess you and Eric have gotten to be pretty close friends."

"Yeah. Pretty close."

"I have to admit I'm a little surprised. The two of you are so different. And he sure wasn't the friendly type while we were all there."

"He had -- reasons to act like that, then." Wes looked up uncomfortably. "Can we not talk about Eric right now?"

"Sorry. I know you're worried." Jen paused, her eyes moving away and then back.

Wes tried again to shake himself into some semblance of good manners. Jen was a good friend and had been his teammate, and more. He hadn't seen her since the mutorg incident, almost a year ago. He should be interested in what had been going on in her life, just as she had shown interest in him. "No, I'm sorry," he said. "How have you been? You never told me what it was like going home, after we captured Ransik."

She smiled. "No, we didn't get much chance to talk the last time, did we? Well, we were glad to get back. For the most part." Now she was the one examining her own hands. "Kind of disorienting, at first. And we all missed 2001."

"You were there almost a year."

"Yes. We could have had memory adaptation, but we all turned it down." She glanced up at Wes's inquiring look. "When someone's been through a traumatic experience, or been in another time long enough to adjust to it -- to -- to want to stay there -- their memories can be adjusted, so they forget whatever is painful. The memories come back, but slowly, when the person is ready for it."

"Interesting. But I don't think I'd want anyone fiddling with my memories. Even the bad ones."

"We all felt the same way. And we readjusted pretty quickly, went back to our jobs in Time Force. We were all promoted."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks. Then the mutorg mission came up. We were all back in your time again." Jen hesitated, fingers twisting together. "It was hard, seeing you again. I -- I guess I had some thought of breaking the rules, and staying there with you..."

"But you couldn't."

"No, I couldn't do it. But I want you to know, I wanted to."

"I -- I understand." Wes frowned uncomfortably. That brief visit had shaken him up too. It had been before he had realized -- or admitted -- that he was gay. Jen had been back, and he had known they had the chance to be together, however briefly, the way they never had the first time. They hadn't done it; he had made no effort to be alone with her, and she had apparently accepted that. At the time, he had thought he didn't want to be closer to her, to make love with her only to be forced to watch her leave again. Now, of course, he knew better, that on some level he had known it wouldn't be right.

"Eric seemed to like that blonde woman..."

"Taylor. Yeah, he did like her."

"Did they...?"

"No, never saw each other again." He and Eric had done a lot of talking in the last weeks, a lot of reexamining their past. Wes had teased him about Taylor, and Eric had admitting to liking her, and to flirting with her, but that was as far as it had gone. Just Eric's idea of fun -- and possibly a jealous reaction to seeing Wes with Jen again, although he had denied that suggestion indignantly.

"Oh. Too bad. He needs someone."

"Hm." Vaguely annoyed, Wes changed the subject to one he knew Jen would probably find equally uncomfortable. "So... so, what's going on with you and Alex?" Then he was sorry as her face closed down, her eyes lowering and dimming, her lips thinning.

"Wes, I -- well, Alex asked me to marry him again. And I accepted." She twisted the ring on her finger. "I -- I don't know how you feel about that..."

"Thought so, I noticed the ring. I'm glad. You-" He smiled, and reached out to touch her hand. "You need someone, too. I just want you to be happy."

"That's very sweet." Her glance flickered back up. "I still think about you. Maybe that's not really fair to Alex."

"You do?" Wes met her eyes and then glanced away. "Look, I don't know if this'll make any difference, but I'm seeing someone now."

He thought he saw a trace of hurt in her face, but her voice was steady enough. "That's good, Wes. Anyone I know?"

"Uh... Someone at Bio-Lab."

"Is it -- is it serious?"

"We're in love."

"That's great." Definite hurt this time as Jen gave a tiny smile. "I hope you'll be happy with her."

"We're trying." He took her hand. "Look, Jen. What we had..." He paused, uncertain of how to say it, uncertain even of what he was feeling, only that the thought that he was still standing between her and Alex bothered him. He couldn't quite bring himself to tell the complete truth -- but he could be as honest as possible. "When we fell in love, I think part of it was the situation. We were facing danger together, fighting for a mission together. You were stranded there, alone except for Lucas, Trip, and Katie, and you thought Alex was dead. I had that fight with my father, and I felt like I was alone, too."

Her face was downcast again. "Are you saying what we felt wasn't real?"

"Not exactly. I still love you, but I realize now I wasn't in love with you. And maybe the same thing is true of you."

It took her a few seconds to answer. "I don't know. Sometimes I think so, but sometimes..." Brown eyes lifted to meet his. "But it's over between us, isn't it? Whatever it was, it's over."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I need to put it behind me. If Alex and I are getting married..."

"If?"

"I mean when. I'd better go. Let you get some rest."

"And get some yourself." Wes smiled, keeping it up until Jen closed the door behind her. Then he lay down. His gaze fell on the opposite cot. Where Eric should be lying right now. After a moment he rolled over, squeezing his eyes shut.


She heard him, footsteps crunching softly on the sand and then stopping. He was standing there, not coming closer, respecting her privacy. So like Alex. Always holding back, never challenging her the way Wes had. Alex was so -- steady. So controlled, so reserved. Wes had been exciting at least partly because he was so different, because he demanded an emotional reaction. Wes. But that was over. Why was that so hard to accept?

Jen turned her head, and looked at him. Alex stirred, and crossed the space between them. They both stood in silence for a while, looking out over the endless and unchanging ocean; the same in the past, in their own time, and here. It was lovely in the moonlight, the water dark and sparkling, a few stars gleaming above, the gentle sound of waves breaking on the shore, the fresh and salty living smell as a cool breeze filtered through her hair.

She groped for something to say, needing to talk to him... but not about Wes, not yet... "Alex, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. Anything."

"We've never really talked about Andrea. Were you in love with her?"

Silence fell between them again, except for the soft ocean sounds, leaving her wondering if he was angry. Then he answered, his voice quiet and perhaps sad. "I thought I was. But I guess I just loved the outside of her. She's so beautiful, I thought she must be good on the inside too. Or maybe that was just what I wanted to think."

"When it was over, did you know? Or did you still wonder how you felt about her?"

"After I testified against her, she was angry. Wouldn't understand why I did it. Wouldn't admit she could have done anything wrong. And she started to hate mutants, blamed them for everything. Them and me. We saw each other only a few more times. The things she said, so full of hate..." He sighed and shook his head. "Maybe I was wrong, maybe I should have tried harder, been more understanding. But I didn't. When we broke up, I couldn't believe I had ever loved her."

Jen stared out over the ocean again for a time. Alex and Andrea... Had he deliberately chosen a woman as different as he could find for his next lover? And were she and Andrea really that different? They had both hurt him. Finally, she said, "You must have wondered about me, too. About whether you really love me. You certainly have reason to."

"No. That's one of the few things I'm sure of. I've always loved you, Jen." Finally his eyes were looking at her, the intensity in his face startling her. "From the first time we kissed. Maybe from the first time you smiled at me. I've never doubted it. I was sure from the beginning I'd found a love that would last forever."

"Forever..." She stared, stricken, and then looked away.

He didn't respond for a few seconds, and then said quietly, "You were in Wes's room. What happened?"

"You were watching me?"

"Happened to see you leave." She looked again, seeing only his profile as he faced the water again, his expression unreadable in the dim light.

"Alex, why ask me about it? Why would you want to talk about Wes?"

His answer surprised her, both the words and the quiet tone. "Because it's important to you. And I care about you. I think you need to talk about it."

She bit her lip, looking away. "All right. We just talked about what's been going on in our lives. Just catching up."

"And?"

"He's got someone new now. Says he's in love." She laughed, breathlessly and unhappily. "I'm such an idiot. It actually bothers me. I should be happy for him. Why can't I just be happy for him?"

"Human nature, I guess."

"And he said he thinks we never really loved each other. It was just the way we were thrown together, with you gone, and us stranded in his time." Jen pressed a hand to her mouth. "I don't know. Maybe he's right. I looked at him tonight, and talked to him, and -- something's different, somehow. I just don't know what to think."

"Do you still love him?"

She looked up quickly, wondering, but there was no clue in his face, still not turned to her. "Alex, I'm marrying you."

"That doesn't really answer the question." There was a hint of bitterness and anger in his voice, just enough to alarm her.

And she couldn't answer, not now. Didn't have any answer she knew to be true. "I'm sorry," was all she could say.

"So am I." He was looking at her now, but his face was expressionless, his eyes bleak.

She moved forward, not letting herself think, wrapping her arms around his body and pressing close, hugging him tight as his arms slowly enfolded her.

They stood quietly again, the arms around her rigid with tension; until Jen raised her head, looking into Alex's eyes before he kissed her. It started softly, his lips pressed gently to hers; until she raised her hands to the back of his head, deepening the kiss and pressing her body against his, feeling his hands move down her back as his tongue flicked against her teeth...

Then he released her and stepped back so quickly she almost lost her balance, his face raw and exposed just for a moment, filled with desire, pain, frustration. "No..." he said. "We can't do this."

"What do you mean...?"

"Much as I love you and want to marry you, I need to know you love me too. That you love me more than anyone else." His gaze dropped to her hand, the ring. "It's obvious you're still thinking about Wes. If you have doubts... I'm releasing you from our engagement."

"What?" She stared at him, feeling unbalanced again. "You -- you're breaking it off?"

"Maybe someday I'll be the one you want to be with. The only one. If that ever happens..." He moved in again, hands clamping on her shoulders, pulling her against him. His arms went around her, squeezing almost painfully as his mouth claimed hers; not tenderly, the way he had always kissed her before -- but roughly and passionately, stopping her breath with a thrill of excitement. Then before she could open her eyes, he was walking swiftly back to the ship.


He woke, slowly, unaware of exactly when undreaming sleep ended and consciousness began. Gradually his surroundings took shape... A soft surface under him, a comfortable temperature, the fading ache of healing injuries. Then air that smelled faintly of filtering and processing. Sound, a murmur of voices, one male and one female. A vaguely sour taste in his mouth. And he opened his eyes.

A white ceiling above, as blank as the gaps he could sense in his own mind. For a moment he blinked up at it, before turning his head towards the voices. A man and a woman, standing close together near a doorway in the small, white room he was lying in, talking quietly. She was medium height, with bright blonde hair; he was tall, dark-skinned, black-haired.

The man saw him and whispered something to the woman. She turned and smiled, and started for him. When the man followed, she turned back and spoke again in a clear, musical voice. "Go on now, Morgan. I'll see you later."

"I think I should be here."

"No. He's disoriented. Less confusing for him if I talk to him alone." She turned her head to smile reassuringly.

"If you say so." But the man -- Morgan -- didn't look happy, his face hardening with something like anger as he looked back before going through the door.

The woman was sitting at his bedside now, taking his hand in hers, stroking it gently. She was beautiful; golden hair, her face angelically sweet, smiling gently. He stared at her, still confused.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"All right, I guess." Tentatively, he raised the other hand to his face, brushed his hair back and raised his head to look at himself. Everything seemed to be there, no obvious injuries beyond a few scrapes and bruises, looking half healed.

"Good. We were worried. You were pretty badly hurt. How much do you remember?"

"I -- I don't know..." He hesitated, looking at her more closely, reaching for memory, startled and frightened when he found nothing. "Not sure. I don't... don't remember anything."

Her lips tightened. "They did this. Used memory adaptation. Erased most of your memories. Do you know your name?"

He thought, wincing as his mind plunged painfully into empty spaces. "I can't..."

"Never mind, it's okay." She smiled compassionately. "Your name is Eric. And I'm Andrea. You'll meet the others later. We're all your friends."

"What happened? Who's they? The ones who did this to me?"

"They call themselves the Time Force Rangers. Their leader is a man called Alex..." Her face twisted with an emotion so dark it surprised and disturbed him. "They captured you. Changed your memories, forced you to join them. They tried to use you to kill us. But in the fight, you were caught in an explosion. They ran out on you, left you to die. We were barely able to save your life. Our medical equipment has almost finished healing you."

"Why -- why would they do that? Who are they?"

"They work for Time Force. It's an evil organization, Eric. We're trying to do something to help all of humanity, to eliminate the threat of mutants forever, so humans can finally live in peace. And they want to stop us."

"I don't understand."

She reached a soft hand to stroke his forehead and went on gently. "Of course you don't. But I'll explain it. You're one of us, Eric. Part of our team, the Quantum Rangers. You'll see, very soon, when we have to fight them again, you'll see you belong with us. And you'll help us defeat them." Her hand tightened slightly. "Forever."


TBC...